Two of my friends have birthdays in November and both love cats. I remember seeing four cat cross stitch patterns in a summer issue of Cross Stitcher so I decided to stitch them up as gifts. I tailored the colours slightly to match the cats they own/have owned as pets. As per usual I framed them in embroidery hoops and added ribbon so they can be hung as a decoration.
Just a quick post about this little guy I stitched up for aunty’s birthday. The pattern is from Storyland Cross Stitch, one of my favourite cross stitch books.The design is actually for a pin cushion but I added a loop of black ribbon so it could be used as a decoration. I love using patterns from Storyland Cross Stitch because the instructions are so clear and easy to follow. I decided to stitch on brown evenweave for a more earthy-nature feel.
Today I used one pumpkin in 3 different ways; 2 food-themed and one craft. I really wanted to carve a pumpkin this year but it seemed wasteful to buy a pumpkin to carve and not use the flesh or the seeds. I have always been intrigued by the idea of pumpkin pie and when browsing the Martha Stewart website I came across several American recipes for pumpkin pie. The only problem with the American recipes was obtaining two of the ingredients; canned pumpkin and graham crackers. I did, however, find a recipe on the BBC food website by Antony Worrall Thompson which was pretty similar to the American version but with real pumpkin. To me and my friends it tasted delicious (my parents weren’t the keenest on it) but there are a couple of things I would do differently in the future. First I would use a smaller pumpkin (not one meant for carving) and I would also roast the veg along with some butternut or onion squash to give it a deeper flavour as the only flavours which came out were the spices (ginger, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg).
My second food-themed creation for Halloween is toasted pumpkin seeds. I used a variation of this recipe from about.com; I followed the basic recipe and added my own toppings of ground cumin and chilli powder.
My craft used the pumpkin itself. The Martha Stewart website has lots of ideas of how to carve your pumpkin more interestingly than the average pumpkin-carver. The idea which particularly caught my attention was this skull. So I attempted to recreate it. I was really worried that it would be too fiddly and that I would ruin it as I can be very impatient. However, a couple of friends helped me out and it wasn’t that hard to do!
Did you make anything this Halloween?
This is an autumnal-themed bake today. I had a craving for some simple iced biscuits for a few days so decided to whip up these cookies. I went on a hunt for a fun Halloween or autumn cookie cutter and found . I have used Nigella Lawson’s recipe for iced biscuits before and it is foolproof so it seemed silly not to use it again. It is from her book Feast which is one of the most delicious recipe books I have ever seen. The book is split into different occasions, holidays and events and all the recipes are the perfect amount of indulgent.
As you can see I am not the best at icing…
Orange icing
Cut-Out Cookies
For the icing
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and moving towards mousse-like, then beat in the egg and vanilla. In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and eggs, mix gently. Form into a ball, press down into a fat disc, wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Sprinkle a work surface with flour, place the disc of dough on it and sprinkle with a little more flour. Then roll it out to a thickness of about 1/2 cm. Cut into shapes, dipping the cutter into flour as you go, place the biscuits a little apart on two lined baking sheets.
Bake for 8-12 minutes. When they’re ready, expect them to be tinged a pronounced gold around the edges. When they are all fully cooled they can be iced. Put a couple of tbsp of nearly boiling water into a large bowl, add the sieved icing sugar and mix together, adding more water as you need to form a thick paste. Colour as desired.
Another update on my welcome banner. I finally feel I have reached the halfway mark on this project and that I am actually making noticeable progress.
Yet again this is another project I have had finished for quite a while but I dithered over how to frame it. I was going to have it professionally framed but didn’t have the money so opted for a simple embroidery hoop. However, I didn’t trim the excess material, instead I pinned it behind and out of the way in case I ever wanted to have it framed in the future. I am really happy with the final look of the piece; the combination of the black aida and crisp, bright colours go together so well. I would definitely use and make one of Anna Maria Horner’s designs in the future.
Hanging on my wall
and today’s finished project comes in the form of a set of kitsch Christmas cards. The set came free with issue 272 of Cross Stitcher and, as per, was really fun to stitch up. I was really pleased with this set as it means I have another 3 home made Christmas cards ready and waiting to be sent. The cute and kitsch designs are another spin on classic Christmas cards.
This month’s recipe is for carrot cake and, by far, it is the best recipe of the calendar. It is indulgent because of the full fat cream cheese but kind of (not really) healthy because of the carrots and walnuts. Me and my sister made this for our parent’s wedding anniversary as a celebration cake as we knew that it is one of their favourites. I would definitely recommend this recipe for any carrot cake lover as it is easy to execute and packed full of flavour.
For the sponge
For the filling and topping
2 round tins greased with butter and the bases lined with greaseproof paper
Preheat the oven to 180C. Sift the flour, baking powder and all the spices into a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the sugar, orange zest and nuts followed by the beaten eggs, sunflower oil and grated carrots. When thoroughly combined, divide the mixture between the tins and spread it out evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until a cocktail stick comes out clean. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
To make the filling and topping, beat together all the ingredients with a wooden spoon until very smooth and creamy (we actually used an electric whisk). Spread almost half the mixture on to one of the cakes. Top with the second cake and spread the remaining mixture over the top.
…and I am already buying supplies for the Christmas presents and decorations I intend to make. No Christmas craft session could be complete without a trip to Dainty Supplies, a brilliant craft shop near where I live. Everything there is reasonably priced and of high quality so it is always my first stop for craft supplies.
First on my list was thread, for Christmas projects and for the Welcome Banner I am in the middle of making. I also picked up some red ribbon and some bells as I want to make red and white themed Christmas tree decorations in a Scandinavian style.
Next on my list were baskets to display my Christmas gifts. I tried to pick some up last year but couldn’t find any but this year I had more luck. I also bought an assortment of different sized doilies for various projects to make lace-esque patterns. I thought it would make a great template to place on top of a cake, sprinkle icing sugar over and then remove to produce a lacey pattern in icing sugar.
The final item on my list was a HUGE bag of stuffing for my Christmas decorations and cushions I may make in the future.
What supplies will you be buying this year for your Christmas crafts?
Last Sunday afternoon I had a hankering for something sweet and home-baked so I turned to Mary Berry’s Baking Bible for her recommendations on how to bake scones. Scones are the perfect bake for an early autumn afternoon as they fill the house with a gorgeous home-baked smell and can be made in just under an hour. Although these scones were delicious they didn’t rise as much as I had hoped, the glaze however worked perfectly.
Some rather flat scones…
Very Best Scones
Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Lightly grease 2 baking trays.
Measure the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
Beat the eggs together and make up to a generous 300ml with the milk, then put about 2 tbsp of the mixture aside in a cup for glazing the scones later. Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring it in until you have a soft dough. The scone mixture should be on the wet side sticking to your fingers, as the scones will rise better.
Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and flatten it out with your hand or a rolling pin to a thickness of 1-2cm. Use a 5cm fluted utter to stamp out the scones by pushing the cutter straight down into the dough then lifting it straight out. This will ensure that the scones rise evenly and keep their shape. Gently push the remaining dough together, knead lightly then re-roll and cut more scones.
Arrange the scones on the prepared baking trays and brush the tops with the reserved beaten egg mixture to glaze. bake for 10-15 minutes, until well risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool, covered with a clean tea towel to keep the moist.
crossstitchandkeepsakes 