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      Crochet and fruit tarts

      24th January

      Puffy spike stitch easily mastered and the blanket is growing

      We are now half way through our crochet course and I continue to be the proud mother hen of all the ladies.  I am alone most evenings once the children have gone to bed (increasingly later as they work their way through teenage years) and so I sit and crochet or craft or occasionally read, less so these days as crocheting seems to have taken over, but that needs to be addressed I think.  Happily for me the last two weeks I have been joined for an extra evening of crochet company and I cannot tell you how much I enjoy that.

      Here you can see the progress that the crochet ladies have been making, remember half of them had never held a crochet hook 14 days ago...


       
       
       
       
       
       
       
        

       
      This rainbow blanket is being made ready for university life

       
      Having missed lesson 2, this lady had only been
      crocheting for 8 days, she had never held a crochet hook before


      Progressing onto the granny stripe


      Cosy stripe, puffy spike stitch
      and granny stripe, all mastered


      What is crochet without cake?


      These 3 blankets all crocheted by
      the same lady are progressing well


       

      This is how you will find me most week day nights...

      I unexpectedly had company one night this week.  Having been taught by my Scandinavian mother that you should always offer guests something to eat, I raided my stores to see what I could rustle up with short notice and not wanting to go out and buy something.  I had some blueberries in the freezer, lemons in the fruit bowl and a pre rolled pastry pack in the fridge that actually needed using up... my mind began to whirl and decided on tarts.


      Awaiting my unexpected crochet company


      Made these lemon and blueberry tarts in a flash for my crochet company

      The tarts were in fact so easy to make, tasty to eat, that I made more for this weeks crochet class, this time using the frozen raspberries I had from the garden.
       
      

      Crochet and fruit tarts, a good combo

      Fruit tarts   

      You will need

      shortcrust pastry either made or bought
      tub of soft cream cheese
      lemon zest and juice - only for the blueberry tarts
      vanilla essence - only for the raspberry tarts
      3 eggs
      1 tbsp. sugar
      handful of berries, I used blueberries and raspberries
      12 hole bun tin

      1  Cream together the cheese, eggs, sugar and lemon zest and juice or vanilla essence. 
      2  Add sugar only for the blueberry tarts.
      3  Grease the bun tin.
      4  Roll out pastry to about 5 mm height and use round pastry cutter.  Place pastry discs into the bun tin.
      5  Add in fruit of choice, for the raspberry tarts, I needed only 3 raspberries per tart and for the blueberries I only needed 5 or 6.
      6  Pour in the egg mixture, being careful to not over fill.
      7  Place in preheated oven of 180 degrees Celsius for about 12-15 minutes until the filling is set and the pastry is golden in colour.

      These are delicious hot and quick to warm through at a later date but are equally as tasty eaten cold.  They can also be frozen for up to 4 weeks.

      They really are quick to make, especially if you use bought pastry, not that I do that often?!?!?
       
      ♥  Hope you are having a grand week end  
       

      20 comments:

      1. They are doing well, I wish I could find a local class, I can do a granny square but I'm working my way through slowly everything else. Your fruit tarts look great. x

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. They really are. I'm impressed too. Thinking of running some weekend courses in the near future, maybe you could come to those...

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      2. I'm really impressed with their afghans.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Thanks. So am I. Really glad I threw them I to making afghans. It's working a treat...

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      3. So look forward to my Thursday evenings with you and the girls Selma. Whilst I love living in the technological age (I would be lost without the internet!) it is so lovely to step off the 'wheel' and just sit, crochet, drink tea, eat (especially eat!) and chat with old and new friends. Now E knows that I am making the blanket for her to take to university when she starts in the Autumn, it has also given us something to bond over as she likes to choose the colourway - so thank you on so many levels xx

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. You have made me go all goosebumpy. I love our Thursdays too. So very glad to hear you and E are both benefitting . I cannot believe how well you and all the other ladies are doing. We hooking rock!

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      4. I am so glad that you and your class are all enjoying yourselves so much. The blankets all look great, I am amazed that someone is making three at once!! That is very cool! Your tarts look and sound delicious, great crochet food again! xx

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        Replies
        1. Thanks Amy. The classes are going better than my wildest hopes really enjoying them. And also working out what yummy eats to provide. Need to get on and crochet a brooch now...

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      5. You should be proud as they are all doing a wonderful job.
        Hugs,
        Meredith

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        Replies
        1. Thank you Meredith. I am. They are brilliant ladies. It's such fun.

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      6. Oh, this was great, Selma! I just popped in to see if there were photos and I'm sure glad I did!! Everybody's work is so lovely and I can't tell the inexperienced from the experienced hookers . . .

        I've done some granny stripes, but no photos so far. Now we are into the last bit of the move and not enough packing done, so no hooking for me for a few days. I'll catch up, though.

        'Cake and Crochet' . . . a perfect name for your classes, isn't it? ~ Linne

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Hope the move goes smoothly and well. They will be delighted that you cannot tell the difference between those that could and had not crocheted before

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      7. This looks like such a fun gathering and the blankets are beautiful. But, what really caught my eye was your dessert dishes. I have those same dishes - the Seagull pattern from Bing and Grondahl. I received the set from my Danish grandma. Thanks for the yummy looking recipe :)

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        Replies
        1. I too received mine from my Norwegian grandmother. They are Danush! I have coffee cups, saucers and small and medium plates. I love them and use them only occasionally as they are previous to me. We are lucky ladies x

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      8. What a great teacher you are!, the blankets are all looking very good, I am very jealous, the tarts are also yummyxxx

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. That's kind of you to say so. The group itself is so supportive and that helps too

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      9. Hmmmm...makes me want to pick up my hooks again!...:)JP

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Pick them up. I day again pick them up. What a great thing to return to.

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      10. Replies
        1. They were and so quick and simple. I will be making them again x

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      I will always read all comments and will try to reply but it may take me a couple of days, do please pop back and lets get a conversation going...