Homemade Caramels

It's only recently that I've started making homemade caramels (and other sweets that 'require' a sugar thermometer). It's always seemed a bit daunting to me having to know the different stages of a boiling syrup - and also using a sugar thermometer - which I've never owned, until a few months ago. But then I discovered that you don't actually need to be an expert on boiling sugar and water to make caramels, - and you really don't need a sugar thermometer either. And that makes everything a whole lot easier :) I have tried making these caramels using a sugar thermometer, but I never get the temperature stated in various recipes - unless I let the mixture boil for so long that it burns - so now I use time and color of the caramel as indicators instead - and so far it hasn't failed me.

Breaking Bad Afghan

I absolutely loved watching Breaking Bad ( who didn't!) :) And as the big crochet geek I am, I couldn't help but notice the really cool, crocheted afghan on the White's couch which was visible in almost every episode...at least during the first few seasons.   

My boyfriend and I only started watching Breaking Bad when the series had almost come to an end, so we were able to watch most of the show within quite a short time span. From very early on though, I had my eye on the afghan on the living room couch...and it just so happened that I had some yarn in those colors. So it didn't take me long to decide to try and copy that blanket. To my great surprise my boyfriend also thought it sounded like a cool project ( normally he doesn't pay too much attention to my crochet projects;))...so one thing led to another and before I knew it, I had ordered more yarn, so I could make it the exact size as the one on the show.
(Free pattern below).   

Artisan Bread with Almonds, Dried Cranberries and Orange Zest

This artisan bread is simply scrumptious - and it is so easy to make. I've already written about the 'plain' version of this bread - you can find it right here - but this is the first time I have tried to add almonds, dried cranberries and orange zest. It gives the bread a rich aroma and it tastes divine. It goes particularly well with cheese. In summer though, I think I would leave out the cranberries and instead opt for a version with only almonds and orange zest - think it would be just wonderful with my homemade strawberry jam :)

Crispbread

I think crispbread is a very Scandinavian thing - it's certainly something I grew up with in Denmark and to this day I still always have a packet of Swedish Wasa in my kitchen cupboard. However, it never ceases to amaze me that no matter where I go in the world, I always find Wasa in the local supermarket. Even when I lived in South Africa I could always easily get my hands on Wasa crispbread.
Now this version is not quite like Wasa crispbread, so it might be misleading talking so much about it in this blog post, but that is certainly where the inspiration for these crispy little delights came from :)

Purple Blanket - Never Ending Granny Square

When I taught myself to crochet it happened in front of my computer, with a big cup of tea, a crochet hook and some yarn. I was fortunate enough to stumble across Mickey from The Crochet Crowd when searching Youtube for videos teaching you how to crochet. I can't recommend his tutorials enough - they are so easy to follow and Mickey does a great job of showing and explaining everything a newbie needs to know when learning to crochet :)

Homemade Orange Jam

Jam is one of my favorite things to make - there's something very satisfying and homey about making it - and there's nothing better than having a jar or two of homemade jam in the fridge. I have to admit that I have never really cared much for orange jam...until i began making it myself, that is. There is just no comparison to the ones you buy at the supermarket. Homemade orange jam is delicious - I really hope you'll give it a try - even if you're not the orange jam type - I promise you, you'll like it when you make it yourself :)

Crocheted Scarf

I have just started to crochet this scarf. I've never made a scarf before, but I am excited to make something I can actually wear - a blanket doesn't count :) I have to admit I started a few weeks ago - with different colours for the broad stripes - but then I changed my mind, cause it just didn't look the way I had pictured it in my head...if you know what I mean :) So I started from scratch again and now I feel much better about my colour combo - it is three grey shades and then the broad stripes in rust-orange and pale pink repeated a few times.

Artisan Bread - in a pot

This has got to be one of my all time favorite recipes for baking my own bread. Everything about it is just amazing - first and foremost that it tastes great, but also the fact that most of it can be made the day before, it requires minimal effort from you, you can vary it in a million different ways, and it always comes out looking great :) 
All you need is 4 ingredients - more if you want to add other flavours - but just the 4 will give you a delicious bread with a thick, crunchy crust...what's not to love! 

Dots'n Dashes Throw

This was one of the first blankets I made when I had just learned to crochet. I really like the overlapping effect of the yarn the pattern creates. The pattern - which is free from the Red Heart website - calls for three colours to be used, but technically you can use as many as you want. The advantage of using three colours is that you can carry them along the sides of the blanket, so there are hardly any loose ends to tie in when you are done with the blanket - and I probably don't have to tell you this - if you are a crocheter - but not having to sew in a lot of loose ends is always nice :)

Crocheted Slippers

I always have cold feet - I'm one of those people who even during the summer has cold feet at times. Therefore, it's probably not that surprising that I wanted to try this pattern for crocheted slippers when I found it - while scrolling through all of the crochet patterns on the Yarnspirations website. 
The slippers really are quick to make - and look very cute, especially if you pull a ribbon through the final row once they are done.

Blue & Yellow Chevron Stripes Blanket

This blanket was a gift for my sister and her wife. They just moved to Norway to live and work - and I hope that this will keep at least one of them warm during the cold winter months. I really must get started on another blanket for them, so they can each have one :)
This pattern is the same as the one I used for my Blue Chevron Stripes blanket - link to the Lion Brand pattern is here - and I just so adore the pointy stripes it makes - I am already contemplating what colours to use for my next chevron blanket :)

Labels for my Crocheted Blankets

For quite a while now I've been dreaming about creating my own labels to put on all of my crochet projects. I think it would be such a nice last touch to put on something that you have spent so much time creating. Luckily, I found a company that lets you customize your own woven labels - and my parent's gave them to me for my birthday. The company I used is a Danish company, Scannex.dk, but I am sure you can also find one in your country if you also want to add a little personal touch to your homemade items. 

Homemade Vanilla Sugar

I drink a lot (a lot) of coffee - but I also like my tea - especially green tea (as you might have guessed from the name of my blog) :) While I don't use sugar in my coffee I do love it in my tea. And I always have a glas of homemade vanilla sugar in the kitchen that I use in my tea. I know it's not a recipe per se - since it is basically just two ingredients quickly thrown together - but it is just such a nice thing to make - and not least use - that I wanted to share it here.

Neon pink blanket

This blanket was a christmas present for my 16-year-old niece. If you've visited my blog before then you might have seen me writing about how I wanted to make both of my nieces a crocheted blanket - the one I made for my youngest niece is right here.
(Free pattern further down).

Ear Warmer - Tunisian Crochet

This is a great little project to do if you have some leftover yarn you don't know what to do with. I spent an evening in front of the tv making this - it really does not take long. 
It is tunisian crochet - if you haven't tried it yet, then I highly recommend it. I am planning on making a tutorial, but in the meantime check out this video from Drops on how you get started. 

Olive Bread

This is one of my recipes that dates back to my days in South Africa - where I met my boyfriend. He introduced me to olive bread and it has quickly become one of my favorite things to bake. It is not labour intensive as such, but it does take a bit of prep time - but don't worry, most of it is time where it needs to rise, - so you are free to do other things!

Pink Shades Blanket

I have two wonderful nieces and ever since I first started to crochet I have wanted to make them each a blanket. This one I made for my youngest niece who is now almost 4. It was also a great excuse for me to go a little crazy with a lot of pink colours - which I thoroughly enjoyed :) (Free pattern further down.)

Carrot Cupcakes

These cupcakes are divine! They are by far my favorite cupcakes - as well as my favorite go to recipe when I need to bring cakes to an event. The recipe never lets you down and they are a sure hit with everyone :) I hope you give them a try - I promise you won't regret it!

Baby blanket for a little boy

In November I had the great pleasure of giving this baby blanket to a good friend of mine who had just welcomed her little son, Miles, to the world. 

What I'm working on now...a colourful stashbuster blanket

(I have now finished this blanket - see it here)

A few months ago I decided it was about time I start making a dent in my (ever growing) yarn stash. So I spent quite some time on Pinterest (who am I kidding, I do that anyways) looking for inspiration for colourful stashbuster blankets and finally came to the conclusion that a blanket made up of smaller granny squares was a good match to the yarn and colours I had available. Also, I have never made a blanket before that is made of a lot of smaller granny squares - I've only made a few blankets that are essentially one big granny square - and it is always fun trying new patterns.

Blue Chevron Stripes Blanket

This is the first blanket I have ever crocheted using this pattern - but it is definitely not the last. I absolutely love the pointy chevron stripes it creates - and there are so many opportunities to make truly unique and beautiful blankets with a wide range of colour combos - my head is already spinning with ideas.

Yellow Ripple Blanket

This blanket was so much fun to crochet. I was very much inspired by a blanket I found on Ravelry, crocheted by Maidensuit, and I just could not resist making a blanket using all these wonderful shades of yellow. And I am so happy with the way it turned out.