Di-licious

I have an old sewing machine passed onto me by my sister. There is no manual so I haven't been able to work out how to change the machine foot or progress beyond simple straight or zigzag stitches. Today I found my machine's manual online and instantly, the veil of mystique fluttered away. I have my sewing mojo back. I whipped up this sweet little softie for a special birthday gift this week. Suddenly that quilting kit stashed under my craft table doesn't seem so impossible now. I also aced my first attempt at back stitch embroidery. How cute is that face????? Life is good.

To celebrate my spring cleaning progress, I picked up the latest issue of Homespun magazine yesterday. Inside was the cutest pattern for crocheted rose rings. I thought they'd be equally gorgeous as a small brooch. I adapted the pattern slightly, using 3ply cotton for the bloom and embroidery cotton for the leaves. I was running out of green so I eliminated a couple of the leaves. So dainty! Makes me wonder whether people would buy them.........?

Hooray! All of our hens are finally laying! That means 4 eggs a day! Bliss! Yesterday morning I experienced the joy that is a poached, fresh egg - literally only hours old. So happy to be a backyard farmer.

I like to think myself as being an organised person. I keep bags of chopped-up ripe bananas in the freezer, ready to make banana bread and muffins on a whim. I love this banana bread because it's the real deal - not banana cake masquerading as banana bread. It holds its shape when sliced, toasts well and I strongly suspect it will be amazing pan fried in a little butter for a decadent Sunday breakfast….. RECIPE: Perfect Banana Bread A simple and easy banana bread that should be in everyone’s recipe repertoire. Adapted from Margaret Fulton’s recipe in “Margaret Fulton’s Encyclopedia of Food & Cookery” Ingredients 3 ripe bananas, mashed 2 eggs, beaten well 1 cup wholemeal flour 1 cup plain flour ¾ cup sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp bicarbonate soda ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (omit if you have allergy concerns) Instructions Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line base of a medium loaf pan (21 x 11cm). In a large bowl, mix the bananas and eggs together. Sift

The sunny start to spring was short lived. Today it rained and rained. In fact, it's going to rain all weekend. To cheer myself up I wore my red shoes. Mission accomplished.

I'm so proud of this gorgeous bunting I made for my sister's baby shower. I had been working on a baby blanket but as the deadline drew nearer, I knew I'd never finish it in time. I'd spied these cute crocheted sheep over at Pardon my Chaos and had tagged it as a future project. A test-make proved to me that I could whip them up fast, using wool already in my stash. I modified the pattern slightly in that I made them single sided instead of stitching two together. I borrowed a bunting string pattern from a crochet magazine and put the two of them together. Aren't they darling?

Since joining the Country Women's Association, I've noticed a change in my baking style. I've turned retro. I'm not interested in elaborate fondant covered cakes anymore. Give me a slice of old fashioned chocolate cake or a classic iced cupcake anyday. It's all about flavour and appreciating the cook's efforts. This weekend I challenged myself to make the perfect jelly slice. A packet of biscuits, melted butter, condensed milk, some gelatine and a packet of raspberry jelly crystals - the result was amazing. Mission accomplished. RECIPE: Perfect Jelly Slice 1 packet Arnotts Niece biscuits 170g butter, melted 1 packet raspberry jelly crystals 1 1/2 cups boiling water 1 tin condensed milk 1 tblsp + 1 tsp powdered gelatine 1/2 cup hot water Start this recipe the day before you want to serve it. This will guarantee that the jelly has set properly. Grease and line a slice tin (minimum depth 3cm) or a 20cm square casserole dish with