25 Monday Mar 2013
It’s fairly common knowledge that I don’t read as much as I should, or as much as I’d like to. Which I guess is why it took me so long to finish Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul. It’s a feel-good book, most definitely. It helps you to see the best in people and the best in the world around you. I love reading other people’s stories and found myself inspired by the tales in the book. I hope one day that I have a story that I can share, like the ones in this book!
03 Sunday Mar 2013
For my new recipe this week I chose to make macaroni and four cheese gratins from Mini-Cocotte, just with a few alterations!
It seemed silly to buy a whole pack of macaroni when I had plenty of good penne in the cupboard already! Also, fontina cheese wasn’t available at my local supermarket, so I really made penne and three cheese gratins!
The recipe was really simple to follow, and easy to make! The top was lovely and crispy and the sauce tasted great. The only change I would make to be to make more sauce!
I served mine with some garlic bread, which was perfect! How would you serve it?
27 Sunday Jan 2013
If you read about my Goals For 2013 you’ll remember that I planned to make an effort to learn new skills. It’s something I’ve been doing with my recipe of the week by learning new ways to cook, and it’s something I did this week by learning to crochet!
I’ve been a knitter for some years now, and have always been intrigued by the craft of crochet. Over Christmas I tried (and failed!) to crochet a snowflake, so I thought I’d better start at the beginning with the classic crochet granny squares!
I have a fun book called Meet Me At Mike’s by Pip Lincolne, which has all sorts of crafty projects to do, including granny squares for the very beginner – a step-by-step tutorial on how to make the perfect granny squares.
I learned about stitches and rounds and in no time I was whizzing away, producing lots of lovely little squares (and some big ones too)! I wanted to try sewing a few squares together, and even though I kept it simple I think it turned out OK, if a little rough around the edges!
Next I’m planning on making a big granny square blanket to keep me warm on these cold winter evenings!
27 Thursday Dec 2012
29 Monday Oct 2012
As you can see from my Book List I’m not much of a reader. When I started this blog it was one of the things I was planning to do more, and to a certain extent I have, but I think other things have been more of a priority lately.
When my boyfriend bought me a copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky after we’d seen the film, I couldn’t wait to start it. And it took me two days to read.
It’s one of those books that I find easy to read, it moves quite quickly and you get deeply involved so before you know it you’ve reached the end of part one with no desire to put it down. I like books like that, that take you in such a whirlwind that by the end you don’t know where your emotions are, but you feel like you just lived a short part of someone else’s life.
I see it as a book that I can read over and over again. I can picture myself years from now, with my battered old copy, feeling just as moved, just as connected as I do now.
29 Monday Oct 2012
It’s about time…
I’ve decided I spend too long on the Internet trying to find answers from someone/somewhere else. I tend to use Google much more than I need to, and I can’t count the number of times I’ve scrolled through the Adult Education Centre courses list just waiting for something to pop out and me with a big ‘I want to do you!’.
So, I am going to turn my attention away from my laptop and instead focus on my bookshelf. Over the years I have accumulated a collection of how-to books on all sorts of topics including:
The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
The Essential Guide To Cake Decorating
Unfortunately, I haven’t ever really gone further than browsing the covers of most of these books. I see them as a representation of the me I want to be rather than the me I am. And that ought to be motivation enough for me to pick them up and teach myself something new.
I work best when I have goals and targets, so I plan to work through each of these books, trying out different ideas. I shall post my successes (and maybe even my failures…) on here, so I have a record of how far I’ve come and a reason to keep going.
I am not, however, going to give myself time limits. I’ll allow myself a leisurely pace because I think I stress myself out enough without making the enjoyable things stressful too.
But where to start?
