Sew Sweet:: Polkadots!

One of my favourite blogs belongs to a Japanese blog friend, Momo. She used to live in Australia but has now returned to Japan. It is great to know someone who is a part of both these countries... selfishly it is an interpretation of Japanese goodness into English! After posting a few comments on each other's blogs I think I read that she couldn't get any freezer paper, if memory serves me correctly! ... And as these things happen in lovely blogland we decided to do a swap! Our first blog to blog, non-organised event!

On Momo's first post she mentioned that we could read her blog whilst drinking a cup of tea... I love tea, it runs in my blood... the tea leaf originally coming from China (Dad's side) & having an English mother with a pot always on the boil. I can't relax properly if I don't have a cup of the freshly brewed stuff! It seems Momo is a girl after my own heart! Whilst we are freezing here in Sydney I am guzzling down loads of hot tea, but I have got the feeling that it is absolutely sweltering in the Northern Hemisphere. A good time for a refreshing Ice Tea, with coasters of course.

These coasters were made from the "fat quarters" that Nicky & I both discovered & hoarded at the craft fair... I don't like to cut into pretty fabric but I am trying hard to get over this affliction! This is one of my first steps in a 12 step program!

Momo sent me some lovely things from Japan... the light was very dull today, so when the sun shines I will take some photos & show you her generosity.

On another note, you may have noticed that we are prefacing our titles of late. We are trialling a new system! Yep trying to get organised... we plan to do 4 posts each week in the areas of Sweet & Soft, Sweet Eats, Sweet Inspiration & Sew Sweet. Blogging has made us much more creative & camera toting people... but sometimes we have found that we don't have any time to get any work done! So hopefully this will work out & our blog will be more focused. One downfall we have already noticed is that although we have completed our Martha Stewart cake for this month, as of today... we will have to wait & post it up next week!

By the way, clever Momo has started an etsy store selling her hand embroidered fabric covered buttons & other goodies... Japanese craft books to come! Yay! T

Raspberry Darjeeling Tea
From Donna Hay Magazine

1/2 Cup sugar
1.25 cups (180g/6oz) raspberries
4.5 cups (2 pints) boiling water
1.5 tablespoons of darjeeling tea leaves
ice cubes

- Place the tea in a heatproof jug, pour over boiling water and infuse
for 5 mins.
- Strain the tea and set aside to cool.
- Crush the raspberries with the back of a fork, then add the raspberry pulp & juice to the tea the sugar.
- Whisk to combine & serve over ice. Serves 4.

Sweet Inspiration! Fashion Market II

The last time I was in Singapore I trawled through the amazing "Page One" book stores. I could spend hours (actually I have spent hours) in there... they have the most amazing range of cook books from around the globe and an eye boggling range of design books. Baggage overload to the max!

This is the little tome I scored last visit... called Fashion Market II... it is 13 interviews with stall holders from Old Spitalfields Market & Up Market by Yi-Ying Wang. It gives an insight into the people, their designs & work spaces. I find it really inspiring, as a market stallholder myself to see people doing it really well....


My favourite is "As Twee As It Can Be". These three girls seem to be dreaming the same dream as us... to have a store with a studio out the back (Oops, did I type that out loud!).


I love the hand stitching of quirky sayings & they have cupcakes! I know I would spend a few pounds if I walked past this stall.


Love their work space... & I think I could kill for a Pingu fridge!

I can't seem to find a web site for them, but other than the Up Market the book says they sell at "our shop" in Kingly court in London. One of my favourite destinations in London... I always find something totally unique there... I could spend the same money at a chain store and have the same thing as a 1000 others or get some thing special... and next time I am going to look out for these guys! T

Up Market
In The Old Truman Brewery
Cnr Of Hanbury St & Brick Lane
On Sundays

Spitalfield's Market
105a Commerical Street
Spitalfield
Open 7 days

Nearest Tube Station: Liverpool St & Aldgate East

Sweet Eats: Snacks...& more snacks

Last Friday, Tiff & I took the day off to take our Mums to the annual Good Food & Wine Show at Darling Harbour. It was part of our Mother's Day present to them and it had been a couple of years since we had been, so we were really looking forward to seeing what was on offer!

The show basically gathers food and wine companies under one roof to showcase their products and gives the public an opportunity to try them and buy them on the spot. There's no need to have lunch here with so many goodies to sample....chocolate, jams, teas, dips, olive oils, spices, nougat, biscuits, dried fruits, soups, curries, cheeses...the list goes on. There were even kitchenware suppliers & our Mums got sucked in by that bastion of home demo parties...Tupperware. We particularly enjoyed the big Italian stand that sold coffee, pastas, antipasti and the most divine balsamic vinegar (which I later bought):

There was also a chance to check out Aussie celebrity chefs in the Celebrity Theatre & we had booked in to see Australia's answer to Martha Stewart....Donna Hay. Her cooking demonstration consisted of four simple ten-minute dinners. There was a bit of humour thrown in & the audience got to ask questions...here she is in action:

I think my Mum was quite impressed cos afterwards we proceeded to the Donna Hay stand where she bought a great value sample bag including a cookbook of these quick dinners. Mind you, none of us left empty-handed - Tiff & I stocked up on the latest Donna Hay Kids issue & some back issues (half the price of buying them on-line). At the Le Cordon Bleu stand (known for its international cooking school), I bought a fantastic Desserts cookbook with detailed step-by-step instructions on dessert techniques. Here is my bounty from the day including coffee, nougat, dukkah, honey and salmon jerky (!?):

There were so many great value deals at the stands...but our bags were so laden with food and magazines we really had to think twice about making purchases cos we'd have to carry them! My mum said next time she will bring a little wheelie-trolley. Then again, maybe it's a good thing to only buy what you can carry...otherwise we'd be out of pocket plenty more! Our stomachs were so full & our bodies exhausted that we didn't even venture to do any wine-tasting. Who knew that snacking could be such hard work! N

Sweet & Soft: And the winner is....

A big thank you to all you kind souls for your best wishes for our 100th post! Thank you also for sharing your favourite Sweet Little Treats...we had a great time reading them and we're glad we're not the only ones obssessed with sweet things! After some deliberation on our part...hmmm, yes I really love a sticky date pud in winter I said....it was agreed that Ali had to be the winner! While we also both have a soft spot for macaroons, it was the florentines that drew us in! We confess that apart from our millefeuille missions, we are also on florentine missions!

Congratulations Ali! Drop us an email with your details & Milly will be on her way to you! May you have many sweet adventures together! If there's not a millefeuille in sight, I'm sure she won't mind a florentine or two! N

What is your favourite Sweet Little Treat?

Yesterday was something for us.... now something for you to celebrate our 100 posts! If you like the little Rescue Softie below please leave a comment, letting us know what your favourite Sweet Little Treat is. You have until Saturday... on Sunday we will make our choice and let you know who it is.


This is Milly made from Japanese material rescued from the fashion manufacturing process. When she grows up she wants to be a Milliner & her favourite dessert? Millefeuille of course! So get commenting... and yes anyone can comment, friends you can join in too! (but we won't be biased... don't worry).T

100 Treats!

This is our 100th post! When we started blogging both of us were worried that we wouldn't have anything to post up. Who would have thought that we would have so much to say about sweet little treats? Okay, other than our husbands! We are really enjoying the blogging world... it is so positive & fun. The Martha Stewart "Year of Cakes" has driven us to make cakes we never thought we could... in tandem with others from around the world. We have participated in swaps here, here & here. We have even been mentioned here. The best part is meeting new sweet peeps! Our blogging friends! We even got to meet some face to face here!


To celebrate, Nicky & I treated ourselves to our most favourite place for patisserie in Sydney, La Renaissance. Both of us have a thing for Millefeuilles... In Paris our favourites are Pierre Herme & Sadaharu Aoki. But we aren't very often in Paris! So when we are home and need a fix... we seek out at this Rocks establishment. Their pastry is crispy & crunchy... not a hint of sogginess. The vanilla creme patissiere is so smooth & sleek. But the best bit is the caramelised icing sugar... not overwhelming, but for me the highlight.


Nicky tried the Cherry Michael... to be a bit adventurous (I just can't go past the MF!). It was made with sour cherries and apparently was tart, moist & full of juicy cherriness. It must have been good as it disappeared almost as quickly as my Millefeuille! The patisserie isn't the only thing that is so appealing about this place... it is the French service! Sometimes when you take too long to make up your mind which treat you are going to order you quickly find you have been ignored & have to wait again! This always makes me laugh...the full experience! T

La Renaissance Patisserie Francaise
47 Argyle Street
The Rocks Sydney 2000
T. 02) 9241 4878
Open 7 Days - 8.30am to 6.00pm

Winter warmer

Well, just so we won't be accused of foodie fraudulence as Tiff mentioned below...let me share a foodie experience I had last night.

For the Chinese (& many other cultures for that matter), the act of eating is very much about gathering with family & friends to share a meal. And nothing beats this more than getting together with friends for a Chinese steamboat dinner, as the hubbie & I did last night.


For those not in the know, steamboat consists of pots of homemade broth constantly on the boil on little gas stoves placed on the table. Into it are thrown anything that you fancy...sliced meats, seafood, fish balls, beef balls, eggs, vermicelli (or noodle of your choice)...and loads & loads of Asian greens. I call it the Asian fondue. You then scoop out the contents with little mesh spoons, accompanying the food with all manner of condiments & sauces (last night I had a mix of hoisin sauce with some laksa paste...sweet with chilli....mmm, very nice)....& eat! Food is constantly added, the stock is regularly topped up & by the end, you have this wonderful tasty soup to drink from all the goodies cooking in it. It's filling, it's messy, it feels healthy (everything is boiled) & it's very social cos everyone gets involved (as you can see above).

At last night's gathering, we had a market garden's worth of Asian vegies & we were eating for about 2 hours. We were stuffed! But it was a great winter warmer. I don't think I could have this too often, although my mother-in-law recently mentioned putting on a steamboat before winter's end....hmmm, I think I should be ok by then! N

Friday :: Red

Red is pretty big in Chinese culture... so much of the traditions seem to centre on good fortune and long life. The two colours that have come to symbolise these good things are gold & red. Yep it can get a bit gaudy at times especially at special occasions like weddings & births! I wore one of those traditional tight slip of silk red cheong sams with the high collar at my wedding. Half of me is English... and that half found it very difficult to breathe in for the 2 hour duration that I wore that thing! Since then I have really adopted red as my "signature" colour.


My desk is red... my cabinets are red.. kitchen aid is red... kitchen wall is red... fruit bowl is red... kitchen bin is red... Yep! Love it...

On Sunday Nicky & I are meeting up with other Sydney food bloggers.... having said other food bloggers makes me feel a bit fraudulent as I don't think we have mentioned food this week! So to prove our worthiness I am in the midst of putting together a postcard for another recipe I found in my mum's old cook book for Sago pudding.


On another food front I was listening to ABC radio (our public broadcaster) yesterday & Virginia Trioli had Damien Pignolet of Bistro Moncur as her guest. The segment is called "The Knack"-where chefs share special techniques to get your home cooking up to restaurant quality. Yesterday it was pastry and he shared a recipe... it seems he double blind bakes & there were tips like putting your food processor bits in the fridge before using them. I didn't hear the whole interview as I was driving through a tunnel next to a semi-trailer at the time. Not great sound quality. Hopefully the tips are on the website!

And to end... the cutest kid in red!


Well I think so! T

Thursday + 1:: Blue

Okay! I know I am late with my blueness... Here it is! I was outside on the balcony catching a bit of winter sun with a cup of tea. Harrods Tea. I ration the stuff out because it is so good and I never seem to buy enough of it when I am in London. It is all brewing away in my favourite teapot from Afternoon Tea (the best shop in the world) and in my favourite Lisa & Gaspard mug. Life is so much better when you use your favourite things!

The polkatdot bags and the squares of blue fabric are something for my blogging friend Momo. I am off to post them now and then I will have to think about something red before it is tomorrow!

Some more winter blue:


Horlicks the pup is sick. He has Kennel cough... he has never been anywhere near a kennel mind you, but he has managed to pick up the little bug. He has doggy antibiotics and doggy cough syrup. The worst part is that he needs to be in isolation from other dogs for 2 whole weeks! He is used to gallivanting with his buddies every day for about two hours... so we have had to go for long... long walks. So long that half way up the fifth hill yesterday I needed to lie down on the grass. I think by the end of all this I will have lost a couple of kilos and improved my fitness (trying to be Pollyanna!).

The photo is of Sydney park... it used to be a rubbish dump but now it is a puppy playground of hills & dales that after all our rain is green enough for the telly tubbies to waddle on. T

Crazy craftsters!

We headed off to our first Craft & Quilt Fair yesterday, not knowing what to expect but hoping to find some crafty goodies and maybe some supplies for our business exploits. What we did find was a mass of crazy craftsters, all jostling & edging their way around the exhibitor stalls...some of the queues were 5-deep! And this was a weekday! Tiff & I were looking at each other with bemusement, especially when we overheard one craftser tell an exhibitor she's in town for all 5 days of the fair! Wow, these people are full-on!

The fair consisted mainly of quilt & knitting retailers, but there were also quite a few stationery & scrapbooking stalls, workshops to attend and the Bead Fair was also running concurrently. We found it all a little overwhelming & things started to blur & look the same after a while! But we did manage to pick up some lovely fabric pieces, giggling at the quilting term for these "fat squares"...or was that "fat quarters"? Ok, can you tell neither of us quilt?! Here is the delicious selection I purchased:

I love them!! I think I will need to keep them out, cos every time I look at them they make me smile! Being a craft newbie, I have absolutely no fabric collection to speak of. But I think buying these has created a fabric monster...a bit like the handbag monster that I already am!

Both of us had to restrain from buying any more...especially as we need to save our pennies for next week's food & wine fair! And we know there'll be a tonne of goodies there! N

Wednesday :: Black/ Grey

I think little Foong here is my favourite black/grey thing at the moment... although I hesitate to have a favourite softie because they end up JINXED! Before we go to the market and I am happily sewing on the faces I can't help myself, I have to nominate which softie I like the best.... but there is a whole lotta trouble with this. The one I choose always gets lots of cuddles but it takes a couple of weeks for them to find a home. Others (non-favourites) dash off the moment they hit the table. Weird.

Foong is a fortune cookie maker whose favourite dessert is of course fortune cookies! He is made from some Japanese fabric picturing the great wave. Japanese just know how to use the neutral colours so well together.

As I mentioned last post... Nicky & I are off to the craft fair today. Hopefully I will find something for the lovely Momo there. T

Tuesday :: Brown

I think I am a bit slow to cotton on to things happening in blogland! Last time the colour week was on I noticed on Thursday and loved it. Although I didn't actively participate it really enhanced my walks around our neighbourhood... I saw the oranges, reds, browns... everywhere.

So it is Tuesday and my radar seems a little bit more in tune... at least I was getting my little birds fix! So here is my favourite brown, espresso coffee in a glass. Not coffee in one of those take-away paper thingies...


I guess it signifies time with friends.... time to sit... time to sip that nutty goodness. Today it was time with my oldest friend (not in age, but in time known... since the vulnerable age of 13) to hear about her first trip to the glorious Spain.

I also found this picture of white for yesterday... I guess there is a lot of black, but to me that is what makes the white of the cherry blossom so brilliant. I posted a picture similar to this previously, but I think I like this one better.


Going to the craft fair tomorrow... wonder if there is any black/grey there! T

Kitty & the city- Back Tack ends

Here is Samantha, a real city kitty who is my Back Tack offering for Allison.


I tried to be as pure as possible about the Back Tack project... I loved its premise. Same patterns, 5 buttons, recipient's monogram, black & white plus one other colour and the interesting part... how each of us would interpret all of this and make a softie. And with all this everyone has created something different. Love it!

So I chose the wee pointy kitty... a pattern I had been eyeing off but for all the other projects had never attempted. I really like the pointy bits! The trial kitty was made out of some cotton gingham... and believe the warning this is not an easy creature to turn inside out! Samantha was made with white herringbone fabric that I iron-on transferred my design onto. Did you know that this iron-on stuff makes fabric feel & act like vinyl?! AAArgh! I didn't think about it... but turning a wee vinyl pointy kitty inside out is for crazy people! It took me over 1 and a half hours! And in the end I had to give up on the tail... sorry Allison she has a stumpy tail!


The reason she is called Samantha is because I was pondering who on this earth would wear white vinyl? It would have to be Samantha from "Sex & the city"! Allison, she is only young, so there may be hope to reform her... but I had to give her that slightly bling button around her neck in case she wishes to live up to her name sake!

I also made up some other offerings for Allison to hopefully distract her from Samantha's tail...

...some matching extra bits:


...and there are some other fun things for Allison & Tilly that they will discover!

Looking forward to seeing the gallery of all the other creations and to not lying awake at 1am wondering if my softie was good enough! T

Little ray of sunshine!

On Thursday a little ray of sunshine came to Sydney. It didn't last long, but while it was here Horlicks the pup & I ran about in it... we went straight to a reserve down from Nicky's.

On the way back I noticed that the local bushcare group has transformed some ugly cyclone fencing into art. With a few scraps of fabric they have changed some urban ugliness into something that makes me smile every time I walk past.

I think this is a stork...


willy wag tail...


sparrow...


rosella...



It is raining again, but for a drought sticken country we can't be complaining about that. T

Buon giorno Principessa!

I am still trying to be Italian and in my continuing quest to discover my adoptive roots I headed around to Ana's with mum & Nicky for our second cooking lesson - Amaretti Biscotti! Again the day was filled with giggling, eating & yummy smells filling the air... Here is the recipe and our photographic journal... that we took in the hope we can still be Italian at home!

Ana's Amaretti

Ingredients
1 kilo Almonds
1 doz egg whites
600g Caster sugar
50ml Almond Essence
Icing sugar for dusting

Preset the oven to 190C

1. I thought that I would be picking up the Almond meal from the shops. But no... we made our own. I don't know why, but Nicky & I were a bit blown away by this. We had never even considered doing this, but Ana assures us the Almond meal will become tired if made in advance! Okay first step is to blanch the Almonds for a few mins.
2. Dry the Almonds in the oven- don't toast.
3. Then get your handy Almond mill and get milling. Here is an action shot of Nicky (after our tomato milling last time we are wondering what we will be doing on our next lesson!) grinding through the kilo.


The result is a massive bowl of meal.


4. Gently mix the meal & the castor sugar together. You should try and keep the air in as much as possible. Don't squeeze!
5. Add the Almond Essence to the whites.
6. In a constant stream add the whites to the meal & sugar.... if you are just making this by yourself Ana says to tip it in all at once.
7. Mix the whole lot together gently. We were still trying to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. Ana kept saying "Don't squeeze"!
8. Pinch off a small amount then roll around in your hand until it is a ball. Don't press it together. Here is Ana's hand in action!


9. Toss the ball in icing sugar.


10. Set the balls out on a tray lined with baking paper. Make sure the tray is not too crowded to allow good air flow around each biscotti.
11. Gently push an almond or small piece of glace cherry onto each ball. The ball should flatten a bit. Sometimes we didn't push the almond in enough and it didn't look as good perched on the top.


12. Place tray in oven for 15- 20 mins or until golden brown.

This recipe makes about 88 biscotti. If you don't like a strong marzipan taste (like me) I would reduce the amount of Almond Essence. Nicky knows of a recipe that just uses Vanilla Essence, I think that would be nice.

It didn't take much time to make these tasty morsels which left us ample time to enjoy some lunch... which Ana had been preparing when we arrived in the morning, slow cooked Italian sausage & tomato sauce with home made spaghetti. This is why I want to be Italian... to live la dolce vita! Ciao! T

Work or play?

Tiff & I neeeeed an office. Really badly. Yes, it has dawned on us that we need a space just for work. To focus. To be more efficient. To stash our boxes of t-shirts, fabric hoards and other sewing paraphenalia. To reclaim our homes as personal living spaces. Our home offices have taken over our homes! The photo above is of my dining table...split down the middle between our work stuff and my personal recipe collating project.

The other night, my hubbie (who's the chef in our household) asked me to set the table for dinner. I said, "What table???" I try to tidy up before he gets home from work, but sometimes I just don't get round to it! And then last night, hubbie & I had dinner on the coffee table, Japanese-style. Hmmm, don't think we can continue this for too much longer - the mess is driving me crazy! And I won't go into what our spare room/home office looks like.......but let's just say when we have guests over, the door remains closed at all times!

So we've been on the hunt for a small office for our business, but we haven't had much luck yet. We are hoping something pops up soon...cos we need to reclaim some of our sanity! N

Back Tack is the new black

I am really enjoying surfing the blogs of other Back Tackers... within the confines of black & white plus one other colour, everyone has created something different & unique. I would love to see them all in real life... and am looking forward to seeing the gallery.

Allison hasn't received her parcel from me yet. But I thought it was time to share a glimpse... little Samantha (I will explain the name later) is all done. At last!


I forgot to post up the pincushion that Allison sent me. A massive cake! I am currently putting it to good use... had to pull out all the pins before I took the photo!


On another note- that is totally unrelated! Winter has truely come to Sydney. It is wet & windy. Yesterday we had the more rain than the whole of last month (I think that is what they said on the news). When I got back from the park, squishing around, walking the dog... I thought about comfort food. Mmmmm.... Sago pudding! I know that some people think sago pudding is just YUK! But have you had it from Yum Cha? It is all oozy and custardy with a crisp baked top. When I introduced it to some friends they shared a ramekin with me- now we each have our own.


I discovered this recipe at Grab Your Fork... It makes an industrial sized amount . Enough to feed an entire Yum Cha restaurant me reckons! Next time I will halve the recipe... a few of our friends have tried it and both of us have. It is missing the lotus paste, but it is still yum.


I made it for my extended family and it all disappeared. Everyone loves a bit of comfort food! T

Back Tack Hand Delivery!

Well! His name is Tuff....


On Saturday (whilst we were manning our market stall) Allison & her daughter Tilly hand delivered Tuff to me! What a big surprise that was... it is so nice to see who is behind my Back Tack softie. And what a lovely guy he is... So full of personality. Everyone was cooing over his cuteness and couldn't believe that Allison doesn't want to make another one (I think we should all encourage her to keep going- amazing result for a first time!). My boy exclaimed "Oh man... he is cool" and then "what is all this other stuff?". Hmmm... Allison has been really generous, here is what I got:

1. A pincushion cake, which I am already using! (oops forgot to take a photo- the light is really bad now so I will have to post one up later)
2. An amazing Biography/ recipe book of Antonin Careme... apparently the creator of many French food classics. I am sure I will have to read this with lots of snacks at hand.
3. Allison has provided snacks! Yummy chocolate- infused with Lavender & Lime (gobbled up 2 rows whilst down-loading photos!), peppermint lozenges that I have been eyeing off in food magazines & some licorice lollies with lovely packaging!
4. An Italian recipe for Colomba Pasquale. Bit daunted by a yeast recipe- I usually make rocks for bread!
5. Some Icing colours, which will come in use for some cupcakes.
6. The loveliest Smiggle box- in a Tiffany blue? Love it.

I have been very spoilt... Thank you Allison!



He was a bit afraid to leave his box at first... but soon warmed up to his new surrounds! First he tried to snuggle in with Horlicks. But I don't trust Horlicks with Softies!


He is going to live on our couch with Hiro-o and the wise owl... here they are making friends!


And he was very excited to see that we live opposite a puppy park, but that will have to be for another day as the rain is bucketing down!


My boy, after examining everything said "you had better send Allison something good, show me what you have got!". Man the pressure! I have already been lying awake at 1am panicking about making a good enough softie... things haven't really gone to plan and I have created a few offerings in the hope that Allison will be distracted from the result. Hopefully tomorrow I will get around to posting up a sneak peek of my Back Tack creation. T

P.S Tuff wants to pass on a "hello" to Tilly... who patted and kissed him good bye. Too sweet.

Drink Milk! Read Milk!

Every now and then something can really grab your imagination... it can be fabric, colours of a leaf, exhibitions... You know what I mean. Something that turns on the light for your creativity. My boy works in fashion and he firmly believes that travel is important... to see how other people interpret something in a way you haven't even thought of. My creative light seems to be switched on by things I see in Japan & in France. One of the magazines I discovered was Milk magazine... it has got all the nutrients for kid's and adult's minds!

This fish soup just made me laugh out loud when I first turned to the page...



And if they had these kind of books in my library, I would be there more often!



And I am keeping this apron in mind to create something for my cheeky niece! I think she will get away with anything wearing this...



The philosophy of the magazine is that "Milk takes us on a modern journey through the world of childhood" and it wants to provide "genuine education that also helps children to develop a taste for beautiful things." Well it is working for me just in the cover art alone! T