Bread Pudding

I tried out this recipe (from BBC Good Food) last night wanting to use up some bread that was going stale. Was very tasty and declared by everyone in the house that the recipe is a keeper.

Ingredients

• 500g white or wholemeal bread
• 500g/1lb 2oz mixed dried fruit
• 85g mixed peel
• 1 ½ tbsp mixed spice
• 600ml milk
• 2 large eggs , beaten
• 140g light muscovado sugar
• zest 1 lemon (optional)
• 100g butter , melted
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar

Method

1. 1. Tear the bread into a large mixing bowl and add the fruit, peel and spice. Pour in the milk, then stir or scrunch through your fingers to mix everything well and completely break up the bread. Add eggs, muscovado and lemon zest if using. Stir well, then set aside for 15 mins to soak.
2. 1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 20cm non-stick square cake tin (not one with a loose base). Stir the melted butter into the pudding mixture, tip into the tin, then scatter with demerara. Bake for 1½ hrs until firm and golden, covering with foil if it starts to brown too much. Turn out of the tin and strip off the paper. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Mother's Day Card and gift bag

Mother's Day has come and gone but I though I should share with you the cards I made for mine and Adam's Mum.

The rose paper and the flower stickers are from the kit I got from the QVC outlet shop, and the Mother's Day topper I made myself in Paint shop since I had no pre-made toppers in my stash.

The Crocheted Butterfly I made using a pattern from Maries Making, however for my Butterflies I used size 16 White Crochet cotton and a size 1.00mm hook. It was pretty fiddly work but I'm really happy how it turned out. I used a bit of Beading wire and some small beads for the antennas.

I also made this little bag so I could put her gifts in, it was really simple. I used three A4 pieces of Dark red felt from Hobbycraft to make the bag and some off cuts of felt for leaves.

The Flower was  nice as simple I used a 3.50mm hook and used Hayfield Bonus DK in Primrose.

Chain 8, Join with sl st to form a ring.

Round 1: Ch 1, working in ring, 1 Sc, 1 Hdc, 4 Dc, 2 Sc, 1 Hdc, 4 Dc, 1 Hdc, 1 Sc, Sl St on the first Sc. (16)

Round 2: Ch 1, Sc in same St, (Ch 3, Skip one St, Sc on next St) repeat around, join. (8 Ch-3 loops).

Round 3: [(SC, Hdc, 3 Dc, Hdc, Sc) in Ch-3 loop, Sl St in Sc] repeat around, join (8 Petals)

Round 4: Ch 1, still facing front. Work the next stitches at the back of Round 3 petals, (Sc on the next available St from Round 1 Ch 5) repeat around, join. (8 Ch-5 loops)

Round 5: (Sc, Hdc, 5 Dc, Hdc, Sc) in each Ch 5 loop around, join (8 Petals)

Round 6: Ch 5, still facing front, work the next stitches at the back of Round 5 petals, (skip one St, Sc on the same St as the Ch-3 loop from Round 2. Ch 5. Repeat around, join (8 Ch-5 loops)

Round 7: Repeat Round 5.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

I attached my flower to the bag by using some yellow embroidery thread and then to finish it off I added some little pearl beads to the centre of the flower.

Birthday Cards

Last week I picked up a copy of Papercraft Inspirations it had a free gift of a bone folder and scoring board on the front cover. Since I have a few cards to make/ finish off this week I thought I would get to work testing out my new gadget.

It's Adam's birthday soon so mum asked me if I could make a card for her to give to him, so I came up with this stepper card. The papers are a free download from Papercraft Inspirations website (Issue 80) and I recoloured the Star paper. The paper with the stars I turned into a little envelope with a Happy Birthday message and some spending money in from Mum.

I did add some scores on the front fold and on the envelope but it isn't showing up to well on camera, however the K&Co Stickers that I've had stashed away for ages came in handy for this. 

I also had a few little gifts to gift wrap. I am a big fan of cellophane so I simply found a small cardboard box with lid cut off and covered it with some K&Co paper. I cut a piece of cellophane to cover my gifts, and laid  it into the box then used the lid to form a base inside the box. I added some Blue tissue paper I bought from Poundland then placed in my gifts. Then to finish I put the box on top of another piece of cellophane that will cover everything then, scrunch up the cellophane and pop a rubber band to hold everything in place. Then tie a ribbon around the top to finish it off. I had a little bit of the K&Co paper left, so I made a gift tag with it to match.

The finished thing has a bit of an Easter Egg vibe to it, considering the time of year, I'm very happy with that.

 I had just a little bit of trouble getting both Adam and Mutley to look at the IPad at the same time so I could  get a picture.

I asked "Look at me" Mutley cooperated. 

For about a second. "Will you both look at me!"

Cheesy grins from the pair of them!