'Cherry Pie' Day Friday and Hooray it is National Chip Week!

This Pie is proof that beauty is skin deep.  It pie may not be the most beautiful of pies on the outside, but, oh my!  On the inside it is full of juicy, cherry lovliness.   Now this is what I am talking about. . . . this is what Pie Day Fridays are made for.

This pie was far far more popular than Pilchard Pie.  Cherry Pie with a bit of Squirty Cream, what more could you ask for?. . . Well yeah . . . ok. . . .  maybe a nice bit of clotted cream, or double cream or ice cream.  The boys deserved a Cherry Pie before they became 'Pie Phobic'.

Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
2 jars of Dark Cherries in Syrup (470g jars)
20g of cornflour
30 mls of water
25 g sugar
egg and milk beaten together to glaze the pie.

Method
Strain the syrup from the cherries and place in a pan.  Warm the pan of syrup, until it reaches a slow simmer.  Add the sugar and stir.  Mix the cornflour with the water and add it to the syrup, simmer and stir for a couple of minutes until the syrup has thickened.  Gently stir the cherries into the syrup and let it cool.  Line your pie dish with pastry.  Put the cherries in the pie and top with a pastry lid.  Brush the lid with a mixture of beaten egg and milk.
Bake in a medium to hot oven for 30 - 40 minutes until the pie is golden brown and shouting 'Eat Me!' when you look at it!

Your comments on yesterdays post made me laugh, yep I was/ am happy, sunshine and Spring flowers are meant to do that!  I also discovered wisdom in my Doormat. . . . If you are going to be a doormat . . . there is nothing to stop you being a glam, happy doormat.  Hoorah for doormats everywhere.  Love your doormat today!  I think National Doormat Day would be good, the one day where you pay homage to trusty old doormats, a bit like 'Mothers Day'.  Talking of National Days...my day got even happier when I discovered Here at Lavender and Lovage it is National Chip Week!  Blimey life is so bright you gotta wear shades!  Pancake day and National Chip Week in the same week.  If National Chip Week has passed you by so far, the great news is you still have time to catch up.  Chips chips chips!  Eat as many as you can!  Chip Butty for lunch and Egg and chips for tea!  Now that is fine dining!   Pop over to Lavender and Lovage for fascinating chip facts and a new spin on the humble chip 'Crispy Squashed Chips'  I am definitely crisping and squashing my chips from now on.
Happy Pie Day Friday Folks. . . hope you are all having a good one.  X 

Welcome Home

Look at my lovely new Door Mat.  It is the best door mat I have ever seen.  Most 'doormats' are just taken for granted, walked all over and nobody pays any attention to them.  Nobody could overlook this doormat, she is almost too good to step on.  I think I will find it painful if people wipe their feet on her.  I will need a doormat before we get to 'The Doormat'.  Yep I like my new doormat.  Every time I come home I think she is going to make me smile.

I couldn't resist a lovely new cushion also.  What a cushion.  Just what I needed, I am sure I will find it is just what I needed.  I am not usually patriotic, but this country is celebrating this year so the Union Jacks are creeping in through my front door, albeit non traditional Union Jacks.  Our Union Jack really would look better in shades of pink!  Red, white and blue is soooo yesterday!  You gotta have a love heart bang in the middle too.  Her Majesty should really think about moving with the times and having a change...the future is not orange, it is pink with love hearts!

Today there is the warmest sunshine we have had in quite a while.  It has brought out the first blooms in the garden.  You need sunglasses for this photograph, my camera does not seem to like yellow very much.  It does like purple though.

Very pretty.  A post Winter tonic, surely Spring has sprung?   Before I leave you to continue with the Spring Cleaning, here is a little Spring ditty to end with....

Spring has sprung,

The Grass has riz,

I wonder where

Them birdies is? 

There seem to be a few versions of this little poem around and it's origins are debated.  

Question - Do Chickens like Pancake Day?

Answer:

You bet they do!

Euan learnt a lesson in self moderation, I hope.  After eight pancakes he waddled away from the table.  Henry learnt his lesson last year he ate just four pancakes this year.

We ate our Pancakes the traditional way, with sugar and lemon juice.  (The chickens had theirs plain).
The Pancakes were rolled up like fat cigars.

I have never given up anything for Lent.  This year I think we may give up Pancakes.  

Purple Haze 'Mini Granny Square Scarf' - 'Tah Dah'

Yeah!  Finally, 'Purple Haze' Scarf 'Tah Dah'!  

I had a willing model to demonstrate the versatility of the scarf and to demonstrate some of the ways it can be worn.  I was going to model myself but the photographer repeatedly managed to take shots of me looking exasperated and he did not manage to capture my natural radiance and beauty!

He found it some what incredulous I wanted to take more than one photograph.

By style three we were getting a rather forced smile, well it could be termed more of a grimace really!

This was the final shot of the photo shoot and it is clear the model has that far away look and has drifted off.  Nice pose though.  I like the Italian Widow look, this scarf is long enough to keep my head, ears and neck warm.

78 Mini Granny Squares of Purpleness.   468 ends to sew in of Purpleness!  I have worked on it in the car, on a train, in waiting rooms...what am I going to do without all this purpleness in my life...certainly not a bed spread.  (Ah I know I have a little bit of Alpaca to spin!)  The journey all started here 'Purple Haze Crochet Craze'  in Glastonbury High Street with a chance viewing of an 'On Sale' scarf in a shop window.

I can't tell you how many times I thought 'Why didn't I just buy that scarf?'

Should you wish to replicate my experience the instructions are here:

‘Purple Haze’  Mini Granny Square Scarf

Materials:  Double Knit (worsted weight) Yarn in colours of your own choice. 

Hook Size:  4.5mm

Abbreviations: (UK Crochet terminology) 

Chain - ch

Double Crochet – dc

Treble Crochet – tr

Single Crochet – sc

Instructions:

For the Mini Granny Squares:  Make 78

For the first round:  Make 6 chain.  Join with a slip stitch.  Ch3, tr2, ch1, tr3, ch1, tr3, ch1 tr3, join the round with a slip stitch and change colour. 

For the second round:  Chain 3, Tr 2,   (Tr3 into the corner space, ch1 tr3).   Repeat twice.  Tr3 into the final corner and join the round with a ss.  Change yarn colour.

Third round:   Chain 3, Tr 2, tr 3 into the ch space of the previous round.  (Tr3 into the corner space, ch1 tr3).   Repeat twice.  Tr3 into the final corner and join the round with a ss.  Fasten off.  Sew in the ends.

To make up:  Sew the squares together into 23 rows of three.

Work two rows of dc around the entire scarf to make a border.  

Apply Fringe:  I used nine tassels along each end. 

(I used a steam iron to block the scarf but as it is acrylic I did not touch the fabric with the iron, I used a steam setting and steamed the scarf about 1cm from the fabric, pulling and stretching it into shape as I did so).

Pie 'In the Sky' Day Friday

There won't be a pie today in this house.  My 'One Woman Decluttering Mission' is to blame.  More of that after the 'Pie' which is actually Quiche.  I made this last week.  It is a very simple and tasty 'Leek Quiche'.  Very few ingredients but a very tasty 'pie'.   Quiche is not appreciated by my brood but it is appreciated by my parents so I had half and they had half.
 
Leek Quiche:
Ingredients:
Shortcrust Pastry Base (blind baked)
Filling:
1 Leek finely chopped
1 Onion finely chopped
Butter for frying
150g strong Cheddar cheese, grated.
2 eggs (From your bestest Chickie Friends)
100ml milk

Method:
Gently fry the onion and leek gently in butter, until they are soft but not coloured.  Spread over the base of the quiche.  Sprinkle with the grated cheese.  Beat the eggs with the milk.  Pour the eggs and milk over the quiche filling.  Cook in a medium/hot oven for 20-30 minutes until it golden brown on top.   Enjoy.

I feel I must take this opportunity to update you with my 'One Woman Mission' to Declutter the house.  It certainly cures your insomnia!  Not that I had insomnia, but I did have to have an early night, which has meant this morning I was awake before the Sun had put his hat on and before the birds!  Yesterday I achieved what I set out to do, declutter my room and make trips to the tip and the Charity Shop.

I made a list using a tally chart of what I manged to declutter.  There were 71 items for the chartity shop.

13 tops/shirts/jumpers
5 T shirts
3 pairs of children's trousers
3 Cardigans
25 books
14 magazines
1 Toiletry set
3 bottles of Body Lotion
2 preschool games
1 video
1 blank audio cassette

71 items to the Charity Shop!  I have a bit of a thing for round numbers...so today I may look for another 29 things, then that will make a nice round 100.  Which sounds fantastic.  I must have got rid of over 100 items but some of it went to the 'Tip' so sadly destined for landfill.  This included:

Very old clothes
2 Dead Vacuums (It is a long story!)
Old work files
Floppy Disks
A black sack of general junk

I also recycled a big box of paper.  I rediscovered parts of my bedroom carpet!  I have also found some lost treasures, including a favourite crochet hook and bookmark.  I actually found cash!  I also found coupons £15 and saving stamps £30 (of course you have to be disorganised enough in the first place to lose them)!  It was good to be reunited!  It was like finding a fiver in your old coat pocket!  All was going well and I was feeling rather smug.  Euan has been very complementary about my efforts and has been and had another look today and consolidated his praise!  Yes that's right all was going well....  I had three loads of washing to do last night.  I put the first load in my trusty old tumble dryer...it is older than my oldest son so that makes it about 17 years old...well its given up the ghost!  Hasta la vista Baby!  It will be destined for landfill ASAP!  I did not wish to declutter large electrical appliances!  Today I will have to go and find a new one.  It puts the stoppers on my 'One Woman Mission' to Declutter, it interferes with 'Pie Making' and it makes a mockery of delusions of imminent 'Tah Dah!' crochet moments.

Five of My favourite Blogs Today

I need to say a big than you to Jude over at A Trifle Rushed because I won a prize.  I won this great book in Jude's Give Away.  I love a Trifle Rushed there are great recipes, cooking tips and ideas.  How exciting is it to win a prize?  It really did cheer me up when this arrived in the post.  I have never won a Blog Give Away, but now I have.  I am hoping to be creating professional looking iced biscuits sometime in the near future.

Kanelstrand - Declutter Your Life  I spotted this article this morning, after yesterday's efforts.  It is a very useful article if you are on a one woman mission to declutter.  It has motivated me to keep going today.

The Zero Waste Home Someone was kind enough to e-mail me a link to this website.  Click on the 'About' section, scroll down a little and watch the short but very inspirational video.  This is fascinating.  Never mind decluttering, this opened up a whole new world to me.  Zero waste is 'Food for thought' indeed.  It seems unobtainable to be but there are some fantastic ideas to work towards.

Simply Life is having a 'Give Away'.  Many of you have said you find spinning fascinating, well here is your chance to win a little starter kit of a Spindle and Fibre.  I think Claire is being very generous here and it is a great prize for spinners and non spinners alike.  Do pop over and have a look.  Good Luck!

Running Away - I'll Help You Pack Finally on this blog this morning is just a great story regarding Universal Law.  Dreams can come true.   A very quick uplifting read.  It made me feel happy anyway.

Now I am off to continue my mission to declutter.  I intend to count the items I am getting rid of today.  I am hoping it will involve a trip to both the Charity shop and the town's local tip.  Which will all result in more space for fibre   good, clean, simple living!  Yippeee, how exciting.  It is going to go something like...half an hour and a cup of tea....half an hour and a cup of tea....half an hour and a cup of tea.
         I am so close to a fantabulous Crochet Tah Dah moment, but working on it is going to be reward after decluttering.  It is taking all my willpower as I am not good at delayed gratification.  Hope you are all having a good one.  It is bright and sunny here and all the little birds are busy in the garden.  X