Felt Snacks

There has been a lull in my felt addiction and I thought I'd lost the craving.  However like all savoury snacks all it took was one little cracker and then I couldn't stop ....

I wanted to create some picnic food and searched my other addiction 'Pinterest' to find tutorials and came across detailed instructions.  I used this more for inspiration than to follow it literally.  Mainly because I didn't have any wadding and couldn't be bothered to pin out all the dimples.  I then thought that cheese triangles would be easy and I had a surplus of deep yellow felt.  There are only so many egg yolks a girl can make!  

Racking my brains for other easy picnic foods I decided on a sausage roll ... easy you might think.  Not so for this needle challenged crafter.  I seem unable to make anything cylindrical as my attempt at a cooked sausage proved.  Luckily my grandchildren are not yet sophisticated or talented enough to criticise my sewing ability (I am sure it will come).  The sausage roll needs some improvement and is exceptionally large but perhaps it's a snack for all the family .. in fantasy land it can be anything I want it to be.

By this time I'm getting quite carried away with the whole food thing and decide that baking will be easy and for once I was right.  It didn't take long to create a baguette freehand.  All bread is individualistic and rustic and mine is no exception. After the first creation I altered the design and who knows what the next batch will be like.

Every picnic needs a cuppa and therefore a Tea bag was a necessity.  One bag should be sufficient for the pot and by now I need a rest ... and perhaps a picnic!

Next time I need to add a few sweet treats and I know there are ample examples out there to inspire me.  I'm thinking cookies and doughnuts ....................

Leeky Cauliflower Cheese

If you think one cauliflower cheese recipe is much like another ... think again!

I discovered this recipe when it came with our vegetable delivery from Riverford. I cooked it one evening as I happened to have the ingredients in the house and no other inspiration. It is most definitely the best cauliflower cheese I have ever had.  This time I made it with a romanesco instead of a cauliflower and it is equally tasty.  I cooked it for a person who claims not to like cauliflower or leeks and she said it was good so it must be worth all the hype I'm giving it.  As the evenings draw in earlier, colder and damper it is the perfect comfort food.

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower, cut into florets

2 leeks, trimmed and cut into 1cm slices

6 rashers streaky bacon, diced

60g butter

60g plain flour

500ml warm whole milk

1tsp english mustard

70g mature cheddar, grated

70g parmesan, grated

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

pinch or two of cayenne pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 220*C / 200*C fan / gas mark 6.

Boil or steam the cauliflower until tender. Dice and fry bacon until crispy. Blanch the leeks in boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes until tender.

Make the sauce by melting the butter, adding the flour and stirring for a couple of minutes.  Slowly add the warm milk, stirring all the time until you have a thick sauce. Simmer for a few minutes, then stir in the cheeses, nutmeg, mustard and cayenne pepper. Season to taste. Combine everything in an ovenproof dish. Grate over extra cheese if you fancy. Cook for 20 minutes or until golden on top.

Recipe serves two as a meal.