Byessar: Moroccan Broad Bean Dip

 A glut of broad beans in the spring garden is a wonderful thing until you need to plant out the tomatoes and realise that there isn't any space left. 

One solution to the problem of what to do with all those beans is Moroccan broad bean dip.  I use the version found in Stephanie Alexander's The Cook's Companion [2004 Ed.] but a similar recipe can be found here.

A delicious and healthy snack.  Even my team of bean podders like it served with warm pita bread.

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Sweet lilac

Hoje faço 40 anos. Completo 40 primaveras, ou 40 outonos, no caso. Decidi fazer uma mesa de doces em tons de verde e lilás, duas das minhas cores favoritas desde sempre... Também quis acrescentar alguns detalhes vintage, pois eu própria já começo a ser uma antiguidade! :-)

Ainda não tenho as fotos que foram tiradas à luz do dia, até porque perdi a minha máquina fotográfica e muitos pormenores de decoração ficaram por retratar. Por isso, deixo aqui ficar algumas imagens da mesa, que espero que gostem.

 

Today is my 40th birthday. I decided to make my birthday party in lilac and green tones, two of my favorite colors. I also decided to add some vintage details as I myself am becoming a vintage item! :-)


I still don't have the photos that were taken in the day light, as I lost my camera and some other decoration details weren't portraied. So I leave you with these two photos, while I wait for brighter and better ones to publish here. Hope you like them.

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Sorting Through the Mess

Having spent most of today sorting through some boxes of photos and stamp collections, craft supplies, kids' shoes and dress-up costumes that have been in our garage since we moved here in March...

...I have concluded that I already own everything I am ever likely to need, apart from food and some clothes, for the rest of my life.

Perhaps I should take these pictures with me the next time I feel like shopping for more stuff.

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Organising a Shared Kids' Bedroom

Organising a bedroom shared by two or more children can be a real challenge.  This is especially the case when the bedroom is not a large one.  In this post I will show some of the ways we manage a bedroom shared by two of our sons, aged 12 and 7.

The boys have always shared a bedroom.  In the past they had bunk beds but when we moved into this house in March we decided to take the bunks apart and give them single beds.  This has resulted in less floor space but I think a more pleasant living environment for the boys. 

I think the trick to managing a shared space is to allow separate places for the children's special treasures whilst minimising the amount of clutter in the room.  For example, I keep a large suitcase in the garage full of off-season boys clothes so their cupboards and drawers only need to hold gear they are currently using.  

Having furniture with a dual purpose is also very useful.  For instance, the blue and white chest of drawers holds clothes but also doubles as a bedside table for both boys.

Another thing to remember is that while we can decorate a baby's room to our heart's content, older children will want some say in how their rooms look and what items they want on display, and that may not be to our own taste.  That is one of the (many) reasons why you never see a teenage boy's room featured in a magazine!

Although not shown, there is a large built-in wardrobe in the room that holds many of the boys' clothes and toys.

You will observe that I don't store anything under the beds.  There is too much temptation for young boys to hide lolly wrappers and dirty clothes under their beds without adding to the mess!

This original artwork of a crocodile attacking a koala was done by the 12 year old when he was in year 4 and is the only artwork in the room at present.

I bought this small Edwardian desk in a local antique shop and it is perfect for this small space.  The drawers provide extra storage and the lid pulls down to form the desk.

 This post is part of Show Us Your Life Friday at Kelly's Korner Blog.

Thank you for visiting.  I hope you have a lovely weekend!

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Backyard Harvest: Broccoli

Homegrown broccoli is entirely different from the broccoli found in the supermarket.  It is about a million times nicer. I never really liked broccoli until I grew it for the first time.

 And the thing about homegrown broccoli, is that you don't want to do too much to it.  Why spend a couple of months growing something from seed or a tiny seedling only to try to disguise in a thick sauce?

We have been enjoying (my sons would say 'enduring') our broccoli very simply stir-fried or steamed.

The next step is to try to get my kids to eat broccoli raw as a crudite.  Which is about as likely as me growing wings and flying to the moon.

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Growing a Garden From Cuttings

Outside my grandmother's back door there was always a row of pots with odd-looking twigs, some with a leaf here and there, sticking out of them.

This was how Gran grew many of her new plants; by taking cuttings, poking them in soil, and waiting for them to grow.  I expect ladies of that era often swapped cuttings with each other, thus filling their gardens with flowers at very little, or no, expense.

This spring I am trying to grow cuttings of roses, daisies, geraniums, lavender and wormwood.  I am getting quite ruthless at asking friends if I may take a snippet of some of their plants - or snapping off bits that poke over people's fences and popping them in my handbag as I walk past.  Shh! Don't tell anyone!

Once I have a cutting I trim it to just below a join in the stem because the join is where the roots will form.  Unlike Gran, I usually dip my cuttings in rooting hormone and I use commercial potting mix in my pots. Sometimes I plant a cutting out straight where I want it to grow - this works best with things like geraniums and daisies that will grow anywhere and don't need too much watering.

It is important to keep the soil moist until the cutting takes root.  You will know the cutting has taken root because new leaves will start to grow.

  If you have never grown plants from cuttings why not give it a try?  It is a very thrifty way to garden.

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Pale Pink, Rose-Scented, Home-made Liquid Soap

This weekend I made a batch of Leanne's liquid soap (recipe here).  Instead of Lux Flakes, I grated a bar of pink, rose-scented soap.

Pale pink and smelling delicately of roses, the result is almost too pretty to use.

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