Spice Rack

For years, I've been needing a proper spicerack. And today, I got delivery of one which I bought on ebay.

 It's wonderful to have all the spices standing on a custom-made shelf.

So simple but so hard to find. I'm delighted I finally bit the bullet and made this purchase. Well-packaged, simply made: ian5088

Looking at that picture, my next requirement will be a carrot storage area! And something for all the bottles to :) but just imagine what the place was like before the spice rack arrived!!!

Creativity in the Kitchen: Lemon Curd

Making home-made jams, chutneys, sauces etc isn't just about the cooking in my house, it's also about the labelling, the jars, the presentation of the finished product.

Thanks to Glenilen Farm for their lovely yogurts and the pots which I re-used.

The labels are too big and maybe should be written in yellow or the likes but I think the yellow paper ribbon sets off the finished product!

The information on the label is:

• my name / producer - Róisín's
• name of product - Lemon Curd
• ingredients - Lemons, Sugar, Butter, Eggs
• care instructions - Store in fridge
• use by date - 31 May 2012

My mam has a nice stamp which says "homemade by___". I don't know if computer printed labels or handwritten, or stamped are best. They could benefit from a little graphic design, I think! And maybe a picture of a lemon?!

The recipe was easy peasy but I haven't sampled it yet (they're still cooling). I love a recipe that's about "chemical process". At one point it looked impossibly runny but another 10 minutes on the heat and the consistency started getting thicker.

ingredient	cost
3 very large lemons	0.89
caster sugar (third of bag)	0.36
butter (used approx 1/4)	0.55
eggs (4/6 pack used)	1.39
total	€3.19

I filled 5 pots = 800g of finished produce!

There was one egg white left over. I whisked it up with 2oz of sugar and baked it at low heat.

Off I go now to have meringue with lemon curd, and yes, I think I will add a dollop of cream. Yum.

Sewing "cake" or "frosting"

Reading another blog about sewing, the blogger, Tasia, discusses her concept of "frosting" and "cake" and how she much prefers sewing frosting.
She puts it much better than I ever will! And you can find her post here.
Put simply:

• frosting = fancy dresses, beautiful fabrics, lushness, showing-off, fun and frolics
• cake = jeans or black skirt, for example. the sensible, classic items of clothing that form staples in a wardrobe.

As a designer, I think I'm ALL about the cake!!! I don't go for frills and decoration for the sake of it, I want my core object to be beautiful and practical and wearable and interesting. 

I wonder what my favourite cake is...? I do love lemon drizzle.

I certainly and absolutely prefer a soft lemony sugary cake to a cupcake, for example, which is normally all sponge and mostly sugar-coated excessive swirl of excessive coloured sugary cone on top.

My reason for sewing is to make wearable unique clothes that suit my style and my shape. I have no desire to be a couture fashion designer or be on the catwalks. If my friends come to me with fabric and an idea, and I can produce an outfit, I'll be happy!

Easter Egg

I received a gorgeous Easter Egg this year. And - after opening it - realised how well produced / designed the egg and packaging were, hand-in-hand.

• Firstly, the circular tube + the base of the chocolate egg: the chocolate base is poured to just the right diameter to fit in the tube. The base keeps the egg steady in the packaging.

• Secondly, there is a hole in the back. At first I thought it was useful for getting out the little chocolates (theegg is full to the brim of little chocolates!) but then, of course, I realised the reason for this hole wasforgetting the little chocolates into the big egg in the first place!

• And thirdly, the chocolatier's name was displayed on the front of the chocolate egg in a square of chocolate dyed red. Yum!

The chocolate is delicious. Thank you, Monsieur Pierre Marcolini and, indeed the aunt who presented me with it ;)

When a spoon becomes a knife...

I love spoons. But this is taking it too far I think. In a café in Paris last week, I ordered cheese. A round portion of goat's cheese arrived and a basket of bread (baguette).

Instead of providing a knife to spread the cheese onto the bread, I was given a spoon!

Maybe this is common, maybe they had no knives to spare.

Maybe it was practical. The cheese was rather oozy. And very yummy. Such a simple meal. Washed down with a glass of wine, of course.