craftjuice

lustful object of the day - mushu bags

This one?

or this one?

OMG I want them ALL! (not to mention the raccoon bag)

Check out Made590 site and blog . You will never, ever leave. Ever.

status report: saturday 10 april, 7.44am

This little piggy wore sneakers...

Finishing: half an hour walk up the mountain and around the uni and half an hour hoola hooping and rhythmic boxing on the Wii Fit - yes my peeps...I've been EXERCISING!

Thinking about: getting serious about shaking this ass!

Just discovered: since Christmas, I've put on the equivalent weight of one of my Boston Terriers onto my body (I'm not going to tell you which one or where it went). This is alarming. And a wake up call. I want to be proud of how I look and a good role model for Miss M. And to fit in my clothes.

Cooking: Well, I still have to have a coffee, but today, food changes in my house.

Planning: some sort of gold star chart for me to motivate me to exercise and eat properly. And not drink like a fish.

Checking out: Beyonce's great ass on channel V - sure, she might be 12 years younger than me, been a dancer all her life and has good genes, but hell, surely I can look like an older, whiter, mildly slobbier version of her? Or not.

Listening to: Beyonce being Crazy In Love - those crazy kids with their short shorts and exploding cars.

I really must: make a list of all the things I'm going to do today - I'm feeling motivated to be productive!

Watching: my body recover from the shock of sudden movement this morning.

Wanting: a Virgin Mary. I'm addicted.

Have just finished: the second load of washing for the day already.

Needing to: make some lamb and vege soup...mmmm

Missing: creative inspiration

Hoping: this motivation to transform my body actually continues!

Looking forward to: seeing my best friend Glenn tomorrow for lunch (healthy lunch!) and seeing the new Jean-Pierre Jeunet film MicMacs - I can't wait!!!

greek easter bread - tsoureki

Miss M and I have come down with some sort of energy sapping, body aching sickness this weekend, but it hasn't deterred us from our enthusiasm for Easter baking. (Yes, we've washed our hands.) I discovered things with yeast allow us to have a little lie down between efforts to recharge while the dough rises! Perfectly civilized.

Today we performed our final baking act in the kitchen...BEHOLD! THE GREEK EASTER BREAD!

And can I just tell you, it's freaking delicious. Like, really delicious. It really is. And easy. Easy peasy Greekeneesy.  I love making bread. I don't know what it is about it. But I love it. And it's not that hard. People get all freaked out about making bread, but it's simple. You should have a go.

And its great to get the kids involved too...Miss M could contribute to all steps as you can see (even the vacuuming up of a gazillion sesame seeds from the floor) - and she loved seeing how the bread rose up in the bowl and helping to shape and decorate with eggwash and various toppings (We used caraway - because I'm MAD for it, sesame seeds and slivered almonds).

This bread is slightly sweet with a faint citrus scent - fantastic for breakfast toast me thinks. Miss M was most adamant that there was to be no red egg in it, like the traditional Greek loaf. So there is no decorative egg. Which I was a bit sad about. Oh well.

Instead of the mahlab I boiled together and strained 2 cups of water, 3/4 tablespoon aniseed seed and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Instead of the mastic I just used the grated rind of one orange.

I followed the quantities in the recipe and came out with four beautiful braided loaves. This bread has a lovely texture - a little chewy but soft. And I love the braids - braided bread is my favourite. Don't ask me why. Maybe I have a Heidi thing going on.

Oh! Miss M found a good way to break an egg all by herself without it a) exploding over self and kitchen or b) end up with shell within.  She taps the very top of the egg on the rim of the bowl until it cracks, then peels the top off like flipping the lid off a bottle. Then she just pours out the egg. Very clever Miss M!

I'm off for a well earned sit down, coffee and of course...a slice or two of warm tsoureki!

Purely medicinal for us sick girls of course...

how to get bloglines on your iPhone

I've just been playing around with my iPhone and have just worked out how to get my Bloglines feeds onto my phone!

1. On your phone, open Safari and a new a web page and type i.bloglines.com

2. Log on to Bloglines like you would normally do

3. Press the '+' sign on the bottom navigation (to add as a favourite) and select 'Add to Home Screen'

This will add a Bloglines app link button to your iPhone front page navigation! Easy peasy!

I also added a direct link from this blog onto my front page navigation using the same process.

Hope that helps someone!

happy easter!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter, sharing love and laughter with family and friends!

Nxxx

hot cross buns

So they didn't turn out exactly like Nigellas, but for a first ever attempt, I give you my first ever Easter Hot Cross Buns!

They were lots of fun to make...

...lots of new ingredients for Miss M to explore such as yeast , orange rind and lots of new spices to smell and taste like cardamom, cloves and allspice!  Mmmm. Yummy.

Has anyone else given hot cross buns a go this year?

Next on the list for tomorrow's Easter adventures in baking is Greek Easter bread.

status report: saturday, 3 april, 10.33am

Brunch: leek and potato soup with rye

Finishing: checking out Facebook - everyone's eating and chilling. Just like me.

Thinking about: this article about people who taste their words. What would 'Nerida' taste like? (The other white meat?)

Just discovered: how impatient I am waiting for my hot cross bun dough to rise...

Cooking: hot cross buns - post to follow soon featuring a hopefully delicious outcome!

Planning: some quick grocery shopping today to get the final things for my greek easter bread

Checking out: what is james wearing? I love James. I really do.

Listening to: nothing in particular today, although I've got Babylon Circus in my head. I wish I could speak French.

I really must: eat less chocolate eggs - I have to eat two at a time - one for each thigh.

Watching: Scooby Doo

Wanting: a massage - my shoulders are killing for some reason? maybe I slept funny. like a clown.

Have just finished: downloading some new apps for my iPhone

Needing to: check my FlyLady list today - it is making such a positive difference to my life!

Missing: nothing much in particular...

Hoping: for a bit of rain later this weekend - it's not Easter until it rains!

Looking forward to: checking in a minute my hot cross bun dough has risen and baking them! yum!