Moving tales - chapter 2 'living in a box'

A quick update in the current situation. Stuff, stuff and more stuff!

Moving tales- chapter 1: rainbow legs

So we are packing to move...Isn't it amazing what you find out about yourself when you really start going through all your stuff, take here for example, a rather extensive and colorful collection of tights. Should I be proud? Worried? Ashamed? I'm not sure, but one thing's for certain; I shouldn't really buy any more tights this winter....although I do seem to be lacking a plain black pair.

Preserving Autumn

I'm almost at the bottom of the big pile of apples picked a couple of weeks ago. I'm going to make a list of the top things to do with apples so that those of you with similar problems ( that is an apple excess, if it can be called a problem) can find comfort knowing that there is a way to use up every last apple. So this week's project was apple and cranberry chutney one of Nigella Lawson's Christmas recipes. It was my first ever chutney and it was surprisingly easy to make! Here are the results:

Catch of the day

Yes, that age old question: How do you like your mackerel? In tomato sauce? Smoked and chucked in a kedgeree? Or peppered and made into a pâté?Well, I like to eat mine in a pâté smothered on toast to eat ( recipe below). But to look at, I mean just for appreciating their aesthetic qualities, I like them made of random second hand fabrics. And after some successful fishing trips ( not of mine I might add) I was inspired to make my own delicious looking mackerel. Here they are in their little school of six.

Smoked peppered mackerel pâté:
1 peppered mackerel fillet without skin
Half tub of cream cheese
Good squeeze of lemon juice

Mix well together with fork until smoothish. Toast some bread and smother it with the mackerel mixture. Ta da! Lunch is served!

A Teapot Tale

So I´m sitting at home on a Saturday evening (hey that´s life when you´re a mum) and am going through Finn (the Norwegian Craigs List/Ebay I guess) looking for stuff (don´t ask what! I´ve just really got my eye on some very expensive cutlery. This is how domesticated I´ve become...) and I come across my lovely little teapot. Yeah you remember! This one. Well it turns out that it was designed by a Finnish designer called Kaj Franck, one of the leading Finnish designers of his day ( that is the 60s and 70s). He worked many years for the Finnish company Arabia. You can find out more about him here. And it turns out that my little kettle seems to be worth three times as much as what I payed for it. Ok so no fortune made but maybe a bit of pocket money ( enough to 'treat myself to a Mars bar' as my nan would have said). Not bad, say I! So I´m off to drink a cuppa to celebrate!

Apple magic

It's Autumn and I've literally got a sack of hand picked apples to use up.  Sunday I produced apple and cheese scones courtesy of Smitten Kitchen and yesterday I conjured up some toffee apple muffins. But what to bake next? Any ideas? Some chutney is definitely on the cards. Let's see what apple magic happens over the weekend!

From this ...

to this...

Autumn hut holiday

This past week we've been away to Nordfjord staying in a little hut by the fjord. This gave me a chance to finally finish knitting a baby blanket I started many months ago when I was still pregnant. The finished product complimented autumn perfectly.