Altering the Waist of Children's Trousers

Carefully snip a slit on the inside of the waistband near the side seams, making sure you don't go through to the right side of waistband.  Repeat at the opposite end.

Thread the elastic through to the opposite slit.

*make sure the elastic is the width of the waistband* 

Machine the first slit closed by machining to and fro a few times across the waistband making sure you stitch through the elastic.  

(If stitching by hand make sure you stitch through the elastic and use a strong button thread.)

Pull the other end of the elastic to the width of the child's waist making sure it is a comfortable fit.

Repeat the machining of the other slit.

Cake & Cookies

Fruit Cake

Weigh three eggs.  

Weigh the same weight butter, light brown sugar, flour. 

2 teaspoons mixed spice 

1 desert spoon water.

12ozs dried fruit 

Cream together the sugar and butter until pale in colour.  

Beat in the eggs one at a time and add the water and beat.

Cover the fruit with two spoons flour and mix together.

Add the rest of flour to mixture and fold in carefully, 

then add the fruit and also fold in carefully.

Pour mixture into a prepared cake tin and cook 180 degrees 

for about 35 minutes, check cake is cooked, if not keep checking every few minutes

Peanut Butter Cookies

(Makes about 10)

3ozs flour

3/4oz Sugar

2 tablespoons Peanut Butter

1 egg

2oz Butter

1oz Peanuts (optional use if using smooth peanut butter)

Put all the ingredients in bowl and cream together.

Roll mixture into little balls and place on a prepared baking tray and press with fingers to flatten out.

Cook 180 degrees for 10 minutes.  Leave on tray until cold.

Breadcrumbs and a Lunchtime Snack

I like to keep breadcrumbs in the freezer.  I find French Stick makes the best breadcrumbs.  You don't have to defrost them before using them, so they can be used straight from the the freezer.  I use them for toppings and coating chicken.

4 x Chicken Portions or
Pack of Chicken Pieces for making curries etc
Italian Herbs
1 or 2 Eggs
Flour
Bread Crumbs
Cooking Oil

3 Bowls

Bowl one - Break 2 eggs and whisk, add extra one if needed
Bowl two - Breadcrumbs and Italian Herbs mixed together
Bowl three - Flour

Dip the chicken in eggs,

cover in flour the shake off excess,

dip the chicken back into the eggs,

cover in the bread crumbs

Gently heat a little oil in a frying pan,

fry just browning the breadcrumbs,

put the chicken on a baking tray

Put chicken pieces into a hot oven to cook
for about twenty minutes

200 degrees, gas 6 till cooked through,

MAKE sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked. 

This can be prepared to putting on baking tray prior to putting in the oven and cooked later

Bottom bag, three Batons - 9p each. top bag French stick with Sesame Seeds 15p. 

End of the day at Morrisons 

Poppy seed roll

Wheat Roll

both these rolls were from Morrisons from a mixed pack of Dinner Rolls also 9p, we had the other two for lunch.

Lunchtime Snack

Shepherds Pie, Cottage Pie No just a packet of prepared veg (Morrisons 20p)  Couple of tablespoons water unless you have left-over stock or gravy.  Top with mash potato. 

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and finely grated cheese.

Ginger Biscuit anybody............?

Phone rings "hey mum we are 50 minutes away" (he told us the location so we knew Robert and Anneka would arrive in less than an hour) OK..........you have just mixed this recipe ready to roll out and make Gingerbread Men.  I took dessert-spoonfuls of the mixture and dolloped on to a prepared tray.  I use one of those cooking sheets that doesn't have be be greased very handy if you are making biscuits, then you wash it, dry it and roll it up and store away for next time!

Just put a few dollops on the tray and cook to the recipe, leave a good space between each dollop and don't overcook them they burn very quickly because of the sugar content.

and ginger biscuit anyone.................?

Do you remember this post last year - Robert and Anneka have returned back to England last week, they extended their six month sabbatical to nearly a year, now they are just saying hello to various friends and relatives, then I will see them again over Christmas on the proper days!

Apple & Raisin with Cinnamon Bread and Butter Pudding

Thought you might like to share my version of the old fashion Bread and Butter Pudding.

I don't usually measure anything for this recipe, only the liquid.

Make it either day before or at least half hour before you would like to cook it.  I make it in the morning for evening meal.

Slices of day old bread I prefer to use white bread for this recipe)

Cooking or Eating Apples (one apple per layer)

Few Raisins

4x Eggs

Milk

3ozs Sugar

Butter

Scant quarter teaspoon Cinnamon

Butter the bread, and cut the crusts off.  Layer the base of the oven-dish with bread.  Peel and slice one apple and scatter a few raisins onto the bread.  Repeat this for a least two more layers saving a couple slices of bread for the top.

Break the eggs into a pint measuring jug add the sugar, and cinnamon whisk, then top up with milk to measuring one pint of liquid and whisk again.  

Pour over the bread and let it soak into bread before cooking

Cook about 45minutes on 170 centigrade - gas 3

What to do with the crusts............?  Freeze them until you are ready to make this!

Inspiration!

Have you wanted to take a close-up photograph of something on a flat surface?

You haven't got a steady hand?

I asked my husband if he could make me a frame to hold the camera.  

In all of two seconds he came up with this!

This is a frame that comes with microwaves with a grill.  Never likely to use it, but it is handy for putting things from hot-pots to pot plants on.  New microwave recently and we have another one!

Took one bar out because the lens of the camera would not go through the bars

and we have a camera frame!

Making an extra large circle in eight steps.

I needed a large circle for a pattern I am creating.

Draw round a large dinner plate

Cut out the circle and carefully fold into four.  Unfold and refold into four again carefully matching the crease lines to one another.  This time leave folded like this

Fold back onto itself and keep folding back and forth till it looks like a concertina.

Unfold and gently pierce the centre, this can be done just using a pencil.

Stick to the centre a large sheet of paper, this can be brown paper or newspaper.

Now decide how large you would like your pattern.

Say for instance you want a 26" circle,
then halve the measurement and mark at the 13" mark.

Put the zero end of the tape at the centre and following the
crease lines, marking as you go

Now carefully join the dots to one-another

  One large circle!