SPANISH EGGS

Good Morning to you,

After all the excitement from the Woman's Weekly Magazine article and finishing my Hostess Apron for the Hillarys Blinds Country Craft Competition..... I have finally come back down to earth.... well maybe not fully.... I am still so happy and to be honest I am still flying quite high..... I have to tell you it is the most wonderful feeling.

Just as well, because the weather here has been dreadful.  Yes, I am English and yes, I do talk about the weather.  I spoke to Phyllis on Saturday and she said the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day in the South of England. Here in the North the skies are grey and the mist is relentless...... it really is time that we had some colour in our lives.

So today, I thought I would make a colourful dish to brighten the day,

a bowl of colourful Spanish Eggs. This dish is  filled with so many colours, red, yellow and green peppers, red tomatoes, orange carrots and bright green spinach. Oh yes, and not to forget the yellow eggs. Yes this is doing the trick..... the colours are lovely.

..... and then I thought about the music, what would make me think of warm sunny summer days.  There is only one album which fits the bill,

the surfing, beach sounds of the Beach Boys.  The album  I have shared with you is my 1965 33 1/3 RMP  Beach Boys Album.... can you believe, this album is 49 years old.

Where were you, when you first heard the sounds of The Beach Boys?  Was their music playing on a Juke Box? I first heard the Beach Boys singing when we visited my Aunt Margaret and her family. My cousin Lin, who is a couple of years older than me, played their single... and I loved it.  For me, The Beach Boys encapsulate summer days and so with "Do You Wanna Dance" playing, I really don't mind that the day is grey, as it feels really sunny in my kitchen.

So, it is on with the pinnie, and yes I am really singing along to "Do You Wanna Dance"..... I know all the words.....do you?

INGREDIENTS

4 medium sized potatoes

1 red onion

3 peppers

(they can be all one colour or mixed)

1 tin of tomatoes 

2 medium sized carrots

125g spinach

100g Spanish Chorizo

100g bread
2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoonful of chilli flakes

4 eggs

4 tablespoonfuls of olive oil

1 cup of water

salt flakes

Oven temperature: 180C

Serves 4

HOW TO MAKE

SPANISH EGGS

Cut the bread into cubes.

Drizzle with olive oil

and bake in a 180C oven until golden brown.

Set aside.

Slice the onions

and add 1 tablespoonful of olive oil to a pan

and cook the onions until translucent.

Add the grated garlic to the onions

and cook for 1 minute.

Remove from the pan and

set aside.

Peel and chop the potatoes into cubes

and using the same pan as you used

to cook the onions,

place  another tablespoonful of olive oil

into the pan and

add 1 teaspoonful of chilli.

Cook for a couple of minutes.

then add the cubed potatoes and

 fry the potatoes until they are 

golden brown.

You might need to add a little more olive oil.

Peel and finely slice the carrots.

Add a cup of water to a pan and add the sliced carrots.

Place a lid on the pan

and cook the carrots until al dente.

Add the spinach to the carrots.

Replace the lid

and cook until the spinach has wilted.

Drain the water and set aside when cooked.

Wash and slice the peppers.

Place 1 tablespoonful of olive oil

in a pan and cook until the peppers

are slightly brown and  cooked through.

Now it is time to put the ingredients together.

Add

1 teaspoonful of salt flakes

to the

browned potatoes
and place in a wide pan.

Add

the cooked onions

and  toss together.

Add

the cooked carrots and spinach

and toss together.

Add

the cooked sliced peppers

and toss together.

Add the tinned tomatoes

and

Spanish Chorizo

and 

finally

add the 

browned, cubed bread.

Place the pan on the heat and cook for 5 minutes.

Occasionally tossing the mixture.

At this point

check the seasoning.

Meanwhile crack 4 eggs 

(1 at a time) in to a cup.

Divide the vegetables and Chorizo mixture 

between 2 oiled, heatproof dishes.

Make two wells in each bowl

and pour the cracked eggs into the wells.

Place in a 180C oven and cook

for 10 minutes or until the eggs are cooked.

When cooked,

remove from the oven 

and

allow the dish to cool a little,

 as you do 

not want to eat Spanish Eggs piping hot.

There is no need for bread.

This dish is just so delicious,
there is nothing else needed..... well
maybe a nice glass of red wine would be nice.

I love Spanish eggs and I love dunking a crouton into the runny egg, just as much as I love dunking "soldiers" into a boiled egg.

Now if you prefer, add 4 fresh tomatoes instead of the tinned tomatoes.  I usually use fresh tomatoes, but there was not a tomato in sight...... my store cupboard of tomatoes was bare. So I turned to my standby of tinned tomatoes which work well.

Also depending what is in season, I will add courgettes, aubergines or mushrooms.  This time I added carrots and spinach because I had these in my store cupboard.

Before I go, I wanted to say, thank you so much for all your wonderful comments.  You really made my heart swell with pride. I am slowly catching up with my comments and then I will be out and about visiting you.

Take care and I will see you on Sunday.

This week I will be joining,

Lynn from Turnips2Tangerines for The Great Blog Train

and

Miz Helen's Country Cottage

and
Anyonita Nibbles for Get Him Fed Friday

IT'S ON WITH THE PINNIE FOR THE HILLARYS BLINDS COUNTRY CRAFT COMPETITION

Good Morning to you,

....... I've done it!   It was touch and go as to whether I would finish my project.... but finish it, I have.

I have beaded and sewn until my fingers are so very sore, but I am so very proud of what I have achieved.

This is the top

and

this is the bottom.

I have made the most fabulous

Hostess Pinnie.

I just felt it was the perfect thing to make,
because I always wear pinnies when I cook
and as Natasha and Danielle pointed out to me,
I am always saying,
"Now it is on with the pinnie".

Here is a closer look at the head of my proud peacock.  I had intended to use sequins, but I found the most gorgeous tiny beads, tucked away in one of my tins, which look perfect. It took me five hours to sew these little lovelies in place.

I used invisible thread to attached the flowers and centre beads, and I have to tell you, invisible thread is not the easiest thread to work with, but the results are perfect.

....and here are the finished tail feathers.  I think you will agree that they look just a little fabulous.

You can see much better in this photograph that there is not a thread in sight.

I had intended to take a photograph with me  wearing  the pinnie, when George returned from his walk, but the weather became so grey and overcast, that the inside of the house grew quite dark, so I had to act straight away and could not wait for George to return. So I laid the pinnie on the table, but I could not get the whole pinnie in the photograph. So it is a pinnie of two halves.

Now as part of the Hillarys Blinds Country Craft Competition I need to tell you how I made my pinnie.

HOW I MADE 
MY

HOSTESS PINNIE

I cut a heart template out of baking parchment,

for the top of my pinnie.

I then cut three heart shapes.

The first in the Bird Parade material,

the second in a cotton

the third in a cream backing fabric.

I tacked the Bird Parade material

to the cotton material,

as I find this give the beads stability.

I then started my bead work.

When the bead work was finished.

 I placed the backing fabric onto the finished beaded 

Bird Parade fabric

and machine stitched.

I left a 4" gap either side of the base of

the heart to enable the heart to be turned

inside out.

Before turning inside out, I snipped the edges of the heart.

This allows the seams to lay flat,
when turned inside out.

I then cut an oblong shape 20" depth x 27 width
for the lower half of the pinnie,
from the Bird Parade material,

and

I machine stitched the two sides and bottom

of the Bird Parade material,

(the bottom being the hem)

I folded the Bird Parade material in half to find the centre

and marked the centre with a pin.

Using a running stitch, I stitched  3" either

side of the centre point.

Then I pulled the running stitch to create little gathers.

I then,

cut 4 x 23" by 2" pieces of material

for the  ties

at the waistband

and the neck.

I then folded each piece in half and machine stitched.

I left the top section open

so that I could turn the ties inside out.

I then pressed the ties

and stitched the openings.
I attached one set to the top of the pinnie
to tie around the neck.

I then

cut a waistband,

25" in width and 5" in depth

and folded in half, length ways

and

top stitched the two sides and top of the waistband.

Here you will notice my mistake.  

I should have attached my ties before I stitched

the sides of my waistband.

So yes, this stitching was unpicked, and the

ties attached and then restitched.

I just forgot to take a photograph,

but you will see the correct version below.

I attached the waistband to the lower part
of the pinnie.
As you can see I could not resist a little embellishment.

Then I stitched the bib
to the

pinnie
and if I have not missed
out any instructions
you should
have,
at this point,
the 
most
fabulous
Hostess Pinnie

Oh I do hope so!

Now, it is in the lap of the Gods..... I have to tell you I really enjoyed making this pinnie..... but I think I will not be doing any beading for a little while.

I am now free to catch up with you, so I promise I will be replying to your comments in the next couple of days and I will also be out and about visiting you again.

I am now going to soak my hands in lavender water.

Take care and I will see you on Wednesday.

This week I will be joining,

Crafty Allie for Worthwhile Wednesdays

Fluster's Creative Muster

WOMAN'S WEEKLY MAGAZINE

Good Morning to you,

Do you remember a little while ago, I mentioned how I love reading magazines and how I hate to part with them.  Even those which are years old, I tuck them away and re-read them at a later date.

Well today, I have a magazine to share with you, which I will never, ever, part with.

The magazine in question is the Woman's Weekly magazine and guess what, 

I am so proud to tell you, that, Ivy, Phyllis and Me! has been featured in an article written by Gillian Harvey for Woman's Weekly.

Gillian wanted to write a feature about women who blog, and the ages were important.  Initially I thought Gillian wanted to write about bloggers who were over 50 years of age, but it turns out, that the featured bloggers were  60 years and over..... me being the eldest.

I never imagined that at the age of 62 years, I would be featured in a magazine..... how fabulous is that.

We knew the publication date, so  we awoke  this morning with great excitement. Do you remember on Sunday, I mentioned to you that Danielle was visiting Natasha in India.  Well we arranged to Skype each other at 9.00 am this morning..... this gave George time to go to the Newsagents to buy a magazine or two.

.....but the girls were so excited, they could not wait until 9.00 am, they rang at 8.00 am. They asked to see the magazine article, and it was "Can you move it to the left".  "Now can you move it to the right" Then it was "up a little, now down a little".  They then asked me to read the article. As I read the text,  I could not see their faces, because I was concentrating on what I was reading, but George said, Danielle had tears in her eyes and Natasha had a smile that went from ear to ear.  To hear my daughters tell me they are so proud of me is so wonderful. In the end we were all beaming with pride.

I have to be honest with you, I never imagined that this would happen to me..... I mean, who imagines that they will be featured in a magazine. I am a normal woman, going about my day to day business, who also happens to blog about something which I love..... food. I love cooking it, I love sharing it and I love eating it.... so it's perfect. I absolutely love sharing my recipes with you and the added bonus is, because of Ivy, Phyllis and Me! I have made some wonderful friends from across the world.... what more could I ask for.

Now here's the thing, do you remember, I told you about Ivy, winning baking trophies,

and Certificates of Merit.  Well Ivy's Cups and Certificates of Merit were awarded by the Woman's Own Magazine.  I never knew if she was featured in the magazine, but judging by this photograph, I would imagine she was.

So Ivy's Cups and Certificates were awarded by the Woman's Own Magazine and my blog was featured in the Woman's Weekly Magazine..... I could not be prouder.

Pop along and visit Woman's Weekly  as it is jam packed with interesting articles. I just know you will find something to enjoy. Whether it is knitting, crocheting, gardening, reading short stories, or solving puzzles, there  will be something for you to enjoy.

I thought you would love to hear about the other women who were featured.  Pop over and visit Sarah from Down on the Allotment and  Linda from Chalky's World. There is one other blog which I just know you will love, Linda from Linda's Crafty Corner

Just before I go, I have to tell you the peacock is finished.... yes it is finished and I love it.  Now it is time to get on with the rest of the project.  I am hoping to be able to share it with you on Saturday and then I will be able to reply to all your wonderful comments.

Until then, take care.

This week I will be joining,

Natasha in Oz for Say G'Day

SURPRISE ~ I AM ENTERING THE HILLARYS BLINDS COUNTRY CRAFT COMPETITION

Good Morning to you,

Well, I have a surprise for you this morning, as I know you will be wondering what I am cooking today..... but the surprise is..... there is no cooking.  Instead I am going to tell you about a sewing competition which I am entering, but let me start at the beginning.

Now I have to tell you, I am normally not a person who enters competitions. I have only entered one competition in my life and that was a Blue Peter Competition, oh so many years ago, when I was about 9 years old..... I did not win, much to my chagrin.... I sat in front of the television waiting for my name to be called.... and much to my disappointment, the presenter did not call out my name.....so maybe that is why I never entered another competition..... no I don't think that is true, I just never thought of entering competitions.

That is, until I heard about Hillarys Blinds Country Craft Competition.  So I popped over to Hillarys Blinds website and discovered, that they were inviting bloggers to "Cut, Stitch and Blog".  

Hillarys Blinds would generously provide bloggers with a 100cm x 100cm piece of Country Retreat Fabric, which we could do with, what ever we wanted.  At this point, I was still not going to enter the competition, I was just inquisitive, but then, I saw the four different fabrics on offer.  The first one to catch my eye was "Wild Poppies".... I love flowers, so I thought, mmm that is a nice piece of material..... but then I saw "Bird Parade" and I was smitten.  I absolutely adore this fabric and I knew instantly that, yes, I would love to enter the competition, because the fabric was perfect for me.

Firstly let me show you a closeup of the fabric and then I will tell you why I chose to enter Hillarys Blinds Country Craft Competition.

Isn't he a magnificent  Peacock.  I immediately knew what I wanted to do with this fabulous piece of material.

I really felt all the stars were aligned and I had to enter the competition because, as you know, not only does Natasha live in India, but  Danielle is in India, visiting with Natasha as we speak.

The Peacock is the National bird of India and what do I see when I am sitting on Natasha's balcony.... these majestic, graceful, Peacocks, either roosting in the trees or walking around the Nature Reserve with their Peahens following behind.

.... and there is even more, all the beads and bits and bobs which I will use on this piece of work, all came from India.  So when I say the stars are aligned..... I really believe the stars are aligned and they are encouraging me to be creative with this beautiful Bird Parade fabric.

So first things first, before I get my "creative head" into gear, I want to share with you, the music I am listening to,

the classical guitarist Milos Karadaglic.  This music is perfect to listen to whilst beading..... oops I've let the cat out of the bag and told you what I am going to do.

So let us begin.

not at the beginning, but where I am up to at the moment.  I felt this majestic Peacock needed his plumage to look beautiful and so,

I  gathered all my beads, threads and embellishments to decide on the colours to use.  It was such an easy task as all the vibrant coloured beads and embellishments were from India. 

.... and so I began.

I will not tell you today, the basics of what I did, such as cutting and basting, I will leave that for another day.  Today, I want to share with you  the exciting part of adding the beads, embroidery and embellishments.

So after the cutting and basting I needed to decide where I was going to,

place my beads.  I knew instantly where I wanted to place the circles of turquoise and gold beads.  So they were the first thing to be stitched into place.

and then I added the purple drop beads and as you can see a small heart made it's way on to the piece.... you know my love for hearts.

I then side tracked..... which I often do and added the flower shapes, then placed a bead into the centre of each flower.

I then decided it was time to think about the wing feathers.... and I had just the thing.... don't the beads and sequins look fabulous.

I had the perfect thing for the feathers on the Peacock's head..... three small heart beads.

I then added a little embroidery and used a chain stitch.  I added small turquoise, blue, gold and green beads.   The tail feathers were coming along beautifully.

It was then the turn of the folded tail feathers, so I outlined the feathers with large turquoise beads and infilled with tiny turquoise beads.

I am so pleased with how the piece is progressing.

There is still a lot to do, and I think the next thing will be to sequin the chest of the Peacock.  I will see how the sequins look before I make up my mind.

I am sewing each day and into the evening.  George has been amazing as he has cooked, while I sew. Normally I would take quite a long time to finish a piece such as this, but time is of the essence, so I need to get my shimmy on and finish. I bead for an hour and then I walk around the house and do a few stretching exercises. Then I return to my kitchen table and carry on beading. 

Because I need to finish the bead work and embroidery by the middle of this week, I might not be able to bead the whole piece, but we will see. 

Now, I wonder if you can guess what I am making.... I think you will be surprised when you find out, because I don't think you will be able to guess. What I will say, is it is something which you associate with me.... now that has you thinking. 

Also, when I have finished I will write a post about how I made the piece..... I have to be careful how I use my words as I don't want to give the game away.

So this is the reason I have not been visiting you this week, as most of my time has been taken up with sewing.  I do hope you understand.  Once I have finished this project, I will be out and about visiting you again.

Wish me luck and I will see you on Wednesday.

This week I will be joining,

Karen from Sew Many Ways

and
Kathryn from The Dedicated House
and
Crafty Allie for Worthwhile Wednesday