Quick and easy dinner

It may not look like much, but this is a great chicken curry. With this hot weather we have had lately, I just don't turn the oven on! I try to get some baking for the lunch boxes done Sunday morning, and that is it. Any other cooking is stovetop only!
This one is very quick & easy.
Chop 2 chicken breasts & brown in frying pan. Add a couple of finely chopped spring onions, 1 tspn curry powder. Cook for a minute or two. Then add 1 tin coconut milk, and a couple of spoons of fruit chutney. ( we tried 2 teaspoons first time, now we put in half a jar. Small jar, rosella brand I think). Serve with rice, and steamed beans or broccolini ( we put it on after cooking, cos the kids are just starting to eat green veges!). Quick, easy, ingredients always at hand, and everyone eats it!

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Upcoming events

I have been wanting to go to the Suitcase Rummage market, and there is an extra one on soon- at the Darebin kite festival  on Sunday 3rd March.
Friday 1st March is the date for the  Brunswick South West primary school fete, always good for second hand books & yummy cakes!
Plus - I just bought the latest Frankie magazine, flipped through a couple of pages & spotted an add for a cute sounding event- the Castlemaine Beanie Affair. A celebration of all things woollen- knitting, crocheting & felting! And remember, Castlemaine is on the Bendigo/ Melbourne train line, a bit over an hour's drive or an hour and a half relaxing train trip. And there is an AMAZING dumpling shop in Castlemaine, & lots of other lovely shops, cafes, galleries etc.And Buda  historic house and garden. And the Castlemaine botanic gardens. Ok, I am biased- I grew up just up the road in Bendigo, and have had many,many train trips between Bendigo & Melbourne!

Easy peasy necklace

I like those chunky bead necklaces seen at various craft markets (finders keepers/ big design market etc.) . Not having been able to find fimo modelling clay anywhere ( ok, I probably need to get to Riot art & craft) I made my own version with a $2.50 packet of wooden beads from Spotlight, and a 50c chain thingy from the spotters clearance table ages ago. Tah dah!


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Saturday sewing, and more....

Finally finished the green patchwork skirt, inspired by Lara's charm skirt from a while back. I put the patches together, took a photo to remember the arangement, and that was it for a while. Sewed the patches together a couple of months ago, and then FINALLY on Saturday, actually finished the skirt! The holdup had been trying to figure how to include a pocket, and in the end I just went for a simple patch pocket on the back, using 2 of the colours from the front.

Yesterday we went to the Dear Jane quilt exhibition. Gorgeous, amazing quilts. But my hand sewing is never going to be neat enough to piece a quilt, so I will stick to admiring the work of others and occasionally putting a few patches together with the machine for skirts, cushions etc.!!!!
Last night's creativity happened in the kitchen. I have wanted to try making yoghurt for ages, I looked at those "easiyo" kits at the supermarket, bit just don't have room for yet another kitchen gadget, let alone one I may not use much. So I searched for some alternative recipes, and found ideas the "not quite Nigella" and "River Cottage" websites for making yoghurt in a thermos.

Heated the milk and mixed it up last night, then couldn't wait to open it this morning ( well actually, as soon as Tigerboy saw the thermos this morning, he was ready with a bowl & spoon!). The texture is perfect, just like good quality yoghurt like Jalna. A bit tart but that is because of the starter yoghurt. We added some raspberry sauce and frozen raspberries and will eat the rest after school. Then I think we will need to try another batch, and experiment with adding a bit of sugar or flavour. Coffee essence maybe? Grated chocolate - no, that would just melt...powdered drinking choc mixed into the heated milk perhaps. Hmm, making me hungry just thinking about it! I am so pleased with my little science experiment!
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Yes, actual sewing!

My mission: to continue the mini makeover in the lounge room, started last year with some new furniture ( new to us anyway, a gorgeous tall cd/ DVD shelf unit, too big to fit in friend's new house; and new tv unit my H cleverly cut down from a taller unit- from the clean out at his grandparent's house, which even the op shop had rejected for being too tall & dated.
The fabric "goody bag" from Rathdown remnants last week, has been perfect for some cushions. I made some covers for the arms of the couch, and some rectangular cushions to go next to the arms. Something I have been going to make since I bought the couch about 15 years ago!
I had one of those snuggle cushions- big bulky thing with arm rests, but got sick of the size of it, & when I unzipped it I discovered 2 small rectangle & 1 large square cushion inside! So I whipped up the covers, including a patchwork type large floor cushion, and I am so pleased with them I am keen to make some more. I made the original cushion covers on the couch when the Jedikid was a baby, so they are well and truly ready for an update!


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Another crafty tip- home made bias binding help

I have been making bias binding now & then for various craft projects especially finishing waistbands on skirts. But I find it very tedious to keep measuring & re- measuring when trying to accurately cut the bias strips. "There has to be an easier way!" I thought. So I thought some more, and came up with the idea of a 1m long ruler, exactly the width needed to cut the fabric eg. a 5cm wide strip to make 2.5cm binding. Then I could keep cutting without having to measure!
 I mentioned the idea to my lovely friend Linda, who amongst other things makes beautiful hand sewn quilts, and she straightaway said " order one for me too!".
So whilst in Brunswick this morning ( buying the darkest baking cocoa from The Royal Nut Company, because I was down to the last spoonful after baking chocolate Anzac biscuits yesterday), I dropped into Display Station to ask if they could make a ruler for me .  I have emailed the dimensions ( 5cmX1m, 6mm thick) preferably a transparent coloured acrylic for safety!  Anyone else like one? When I get the quote I will let you know the cost, but I figure if I am getting a couple made, why not a few more?

Quilt Exhibition - "Dear Jane" quilts

Flipping through the current RACV magazine today, there are a couple of interesting listing in the ART/CRAFT  events section.  Coming up the weekend after next, 8-10 February, at the Box Hill Town Hall, is the "Dear Jane" quilt exhibition. We will definitely be going because my very talented quilting mother in law has a quilt in the exhibition! Google  "Dear Jane" and look here for some amazing pictures and the fascinating history of this quilt design.
Also coming up is the "festival of glass" in Drysdale, 17 February. Caught my eye because I was re-reading my pile of "Making" craft magazines during the hols, and saw an ad for a similar event in the UK.  I have always been fascinated by glass blowing, and the kids stood for ages watching a cool necklace piece being made at a craft market in the Northcote town hall last year sometime.  We were also  talking about leadlighting with the kids the other night, watching "Restoration Home" on the ABC, the house had an amazing collection of lead light/stained glass windows - so this would be a great chance to see some close up, and watch how it is made.