Mittwoch, 30. Mai 2012
Montag, 28. Mai 2012
Summer
This weekend is simply perfect! It is really warm and sunny without being too hot. I didn't sew anything (yet) but spent my time outside reading a good book.
Saturday I tried a new recipe: A soup made of butterhead lettuce! I never heard of cooking lettuce before but I thought it was worth a try. And it was indeed!
You can find the recipe here.
Sunday Tino and I made a trip to Tecklenburg by motorcycle. We had some icecream and enjoyed the view over Münsterland from the roof of my school.
Saturday I tried a new recipe: A soup made of butterhead lettuce! I never heard of cooking lettuce before but I thought it was worth a try. And it was indeed!
Sunday Tino and I made a trip to Tecklenburg by motorcycle. We had some icecream and enjoyed the view over Münsterland from the roof of my school.
Freitag, 25. Mai 2012
Quilt Layout
This week has been really busy at work but now the weather is perfect and a long weekend ahead of us. I probably will spend a lot of time outdoors and keep the sewing for rainy days. Nevertheless I layed out the blocks of Quilt N°1.
It was evening already when I layed out the blocks so the colours turned out a bit dull.
I still haven't made up my mind about the binding. Do you have any suggestions?
Donnerstag, 24. Mai 2012
Venus Transit. Last Chance of your Lifetime!
This year the very rare astronomical event of a venus transit occurs on June 6. This will be the last chance of your lifetime to see a Venus Transit, the next will be not until 2117 Dec 11.
Click on this map to figure out if and when you can see the Venus Transit at the place you're living.
The Venus Transit is an eclipse where the Venus is in front of the sun. In case you're planning to watch the Venus Transit take care of your eyes. It is very dangerous to look into the sun without proper protection. Sunglasses won't do, you will need special glasses like the ones you were able to buy at the last moon eclipse.
If you're interested in this event check here. I also recommend to search the internet for local astronomical organisations and clubs.
Click on this map to figure out if and when you can see the Venus Transit at the place you're living.
If you're interested in this event check here. I also recommend to search the internet for local astronomical organisations and clubs.
Sonntag, 20. Mai 2012
A Weekend with Mama
I spend the long weekend at my Mum's place. With no men around we had a really nice time to do female stuff men become nervous around.
For the most part we sewed, went shopping, ate salad and other yummy healthy stuff and watched kitschy Disney-movies.
We created some chaos in my parent's living room:
Best thing was I got to try my new sewing machine - a Pfaff expression 150 jubilee edition. You can see it on the right side in the background.
I had a try at chain-piecing. It works really well!
Work in progress.
All blocks done. Yay!
Mama always takes paper piecing to the extreme. I admire here patience and endurance!
For the most part we sewed, went shopping, ate salad and other yummy healthy stuff and watched kitschy Disney-movies.
We created some chaos in my parent's living room:
Mittwoch, 16. Mai 2012
Sonntag, 13. Mai 2012
Hefeschnecken (yeast pastry)
This week it was typical capricious weather for April although it is already May. I decided to create some cozyness and bake yeast pastry. These are great because they're so easy to make, cost next to nothing and you can freeze the leftovers for the next coffee visit.
Here is how it goes:
ingredients for the dough (room temperature):
1kg flour (type 405)
40g fresh yeast (in Germany that is one cube)
150g butter
7 tablespoons sugar
~ 200ml milk (proper - no low fat)
"Zimtzucker": take an empty jar and fill it with sugar, add cinnamon (start with a teaspoon), close the lid and shake the jar. The result should be a medium light brown shade. If not add a small amount of cinnamon until the result is satisfying.
ingredients for the frosting:
150g powdered sugar
juice of half a lemon
100g butter
Note: Yeast works best if you heat up your kitchen to be really cozy (>24°C).
Choose the largest bowl you own, place the flour in it and create a fist-sized hole in the middle. Heat one coffee mug of milk (~200ml) until it is lukewarm. It must not be too warm, otherwise the yeast will die. Crumble the yeast into the milk and add a spoonfull of sugar. Mix it gently and pour it into the hole you created in the flour. Now gently dust the liquid with flour from the rim.
Wait at least for 20min. There have to be cracks in the flour.
Add the butter and the leftover sugar. Knead the dough with your hands (remove rings). At first it will all be squishy and dry parts but with time, muscles and the heat of your hand you will soon have a smooth dough as soft as a baby's bottom. Make a ball out of it, place it in the bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen cloth and let it rest for at least 30min. The volume should be triple the original size.
Start to heat up your oven to ~170°C. Divide your dough up into two equal parts and roll the first part out into rectangle shape about the size of your baking tray. Sprinkle the dough with "Zimtzucker" (and raisins if you like) and roll it up tight along the longer side. Slice the roll into 1-1.5cm thick slices and place them with spacing on your baking tray (on baking paper). Do the same with the second part of dough.
Place your baking trays in the oven for about 13min. Start checking on them after 10min. The pastries should be golden with only a slight hint of brown. Get them out early before they start to get dry.
Meanwhile prepare the frosting: Put all the ingredients into a pot and slowly heat them up. Stir well.
Place your furnace grate over your sink and place the still hot pastry on it. Apply the frosting. (Be careful when kids are around, hot sugar involved).
Hefeschnecken taste best when still warm (not hot!). Be careful if you are not used to yeast pastry not to overeat for the dough will still grow a bit when eaten.
Freeze the leftovers immediately. Yeast pastry dries out fast but tastes very well defrosted and heaten up.
Here is how it goes:
ingredients for the dough (room temperature):
1kg flour (type 405)
40g fresh yeast (in Germany that is one cube)
150g butter
7 tablespoons sugar
~ 200ml milk (proper - no low fat)
"Zimtzucker": take an empty jar and fill it with sugar, add cinnamon (start with a teaspoon), close the lid and shake the jar. The result should be a medium light brown shade. If not add a small amount of cinnamon until the result is satisfying.
ingredients for the frosting:
150g powdered sugar
juice of half a lemon
100g butter
Note: Yeast works best if you heat up your kitchen to be really cozy (>24°C).
Choose the largest bowl you own, place the flour in it and create a fist-sized hole in the middle. Heat one coffee mug of milk (~200ml) until it is lukewarm. It must not be too warm, otherwise the yeast will die. Crumble the yeast into the milk and add a spoonfull of sugar. Mix it gently and pour it into the hole you created in the flour. Now gently dust the liquid with flour from the rim.
Wait at least for 20min. There have to be cracks in the flour.
Add the butter and the leftover sugar. Knead the dough with your hands (remove rings). At first it will all be squishy and dry parts but with time, muscles and the heat of your hand you will soon have a smooth dough as soft as a baby's bottom. Make a ball out of it, place it in the bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen cloth and let it rest for at least 30min. The volume should be triple the original size.
Start to heat up your oven to ~170°C. Divide your dough up into two equal parts and roll the first part out into rectangle shape about the size of your baking tray. Sprinkle the dough with "Zimtzucker" (and raisins if you like) and roll it up tight along the longer side. Slice the roll into 1-1.5cm thick slices and place them with spacing on your baking tray (on baking paper). Do the same with the second part of dough.
Place your baking trays in the oven for about 13min. Start checking on them after 10min. The pastries should be golden with only a slight hint of brown. Get them out early before they start to get dry.
Meanwhile prepare the frosting: Put all the ingredients into a pot and slowly heat them up. Stir well.
Place your furnace grate over your sink and place the still hot pastry on it. Apply the frosting. (Be careful when kids are around, hot sugar involved).
Hefeschnecken taste best when still warm (not hot!). Be careful if you are not used to yeast pastry not to overeat for the dough will still grow a bit when eaten.
Freeze the leftovers immediately. Yeast pastry dries out fast but tastes very well defrosted and heaten up.
Samstag, 5. Mai 2012
Quilt N°1
This is hopefully going to be my first quilt.
Note: This will be a checkerboard design. You cannot see the blocks with white border on the photo.
I'm using one of Elizabeth Hartman's Design from her wonderful book "The Practical Guide to Patchwork" .
Elizabeth Hartman succeeds to explain vividly the techniques used and gives alternative colour options as well. Her book gives me confidence to accomplish my aim.
Note: This will be a checkerboard design. You cannot see the blocks with white border on the photo.
Elizabeth Hartman succeeds to explain vividly the techniques used and gives alternative colour options as well. Her book gives me confidence to accomplish my aim.
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