golden crispy crunchy carbs

i learnt this recipe ages ago at a middle eastern cooking class.  i made it a few times and then it languished alone in the bottom of my recipe drawer and finally got lost.  this week the temperature dropped 10 degrees for a couple of days and i suddenly had to make the yummy golden crunchy potatoes and rice that i had in my memory.  it may be best to look away if you have a weakness for carbs.  especially golden crispy crunchy ones….  may not be a health kick recipe but at least you know what’s in it right?  there’s very few ingredients and it’s easy as a really easy thing. 

Persian rice and potatoes

Ingredients
2 cups long-grain rice (I use Basmati)
butter
2 good size potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced)
Method
Put rice and 4 cups water in pot over medium-high heat, and stir until it starts to boil.  Turn down heat so that the rice stays at a gentle boil and stir occasionally. When rice is about half done, I give it about 7 minutes, take off the heat and drain.
While rice cooks, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until sizzling in a large flat frying pan. Arrange potatoes evenly in the butter.
Pile the cooked rice on top of the potatoes.  Cut 2 tablespoons butter into tiny cubes and dot over the rice.  Cover and leave over the lowest heat your stove will let you without peeking under the lid for at 2 hours.
Now you can have a squizz under the rice and check the potatoes are golden and crispy, you can also dot over a bit more butter and cook for a few minutes. When you serve it up make sure everyone gets some crunchy potato/rice crust or there will be trouble

if you don’t like my version, you could try Bitten or recipe wiki and this is Elra’s drool-worthy photo of her rice&potatoes

image: elrascooking.blogspot.com

free the elephants

on etsy….

barkingbirdart, terbearco, inretrospect
sarayard, neverenoughhours, leatherprince

on felt….

katieca, snuggleb, papillon

 

on a vintage cotsheet i rescued from an oppy…

and how cute is this guy??? he’s a beautiful FREE embroidery pattern thanks so much to corinne.  just click on the picture or here to get one for your very own

image: so september

my creative space

 

like a few of you, my creative space is on the road this week.  i wanted something small and portable to take with me and i have been inspired to pick up my stitching again.  how could i not be once i saw the hand embroidery network blog?  there are funky embroidery works on there and i love the simple and beautiful pic’s which illustrate a their stitch a day thread(?!?)  they are very nearly as lovely as edward&lilly’s WIP pics.

image: hand embroidery network

it reminded me that freestyle embroidery was the reason i picked up a needle again, and that the reason i started making bad habit rabbits was solely to embellish them with thread scars, ciggies, patches and faces.

my grandma gave me her scissors, needle and box of thread when she taught me to embroider (please don’t tell her the box is looking messy, i keep all my thread tails and that’s what this photo shows, honest!) so i am taking them with me.  i used to stitch on the ferry to work so i know its easy to pick up and do a stitch or two in between this and that and chocolate and coffee.  also, i really really want to do some french knots.  i know, it’s very odd. 

pop over to kirsty’s and see more and more creative spaces

how not to dance

ahhhhhh!!! i know it’s not smart or clever but  i am guilty of breaking at least one of these rules.  seems that at least one guy was watching when we got up on stage coz $5 a bottle wine made us the best dancers ever… don’t laugh, you watch it and then tell me you’ve never been guilty of ANY, ever, even when you’re snotfaced. 

 

 

(thanks JoeEighties)

 

 

and, i know it’s getting worse for me here, but i can’t get that blimmen song out of my head…

crochet crime

crochet bikini anyone?  well, maybe it’s a bit brief to even be called a bikini.  i have no idea how i ended up looking at these beauties

image: what not to crochet

while i was looking for a picture of cate blanchett in her granny square dress.  weeeeell, actually that’s not true.  i found what not to crochet.  and it was all downhill from there.  like watching a car crash or david brent dancing i couldn’t stop myself.

i thought the knitted wedding dress and the crochet dress for dancing i found were odd.  but apparently they aren’t even close.

all i wanted to do this morning was find some kind of context so i could show you nearlyMabels toes poking out her blanket….

oops, i was away for a while huh?

seriously, i haven’t said ‘hi’ for over a month?  man, that’s pretty stink.  i had to move stuff round because we are painting, and i couldn’t get my sewing machine out to play with.  don’t ask me why that affected my being able to post, but it did.  i know, s-t-r-a-n-g-e.  and now i don’t know what to say. 

lets start with some good stuff.  i discovered these the other night

image: tuckers natural

along with vanilla icecream and old fashioned chocolate sauce, so good!  i used mine for a spoon, they are kind of the consistency of a pita bread crisp.

old fashioned chocolate sauce
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon butter
¼ teaspoon vanilla
Mix cocoa, cornflour, brown sugar and milk in a small saucepan, until there are no lumps. Heat slowly to boiling, stirring constantly. Turn the heat down to low and stir until thick. Stir in butter and vanilla essence and serve.

you know, i would have taken a photo of MY icecream, chocolate sauce and crackers, but yeah, you guessed it.  i ate it too quick.