best of june

I'm without camera this week (am armed only with my phone), so thought I'd do a bit of a round up of things that have been great this month. Mostly I wanted to draw your attention to some wonderful bits and pieces on blogs I love; there are recipes I'm using to survive the cold weather, articles and DIY stuff you can use to procrastinate the things you're meant to be doing. Ahem.



15 great things in June

1. Roses still blooming in Winter in my garden.

2. Let-my-eggplant-go-free! spaghetti at The Wednesday Chef. A pasta sauce not red or white, but made of slowly melted eggplant. Make it now - trust me.

3. Sewing with vintage patterns. Gertie at the New Blog for Better Sewing posted a great article with tips on sewing with vintage patterns, which can sometimes be intimidating for new sewers. Resources like this are so helpful in dealing with things you may not have come across before with your contemporary patterns.

4. Writing my thesis. Oh! It's good when it's good.

5. Kedgeree and Jackson Dodds. I ate kedgeree for the first time on Saturday at the fabulous new cafe in Preston (finally!) called Jackson Dodds. It was deliciously comforting; spicy and smoky with pieces of smoked trout and soft-boiled egg through the rice and topped with a homemade Indian-style chutney that was perfect. I can't wait to make this at home, but this really was the best breakfast I've had out in while and all parties agreed that the food and coffee were seriously good.

6. My new sewing machine. BFF.

7. Paximathakia Portokaliou at The Wednesday Chef. I've been thinking how my idea of comfort food relates lots to the cooking of my grandmothers', so there's no surprise that many of the dishes I want to cook and eat when it gets cold are Greek. These I'd never made though. And they're excellent with coffee or for breakfast.

8. Self-Stitched September. This is going to be a great event. A whole bunch of people from all over the world (including moi!) have pledged to wear at least one self-made item of clothing everyday for the whole month of September. If you don't sew, you can sign up for a super-light version and pledge to wear refashioned or thrifted garments for the month. Say no to expensive ill-fitting garments mass-produced in sweatshops! For more information click here or on the little SSS logo at the right.


9. Jacques Tourneur's Night of the Demon (1957). Seriously creepy and perfect for cold winter nights.

10. A really interesting blog by Susannah at Cargo Cult Craft on making clothes at home.

11. Using credit card awards points to buy a waffle-maker. 'Free' appliances.


12. Broad beans and Brussels sprouts in my garden. Little pocket rockets are soldiering on through the chilly evenings and morning frosts. Go little plants!

13. Ranch style beans at Homesick Texan. A great all-purpose bean recipe that I've been using for the slow cooker. These beans are good on toast, with eggs for breakfast (or breakfast for dinner when you get home late), on top of rice with sour cream, avocado and other garnishes, served in burritos or packed into enchiladas baked in the oven. The possibilities are endless, really.

14. Homemade paneer. I haven't tried this yet, but Cindy at Where's the Beef? has convinced me to give it a go with her simple instructions. Then, homemade saag paneer! Super-yum.

15. Watching Masterchef with red wine and small cats on the couch.

Has June been good to you?