How did that happen?
This month Deanna has selected number 9 for the chookshed challengers. For me that means I have to make a start on an eye spy quilt top.
I have a bundle of fabrics cut ready, I just need to sort out sashing fabrics.
As you know, the end of the month was taken up with ill health. There are some nasty bugs going around here at the moment and I caught one. It has proven to be quite difficult to shake off. Friends and colleagues have said the same thing.
That aside I did get some quality time in the month of June. Lots of that time was spent dealing with a good harvest of 'Joas as young Master Torstein calls them. We've had lots of 'Joa muffins and another batch of 'Joa jam. I have some different Feijoa recipes I want to try, hopefully soon. There are still a few fruits on the trees and next time the children are here I'll send them out with buckets or bowls to collect them.
This time of year in New Zealand is all about Matariki. A Maori festival that you can read more about here.
To celebrate Matariki we have been busy at work with the residents craft group.
Many stars were cut out and coloured, or had glitter added, then Jo the activities lady had me scooting up and down the steps adding them to a big black cloth we had pinned to the wall in the lobby. Of course they had to be in the correct configuration.
We also had some of the residents drawing around templates and cutting out feather shapes to make a Kahu huruhuru. The feather cloak worn as a ceremonial garment on special occasions.
I wasn't roped in for extra shifts at work, so I've been enjoying resting on my days off. Not much has been done in the way of housework, just the minimum, you know cooking and a little laundry. Wednesday I was off out early, I picked up Debbie as she dropped her car at the workshop first thing for it's service. We spent the morning together, Debbie knitting and I was busy with my Chookshed Challenge project. After lunch Debbie and I parted, I went in to work for a meeting before picking up some groceries, then I spent the remainder of the day, sewing some more.
Today I didn't even make it out through the front door. I've spent the majority of the day in my armchair, with a needle in my hand. It's been a good couple of days, I completed another block.
All of your good wishes were heard and I have to say that today I am feeling much improved. Thank you for those get well wishes. Whatever bug it was that got hold of me has loosened it's grip and I finally felt able to play a little. At the start of the illness I was able to complete my Bumblebee cross stitch and blogged about it, then things took a down turn and I could barely think let alone concentrate on sewing. Looking back at my efforts to share the Crispy Chilli Beef recipe.... I could have done a better job, but I'll leave it alone.
So today I'm feeling better. I pulled out my Chookshed Challenge. And made progress.
This month if you remember it is my Down in the Garden project. A Leanne Beasley BOM I've had sitting around for a good few years. I took it with me to Scrub Stitchin' retreat and made some good progress. I made more after returning home, then it lay not forgotten but unattended for a few weeks. Today I pulled it out and took up needle and thread.
There is a bit of a story to this one.
Back on the Isle of Man there is a Chinese takeaway just at the end of the main shopping street in our home town of Ramsey. The Mandarin Takeaway. We enjoyed going there, it was close to home and you could watch the chef at work. There was no hidden kitchen, everything happened right there in front of your eyes. There is a big gas fired range with several burners and two or three chefs working away with their woks. Behind them and also to one side were boxes and boxes of ingredients. As they started each new dish you saw them taking a little of this and some of that adding them to the wok and working away, tossing all of the ingredients together. It was noisy and hot in there, the sound of the steel utensils against the edge of the woks, the big fans in the cooker hood drawing out the oily steams and the chefs chattering away to each other as they cooked. Then in what seemed like moments they would be tipping your order into a tray and the girl at the counter would call your number and off home to eat. It had a special kind of magic to it.
The Chinese takeaways we have found here in Timaru I have to say leave a lot to be desired. I ordered lemon chicken in one and took home a tray of chicken nuggets with some sort of sticky sauce from a plastic squeezy bottle poured over it! A far cry from what I was used to back in Ramsey! We still want good fresh Chinese food so had to find our own recipes. And we have had some successes. We've tried various packet mixes and jars but never really fell in love with any of them. I've yet to find a good replacement for the Beef Chow Mein I used to favour. The local Thai restaurant does a good sweet and sour and we have found other new favourites to make at home.
One of Tony's favourites from the Mandarin take away was Deep Fried Crispy Shredded Beef in Hot Chilli Sauce. I scoured the internet for a substitute. Eventually I found one. Here you go...
Crispy Chilli Beef.
You know I often wish I didn't work so many hours, or that I could retire. I should be careful what I wish for. I have me a nasty head cold and as you know in my line of work I'm not welcome at work with such bugs. Though I'm not feeling great I have been able to get on and complete my cross stitched bee. There really wasn't much left to do.
We were recently invited to a gathering to farewell a friends daughter. She is going over seas to live and work for a few years. We were asked to bring a pot luck. I took along my slow cooked Chilli Con Carne, it always goes down well. That's not what I'm here to share, but I will one day. At the farewell party there was a platter with the most beautiful soft roasted beef nestled on a bed of mash. YUM! The next day I reached out to the guest who brought it along and he was kind enough to share.
The following is what he sent to me.
Hi Lou lol the recipe is pretty much Steve surprise (I'll be surprised if it works)
What I did for last night:
1.5 kg beef ribs
In the slow cooker on low for 11.5 hours
Put them in at 0615
Salt pepper mixed herbs over the ribs mainly on the meat side
Bay leaves (4)
Rosemary sprigs one for each rib bone
Ribs sitting on Swede slices about 1 cm thick
Tin of watties basil tomates half on top and half around the Swede and half a tin of water into the base.
I also added a touch of chilli powder as it was cold
Let it do its thing and then mashed the Swede and tomatoes as the base and sliced onto the plate. I reckon you could use red wine in place of the water and it would add to the gravy
It changes each time I do it depending on what I have available ie mushrooms courgette, etc
Like most slow cooker meals it looks pretty simple and also versatile.
Inspired I decided to have a go myself. I started at 07.15 though.
I placed thickly sliced swede into the bottom of my slow cooker. Popped a 1.5 kg lump of topside roast on top of that. (I don't have ribs and as I have just put half of a home grown cow into my freezer I wasn't going shopping for them). I sprinkled on plenty of salt, pepper, an Italian seasoning and a little beef stock powder. Then I decided to add some sliced carrots around the beef. Next I poured in a pottle of Uncle Ruffies tomato sauce (Look on my recipe tab above for that). A little water, two huge cloves of garlic and some bay leaves and rosemary. Then as Steve says, I let it do it's thing.
I came back to it a few hours later after taking a frosty walk, completing my chores the grocery shopping and visiting a friend for a cuppa and a catch up. I decided it could do with a little more liquid so added the suggested red wine. Then I let it do it's thing for a few more hours while I cross stitched.
Later I strained off some of the fluid to make a gravy, adding some flour to thicken it. We pulled out the bay leaves and rosemary stalks and mashed the veges. Tony carved the beef and we plated up with plenty of gravy and some steamed broccoli on the side.
YUM!
I forgot to take photos of course and to be honest my version did not look as pretty as Steve's. But it did taste good and it was oh so soft. I've done pot roasts in the slow cooker before but it was nice to be reinspired.
So there you have it. Steve's Surprise pot roast.
This is not what I was going to do with my days off this week, but once the mending and hottie cover I mentioned in my previous post were taken care off I fell down the hexie hole. And I have a happy pile of hexie flowers to show for it.
I have a couple of small chores to do today, then my time is my own. I don't plan to stitch hexies, but we will see where my muse takes me. My box of prepped hexies is running low, so I will need to find some fabric scraps to make more.
I do have fabrics pulled for a very special quilt. I have a whole year to make it, so no rush but you know how quickly a year can pass! I keep on telling myself I should make a start. Then we have another cold dark wet day and I curl up in my chair with some hand work.
Speaking of hand work, my cross stitch Bee needs only one wing and some back stitch......
My batik EPP is here waiting for me.....
My Chookshed challenge is here waiting for me.....
The Christmas ornaments I have kitted are waiting for me....
Oh! I forgot to mention... I completed last months Chookshed challenge. I used my rulers while I was quilting the hottie cover. Yay!
My second blog today. But I had to record this... I mentioned earlier today that I was going over the road and a few doors along to visit a pal who is destashing....
What an incredibly generous lady. She agreed to my original offer, but when I got home and had a play in the rather large bag, I doubled my offer and paid it before she could object.
About half of the pieces in the bag are batik, you know I love batiks. Many of those are over a meter, one is a very generous two meters. There are fat quarters, off cuts, and even a panel to make a very cute quilt.
WOW!
Take a look.
This piece is about 1 meter.