Easter Hat

Ok, so this outfit didn't work out quite as planned. I always use Easter as an excuse for wearing some of my finery and had picked out a stunning outfit this year. I was going to go with a floral theme to match my new hat, with a full circle skirt and my gorgeous new purple petticoat. Then I sprained a muscle in my hip which left me unable to do things like put on tights or walk....

This outfit was a last minute attempt to dress up. Yay for easy to pull on long skirts! Even standing for these photos was a bit too much on my poor ol' hip, but I just had to get some photos of my new hat. I am happily feeling somewhat better now. It still hurts but I can move about a little more easily.

I am quite proud to say I made everything in this outfit except the brooch. The sweater was knit from the infamous 3-hour sweater pattern, and I really must get working on a couple more of these. The first time I knit that pattern I wasn't a big fan of the result. I have since made 2 more and I've grown to love them quite a bit. The looseness of the knit fabric makes the sweater breathable and super comfy to wear, and while it takes longer than 3 hours, it is quite a quick knit.

The hat I made a couple weeks ago from dollar-store finds. I have actually been experimenting with making hat bases, but for this particular hat I started with a cheap straw hat then added the flowers and decorations. I love the look of the faux grapes, but they do make it rather heavy. I was sad this hat didn't get a true outing this year.... Oh well, maybe I can find another excuse to wear it. 

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend! 

That's All.

~The Vintage Vegetarian~ Gooseberry Fool

Time for another edition of my Vintage Vegetarian series! I haven't done one of these in ages, so I thought it would be fun to try out a Victorian dessert. I've managed to pull a muscle in my hip and have thus been super grouchy the last few days. The combination of shooting pain whenever I try to move and an inability to sew (I sew standing up, with most of my weight on the side I've injured) has left me grumpy and craving something sweet to lighten my spirits. I had some frozen gooseberries in the freezer, so when I stumbled across this recipe for gooseberry fool I knew it was perfect!

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 Gooseberry Fool

From: Practical vegetarian cookery (1897)

The original recipe

My initial thoughts

Sounds yummy! And easy. I like easy, yummy recipes. I may have to make a couple changes though... I try not to eat regular sugar, but swapping that with honey shouldn't have a large impact on the final result. I'm also going to halve the recipe since I only have about half the amount of cream required. Not sure why the original recipe says cream or milk? You can't really whip milk....

The Ingredients

(Makes approximately 6 servings)

• 1/2 lb green gooseberries, with stems removed (I'm using frozen, but fresh would work better)
• 1/4 cup honey or sugar
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cornstarch (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1. Mix the gooseberries and honey with the water in a sauce pan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the fruit has softened.
2. Pulp the mixture through a sieve (I used one with fairly large holes. This steps is mainly to remove the seeds and skins).
3. If the pulp is too watery, add 1/4 tsp of cornstarch to the liquid and bring to a boil while constantly stirring. 
4. Set gooseberry mixture aside to cool, while whipping the cream until it has thickened to firm peaks.
5. Mix the cream and gooseberries together, stirring well to incorporate. Serve immediately. 

The Result

SOOOOOooooOOooOOOooooooo delicious!!!! It has the consistency of pudding,  but is incredibly light and delicate. The airy texture is perfectly matched with the sweetness, which is neither too overpowering nor too light to balance the tartness of the gooseberries. The taste is reminiscent of something served at a fancy summer garden party. I will definitely be making this again, especially if I have a tea party or some other suitably elegant occasion.

This could also easily be made vegan by swapping the cream with 2 cups of dairy-free whipped topping. It probably taste amazing if made with coconut "whipped cream". 

Let me know if there's any type of recipe you want me to try next, or a specific ingredient (or alternatively a recipe that doesn't include a certain ingredient, such as dairy, eggs, etc). Hope everyone is having a great week!

That's All.

Video Time

Oops, I'm rather behind posting my new youtube videos on here. Here are the last few I've posted embedded below. As always, subscribe to my channel if you want to know when they are first posted, since it's usually at least a couple weeks (or months...) until I remember to share them on here.

I have a couple more in the works that have been filmed but not edited. Once those have been posted I may try out some different ideas. I plan on continuing the hairstyle videos of course, but feel the need to push myself out of my comfort zone and try something new. Maybe a vlog or some sort of video with me talking? I had a speech impediment as a child so I get a bit self conscious of my voice, but I may give it a go anyways. If I hate it, I can always just delete the footage and pretend it never happened right? ;)