A crochet Ta-dah, D's Cottage Pie recipe & photo #5


Finally.... a crochet ta-dah! This afternoon I managed to get the cushion pads, crochet and sewing machine in the same place with half an hour to spare. I am so happy with the result!



As these are for the playroom, I used budget Ikea Irma cushion pads (89p each!) and an inexpensive washable Ikea fleece blanket (the name escapes me but it was less than £3) to back them - the covers are cotton so everything is washable! In the bottom right picture you can just about make out the back which is done with a button-free opening like a pillowcase so it's comfortable for the children to play with and lean on. (I sewed them using white cotton on my machine's longest stitch in case it should ever need to be unpicked for any reason.)

And just one more of them in situ because I LOVE them so much! 


(Ravelry project notes can be found here)
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And on the subject of things I love...
Until a few months ago D didn't really cook, but after a bit of trial and error and lots of practice, Cottage Pie has become his delicious signature dish. While he cooked it today I got him to note the recipe: 

Ingredients:
500g extra lean mince
4 large white potatoes 
1 large sweet potato
milk & butter for mash
1 white onion - finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic peeled & finely chopped
3 large carrots - washed and sliced
1 cup of peas
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 beef stock cube
Gravy granules (we use the low salt variety)
HP Sauce - a large dollop
Optional: Breadcrumbs or cheese to top & seasoning to taste 

Method:
Whoops- the photographer must have been tasting the wine!
  • put the carrots, sweet potato and potatoes to cook (we steam them)
  • fry the onion and garlic in a little oil until they start to brown, then add the mince
  • crumble the stock cube into the pan and mix in well
  • add the large dollop of HP sauce
  • when the mince has browned, add the frozen peas
  • when the carrots are softened add them into the mix with the sliced mushrooms
  • add 3 tbs of gravy granules & half a cup of water
  • add salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste - if necessary use more water too - then simmer, stirring occasionally 
  • when the potatoes are cooked, make your mash (add butter and milk to the desired consistency) 
  • pour mince into oven dish and top with the mashed potato and any topping required
  • cook at 160F for 10-15 mins or until the top starts to brown
  • ENJOY with your favourite vegetables... and a glass of red wine <3


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I've also really enjoyed looking at the 30 Day Photo Challenge Flickr group over the last few days. Yesterday's 'Clouds' were particularly good - thinking of so many people around the world taking pictures of the same things for the same purpose is also quite cool.  Here's my offering for today - not a very inspiring breakfast. The others had all eaten by the time I came down - the kids were up at 05:30 today *yawn*



Enjoy the rest of the weekend - I'll be back tomorrow with Book Sharing Monday. 

6 comments

  1. Your cushions are lovely, they're so cheerful. Thanks for the recipe I'm going to try it because it looks so tasty.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The cushions are A M A Z I N G !

    They are so pretty and your children seem to love them! I have a crochet pillow in need of a back! Fleece is a good idea - I might do a non-button fleece back for them when I have my sewing machine out during the week!

    And yeah ok I'll have a bit of that cottage pie! Looks scrummy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. these are brilliant! Love crochet grannies!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love love love your cushions. They look very pretty,nice colours.
    The flickr group sounds interesting, will check it out.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just wanted to thank you for this one, I have a lovely giant granny cushion now in my lounge, and this was the inspiration

    ReplyDelete

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