Terry picked fresh blackcurrants this morning

So I found a recipe here on Gluten Free in South Africa and modified it:

GF Blackcurrant Muffins
for 6 large muffins or 12 standard size
100g butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
1 cup soy milk with 1 tsp cider vinegar
1+ 3/4 cups gluten free flour [I used a mix I keep made up in a jar of approx 3 parts brown rice, 1.5 parts tapioca, 1 part soy, 1 part LSA, 1 part buckwheat]
1 tsp guar gum
1 tbsp baking powder
2 cups fresh blackcurrants
A couple of tablespoons of quinoa flakes and 1-2 tbsp sliced almonds + more for sprinkling


Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

In a bowl, whisk the wet ingredients
in another bowl mix the dry ingredients thoroughly
gently add wet to dry
Fold in the blackcurrants.
Fill a tray of 6 silicon muffin moulds.
Sprinkle some sliced almonds over the top
Bake for 35 - 45 minutes until the tops are springy when pressed
Cool 10 minutes before turning out.

These are wonderfully tart and a beautiful tender cake texture.

Temporary Steps

Our new dining room has large opening bifold doors and we are still in the process of deciding whether we want steps down to a paved area or a deck at floor level. In the meantime we wanted some temporary steps which Terry has built out of scrap timber. They are very solid and extremely stable. What's the betting they last a few years? I wouldn't be surprised if they even got a coat of paint sometime...

 

  

  

 

Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2008

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

The painters will come on the 12th January

and the flooring will be last of all but they will have to work around us, we've moved in. And I am very very tired! So are the two electricians who worked 10.5 hrs on Saturday to get the groundfloor electrics all installed... it looks like a lighting showroom now!

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

I have a new camera

The scoffolding has gone:

 
     

and the maple wood has been installed in the kitchen:

 
   

    

  

New Front Entrance

mmmm... I think my camera is failing

Temporary Living

For Elizabeth who came to see the delphiniums this weekend but said that what she really wanted to see was my sewing room - and I told her there was no room for sewing at the moment because that is where we are living. 

Temporary Dining Room - near the sewing room door

Sink bench on the left, cutting table on the right - now storage for appliances and food supplies. In the bathroom beyond you can see my crockpot and microwave - they are in the bathroom because there is an extractor fan in there and I hope that will keep food fumes out of my sewing room

Cutting table in the foreground, bed and our clothes piled on the sewing tables

Cutting table in foreground, clothes on hangers in front of the swiftquilter. A new project printed out and pinned to the design wall - already curling from age and nothing further done on it since printing out...