Crochet and Coffee

I can't remember the last time I crocheted anything....

I know it has been a while.

A long, long while.

I did a quick search and found this post here...

*Gasp*

Surely, April 2010 could not be the last time I picked up a hook!

Sadly, I think it was.

It makes sense though, way back when I had only one child. 

Eve would have been 1 year old by then, she was a good little sleeper by this stage, my evenings were free for crafting.

Though mostly I chose to sleep.

But now I have found myself with a little (and I mean little) time in the evenings to do some crafting.

Since my girl is usually in our bed, my sewing machine is a little loud.

I found the simplest of joys.

Sitting in front of the heater, rugged up all snug and warm, pushing that yarn in and out, round and round.

I have always wanted to make a big granny square blanket, and now I am finally doing it!

 I even managed to snag myself a few minutes during the day *gasp* with both kids temporarily distracted.

 And this, is when coffee and crochet, go hand in hand.

Parker House Rolls {Recipe}

See this giant bag of bread flour?

It makes the best bread.

See this book?

(I mentioned it way back here)

It is fantastic.

Every recipe has simple, easy to follow steps and they produce the most delicious breads.

I could sit here all day and rave about how much I love it, but I'll just show you something instead...

You know it's going to taste good when it has a "9/10 Yummy!!" scribbled on the page!

(Yes, I have a complex system of marking down good recipes)

So yesterday we got out all our ingredients, and began the messy fun.

We mixed...

Did some kneading...

Then poked it to check it was bouncy enough (technical terms there!)...

Left it to rise...

Then baked into deliciousness!

I didn't shape then as the recipe says, I just make some rough rectangles and folded in half. A rushed, rustic look.

They are so soft and dense inside, with the perfect crispy, crunch crumb. Perfect for soup (find some recipes here) or spread with some butter and jam, fresh from the oven.

It is a bit of a process, but one that has a delicious reward!

Parker House Rolls

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1 cup milk
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 1/4 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp melted butter to glaze, plus extra to grease bowl and baking tray

Method:

• Sprinkle yeast into 1/2 cup of the milk in a bowl. Let stand for 5mins, stir to dissolve. Warm the remaining milk in a saucepan (or microwave, just go slow!) with the butter and sugar, Stir until the butter has melted. Cool until lukewarm, then beat in the eggs until evenly combined.
• Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the dissolved yeats mixture and the egg mixture. Mix to make a soft, sticky dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10mins. Knead in extra flour, 1 tbsp at a time if the dough is too sticky. 
• Put the dough in s greased bowl and cover lightly with a cloth or cling wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, 1-1 1/2 hrs. Punch down, then let rest for 10mins.
• Divide the dough into two pieces. Roll out each piece to form a 8x16" rectangle. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into four strips, each 2" wide. Cut each strip into four rectangles, each 4" long. Brush half of each rectangle with melted butter, then fold in half, leaving a 1/2" flap.
• Place the rolls on a baking tray so that each roll overlaps slightly with the one next to it. Cover with a dish towel and proof until doubled in size, about 30mins. Preheat oven to 425*F (220*C).
• Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20mins until golden and hollw sounding when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

Falling Into The Dr Who Abyss

My new obsession....

Dr Who!

I have had the first 5 seasons sitting, waiting for me to watch and finally I did it. I watched an episode.

One episode turned into two, then three. 

I was hooked!

It is nothing like what I was expecting.

They manage to combine mystery solving along with alien disasters but with no gruesome violence. That, I like. 

Now it appears I am not the only one obsessed (no surprise there!). 

I got my husband hooked as well.

And while browsing through the internet I found some things that I must have...

They won't make much sense to you if you haven't seen the tv show, but trust me, they are super cool!

So on these cold Winter nights, I snuggle up in bed with my crochet hook, some yarn and usually a sleepy little girl and I watch. Such a nice way to end a busy day!

Baking for a Birthday!

I can't resist making a cake.

Making a birthday cake, with a theme, is too much fun for me.

I love it!

So when my awesome brother answered my probing cake questions, he requested a Minecraft cake.

I have seen these boys of mine play this game.

I've never played it.

Thank God for Pinterest and good old Google!

I came up with a plan, then changed it, and then again...

I played with some melted chocolate...

Baked two cakes, mud cakes, and let the creativity loose...

A lot of patience required when baking two mud cakes using the same baking tin!

But, after a few hours....

I had planned on setting the pick/axe thingy standing up on top of the cake, but the sunshine softened it in the car ride over to my brother's place....

But I think he was pretty happy with it that way anyway! 

It tasted so rich, so dense...

Of course the little sweet-toothed munchkins loved it...

Perfect mud cakes!

He wanted to explore, but have his cake too!

A piece for me...

The density of the cake made it perfect to cut into blocks...

Didn't you know sugar can make people a little silly?

Happy (belated) birthday dear brother!