Toy storage

While my little one was having a nap this afternoon I had a go at trying to control the toys taking over the house. Large boxes are no good for storage, as the girls just tip them over and play on the top of a toy heap!

 So now I'm trying to make a few small storage baskets we can hang on the wall. :)

This is my first one. a bit wrinkled as I founf the fabric at the bottom of the rag-bag and with little time on my hands didn't dig out the iron. Big mistake, as this way the quilting just didn't come out right at the end :(
Have to remember this for the next one!!

Pancake Tuesday!

I think I have pancake poisoning... We ate loads of pancakes today! I was planning to make some yummy walnut & apricot jam layered pancake bake but at the end we just ate them with Nutella :D
Even the teddies were having pancakes (with Nutella of course!) and a doghnut! :D

Pancake Tuesday recipe III. and IV.

  

Another pancakey dinner! :) But be warned, it's really heavy and filling!

 Meaty-mushroomy pancake bake

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp oil or a generous knob of butter

1 packet (250g) mushrooms, chopped

salt, pepper

100-120g smoked meat, chopped

large bunch pasrsley, chopped

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 cup grated Cheddar

1 egg yolk

3-4 tbsp soured cream

1 pinch nutmeg

10-12 pancakes

 Sautee the mushrooms in a large frying pan, adding salt and pepper.

 Add the smoked meat, eggs, parsley and stir.
 Spread the filling on a pancake and top with another pancake.

 Roll up the double pancake.
 Cut it in 3 pieces and stand them up in a greased ovenproof dish.

 Mix the yolks, nutmeg, soured cream and half cup of cheese and spread on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cook in a pre-heated (200 C) oven for about 20-30 mins or until top is golden.

 I whisked the remaining egg yolk and mixed it with some salt and cheese, poured over and put back in the oven for another 15 mins. Just didn't want to waste the white ;)

And for the desert:

Triple layered cottage cheese pancake bake

I love pancakes filled with cottage cheese! As my Grandma used to make it - a tub of cottage cheese, 1 egg yolk, sugar (I added 3 tsp) some raisins and lemon zest. (These are best cooked in the oven afterwards, but if you eat them raw do so straight away and use only the freshest eggs!)

 As my friend's Mum used to make it - 1 tub cottage cheese, 3 tsp sugar, 3 tsp soured cream, raisins, lemon zest.

Or as I make them when I'm in a hurry (you know, kids screaming for more pancakes, you are tossing them with one hand and spreading the filling with the other while making more cottage cheese filling with the third...) - cottage cheese, sugar, lemon zest. 

I thought, it would be nice to eat them all together :) So. I made 9 pancakes. Filled three with first variety, 3 with second, 2 with third (ran out of cottage cheese :O ) and a final one with Nutella :D

Then mixed 1-2 egg yolks, 100 ml cream, 3 tbsp warmed honey and a generous tsp cinnamon.

 Then I put the pancakes in layers in a loaf tin. Poured some sauce over each layer and tossed a handful of walnuts on toop.

 

Put it in the oven at 200 C for 15 mins and slice & serve. It's even better when cooled!

Spring is in the air

Pancake Tuesday recipe II. and our Mummy and Daughters aprons

When I was a kid I used to play a lot with the girl next door at my parents' weekend house. Her
Mum made ther most delicious pancake cake ever!
Now I tried it too and it is just...hmmmmm....

 Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated

50g butter + extra for frying

100g flour

250ml milk

pinch of salt

vanilla sugar or brown sugar for sprinkling (or cinnamon & sugar)

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. It helps if you have a working food processor... (sigh)

 In a separate bowl beat the butter and egg yolks. I melted the butter previously and let it to cool a bit and worked like a treat, made it a lot easier to get it fluffy.

 Little by little add the flour, milk and salt.

Finally fold in the egg whites.

 Melt some butter in a frying pan and add a laddle-ful of the mixture. Cook until the bottom is light brown and the top is bubbly and set. DO NOT flip over!
Slide the pancake onto a plate with the pale side up. Sprinkle with some brown sugar (or vanilla sugar/ cinammon sugar etc.). 

Repeat until you run out of the mixture. Put the last pancake on top wit the brown side upwards.

Serve sliced with some custard or vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream... But be quick, it disappears all too fast!! 

I managed to finish the Mummy and Daughter aprons today. So my little girls can don an apron each when helping me! And I have a matching one too :) 

Choosing the fabrics and applique pattern

Our muffins!



The cut pieces for the apron, ruffle and tie







I ruffled the apron then sew on the tie




Then pin and sew on the applique




Making the ruffle. So easy!




Pinned on the ruffle and sew it on

 I used an awesome tute for making the ruffle.

And voila!

They came out pretty cute :) But I think I still need to practice a few things... Like applique...

Pancake Tuesday recipe I.

I just realized Pancake Tuesday is next week this year!!! So, I dug out a few of my fancy pancake recipes ;) This one is excellent for dinner (we are having it right now with the girls!) or for a light lunch. It's inspired by a friend's recipe I learnt at a pancake party :D

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, finely diced

125g mushrooms, chopped

salt, pepper

dried parsley, appr. 1 tbsp

3 tbsp soured cream

50ml cream

1 tbsp flour

5 thick pancakes

for the sauce:

1 egg

3-4 tbsp soured cream

3-4 tbsp cream

salt

grated cheese to sprinkle on top

 Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and sautee until softens. Ad the mushrooms, salt, pepper, parsley and cook, stirring continuosly until mushroom is done.

 Sprinkle with ther flour, stir and add the soured cream and cream. Simmer on a low heat, stirring frequently until thickens.

 Mix together the topping ingredients in a bowl with a fork.

 Spread some of the mushroom mixture on each pancake and fold like a burrito.

 Place them into a buttered ovenproof dish.

 Pour over the sauce and sprinkle with the cheese.

Put in a pre-heated (200 C) oven and cook far 20 mins or until sauce has set and top is golden.
Enjoy!