Not much happening today ...

Well as you can see no photo today, why because the software I use isn't responding this morning. I get the feeling it is going to be the theme for today.

I am still waiting for a reply from TAC about having my damaged shoulder operated on, a simple request that was sent in January !

Yet I am still waiting for a reply, you ring them and the person you need to speak to is working from home !

What's the good of that if they cant be contacted.

So while I was frustrated and annoyed yesterday I thought I would ring the Insurance co about getting my car excess refunded, even though I supplied them with details they needed 5 yes 5 weeks ago they haven't even requested the police report to get the other drivers details. I ask you in ths day and age how can things take so long !

Well I am going to have to wait, but I am not very happy Jan.

I hope the weekend is better.

A Scrappy Nana's Garden

Now it's not what you think it isn't my Nana's garden as she is no longer with us nor my daughters Nana's garden, but a quilt top that is named Nana's Garden.

Why is it scrappy because I have used several hundred hand cut 2 1/2" squares to border the centre squares of muslin.

I was originally going to hand sew this but after sewing 4 squares together and realised that I had about 500 + more squares to put together I decided this was one for the sewing machine.

Now I designed the layout of the squares myself when I came to putting the rows together realised I had made a boo boo - or in the quilting world a technical decision. So I had to make another square to even out the rows.

Now I am not to interested in ironing but I will quite happily iron quilt blocks and tops.

This is the quilt back all starched and ironed ready to be clipped to my kitchen table.

Here is the backing, batting and quilt top all clamped to my kitchen table waiting for me to pin it together.

I put on a DVD and watched it while I pin the 300 odd pins into the quilt to make the quilt secure enough for me to quilt.

Here is the finished job the quilt is all pinned.

Now I only have to quilt it.

Hopping into Easter

Well you would think that after 20 odd years we would be finished in the CLI household with Easter Bunny, well we aren't.

Miss Fish still believes and with a 9 year old niece, Mr Bunny is still hopping into our Easters.

One of my cooking traditions if I am home at Easter is to make hot cross buns. There is nothing better than the smell of baking buns with the kitchen filled with smell of cinnamon.

When mine are straight out of the oven I glaze them with a sugar glaze, this gives the buns a real shine. You then cut them in half while hot and slather them with butter.

Unfortunatly this won't be happening this year as we will be at my parents, well there is always next year.

Another of our family traditions is a Easter egg hunt, not with real eggs, but with chocolate eggs.

If my Mum is in charge of this we need to count the eggs and follow her as she leaves the, to see where they are, because we learnt the hard way one year for chocolate eggs are fair game for our doggie members of the family. We know this because one year later in the day after the hunt we found chewed tin foil wrapping from an Easter eggs and a satisfied looking dog !



So I hope you have some family Easter traditions you can pass down through your family, and you are getting ready for Easter weekend.

Happy hopping.

Supreme Chicken

Well this a recipe that dates back to the early 1990's. when my girls were little. It featured often at our table because not only was it easy to make, but it was also very filling.

I would make extra rice and as a treat I would use this rice and pour over some warmed milk and sprinkle it with brown sugar, this is what we would have as a dessert.

Now this recipe can be altered any way you wish, you can add what ever vegetables that you like. I will list what I use and you can add and alter it to suit your tastes, also you could leave the meat out totally if you wanted a vegetarian option, you would also need to change the stock to vegetable.




Supreme Chicken
2 large skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2cm cubes, 1 red capsicum, deseeded and cut into 1cm dice, 1 stalk celery, diced finely, 1 large carrot, diced finely, 6 small button mushrooms, stalk removed and finely sliced, 1/2 cup peas, onion, finely chopped any quantity you wish to use - I only used 3 slices, 3 cups chicken stock, 4 tbsps butter, 1/3 cup plain flour, 2 tsps prepared mustard - I used dijon, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder. salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve - steamed rice

Melt the butter in a large frypan add chicken, carrots, capsicum, celery and onion. Saute 5 minutes until the chicken is white all over and the vegetables are beginning to soften, 3 - 5 minutes.

Push the chicken and vegetables to the edges of the frypan, the butter should pool in the centre, and the flour and using a whisk, whisk it into the butter. Then add 1 cup of stock whisk until a smooth paste forms.

Stir in vegetables and chicken, then add remaining stock, turmeric, mustard, salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, reduce heat simmer until the sauce has thickened and the chicken and vegetables have cooked through, 5 - 8 minutes. Add the peas let simmer 1-2 minutes.

Serve on a bed of rice.