If you’ve spent any time at all at kootoyoo then you know I’m a sentimental sap. Just about everything I buy or make is motivated by memory.

These bargello cushions are no exception. I was lucky enough to be given these by my mum last week. They were originally worked by my dear ‘Non’.

I have so many wonderful memories of the evenings I spent curled up on Non’s couch as a kid. I, in my Non purchased jammies and Non made moccies and her in her pink velvet dressing gown. The dressing gown was quilted in silver thread and was quite the most glamorous thing I’d ever seen. She was always busy knitting and in later years stitching, and there was always crap on the teev.

I really wanted to love the cushions and not just for the fact that she made them. I tried, I really did but they needed a bit of ‘me’ to bring them out of the storage box and into the family room. The once cringe worthy cushions are now treasure forever. I’ve managed to drag them from the far reaches of my memory and my grandmother’s home into my own with just a couple of packets of dye, a pair of rubber gloves, some salt and a wooden spoon.

Chuffed.

And another thing…

I spent time with Pippa from Ouch Flower. We have a lot in common including a deep and abiding love of our creative origins. You can check out her space here.

Are you wondering what other the other creative space folk have been up to? You can check that out here.

It seems everything is on the go slow at our place.

We’re cruising through the days & all of a sudden it’s 7pm and we haven’t even thought about dinner. Last night I made panic frittata and they were a rather huge hit with the kids.

I thought you might like to make them too.

Panic Frittata
Ham
Spinach
Corn (fresh or gasp tinned – I used tinned)
Cheese
6 eggs
1/2 a cup of cream

Preheat oven to 180C.
Line a muffin pan with those super handy pre-folded cafe muffin papers OR do it yourself with squares of baking paper.
Tear some ham & place in the bottom of each muffin case, follow with torn spinach, a spoonful of corn & a good pinch of grated cheese.
Whisk the six eggs & 1/2 cup of cream in a bowl & pour over the torn ingredients in the muffin cases.
Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes or until set.

Yesterday we all piled in the car & drove to Kinglake to pick raspberries. We picked a kilo of raspberries and only managed to eat half of those in the car on the way back.

So…I made raspberry friands. My standard raspberry fare is a muffin but the big girl LOVES friands so I thought I’d have a go. I don’t own a friand pan so I just used the muffin tins I had.

Raspberry Friands

125g raspberries
185g melted butter
6 egg whites
100g almond meal
1/2 cup plain flour
1 & 1/2 cups icing sugar
a good handful of white chocolate (optional – we optioned IN)

Heat oven to 180C. Grease your muffin/friand pans.
Sling everything in a bowl & mix to combine
Pour into prepared tins & bake for 20-25 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean)
Stand in pans for 5 minutes and then cool on a wire rack.

Now what to do with those yolks…stay tuned.

Whenever we go to the Queenscliff Market the first thing out of the little guy’s mouth is “I see the Poffertjes” & all three kids head straight for the dutch pancake van. They hoover their plates of dutchies in about 2 seconds – it’s become a tradition.

You know how much I love to encourage a tradition (especially one that involves family bonding). I recently purchased a dutch pancake plate & we have been making these & enjoying them soaked in maple syrup.

Dutch Pancakes
1 1/2 cups plain flour
pinch of salt
2 tsp caster sugar
350ml milk
8g sachet of dried yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten

Sift flour into a bowl. Stir in the salt & the sugar & make a well in the centre. Heat milk until lukewarm & then mix the yeast with 80mls of the warmed milk. Leave to stand for about 10 minutes (until frothy).

Pour yeast, remaining milk & egg into the well & stir with a whisk to form a smooth batter.

Cover with a damp cloth & leave to stand in a warm spot for about 1 hour.

I’ve had the smallest kids tag teaming at home with me all week.

The little guy has croup – again.  He’s in Year 6 – you’d think he would have grown out of it by now…

It’ll be a quiet weekend at our place.  Hoping you guys have a gorgeous weekend.

By the end of the weekend I’ll have turned this lot into something lovely…finally.

Giant PS: Thank you so much for appreciating the camera light action. I had such a lot of fun making it. x