Wrapping some gifts

I am well and truly over this summer, the heat seems never ending, another really hot weekend coming up with forty plus forcaste again.     The son who does everything believes it is because they do not have air-conditioning in this new house, something they will not be able to install until later this year, needless to say     there are some grumpy people at their house this summer.      I have found a wonderful cafe in the new shopping centre that does amazing breakfasts, I asked my eldest daughter to meet me there for breakfast this morning after she dropped Deacon at Kindergarten.   I ordered poached egg and mushrooms with sour dough toast and coffee, it was yummy and was a great way to start the day.    My daughter then left to collect Deacon from Kinder, because it is his first week he is only there for a couple of hours at a time,  he has been so excited to start and has told my daughter he has made a new friend.        I have come home to wrap some gifts for my quilt group,  every year we have a fabric club for birthdays, either a fat quarter or a twenty five centimetre piece of fabric, usually a colour of their choosing.   I decided to buy the fabric for everyone on my list, wrap them and have them ready when I need to take one.  Seems I am so organised, at least with this anyway.  I am going to sit and watch Miss Marple and do some sewing in the cool of the air-conditioner, heaven knows what my power bill is going to be when it comes in..

Back to the needle and thread

 My grandchildren will be back at school next week, I am wondering where oh where have those six weeks gone, it seems to me  they have gone far too quickly.     On Tuesday I did a bit of a panic, I have not touched any sewing since before Christmas and I would need to have something to do at my quilt group, which started back on Wednesday,  a quick rummage through the cupboard because, of course when I had visitors stay I did the usual quick clean up and just threw everything  into the cupboard.     With  everything sorted, which took some time because I had to tidy up as I went.    I  was eventually able to  settle with a cup of my current favourite tea, Liptons Orange Jaipur on my lounge and it was back to the needle and thread.     I have just started the stitchery on block five of "Butterfly Garden" by Leanne Beasley.     I know you may be thinking, is she ever going to finish this,   well,  yes I am, at least the top because I have ordered Gail Pans beautiful Christmas quilt as a block of the month and the first month will be arriving in February, if you want to view this quilt you can find Gail and her quilt here on Face book.   Hope you pop over to take a look, another one of our amazing Aussie designers and quilters.  Well enough time spent playing on the computer, back to the stitching.

Dried roses

I'm having a hard time getting my head around the fact that we are already in the middle of January.       These last few weeks have been pretty tough, just after Christmas I became very unwell, which meant a week of being confined to the house, it wasn't difficult while I was sick but  just as I was recovering from this and wanting to get out and about we were hit with a heatwave.       Five days of extreme temperatures, and boy was it hot   41c for three days and two around 44c.      I spent all day inside with the air-conditioner running full blast.  Trying to sleep during the night was almost impossible, there wasn't much sleep happening in our part of the world.          Most of the bush fires that were started by lightening and those deliberately lit have been extinguished and the fires that are still burning around the state are now under control.      It seems so strange that people on the other side of the world have been having their share of difficulties with a Polar Vortex,  while we were cooking here,  they were freezing over there.      The cool change went through over-night and I was able to survey the damage to the garden today.    

  My roses look like they have cooked on the bush, they felt like dried paper roses when I touched them, although they look beautiful even in this damaged state.

Kofta's on the Barbeque

Last week I asked the family over for a barbeque, nothing fancy just some chicken burgers and Lamb Koftas.  My mother and father-in-law were staying for a couple of nights, a stop over on their way to visit their son and I thought this would be an easy meal to cook with the rush of pre-Christmas planning and cooking.     I haven't made Koftas for awhile and not on the barbeque before.   I saw a chef on one of the television shows mold them around rosemary stems and then cook on the grill.  This looked easy so that is what I would do.  They were amazing, so yummy wrapped in a pita with salad and Tzatziki sauce.  Definatly a winner and I will do them again over the summer.

Kofta's:
500gm lamb mince
2Tbls pine nuts
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper

Brown pine nuts in a dry pan, remove and chop.  Place other ingredients in a large bowl and mix until ingredients are combined.  I use six stalks of the hard wood of the rosemary plant, strip all but the top leaves and then mold the meat, about a large meatball size around the stalk.  Once you have formed all of them place in the fridge for about 30mins.   Heat the Bbque and cook. Once cooked remove the rosemary stems from the Kofta, these should just slide off.   Assemble with pitas, salad and Tzatziki sauce or just serve on a plate with salad.   Either way these are yummy.   I doubled the ingredients to feed my large family.

Birds of a feather

As I opened the garage to leave the house this morning, I noticed a large flock of Ibis in the parkland across the street from my house, these are large birds with long pointy beaks, not having seen them here before I grabbed my camera from the car and snapped a few hurried photos.  They didn't seem to mind me being quite close to them, although I didn't tempt fate and stayed as far back as I could.   By the time I returned they had gone.  It must have been a stop over on their way to where ever.             I have just been having a relaxing day today, apart from the shopping trip for fresh fruit and vegetables I'm staying in.       It is hot and very windy so I am inside with air-conditioner on, just doing a few clean up jobs.     My daughter and Deacon came over for lunch, a sandwich with some of the left over ham from Christmas day,  I think I will finish the ham tonight for dinner and then I can wrap the bone for the freezer.  When the weather becomes cooler will have it there to make up a pot of soup.

Glazed Christmas ham

Every year I glaze a ham, but this year we have a large butt, and I wasn't sure if I would glaze this one, whether it would look as good as a full leg.   Then while looking through magazines for things to make and bake for this Christmas,  I kept seeing glazed hams, ok I was won over, but which glaze will I do.    Then I came across a  fig glaze and decided this would be the one.    I think it looks really good and after a sample I think it tastes great as well, I have one very good looking ham for tomorrow's lunch.    I am now getting excited, my grandsons have just made the rocky road chocolate Christmas trees, these have become a bit of a Christmas tradition that I involve the Grandkids in.     The chocolate bowls have been licked as well as spoons and fingers, the leftover marshmallows, raspberry lollies and the pecans have been eaten.   I think we are ready for the big day.        I wish you all a Merry Christmas, have a happy and safe holiday.

Fig Glaze:

1/2 cup of water or apple juice
1 cup light brown sugar
5 tlbs fig conserve (jam)
good pinch of both mixed spice and cinnamon
2 tlbs sherry or brandy

Add all ingredients to a small pot, stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 10-15 mins. it should be syrupy.    In the mean time lift the skin from the ham and slash a diamond pattern over the fat, being carefull not to cut into the meat.  Stud with whole cloves and brush with some of the glaze.  Place into a hot oven for 15minutes, remove and brush with more glaze, repeat this a couple more times until it is burnished.

Christmas craft with children

I've been caring for my four year old grandson the past two days, this has meant I've had to put my brain into action and think of things I used to do with my kids when they were young.     What craft things could I do with him, it was then I just decided to Google Christmas craft with children, hundreds of ideas popped up, after going through them we chose a Santa and a Christmas tree to make.    I then rummaged through my craft box to find the things we could use and was surprised to find more than I had thought I would.    This has been interesting and fun but  I have realised once again that four year olds DO NOT have very much patience.    We are both covered in glitter glue but  we have made something for Mummy and something for Shaun.    Packing things away he cannot wait to get into the next activity and I just want to sit with a coffee and relax for a few minutes.  Thankfully the sun has just come out and I can go outside with him.  We are having Summer here but this morning has been cool, it's now late morning and it's finally starting to warm up.  What craft activities have you done with your grandchildren?