My first sweater - progress

Here it is, with that unique, traditional pattern. Knitted with circular needles - they are so nice to use, not like the pointy ones... And I am still surprised how easy and nice it is to knit sweaters!

Starting the pattern

Starting the pattern was definitely something new and felt really exciting.
With full support and tons of advice from my Tutor, Yarn & Knitting Guru and Kind Interpreter Of Local Knitting Slang it became such fun and pleasure! I think I'm getting addicted :-)

Don't you just love the colours?

I have also knitted while traveling so there's a vast progress in the pattern. Couple more stitches to go and the sweater will be ready to be washed, packed and delivered. Hopefully the recipient will like it and it's colours!

Very easy ice cream

Who doesn't like ice cream? I don't! And I don't like nutella either. But I had to change my mind about both... Apparently, you can make super-easy, low in calories, delicious dessert. It's rich in taste and you simply wouldn't believe what the ingredients are...

Ingredients:
- 5-6 bananas (ripe)
- 1 cup of nutella
- some chocolate powder
- some cinnamon

Recipe:
Blend the ingredients and freeze. Ready to eat after 2-3 hours.

Creamy leek soup

By the friend's demand! :-)

Ingredients:
2-4 leeks, chopped
olive oil
seeds (e.g. sunflower, pumpkin, pine nuts)
water
milk
salt

Recipe:
Heat the frying pan, add olive oil (I've used pomace) and fry the seeds and nuts. Add chopped leek, both white and green parts and wait for it to become softer and glazed. Put it into a pot and cover with 2/3 of water and 1/3 of milk. Bring the soup to boil. Blend.

There are two ways of serving this easy and delicious soup.

1st way: with feta cheese. Just remember it's salty itself so do not add too much salt to the soup! I prefer feta in a jar, that comes with spices.

2nd way: sounds strange but is extremely tasty. Add sour milk and honey.

The best peeling in the world :-)

This is soooo easy that it feels a bit embarrassing ;-)

None of the ready peelings you always buy would leave your skin feeling like that. None of them is so environmentally friendly and cheap!

Recipe?
Make yourself a cup of coffee. Enjoy. Then take the grounds, put anywhere you please, could be a bowl. Add some olive oil.
And this is it.

Only thing left is rubbing your body with the mixture and rinsing it with water afterwards. Do not use soap. And let your skin dry as you will ruin your towel with the oil. You may also try dabbing your body with a paper towel if you feel that you have too much oil on it.

Best and easiest thing to make yourself feel great :-)

Meidy's banana bread

We all got a bit tired and bored with bread I bake. It's dark, moist and... No idea? Too healthy? Anyway, we've started craving for puffy, white bread, it must be this incredibly long winter ;-) You lose will to live and/or to eat healthy stuff.
I felt like baking something different and then I remembered about the banana bread! The recipe is from Meidy, a friend who baked this delicious thing for another friend's party. For me this bread could be called a cake as well. It's rather sweet so I'm thinking on decreasing the amount of sugar. I don't want the little one to get hooked on sweets :-)
I wouldn't say it's the quickest food but it really is easy!

My pans are unusually long so my breads came out flat.

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients:
• 1 cup butter or margarine (always pick butter!)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda (I used baking powder)
• 4 cups flour
• 6 large bananas, very ripe, mashed
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
• Vanilla drops (optional)

Directions:
Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift dry ingredients together; add to creamed mixture. Stir in bananas, vanilla drops, and chopped pecans.
Pour banana nut bread batter into 2 well greased loaf pans; bake at 325f for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Not-Very-Manly Legwarmers

I am the biggest fan of legwarmers. Little Flower uses reusable diapers. They are eco-friendly and cute. You don't really feel like covering them with more pieces of clothing. Legwarmers are great choice, especially when you use potty (they make it so easy!) or you want to enjoy changing diapers with little effort. And they are pretty too!

Why pink? Because I like pink, orange and green. Little Flower is not familiar with the concept of fashion , so I can decide for him... Yay ;) Poor little guy is not aware of the fact that in some circles and cultures it is regarded strange for boys to wear pink. Oh, frown upon, people, he can't even say "pink" yet :-)

Oh, how I hated them while making! The yarn was nice but extremely thin and it was also my first time with 5 pointy needles. It took me half a year to knit them. I was afraid Little Flower would be too big if I ever finish them. When I've finished, I've promised to myself that never again. But short after that I went to one of my favorite shops and punished myself with same yarn but in different color. What can you do, when you simply fall in love? 

The very first post

This blog was meant to be about cooking. My dear friends' request. Nothing special about the food, really, just quick recipes - what else can you do with a Little Human Being that seems to be glued to your leg? Especially, when the human being makes cracking, whining, squeaky - actually all kinds of annoying, high-pitched noises in order to force you to stop doing whatever you do. It has to be quick. And nutritious, cause the Little Human Being has to recover quickly to scream and shout even more later, of course.
But then I've realized, that when the whining human being naps or sleeps - I actually have time for other crafts, so why not to have it all here?
I must admit, it's a difficult task to start blogging. Hopefully, I won't quit :)

Hugs,
Flower's Mum and her Little Flower aka Whining Monster