The Making Granny

I have to thank my daughter for this super simple dessert which is delicious and can be made the day before you need it. I wanted to make a tasty dessert to take for lunch with friends, but it had to be able to withstand a 2 hour car journey - this dessert passed the test with flying colours! You will need: Jaffa cakes 10 Cream cheese 400g Custard 300ml Orange jelly 1 First melt the jelly in half a pint of boiling water and leave to cool. Meanwhile place the Jaffa cakes in the bottom of your tin or dish (I lined the tin with a cake liner as it makes it so much easier to get it out later) Once the jelly starts to thicken, put it in a bowl along with the custard and cream cheese.  Mix until smooth. Pour over Jaffa cake base and put in the ‘fridge’ for 2-3 hours to set. Just before serving, grate chocolate over the top to give a nice finish and you’re done! Enjoy!

I fancied a bit of woodwork today as the sun was shining and my shed was beckoning. I chose an off cut from the firewood pile and used a wooden spoon as a templates. I then chiselled out the spoon shape using a curved chisel and hammer. Once I had the shape, I sanded the bowl of the spoon as I find it easier to do this before I cut it out. Also, if it all goes horribly wrong, I can start again quite easily with some more firewood! Next, it was time to cut it out, a bit at a time. Once I’d cut it out roughly, it was just a case of sanding it to the shape I wanted. Slightly bent, but that just adds to its character! I will decorate it with a bit of pyrography and a pink bow ready for one of our friends who has moved house recently.

Now I’m not known for my culinary skills in a good way - when my family say “Granny is a legend in the kitchen” they are referring to all my many disasters, which still occur regularly! That said, this recipe is one of their favourites and NEVER fails! They’re crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle and can be made really quickly. Ingredients 125g butter 100g caster sugar  1tsp vanilla essence  2tbsp syrup 200g SR flour Pinch of salt 50g chocolate chips  First melt the butter in a jug in the microwave for 30 seconds ( it may take a few seconds longer if it is straight out the ‘fridge). Meanwhile put the sugar, syrup and vanilla essence into a bowl. Pour on the melted butter and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the flour, salt and chocolate chips and give a really good stir. Then, with your hands, form them into walnut sizes balls and place them on a non stick baking tray. Give each one a little press so that it is ab...

This is one of my favourite patterns, it is so easy and grows really quickly, which is so satisfying. It is also really warm so I have already made 2 to match my jackets. One of the best things about this pattern is that it only uses 2 stitches, knit and purl, so you can work on it whilst watching TV or to pass the time on a long journey - that’s when I do most of my knitting! I made one in a soft lightweight wool and the other in a chunkier, heavier wool. Once you have it to the length you want, just cast off and sew the ends together. Then just twist it twice around your neck for a really snug scarf. The pattern is from Pinterest and can be found here:  https://pin.it/IFYD4LJ  ( click on the link for the website under the picture on the relevant Pinterest page) I hope you enjoy making it as much as I do. 

Another of my Granddaughters saw some tiny log slice earrings in a shop in Finland and thought it would be an excellent thing for Granny to make for her! I like a challenge and so I set about the task. First I had to find a suitable stick... Then I used the band saw to make 4 slices and carefully sanded each side. Next I drilled a small hole into the top of each one... I burned Christmas trees on each side of one pair and small downhill skiers on the other pair, as my granddaughter is an avid skier, adding a little sparkle to the Christmas trees using sparkly gel pens. A coat of varnish finished them off before adding the silver plated earring hooks purchased previously. I shall definitely be making some more with different themes in the future. As always, if you have any questions please post a comment and I will do my best to answer them.

Yesterday I was asked to make a little gift for one of my Granddaughter’s friends who was coming for a sleepover. I found this easy knitting pattern for the bunny which took no time at all to make up. I embroidered the eyes and nose on before I sewed it together. The knitting pattern can be found here:  https://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns/tiny_knitted_toys/ I also found a knitting pattern for the little dresses and learned 2 new knitting stitches in the process - always good to learn something new. The dress pattern can be found here: https://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns Next you just need a suitable box which is big enough for bunny to sleep in and store her dresses. Any scraps of material can be used to make the matching mattress, pillow and duvet, adding a bit of lace as a finishing touch! As always, if you have any questions please post a comment and I will do my best to answer them.

Today I felt like messing about with wood and came across this idea for the bookworm in your family, in our case that’s our son in law! It fits on your thumb and allows you to read a thick paperback with just one hand - useful if you’re commuting or just fancy a cup of tea! So to start find a piece of scrap wood, I used oak but any wood will do and drill out 2 holes big enough to get your thumb through ( I also checked that it fitted my husband too!). Next cut across the centre and draw the rough shape out using the newly created hole as centre point. Then begin cutting out the shape. All that remains to be done now is the sanding off to make them smooth, especially where the thumb sits in the hole. Then a coat of oil or varnish for a nice finish. You can easily add some detail to make them more personal.  As always, if you have any questions please post a comment and I will do my best to answer them.