I'm running a bit behind at present. It's been just too cold to think of much other than keeping warm.  I also inherited the cold J brought home from school.  It's already been round Matt so now it's me and W who has gone all hoarse and has an end of term performance tonight! I just cough a lot. The photos are from a walk around Lake Waihola that the boys did a few weeks back.  Next time I will go too :)

I have been saving my wool ends for a while now and decided to put them to good use.  I need a couple of hot water bottle covers so I got out a crotchet hook and, using the hottie as a measure, began the process.  I'm about half way through now so I might be finished by the time winter is over!!!  I use all the ends from other projects this way.  Anything over about 6 inches gets tied on.  Anything over 4 inches ends up in my scrap hooked rug. Only the little bits get either discarded or used for stuffing depending on what I'm doing. I'll post a photo or so when I've got a little more progress!

viv

bread buns

This is a little something that is completely off the wall.  My hubby has been making ginger beer for a month or so now and every so often he has rather more left overs than are required for the next batch.

Well I looked at the sludge and put a plateful in the fridge just in case :)  A couple of days later I decided that this was yeast wasn't it and could I not use it to make a batch of bread buns (oven is broken and toaster oven won't do loaves without burning but does manage buns).  So I got out my large bowl, added the sludge with a cup or so of warm water and waited to see what would happen.  It did froth a little so I added a glug of oil and some salt and flour and kneeded the stuffing out of it until it started to feel about right.  Then I left it to rise.  It took around three hours to double in size and I'd had about enough of waiting by then so I gave it a light kneed and made up the buns which I left for another hour or so (I'd lost count by now) until they looked about right and then baked them as per normal.

They actually came out perfectly!!!!!  Not too heavy, not too light but really good.  The first batch never made it out of the kitchen but I did manage to photo the second batch before they too evaporated.  They did taste strongly of ginger beer but then most of us like that anyhow.

A new and yummy use for what would otherwise have been wasted :)

viv in nz