Oops - no peppermint essence !!

A dear friend told me the other day that she thought I was one of the most organised people that she knew - pantry-wise at least. BUT I have  to confess that I was not so well organised on Tuesday  last, when I decided to make a recipe I had found browsing on Pinterest.

Yes, choc-mint brownies, the picture was so inviting to one who had been craving chocolate for a couple of weeks ( It has been bitterly cold here the last few weeks - not at all like the balmy Brisbane winter weather we have become accustomed to over the last 10-12 years) The recipe came from Artsy Fartsy Mama's blog post chocolate-mint-brownies.

I really planned, got the cream cheese, the choc chips, the cream...went to the cupboard and NO peppermint Essence!!  I decided to adapt to the flavouring I had, ahh Coconut!! so the brownies became Coconut Ice Brownies, by simply substituting the coconut essence for the peppermint essence, the pink food colouring (I used paste) for the green and adding a tablespoon of moist coconut flakes to the filling recipe.

The brownies turned out fantastic!! VERRRY rich, but small pieces means they will last longer. I would probably adjust the cream cheese filling mix a little, by adding  more cheese to the mix. Delicious with coffee.

Many Moons have passed - some of them Blue

It is positively ages since I last posted, Life has been racing along at a cracking pace.

I have not been doing as much baking over the last 12 months. Work has been frantic and I  find other things to catch up on, on weekends.

Over the last few months, I managed to acquire an American Girl Doll to act as model for the clothes I make for my Granddaughter's Lanie AG doll. I have named her Pandora, and I have made quite a few things, some for GD's doll and some for Pandora.

Pandora is a Pleasant Company Doll and seems to have a slightly bigger "bum" than Lanie. I was having trouble getting the clothes to fit  - patterns seemed to print out ok, but being the suspicious kind I rechecked the measure guide and it was just 1/16 too small. So yesterday I reprinted nearly all of my patterns (from PDF's) and made a new nicely fitting outfit.

Pandora is so pleased not to be labelled with a big bum and is very happy with her new (and well fitted) outfit.

Quite a few of the outfits are made from vintage dressmaking scraps dating from the fifties through to the late 1980's early 1990's. (Oh and some from my quilting stash - not that I have a lot, but it just has not been cold enough to make any more quilts over the last few years.)

The shorts were made from the remnants of a fat quarter and there is still enough for another pair! Now that is thrifty!

 

 

Worcestershire Sauce

In the next couple of days I am going to try a new recipe. One for Worcestershire Sauce.

 

We have been going through Mum's things and I came across this one, so since we have run out here at home, I thought it would be a good chance to have a go at making a batch. Will be interesting to see if it is essentially the same flavour as the commercially available sauces.

 

 

Indian Worcester Sauce (I haven't tried this yet) But let me know if you do.

 

1 lb. brown sugar

1/2 lb. sultanas (golden raisins)

1 quart vinegar

1 oz. garlic

little ginger ( not sure if this is powdered or fresh, but I would go with the powdered or ground) and pepper

few chillies

salt

cloves

 

Have all the above ground very fine (spices). I you do not have brown sugar take a handful of white sugar and brown in pan.

 

Add brown sugar, vinegar, sultanas  and spices to a pan.

Stir and boil for 1 hour.

Strain and bottle when cold.

 

Do not have lid on saucepan when boiling