bright and cheery
it’s autumn on this side of the world, but over in other parts of the world the other in-between season is in full swing.
after an evening of cooking and catching up with my boy {who has been hibernating in the depths of engineering computer labs} i finally bit the bullet and uploaded a few things to my etsy shoppe. it fills me with anxious glee but it is something i am keen to explore and i hope it brings more focus to my ’spare time’.
speaking of etsy, {what a wonderful place it is to hang out on a sunday eve} i became captivated by a few prints. both in different mediums but equally beautiful. first, jen causey’s postcard set ‘hello spring time‘ {above}. full of spring time brightness and cheer. and for me it is a sweet homage to the in-between seasons too; natural and bright hues. could be autumn, minus the berries.
second, after some time of admiring from afar i picked up a sugarloop print. decisions, decisions, but how could i skip past the golden spring tree {above}? apparently it comes across as orange, but it seems to be a beautiful yellow-orange. my favourite. what i love about sugarloop is that she is so close to home, being in new zealand. for some reason it makes it even more sweeter.
this week i’ll be printing more photos. this time for a friend’s housewarming tea party. she is putting together a tea-thank you package and wanted a small print to go inside the bag of tea leaves and raw sugar cubes. i suggested printing a scone recipe on the back of the print, but i’ll have to create some sort of template to do this as soon as i decide on the size of the print. i’m having fun!
hanging
hello there!
i finally bought some toner for my photo-printer the other day and had a go at printing some of my photos. it is instant and so much more fun then going to the photo-shop. i’ll be spending the next few days testing out different paper weights and sizes in time for some cards for mother’s day.
do you like the little hanging contraption? i found it at a discount store and instantly fell in love with it. sure it’s meant for one’s delicate laundry pieces, but what of it. hanging blue flowers and crockery are just as delicate non?
early this morning i was switching between the world match and zadie smith. i am so in love with her writing and have been for some time. the autograph man left me a little disappointed after the phenomenal white teeth and now on beauty is amazing, just the thing i needed to read. i love the characters and their flaws. and oh the relationships. father and children? teach me more! for me, it breaks all those walls built around academia and allows me to see those characters for who they are, living in a bubble and innocent. it also has me yearning for my holidays in november. dreary london here i come! so yes, zadie smith won out on the world match in the end. and now it’s off to the park before the sun totally disappears with some snacks and zadie for company
later today there will be a pot of lamb korma, spicy dhal, raita, wholemeal chapatis and basmati rice to cook up.
autumn favourite
i’ve mentioned quince compote before. it is a sublime little dish to have ready in the fridge. i’ve had it for breakfast and dessert on a week day, and today for saturday’s lunch. when such things are made in this household, i am the only one who eats it {the boy has a natural aversion to anything remotely healthy or fruit-like}, so often i make enough to last me two breakfasts and a dessert {that is one medium -large quince}. here is how i make it.
quince compote
- 1 quince {peeled and sliced into thick pieces}
- enough water to cover
- 11/2 level tablespoon of caster sugar {i don’t like it very sweet, and generally keep to the rule of 1 tablespoon for every medium sized quince}
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 2 star anise
- 3 cardamon pods
- 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest
peel and slice the quince into thick slices. set aside. add water to a medium sized pot and bring to boil. add sugar, star anise, cardamon pods and lemon zest and allow to boil for another 2 minutes. add quince pieces and cover with lid. allow to cook until the fruit is tender. eat while still warm for instant comfort.
+ other things of comfort
hello!
happy thursday!
you know when you can sense chaos approaching? this is how i’m feeling right now, so what else to do except think about sugar and pretty things. matt and sharon were in town for a week, and we finally caught up with them yesterday for brunch. they handed me a lovely little gift, wrapped in bubble wrap and all. and how pretty and perfect it is for tiny little morsels. thanks kind people!
other things:
- a matcha tart with flaming red fruit {via kuidaore}
- orchid placemats by charlotte lancelot {via design*sponge}
i’ve tried in vain to order a set of these placemats, but haven’t had a response. has anyone else had any like by chance?
mid-week + biscuit recipe
it’s easier to wake up at 6am when all you have ahead if you is, baking biscuits, brunch with friendly peeps and visitors at your favourite cafe, a wander around town and then a late lunch of thai with your favourite person. oh yeah, and studying for a french exam {ugh}.
i had another go at baking those oat and coconut cookies from the rose bakery cookbook, an adaption of anzac biscuits. a slight oversight {time to buy digital scales!} meant i ended up with a crumbly dough, but nothing a little extra melted butter + golden syrup + bicarb of soda couldn’t fix. it really helps to have an extra stick of butter in the freezer on such occasions. these are really good items for care packages, which is why there is another batch in the oven right now; some for my sister in london and another for a friend in the u.s.a.
seeing as it is ANZAC day {remembering not commemorating} i’ll provide the recipe for the biscuits, so you too can have a little something with tea later this arvo and think about related issues. they don’t take very long to whip up and keep very well.
it is still raining in the burbs, probably everywhere in sydney so it is nice to be inside this afternoon, away from the hum-drum of office life.
what did you do today?
chewy anzac biscuits
- 125g of unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon of golden syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda added to two tablespoon of boiling water
- 160g of wholemeal flour
- 100g of dessicated coconut {i used shredded}
- 180g of light brown sugar
- 100g of rolled oats {slow cooking oats}
- a pinch of salt
in a small pan melt the butter and golden syrup over a low heat. once combined well add the bicarb and water mixture and set aside. combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. add the wet mixture to dry ingredients and mix well until a dough has forms. break of small enough pieces of dough to roll into 3cm balls. bake at 160C for 15 minutes or until golden. don’t over bake them, as these cookies are of the chewy variety. allow to cool. enjoy! store in an air-tight container.
