Friendly Nettle
Friendly Nettle is a community site for crafters of all sorts offering free project ideas, patterns for knitting, sewing and crocheting.
I have recently started dreaming about warm spring weather, when the winter coat is not going to be an only dress code :-D. This is why I can’t wait to start making my own dresses. I found these 50’s inspired dresses on etsy that are perfect for the season to come. Just throw the cardigan on and pull the polka dot tights on!
BTW, I found this useful polka dot tights DIY. Just reuse your old tights then ;-)
Happy spring waiting ;-)
Rasa
It’s Vickies Birthday today! Yey! Good occasion to decorate a cake of course :).
I have decorated a cake many times before and as I mentioned in my past cake decorating post, I love when cakes are decorated with fruits. This one is no exception! I just followed my ” natural” instinct and picked a cake that I thought Vicki would like, the one that have all the chocolate and some alcohol. Some things never change ;-).
So I chose to go with chocolate amaretto cake. I tripled the amounts for the cake base mixture and baked two different size round cakes from it to make one big tiered cake. I placed the smaller cake on the bigger one and realised that it is not small enough to define the cake tiers. So I put the small plate on top to use it as a circle guide and cut around with the sharp knife.
Then I made amaretto chocolate glaze and poured it over the cake.
I used plastic spatular to spread the chocolate glaze over the cake.
I took a challenge and sugar glazed the plums. Unlike figs, plums are really watery, so the effect does not last that long. I dipped the plums into the sugar and placed them on a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil. Using a kitchen torch, I caramelised each plum half.
While the chocolate glaze on the cake is still warm and soft, I decorated it with sugar glazed plums, grapes and chocolate flakes.
Happy Birthday, my dear friend Vicki!
Rasa xoxo
As March is coming very soon I thought I will share about the things I most look forward to in this first month of spring. Here they are:
1. SPRING of course! Its my favourite time of the year! I look forward to picking wild flowers by the river Lea. I look forward to longer days! But most of it I look forward to see a new fresh season to wake up from it’s sleep ;-).
2. PANCAKE DAY! Yey! Although I must admit I eat pancakes very often already, I still get excited knowing that there is a day specially dedicated just for them :). I often eat pancakes sweet, but for this occasion I would like to try something savoury, something like these sourdough pancakes filled with ricotta and mustard-maple glaze!
3. BIRTHDAYS, because there are so many this month! It seams that all my favourite people are born in March. My best friend Vicki turning 30 this year! On the same day my little brother is turning 12 (picture bellow when he was just a baby). Then it’s my dear mum’s birthday! So lots of birthdays indeed :-)
4. WEDDING PLANNING! As you may already know from my previous posts, me and Joni got engaged! So really looking forward to get all crafty and create a DIY wedding. I already found few websites like Intimate Weddings and Wedding Chicks that are inspiring me to go 100% handmade, although that would be quite a challenge!
5. MOTHER’S DAY (last but not least). We are planning something chocolaty for it ;-)
What are you looking forward to most in March? Whatever that is, enjoy it ;-).
Rasa
Sometimes simple things in life are best! So are the digestives with cup of tea ;-).
I don’t know if you knew, but it is possible to bake your own digestives! They taste even nicer than shop bought.
HOMEMADE DIGESTIVES
1. Cream butter with sugar then combine it with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Roll the dough to 5mm thickness and using cookie cutter cut out rounds from it. Pile the rounds with the baking paper in between and place them in to the freezer for 20min.
3. Just before baking remove the dough rounds from the freezer and poke them with fork couple of times.
4. Bake the digestives in preheated 180C oven for 9-12min until it turns golden in colour.
5. Optionally you could dip the digestives into melted chocolate to make them extra yummy ;-).
Enjoy!
Rasa xoxo
I have been knitting cables a lot lately! You loved cable sweater that I have knitted, so I thought I will give a tutorial on how to knit basic cables. Click here for the video tutorial. And it’s not as difficult as you think ;-).
Enjoy your weekend ;-)
Rasa xoxo
Last week has been really busy, hence no talking for almost a week. The great news are that me and Joni are engaged! Yey! So we have been celebrating just that and dived straight into the wedding planning.
So today as I have been doing some wedding planning, Anna (my neighbour) popped in to convince me to go out for some jogging (fun times!!). So long story short, we ended up running by the river Lea and I was really surprised by how much it feels like spring! I mean I have seen on Facebook a lot of people sharing their pictures of parks filled with blooms, but I never thought spring would come so soon. So I got all mesmerised and instead of jogging I just kept picking flowers and blooming twigs for home. Meanwhile Anna just kept running and I could not keep up with her, so I stayed behind :-(. At least I have flowers at my home!
Happy spring!
Rasa xoxo
Marshmallows a supper great for campfire treats and they make hot drinks look extra special (not only hot chocolate). Beetroot here is mostly used for pastel pink colour rather than taste, so don’t worry if you think that is weird. And what’s more is that these are really easy to make and the results are amazing!
BEETROOT MARSHMALLOW HEARTS
1. Line baking tin with grease paper and dust it with corn flour and icing sugar mix.
2. Combine caster sugar and golden syrup in the saucepan together with beetroot juice and water. Heat the saucepan on the medium heat until sugar is melted and it reaches 110C on the thermometer (I use prong thermometer). Remove saucepan from the heat and once it is slightly cooled then melt gelatine leaves in it.
3. Whisk eggs with 1tbsp of sugar until it forms stiff peaks. While whisking gradually add warm syrup.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and let it set for at least 4 hours.
5. Remove marshmallow from the tin and lightly dust the top. Using cookie cutters cut-out little heart shapes.
Rasa xoxo
“Unseen Lithuania” book by Marius Jovaiša claims that Lithuanian fog is most beautiful in the world! Although this sounds a bit too confident to say, I did like it when me and Joni were visiting Lithuania last weekend. It sort of made everything misty and fairy taley :-). Especially Trakai Castle that were situated in the middle of the lake!
Enjoy your week!
Rasa :-)
Joni often ask me what is my favourite chocolate. Well… I do like chocolate! I definitely prefer ones that have something in it like nuts. But I do like experimenting with different flavours ;-).
I made these chocolates few days ago. I went with with “chocolate bark” approach! So I melted some chocolate (about 150g), poured it into the silicon chocolate moulds and added honey roasted/salted almonds on top. Quite simple you may say! Well, it’s up to you ;-). You can make it as custom as you want. You can melt different types of chocolate and you can add all kind of candies and even crisps on top!
Freezer works the best when you want to harden these chocolates in no time!
Just think how cute these chocolates be as a gift! Yey :-).
Have fun with experimenting ;-)
Rasa
Today I have been making scented rice hearts! I love this idea of putting these little heart shaped sachets into the box and gifting them instead of box of chocolate. These are cute, practical and last much longer than chocolate (you know why!). Ok, ok… I did sneak in some chocolate in this box…
And this is how. Cut few hearts in tissue paper (pic 1), stitch around leaving big enough gap to fit the chocolate through (pic 2). Once the chocolate is inside, close the gap by stitching on it (pics 3-4).
So now you know my secret ;-). Click here to see how scented rice hearts has been made.
Wishing you the best weekend ever ;-)
Rasa xoxo
I will admit, my ultimate desert is Banoffee pie. I know I know, this may not be the most exquisite cake, but the match between toffee and banana is perfection! At least in my opinion.
I baked this cheesecake, inspired by Gü Puds chocolate banofees that I ate so many in the past (still eating them sometimes). You can find an evidence in my cupboard that is full of Gü Puds glass remekins!
BANOFFEE CHEESECAKE
(for the base)
(for the filling)
(for chocolate mousse)
1. First make the base by crumbling the digestives and mixing them together with the butter. Press this mixture into the prepared spring form tin base (lined with baking paper).
2. Slice bananas on the base and drizzle toffee sauce on top evenly.
3. Now make the filling. In the food processor mix cream cheese, sugar, eggs and lemon juice.
4. Pour in the filling mixture and pop in a large baking tin. Boil the kettle and fill the tin until the water comes half-way up the side of the tin. Bake in the preheated 170C oven for around 1 1/4 hours, until the cheesecake is set on top but still wobbles a little in the middle.
5. Meanwhile make the chocolate mousse. Melt the chocolate and mix it with double cream.
6. Separate egg yolks from whites (reserve the whites in separate bowl). Add sugar to the egg yolks and whisk it until it becomes pale. Gradually add it to melted chocolate mixture.
7. Whisk the egg whites until it forms stiff peaks. Add it gradually into the chocolate mixture by folding and don’t overwork it as it would let all the air out!
8. Pour the chocolate mousse onto the cooled cheesecake and let it set in the fridge (after when it is completely cooled) for 4 hours while still in the spring form tin.
9. When the cheesecake is ready remove it carefully from the tin.
Enjoy!
Rasa :-)
Have you started gift packaging for Valentine’s day yet? Here is a quick gift packaging idea, step by step picture instructions, backwards!
I hope you are feeling inspired ;-)
Rasa
Today I made gnocchi with kale walnut and stilton cheese for lunch… yum! I love gnocchi and I did share one other recipe in “My trip to Italy” post. Here I will share a step by step method on how to make the gnocchi itself. I used to struggle to handle the gnocchi dough while making them, but I did finally figure that it was because I was not letting the potato cool before mashing it (some of you might think DUGH!!). So yes, do cool the potato and maybe cook them way before you even want to make gnocchi.
CREAMY KALE AND WALNUT GNOCCHI
(for gnocchi)
(for sauce)
1. Mix all the ingredients for the dough and split into the balls (pic.1). roll the ball onto the floury surface (pic.2) and cut them into little pieces (pic.3). To make them textured roll each gnocchi piece against the fork ribs (pic.4). Lay them in floured plate by leaving some small gaps between them so they don’t stick together.
2. Cook gnocchi in boiling water for a few minutes, and then mix them together with ready steamed kale in a baking dish.
3. Meanwhile make the sauce. Pour cream and crumble the cheese into the saucepan and whisk everything together until smooth while heating it on the low heat.
4. Pour the sauce over the gnocchi and kale. Scatter the cheese and walnuts on top.
5. Bake in preheated 200C oven for 15-20min.
Have a lovely week!
Rasa :-)
Hey! it’s February already (doesn’t the time flies??) and I thought it is time to gear up for Valentines day. So first things first, I started to get the bakery ready with new bake lines. So pop-in when you are in need for something sweet :-).
I am still in love with the hot beverages (still very cold outside). If you are the same, then check out this spiked cinnamon malted drink. I am sure you will love it ;-)
If sweet is not your thing, then it can be savoury. Check out this steak and ale pies… super yum!
I am thinking to make more soap. I thought these citrusy heart shaped soap bars are great as gifts.
And finally, if you are planning to bake your own cake then you should defiantly try to make these cake toppers that I have recently created :-).
Have fun with Valentine’s day preparation!
Rasa xoxo
We, ladies, love to organise (or most of us)! Our overfilled/have everything you need handbags are no exception! I do admit, sometimes I wonder if I take more time organising or doing actual tasks. Last year I made the cosmetic bag that Vickie loved. This year I have decided to made a book pouch. Because books deserve to be protected from the rest of the stuff in the handbag! For this easy DIY go here ;-).
Happy organising!
Rasa ;-)