Orange Marmalade Drizzle Cake

Perfect for marmalade making season, this cake is quick to make and delicious. It is basically a sponge with the addition of orange zest, orange juice and a little marmalade.  The 'drizzle' is made of sugar, orange juice and a tablespoon of marmalade. It can be served warm as a desert with cream or ice cream, or at room temperature with a cup of tea or coffee.  It is not overly sweet and the topping adds just the right amount of sticky sweetness to make you want more. It keeps for a week if wrapped up tightly.

Ingredients:
For the cake:
8 ounces soft margarine (Stork or Flora)
8 ounces sugar
4 large eggs
8 ounces self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
juice and zest of half a large orange
2 Tablespoons marmalade

For the glaze:
juice and zest of half a large orange
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon marmalade

Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time.
Mix in two Tablespoons of marmalade.
Sift dry ingredients.
Add them gently to the wet mixture, taking care not to over beat.
Add juice and rind of half a large orange and a little warm water to loosen the mixture, if necessary.

Put into a greased and lined 8" by 11" pan ad bake at 180 for 25 minutes until a skewer just comes out clean. Remove from the oven.

Melt the sugar, orange juice, zest and marmalade in a small pan.
Pour evenly over the warm cake.
Serve warm or room temperature.
Can be reheated in foil for desert.

Baby Bandanas (Make do and Mend)

 I have been making baby bandanas (rather unattractively called dribble bibs) for our first grandchild. Although I could start a pop-up shop with my stash, I didn't have anything suitable. They required soft, stretch fabric and I had purged all my old t-shirts a year ago. (Typical!) Then I remembered I had bought two pairs of soft jersey pyjamas which were still in the drawer but hardly ever worn. I managed to make five little bandanas out of them. I could probably make more but it would mean a lot of piecing.

The pyjamas I used for the bandanas.

The pattern is easy. Remember the paper hearts you cut out for Valentine's Day in primary school? It's almost the same as that. Each bandana 17" wide at the widest point and 7" deep.

Make a curve for the neck and add 1/4" seam allowances all around.

The pattern is cut on the fold.

The pattern folded out.

To make, place the fabrics right sides together and stitch around the edges (1/4" seams) leaving a gap for turning. Clip, if necessary and turn to the right side, press and hand stitch the gap. Press again then stop stitch 1/4" from the edge.

Use a small piece of Velcro for fastening,  stitching it on with a small zig zag stitch  and they are finished.

I also made two posh bandanas for Flora with some Liberty jersey fabric which I had saved for bunting.  Here is Flora, at four months, modelling one of them.

Flora looking pensive.

A Baby's Quilt

I've been digging around in the loft (attic) for ages to find the quilts I made for my children when they were babies. I've had one success - this quilt that I made for my daughter, Helen 34 years ago.  Now she has a baby, born last week and called Flora. I'll be making a quilt for Flora as soon as I come up with a suitable design.  Helen wants flowers for Flora's name and I think it could have other things as well such as butterflies and even a garden gate. I've looked on Pinterest and Etsy and I've found a few quilts to inspire me, but I want it to be an original so I must let the ideas develop and then I will get started. Sometimes it's best to  play around with the design and then begin.  I have lots of pieces of Liberty tana lawn for the flowers, but I don't know what to use for the background yet.

I made Helen's quilt using a ditsy print for the background and then picked out the colours from that. The sheep are fleece (what else?) and the clouds are broiderie anglaise. The heads and legs of the sheep are small floral prints too, but in darker tones than the background. I was very  brave and did a bit of hand embroidery for the hills and Helen's name. I'm hoping I can still do that. I haven't done any embroidery for years. I wanted to keep it soft, so it is tie quilted. It was never on a bed or a cot, but used as a wall hanging in the nursery and it has never been washed which is why it has retained its shape. I'm afraid to wash it so I may take it to my dry cleaners and see if they can freshen it up without flattening it. Today I hung it up temporarily so I could photograph it and I am enjoyihg looking at it. I'm amazed that I managed to make it with two very small children to look after. What I remember it that it was a glorious escape. Many sewists say that sewing is their happy place and it was certainly mine, even though I remember their childhoods with pleasure.

I will have to brave the loft (not fun) to find the other one. Wish me luck.

A Simple Pattern Hack - Adjusting a Neckline

The original pattern.

I've been sewing up a storm. I've made three dresses this month! Having left my sewing machine in its box for nearly a year, this is amazing.
Three things have motivated me: One is that I have been watching The Sewing Quarter on freeview in England on channel 73. It's brilliant. So many tips for sewing. Hubby laughs whenever he come in the room as it is on again. Two is that I am feeling very guilty about the enormous stash of fabrics I have been hoarding. Three is probably the very hot weather in London. I have been able to hide in the sitting room - the coolest room in the house and sew. Also, I have been able to produce things to wear in the heat.
This dress is an example. It is very easy to make. It has a back zip and just a few darts for shaping. The blogger 'Handmade Jane' (www.handmadejane.co.uk) showcased this dress some time ago.   Having made tops from another , very similar New Look pattern two or three years ago, I decided that although I liked the dress shape, the neckline would be too sloppy on me.  The necklines on the tops don't stay in place. They move from side to side when I move. Wearing a crossover bag is a disaster as it pulls the neckline right out of shape. Although they are cool, I just feel untidy. The simple solution was to make the neckline narrower on the dress.  I didn't make a toile this time; I just cut the pattern carefully, raising the waist and allowing for my less than hour glass figure.

The New Look Top which drifts around when I wear it.

As for the neckline I made it smaller by one inch on each side, front and back  (See photo.) and then just traced around it for make the facings. I knew I could make the neckline larger if I didn't like it. However,  the result was a very pretty and flattering neckline - one that would not slip around.

I made the pattern adjustment by adding one inch to the front and back necklines and then using a French curve to blend in the cutting line. The dark lines are the neckline on the original pattern.

I used this Japanese fabric  which has been in my stash for two years. I'm very pleased with the result as the neckline is flattering and it stays in place. It's amusing how much the dress reflects the 1960's.  It would look great with 60's accessories, like pointy shoes and a Biba hat.

The new neckline. Note the Japanese fabric. 

The finished dress. Just add a hat and a large straw bag, perhaps the one in the pattern.

N.B. Most of my friends will not wear sleeveless dresses any more, but to quote Sandra Bullock in Hope Floats, 'I'm fearless that way'.

Yummy Spinach and Bacon Salad

Saturday lunch in our house is usually something like hamburgers, sausages and beans, full English breakfast and such like. Supper is a light meal in front of the TV if we are not going out.
Last Saturday we were invited to an early evening barbecue, so I made a light and healthy meal for lunch - Spinach and Bacon Salad.
It was delicious and I will make it again. I served it Jamie Oliver style on a platter to show off its loveliness.

This recipe makes two generous servings. Simply spread spinach leaves on the platter.  Add chopped fruit (in this case, a nectarine and some white grapes but you could use any seasonal fruit, such as apples or even oranges or satsumas). Add chopped pecans. Chop up the bacon and fry it. Remove it from the pan and make the dressing using the crusty bits on the bottom of the pan, about 1/3 cup olive oil, a couple of Tablespoons of runny honey, a teaspoon of mustard and a Tablespoon of red wine vinegar.Drizzle thjs over the salad.  For a vegetarian option you can omit the bacon and add cheese, such as goats cheese or feta which you place on top so as not to mash it up.  Make the dressing in a jar or a bowl instead of the frying pan.

Retro Sewing

The original pattern, circa mid 80s.

Liberty tana lawn.

Going through my stash of patterns, I found this one from the 1980s.  As you can see by the price, it is the original.  I made it for myself when my children were tiny but I received some comments about whether I was expecting again. I wasn't and decided I didn't like this dress all that much. However it was very comfortable and just the thing for hot holidays in the Dordogne in August.

This summer our daughter is pregnant with her first child. What better pattern than this one to accommodate the bump. I made it out of some beautiful Liberty Tana Lawn and she wore it for her baby shower when she was seven months. To my delight, she looks beautiful in it and there is plenty of room to grow for the next month.
In fact, I was tempted to make it again for myself during this exceptionally hot summer in London, but I have found some other old favourites which I will be blogging soon.

Cornflower blue buttons add back interest.

The inspiration - a photo in a magazine.

Six Vegetable Soup

It's a cold, wet, windy day in London and perfect for staying in and eating hot soup and crusty bread for lunch. That,  plus all the admonishments to eat healthily in January after the excesses of the holidays, makes this a virtuous meal.
The trick is to make it thick by using lots of vegetables and tasty by adding enough seasoning to give it a bit of zing when you dip your bread in and slurp it up.
This soup is a variation of many soups that I make, but it's probably the simplest and it requires only what I already have in the fridge and  cupboard.
So, begin by assembling the vegetables you might have in the fridge. Get out the olive oil,  butter, salt and pepper and fresh thyme (if you have it), plus some chicken or vegetable stock, or a stock cube.  I sometimes have fresh stock, but more often I use a stock cube.  If you do not have fresh thyme, use dried oregano for a similar taste.
If, like many people you are going Vegan for January, omit the butter and use a vegetable stock cube.
If you require meat, top the soup with a little crispy bacon.

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon buter (for flavour)
1 nice fat leek
2 medium onions
2 or 3 sticks of celery
2 or 3 carrots
2 medium potatoes, peeled
1 medium courgette or a few florets of broccoli
water to cover
1 stock cube
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
salt and pepper (Be generous with the pepper.)

Method:
Chop all the vegetables.
Put the olive oil and butter into a large saucepan and soften the leeks, onions and celery over low heat covered, for about five minutes.
Add the carrots and potatoes and cover and cook for another five minutes.
Add the courgettes, followed by enough water to cover, the stock cube and salt and pepper.
Throw in the sprigs of thyme, bring to a boil, turn down the heat and cook for about 30 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
Remove from the heat and take out the thyme stalks. (The leaves will have fallen off.)
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Using a potato masher or a stick blender, lightly crush some of the vegetables, leaving some texture in the soup.

Serve warm with crusty bread and butter.
Makes a satisfying meal for four or five people.

Starting a Quilt in my own messy way...

It's nearly a year since I last posted. I have had no desire to sew, even though I gave a few friends lessons in sewing. Now, however, I am fired up to make a new quilt.  I have had the fabric for a few years and I even did a post on them (a long time ago). I cut out the strips last spring and then couldn't decide how to put them together.
Yesterday I lay them out on a piece of wadding on the floor and played with them until I felt they were in the right order. It's a bit like putting together a puzzle. I roped in Hubby to help and his input was good.  I don't always give him credit for his colour sense, (Well, sometimes it is non-existent.) but this time he came up trumps
The rectangles are actually long strips and will form four patches each.  I plan to stitch them together from left to right and then cut them up to make the whole process quicker.
The pattern is loosely based on "Wisteria" from Quilt Me by Jane Brocket.  I love this book because all the patterns are modern and not too fiddly. (I don't do fiddly.) My original plan was to do another pattern based on a whole collection by Lotta Jansdotter. (I have some of her fabrics already sewn into strips and will make another design with them.)
The fabrics for this quilt are mostly Japanese,  made by Moda, and I love the subtle colours and simple prints.  The others have been added, thanks to a lovely woman at Creative Quilting in Hampton Court.  She gave me an inordinate amount of her time to enrich the fabrics I already had and to bulk out the quilt.
Right.  Time to get the sewing machine out. Can't wait to get started.

Make a Double-sided Blanket in an Hour

Finished dog blanket in beautiful colours. 

My friend Rita, who has a beautiful English cocker spaniel, is making dog blankets to sell. She was inspired by a blanket belonging to a friend and much loved by her dog who plays with it, sleeps on it and drags it around the house like a comfort blanket.
The blankets are two pieces of fleece sewn together and stitched around the edges to give a nice finish. Simple and effective, these would also  make great cot, crib and push-chair blankets.















Here's how she does it:

Before you cut the fabric, ensure that the edges are square. This is not always the case when meterage is hand cut.

Carefully measure the fleece (this blanket is  approximately 70cm by 55 cm but it could be larger, depending on the size of the dog).

Using a straight edge as a guide, mark and cut one piece of fleece to the correct size.  Then lay this piece on top of the other piece, right sides together and cut the second piece.

Pin and stitch around the outer edges leaving a space for turning.

Clip the corners.

Turn to right side and hand stitch the gap closed.

Smooth the fabric out and top stitch about 1.5 cm from the edge.
No pressing required. Your blanket is finished.

I plan to make some for all the new babies friends' and relatives' children are having.

Cutting the second piece of fleece by laying the first one on top of it.

Carefully trimming the edges.

Clipping the corners

Clipping the corners

Rita's Stash of Fabrics for the Next Blankets

Apple Upside Down Cake to Make Ahead and Keep (if you are lucky)

This cake is quick to make, can be served warm or cold and will keep for several days in the fridge (as long as it is covered). We had some Granny Smith apples lurking n the fridge and Hubby very kindly peeled, cored and sliced them then cooked them in a little water until they were soft. I think he had apple sauce in mind, but G S's don't cook down like Bramleys do,  so I used my pineapple upside down cake recipe to turn them into something delicious.  The caramelised base  was just the right compliment to the apples and the cake was wolfed down by everyone.  I served it warm with ice cream but it is equally delicious with cream. I think you could make this cake without cooking the apples first, just put them in a little water with lemon juice to  keep them from going brown while you assemble the cake.

The finished cake.  Note the caramel glaze.

Ingredients
4 or 5 firm apple, peeled, cored and sliced

For the glaze:
1 Tablespoon butter
4 Tablespoons golden syrup
1 Tablespoon soft brown sugar

For the cake batter:
4 oz of butter or soft margarine
4 oz sugar
2 eggs
6 oz self raising flour, sifted
3 Tablespoons milk

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F.
e)
Melt butter, golden syrup and brown sugar in the bottom of your cake pan. (I used a 9 " tart tin.)
Revoke from oven and grease the sides of the tin.
Carefully place apples slices on top of the warm glaze.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs and beat well.
Fold in the flour by hand and add enough of the milk to make the batter a dropping consistency.
Drop the cake batter by large spoonfuls onto the apples, taking care not to move them about.
Place the cake tin in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.
Check that the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of the batter. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Run a knife around the edge of the pan.
Place a plate on the top of the cake and flip it over.

Serve warm or cold with cream or ice cream.

There weren't many slices left by the end of the evening.

Dirty Eating - Cream of Mushroom Soup

Home-made cream of mushroom soup

It's January.  It's  cold out there and I have heard and read enough about dieting, exercising and 'clean eating'. What IS clean eating?  We eat healthily with a few exceptions, but we are not fanatical about it.  Nor do we have any food allergies (Of course I sympathise with those who do), but there is so much hype about existing on a kale leaf or a sludgy green smoothie after the Christmas indulgences that I feel no guilt about winter pick-me-ups like a dollop of cream, or a hearty steamed pudding.  Yes, my tummy is bigger after the holidays, but I just intend to eat a LITTLE less.
This recipe will brighten a grey day and make you feel good. You will see in the corner that I had mine with Ryvita, but that is just because we had no bread in the house. I sneakily topped it with a large helping of cream cheese to compensate.
This soup is quick and easy to make and will serve four people.  I have used it as a starter in days past when I made starters for three course dinner parties.  These days Hubby does a roast or I do a casserole and we skip the starters.

Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
1 knob of butter
1 Tablespoon of oil
1 onion or leek, chopped
1 pound (450 grams) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (Reserve a few for garnish.)
3 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or two sticks of fresh thyme
a dash of cayenne pepper
bay leaf
chicken stock or water and a stock cube to cover
single cream to drizzle over the top (or a dollop of cream fraiche)
chopped parsley (optional)

Method:
Melt the butter with the oil in a large saucepan.
Add leeks or onions and soften (about 5 minutes).
Add flour and stir to make a roux.
Add seasoning and cook for one minute.
Put mushrooms in pan and cover with stock or stock cube dissolved in water.
Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Remove bay leaf.
Using a hand blender, blend the soup a little to thicken it, leaving some texture.
Serve with sliced mushrooms to garnish and a little cream and parsley.

The Beauty of Christmas Memories - My Mother's Fruitcake

Christmas is a time when I most remember the past.. I do this by telling the story of every ornament on the tree; baking cookies from family recipes; and particularly, by making my mother's fruit cake.
I'm sure I used to get under her feet when she was baking, but I always loved being in the kitchen with her.  She taught me to love and respect food and to this day, I do.
I have kept note of every fruitcake I have made - how successful it was- whether it baked perfectly or was underdone or over baked and this is a way of making sure that I have a good result.

The story of my mother's recipe is a charming one.  As a young bride, recently moved from Canada to Detroit where my father found work, she lived in rooms in the home of a Scottish lady whose name I can no longer remember.  This lady took my mother, only 19 years old and away from her family, under her wing.  She taught her the proper way to make tea (always hot the pot) and gave her two fruitcake recipes - one light and one dark. We always preferred the  light one and that is the one that was handed down to me.
When I moved to England, I wrote and asked for the recipes and eventually, got a rather grumpy reply that this was the fourth time she had written it out for me. I found every one. Bless her.  No computers then.

I used to see making fruit cake as a daunting task, and although we all love it, the whole recipe made five fruitcakes - way too much for us and our friends. Recently, I started making half the recipe.  It makes three small loaf tins and all have been eaten by the end of the festive season, leaving us anticipating having the again the next year.
It takes quite a lot of ingredients, but this year, I found all the fruit and nuts in the freezer. They kept very well and Hubby says they are the best fruitcakes ever.

My Mother's hand-written recipe.

The fruit and nuts in a large bowl.

The loaf tins lined with parchment paper. I only used three.

Adding the batter to the fruit and nuts.

Sampling the first one.

The Recipe

3/4 cup (6 oz) of soft butter

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 pound sultanas

I tub glace cherries

1/8 lb orange peel (Do not over do this. I did one year and it was unpleasant.)

1 small bag candied pineapple (about 4 oz)

1 - 1 1/2 pounds of mixed nuts. (I use almonds, Brazil nuts (broken up),

walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts (if I have them)

1 Tablespoon vanilla essence

1/4 teaspoon almond essence

1/4 cup sweet sherry, sweet wine or apple juice.

Mix the fruit and nuts in a large bowl.

In your mixer cream butter, add sugar and beat until pale yellow.

Add eggs one at a time and mix well.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder and stir into the mixture.

Dollop all the batter onto the fruit and nuts.

With clean, wet hands, mix the batter and the fruit and nuts together.

Put the mixture into loaf tins or other small tins, lined with greaseproof or parchment paper.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 150 C or 300 F for 30 minutes.

Turn pans around to bake evenly.  Cover with foil to prevent burning or uneven browning.

Bake another 30 minutes.

Test with a skewer.  If the skewer does not have any raw batter on it, remove from oven and cool.

(We couldn't wait that long and ate some warm.)

When the cakes are thoroughly cool, wrap in muslin (or paper towels) soaked in sherry, etc.

Put in plastic bags or a tin and allow the liquid to infuse the cakes and soften them.

You may want to top up the sherry, etc, but they should not be soaking wet. You want firm cake that can be easily sliced.

Inspirations from France

My husband calls this The Button Shop.  I call it heaven.

I have not blogged much this year.  Nor have I done much sewing.  A summer in France has been my inspiration to get sewing again - and blogging.  Here are some things I saw that inspired me.

Purchases from La Drogerie:  Sticky circles for my friend to use on bunting, a scarf to add tassels to for another friend, a small piece of very bright fabric and a notebook for me.

Interior of La Drogerie seen from the window.

Buttons and Trims.

An amazing boutique (they still exist in France) of original things.

Another very chic boutique filled with vintage things. Love the chair.

African bags.  These would be fun to make in the tradition of the African-inspired dresses seen on The Great British Sewing Bee.

Educating Rita - to Sew

 My lovely neighbour, Rita, asked me to teach her to sew.  She was one of the few people who actually sewed at sewing club.  She started by making pyjama bottoms and moved on to making a top (see left) out of the left over fabric.  I suggested a top as she can learn various techniques which she can use for other things. The top has facing and interfacing, slit sides and will be bound at the armholes with bias binding.
Rita's mother was trained in tailoring in Italy when she was a girl and she, like my mother, made lots of clothes for her children.  Consequently, Rita knows some things about sewing, for example, how to hand sew a very neat hem, but she wants to know more.
In between lessons, she made a pin cushion., beautifully stitched and finished with buttons on both sides.
The next project is a covered foam cushion for an outdoor bench.
Watch this space to see the finished pyjamas and the cushion.

The beautifully made pin cushion.

Liberty's Take on the Great British Sewing Bee

One view of the African dress
Clever use of two fabrics.
The 'grass' underneath it is
made of tape measures.

 Liberty's sale is now on.  It's an excellent opportunity to stock up on Tana Lawn at half price - lots of 1 metre pieces for £12.95.  Guess what? I DIDN'T BUY ANYTHING! Hubby checked my pulse when I came home.
Why didn't I buy anything?  Because the night before I was looking for something in my fabric cupboard and I was shocked at how much fabric I already have. Just didn't find anything at Liberty that I felt I had to add to it.
Nevertheless, going to Liberty is my idea of heaven. I love the building, the displays, the clothes, the home furnishings and most of all, the fabric department. Sometimes it's enough just to look.
What I did see, was the Liberty interpretation of two of the dresses from the 'Eastern' week on GBSB - the African dress and the Mondrian dress (which I remember from my youth).  Both were lovely and worth seeing.
Last week I bought the Mondrian pattern and plan to make it - sometime.  If I do, it will be in the solid, bold colours of the original.  Still, the Liberty one is fun.

A different take on the Mondrian dress.
The Liberty fabrics are fun.

Another view of the African dress.
I loved the wax printed fabric used on GBSB
but I also love this.

My lunch  A teeny, tiny crab and fennel salad with avocado mayonnaise.
I could have eaten three of then! Delicious.