Friday Chat Day

Hello friends - Happy New Year!

I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas and was able to see 

in the New Year safely.

I know everything has been so very different this year.

We planned our Christmas around lots of Facetime calls with my parents,

which certainly helped but not the same as celebrating with them in person.

Also confused Bella a great deal. 

Recipe:

With everything going on in the big wide world right now,

do you have those evenings when you just cannot settle?

At 9pm one evening I decided I fancied cinnamon buns.

At around midnight they were ready.

I highly recommend these but perhaps start them earlier in the day...

This is a bread machine recipe, if you do not have a bread machine

it is the same dough recipe - knead by hand and prove.

Dough: 225ml milk, 500g white bread flour, ½ tsp salt,

50g sugar, 50g softened butter, 7g yeast.

Filling: 50g sugar, 2tbsp cinnamon, 50g melted butter.

Icing – icing sugar, add warm water until runny glaze consistency.

Add the dough ingredients into the bread machine as per your machine specifications, 

set to dough. Once done, remove and place on floured surface, 

roll out to rectangle 30cm x 20cm.

Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a separate bowl.

Brush melted butter over rolled out dough, sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon. 

Roll the dough up along the long side and press ends to seal.

Cut into 12 equal slices – definitely use a sharp knife.

Lay slices into a buttered baking tin, brush with remaining butter.

Cover with cling film and leave in warm place for 1 hour.

Bake in preheated oven 200C for 20 minutes.

Glaze with icing. 

These freeze perfectly (without icing), 

defrost fully and pop them in microwave for 15 seconds prior to eating.

Dangerously yummy!

Printable is available here and recipe also added to blog tab.

Keeping with food...

our Christmas cake was hastily iced hence the dodgy corners.

I chose to call it 'shocked penguins in a snow storm'!

I am pleased to report the sub-standard icing did not detract from the 

actual cake, wow it has a lot of sherry in it and if I may say so, it is delicious.

Crochet:

It isn't a blanket - shock!

I finished this cushion just before Christmas and had plans to pop it in

my Folksy shop, it didn't make it because I kept looking at it and thinking

I really like you.

I am making another one which is definitely going in the shop, it is...honest!

One side is random placing of squares, the other is a more shaded version.

Not quite how I planned the squares, they were all placed out on the dining table

and Lily cat decided to do a spectacular jump and whoosh half of them onto the floor.

With me swearing and Mitchell laughing they were then placed in this order.

Garden:

It's all a bit sad in the garden at this time of year, not much colour and trees bare 

it but I espied my Winter Beauty Clematis - huge buds, I do hope they flower ok,

I've become quite attached to my plants.

And it appears Winter doesn't stop me buying plants, I bought this little

Christmas tree online. I must admit the picture was of a fuller tree!

It should grow about 30cm by next Christmas...we shall see.

Telly:

Ghosts - BBCiPlayer

A young couple who are desperately trying to save up for their first home are 

shocked to learn that they are to inherit a grand country house from a distant relative. 

They then discover that the house is also home to the ghosts of its previous inhabitants. 

I think I may have recommended this series before, I was delighted to see the

Christmas special. It is a comedy but also quite moving, possibly one of my most

favourite things I've watched over Christmas.

Bridgerton - Netflix

During the Regency era in England, eight close-knit siblings of the 

powerful Bridgerton family attempt to find love.

If you have Netflix you cannot have failed to see this pop up,

Jane Austen it isn't! 

Nonetheless enjoyable and whilst I was looking at the fabulous dresses,

beautiful homes, flowers - I couldn't fail to notice that the hair stylist

must have been very scissor happy with fringes! 

Charity Kits:

This Sunday is Charity Kit Day BUT I'm afraid I need to delay it by one week.

Just for this month due to my plan being thwarted by Royal Mail.

I have ordered something a little different for the kits this month

but they still haven't arrived.

So...Charity Kit Day this month will be 10 January.

(It will be back to first Sunday in the month for the rest of the year).

 I am sorry about that but hoping you like what I have planned,

so worth the little wait.

And that wraps up this week's post.

Again, may I wish you the happiest possible New Year,

let's be grateful we are all crafty people, it certainly helps.

Take care, stay safe and be kind to yourself - yes, that means 

chocolate for breakfast!