A book for the Ages

It is no secret to those who come to my place that I have an obsession, a fetish perhaps, for cook books of all sorts. It is this obsession that often leaves me spending hours in bookstores scrolling the shelves for my next find and when I picked up this book, Apples for Jam, by Tessa Kiros I felt my search for the book that epitomises cooking for life to be over.

This book is pages and pages of pure love, homeliness and food from the heart and identifies all my food philosophies and inspirations over 417 pages. I actually found myself reading through each prologue in detail and savouring each page that reflects on the authors childhood memories of food and how she has tried to re-create those memories for her own children. The recipes then almost became sacrilegious to me, to the point I felt I couldn't cook one as they were so personal and belonging to this authors life. I did end up cooking my first recipe one Sunday, the Cottage pie, and from then I have not stopped.

I recommend this as a must for the shelf for anyone who has ever cooked for someone they loved or cooks for the love of it itself.....

Old is the New

I have always been a fan of the old and it was a chance discovery of a little 'recycle, re-use' antique store, Retro Wombat, in a sleepy coastal town south of Sydney that my love turned to an obsession.

Today I choose to take some like minded friends to this vintage lovers dream and our find - lovely original wooden crates branded with history of products and companies past.

This little find will serve its purpose as a mini vegetable patch to harvest tomatoes....an honorable destiny I think.

If you are ever in your travels passing through the South Coast or want a sunday road trip destination I highly recommend you swing past this humble store. http://www.retrowombat.com/

Lavender Laundry

I have never been one for domestic chores such as laundry and cleaning. I have in fact pledged to have allergic reactions to bathroom cleaning agents and dust - so vacuuming is definitely out of the question also! (Please do not judge me however as I consider my contribution to running a household is made up for in many other ways)....

However a leaf may since be turned as a result of a recent tip from a lovely lady in a linen store who recommended adding a few drops of lavender oil into the washing machine just before you wash the bed sheets.

After hearing this I was suddenly inspired to take up the duty of washing the bed linen this weekend.....(may I add my new found enthusiasm for household chores was well received by my partner!!).

The result was truly delightful this morning waking up with the crisper autumn morning breeze and the faint smell of lavender under my cheek on the sheets. I had the most restless sleep and while the faint touch of lavender may only last a couple of nights it is a simple but sweet tip.

Picture Source: http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/60-days-of-summer-hot-idea

Sew, sew, sew your buttons

There have been a many button orphaned from their garments around my home, patiently awaiting the day they can been re-united. It is not out of neglect or laziness that I have never sat down to re-stitch them with the love they deserve - but rather out of lack of skill in how to actually do it.

For a long time the only sewing tools I owed were in a compact plastic kit from the Hyatt hotel...(may I add, never opened collecting dust discarded at the bottom of a draw). I have since decided this just doesn't do and leveraging from the benefits of modern technology I Googled how to simply re-sew a button. Behold below my discovery. Trust me this is so simple you will feel completely foolish if you, like me, did not know how to do this before...

You'll Need:

The lost button and garment

Needle

Matching thread

1. Take the button.

2. Choose thread that either matches the thread color used on the other buttons, the color of the button or the color of the material.

3. Cut a piece of thread about 1/2 yard long (approximately finger to elbow).

4. Thread the needle, feeding the thread through the eyehole.

5. After the thread is through the eyehole, move the needle to the middle of the thread and fold the thread in half. Tie a knot at the end of the thread, where both ends of the thread meet. Tie another knot, so that the end is doubly secure. The thread should now be doubled and ready to sew.

6. Place the button on top of the material where you intend to sew it into place. You can put a match or toothpick in between the button and the material to give it the necessary slack.

7. From under the material, push the needle up through the material and one of the holes on the button. Pull all the way through until the knot is anchored against the material.

8. Push the needle down through the next hole on the button and through the material.

9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 three times, going up and down through the hole on the button and through the material, so that each hole is secured by multiple strands.

10. End with the needle on the material side and secure it with a knot. Double-knot this end.

Step-by-step taken from http://www.ehow.com/how_4604_sew-button.html