The week between Christmas and New Year is always a tough one, the big day is over, you’ve eaten too much and spent an abnormal amount of time with your family.
This mulled wine is what you need to see you through.

Keep it mulling on the stove and it will fill your house with calming, warming scents.

For use with 1 bottle of wine

Ingredients

3 tbl sp light muscovado sugar
1/2 orange peel
1/2 orange squeezed
1/2 orange sliced
1/2 lime squeezed
1/2 lemon squeezed
2 bay leaves
1 tsp each of nutmeg, all spice, cinnamon,
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 bottle of wine (Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon)
2-3 25ml shots of brandy

Method

Add everything except the wine and brandy to a pan on a high heat.
Bring to the boil with a slosh of the wine and reduce to a syrup.
Once the syrup is thick enough to see the bottom of the pan when stirred add the remaining wine and brandy.
Once the liquid is at a warm drinkable temperature, pour into cosy glasses and enjoy.
Do not boil once the alcohol is added or you will burn it all off!

Decorations are up

The cake has been baked, fed and is now waiting to be eaten

my Chutney is settling nicely

my niece’s christmas sweater has been made and being worn by her for christmas parties.

This is an adaptation of Drops Christmas Jumpsuit with Hood, I used the Reindeer pattern from Knitting Matters blog and flipped it in PS to get the alternate side. Also across the back is a white and red snowflake motif.

(There is no way my neice could have an Aunt that knits without having a Xmas sweater, not only that but it matches mine from last year)

With my visit to the local Christmas market been planned with a detour via the Micro Brewery this weekend I thought I had plenty of time to finish my knitting, however with only 10 days left to go time is speeding along and Im getting slightly worried!!

I decided my Secret Santa person this year would be receiving knitted sock in amongst their gift so I chose the pattern Bex from Cookie A, Sock Innovation.

What a treat to knit!

The pattern is very easy to remember, with repetitive structured cables and travelling rib sections you can knit away getting lost in the texture. That is until the pattern jumps slightly, grabbing your attention back to the  design and taking you on a similar but slightly different journey than before.

The result is a bold, 3D like boxy pattern, reminiscent of Escher Stairs. Absolute Genius!

The yarn I am using Sparkleduck British Merino,  just adds to the texture of the pattern with a really tight twist in the ply and strong bold colour. Love it!

So this Sunday I am planning to bake something glorious out of the Nigella’s Christmas Recipe book, settle on the couch and finish these socks!

ERRATA FOR UPDATE 18-10-11

Hand:

CO 4 sts and join to work in the round, 48sts in total shared between 3 needles.

should read

CO 4 sts, 48sts in total shared between 3 needles.
Work round 1 flat then join to work in the round from round 2.

I then magically wake up at around 10.30am sometimes 11am if I’m really lucky!

Probably best to say that I’m not a great night shift worker/sleeper however it does mean that I normally get quite a lot done on a Tuesday before I’m back at work again that night.

Today was the garden.

I needed to get the Pund plants out before the frost hit as it is so small it would not take much for it to freeze over, so I organised for a friend to take them in his bigger pond over the winter.
Now at least they will have a fighting chance!

Both the lily and the water soldier that survived are bagged and ready to go to their new home.

(Check out the lovely leaf-less grass, all thanks to my new leaf blower a friend gave me!)

I also took the opportunity to re pot the Yukka and bring him indoors for the winter months. I’ve managed to leave him outside for a lot longer this year as the weather has been pretty mild.
I think it’s about time for him to feel the warmth of the central heating though !

Whilst I was in the re potting mood I also did the Aloe Vera. She is staying on the window ledge in the kitchen this year, so she may get a slight bit of sun, as last year when she was in the living room she received so little sun that she nearly didn’t make it through.

After all of that, I went back inside the house to wash up just as my alarm went off at 1pm!

I love chutney on pretty much anything! It is so nice smothered on a crusty bread roll with some strong cheddar cheese, or used as a dip for popadoms or crisps, or with left over Xmas dinner….. Mmmmmm

So the other day I set about putting together a recipe that would work with the quantity of tomatoes I was left with.

This is what I came up with!

Ive not yet tasted it since I jarred it up but it was tasting pretty good in the pan! Roll on Xmas so I can get these opened!

I’ve added quite a bit of chilli to give my chutney a kick but you can remove this if you don’t like the spice.
Also any dried fruit can be used instead or as well as the sultanas.

Ingredients

900g toms red/green
3 onions
3 apples (I used Cox and Braeburn)
70g sultanas (any dried fruit will do)
250g light muscovado sugar
400ml white wine vinegar (any vinegar will do)
1″ ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
3 small red chilli de-seeded (optional)
1 small red chilli with seeds (optional)

Method

Roughly chop all of the green tomatoes, onions and apples and chillies

Add all of the remaining ingredients plus the chopped fruit and veg (except the red tomatoes) to the pan and turn the heat on medium.

Cook for about 20 mins, stirring well, whilst roughly chopping your red tomatoes.

Add the red tomatoes to the pan and bring to a simmer.

Continue to simmer for approx three and a half hours until completely reduced.

And that’s it!
Simple!

Now for the jarring process.

This always scares me a little as I never want to ruin what I have made!

The steps I follow are:

1: use metal topped, screw lid jars (jam jars are perfect)
2: wash them in hot soapy water
3: rinse in clean hot water
4: place in the oven at gas mark 1 for up to an hour to dry.
5: remove them from the oven immediately before pouring the boiling hot chutney in to them.
6: take care when pouring/spooning and fill to almost the top.
7: wipe away any leakage.
8: cover the top of the chutney with a wax paper circle just slightly bigger than the top of the jar.
9: place plastic over the top, immediately wrap an elastic band around the plastic and screw on the lid.
10: leave to cool.

Store in a cool dry place until opened then store in the fridge.

I hear that the longer you leave your chutney the better it will taste so this is where the patience comes in!

Add some labels and your chutney is ready to enjoy or to give away as Xmas gifts!

I have tried before to knit a vintage sweater using a vintage pattern and to be honest I gave up pretty quickly, the pattern wasn’t really that old either, late 70′s!!

To begin with it was quite tough to find a suitable yarn, the sizing was very boxy and the pattern structure was sometimes quite difficult to read and although I do love designing my own patterns, i’m not terribly confident altering a pattern for such a large garment myself. This is why I fell in love with Susan Crawford, Jane Waller and A Stitch In Time.

Using their uber genius minds they took some of the best vintage patterns,  put them together in a manner that was easy to understand, included current yarn and sizes and published them all in a book with excellent instructions and descriptions, not to mention awesome new photos! What gives them the edge  is that they include the original patterns in the book too!

Since I bought A Stitch in Time I have knit quite a few patterns and love every single one! (I have blogged about them all  but my favourites are Concentrate on the Sleeves and To Wear With Anything) There are many more patterns I just cant wait to knit!

I really did not believe it could get any better…..

That was until, at Knit Nation this year, I learnt about A Stitch in Time  1930-1959 : Volume 2!!!

Immediatly I signed up!

I was gutted at the time to hear that it wasnt being published until September but knew that I would be so excited when it actually arrived. Unfortunatly there were a few publishing problems and the book was delayed for a while. This was not a problem at all as they were so nice about it, we were sent a free pattern from the book, via email, to whet our appetities and I must admit that it really did hype it all up for me not knowing when the postman would knock!

That day arrived last week, the doorbell rang just as I was on my way to the gym, and it was the book!!

I opened it immediatly to find not only the book

but a lovely bag and 2 money off vouchers!

It really just kept getting better!

This volume, a beautiful hardback copy signed by Susan herself,  knocks socks of the previous, something I thought I would never say.

Not only do we once again get the most incredible vintage patterns plus the originals, with photos, we also have an in-depth guide to ‘Perfecting The Vintage Knit’ covering all you could need to know from sizing to trims and (to my utter enjoyment) a whole page on ‘Choosing The Right Buttons’. Undeniably an invaluable addition.

The book is just full once again of fantastic patterns to suit every taste and shape and as Emmms proved whilst flicking through the book in the cafe last week, there is so much to coo over and so many pages to stroke that A Stitch  In Time will definitly keep your attention for a long long time!

My ultimate favourite has to be Cryscelle, which is used as the cover image.

Here are a few more of my favourites, I say a few as I couldn’t include the whole book!

(from left to right, top to bottom: ‘Lady’s Jumper-Cardigan’; ‘Lady’s Evening Jumper’; ‘Box Coat’; ‘Colourful Winter Sports Outfit’; ‘A Pretty Frilled Jumper’; ‘Tyrolean Jumper Coat’)

Emmm’s favourites should be up here soon!!

Thanks once again to the amazing Susan Crawford and Jane Waller !!!!

(All photos taken from A Stitch In Time 1930- 1959 : Volume 2)

I was interested in what Mrs Beaton had to say on the subject and how they were stored in the past

(turns out there is not much written on this in her book) however, whilst flicking through the pages I came across a particular chapter called ‘Invalid Cookery – a few rules to be observed when cooking for invalids’

It really tickled me as Ive recently been feeling pretty sorry for myself, suffering from Sinusitis and chest infection, wishing I had my own nurse maid to hand me soup and tissues!!
So I thought I would share what I read.

She obviously makes a lot of sense however it is highly amusing.

The following points are my favourite’s

1:

2:

3:(discussing Miss Nightingale’s views on the subject)

4:

All taken from Mrs Beaton’s Household Management.

Back in August, during my rejoicing at my sneaky garden going rogue and growing things with or without me, I mentioned one of the delicious dishes that resulted: the recipe I’m sharing here today: Slow-Roasted Tomotoes on Conchiglia, with Warmed Olives. It very quickly became one of my Very Favourite meals.

Its secret weapon is, well, there are several secret weapons. First, the tomatoes in were fresh, fresh, fresh. I managed to get four meals-worth of tomatoes out of my garden which was AWESOME; however, I’ve also made it a couple of times with store-bought toms and it was just as delicious. If anything, because you’re slow-roasting the tomatoes, it makes the flavour of the store-boughts soar.

Second, the tomatoes are slow-roasted with slivers of garlic: 2 to 3 cloves minimum, depending on the strength. I’ve noted before I am a garlic maven, so sometimes I’ll go for even more. And just before you start holding your nose just reading about it, because you’re roasting the garlic in slivers, it really takes the pong off.

Third, the whole dish is laid on a bed of fresh salad leaves, which makes it seem terribly wholesome and good for you. I foraged for my own wild rocket leaves all summer and they have bite like you wouldn’t believe. This dish works just as well with any salad leaf; the last time I made it I used dandelion leaves ‘harvested’ from my garden (intentionally cultivated, of course) and bagged spinach from the grocers and it was beautiful.

Fourth, the warmed olives give it a final kick that will leave you melting in your chair. It is that good.

I’ve added a few notes at the bottom, about the ‘real’ way to cook pasta, factoring in timings and the amount of tomatoes I suggest using (lest you look at the list and think I’m nuts).

ingredients:

4 tbsp. olive oil (extra virgin or otherwise)
1 1/2 lb. fresh tomatoes, halved and quartered, depending on size
2-3 large cloves garlic, sliced lengthways into slivers
1 tbsp., plus a pinch, dried oregano (or several sprigs fresh)
4 oz. fresh Kalamata olives, quartered lengthways and pitted
7 oz. conchiglia (shell pasta)
enough salad leaves to make a bed on each plate
sea salt
black pepper to taste

method:

Pre-heat to the oven to about 400 F/gas 7. In a large roasting tray, with sides at least 1-inch high, heat 3 tbsp. olive oil until warm enough to easily coat the bottom.

Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up, add the garlic slivers, several generous pinches of salt, some black pepper and the dried oregano (if using), drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp. and toss to ensure everything is nicely coated. (If you are using fresh herbs, scatter these over top now.) Place the tray in the upper half of the oven and leave to roast for about 45 minutes to an hour.

After about 45 minutes the tomatoes should have collapsed into themselves and there ought to be the beginnings of a nice seedy jus mingling with the olive oil. When the tomatoes have arrived at this point, bring a pot of water to the boil. Once the water is boiling on the stove top add the pasta to the water, add the olives to the tomatoes in the oven, keeping a few aside for the garnish if desired (see below).

When the pasta is just about finished, remove the tomatoes from the oven and pass a spatula underneath them, which will nudge any that have started to stick and get the whole lots nicely mixed up.

Prepare the plates by lining them each with a bed of salad leaves. Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain it, then distribute over your plates. Spoon the tomato mixture over the pasta layer. Garnish in the centre with a bit of fresh chopped herbs if you have them or a spoon of finely chopped olives.

notes:

1: This recipe makes about 3 meals, well, say, 2 meals for dinner with enough for a decent lunch the next day.

2: The ingredients list is really flexible and completely depends on your own personal preference. Because the tomatoes reduces quite a lot, I would say you need just over half a pound per person (or a over kilo for a family of 4), and here, admittedly, I opt for more veg than pasta. However, you may not be as massive gluttons as we are when it comes to your veggies. 

3: If you need to wait to start cooking the pasta (which should be done only just before serving), leave the tomatoes in the oven with the heat almost turned off. They should be fine. I would pass a spatula under them to ensure they don’t stick. I wouldn’t, however, recommend leaving them like this for too long if you can help it.

4: According to those in the know, the best way to prepare water for pasta is the salt it and add the oil just as the water has settled into a simmer. You should add about a teaspoon (5 ml) salt per person and ‘line’ the surface with oil, the correct method for which, says my cousin Guiseppe (all right, Joe), is to make two wide circles in the water and draw a line through them with your oil.

5: The amount of time it takes to cook pasta seems to vary significantly. In my kitchen it takes about 12 minutes to cook pasta, whether it’s for 2 people or 6. In other kitchens it takes longer. The same applies for bringing the water to the boil. In my kitchen, it takes about 12 minutes, but in my parents’ house growing up it would take about half an hour. Don’t forget to accommodate these factors when timing this meal!

Louisa is a very smart woman and thus immediately instructed me to make a list of everything I have signed up to do until December, which is when I leave London for a month-long honeymoon (note: there was no suggesting involved, just instruction).

Fig. 1 - sketching it out

So I jotted down things like ‘my thesis’, the four classes I’ve been hired to teach, the award programme I’m running, the seminar series I’m co-organising, etc. Then I added the conference paper I need to finish writing, the German lessons I’ve started, Loummsy business and freelancing. To those I also added the boring stuff: ‘cleaning’, ‘shopping’ and ‘admin’. And then I worked out how many hours I needed for each thing — including travel and prep time.

Fig. 2 - The Everything

Initially this worked out at 75 hours a week — FIFTEEN HOURS PER DAY if I was going to allow myself a weekend. Ouch! I know there are people out there who have longer days, and I also know that I often do work from 15 minutes into breakfast until I pass out in bed, but it is NOT healthy. I have friends! I have a husband! I have two adorable cats! I want to be able to spend time with them. Hell, I want to be able to have time for lunch! What I wanted more than anything is a schedule that wasn’t going to kill me.

Fig. 3 - Item by item

Thus I devised a plan. A cunning plan, if you will. To explain it, you must allow me a brief diversion: I used to be a dedicated yoga fiend and yoga’d regularly during my undergrad (daily in the third year of it), and then I moved to London and there was no place to do yoga at home and the classes were too expensive and thus began a yoga hiatus of 6 years and 8 months (not that I was counting or anything).

Back in January I restarted the practice and my productivity, my concentration levels — my sanity — skyrocketed. I can’t imagine why I ever allowed myself to give it up for so long. Thus, my cunning plan to organise my life into a pattern that was not going to kill me pivots on one thing: arranging my entire working life around my yoga classes.

Fig. 4 - Hour by hour

Thus I set about going over my schedule, day by day, hour by hour, until I came up with a schedule that wasn’t just manageable but completely workable. The cunning nature of this cunning plan is more than I ever thought possible. Aside from mandating 5 and a half hours per week be spent tying myself in knots to help unknot the kinks in my brain after a long day’s hard work (and fitting in meal times), it also helped me reconfigure things enough to average out a much more amenable 11-hour average and far less scary than when I started out!

And breathe.

Pattern: Sea of Dreams Baby Blanket by Aimee Alexander (size medium)

It’s the right mix of soft and cosy, delicate and lacy and hopefully perfect for my niece on her Christening day!

When my niece was born I knew that I wanted to knit her a durable everyday shawl/blanket and a more lacy, delicate ‘for best’ shawl/blanket so when I found out she was being Christened I took the opportunity.

However I did leave it late, getting the dates of the Christening a week out didn’t help much either, I’ve been working on it at every spare moment, but a few hours on an easyjet flight to Krakow, needles stored in pencil case through security, was all I needed to get it finished.

It has been blocking for the past couple of days but is now dry and ready for the big day this weekend.

The yarn I used was Natural Dye Studio Angel 4 ply sock, (70% baby alpaca, 10% cashmere, 20% silk) which I highly recommend.
It is wispy enough because of the baby alpaca, silky enough from the silk but also so strong with great stitch definition too.

I loved it so much I’ve used the left overs to knit a pair of socks (well I’ve knit one, but I do have a couple of days left) in an adapted version of the blanket pattern I put together.

Hopefully more photos of the little angel wrapped up in it to come!