Thursday, January 27, 2011

Raspberry Apple Streusel Custard Pie

I got a Kenwood Patisserie Mixer for Christmas. Holy exciting! So i've been busy using it for all sorts of things. Yesterday was Australia Day so while Graham was bbqing our dinner i whipped up this pie. I changed a couple of things and it became Raspberry Apple Steusel Custard Pie! I did every step in my mixer and it came out wonderfully. This recipe is definately a keeper!

Ingredients

  • 1 uncooked pie crust - i used half of this recipe. ps i LOVE Jamie Oliver
  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
  • 1 medium all-purpose apples, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup plain flour
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) i left them out.
Method
Preheat oven to 200C
1.Roll your pastry out and put in a greased 20cm spring form pan or you can use a pie dish. Something with deep sides.
2. Mix together - condensed milk, eggs, water, cinnamon, raspberries and apple. Pour over pie crust.
3. Mix together brown sugar, flour and butter until it resembles bread crumbs. Sprinkle over custard mix.
4. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes on 200C. Then turn down to 180C and bake for 40 minutes or until brown and crusty on top.
5. Let cool and then put in the fridge. I recommend you eat it cold because it's easier to cut and the custard will firm up nicely.

Serve with ice cream or cream or whatever you like.


and no i didn't eat three pieces. *nervous laugh*

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Tutorial : Jeans to a skirt

I was given a pair of high waisted 'mom' jeans. And even though i AM a mum these are hideous and i would never in a million years wear them. I did try them on and the waist was up near my boobs. So ya. Hideous. SO i decided to make them into a skirt. Why waste good demin, right?
So here's the jeans - a lovely 15 inches from crotch to waist

The first thing you wanna do is cut them off at the top. I measured my hips and then found the spot on the jeans that would go around my hips. Cut through the zip or if you want to keep it - unpick it. I hate unpicking so i just cut right through it and then cut the zip out of the part that was staying on my skirt.
Measure from the top down to how long you want your skirt. Mine is 21 inches. And cut it off on both legs.
You should have something like this -
Next cut up the seams on the inside legs. don't unpick them, just cut neatly.
Next cut about 2.5-3 inches up the crotch. Neatly, like so -
It will look like this once it's folded over. It needs to sit flat because there is nothing you want LESS then a buldge in the front of your skirt. lol If it's a little knobbly at the end just cut the excess fabric away. Sew it down. I used black thread sewn closely to the existing thread and you can't even see it.
Flip it over and do the back. And because the back used to be for your bum there will be extra fabric. So unless you want to look like you have a tail - cut it off
I cut mine on both flaps. Just make sure it sits nice and flat like the front. Sew it down.
Next -With the cut off legs of the jeans you need to make a triangle shape to fill in the gap. Front and back.
Sewn on the front will look like this - so go ahead and pin and sew both triangles on. Now try it on. If it's too big you can just pull in the sides a bit by sewing down both sides equally. I had to to that.
Now for the waist. Grab and old t-shirt and cut about 7 inches off the bottom. Measure around your waist about an inch below your belly button. Take that measurement and subtract off 1-2 inches. Join the seams at the end.
double it over and pin it to your skirt. Since you are pinning on stretchy material, pin the front, back and sides first and then stretch the rest of the fabric around. Sew.


You should get something looking like this!! Now you can hem the bottom but i'm going for the casual look so i'm leaving it unhemmed so it will fray.

And this is the end result!! No more Harold High Pants.
Happy Sewing!!!