Bit of a Challenge !

Hellooooo ,
My fingers are truanting from sewing long enough to post up my entry for the Exhibitors' Challenge which will take place at the Stratford Teddy Bear Artist Event in little over a week's time ! As the theme is The Four Seasons , he will be appearing in the Autumn section - together with his rather fanciful lepidopteran chum . I had great fun making the teeny tiny maple leaf pendant from shrink plastic .... well , they do say ; "small things amuse small minds". Oh yes , and why does it take extra ages to casually / artlessly arrange things (ie . the felt leaves) to look as though they haven't been arranged at all ?

More photos next week ... on with the sewing !

T.T.F.N , Ruth x

Very Easy Key Lime Pie

Well today my blog would like to wear a culinary hat ( I would love to have a foodie blog as well ! ) so here are pics of an easy-peasy , yet ; "look at my fantastic efforts" sort of dessert , which I made on Sunday . It's a mousse on a biscuit base and a really Summery treat - remembering just how good it is I decided to share the recipe :-


Very Easy Key Lime Pie

250 gm of chocolate Digestive biscuits (milk choc' give a lovely result - and a few extra biscuits don't hurt !)
105 gm butter
1 135 gm pckt LIME jelly (the blocks which you dissolve)
Juice + zest of 3 limes
400 ml of Whipping cream (or Double cream)
60 gm Dark chocolate (to decorate)

Best started the day before you want to eat it !

1. Line an 8.5 " loose bottomed tin ( 8" would also be fine) with tin foil , smoothing it carefully . Try to make a high collar all round . Rub just a dot of butter over the base only .

2. Crush the biscuits in 2 plastic bags with a rolling pin , to a fine consistency . Melt butter and stir biscuit in to completely coat . Pour in tin and smooth and press down . If the crumbs are sticking to the spoon just pat down as evenly as you can . Chill the base .

3. Zest the limes . I like to take some long curls off each , wrap in clingfilm and pop in the fridge for decorating next day . Cut jelly in tiny pieces , dissolve in 150 ml of boiling water , add the lime juice and grated zest .

4. Whip the cream so that it is leaving "trails" but not to a "clotted" appearance . Fold in the jelly mixture and stir well until it's a gorgeous even pale green .

5. Pour in to the base and level . Leave in the fridge overnight .

6. Next morning you can decorate the top ready for your "piece de resistance" moment !!
Carefully push up the loose bottom , peel back the foil gently and set "pie" on a serving plate .
Melt the chocolate , and spoon in to a rolled grease-proof paper piping bag (with a tiny end hole) Let the chocolate drizzle out Jackson Pollock style !! Then throw on the curls of zest .

7. Consume like there's no tomorrow !! LOL !


I can personally vouch for the deliciousness of this dessert - and I've made it more healthy than the original . Which used 600 ml of cream - but I think it was "top heavy" . Plus it HAS LIMES IN IT = very healthy , eh ???



Maybe some of you will be brave enough to try it ? Enjoy ! ......

Ta Ta For Now , Ruth x