Bury Bach Choir concert Saturday 18th May

Well. I know where all the cool kids will be on Saturday 18th May. The Bury Bach Choir will be singing Verdi's Requiem in the Bury St Edmunds Cathedral, as part of this year's small-but-perfectly-formed Bury Festival.

We last sang the Requiem about 5 years ago - it was one of the first Big Choral Works that I'd ever taken part in, and it was unforgettable.

Tickets are available for £23 and £16 (reserved), and £13 and £10 (unreserved)  and are available from the Apex box office or on 01284 758000.

See you there!

Buttercream and Bunting

My mom arrived for her annual English Week on her birthday. So, while she was napping after her red-eye flight, I made some cupcakes with her favourite (buttercream!) frosting.

I used this chocolate fudge cupcake recipe (and overfilled the cakes slightly), and this buttercream recipe (with vanilla added).

The cupcakes were super-chocolatey and not too sweet.

And the buttercream was delicious (vanilla, sugar and butter...what's not to like!?)

Our random entertaining activity this time (in the past, we've Delia'd and screenprinted fabric) was making Bunting at Halfpenny Home in Needham Market. Nicola and I have been twitter-buddies for a while, and I randomly pop in when I need buttons/fabric/etc. Side note: hers was the angora yarn that was beautifully soft but that filled the airplane with fluff when I went to NY in February.

My mom was initially skeptical. They don't really DO bunting in New York. I pointed out that she could make some in colours to match their boat, and she perked up. I gave Nicola a general idea of what we might be using in terms of colour schemes, and she managed to scrounge up a surprising amount of orange fabric!

We ended up doing the workshop with Nic and her mum, who was making (gorgeous) bunting for a summerhouse.

Here's some free-motion embroidery practice:

Here's my pile of fabrics:

Nic made a pear and ginger cake and some lemon tarts. YUMSTERS.

We spent the whole day either sewing and concentrating or laughing. This one was both!

More concentration:

The combination of top-stitching the red polkadot fabric and union flag bunting was making me somewhat dizzy.

Finished!

All three of us with our creations - they came out SO well and we had a blast. There are still workshops to come on the schedule - I'd highly recommend booking one!

Family Dinner!

I've been reading Gluten Free Girl for a few years now. I have no gluten issues (I'm only allergic to eleventy-seven other things), but I love her writing, her photography, her sense of humour, and her recipes. I love that she bakes and cooks by weight, which means that I can use her recipes with "normal" flour.

And I love her love stories. Not just with her husband, who she clearly adores. But with her daughter. With her friends. With her home, Vashon Island. And with her food.

Her new cookbook, Gluten-Free Girl Every Day, comes out in the US today. I'm not sure when the UK release date is, but it's on Amazon.co.uk already. For those of you not in the UK, you can buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or IndieBound.

And to celebrate the release of the new cookbook, she's not doing a blog tour or anything. She has, however, asked us to blog about our experiences with family dinners, as that's what inspired her and her husband to create their new book.

I had family dinners as a kid and as a teenager. They were generally on Saturday or Sunday nights (depending on who was in or out), and frequently featured steak, sauteed mushrooms, and mashed potatoes. Sometimes even Potato Buds (to John's horror). Sorry, Mom, secret's out. There were always tealights (my dad loves tealights), and usually Prairie Home Companion (not my favourite...) in the background on NPR.

Since we only have the stepson every other weekend, and there are only the three of us, there was never any thought of kid-dinner and grownup-dinner. From very shortly after I met him, when he was about 7, he ate what we ate, albeit in smaller portions or without whatever substance was currently deemed "fizzy."

We cook a lot. We like to eat.

We make veggie chili, and the boys eat it with rice while I eat it with cornbread (too American, they say).

We tend to eat meat-light- a lot of our favourite recipes are veggie ones. If we're having steak fajitas, it's one small steak, divided between three. Bacon is a seasoning. Chorizo & kale pasta is one of our faves.

Once, I made toad in the hole.

We make homemade pizza all the time. For whatever reason, the photos aren't cooperating.

We made meatballs in honour of my friend's mom when she passed away, and sparked a global meatball supper on what would have been her birthday. 

And then, there's always Julia. And her mushrooms.

Which go in to the famous and endlessly delicious Boeuf Bourguignon.

We love to cook because we love to eat, but it's more than that. We love to sit down as a family and talk about the food, talk about our days, tell fart jokes (we DO have a teenager, after all), and eat. The only differences now, from 7 years ago? I'm a better cook, which helps. Teenager now gets the biggest portion (and pronounces himself hungry shortly afterwards).

We'll stay with the family dinners, thanks.

Before & After: New Kitchen Tiles

We moved into our house 6 years ago (no, I can't believe it's been that long, either). We have left all the walls off-white (hanging colourful art on them, for the most part). 

The wall behind the cooker had been getting a little grimy...it turns out that curry, spaghetti sauce, and white walls are not a good combination.

I pinned a few kitchens I liked on Pinterest, and then my mom and I picked out some red tiles when she was here last year. Our neighbour next door is a builder, so we asked him if he could recommend a good tile-guy. He said he wouldn't recommend anyone but would definitely do the tiling for us.

Fast forward a year (um...summer, sailing, our New York trip, Christmas, and a LONG winter got in the way).

Here's the before. Perfectly reasonable, if somewhat uninspired. The counters and cabinet surrounds are "cherry" and the cabinets are a creamy yellow-white. 

Here it is, in progress:

And finished!

And the other side:

We. Love. It.

I think it looks brilliant - it matches the red KitchenAid exactly.

What? You don't decorate around your stand mixer? Why ever not?

The tiles have a little bit of texture - they're not completely flat. It gives really nice depth to the kitchen. We only did the one wall - I think going all the way around the room (or all the way to the ceiling) would have made the wall close in somewhat.

Just in time for my mom to see them in person (she arrives Wednesday for our annual Adventure Week)!

Great British Sewing Bee

I was somewhat of a snob when they announced the Great British Sewing Bee, and missed the first episode when it aired live. However, I quickly caught up, thanks to the magic of iPlayer. I am definitely not enough of a seamstress to be able to go on the show, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute (and am excited for the next series).

I also found two great craft blogs as a result: Guthrie & Ghani and Tilly and the Buttons. Both Lauren and Tilly were contestants on the show and both of them are amazingly creative seamstresses. LOVE!

In the grand scheme of "The BBC Is Awesome," we loved this week's Doctor Who - deliciously creepy and scary, and featuring Jessica Raine from Call the Midwife. Perfect. Television. Thank you, BBC.

One more thing I love: these Boursin Minis that we found in Tesco. YUM. They're about the size of mini-marshmallows and are devilishly good for snacking or putting on salads or in omelettes. Must buy more. Also, the pot they come in is v. cute.

LL Bean tote bag improvement

On one of my trips along the Maine 'pike to Waterville via Freeport a zillion years ago, I stopped at the LL Bean outlet to see what they had. I found a small navy blue tote bag with my mom's name embroidered on it, so I had to buy it. I couldn't tell why it had been returned - it looked fine. Normally there's a spelling mistake or the font is wrong or something.

Anyway, my mom said that she didn't need it, so I got out the seam ripper and picked out the stitching. The bag always looked cute, just a little raggedy where the embroidery had been.

And then.

I found this little guy that John bought me a year or so ago (I don't remember where).

I bleached the stains (it's a 10-year-old white bag) and washed the bag.

When the bag came out of the washer, I reshaped it and ironed it on hot (it's canvas and can take it).

When the front panel was mostly dry, I ironed on Mr. Sheep, following his care instructions, right over the raggedy part.

New bag! I think he's happy there, don't you?

I had no idea how hard it was to iron canvas. That stuf is wrinkly. And stays wrinkly.

Mostly yellow (with some red)

We spent most of the weekend doing our RYA Powerboat (level 2) courses with EAST. The weather wasn't particularly warm, but at least it wasn't snowing, and we did have a few hours of sun. It was rather windy, so we did get quite wet, but it's not spring without wet foulies, so there you go.

We finished earlier than expected on Sunday, so we drove up to Woodbridge to take a walk in the sunshine.

This little chap was very proudly standing on a boat trailer.

And here were some dinghys. Things organised neatly? What does one do with a stack of dinghys, I wonder.

In other odd pictures, this garden nymph was obviously deemed to be a bit chilly in the recent snows and sub-zero temperatures. A nice frock to keep things warm, then.

And then, when the sun came out, we found this very well-loved yellow VW van. See the exhaust pipe?

Yep, it's heart-shaped. As you do.

And then, in the Quaker Burial Ground, one very upstanding daffodil.

Thank you, Spring. Please feel free to stick around for another month, until your good friend, Summer, arrives.

Review: Hairy Bikers Tour

We thoroughly enjoy the Hairy Bikers on TV. Funny, engaging, informative, and great recipes.

We went to see them in Ipswich at the Regent Theatre about 2 weeks ago, and I have to say the show was rather odd.

It was a mishmash of video clips (several of which I had seen), cooking demos, audience-participation quizzes, dirty jokes, and a surprising amount of nudity.

They appeared to enjoy themselves, and there were some good recipes and quite a few very funny moments. However, it was NOT a family show (as billed), and there was rather a lot of swearing and raunchy humour.

I think I'll stick to watching you on TV, boys.

And I brought my book for signing but they had pre-signed everything and didn't come out after the show. SAD!

Spring!

Spring made an appearance this weekend. It meant that I did lots of gardening (Mr. Honeysuckle, you may NOT go and visit the neighbour's garden. kthxbye), went for a few walks and ate my annual Creme Egg (oof...so sweet!). 

I also pruned the forsythia and brought the pruned branches in to bloom in the kitchen (and festooned them with my Easter Critters).

And then, because I have the Best Husband Ever, we made an impromptu stop at Baylham Farm to see the lambs. Unlike this chap, we didn't get to ride on a sheep.

I did, however, get to hold a lamb. A warm, wooly, sleepy (but still nibbling on my sleeve), soft, elbow-filled lamb. Pardon my outfit - we had been scraping the boat so I was in epic grubbies. All the better for lamb snuggles.

Bliss.

If anyone needs a sheep farmer, please call.

Because I say it is

It's spring. These are from last year. Ours aren't out yet. 

I'm bored of snow.

I like my super-warm LLBean down jacket, and my hand-knit sweaters, hat and mittens.

I'm also bored of them.

Spring, please?

Review: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

I read and adored Kate DiCamillo's The Magician's Elephant a few years ago. Something caught my eye last week, and I reserved The Tale of Despereaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane at the library.

After I finished The Magician (no, it didn't get an better, and no, I'm not going to bother with the sequel even though he finished on a cliffhanger), I was feeling some what hopeless about finding a good book.

I shouldn't have.

I started The Miraculous Journey while cooking dinner, savoured it (and the fabulous illustrations), and finished it a few hours later.

The blurb at the front on the dust jacket drew me in:

Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely.

And then, one day, he was lost.

It was heartbreaking, restoring, and gripping. (One of the Amazon reviewers complained it was too sad for her to read to her child...I say if the child sees that sadness can have redemption and healing through love, she'll be a better person for it.)

DiCamillo is an incredible storyteller. She sets the scene in a few words, sketches fabulous characters, and moves the story along. I can't wait to read her other books (although it's going to be like Eva Ibbotson...I'll have to spread them out and not let myself read them all at once). Keep writing, please, Kate DiCamillo!

Spontaneous London Adventure (epic Geek Day Out)

Fair warning: we three are Geeks. Serious Geeks. So this day out might not appeal to everyone. Teehee. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

We braved the snow this weekend for a day out in London, suggested at the last minute by the Husband. Stowmarket was having rail upgrade works, so we drove to Ipswich to catch the train from there. Because the tickets weren't as expensive as we had anticipated (but were still eye-watering), due to some jiggery-pokery with two sets of singles between Ipswich and Manningtree, and an offer running on tickets from Manningtree that included a day travelcard (yes!), we upgraded to first class. No, we didn't win the lottery. Husband was reading the railway mags, the Boy is reading It's Not Rocket Science, while I'm plodding through The Magicians. 

::Capsule-review & mini-rant starts::

It started strong and has faded somewhat. I'm nearly done, so I'll finish it, but unless something very exciting happens I'm not going to either recommend it or read any more Lev Grosmann. I was vaguely irritated from the beginning with the main character's obsession with "Fillory," an extremely thinly-veiled Narnia. As far as I'm concerned, get the rights and refer to actual Narnia, or don't bother. Or make Fillory different enough that I don't keep picturing scenes that C.S. Lewis (who is a better writer, thankyouverymuch) created so brilliantly. Ah. I'm not the only one.

::Capsule-review & mini-rant ends::

Anyway. We visited an extremely crowded British Museum, where John and the Horus appeared to be having a fascinating discussion. I think there was nobody else paying any attention to the Horus because he decides who gets to see him and who doesn't. We're some of the lucky few, obviously.

We headed over to Chinatown, stopping at Forbidden Planet and the Orc's Nest on the way. Obviously.

Then, thanks to TripAdvisor, we hit Joy King Lau, for dim sum. The steamed pork buns were the best I've ever had. (Sorry, Nom Wah, you're a close second.) We made a suitable mess on the table.

We walked up to Oxford Street, where we stopped at the local Games Workshop, Muji, and Cloth House to admire the fabric.

We then hopped back on the tube to head down to Waterloo, where we went to Ian Allan, a specialist railway and transport book and model shop.

Added to the list of oh-my-gosh-there's-a-market-for-that? These cab-ride DVDs of railway journeys across the UK.

Shut up.

I even found the one for my commute. However, I felt no need to buy it, since I ride the damn train all the time. Who buys these? Do they make some popcorn, grab some beers, and plop down on the couch with their friends? Do they secretly watch them when nobody else is home? Do you buy ones for routes you know? Routes you don't? Routes you wish you knew? Do you buy them for trainless friends?

Please, feel free to explain (or guess) in the comments. Also, there were several browsers full of these. Different brands filming the same routes, different routes, and a whole section of the same general idea, but for busses and bus routes instead. I understand not.

Then, since we were relatively close by, we went to the Tate Modern to make fun of the "art." Ok, so maybe we're uncultured philistines (see above non-comprehension of filmed railway journeys). Or something. It was truly, truly, crap.

This was the least-crap of all the crap. At least whoever the artist was had some skill with his or her jigsaw, and the planks made nice shadows.

At this point, we were tired, cold, and hungry. We trooped across the Millennium bridge, hopped on the Central Line at St Paul's, and subsided in front of warm, savoury bowls of Pho. Back on the train, through some snow on the A14, and into bed by 10.

Phew. An excellent day out was had by all.

Misshapen-taschen

It's a little late for Purim. But it's perfect for rhubarb season.

I was making Deb's apple cake for work (we raised £800 for Comic Relief on Red Nose day), and flipped to the recipe for Rhubarb Hamantaschen. (Recipe's not on the web...you'll have to buy the book! Her other hamantaschen recipes are here.) I suddenly had a rather overwhelming urge to make some. We used to buy them at Riesterer's Bakery in Garden City, where they were always perfectly shaped with pretty, glassy centres. However, they're traditionally either filled with prunes (blech) or apricots (meh). But Deb says we can make them with rhubarb. I LOVE rhubarb!

Onward, then.

Here they are before being folded:

And here they are fresh from the oven. Apparently my shiksa hamantaschen-crimping skills need work.

Some of them turned out quite pretty. We're not really in commercial-bakery-on-Long-Island territory, though.

I can verify that the rhubarb hamantaschen still taste excellent, regardless of shape. In case my New Rochelle Jewish-food credentials were in doubt, I make excellent latkes.

I can also verify that rhubarb appearing at the farm shop also means spring is coming, despite the fact that we had about 3 inches of snow yesterday and today. Blech.

Things my grandmother made

Boeuf bourguinon.

Carrots braised in butter.

Lots of other Julia recipes.

Fantastic omelettes.

Beautiful, classic dresses.

This cross-stitch, with our birthdays, the initials of the women in our family, and a note to me. 

She passed away a few months after I moved to the UK, 7 years ago. I still miss her (but can channel her when I make boeuf bourguignon).