The Grene http://emily.posterous.com Why not make a better world? posterous.com Thu, 24 Jan 2013 14:13:52 -0800 Monsters of Aberdeen http://emily.posterous.com/monsters-of-aberdeen http://emily.posterous.com/monsters-of-aberdeen
Monstersofaberdeen

We're hoping to take Steve's muppets to the Edinburgh Mini Maker Faire
this April. Filling in the forms now. Wish us luck!

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Fri, 23 Nov 2012 08:30:43 -0800 Signs of Autumn http://emily.posterous.com/signs-of-autumn-9908 http://emily.posterous.com/signs-of-autumn-9908 Last sittable sunny patches until Spring.

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Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:29:09 -0800 Complaint http://emily.posterous.com/complaint http://emily.posterous.com/complaint These cookies are broken.

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Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:09:00 -0800 £33.79 raised for Children in Need! http://emily.posterous.com/3379-raised-for-children-in-need http://emily.posterous.com/3379-raised-for-children-in-need

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As of this moment, I have sold three copies of my shawl pattern, as well as the original shawl. I transferred my PayPal balance over to Pudsey so it will be counted in tonight's total. 

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Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:33:00 -0800 What's for Dinner? (Friday 16 Nov) http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-friday-16-nov http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-friday-16-nov

Friday's dinner was venison burgers with wedges and buttered greens.  

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The burgers were one of Jamie's clearance acquisitions from the freezer, and I also found some homemade rolls in there.  I sauteed some leeks and finely shredded spring greens, and put them directly on my burger.  Jamie had them on the side.  But the best part was the potato wedges.

Best Wedges Ever

500g potatoes, well scrubbed

1 T vegetable oil

any combination paprika, oregano, cumin, chili powder to taste

salt and pepper

1 T semolina flour

Slice the potatoes lengthwise into wedges about 1/2 inch thick.  (Don't bother peeling them.) Lay the slices out on a tea towel and pat dry.  In a bowl, toss them with the oil and spices, and then again with the semolina.  Lay out in a single layer on a tray lined with foil or parchament paper and bake at 400°F for 20-30 minutes, flipping once. 

The semolina makes them extra crunchy, and has been proven over the years to be superior to both regular flour and cornmeal.  They are excellent with ketchup, sweet chilli sauce, or (my favourite) savoury onion and thyme applesauce.  

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Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:11:00 -0800 What's for Dinner? (Thursday 15 Nov) http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-thursday-15-nov http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-thursday-15-nov

Thursday's dinner was red spaghetti.  We had it with a particularly good baguette I brought home from the Wee Boulangerie, and dipping oil mixed with some of Mom's spice blend.

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Red Spaghetti

1/2 small onion, sliced thinly

a few sundried tomatoes in oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bunch ruby chard, leafy parts only

salt and pepper

spaghetti

Put the spaghetti on to boil  Chop up the tomatoes and put them into a cold pan, then turn the heat to medium-high.  When they start to sizzle, throw in the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent.  Meanwhile, chop up the chard into thin slices.  When the onions are ready, throw in the garlic and stir through.  Add the chard and stir-fry, moving it around so that all the pieces wilt evenly.  The spaghetti will be done about now, so put it with a splash of its cooking liquid into the pan and stir to combine.  Salt and pepper to taste.

I like this recipe because the sauce cooks in the time the pasta would boil anyway, so it takes about fifteen minutes all told.  I've used same technique for spinach and spring greens, and it is always delicious.

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Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:50:00 -0800 What's for Dinner? (Wednesday 14 Nov) http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-wednesday-14-nov http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-wednesday-14-nov

Wednesday's dinner was salmon and bulgar wheat pilaf.

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I had planned cous cous, but realised at the last moment that I was out, so I topped up my vegetables with bulgar wheat.  I baked the salmon with slices of lemon I had reserved from making my lemon yogurt bundt cake.

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This is one of those recipes I pull out again and again.  It doesn't contain butter, so it requires no softening or creaming, so it's a super-quick cake.  It's based on a traditional French gâteau au yaourt.

Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake

2 eggs

1 C yogurt

1 C sugar

1/3 C vegetable oil 

zest of one lemon

2 C flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

Icing: Half a cup of icing sugar mixed with the juice of one lemon, just enough to make pourable.

Beat together everything up to the zest, then fold in the dry ingredients. Pour batter into a well-buttered bundt tin and bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before turning out. Ice only when fully cool. Most delicious the second day.

 

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Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:09:00 -0800 Cocomoments http://emily.posterous.com/cocomoments http://emily.posterous.com/cocomoments

I made another batch of Melting Moments this afternoon, but this time I substituted a tablespoon of cocoa powder for the same amount of flour.  I dub them Cocomoments.  I have decided they were better cool than warm, which defies expectations.

But they made a picturesque tea for Jamie:

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Wed, 14 Nov 2012 04:04:48 -0800 Breakfast http://emily.posterous.com/breakfast http://emily.posterous.com/breakfast
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Today I am thankful for whole wheat toast with real butter and
homemade strawberry jam.

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Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:43:00 -0800 What's for Dinner? (Sunday) http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday

Sunday is a day for dozing next to the fire with one's cat.

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And for making chicken pot pie, which is an excercise in combinatorics: 

Picasion

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Sun, 11 Nov 2012 06:15:00 -0800 Comparing Things: Gif Generators http://emily.posterous.com/comparing-things-gif-generators http://emily.posterous.com/comparing-things-gif-generators

I thought it was time I learned how to make animated gifs.  Here I compare the four top website hits for "make animated gif" with pictures of Morrin's toys: 

makeagif.com 

  • upload all pictures at once
  • 6 speeds
  • no file name 

(IMAGE REMOVED FOR SLOWING DOWN PAGE)

gifninja.com

  • upload all pictures at once
  • variable speed slider
  • preview while editing
  • can specify filename and caption
  • download file as .gif.html

(IMAGE REMOVED FOR SLOWING DOWN PAGE)

picasion.com

  • select only one pic at a time
  • all options on one page
  • variable speed
  • variable size

Picasion

gickr.com

  • same as picasion, but more ads

Gickr

And the winner is picasion.com!  The first two are too big, and either take too long to load or don't work.  The third and fourth are about the same, but the third was more pleasing to make.  Here come the gifs.

 

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Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:39:00 -0800 What's for Dinner? (Friday) http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-friday http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-friday

Today's dinner was risotto, which, despite being vegetarian, is probably the most expensive thing I routinely make.  It uses my two favourite ingredients in the world: saffron and sun-dried tomatoes. 

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Everyone has their own way of making risotto, and mine involves no measuring at all, so I do not presume to give a recipe.  I do have a tip, though: if you're going to use a stock cube or powder, put it all in at the beginning and boil the water separately in the electric kettle.  The water stays hot enough, and you don't waste the energy or washing to keep a separate pot of stock simmering.

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Jamie has tried his hand at glamour shots, but even in the kitchen our lighting is minimal.

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Thu, 08 Nov 2012 12:38:00 -0800 Baking with Sheena III: Ginger Biscuits http://emily.posterous.com/baking-with-sheena-iii-ginger-biscuits http://emily.posterous.com/baking-with-sheena-iii-ginger-biscuits

THESE THINGS ARE AMAZING.

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Thursday is Jamie's night out with the nerds, and there were no Poirots recorded that I haven't seen, so I rifled through Gran's recipes and found a tempting one: 

 

42. Peggy (Garpin) Ginger Biscuits

3/4 lb S.R. flour

1/2 lb castor sugar

3 oz syrup

4 oz butter or marg.

l level tsp. Bicar. of Soda

1 tsp gr. ginger

1 small egg

Melt sugar, butter + syrup in pan + add to all other ingredients.  Roll into small balls, place on baking tray.  Bake in mod. oven.

 

That's the recipe as transcribed exactly from her card.  I wish I had them here so I could take a picture of the original.  Garpin is either the name of a family or a farm.  I will consult the in-laws and update you.

 

Garpin Ginger Biscuits (Em's first try)  Yield: 31

8 oz castor sugar

3 oz golden syrup

4 oz salted butter

12 oz plain flour + 1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t ginger

1 medium egg

In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, butter and syrup until just melted.  Leave to cool for a few minutes until you can put your finger in it comfortably.  Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl, then pour in warm mixture and one pre-beaten egg.  Roll into smaller than usual balls, and bake at 350°F for fifteen minutes, or just until the inside of the cracks have turned the same brown as the rest of the cookie.

 

Verdict: Awesome.

 

Part of the delight of these family recipes is that they come with no picture, and also they're from a culture of which I'm not a native.  So who knows how they'll came out.  It was great to watch them through the oven door as they puffed up, then melted down, then formed cracks, then turned a deep golden brown.

 

I think I slightly overbaked the first dozen, and they ran into each other.  So for the second batch I used smaller balls on a bigger pan and took them out sooner.  The best example from the first batch is on the left, and from the second on the right.

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They are flat and crispy and sweet and gingery and just a bit caramelly from the syrup.  Would definitely make again.  Mmm.

 

 

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Wed, 07 Nov 2012 13:49:00 -0800 What's for Dinner? (Another Wednesday) http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-another-wednesday http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-another-wednesday

Today was cold and windy.  I made chilli. 

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I served it with the extra rice that I shrewdly made last night.  I started chopping vegetables (including a home-grown serrano pepper!) at 6 and it was happily bubbling away on its own by 6:30.  I worked on knitting my latest hat while it simmered and called Jamie in for dinner at 7:15.

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I haven't perfected chilli yet, so I'm not providing a recipe.  You'll just have to look at the pictures.  

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This picture does not make dinner look very delicious, but that is because I used my iPad and it gets dark here at 4:30.  Maybe I should get some task lighting.

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Wed, 07 Nov 2012 12:55:00 -0800 What's for Dinner? (Another Tuesday) http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-another-tuesday http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-another-tuesday

This Tuesday's dinner is stir-fried vegetables with steamed rice.

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The refrigerator contained bok choy, carrots, the rest of the red pepper from the pizza, and half a leek.  I stir fried them all in a large pan in a little oil, then tossed in my standard sauce made of arbitrary amounts of soya sauce, vinegar, mustard, honey, ginger, coriander, turmeric and water.  I let that reduce for a bit, then turned off the heat and drizzled a little sesame oil on top. We ate it with sweet chilli sauce.

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And for dessert, rice pudding because the milk was starting to get a bit old, and the extra heat from the oven kept me warm while I was working. 

Rice Pudding

3 oz arborio rice

2 oz sugar

1 oz butter

2 pints milk

1 t vanilla extract

pinch nutmeg

pinch cinnamon

Throw everything into an oven-proof dish that has a lid, and cook it in a 150 oven for 2-2.5 hours, stirring every half hour or so.  It's done when it resembles a pudding, but will keep thickening as it cools. 

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Rice pudding is Jamie's childhood favourite.  It takes so little effort to make him so happy.

 

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Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:47:00 -0800 What's for Dinner? (Another Monday) http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-another-monday http://emily.posterous.com/whats-for-dinner-another-monday

Pizza day!  (It's the best day.)

After a bus ride back from the Borders, errands in the city, an eye appointment, and a cold walk home to a cold house, I pulled a half batch of pizza dough and a dish of sauce from the freezer.  In a few hours it was defrosted enough to throw together with leeks, broccoli, red pepper and mozzarella, and the result was a delicious homemade pizza.  

Our house pizza dough recipe is based on Billy Reisinger's, but Jamie has done the maths to use up our abundance of digestive crumb "sand."

Digestive Pizza

1.5 cups warm water

141 g digestive crumbs (gold glitter optional)

2 t salt

26 g oil

14 g yeast

413 g bread flour

Mix water, digestives, and yeast in a large bowl.  Let sit for ten minutes. (This allows the yeast to bloom and the crumbs to soften.)  Add salt and oil, then flour, 100g at a time.  When it becomes too hard to stir, turn it out and knead it on the counter until all the flour is combined and the dough is smooth.  Put back in the bowl, cover loosely, and leave to rise for at least an hour in a warm place. When ready to make pizza, knock back and halve the dough.  Put one half in the freezer for next week, and bake the other half in a 200 oven until the cheese is almost about to burn.

I was too excited about to get a picture of the cooked pizza before we dug into it.  It was delicious.

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Wed, 07 Nov 2012 09:20:00 -0800 MAKE-LEARN-GIVE: First Week of November http://emily.posterous.com/make-learn-give-first-week-of-november http://emily.posterous.com/make-learn-give-first-week-of-november

I MADE a pattern for Pudsey (this was way more work than I had anticipated.)

Denisechart2

I LEARNED that a gill is a unit equal to a quarter of a pint.  It is pronounced like the girl's name Jill and was a standard measurement in the dairy industry. 

Gill_400

I GAVE my Katamari machine to a very sympathetic gamer from Freecycle.  He was very excited to start rolling things up.

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Wed, 07 Nov 2012 08:24:00 -0800 First Pattern Sold! http://emily.posterous.com/first-pattern-sold http://emily.posterous.com/first-pattern-sold

Someone bought my pattern!  That's £2 for Pudsey, landmark occasion for me!  This is way more exciting that any of you realise.  

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Tue, 06 Nov 2012 08:52:41 -0800 Signs of Autumn II http://emily.posterous.com/signs-of-autumn-ii http://emily.posterous.com/signs-of-autumn-ii
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I love when the setting sun lights up the clouds from beneath.

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Sun, 04 Nov 2012 08:49:00 -0800 Baking with Sheena II http://emily.posterous.com/baking-with-sheena-ii http://emily.posterous.com/baking-with-sheena-ii

Today I finished transcribing all 123 of Gran's hand-written recipes.  The Australian Tea Cake card is my favourite, because of the warning at the top.  

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Recipes 19, 23, 59 and 106 are all for chicken liver paté, which either means that she really loved it, or could never find a recipe she liked.  The recipe for beetroot chutney is covered in purple splatters.

Recipes for Banana Loaf

 

 

 

 

 

14

15

16

Favourite

bananas

3

3

3

3

butter

4 oz

5 oz

3 oz

2 oz

sugar

4 oz

6 oz

4 oz

8 oz

flour

6 oz SRF

8 oz wheat

7 oz SRF

10 oz plain

eggs

2

2

2

2

liquid

2 T milk

1 orange

 

 

leavening

1 t soda 

1 t powder

1/4 t soda

1 t powder

 

There are also three recipes for Banana Loaf, which Gran made often to dispose of overripe bananas. According to Lynne, she latterly preferred the recipe from the Callum's Trust Home Baking Book (marked Favourite), which has far more sugar.  I hate banana bread, but now I'm tempted to make four in the name of science.

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