From the kitchen – Plum Kitchen

Silky Liberty…

Hello again, and a happy belated Easter if you celebrate. It’s actually a public holiday here in NZ for ANZAC day , so I thought it would be fun to sit down and catch up. Oh and stand around the garden smiling at hedges, obviously.

I would normally start with a sewing catch up, but in honour of the holiday I will first share my ANZAC biscuits. Oats, coconut, golden syrup , of course they taste good.

Mr D and I engaged in our annual “fruit no fruit” ~~argument~~ discussion. He is pro adding currents (the most boring of dried fruit surely?) and sultanas, I am against. If it has fruit it isn’t an Anzac biscuit babe!

This year I relented and added currents & dried apricot to half the mixture. As predicted the fruit burned but he insists that just “adds to the flavour”. Indeed. The recipe below, from my well thumbed Edmonds cookbook. My edition is pre fan-bake ovens, so I would reduce the temp to 160C if cooking on fan. So easy and so very tasty.

I made these the first year we lived in London, but the British Tate & Lyle Golden syrup seemed a lot lighter than the Chelsea variety I use here in NZ, so my biscuits were much paler and had a more mild flavour. They were perfectly delicious but not the ANZAC biscuits I remembered, I do recall there were (homesick) tears!

Fast forward twenty odd years and I can bang out a batch of biscuits and sew a new top just like that, go me.

To be fair the Cashmerette Montrose is a pretty quick easy sew, even for me. Or at least it would be if I didn’t insist on using gorgeous but slippery Liberty silk, and driving my overlocker through the fabric causing a big ole’ tear. Yes dear reader, there were indeed tears.

After a restorative glass of Chard/moan to my husband I took stock and decided , given how gloriously busy the fabric is, I could possibly get away with some machine embroidery. I could also end up with a hot mess, but worth a try yes?

Interfacing to stabilise the mess.

Machine embroidery for the win! So good it’s almost invisible, or at least very difficult to see. I’m surprised it worked so well.

I’ve made the Montrose several times times before, one of those patterns that is deceptively “basic” but actually great, I’m not sure why I’ve not made one for a while.

The silk is from The Fabric Store, with the most glorious sheen I haven’t captured in pictures. I must have had something in mind when I brought 1.5 metres, but I know not what. I did however managed to squeeze the top out of this amount. I didn’t use the larger bicep piece, and as you can see the arm is quite snug, but it’s fine to wear & works well under a cardigan or jacket

A perfect top for work or play , vive la Liberty 🙂

In between baking, sewing and a stinking cold , I did manage to read a book this month, highly recommend Killers of A Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. What a blast , four female assassins reach retirement age and think the “company” they work for has shouted them a retirement cruise. The Company has more permanent retirement ideas.

I just loved this, great characters, pacey plot & honestly, woman of a certain age absolutely kicking ar8e. If a bit of swearing and violence isn’t your bag then avoid, but if not, I highly recommend.

Probably timely reading for me, as I approach with speed my big five oh. Actually turning 50 is pretty ok for me. It’s exponentially better than NOT getting to turn 50, and I guess I was already on the “old?” spectrum when I stopped dying my hair. Its something I’m thinking about a lot though , wont lie.

I’ve been married for almost 25 years (I’m honestly checking those figures as we speak) , my approach to aging must be coloured by that? I haven’t been on the pull in nearly 30 years . What does that even feel like now?

My husband is seven years older than me so he is mid 5o’s, we talked about what it would be like to even think about meeting someone new now (its ok kids, were not planning to kill each other, this is hypothetical! )

Aging is a gift. I’m watching the ceremony from Melbourne , the NZ Warriors rugby league team (yay!) in the annual Anzac day game vs Melbourne. We are blessed .So many young men and and woman who had no choices.

Living it large friends! Enjoy your week

Kristina xxx

Mimi and the cool cats…

Once again it’s raining cats and dogs here in Tamaki Makarau, but I do promise to stop torturing animal idioms long enough to tell you about my latest sewing project which as you can see…is a bit catty!

I brought this fabric from The Fabric Store a while back, it’s a light shirting fabric with a really nice, slightly crisp finish, perfect for giving some drama to my sleeve. Who doesn’t love a bit of sleeve drama? Well me actually. Don’t get me wrong, I love those massive sleeves , and if I ever fell out of a plane some of them look like they would probably keep me airborne for hours. But in a predominately computer desk based desk job , acres of fabric flapping around will quickly get on my last nerve. Ditto chunky bangles and bracelets.

Just the right amount of draaaaama darlings

The pattern is the Style Arc Mimi top, which as you can see I have altered somewhat, mainly because I seem incapable of buying sensibly coloured shirring elastic , I currently have fire engine red and nothing else. No idea what I brought that for either.

I really like the relaxed dropped shoulder and the volume in the sleeve, so I played around with the sleeve head, adding approx. 8 cm extra width either side for gathering , and instead of shirring I gathered and bound the sleeve hem. For me anyway, this is the Goldilocks’ sleeve, not too little, not too much, just right.

The construction is super simple, no darts , a bound neckline and a keyhole back opening, which I don’t actually need to open to get over my head so you could probably omit if required. The hemline is gently curved which I think looks cute over slim pants.

Of course what could accessorise feline fabric better than a bird brooch?

So what else has been happening around here besides terrible cat puns?

Some new reading material! I’m quite enjoying this, as a long time Christie fan I love all the references to her books the authors have used, it’s a little “aha” when you pick up a name. I especially enjoyed meeting the Vicar and Griselda again, Murder at the Vicarage is one of my favs. The quality is probably a tiny bit uneven for me (I truly struggled with the idea of Miss Marple in Manhattan) but I think that is a personal thing , aren’t all books to a degree? My BFF & I share VERY different taste in books, so I’m always careful with my criticism. If you enjoy Golden Age mysteries, you will enjoy this.

A very early birthday treat to myself, some fabulous new pans. I love to cook , and I’m quite hard on my equipment. I like to buy stuff that is built to last (I still have the Chefs knife my parents brought me for catering college 30 years ago) , and I find cast iron, unlike non stick coatings, can put up with the treatment. Also a good arm workout for my bingo wings!

The Ironclad Pan Co is a local company who were hit pretty hard by the recent flooding here in Auckland. A colleague received a couple of pans for Christmas and was raving about them so I was already thinking over a purchase, making an order to help them with the rebuild seemed like a no brainer…when the universe talks, I spend money. Now , rare or medium rare?

When not hoofing around heavy cookware I decided, in a moment of I Don’t Even Know What that hand rolling the hem of a metre square scarf would be a grand idea for my Mum’s birthday. The silk is a Liberty print , isn’t it glorious, a bit Hermes I thought? The colours will go with so much in her wardrobe, and silk is light but warm, prefect for a spunky 87 year old.

But handrolloing a hem is …long. Even with wine. I used this tutorial and it is a bit of magic when the hems “rolls itself up” won’t lie. But it’s still long.

Its Feijoa season here in NZ, and look at that for a first haul. A rather unusual fruit, native to Brazil, I can’t even describe the flavour, tropical yet slightly musky? A friend from the UK trying them, for the first time described it as “disgusting, like eating perfume” so not to everyone’s taste, but I love them. Which is good as growing up, every garden I knew had at least one tree. We haven’t yet reached “you’re not allowed to leave until you take some Feijoas” part of the season yet.

I have to leave you with this , Tommy couldn’t bear not to be the star cat in the pic, so decided some gymnastics was in order. At least I think that’s what he was doing?

Tommy busting some moves, such a show off…

Have a fabulous week friends.

Kristina xxx

Tea with Gabrielle…

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting some more. It’s been a weird old weekend, with Cyclone Gabrielle bearing down on Aotearoa. I felt like I was in holding mode, restless, and unable to concentrate. Like Covid lockdown but with more candles and crappier weather. Well, Gabby’s well & truly arrived, its raining, grey as heck & the wind is REALLY picking up. I normally love all the trees on my little street, not so much when you worry they might be coming to join you on the sofa. I try not to bang on too much about the weather, but suffice to say this summer has been pants!

A lot of the area is still getting over the flooding from a few weeks ago, so not best pleased about more rain, plus storm force winds to boot. We have moved all the outdoor furniture to safety , stocked up on food, candles, water and wine (priorities people!) , not much to do now but drink tea (then wine when the non existent sun makes it over the yard arm…) and wait.

So to divert my mind from the precarious state of my neighbours gazebo (which I very much hope does not end up in my garden later this evening) lets talk sewing, much less stressful.

This is The Assembly Line Cuff Top pattern . Now you may be noticing the lack of a cuff? Well yes, several choices there. One, I didn’t actually have any appropriate elastic (kind of a game changer on this one) but also, the width and structure of the fabric. I brought this beautiful Japanese linen cotton blend from Miss Maude without paying much attention to the width , a measly 109 cm. Hmmm, what could inattentive, and lets be honest not teeny tiny Kristina make using 1.6 m of not terribly wide fabric?

I have made the Cuff Top before, but obviously had to make a few adjustments for my lack of elastic/ability to measure fabric so we ditched about 10 cm of sleeve length and the cuff. As you can see, due to not having to encase the elastic the sleeves are still a totally acceptable length. I actually like the heft the linen cotton provides, giving more of a structural shape to the sleeve. A win in my book.

It’s also been a useful exercise in thinking a bit more laterally, I have some lovely vintage fabrics and silk in my stash that are quite narrow widths, I need to think about how I can use them with my existing patterns.

As you know I do love a good brooch, this is one I found in Melbourne back in 2009 , I remember because we were on hols for a long weekend and it was the day Michael Jackson died . Mr D had gone to watch the first half on an AFL game at the MCG* and I stayed behind in our hotel watching endless media coverage of Michaels death and remembering how much I loved the genius of Thriller and how sad his life had become. I’ve never had a TV in our bedroom so watching anything sitting in/on a bed is such a novelty! Yes, I should get out more 🙂

Anyway, at half time we had organised to meet at Greg Malouf’s fabulous Lebanese restaurant Momo for dinner. I remember being so pleased wearing my lovely new brooch, brought at a little antiques shop near the Hill of Content bookshop, where we spent a very happy hour browsing. I brought a book on French embroidery which I still have. I’m not a huge shopper, but I do love when I’m on hols buying something I know will last, and remind me of the place I’m in every time I use/look/smell it. Every time I wear my little Bakelite flower brooch I think of that lovely day, and the amazing meal we sheared. Ok and Michael Jackson. Can’t win them all.

Speaking of amazing meals (did you like that seamless segue?) , here is one I prepared earlier. Ok amazing is pushing it, but comfort food par excellence and healthy to boot .

This is a Rick Stein recipe, from his wonderful India cookbook. Obviously I can’t speak to authenticity, but it’s flippin tasty and just the ticket for my Mum and three sisters who all had Covid, boo! Lentils are a great source of protein, and I know if I’m feeling a bit rubbish, soup seems easier to manage than a full meal. A tarka is just a garnish that is fried at the last minute then topped/stirred into a dish, I stirred mine in as I was delivering this to eat at a later date.

200g yellow tur dal, soaked in cold water for 1 hour, then drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 green chillies, slit lengthways (I used one as Mum isn’t a chilli fan)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
small handful fresh curry leaves (or from the freezer…)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground turmeric

For the tarka

2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 shallots, finely chopped (could also use a small red or white onion)
4 dried Kashmiri chillies, each broken into 3 pieces (or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes)
about 15 fresh curry leaves (again, from the freezer)
handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to garnish
Method

Put the dal into a large saucepan and add water to cover by about 4cm. Add all the remaining dal ingredients, bring to the boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 45–60 minutes. The dal should be soft but still with a little bite. Use a potato masher to break up about half of the lentils, being sure to leave plenty of texture.

For the tarka, heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds until they pop. Stir in the shallots, Kashmiri chillies and curry leaves and fry for 2–3 minutes until the shallots are softened and golden.

Spoon the tarka on top of the dal, sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and serve.

I packed up the soup for the whanau, I had mine over rice with a boiled egg, a dollop of yogurt and some pickle for lunch, really tasty and sustaining. Vege soup and Butter Chicken completed the trio .

I hope where ever you are its safe and dry, we shall ride out a bumpy night and see you on the other side friends x

Kristina x

P.S. AFL is Australian Rules Football, a descendant of Gaelic football, played on a huge field by impossibly fit blokes with impressive biceps (just an observation) . The MCG is the Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the worlds great stadiums, highly recommend the tour.

New clothes for the new year

Well hello again, thought I’d start the new year with an actual honest to goodness no frills proper blog post. Apparently Instagram is dead, Twitter has sh*t itself & blogs are coming back.* While I’m not sure this is quite the case (although the Instagram algorithms are enough to make a girl drink) I do miss the more detailed form of a blog post. I’m long winded that way…

So what’s been occurring here at Plum Towers ? Rain. Lotta rain. Almost Biblical rain. I may or may not be sending the cats for swimming lessons. But since the weather is rather a tedious topic of conversation (have I mentioned it’s wet?) lets talk sewing instead .

First up is an Assembly Line Cuff Dress. Since I made this Easter off the Cuff top I’ve wanted to make the longer dress version. The key is to use the correct elastic for the cuff (soft) and a firmer elastic for the waistband. I also made sure the elastic sat at the correct spot on my waist. I have a short waist, so I raised the bodice approx. 5 cm, which looks way less frumpy than having it lower down. Despite my measurements putting me in the XL range I actually made a Large (nothing to do with me being a tit & buying the wrong size pattern of course…) I’m actually really happy with the fit, comfortable without being ridiculously oversized.

The fabric is a soft yet slightly structured Japanese seersucker from Miss Maude, I love it and willfully made absolutely no attempt to pattern match the squares.

My next project is a combo of sale finds and reusing fabric from a doomed make. It pains me to discuss but suffice to say if you spend ages hand sewing the neck & sleeve binding of an (expensive) linen top, don’t then machine embroider the front and back together. Also don’t compound the issue by attempting to unpick it. Instead have a nice comforting swear, pour a bucket of Chardonnay and put the offending item in the corner. A few months later pull out said item & cut it up!

Ok it was starting to rain at this point…

This is the College Gather Top by the Matchy Matchy Sewing Club. Terrible name, great pattern. I’d seen some lovely versions on Dead Insta, and thought it a perfect pattern to use fabric leftovers (which I always seem to have) . The combo here is linen from The Fabric Store in Maple, Sea Green and from the Top of Doom mentioned above, Antique Cream, which I’m not sure they do anymore.

The pattern comes with a cute little drawing to use deciding which fabrics to place where (and individual cut out labels for each piece which is actually super helpful when dealing with different front and back pieces)

As you can see from above I also added length to the pattern, as I found the front quite short. Fair cop to Millennials but this Gen X gals crop top days have well sailed.

I did manage to spend a sunny (yes!) morning out on the deck planning my year. Well, drinking coffee & thinking about planning my year. Mostly just drinking coffee and reminding Mr D he needs to stain the outdoor furniture.

Sixth member of the Band, Organised Spice!

I like to spend at least one day of the Twilight Zone between Xmas & New Year organising my kitchen. Cleaning out the pantry, throwing out anything out of date, reorganising. It sounds terribly Rock n Roll (not!) , but I love heading into a new year with a tidy inspiring space. I can’t control much in life but hell yes I know where the Chai Masala is when I need it!

Speaking of inspiring, check out my Xmas book swag! We have a family tradition started by my English teacher sister of giving each other a book on Xmas Eve (some interesting info on the inspiration for this here ) But of course one is never enough, so I always have a book or five on my Xmas list also.

The Language of Food is right up my alley, history, food , recipes, ELIZA ACTON, what is not to love? Review to come.

I’m aiming to up my hand sewing skills this year , so Make Sew and Mend is the perfect choice to help with that.

I will admit I didn’t get into the Seven Sisters series, but Lucinda Riley’s first and only murder mystery, The Murder at Fleet House certainly has me intrigued. I’m a sucker for anything set in Norfolk, see also the wonderful Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffith.

Ottolenghi needs no introduction, this book is another corker, I’ve already cooked several recipes, and there will be more. Over the last six months or so we’ve slowly changed our eating habits to include a bit less meat and a bit more vege, having inspiring recipes really makes that easier. I just wish eating more beans and cauliflower were easier on the digestion, Wind from the South ain’t just for Mahjong kids…

Regula Ysewijn (aka Miss Foodwise) first came on my radar years ago when I was blogging about food, she takes wonderful photos and really enjoys talking all things food and history. Her book about British puddings , both sweet and savoury is a joy, I may well make every single one. Ok maybe not the kidney one but everything else…

Simple Fancy is the latest from The Two Raw Sisters, to be honest I think the name does them a slight disservice, this is a not a “raw” cookbook, but another lovely collection of delicious fresh recipes that are heavy on the plants. I have made loads from their earlier book Salad, so anticipate lots of lovely goodness from this one too.

A long way from a café in Paris but rather lovely just the same…

After all this talk of vege and salad virtuousness of course there must be cake. Or in this case sweet little madeleines. In the great Kitchen Clean of 2022 I went through all my baking drawers and rediscovered my darling madeleine tins. For a not very sweet tooth like me these are such a prefect delicate little treat. Brown butter and Sea Salt madeleines, perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon or a dollop of cream and some berries after supper. Or contemplating life and memories in a Paris café obviously.

I hope wherever you are, 2023 is easing in with appropriate fabulousness. If not, I certainly hope things improve . Between work, personal stuff (for those of you approaching/in the trenches of Menopause I can’t recommend this book highly enough ) and just THE WORLD FFS I’ve found 2022 to be a bit of a slog at times, so here’s to an improved 2023. And lots more blog posts.

Kristina xxx

PS. Given I have four sisters and many misdemeanours against all I REALLY hope none of them are writing a book in 2023… 🙂

* I actually do hope blogs make a comeback. Long winded is good . Unless you’re a Prince maybe?

Let’s Partee with Tarlee…

20220710_130758 — Business at the front…

Hello friends! Hello little blog, I’ve missed you. It’s been Covid (both of us, boo!), several colds, a dodgy haircut , zero overseas adventures and many sewing fails long, and here we are. Nice to be back.

So to celebrate, a new top that is all business at the front…but lots of fun at the back. After seemingly endless rain and cold any party attitude is most welcome.

The pattern I started with is the Tarlee tee by Muna and Broad , a great versatile pattern I have made before . I really like the fit of this pattern, especially the curve over the back into the neckline, perfect for my terrible posture (I blame years of desk/computer work and an aversion to yoga)

The fabric is a gorgeous merino from The Fabric Store , the back fabric is a lovely swishy Liberty print, the drape is perfect for the style and feels really nice to wear.

I made View A with long sleeves in size E, cutting across the back piece of the pattern approx. 3.5cm/1.5 inches below the armhole. I then cut the piece of Liberty the same length as the remaining length on the pattern, adding a seam allowance for adding to the top. The fabric is very soft and I knew it would gather well. I also knew I wanted plenty of volume at the back so the piece of fabric I cut and gathered was around 120 cm/47 inches wide. It felt way too much but once gathered up it is just right.

Great with jeans and sneakers but I have worn this one to work with slim navy pants and my navy velvet ballet flats (only one person asked if I was wearing my slippers so that’s a win I guess…?)

So what else has been occurring at Plum Towers ? My lovely neighbour turned up with a large bag of oranges from her tree. Obviously when life gives you citrus you pour a gin. But AFTER that, you make Marmalade .

I use Ina Garten’s recipe , instead of lemons I used three limes from our garden, so it’s a totally homegrown fruit situation. I didn’t have quite enough white sugar so I added some demuera sugar , its made the marmalade slightly darker, but I still think it looks delicious. It certainly tastes good, even if my peel is slightly thicker than some (my mother) might prefer!

Good enough for a royal sandwich , just sayin…

Given the season in Tamaki Makaurau, July often feels like a bit of a grind and this one is no different. But it IS perfect weather for TV/Movie/Books.

I’ve recently enjoyed two quite different reads. The first is The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand. It’s the first of her books I’ve read, I LOVE the Nantucket setting, plus a good mystery is right up my alley. Mr PK & I visited Nantucket a few years back, honestly, its like a film set! FYI they make amazing Bloody Mary’s on the ferry over from Hyannis 🙂

Completely different is The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan, set in Mumbai. This is a charming mystery, with a lovely protagonist, the setting is so well described and who wouldn’t want a baby elephant as a side kick?

For viewing, we’ve also gone a bit eclectic…

I came to Stranger Things late, but oh my goodness, what a cracking show. The characters, the brilliant story, the CLOTHES, the MUSIC! the latest series is set in 1986, and some of the characters are exactly the same age I was in 1986, I’m certainly feeling the vibe. Also, Kate Bush people (I have a very soft spot for Wuthering Heights, won’t lie)

I was so excited to find A Stitch in Time on Amazon Prime, I’ve been wanting to watch this for ages. Amber Butchart is often quoted on The Great British Sewing Bee so I was keen to see her own show. It’s a brilliant look at historic costuming and art history, plus Ambers fab outfits each week are worth a watch by themselves.

I think of mentioned this before but a new season of the Haptic & Hue podcast dropped in April, I so enjoy this one, Jo Andrews’ research is fantastic, and I always finish listening wanting to find out more.

Now before I go I must introduce you to the latest member of our whanau, friends meet Miss Lemon. She is a delicate old lady whose owners cannot take care of her anymore. So she will live out her days in some comfort with Tommy, Tuppence, and as many cuddles as she can handle. As you can see, its highly exciting…

Right, off to make Butter Chicken for dinner, Sunday night curry night, get in!

Have a fabulous week

Kristina x

Tarlee babeee…

Stardate Year 2021 day 4572….no wait, what? We made it to February? Yeow, whoop whoop , kiss me a kitten! Holidays done & dusted here, back at work, although thanks to Auckland Anniversary day and Waitangi day we have two long weekends on the trot, perfect. As you can see I need to spend at least one of those days in the jungle of my garden…

So what has been occurring at Plum Towers? Well for starters please do admire my fancy new tee. This is the new Muna & Broad Tarlee tee.

Now, you might ask myself does the world need another tee pattern? Such a simple garment yes? Um no. From the perfect neckline (my sister & I have bored for England on this very topic, as only siblings can, she is V neck or die, I’m more flexible) to the perfect sleeve. I love an elbow length, which can be surprising hard to find in RTW. Fit is another can of worms altogether. I want a snug fit around my shoulders & bust, so it doesn’t look sloppy. I want a less snug fit around my waist & hips…

I love this pattern. I know not what drafting wizardry was involved, but I have a great fit through my shoulders & bust, with just the right “loose but not sloppy” fit through my lower torso. The curved hem is a cute finish, elevating this from a basic tee. I made the Size C, grading out to Size D at the waist & hips.

The pattern comes with notches for applying the neckline finish. This seems a much more sensible application than the quartering method, works much better for me anyway. Sadly my twin needle & I had a parting of ways, so the neckline isn’t finished perfectly…I need to get another needle, but I think I can zigzag this one to finish . My photographer was getting rather impatient so perfectly imperfect it is.

There is an option of a turtleneck , in various sizes, which when it cools down here, I shall definitely be making. Actually when I was growing up a turtleneck was called a skivvy, “it’s cold , put your skivvy on under your jumper”! Unlike the pattern, a turtleneck then came in one size only , tight! Many a neck was slightly strangled in the name of warmth (given the terrible heating most homes had it was probably a good thing!)

I was gifted some beautiful merino from A & R Fabrics , the colour is Whiskey , appropriate for a Douglas. The softness (& lack of scratch) combined with a good “drape but not cling” are great for this tee. I thought the Whiskey would match perfectly with the mustard dots on my Willandra pants. If I’m standing around in the garden grinning inanely at the fence I want to be colour coordinated ok. Actually this is a perfect weekend outfit, comfy but smart enough for a casual lunch or BBQ (elastic waist for the win too)

So other than tee shirt fun, what’s been going on?

My tomato plants have gone into high gear, as have the passionfruit. The limes are not far off either . I have “fond” memories of mid summer when I was a kid. I grew up in the burbs , Dad was a nurse & Mum looked after five of us & did a bit of cleaning work. As you can imagine money was tight, but we had the classic Kiwi Quarter acre section, and both my parents grew up knowing how to stretch a buck. Despite Mums best efforts to cover the whole section in flowers, Dad did carve out a vege garden, and we had prolific fruit trees. Which meant acres of Beef Steak tomatoes & Golden Queen peaches in summer. If there is a more thankless task than canning peaches or making tomato sauce in Auckland in January even now, I know not what it is, but back then?? Humidity in the high 90’s, no air con & ingrate children who wanted Watties like everyone else, I’m surprised Mum didn’t lose it completely. I do remember some frayed nerves…

I took the easy route & roasted my tomatoes with basil, oregano & thyme from the garden, a good splash of Olive oil, a few cloves of garlic & plenty of salt & pepper. 180C for about an hour

Push the whole lot through a mouli (or a sieve) & you have the most delicious roasted tomato passata, I popped mine in the freezer in small pottles, perfect for pizza sauce, pasta, and tomorrow nights patatas bravas, using potato’s I didn’t realize had actually survived the Auckland hose pipe ban!

I hope January has been kind, or at least not too crappy My nephew and his lovely girlfriend in the UK contracted Covid over Xmas but have thankfully recovered. We are enjoying enormous freedom here in NZ, but I’m very aware we don’t have real freedom until everyone can be vaccinated & we can rid ourselves of this horrible disease.
So I’ll leave you with this. It was a joy to see President Biden and Vice President Harris enter the White House, but oh golly we were excited to see Major Biden , the first rescue dog to live at the White House! Here is his Indoguration, it’s all lovely, but especially at 15 mins in, Josh Grobin singing a lovely wee song. The best breed? Rescue every day (Tommy & Tuppence insist!)

We made it to February, have a fab week friends

Kristina xxx

I’m all about the cake, ’bout the cake…

So no sewing for me this weekend, I stepped away from the Janome and up to the Kitchen Aid for a special birthday! My Father’s sister Aunty Eileen reached the magnificent milestone (oh how Dad would have enjoyed the party), and provided a marvelous excuse for the extended family to get together without the stress of a wedding or the sadness of a funeral, huzzah!.

I dont know about you but this is the first 90th birthday party I’ve been to, and not only was I in charge of the cake, the party was in our front garden. So naturally I’m throwing soil and petunias into hanging baskets like a crazy gal on Sunday morning trying to make everything look pretty. My back still hurts, apparently some people find gardening quite relaxing…..??? Give me a wooden spoon/sewing machine/glass of wine any day thanks.

Given what is happening in the world today , any excuse for something to make the day a bit brighter is a good thing. I thought I’d share my (ok and Martha Stewart’s) go to chocolate cake recipe, perfect for birthdays, high days, very especially low days…..anytime you need a delicious moist cake that is super easy to make (one bowl people!!!) and can be decorated as simply or not as desired.

One Bowl Chocolate Cake (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C

375 gr/ 2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 cup dark rich cocoa powder

450 gr/2 cups sugar (I keep a vanilla bean in my sugar jar)

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1/2 cup vege oil (I use canola)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups warm water

Now its very complicated. Put everything in the bowl of your mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you are doing it by hand) and using the paddle attachment, beat together for approx 2 minutes until it is well mixed. If you are using a wooden spoon give it an extra minute or two. Yes, that really is it.

Pour into two 8 inch cake pans, well greased & lined with balking paper and bake for approx 20-25 minutes until a sharp knife poked into the middle comes out clean.

Cool, and either sandwich with buttercream or fill with whipped cream and berries (raspberries for the win!) and glaze with a simple icing made with icing (powdered) sugar, cocoa, a small knob of butter for shine & warm water until it is pouring consistency.

I filled my cake with raspberry buttercream, and covered with vanilla fondant and pink fondant flowers, simple, but very pretty. The birthday girl liked it anyway.

What we need right now, cake and kindness ………..and chocolate obviously.

Kristina xxx