Homemade Weekend.

Sweet smelling violets
Mint syrup, vanilla essence, water kefir and crystallised violets.
Bliss balls.
Yes, it was a homemade weekend for me but it was in the kitchen this time not the sewing room. I collected together the different recipes I wanted to try and made an afternoon of it. The first one, vanilla extract, was easy. Vanilla pods in alcohol, leave for a month - HERE are the instructions and its a beautiful NZ food blog to look around too, so make sure you do. As its spring in our part of the world the mint in the garden is growing well and the idea of preserving that delicious fresh taste was pretty enticing. The recipe is HERE and when I found it I knew it would be a good one as its from a River Cottage handbook - one that I now have out from the library. I have this idea that my mint syrup is going to go very well with my strawberries in the not too distant future. A few weeks back I tasted water kefir at a friends house and loved it so that got made too - recipe HERE, though I used raisins not figs. Last but not least was a late addition as my visiting daughter raved about these healthy treats that she had made for a work morning tea. If you have a sweet tooth and crave sweetness late afternoon or anytime really as I have discovered, MAKE these little beauties. They are aptly named - Bliss Balls.
Don't forget to click on the highlighted words for the recipes and further information.
The crystallised violets will have to be redone as not a great success - too much rushing!

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