project 128......bran muffins

I used to make these muffins as the recipe does not flop at all.  I got the basic recipe from a friend years ago, and adapted it in time by adding coffee powder and wheatbix.

With all the instant products on the market lately, we tend not to mix our own recipes from scratch anymore. 

This recipe can be mixed and kept in the fridge for a month, but I just bake the whole batch and freeze the extra ones.  They come in very handy when you get unexpected visitors-for breakfast or with grated cheese and jam for tea.

2 large eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
125 ml oil
1 cup nutty wheat flour
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups wheat bix broken into pieces
5 ml salt
10 ml baking soda
10 ml vinegar
5 ml baking powder
5 ml vanilla
30 ml coffee powder
500 ml milk
1 packet dates

Mix everything and bake for 12-15 minutes at 180*C.

Project 127: Crochet waist coat

Another night duty project with no pattern at all!

I liked the three colours and bought the yarn just because it was pretty!  I had no idea of what I was going to create with it......

I started making flowers with it and then attached the flowers with white chain stitches and formed a waist coat.

It came out quite pretty.....and that without a pattern!

Project 126: Butternut salad

I remembered to take a photo!  Last weekend I made a lovely orange salad and forgot to take the snap!

Dice your butternut and space it open on a baking tray.  Sprinkle with olive oil.  Bake at 200*C for about 20 minutes until soft and slightly roasted.  Remove and allow to cool down.

In the meanwhile prepare your lettuce leaves into bite sizes.  Pour in your butternut pieces.  add some sesame seeds and sunflower seeds.

Prepare your salad dressing by mixing together 5 tbsp of olive oil, 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 red chili, 1 clove of garlic(crushed) and 1 tsp of honey. 

Pour over the salad just before dishing up.

Project 125.......making mini doughnuts

This became one of the families favourites lately.  And they are soo easy to make!

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
125 ml oil
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Mix everything together and soon into an electric doughnut maker and bake for about 2 minutes. 

We make chocolate ones by adding 30 ml cocoa and another 1/4 cup milk. 

Now you can top them with glaze icing, nuts, hundreds and thousands, etc.  We simply pour condensed milk over the chocolate ones and sometimes caramel on the normal ones.

If you have kids and not have an electric doughnut maker, it is truly something you can invest in!  Especially if you have boys with lots of friends!

Project 124....Newspaper boy hat

I made this one without a pattern whilst working night duty between 3-4 in the mornings!

I've done it with a tunesic crochet needle in a double knit yarn.

I've started off with 22 stitches and reduced it at the end of each row until I had one stitch left.  I then picked up 1 stitch from the side from every row until I had 22 again.  I then reduced again until I had one stitch left again.  Picked up again, etc.  You will see it makes a perfect circle after a while.  I ended off and sewn the opening together to make a round piece to work with. 

I then picked up stitches all around half of the circle and crochet 5 rows without reducing.  I then started reducing doing two stitches every five stitches for 5 rows and ended off.  I did the same with the other half.  I the have sewn the two openings together   I then used a normal crochet hook and started making the front part.  I used the two hems on the sides to give me an indication on getting the cap right in the middle.  I used normal double trembles to do the cap, as it was easier to reduce on both sides at the same time.  I started wit 20 trembles and reduces at the beginning and end of each row for 6 rows.  I made a second flap like this directly underneath the first one.

I then took a soda bottle(all I could find in the hospital at 03h00 in the morning, but it worked well as it is clear and has a slight bend) and placed it between the two flaps.  I then closed the flaps by crocheting the two parts together with double trembles all around the edge.

I finished the whole thing off by adding a flower to the one side and a covered button on top!

Sizwe(the male nurse working with me) now wants a Rastafarian one!  Eish!

Project 123......another jacket from a t-shirt

I had this t-shirt for some time, but did not like to wear it, as I felt it was too short.  I then got the brain wave to make a jacket from this one too after making one from my husbands old t-shirt.

I simply cut the front in two and gave it hems. Nothing more!

I have worn it to a home cell "braai" the other night, and the ladies were quite impressed!  The one has given a similar t-shirt away just the week before, and said she would have worn it this way, as she felt it was too short as well.  Everybody went home looking what they could do with t-shirts not in use!

project 122.....baking a coconut cake......

I must admit, I have only overseen this one!  My 14 year old decided he felt like a coconut cake....he then googled a recipe....and baked it himself!  I helped a little with the mixing of the frosting, as we did not have cream cheese and did not feel like going to the shops just for that.  We replaced it with half the amount of coconut cream, and we used roasted coconut for the topping in stead of normal white ones.  My domestic helper decided that she wanted a cake like this for Christmas!  Ans oh yes....I helped to cut the cake in three layers!

For the cake:
(So by the way...he even went to the Internet for the diversions from ounces and pounds to grams and milligrammes!  Quite handy I'd say, as I normally just go for another recipe!)

115 grams of coconut
1 cup of milk
3/4 cup of butter
2 cups sugar
5 extra large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 spoon almond essence
3 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix as you normally mix your cake and pour into two round cake pans.  Unfortunately I only have square ones and they are larger than the normal round ones, so we poured everything into one pan and sliced it in three layers afterwards, in stead of having four layers. For the two round ones, bake it at 180*C for 50 minutes.  We baked it for 1 hour as ours were thicker.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes inside the pan.  Allow to cool properly once removed from the pan. 

When it has cooled down totally, cut each layer in two layers.  If you struggle with a knife, use a thick piece of cotton thread(MY OWN TIP) and slowly move it through the cake.  It cuts it perfectly!

Now mix your frosting.  Don't over mix it as it will look like it is separating and you don't want that!

Mix:
1 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
3/4 tsp vanilla essens
1/4 tsp almond essens
1 cup confectioners sugar(I personally think you can use 1/2 cup more, but maybe if you make a smaller round cake, it will be enough)

Spread it between the layers, on the top, and around the sides.  Then press your coconut all around your cake.  Serve at room temperature.  Yumm!

The other day he made this chocolate cake.....the caramel could have been more, but the cake was excellent!  He surely does bake better cakes than his mom!  I can do other things, but baking a cake is not my speciality!  Maybe the reason I don't even have round baking pans!

project 121.......instant colour to your garden

I used to do this when we lived on the plot, and decided to do it again the other day.....This gives instant colour to your garden, and depending on what you hang at the bottom, the sun even gives you more colours when shining on it.....


I use colourful organza ribbons, and hang it on different levels 2 to 3 together.  I like to hang crystal beads at the bottom, but did use normal beads that is not see through before.  Last week I used crystal-like plastic hearts....pretty....

Project 120...preserved radishes

I just can't learn!  I am the only one in the house eating radishes, but each and every year I plant hordes! 

I have a good book on pickling and cooking whatever you can think of, but not a single thing to do with a radish!  In fact....not one of my cookbooks had recipes for radishes.....

Then I googled it and voila!  Found several recipes for radishes!  Could not believe my eyes!

I made the easiest one......

You will need:

2 dozen of radishes(I used mixed white and red ones)
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of white vinegar
1 tbs mustard seeds
1/2 tsp celery seeds
a twig of fresh dill for every bottle

Mix everything and boil until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is clear.  Add the radishes and bottle in sterilised jars, adding your dill.  Keep refrigerated.

The first batch I accidentally added a cup of water with the vinegar!  I then allowed it to boil until slightly reduced.  I think they were even better!  But I was not so sure how long they would last and dished them out with the command to eat them immediately!  Even my mom thought they were good....and she does not like radishes!

Project 119: removing a stain from the carpet

This was good to see!  I had this stain on the carpet and asked my domestic cleaner several times to try and remove it with no success.  I then saw this on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.....

I applied shaving cream to the stain, left it on for 5 minutes and used a wet cloth to wipe it!  Look at the difference!

I was so excited I went to look for stains all over the house, and called my mom to give he the advice as well!

PROJECT 118: CHOCOLAT SQUARES

I was amazed that I did not share this one with you before as I love to make them.  They are so easy and the kids love them.  Got the recipe from a sugar packet when the boys were pre-school, and are still making them.  Shows you....a winning recipe!

!/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
30 ml cacao
1 egg
5 ml vanilla
1/2 cup dried cake mix/ raisins/ cherries/berries(the original had cake mix)
1 packet of Marie biscuits broken in pieces
sugar to sprinkle on top

Bring the margarine, sugar and cacao to boil and boil for one minute.  Mix in the egg and the vanilla.
Mix in the fruit and the biscuits.  Press down in a baking tray of about 26x17 cm.  Sprinkle with sugar and place in the fridge to firm up.  Cut in squares.

Project 117.....a jacket from my husbands t-shirt

A while ago my husband gave me one of his t-shirts that was too small.  I did not wear it as it was too big, but saw something like this on the net and planned to make it some time in the future.  Then my hubby started loosing weight with this exercising and I was too scared that he might ask it back, so I immediately cut the sleeves out and opened it in front!  After all, I did not have one of my own to do this with!

I also cut the rib-trim around the neckline out.  I've given all the edges hems.  I then gathered the shoulders in and ended it off by adding a selection of buttons to the shoulders and two rosettes I made from the sleeves. 

Cute little jacket to wear with a strappy top.....can't wait to see what he throws out next!

project 116......a cellphone bag for my son

I don't know where you are living, but here with us hand knitted stuff are a total no go for a teenager!  Worse a hand knitted item by your mother or grandmother!

To my surprise my son came home the other day and ordered a blue hand knitted bag for his cellphone!  I first ignored the request as I thought it was a joke, but after a few days he reminded me of it again.  All the ladies in the wool shop had a good laugh about it when I went to buy one ball of blue wool!

I decided to do it in tunesic crochet as it is quick and neat.  I started off with 26 stitches and did it two rows longer than the actual phone.  I've sewn it together and could not believe he was using it!  And he is still using it!  

Hi Everybody!

I have not forgotten about you......I was sick in bed!  I had bronchitis for a week, and just as I thought I was better, I fell ill again!  This time around diagnosed with pleurisy......and if you know me.....I can not not feel well!  Totally against my constitution!

Well, I've been busy doing small things as usual, but just not had the time to go and sit to download the snaps!  Will try to do this somewhere this week, as I started working night duty again last night.

It was soooo hot today, I only slept for three hours, then decided to get up as I was just rolling around.  I weeded my vegetable garden......the entire garden!  It feels like I have lost a kilo or two because of the heat and totally not feeling like working night duty tonight!

Oh yes....and I took some photo's for the photography club tonight.  My husband will take mine with, and has to take the judgement on my behalf!  I did not plan to do it, so it was a last minute decision!  Luckily the theme this week is flowers, and with the summer now in full swing in South Africa, it was not difficult to find something to snap on number 99!  I'll plan for the next meeting....I think I am the only one without a game plan at this stage!

I've made some nice horseradish pickles this past week, and done some crochet work as well.  My long term project..my quilt.. is done as well, and I'll share some photo's......

For now I am off to work.  I really pray that we'll have a quiet night in casualty....

Have a great day, and keep reading please!

Lot of love
    Sandra
          xxx