Red Brolly

From my kitchen to yours...Bumbleberry Cobbler

Just out of the Red Brolly kitchen comes a modern apple crumble recipe...Bumbleberry Cobbler.

It's so delicious and at this time of year (think cold Autumn days if you aren't in Australia) it's a perfect late evening dessert.

So, if you saw my previous post, you would see that you can make a gift out of this by putting the dry ingredients in a jar. I've made some labels for you to use. If you'd like to see the gift version of my Bumbleberry Cobbler then you can read more here.

If you would like to make it yourself, here's the instructions. This will make enough to serve 6. And, you don't have to use apples, you can use a mixture of berries such as apples and blueberries/ raspberries, apples and blueberries/ peaches/pears, even apples and sultanas (just soak the sultanas in hot water for 5 mins before adding). If you don't have fresh apples you can used the tinned variety...just leave out the caster sugar.

You will need:-

125g plain (all-purpose) flour

60g brown sugar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 cup coconut

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 cup (220g) caster sugar

100g chilled butter, chopped

7 Granny Smith Apples (1 for each person and 1 extra for the pie)

2 tbs lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla essence

Vanilla ice-cream, double cream and hot caramel sauce to serve.

How to make...

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius (350 F) and line a baking try with paper.

Combine flour, brown sugar, spices, oats and coconut in a bowl, and using your fingertips, rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Keep rubbing...not there yet...

Almost...

Finished.

Spread out onto the tray, sprinkle 1/4 cup of the caster sugar over the top, and bake in the oven for 20 mins, stirring twice. It's ready when it's smelling delicious and cinnamony and is golden brown.

Meanwhile...

peel apples, core and slice.

In a frypan place the apples, lemon juice, vanilla and remaining 3/4 cup caster sugar. Cook over a low heat, stirring, until apples are softened and are warm,gooey and caramelised. About 20 mins.

Starting to look good. Can you smell the vanilla? mmmmm.....

Ohhh...yum, apples are ready.

Divide the warm, vanilla caramelised apples equally among 6 serving bowls. Scatter the cinnamon cobbler topping over the apples. Top with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, a generous dollop of double cream and some warm caramel sauce and serve immediately.

           

Home Sweet Home Recipe :: Bumbleberry Cobbler in a jar & free gift labels

Do you have someone who loves to cook that you would like to give a special gift to?

Here's an idea that's really lovely and delicious too!

Remember recently I gave you free printable bluebird gift tags and also free printable notepaper? Well, I thought that I would combine these 2 designs so you can make a personal gift for that special friend.

...my very delicious modern take on the apple crumble....BUMBLEBERRY COBBLER!

It's very simple, you see, you just need to:-

1. Print off the labels and instructions onto sticker paper....I'm about to give you these in a moment. Don't forget to print your Red Brolly Bluebird Gift tags also, and your free matching notepaper!

2. Cut out the labels and place the designs onto a lovely, clean jar (about a 500ml size jar)- one on the front and the instructions on the back.

3. Carefully put the dry ingredients into the jar.

4. Write a personal message onto your gift tag and attach the Bluebird gift tag with a gorgeous ribbon.

5. Give your friend the Bumbleberry Cobbler and matching notepaper as a special gift.

Would you like the step-by-step instructions...WITH photos?

Ok....

What to do...

Firstly I'll give you the free downloads. Here's the link to the Red Brolly notepaper and here's the link to your Bluebird Gift tags. There you'll can find all instructions and necessary files to download.

Next, you'll need to download and print onto one A4  size sticker sheet the following design. I know that the paper size in the US is a different size, but I've placed the design in the centre so when you do print, it will only be the white edges that will get chopped....make sense??

If you need a JPEG file, click on the design above, this will take you to the larger exact image, and print from there. Here's the PDF Bumbleberry cobbler file should you need it.

Cut out the labels and carefully stick onto the sides of a pretty and clean jar. Stick one on the front and the instructions on the back of the jar.

Next, in your jar place:-

125g plain (all-purpose) flour

60g brown sugar

1/4tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 cup coconut

1/4 cup rolled oats

Now, seal your jar. Cut out your Bluebird gift tag, punch a hole in the top and thread a ribbon through. Write a personal message to the receiver and then tie around the top of the jar.

Tie together with your notepaper....
And...TA-DA! A lovely and special gift for someone who enjoys cooking. All instructions on how to make the Bumbleberry Cobbler are on the back, and ready to make. Tomorrow I'll give you step-by-step instructions on how to make my scrumptious Bumbleberry Cobbler.

On another note, for those in Australia attending or hosting a "Big Morning Tea," I hope that you have all had a wonderful morning gossiping, laughing, drinking tea and also raising money for a wonderful cause.

See you tomorrow...

 

           

The Blueberry Girls Do Perth!

 

            The PerthCraft and Quilt Fair opens tomorrow! 

                           At the Pert Exhibition centre.

 

 

 

 

   ...... And Yes! the Blueberry Girls have flown in by                                    special request!

 

 

  They are all so excited to be in the beautiful city of Perth!

 

So, if you're off to the Show between now and Sunday- please look out for the Blueberry Girls Quilt pattern at a stand stocking Red Brolly                                                products!

Here are some other Red Brolly patterns to keep an eye out for:

   

         The Fun Girls Quilt.

  The Gift Quilt:

 

    Fairy Garden Quilt:

 

 

  The Flower Girls Bag:

  For more information about the Perth Craft Fair,please go to the                                                     website:

                                 www.craftfair.com.au

Pink Cabbages and Baskets!

   

 

                                      Good question!

Remember the Pink Cabbages in a Basket design I was painting for Mother for Mothers Day? And didn't quite get it finished in time?

 

 

 

 

Well I finally finished it! This is the design SJVH was talking about.

 

BUT - now I have it finished it - the question is- "What Do I Do with It?"

 

                         Mothers Day has been and gone.

  I thought maybe you might like to use the design yourselves.

 

 So I've laid it out in a couple of different ways.And- thanks to Cat Nix mentioning this- I've laid it out in the U.S A4 format- so it can be downloaded in the U.S.as well.

 

  The first design is for a party invitation- seeing as the Big Morning Tea is coming up. This is the version that doesn't use much ink.

Works best on good quality paper with the printer settings on "photo"- or for best printing.

  Go to the Layout page to download this design- Download Invitation

 

 

 This is the second layout- and takes a bit more ink to print.

 

 

 

Go to the Layout page for this design Download Flowerbasket invites 2

 

Then I thought maybe you'd like some pretty notepaper to write to all your friends......

 

Download the notepaper design-   Download Flowerbasket Notepaper2

 

  These are large files and may take a bit of time to download.

  So remember....

 

 

                               As always- any problems downloading- please email me at:

                                                   bronwyn@red-brolly.com.au

 

 

 

 

           

Blueberry Girls Bouquet Swizzles

This idea came from one of my readers, Susan Adams and I think it's f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s!

The Blueberry Girls Bouquet Swizzles!

I just had to make them and share the idea with everyone.

As always, I've made some free printable designs for you to use, which you can download here. There's instructions and a tutorial for making them. I just used a long skewer rather than a toothpick size skewer as shown in the tutorial.

Then I placed the skewers into the gorgeous bouquet of flowers...TA-DA!

Bouquet Swizzles!

Great idea Susan! What do you think?

Happy weekending!

 

Another idea for your Blueberry Girls :: Decorative gift tags

Have you printed your Blueberry Girls toppers yet?

Another idea is to use the Red Brolly Girls as decorative gift tags. 

Print your free designs onto card stock, cut out and on the blank side of the tag write a special message.

 Turn tag over and cover with glue, take one long skewer and place in the middle of one side of the tag. Fold the other side over and carefully match up all edges. Press down firmly and TA-DA one decorative tag!

           

Sizzle and swizzle with the Blueberry Girls

Remember I showed you last week how to make these OTT cake toppers, featuring, of course, "The Blueberry Girls?"

COMPLETLY...Over the top...but that's the girls for you!

Well, I've been at the drawing board over the weekend and have been thinking of other things you could do with them. I'll be showing you alternative uses for these cupcake toppers that you can make over the course of the week.

So, to start you off...instead of OTT cupcake toppers, you could make...TA-DA...

...Red Brolly "Sizzle and Swizzle" sticks!

PLUS...use your vase belts and make glass belts! Each person could have a different one for their drinks. Makes it easy to identify who's drink belongs to whom.

Click here for a tutorial on how to make the glass belts.

Instead of gluing the free printable designs onto short toothpicks, use long skewers-like the ones you'd use for satay sticks or kebabs- instead. For instructions and your free downloads, go to my earlier post here.

 

Stay tuned for more ideas :-)

           

Mothers Day.

 

        To all the mothers-  have a great Mothers Day! You deserve it.

 

   I didn't quite get the basket of flowers at the top of this page finished in time!  But had to put them up as my mother always said my painted roses looked like pink cabbages!  So I wanted to do some pink cabbages especially for her.

 

  This is my mum. She was born with a paintbrush in her hand.  Painted just about every day.  We grew up with the smell of turps in our nostrils  (mother was an oil painter). Everywhere we went, mother would take her little leather suitcase full of all her drawing and painting utensils.

 We'd stop frequently, and mother would take out her pecils and drawing pad and set up the easel - and away she'd go. She was very good at drawing quick impressions of things.

  It's a bit sad now, though, as mother has macular degeneration and can't paint or draw any more. All the things she used to draw and paint with such passion- are now covered in fog.

                    These are some of mother's paintings.

 

 

                                 Happy Mothers Day, Mother.

                 

Print your own "Over the top Blueberry Girls cupcake toppers."

Are you just loving the Blueberry Girls?

I can tell you that I'm really enjoying having them around at the moment. Brutus, my cat,  thinks it's fantastic as they are making a HUGE fuss over him.

We were having a good gossip over a coffee and some cakes and we decided that "The Girls" needed their own cupcake toppers. They had to be big, bold, fun and completely over the top... !!

So I got to work.....

and these were what we came up with. Over the top cupcake toppers! Do you like them?

We were thinking that they would look great on the table for Mother's Day or even at your next stitching gathering. As always, they are really easy to make.

Here's what you'll need...

- your free PDF Over the top cupcake topper designs (click on your chosen size below)

      there's 3 different sizes- large, for the muffins-

                                          medium, for cupcakes-

                                          and teeny topper girls for smaller goodies.

(As with everything on this site, please remember that they are for personal use only and are subject to copyright).

- card stock, or, I used photograph paper

- glue

- toothpicks

- scissors

-ribbon...if you like

How to make them...

1. Download and print your chosen topper design onto card stock.

2. Cut out the designs.

3. Glue one side of the topper.

4. Place your toothpick-about 2 cm up the toothpick- in the centre of the topper, on the glue side.

5. Place the other half of the topper directly on top of the toothpick and glue side. Take care to match the sides up exactly.

6. If you like you can tie a ribbon around the base. 

7. TA-DA! Ready to jazz up your cupcakes!

I also designed a gift tag for you to use. If you would like to make this gift tag, as shown above, download your free Red Brolly PDF design, print onto some card stock, cut out each individual label, hole punch a hole in the top and thread some ribbon through. 

You can use this for labels, gift tags, cards etc...you get the idea.

 Click here to download your free PDF Red Brolly Bluebird Tags.

And, because Mary asked, below is the JPEG file. You should be able to click on it and then print.

As usual....the best bit was the end after we had finished the photography.

Have a lovely Mother's Day this weekend and hope you get to enjoy yourself.

           

Tutorial:: Blueberry Girls free printable cutlery holder

 

Looking for something to decorate the brunch table for Mother's Day on Sunday?

How about a very easy and quick Blueberry Girls Cutlery Holder? I think Mum, or perhaps your BFF, will really love them.

Would you like to see how to make them?

Here's what you'll need....

Download your free Cutlery holder design (either click on the the image below and then right click, or if you prefer, you can grab your PDF pattern here ) It prints to your standard A4 paper size, but I think if you are in the States, the standard paper size is different. I think I've worked it out so it will still print everything, but maybe the instructions may get a little cropped.

Some card stock- you can also just use regular paper, but I liked mine a still bit stiff. Remember, not too thick as it still has to pass through your printer.

Glue or your trusty sewing machine

Scissors

 

How to make...

1. Print the cutlery holder, as many as you need, onto regular A4 paper or card stock. 

2. Cut out around the whole design.

3. Carefully fold in half along the fold line. Press firmly.

4. Either use your sewing machine and stitch along the 2 edges shown-leaving the top open, or, you can glue along the side and bottom.

5. TA-DA! Finished. Slip some cutlery in and place on the table to make your setting look fabulous. I served my brunch to the Girls on a French bread board, a.k.a Jamie Oliver style, so we could all join in and share together.

I must say, the Girls and I had a great morning preparing for this tutorial and setting up for the photography. I think they got a little carried away...

I think they enjoyed this part the best, what do you think?

We had picked up the croissants from one of our faaaavourite patisseries-"The Gumnut Patisserie-" and found some delicious, local, handmade raspberry jam, on one of our weekend jaunts to the Southern Highlands. And, can you see the butter balls? The Girls whipped these up using my fruit baller and cold butter. They quickly dipped the baller into hot water and then in the butter to make the butter look a bit special for brunch.

There was lots of fun,giggles and gossip involved...a very enjoyable morning.

What will you be doing this Sunday?

-Bronwyn...

P.S-Look out for more table decoration ideas in the next upcoming posts.