New design.

Bruce doing one of the things he does best.  I think you have to be a cat to be totally relaxed.

A new idea for a bag design kinda threw itself at me on Sunday while I was stuck underneath the cat ( he refused to get off because he didnt like the strangers who were fitting a new front door). So with laptop by my side I layered seven different photos using SERIF DAISY TRAIL scrapbooking program.  I altered the transparency to give a misty other worldy look to it and so all the layers could be seen.  It took most of the morning but I am quite pleased with the end result.  I have tweeked the pictures with a bit of flower soft, stamping, paint, metallic rub and a few cogs and watch parts.  Just waiting for the glue to dry now so I can laminate it. I am going edge this one with some black lace round the top and braid ribbons into the handles.  I think it has a twilighty feel to it so thats its title.

I got the mincemeat made today.  It needs a bit of time to mature so has really to be done at the begining of november.  

Not all of it gets used in mince pies I have a lovely recipe for a traybake called MINCEMEAT SQUARES. 

The recipe I use is from THE GOOD HOUSEKEEPING COMPLETE BOOK OF HOME PRESERVING. It was published in 1981 but I noticed the other day my most used cookery books are the oldest.



RECIPE FOR RICH MINCEMEAT

500g Currants
500g  Sultanas
500g Raisins
250g Mixed peel
250g cooking apples - peeled, cored, and grated
100g Blanched almonds - chopped
500g Soft dark brown sugar
175g Shredded suet
1 level teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
grated rind of 1 lemon
grated rind of 1 orange
300ml Brandy

PLACE the dried fruit, peel, apples and almonds in a large bowl. Add the sugar, suet, spices, lemon and orange rind and juice and the brandy - mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.  Cover the mincemeat and leave to stand for two days.  Stir well and put into sterile jars, cover as for jam. 


ALLOW at least two weeks to mature before using.


makes about 2.75kg


This time I changed things slightly - I always use vegtable suet because so many of my friends are Vegetarian and its easier that way, I used flaked almonds and only about 80g of peel, I used 170g of glace cherries to make the weight up.

I think it tastes nice now but it gets better and better the longer it is left.

cookery book covers before being laminated

  The other thing I did today was to print the covers for the cookery books I am making for Christmas.