Sentient

I have two soup recipes to share with you. The first, I made and the other I enjoyed at a friend’s house.

Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms

½oz(14g) package dried wild mushrooms such as porcini
1 cup boiling water
1 tbs vegetable oil
8oz(250g) stewing beef, cut into ¼” dice
2 onions, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, peeled and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cracked black peppercorns
½ tsp dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
½ cup pearl barley, rinsed
2 tbs tomato paste
6 cups beef broth
sour cream
finely chopped dill

1. In a heatproof bowl, soak dried mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve, reserving liquid. Chop mushrooms finely and set aside.
2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker stoneware.
3. Add onions, celery and carrots to pan and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic, salt, peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaves and cook, stirring , for one minute. Add barley and stir until coated. Stir in tomato paste, chopped mushrooms, beef broth and reserved mushroom liquid and bring to a boil. Transfer to slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3-4 hours. Discard bay leaf. Ladle into individual bowls, top with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with dill.

taken from Delicious and Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes Judith Finlayson.

Orange Squash Soup

1 butternut or buttercup squash
1 tbs butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbs ginger, finely chopped
½ tsp cumin
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
¼ cup orange juice concentrate
4½ cup chicken broth
¼ tsp nutmeg
pinch cayenne
salt and pepper
sour cream

1. Cook squash. Heat butter and add onion, ginger, cumin and cook about 3 minutes.
2. Add carrot, orange juice, broth and squash. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until carrots and tender
3. Blend in blender and puree until smooth.
4. Add spices, return to heat and serve with dollop of sour cream.

Here is the finished lighthouse made by A11, H10 and B7. There was quite the negotiation session at the end in order to make a decision about adding the colour to the roof, but I think everyone was happy with the finished product.

L13 and P12 were very happy with the “Little House” when they finished. You can’t see it very well in this picture but there is a chimney which is made from chocolate rocks held together with brown icing mortar.

Entries close tomorrow and judging is next weekend. I’ll let you know how they go.

L13 and P12 are fixing the walls of the Little House on the Prairie with icing. You can see a blob of icing on the inside of the house which is my attempt at reinforcement as I picked up that piece while it was still warm and it cracked a little.

H10 is lining the third wall of the pentagonal lighthouse with icing before attaching it to the walls A11 is holding in place. The construction phase finished yesterday and the houses are sitting on our kitchen table waiting for the last of the decorating to happen tomorrow.

It has been a few years since we made a gingerbread house, although we make and decorate gingerbread cookies every year. Often we make plans and dream up elaborate ideas but then run out of time to make the house. This year we have entered a competition so the plans are coming to fruition.

L13 has teamed up with her friend P12. B7, A11 and H10 are working together and the two creations are very different. Initially each team was keeping their designs a secret, but a slip was made and discussions over heard so they shared their plans with each other. As neither house is traditional they had to come up with their own plans. L and A spent quite a while drafting and then made mock-ups with cardboard.

Last night we mixed, rolled, cut and baked gingerberad for three hours, heading off to bed around 11pm tired but very happy with all the necessary pieces for one lighthouse and one replica of the “Little House on the Prairie”. Not only were all the pieces cut, but windows and doors also. Before baking we put white candies in the window spaces which melted to make milky white panes.

Drop in tomorrow and hopefully I will have the next part of the process up for you to see.

This year we are studying Canadian History with our friends N,P & H. As we are up to the Fur Trade at present N investigated the possibility of visiting someone who could give us the benefit of their experience in hat making and research. The result was one of the highlights of our school year so far.

Ruth Mills is a milliner who lives ten minutes from here. She kindly agreed to talk to us about the process of making hats from beaver pelts and about hat making in general. Her expertise has often been sought in making reproduction hats for museums, tv shows and re-enactments of historical events.

On arriving in her basement studio, we were given a introduction to her work. Several vintage hats and bonnets were on display and Ruth explained who wore them, during what time period and how they were made. Sitting on small hat stands were some of her own creations also, one which she let the girls try if they wanted to.

Following our mini photo shoot with the fascinator we moved into the part of Ruth’s studio where all the creating happens. Sitting on the table were five different hat blocks, each with a piece of buckram beside it. Ruth proceeded to explain to us all how the children could make the crown of a hat out of a piece of buckram. It took a little time to find a hat block to suit everyone’s taste but once that was done, they wet the buckram and began to pull it over the hat blocks. As it is pulled it needs to be fastened with pins and pulled some more, always working to decrease the number of wrinkles and pleats around the base of the crown.

Before we left Ruth spent some time showing us and giving the children samples of a range of materials she uses to make hats. She used a scrap piece of fur felt to demonstrate the steaming method she uses to stretch and shape felt hats. Seeing the raw materials for different styles of hats was very interesting. We all have much more of an idea of the process involved in making a hat and the children all have a crown ready to finish and decorate in their own style. When we finished Ruth took a few minutes to show us photos of reproduction hats she has made for clients including one in the Museum of Civilization that we have walked past many times. Next time we are there we will view it with a new appreciation of the research and care that went into its construction.

Yesterday we participated in a lego workshop at the Museum of Civilization . Another family of lego devotees joined us. We were expecting to that the children would have the opportunity to work with some lego experts and create some imaginative structures with a range of lego pieces. The reality was a little different and when we walked into the room and saw what was provided for the building session we were not sure the children would want to stay.

On display was an impressive Mediterranean villa, a tropical resort and a copy of a converted water tower. Two experts from the Parlugment were on hand to talk to the children about making lego creations. There was, however, no lego for the children, instead huge bins full of red duplo sized blocks were provided. The children did express their initial disappointment but there was no talk of leaving.

L13 and I left to wander around the Treasures of China exhibit and when we came back we were impressed with what we saw. A11 had constucted the main parliament building, M9 had built the golden gate bridge, J7 a pyramid and B6 was still working on a tour that was to be taller than him. The children did not have a variety of shapes or colours but they did have imagination and ambition.

As I mentioned a few days ago the club hold many programs and special events for the members. We were able to enjoy several of them while we were there. One night we all boated over for craft night, an event designed for the children. The craft was felt making and although it took quite a while each child ended up with a piece of felt with a coloured design embedded in it. Everyone started with a piece of white wool fleece and laid smaller, coloured pieces of wool fleece over the top making a design. When that was done each design was laid on a bamboo blind and sprinkled with water. Then the muscles had to kick in as the blind with all the individual designs inside was rolled up and pressure was applied by rolling the rolled blind back and forth over and over again. The end result were artistic pieces of felt, some with pictures, some with random colourful designs.

Another day N and I set off in the boat for the Ladies Luncheon, also held at the club house. The theme for this year’s lunch was “Wear what you dare” , find something in your cottage closet! I had grabbed a dress from home, but N had other plans for me: she found, in the closet, something which had belonged to Aunt Doie. We were not quite sure what it was; our guess was a gym suit, so I put my hair in two little pony tails. Once we arrived at the luncheon, Aunt Doie’s friend informed us that it was a “romper” and she could remember Aunt Doie wearing it. (As you can imagine I was the only one at the luncheon in a romper!)

N wore a beautiful Lace covered dress (70s is my guess) picked up at Value Village. I know it wasn’t from cottage closet, but it’s true role was to set off the vintage parasol which was indeed from the cottage and was no doubt used by one of N’s ancestors. It was beautiful, the fabric did contain some little holes but the lace was in perfect condition. N and parasol were in demand for photos once we arrived. The luncheon, by the way, was delicious.

After the exertion of the swim regatta and the requisite drying out afterwards, the girls managed to practise a skit for the annual Skit night at the club. Being the centenary, several families created songs or skits which looked back over the years or forward to the future. The “Lake Band” a group of teen musicians played and screened a video they had made of themselves playing two years earlier. Our four girls prepared a scene from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” for which they have perfected the English accents. It was a very entertaining night. After it was all over one of the “lakers” came up to me and informed me that as my family had all competed in the regatta and then performed at the skit night we really should be given “laker” status! Now all I need is the cottage!?!

Two months ago I wrote about my desire to make this dress. It has taken a year of procrastination and a day of sewing. I was spurred on by the fact that we had a marriage celebration and blessing to attend yesterday. It was not a wedding, the wedding was held in Hawaii a few weeks ago. It was a gathering of friends and family to celebrate with the newly weds and ask God’s blessing on their marriage. A very happy time was had by all and the bride and matron of honour did wear their dresses as I hoped they would.

I just happen to have a purse given to me by my sister-in-law which matches perfectly. So for once I wasn’t carrying the brown leather backpack.

I have another place for you to visit. It is a gallery for my cards and paper creations. For quite a while I have wanted to display them somehow and I was inspired by other stamper’s blogs to do it this way. When I do workshops or stampers’ clubs I am often asked where I get my ideas from. Some come right out of my own head, others are inspired by someone else’s designs. Now my work, original and copied will be on display also.

Last time I updated you about B6’s travel he was in Australia making lamingtons. He has clocked thousands of kilometres since then. In Egypt he familiarised himself with some hieroglyphs and used them to write a message in his travel journal. Then it was off to Ghana and South Africa, over the ocean to Brazil, Peru and Venezuala, a quick trip to Guatemala to see the quetzal and then down south to the Antarctic. I know that the Antarctic isn’t a country, but it was requested by the traveller so we are counting it. We were amazed by the story of Shackleton, his ship, The Endurance and his crew’s ordeal struggling to survive after the ship was crushed by pack ice.

Today he ended up in Trinidad and Tobago, a dramatic contrast to the Antarctic for sure. We read a little and browsed some pictures but he didn’t have any inspiration for his travel journal until I suggested he draw the tropical smoothie we were going to make. A picture was not the end product however, he created the whole recipe. Each ingredient was listed or drawn and then he drew diagrams for the 17 steps in his method! By this time it was lunch time so he made it. It was fabulous!

Here is his original recipe, which he named Super Banana

1½ bananas, sliced
juice of 3 oranges
1 mango, peeled and cut into chunks
1 peach, peeled and cut into quarters
2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
3 ice cubes

1. Crush ice cubes in blender
2. Add all fruit and orange juice to blender ( I have written that instruction in just eight words but I wish you could see his twelve detailed pictures of fruit being sliced, peeled and added to the blender jug)
3. Blend until smooth
4. Pour into chilled glasses
5. Enjoy

At B6’s suggestion our evening meal was from Trinidad too. We found the recipe in the back of the book I borrowed from the library and, as I happened to have almost all the ingredients I decided to give it a try. It was called Trinidad Pelau.