1. After last weekend's disaster, Key Lime Pie round two was a great success. No more broken pie dishes and marital harmony is restored.
2. This clay tea light holder was made by Bella at school as part of their Diwali celebrations. I always treasure the bits and pieces the children bring home from school, and some light in the gloom has been welcome this week.
3. Tunnocks Tea Cakes. I like to unwrap these really carefully, smoothing out the wrapper as I go. It pleases me greatly.
4. I made a batch of my cranberry chutney. I always find this kind of kitchen activity very relaxing and love the feeling of seasonal preparation it evokes.
And, for me, faffing with labels is as enjoyable as the cooking. I saw these here last year and thought they were charming, and downloaded them from here. There are all different kinds, I'll do some more nearer Christmas for other edible gifts. I just love this kind of present making!
Well, there you have it. High sugar snacks, candlelight and kitchen pottering have been my simplest pleasures this week, and given the weather we've had this does not surprise me in the least. Grey days, low light levels, rain and drizzle - my energy levels are always non-existent in this kind of weather. Today dawned with very thick fog and ended the same way, damp and dark, and so I spent this afternoon making a feather garland and baking brownies while listening to last week's Archer's omnibus. Some gentle kitchen time and some crafting, my preferred way to chase away the November gloom. John has made lasagne for tonight's dinner. There is wine in the house. It occurs to me that I might gain a little weight this winter.
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement on my blanket - it will be finished soon, I promise!
Sounds like a lovely week.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
That key lime pie looks sooooooooooooooo good!
ReplyDeleteThat mug really is total perfection
ReplyDeleteI love your chutneys, they look fab how clever to use those labels and your key lime pie would be a definite favourite in our house. Sounds like you've been busy despite the weather, at least it means you can get a head start on Christmas presents. I might give your chutney a go this year, stay warm. Antonia x
ReplyDeleteYes mist and murk always seem to make me lethargic. I'm just bowled over that John makes puddings! Definitely a keeper :))
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely rest of weekend
Leanne xx
He made a roast dinner today. And yesterday, after making lasagne, HE CLEANED THE HOB!! Unheard of.
DeleteIf you ever don't know what to blog, please make a post with the recipe of that key lime pie... I've never heard of it, but it looks sooooo yummy...
ReplyDeleteLovely labels - but the absolute "crafty topper" in this post, is without any doubt that lovely tealight holder Bella made ! It is beautiful !!
Love happies Gillian. Ooh, tunnocks teacakes is just what I fancied last night with my bedtime milk, but to buy them here in Oz is a luxury for us.(maybe next week). I'm making lasagne for tea tonight and I still have a few things my kids made from school and they are 41, 37, & 36, so some things are made well enough to last a long time. I'll be quilting today, because it is extremely overcast and wet, but then we need the rain at the moment as it has been very dry all this year. Take care.
ReplyDeletelove the tea light holder. have you ever made key lime pie with a meringue top like a lemon meringue? lush. yummy
ReplyDeleteNo but that sounds amazing - I love lemon meringue pie.
DeleteKey lime pie, delicious, I'm wishing there was one here too. I smoothed out a Tunnocks tea cake wrapper with my nail the other day so that it was completely flat. The children were intrigued. I hadn't done that since I was little, it just suddenly came back to me. I've heard there are dark chocolate ones now, haven't located them yet though. But I will. Have a good Sunday Gillian. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteYou like Tunnock's, I love Lancashire Eccles cakes, those small ones, four to the packet but our local shop (where I usually buy them) didn't have any today and so I bought coconut macaroons instead and they went down very well with a cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteThe chutneys look wonderful. I confess to never having made chutney not Key Lime pie for that matter, but it did look pretty good!
I confess also to only liking my hot drinks from a bone china cup and saucer, the finer the china the better (porcelain best of all.) I'm sure that what you drink out of affects the flavour, just as cutting a tomato with a knife ... well, it never tastes as good as simply biting into it, does it?
Have a great weekend, what's left of it!
Margaret P
PS What do you do with your smoothed out Tunnock's wrapper? My late uncle used to smooth out the foil from chocolates and toffees, such as Quality Street, and used them as book marks!
I'm afraid I just throw it away. Sometimes I'll put it in the kid's craft box, along with Quality Street wrappers, for a bit of rainy day cutting and gluing, but the pleasure is purely in the smoothing out of the wrapper. :-)
DeleteIt's been such a treat reading your last few posts Gillian. I now recall, after reading your Tunnock wrapper thing, that I made a collage in primary school of a sea full of fishes with Quality Street wrappers which I absolutely loved. I still like Quality Streets, mainly for their gorgeous wrappers.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have some sunshine soon although it looks as though you have plenty of lovely creative actitivies simmering gently. All very inspiring indeed.
Stephanie
Gillian, I love your preparation of edible Christmas gifts now, avoiding a last minute rush before Christmas...
ReplyDeletea custom I would like to emulate! xx
I have to say that the little clay tea-light holder is amazing - you are right to treasure it :) It's been awhile since we had key lime pie and while I was looking at your post my boys walked past and decided that we should have one again (now or even sooner!)
ReplyDeleteWe enjoyed some Tunnock's Tea Cakes today too (ooh, alliteration!) - I love the fact that they're veggie as it's not often we get to have marshmallow. Your cranberry chutney sounds delicious and the labels are so cute. I do my pottering to The Archers Omnibus on a Sunday morning, so I'll be catching up tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of the weekend with, hopefully, some better weather. x
ReplyDeleteLovely happies. Never mind the Tunnocks wrapper how do you eat the actual teacake, that's the real question...?
ReplyDeleteGreedily, in two or three big bites!
DeleteI like your labels a lot! I hope that you enjoy the rest of the weekend and the week ahead. xx
ReplyDeleteWinter weight is fine - I usually have to shift a camembert cheese and a fruit cake by digging the allotment in late February! Jo x
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely happies from your week, Gillian. I love all the sweets! You now have me wanting brownies - wish I had a mix in the cabinet! Also, I love the little candle holder made by Bella.
ReplyDeleteLots of things to be happy about this week, Gillian. That pie looks very yummy. Feeling hungry now!
ReplyDeleteJacqui x
I've been away for work all week, and every time I've been away (this was my 6th time this year), all I want when I come back is cozy home-time without going somewhere. The greatest distance I've covered this weekend was getting from my place to the supermarket and back, to restock on groceries. Your way of dealing with the November gloom sounds very cozy - and useful at the same time, what with all the baking, present-making and crafting.
ReplyDeleteEdible (and drinakble) presents are the best! My Mum makes liqueur out of the produce from the allotment. Her strawberry and raspberry liqueurs are summer in bottles!
Hi Giliian-wine and homemade Lasagne, so my kind of supper.
ReplyDeleteLove your finishing touches to your jars-very nice indeed.
Helen
A delicious pie, some tasty treats, a chill out weekend, perfect!
ReplyDeleteLooks a good week to me. Perfect for the grey days we have. I still have the candle holder Matt made for the Diwali celebrations at school - it's over 10 years old now! Happy Sunday. x
ReplyDeleteLovely happies, yum Key Lime pie & Tunnocks Tea cakes! I adore those labels, thanks for the link I shall investigate further. I hope your Sunday is as good.
ReplyDeleteI still have dan's lamp (schools are a little predictable), very precious. You can't beat tunnocks and they are vegetarian, trouble is if I bought a pack I would eat them all in a very short space of time! I have no willpower for chocolate and whilst I'm confessing there is ALWAYS wine in my house! Xxx
ReplyDeleteMy children are in their late twenties and I still have bits and pieces that they made in school. Spending time making lovely things in the kitchen is great. I made lots of apple crumble yesterday.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely things you have been up to!
ReplyDeleteHelenxx
How great that your daughter learned about Diwali in school! I only know what it is because the Indian students in my husband's business school recently held a Diwali celebration. It was great - an Indian fashion show, lots of dances, and free Indian food from the best place in town! My little babe know correlates Diwali with wild dancing!
ReplyDeleteI'm loving your simple pleasures this week--a bit of crafting, cooking and baking and Tunnocks tea cake! They're my kind of happy things too. x
ReplyDeleteThe key lime pie looks fabulous and I haven't had a Tunnocks tea cake for donkey's years - might have to go and buy some now :o) Bella's tea light holder is so sweet, these things are so special and I still have all my girls' little pieces. Hope you've had a good weekend Gillian.
ReplyDeleteJane xx
Love your happies. Your chutney jars look so pretty (I love the customized labels!) and yummy, well done for bring so organised!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect week!
ReplyDeleteRedsetter asked a very good question how do you eat it?? Haha. I always carefully bite into the chocolate and "peel" it off with my teeth, then I eat the mallow bit whole then nibble at the biscuit. I love them! Today I had a massive one in Costa coffee but nowhere near as good as a tunnocks, more like a giant wagon wheel. I thought of you today as we dropped my mother in law off at Leeds bradford airport very early this morning.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter does the peeling chocolate bit, very slowly and carefully. I'm less patient and just cram it in my mouth I'm afraid.
DeleteHi Gillian! I love the look of that Key Lime Pie! Yummy!
ReplyDeleteI also think your labels are darling!
The chutneys look wonderful, the labels are marvellous what a lovely present :) The diwali lamp is very sweet, and that key lime pie looks very scrummy x
ReplyDeleteOh that Key Lime Pie looks so good. It's one of my most favourite desserts but I almost never have it as it's not easy finding vegetarian versions. I used those same labels last christmas as part of a gift, they're lovely aren't they! Bella's clay creation is lovely too :)
ReplyDeleteI am salivating at the photo of the pie. Yum! Those jar labels look great. The tea light is great, what a nice idea for a school craft project.
ReplyDeleteI love the jar labels, the finishing off of home made gifts makes them even more special. That Key Lime Pie looks amazing, I need one now, this minute! x
ReplyDeleteLovely happies again Gillian. I'm glad there was more key lime pie in your life this week after the disappointment of last week. great looking labels for your chutney too. I do Like Bella's Diwali light; I wasn't allowed to light our candle! Hope you have a great week xx
ReplyDeleteOk, this post has had me drooling! First that key lime pie, followed by the tea cake (love those!) and then those adorable looking chutneys *yum* x
ReplyDeletePerfect activities for these very grey days.
ReplyDeleteSweets and candles...two of my favorite things!
ReplyDeleteOh yum, key lime pie, teacakes and chutney! I'm feeling peckish now. I would love some of your chutney with crackers and cheese. You are a tease ;) Bee xx
ReplyDeleteA delightful mix of happies. So glad that key lime pie has now be enjoyed!
ReplyDeleteTeacakes are nice but Tunnocks caramel wafers are the best ever.
Lisa x