June? There was a month called June?

If there was such a month it went by so busily there was no time or inclination for blogging!  So no #blogjune for me.  Now at least I have taken a week off for school holidays and can breathe a little even though I haven't quite achieved all the craft things I wanted to do!

Have done some baking though.

Anyway, June... what happened?  Pies were made and consumed - excuse the phone photo but that's all I took. It's a Squab and Apple pie but instead of the alleged squab you use lamb instead. This one was particularly good.

I went to the Love Vintage and Retro market and scored 2 metal pie tins (one seen above), a dress pattern and a orange Tupperware jug with the top that seals on - the one with a star burst pattern underneath on the top.  I'm using it for felting because the start burst pattern is an excellent tool for rubbing the wool!

The children are doing fine at school.  Mr8 has started piano lessons which he seems to enjoy. Miss5 got graded for her yellow belt in karate and passed.  She isn't wearing it in the photo because they ran out of belts in her size and she had to wait until they sent hers to the dojo.

I read some books.  These are the ones that are recorded on my reading history but I've read more via the Overdrive ebook provider through Auckland Libraries and some from work.

The painted lady / Maeve Haran.
Sixteen-year-old Frances Stuart arrives at the Restoration court to find her innocence and beauty are highly-prized commodities, envied by the women and desired by the men. Before long, King Charles II falls passionately in love with her and will stop at nothing to make her his mistress. But Frances is no conventional court beauty.~ from the blurb. Lovely writing, interesting story.


The man who broke into Auschwitz / Denis Avey with Rob Broomby.
The extraordinary true story of a British soldier who marched willingly into the notorious concentration camp, Buna-Monowitz, known as Auschwitz III.~ from the blurb. Worth reading to get a perspective not often written about.

The skin map / Stephen R. Lawhead.
When Kit Livingstone learns that Britain's "ley lines" are not legends but pathways to other worlds, he's determined to find a map tattooed on a piece of skin in order to travel to the dangerous realms. But are the intricate codes more than they seem--can they really begin a quest to regain paradise? ~from the blurb. Am enjoying getting into sci-fi again after a long break.  This one is a nice mixture of alternative history, sci-fi and adventure/quest.

The cat's table / Michael Ondaatje.
"In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy boards a huge liner bound for England - a 'castle that was to cross the sea'. At mealtimes, he is placed at the lowly 'Cat's Table' with an eccentric group of grown-ups and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, the boys become involved in the worlds and stories of the adults around them, tumbling from one adventure and delicious discovery to another, 'bursting all over the place like freed mercury'. And at night, the boys spy on a shackled prisoner - his crime and fate a galvanizing mystery that will haunt them forever. As the narrative moves from the decks and holds of the ship and the boy's adult years, it tells a spellbinding story about the difference between the magical openness of childhood and the burdens of earned understanding - about a life-long journey that began unexpectedly with a spectacular sea voyage, when all on board were 'free of the realities of the earth'."-- Publisher description. Recommended by the uber-boss of our unit at work.  Can't say I really "got" it.  It was interesting writing and a great vingnette of ship life and the characters involved.

The moon maze game / Larry Niven and Steven Barnes.
 Offered a dream job escorting a teenage heir on a fabulous moon role-playing vacation, Scotty Griffin, a personal security specialist, becomes embroiled in a violent reality game involving armed terrorists, psychological tests, and a large audience.~ from the blurb. Good old sci-fi yarn set on the moon.

In love and war : Kiwi soldiers' romantic encounters in wartime Italy / Susan Jacobs.
Non-fiction. It was interesting to read about the experience of the NZ soldiers and their romances in Italy and those who brought their girls back to NZ.

Here's a skirt I sewed (Symplicity 2411).  I really like this pattern but I think I should have used the view without the pleat in the front for this particular fabric (brown denim).

 

Yesterday I made some hand warmers. My felting teacher had given me the instructions ages ago but I hadn't yet made some. It was a bit of an experiment since I had to remember what she had said based on the diagram she'd drawn for me. The purple ones I made via her instructions. I ended up having to sew in a gusset for them to fit over my arms since they turned out so long.The sewn seams add a nice feature to them though.

The teal ones I made using a resist and in some ways I prefer that method for the simple reason I don't have to sew anything but it does mean more work to shape them and there is less room for mistakes in the fitting.  They are a bit thicker though - I must have laid out the wool a bit more generously and this means they are a bit less flexible.  Will need to watch that.  Still, they are going to my sister and she will appreciate their warmth.

 

Hoping to get some more felting done before I go back to work next week! But now, the fire needs to be lit... it's a foggy, grey day and I'm cold.

Pie Odyssey #6 Steak & Ale Pie & #7 Mince & Potato Pie

Onwards with the Pie odyssey!! Next on the list was the Steak & Ale one. I had to go and look up the difference between beer and ale, but in the end I got a light beer to use since it was being sold by the bottle. Not being beer drinkers it seemed overkill to get the 12 pack of ale..

You make the filling first.  Lots of mushrooms in this one which DH isn't so keen on.  Still I kept them chunky so he could give them all to MEEEEEEE.

Putting it in the pastry (bought puff pastry).  I do like the butter puff best, but this was bog standard sheet puff pastry.

mmmmmm pie

Next up... Mince & Potato Pie. This one is kind of like Shepherds Pie in a pastry case. I was a mildly concerned that the potatoes might be overkill with the pastry but it wasn't.

I liked having all the vegetables in there.  Yep, looks like the picture ;-P

The pastry called for lard which I didn't have so I used a combination of butter and shreddo.  I think next time I'll use all butter.  The pastry was hard to work with and quite crumbly.

At the suggestion in the book I made a gravy to go with the pie.  It was so easy to make and delicious too, I'll be doing it again.  You saute some onions, add some flour, some wine and stock, bubble it up until it thickens and then sieve it.

All pies were greeted with much appreciation from all!

Pie Odyssey #5: Chicken, Leek and Ham

I like chicken pies and so does Miss5. DH tolerates them. Mr8 thinks they are a bit on the"wrong" side but he eats it up without too much complaint.. he does tend to prefer the Mince thing.

I used bacon because I didn't have ham and bacon make everything better.

Added it to the leek, onion and garlic mixture.

Mixed in some white wine and basically a white sauce... the recipe called for cream but I used milk.

Pastry was straight forward to make but I didn't have time to chill it which would have improved my pie's look!  It is a very short pastry and the day was hot and humid.  Not good pastry making weather.  So it looks like a bit of a dog's breakfast. 

Tasted good none the less.

Pie Odyssey #4 Mince & Dumpling pie

I really like dumplings.  There is something magical about blobbing sticky balls of dough into a stew and seeing them puff up and become a crispy topping.  So my choice of the next in the Pie Adventure series was the Beef Mince and Dumplings pie (pg 85 of Perfect Pies).

First up you make the filling.  A nice mix of onions, garlic, celery, and carrot.

Fling in the mince and brown it.  Then add a bay leaf, a can of chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and some beef stock (and a slosh of wine if you like).

 

 After simmering that for a bit you put in the dumplings you have prepared.  The recipe calls for suet - something I haven't ventured into.  I normally just use butter for dumplings.  However, in the interests of scientific endeavours I purchased some Shreddo and launched into my first suet experience.  As it turns out, it was super easy to use.  I'm not sure what I envisioned from it - the name sort of implies strange noodle shreds of fat or something.

I was a bit distressed to learn I needed parsley given my garden is a scene of desolation and despair owing to DH's war on oxalis.  I went out there to ponder it and I noticed some little parsley plants surging forth so was most gratified to harvest them!

 

The whanau were pretty pleased with the pie.  I thought the suet made the dumplings more porous and lighter but in fact we all thought the ones I make with butter were preferable. I think it's because we're used to a 'more-firm-to-the-bite' mouth feel.  It will be interesting to try the suet in some of the other pies in the book later.

Sufferin' Samosas! Pie Odyssey #3

The pie saga continues with Samosas - a delicious snack that I enjoy eating.  I haven't made them from scratch very often because the authentic ones involve deep frying which is a skill I'm not too good with.  I don't have a deep fryer, or a thermometer to monitor heat so I have to do it in a smallish pot and try and watch it carefully.

To start I made a curry for the filling.  I made my own vegetarian curry with paneer and potatos, courgettes and spices.



It looked pretty tasty.

 

The pastry was easy.  I used the food processor with the pastry cutter again.  I should have made more since I had a large amount of filling left over.

I divided the dough into 5 pieces like I do when making roti and rolled it with my roti rolling pin which is quite good for making round-ish pieces.

Even though I cut the filling bits up quite small I always manage to over fill these things!  The pastry was pretty forgiving.

Into the pot to be fried.  I discovered a bit late that my oil situation was a bit low so I had to make do, hence the slightly burnt bottoms.

Still - they tasted pretty good with a cucumber and mint raita. I made them for lunch and there were complaints about not enough being made despite the fact I served the excess filling too.  Also, there were some complaints from some quarters about the vegetarian nature of them!  Can't please everybody it seems.

Pie Odyssey #2

I was so tempted to use the word "horny" in the title for this post but refrained in the interests of good taste.  However, you'll know that I thought it anyway so perhaps I should just admit to my gutter brain right here and now.

The pie adventure continues with my choice of the Desperate Bikers Pie.  Kylie, or at least Michael made theirs already.

I was attracted to this pie because of the cow horn decorations which seemed to me like Viking horns. Did Vikings eat pie?

I admit that this recipe was more involved than the last.  First you make the filling which is a casserole of meat, veges, tomatoes and some herbs. So you start with onions and garlic and proceed in a casserole direction.  It's almost a complete meal.  You just need to add some green vegetable to round out the dinner.

It was about now I realised that I wasn't going to finish the pie for that evening's dinner, so had to quickly make a decision about an alternative.  I had read the recipe through and started earlier than normal, but I didn't factor in cooling time for the filling.

It makes a huge amount and I don't have a 2L pie pan (watch this space) so I made 2 pies - one to freeze.  (Hooray for no cooking night down the track)!  I even "knocked up" (it's not what you're thinking) the pastry as per the instructions.

Then for the ..uh.. horns   You wrap pastry around tin foil.  The children found this bit most intriguing.  They get inserted at the end.

Bon appetit!

And here is a hungry Viking ready to eat it.  Mr8 suggested an Obelix costume might be appropriate too!

The verdict - yum!  All participants liked the pie - Mr8 and DH had two pieces. 

They're horns okay?  No really.. they are.