Its Raining , Its Pouring....

Its raining today and when it rains the best thing to do is cook. So today has been a bit of a cook-athon. There is nothing more satisfying than cooking and creating delicious things, I find it very relaxing and enjoy the magic carpet ride of smells and tastes. I do admit that most of my cooking is experimental but every now and again I do have to follow a recipe or end up with a mess. Here are a few of the more tasty creations I made today...

Mediterranean Chutney.

This one is an absolute winner - a fantastic way of using courgettes, peppers and tomatoes from the garden. We cant seem to get enough of it at the moment, a jar doesn't last very long. It a relief to have finally found a recipe for our courgette crop that doesn't send the family running.

Another trial today which went down extremely well. This was a recipe I found. Peanut butter and Rice Krispie balls. We didn't get as far as dipping them in chocolate they were extremely yummy without it.

Finally something that's been brewing in the garage for ages ....Raspberry Vodka. This was an answer to a fantastic glut of raspberries this year. I am by no means an expert gardener, if anything I rely more on luck than skill. The raspberries this year surpassed all expectations and we harvested a massive 7 kgs. The freezer is overflowing, jams been made and well why not some vodka too. This is a special one we might save for Christmas if I can hide it away that long.

To keep all those interested parties up to date, here is what our sugar crystal candies look like 2 days in...

More to follow soon ........

What shall we do today?

Well its school holiday time and kids are bored. I have been browsing the internet looking for inspiration and there are some very talented people out there. Following their examples I've decided to give a few things a try.

Todays first challenge was making sugar crystals.  Its a long task supposed to take at least a week but well we made the sugar solution and set it somewhere sunny and now we have to wait and see.

Challenge 2: make chelsea buns to say thankyou to our lovely neighbour who has blessed us with beans and plums from their garden.

Challenge 3 : mice !
I have been promising the children to make these for ages. Not bad for their first attempts at sewing ( aged 4 and 6 ).

Challenge 4: T-shirts.
We took some old t-shirts , apples and potatoes to cut out shapes and a bit of fabric paint. 2 very pleased and proud children.

 Now for a rest and researching some plum recipes to use up all the plums we've been given.