Food and Fabric!!

I have returned to finish telling you about my wonderful weekend with the "Night Owls" out at the Fairburn Dam!!

Saturday afternoon found us all fighting food comas due to the constant consumption of food worthy of Donna Hay magazine, however we are strong women and found the will to soldier on to dinner!!

In the afternoon Wendy put a loaf of garlic Sourdough in the bread-maker, which emitted an aroma that had you floating to the kitchen on a wave of euphoria, only to stand at the machine sniffing like a bloodhound on the trail!!

Wendy also had baking a traditional Moussaka, with moist layers of rich mince and melt-in-your mouth eggplant, under a gooey hat of homemade Bechamel sauce and golden cheese!! 

These delights where served with Evelyn's perfectly al-dente pasta salad, with a beautiful balance of sauce, pasta and fillings; as well as my Roast Pumpkin and Pine nut Salad with my favorite roasted pine nuts and ricotta crumbled lover the top!!

Amazing meal made better when shared
with amazing company!

Our sweet tooth's were not forgotten when we later enjoyed my very first ever baked cheesecake!! Of course I couldn't just choose to do a nice easy vanilla bean or some other version of simplicity.......no, I choose to attempt not only a baked multiple steps Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake!! 

I follow an amazing blog called The girl who ate everything and it is really fabulous not only the food she makes but she does it around her busy family. Did I mention that this blog is American?? Hence the beginning of my issues with this cake. Dum, dum, dum!!

When cooking from American recipes the first step is translating the measurements into the corresponding Australian one, all good, or so I thought. The base no worries, I made do with some plain shortbread biscuits, and the cookie dough balls, delicious to the point of eating so much of it straight out of the bowl I think I may have put myself at risk of having an immediate coronary!!

The filling......hummmm, well thinking I was super organised, I mixed the filling according to the directions, at some point I thought, "Gee that looks very runny and it has a strong egg taste. Is that right?" Re-reading, yes I was fine, into the base and then the oven for an hour. Sitting down to check the recipe, yet again (Not that I could do anything now it was in the oven), "Oh S*#T!!" I didn't translate the cream cheese!!! A recipe I believed to only require 1 packet of cream cheese, actually requires 3.5 packets, meaning I then spend the next hour sitting on floor in front of my oven praying for this cake to please be edible!!

An hour later it had risen around the sides and was browning nicely, however it was custard in the middle. Emergency call to experienced Foodie friend which went along the lines of, "Help Me!" She assured me that the eggs should help it set, just turn the oven down and double the bake time.

Needless to say while I'm not proud of this effort I am determined to try this again just for the cookie dough balls themselves!!

My poor cookie dough balls all sank, never fear,
 I am not one to run away from a sweet challenge!!

All this energy consumption was going to require some form of burn off and after a few (many) glasses of wine, some good music and relaxed company meant that some super smooth versions of Flash dance and line dancing, (What a combination!) where soon being busted across the sewing room floor!

On the last day of any retreat I always wake up a little sad because you know the fun is coming to an end. This retreat I think everyone felt the same as we all seemed really upbeat but eventually Wendy quietly said over her coffee cup, "I don't want to go home today." This set off a big run of group hugs and cuddles around the table, then we all remember we would be seeing each other at the next retreat in three weeks and we still had a whole day of sewing and eating ahead!!

Everyone seems to get this buzz of motivation on the last day, I think we all realize that we are running out of time without life distractions and we had better pull our fingers out so we have something to show our husbands for two days away!

These are some of the projects the girls where working on over the weekend.

Evelyn's Angel Cross-stitch

Some of Wendy's hexagon
flowers for her quilt

One of Julie's stitchery blocks
for her quilt

On Saturday night the fire was lit up again and the girls put some wrapped potatoes in the coals for lunch the next day, however over the course of the night they ended up being left to their own devices, with the results to be determined the next day. 

Julie delivered the potatoes (which ended up being perfectly soft and moist - don't ask me how!) cut and filled with left over Moussaka and melted Edam cheese, with a fresh side of Orange and Beetroot Chopped Salad, yum!

They where so good, the flavour of the fire went
through the potato and gave it a delicious smoky undertone!

Despite the massive food fest we all did manage to get through some UFO's!

Betty's Quilt from last
years retreat!

Dallas completed a full block
of foundation piecing

My Christmas Tablecloth using the Wedge ruler!
I am going to foundation piece a center circle!!

A table runner using
the leftover wedges!

The final meal of the day is a unanimous favorite with the Night Owls, which is a selection of antipasto delights such as dukkah, balsamic vinegar, grilled capsicums, fresh breads and of course cheeses!!

So with a flurry of brooms, cloths and the complete organisation that I find more mature women have (notice I wasn't brave enough to say older women?) we where quickly tidied, packed and saying our goodbyes, which while sad, it was good to know I would be seeing some of them again soon for the next retreat.

I love these weekends because while returning home absolutely shattered physically, I also feel totally invigorated and full of inspiration to move onto the next project, whatever that may be!! 

A very special present was given to Miss 4 this weekend which was made by a super talented Night Owl Evelyn. Evelyn is in possession of a very special skill that is rarely seen or appreciated in it's true form any more - smocking. 

How stunning is this!!

Look at the work and the detail!!

Upon seeing this creation it took some smooth talking from Evelyn to convince Miss 4 that she should leave her clothes on because she couldn't wear it yet!!

The dress is hanging in pride of place at the end of Miss 4's bed and is adoringly patted each night - photos of Miss 4 in model mode coming soon!!

On Monday I took the opportunity while in Emerald to follow the girls advice (and my stomach) to find the perfect macaroon!

If you don't know, these decadent little portions of sweet, frilly, feeted heaven are my Achilles heel when it comes to cooking - I just can't make them and because of my absolute adoration of them I am refusing to attempt them anymore.

My love for these creations knows no bounds and I will without hesitation pass any and all other desserts in favor of these caps of crisp, chewy, luscious delights!!

Anyway (wiping the drool from my keyboard) I was told by good sources that a  local Emerald business - Highland Homewares not only stocked my little dreams but they where made fresh and served with real ground coffee by a true Barista!! 

The business has just moved into it's new larger location, and when I lived in Emerald while I enjoyed the store I never managed to get there often, so when I entered I had no expectations or idea of what I was getting myself into!!

I'm not one to be speechless often but when I rolled back the door and stepped in, that's where I stayed for a good minute! I was floored by the stunning displays, aromas, colors and textures that called at me, I had no idea where to go first, well.... yeah I did, macaroons!!

The front entrance!

If it's on Masterchef you
can get it here!!

Walking towards the coffee shop, my only thought was, "Get the macaroons. Then you can look!" I swear I heard a herald of angels singing as I came to a complete stop in front of a case filled by a rainbow!!

A rainbow behind glass!!

There was positively no possible way I was going to be able to choose one delight over the other, therefore my only option was to take one of each!! Literally skipping on the spot like a child, I explained to the staff my love for macaroons and while they seemed excited for me, I'm still not sure if they where laughing AT me or WITH me!

Passionfruit (yellow), Cherry Ripe (Red), Jaffa (Orange), Redskin (Purple),
 Salted Caramel (Blue), Chocolate (Brown), Vanilla (White), Mystery Flavor (Tan).

I fell in love with the teacup and it came home with me too,
along with some Lemonade Fruit Melange Tea!!

While I was beside myself with delight Mr B however did question the validity of buying $30 worth of macaroons, I told him if he had to ask for a reason he just would never understand!

For the next four hours I cradled my treasures on my lap in the car, due to my serious fear of them being maimed in any way by a child's ungentle foot or husbands unthinking hands.

Mr B kept sneaking me side looks and shaking his head but my caring devotion paid off when we arrived at Ground Zero with all frilly feat in tact!! (I would like to add that I do think I crossed into bad mother territory when I took the macaroons into the house before the children!!) 

Over the next two days I set aside private moments to truly appreciate each individual flavour and decided on Jaffa, Cherry Ripe, Redskin and Salted Caramel to be my "Buy again" friends. (If Mr B ever lets me return to Emerald!)

Another massive post but so much has happened and the best part is sharing it with you all!!

Until next post - which I have already started a list for!

May your bobbing always be full

Amanda

Food Glorious Food!!

Well, I'm back from a fabulous weekend and finally have time to sit so I can tell you all about it!!

Firstly however before I delve into two days worth of incredible food, friends and fabric I would like to announce the creation of Stitched to Life's official logo, in two variations!! Be prepared to see these everywhere on absolutely everything, I love them that much!

I must take this opportunity to thank the amazing designer, Maria at Style Graphic Design. She has incredible unending patience and an unbelievable talent for understanding the scattered ideas of people like myself and turning them into beautiful graphics for all creative types of business. If you are ever in need of designs of any kind please go and have a look at her Etsy shop  link above!! 

I have just spent the past weekend at Fairburn Dam at a retreat with a group of the most special women I have the immense honor to call my friends. They call themselves, 'The Night Owls' (originally named 'The Friday Night Girls' however we all decided that it made us sound like hookers so we better come up with something else!)

I arrived Friday afternoon to a stunning venue, situated on the hill our dorm rooms are clean and tidy, with enough for one room each and two upstairs bathrooms - very important when living with a group of women! The kitchen and dining building is where we set up to sew and eat, it has a lovely comfortable home atmosphere but I think that had more to do with the company!

The view from both buildings looks down onto a paved campfire circle, surrounded by seating and bush-land filled with wildlife that is so comfortable with humans they will come right up to the veranda doors to see what's for lunch! Speaking of bold wildlife this little Magpie came right up to me while I photographing some of our work on the Sunday afternoon!

He was so close and
extremely nosy!

Cheeky little bugger even
 posed for his photos!

After all the hugs, kisses and unpacking we quickly realized that when you ask six major foodies to gather together for two days, that creates ALOT of food and of course it's all going to be good!!

This is only a small amount of the sweets!

Main fridge with a separate one for wine!

Friday night we enjoyed a delicious Chicken curry with fluffy rice (Julie's recipe), followed by Dallas's mini Sticky Date puddings with Butterscotch sauce and Cream (I'm getting the sauce recipe because I could drink that stuff - I even put it on my muesli the next morning!)

These had gorgeous chunks of ginger through the
 soft spongy pudding, giving it a stunning spicy kick!

That night a chill came through causing our little firebugs to not be able to help themselves and they had to light the campfire - I must admit it was beautiful and warm!

A reasonably early night (with an early morning for me due to inspiration striking and I had to get it on the computer before I lost it!), saw us all rise to a very cold morning with everyone being extremely glad to have packed extra blankets, quilts and jumpers!! 

Julie made our breakfast for the weekend which was a devine Bircher Muesli with Pan Fried Apples in a Maple Butter sauce and side of Natural Greek Yogurt  I am booking this as my birthday breakfast!! 

Once fed, coffeed and showered we all pulled out what we where actually there to do which was our UFO's!!

The room of creativity!
Also doubles as a dance floor but that story is for later...

At some point through the Saturday we decided that sewing was only something to fill in the time before we could eat again, because we where always either eating food, reading about food or talking about food!!

Morning and afternoon teas saw us sampling Wendy's buttery, crumbly Coffee Creams, Pecan shortbread's and Delonghi coffee (I have decided this will be my next purchase - chooks be damned!) There was also my Chewy Pistachio and Almond Slice, Honey and Spice Slice and White Choc, Pineapple and Coconut Slice. Plus more slices, cakes, brownies, dips, crackers and the ever present cheese which is inevitable at every Night Owl gathering!

Chewy Pistachio and Almond Slice

White Chocolate, Pineapple and Coconut Slice

The day turned out to be super productive with me completing a fabric basket for my dining room table, learning how to foundation piece, thanks to Dallas and Craftsy, laughing until my sides hurt and going through the girls stash of fabric and goodies. I have also come to understand that Dirty Old Women don't just suddenly become Dirty Old Women - it takes years of practice and dedication, guess what?? I'm well on my way!!

Foundation Piecing by Dallas - Unfinished quarter block

Big pile of scraps for hexies and piecing!

My finished Mini Charm Basket!
Noteworthy Fabric by Moda

I will continue the story of this epic weekend hopefully this afternoon however right now I am off to a pink birthday party with Miss 4, who is not so patiently waiting at my side.

Next: Dinner and dancing!!

May your bobbin always be full

Amanda

Heavenly Crystals of Sweet Delight!!

My name is Amanda and I am a sugar addict.  

This is the story from my kitchen over the last two weeks and I can't see it getting any better for at least a little while. However when your children start asking, "Mum why do you get spots on your face?" I do begin to question some of my food choices (and my choice of concealer!) 

When I last blogged I was getting ready for our local show, helping at the school, as well as running around after kids and Mr B. All of this involved many forms of cooking which I really enjoyed, until about Thursday, when the novelty well and truly wore off!! 

On Monday I invited a lovely friend to come and have lunch with Miss 4 and I, mainly to catch up, however it did pose a wonderful opportunity to give the pizza dough recipe a whirl in my bread-maker!

 Balsamic Roasted Vegetable and Bocconcini Pizza

Yummy fluffy dough with crispy base - I rolled the dough out on 

Corn Flake crumbs before they went in the tray, didn't stick and went crunchy!!

While the breadmaker was doing it's thing with the dough, I diced up some veggies I found in the fridge (pumpkin, zucchini, sweet potato), tossed them in a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and roasted them in the oven. I also grilled some diced bacon and red onion in garlic for a nice salty kick! 

I'm not a fan of tomato based pizza, I find the flavor can take over and you loose all the deliciousness of the topping. Instead I used some bottled (gasp!) basil pesto on the base, sprinkled the veggie and bacon mixes and tore up some bocconcini over the top. Back in the oven until cheese is gooey and best lunch ever!! Miss 4 had two pieces - including the topping!!!

That same morning I also put in the pressure cooker an Italian beef mince sauce, filled with grated veggies and classic Italian herbs. Yes, I was about to once again attempt the dreaded, lasagna. 

You may laugh, but this dish and I don't like each other! I have so much trouble cooking the pasta right, making the sauce, putting it together and the list goes on. However upon finding some Lattina fresh lasagna sheets at the grocery store I decided to, "Live and Learn". Being married to a third generation Australian-Italian was also another good incentive!

When I opened the pressure cooker in the afternoon I figured that if nothing else the beef sauce would be good, and it was fantastic! A big bowl of that would have made any Mamma proud!! Biting the bullet I did have to keep going with the original plan and started the layering process, mince, sheets, mince, sheets, mince, sheets - hey it's working!!

Right the Bechamel sauce, once again bottled (Busy, ok!!??) went straight on the top, sprinkled some cheddar cheese and baked in the oven for an hour.

Ta-dah!! My first successful lasagna!!

Served with a Ceaser salad everybody was very happy and I'm sure even my husbands ancestors may have given me a little pat on the back for effort!!

We ate this for an entire week - considering how busy I was

 it was great to know I could serve the family a good meal.

For the show and school kitchen I decided to do two slices and a batch of biscuits, mainly due to the fact I had already found some recipes I wanted to cook and I CANNOT cook without people to share with because that normally means I will eat it.....all. 

During this kitchen frenzy I began to realize my mother has a point about my inability to multi-task while cooking, why do I insist on using EVERY bowl, pan and spoon in my cupboards before I wash up??!! 

The results however where completely worth every moment of washing up!!

These slices are Caramel, Macadamia and Coconut (left) 

and Honey and Spice Slice (right).

 Passionfruit creams, sooooo yummy but I am going to

 tweak the cream mixture a little, to make it smoother.

These where a great hit with everyone and I did manage to put some aside for my cups of tea, however Mr B has questioned when he might be allowed to taste some of my cooking. I did relent and share A piece, only after the kids had gone to bed!

Friday found me and many other mummy's at the school for a Mother's Day service and morning tea. It was so lovely to watch Master 6 do his readings and the teachers had also created a slide show of the kids drawings on why they love there mums. It was so cute and every Mum was slightly nervous about what was about to be announced - mine where about filling the bath tub and playing with the dogs, so all good! 

The best part however was when Master 6 was awarded Student of the Week for working hard on his handwriting skills!! Doubly proud (and shocked) mother, considering he has been acting like a diva and I've been secretly contacting possible adoptive parents! Never-the-less as my mother assures me this is a phase (and his is cute) I will keep him for a little longer and by his wedding day I probably won't want to give him away. 

My little academic!!

Over the Mother's Day weekend I was spoilt rotten with lots of treats from the family, especially the beautiful handmade gifts the kids made at school. My absolute favorite treasure was given to me by Miss 4. She had wrapped pieces of fabric scraps around a timber "Mum" (the scraps I had donated to the school which made it double special) and I immediately knew where to hang it - the sewing room door!!

I have been waiting for something special for this door
and how much more special can you get!!

Another present I received was some plants and pots to finish off my front patio garden. I have been working really hard since we moved in to make this area really welcoming and I also spend a lot of time sitting on the veranda with a cuppa, enjoying the serenity.

I love Mother's Day for flowering plants!
The white Chrysanthemum is actually my Mother's Day
gift from 2 years ago and it's still flowering!

This gorgeous stand was given to me by my
beautiful group of sewing friends, these plants and
 stunning shabby chic pots where made to be on this stand!
Thanks girls!!

I think the one of the moments I was really excited about was my Mother's Day High Tea at the local cafe with some new girlfriends. When I heard about this it was a light bulb moment, I had to make a new dress and I knew exactly the fabric from my stash I wanted to use!!

So after a few mishaps (forgetting to rotate pattern pieces for one!!) and leaving the lining until the last minute (will slip-stitch it in later - I promise!) I managed to finish my 50's high tea dress and I love it!!

 

 

To add to the lovely day I also won best
dressed at the morning tea, receiving the above
beautiful arrangement of PINK flowers!!!

 Thanks so much to Ridgee-Didge Cafe for holding the morning tea and to Joe and Jacquie at the Barcaldine Garden Centre for the flower arrangement (and all the plants in my garden!!)

Beautiful New Friends!

Delicious homemade delights!

Mother's Day afternoon I achieved a wonderful feat of turning a draw full of tangled and unruly ribbons, trims and bias into an organised and beautiful system. All thanks to a blog I found called Crafter Hours where she had used a pant hanger to organise her ribbons and trims, I know how cool is that!!
I had a spare towel hanger that we didn't need since the move and was going to send it to the charity shop, well not anymore, it is now hanging on the back of my sewing room door looking stunning, as well as serving a very important purpose!!

From this.....

To this!!!

This tidy up has made me realize I have a trim and ribbon issue,
 resulting in my not having to buy any for a long time!!

I am going away this weekend to a quilting retreat at Fairburn Dam outside of Emerald, and have been looking forward to this since I left Emerald in December. I get to spend some time with my fabulously eclectic group girlfriends while laughing and of course stitching!! (Between eating and talking I'm not sure how much we will achieve but the intention is there!) 

I am going to use this weekend to do some projects I haven't had a chance to get to but they have been on my mind. I figured that when I get back it's head down and complete focus on my Fat Quarterly submission, which in due by the end of June (EEK!!)

Remember a friend of mine got married last Friday and I made her a quilt with matching cushions?? Well she received them and I'm happy to report she loved them and even had a few tears. (Awwww she's so lovely) So now I can show you all my quilt which I named, "Road to Forever" and is made using Kate Spain's range "Serenade"!!

This pattern "Crossroads" I found on Moda Bake Shop,
 it was designed by Tacha Bruecher who is also the editor of Fat Quarterly,
 the magazine I am being published in.

The stunning fabric is by one of my fav designers Kate Spain, it is her Serenade range!!
I also used a Riley Blake multi-shade green for sashing! 

The stunning quilting which gave the quilt it's life was
done by The Twisted Stitcher herself, Dallas McLellan!

Oh dear I have just realized how much I have posted this time but every moment was worth sharing with you all!!

To finish up I want to share with you a few photos of the kids at the show, jumping on the acrobat ropes - they had an absolute blast!! (and I had waffles!!)

 

 

On the Ferris Wheel!
This photo reminds me of the excitement and pure joy children
can find almost anywhere!!
Ps The ferris wheel has also given me a few quilt ideas!!

May your bobbin always be full!!!

Amanda