“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” ― William Morris, 1834-1896. Red Candy Review...Oh and SD's fruit crumble...

We haven't got the biggest house ever. That's why I always try to keep in mind William Morris's mantra when buying new things.

So when a couple of days ago I was asked if I'd like to review some items from Red Candy's online shop, I couldn't resist ordering these gorgeous  Russian Doll Ceramic Measuring cups. Each half of the two nesting dolls forms one of four measuring cups. I have a bit of a penchant for Russian things, and these nesting dolls look so cute, are very useful, save me getting out the kitchen scales; and they take up minimal space. Perfect. 

As the dolls were only £18 the Red Candy budget I was given allowed me something else. They have lots to choose from...not all red. I was attracted to the cotton Typhoon Apple Heart Pinifore. 

...a spot of apron modelling...

...different background...must remember to take hands out of pockets next time...

 ...oh and switch the light on...

I have a lot of aprons (because I'm very messy)...usually in my normal neutral linen style that I love, but they are not the most flattering garments. Wouldn't really want my photo taken in one. This one fits amazingly. It's almost like a dress. I love the halter neck. It's really too nice to wear for household chores...So again qualifies on the William Morris count and gets another big thumbs up from me. And it was on sale...

The website is really user-friendly, and everything came very quickly. The next day. It was so fast that I wondered what it could be. I never imagined the order would be processed so speedily.  Everything was carefully wrapped up and arrived in a lovely big box. It was just like Christmas in the middle of summer. 

I had to try them out straight away. it just had to be something red didn't it?  So I raided the garden for fruit and made  Sophie Dahl's Crumble recipe with almost all red fruit...yummy...

Random Recipe 25 The Choice is Yours - "unadulterated manna"

 

...That's how Sophie Dahl described her banana bread, when fresh out of the oven, eaten "with a lick of butter."She also said that she used to make it "in the fierce winters" when she "lived in New York and it was too freezing to do anything but bake."

We have nothing to compare with the snowstorm that's raging New York at the moment. But at the weekend it felt like someone had taken the little snow globe of Oxford, given it a subtle shake to produce a gentle powdery dusting of snow. The kitchen beckoned, as did the five black bananas in the freezer. Sounds a bit like the start of a horror film doesn't it? But actually it turned out to be just the antithesis.

I must explain. Dom's monthly Random Recipe Challenge that you can read about here, said that this month we could select a recipe book of choice. It was a toss-up between a few favourites, but Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights won. I randomly opened it at page 266 and 'Banana Bread'. I was a bit dubious that banana bread could ever be described as mana. But for the sake of the challenge, to use up the black bananas and  because I didn't think Miss Dahl would risk her reputation by telling  porkies, I was prepared to try.

You can find the (less than) Voluptuous Miss Dahl's Banana bread recipe on her website here. I can't print it here because it's copyright. As usual her ingredients were healthy and wholesome. Things like spelt flour and butter. I know what you're thinking, but butter is healthy. And her instructions were minimal. Just a bit of banana mashing, beating eggs and then combining everything. My kind of recipe. I did just adapt one of the items. The recipe asks for a cup of brown sugar. As we're trying not to use too much sugar but alternatives I only used half a cup of sugar, and half Maple syrup/honey mixture. I was worried that swapping all the sugar a dry ingredient for the other two wet ingredients may cause problems. I needn't have feared. It rose beautifully.

And the results amazingly are just as she described. Which is why it was speedily wolfed down by everyone. I must admit that I had more than my fair share. Especially when I discovered how well it tastes with a big dollop of Greek Yoghurt, freshly grated ginger, a sprinkling of ground cinnamon and the last drizzle from the bottle of Maple syrup.

Thanks to Dom's challenge I returned to a favourite book that I'd neglected of late. And I remembered a challenge I'd set myself a while ago, to try out each and every one of Miss Dahl's Delights...somehow on the way I got lost. So maybe it's time to begin again.

Green Tea, Cold Comfort Farm, Lace leaf cravat and Sophie Dahl's potato pancakes.

The weather is wonderful and knitting hasn't been a curled-up-on-the-sofa cosy pastime but a kicked-of-shoes sitting cross legged on a rug in the garden one. Whilst sipping ginger or green tea with honey to comfort a summer cold. Happily propped up with an armful of books from the library, where I'm finding myself spending lots of time and borrowing more than I'll ever be able to read before they're due back.


I've been pouring over the pages of 'from season to season' a lovely recipe book from Sophie Dahl.  I not only like her style of cooking because of the ingredients she uses but also for  the thread of family anecdotes woven through the recipes. The cosy memory of family and food. I can't wait to try out the coconut and crab rice with lime and coriander, for a special supper.  I've already made potato pancakes. Although we didn't have them with salmon and cucumber/dill salad. But the way SD remembers having them every Hogmanay in Edinburgh with her Scottish nanny's parents for breakfast with fried eggs and mushrooms, although with poached for me...scrumptious...well I thought so  but 'A' wasn't so keen. I think he prefers pikelets and commented on how "I do like to experiment with new recipes don't I ?"


I'm also reading Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Published in 1932 and for some reason reminds me of my favourite 'I Capture the Castle' by Dodi Smith...Maybe because the main protagonists are young women of the same social standing and both novels were set and written around the same time in crumbling historical buildings and recently impoverished circumstances. I also think that there's an element of trying to solve others problems that I really like.  Obviously written with tongue-in-cheek involving lots of stereotype. I'm enjoying the gentle humour and accounts of idyllic, as well as  not so idyllic rural life. 


Knitting has been using up odds of yarn to make lovely lace leaf cravats. It's a sweet little scarf pattern in Teva Durham's 
Loop-d-Loop Lace book, also from the library.  It takes one hundred gramme skein of yarn and knits up really quickly. I made mine a little longer adding on the reapeat pattern in the main body of the scarf.  The pattern called for Cascade 220 100% wool. I can't decide whether to get the straw or turtle...maybe both..so meanwhile have made a couple with oddments of wool left over from other projects.  Another winning stocking filler pattern.


I'm linking over to join with Ginny's yarn along again today...are you coming?