Monday, 19 April 2010

sweet reunion




Hey kitty,

Just a little reminder of our magical catch up in Melbourne town. Sigh.

Monday, 8 March 2010

the n15 tea party

kitty!

it was go good to talk to you on the weekend and to share my exciting news! it all still feels a bit surreal, i can't believe i'm going to get married... i hope this doesn't mean that i have to be a grown up. i am sure you will be the bestest 'best woman' i could ever hope for and after my first dance with sandy we shall dance to salt-n-pepa's push it all night long!

i have other exciting news that does not involve weddings though!

i have been inspired by the bruncheon club and am starting my very own supper club - well afternoon tea club to be more precise. presenting....

the n15 tea party

i am so looking forward to doing the first one after my trip home. there will be pink fizz and cakes and scones - oh my! when we were in brighton we found many beautiful tea cup sets and some gorgeous old cake stands to display my baking, the lounge room will be transformed, bunting will be hung, nina simone will be played and good chats will be had.

i'll upload some pics of my tea sets this week so you can get the vibe and i will have a special one in your honor when you come over to visit - hurrah!

Saturday, 27 February 2010

the bruncheon club - part two




the chat after the eats.

the bruncheon club - part one

kitty,

how has your week been? it's been busy times here, working, cycling, singing, sewing, sleeping (fitfully), cooking.

today we took a break from cooking for ourselves and went to the bruncheon club. to explain - in ye olde london town there's been a bit of a resurgence of supper clubs, lots of clever people creating small restaurants/cafes in their living rooms where you go and met new people and eat homecooked food. it's great fun and this weekend was the best so far.

the food was delicious, the company was interesting and friendly and the conversation was full of good stories and laughter.

here's a few photos of our good time and the great food...




gregg and his freshly make soda bread.



afore-mentioned bread with scrambled eggs and salad. yum!



grilled grapefruit with brown sugar... the palate cleanser before...


the best i've ever tasted pancakes...




Sunday, 21 February 2010

i sew therefore i am


** here is the back of the skirt, which i forgot to show you. the zip serves no actual function, but i think it looks pretty.



kitty.

how are things with you? how have you gotten on with trying to get down to melbs when i'm over? i so hope we can see each other! i miss you dreadfully - it's been almost 2 years since i have had a kitty spoon. sigh.

well, here's what i've been up to. we finally sorted out the spare room into a sewing studio for me. yay. it excites me ridiculously to have a little nanny space to do creative things.

this weekend has been most productive. i finished off the bag i started last week and made this skirt. it is seriously satisfying to make something from scratch to a wearable state. i have started so many things and just not finished them. mostly i think because i haven't had the space to dedicate to them.

as always, i miss you. i hope you are well and we can talk soon?

xxx nanny

Saturday, 9 January 2010

pies

kit-kat,

what's going on with you? it's really cold here, it just keeps snowing and the roads are so icy - it's a challenge just to walk to the bus stop. i am uncertain why i live in this country.

however, the cold weather means a hankering for some hearty food so today i cobbled together a pretty good veggie shepherds pie which was super easy to make. i thought you might like the recipe.

nanny's no-meat shepherds pie

extras:

1 cup grated cheese
1 small knob (ha! - knob) butter
salt and pepper

the sauce:

1 tin tomatoes
.5 cup stock
1.5 cups chopped nuts
1.5 cups breadcrumbs
1 tsps chopped parsley
1 onion
2 cloves garlic

fry the onions and garlic in a pan til brown, add the stock and the can of tomatoes and break up the tomatoes. add the other ingredients and stir until even.

the veggies:

1 small butternut squash
4 potatoes
half a head of broccoli - chopped fine
3 carrots - chopped

steam the potatoes and pumpkin until soft. set aside the potatoes. mash the pumpkin and lay out on the bottom of a medium sized casserole dish. add a layer of the sauce mixture then lay in a layer of broccoli, another layer of sauce and then a layer of carrots. add a final layer of the sauce and grate a layer of cheese over the dish.

the mash topping:

place the previously steamed potatoes in a bowl with the butter, salt and pepper. mash until smooth and lay over the top of the dish to form the pie topping. add another layer of grated cheese and fork the topping to create peaks that will brown in the oven.

place the dish in the oven and bake at 180 deg C for around 40 minutes. yum!


i love you. hope 2010 is rocking.

xxx