Preserving and Bulk Buying

We've been busy stocking up lately.
We were gifted a couple of kilos of tomatoes recently so I found a nice, easy recipe and made some tomato relish in the slow cooker. The recipe, and my alterations, on the recipes page. I'll be giving a jar to the donor of the tomatoes as a thank you.

I have a habit of skimming through the local Facebook buy, swap and sell page and discovered some wheat and barley at around half the price we usually pay for it, but, it was in the bulk buy form of a 200 litre, or 44 gallon drum, purchase for each type. After discussion we decided that it was worth it, as 2 drums of each will last us at least 6 months, and there is already a mouse plague on it's way over from the west so prices could rise. The sealable metal drums will protect the grain and we can refill them from the same supplier each time. Good for us and good for a local farmer who sells direct from his farm :).

Shifting the heavy drums from the trailer, after we had them home, was a bit of a challenge and meant some interesting manoeuvering to avoid back strains at one time.

With the forklift, and some blocks for support at strategic moments, the drums were set up under cover until the contents are required.

So now the chickens and herbivores have their pantry filled until Spring!

Cheers,

Robyn Louise XO

Photo blogging

As the last 4 weeks seemed to have flown by, and my mind has been on other things, the blogging has again suffered. To remedy this I decided to use captioned photos for this post. Not my ideal type of blogging but it all has relevance :).

We were both busy and I am so glad PC is handy with many things.

Some reinforcing of wobbly legs, regluing and the dining
table is serviceable again.

After repairing the aircon it needed
to be placed back at the craftroom.

This freebie, courtesy of the local Gumtree site, will be great storage in the woodwork room with all those little drawers.

Just a little light gardening renovation from here......

......to there, until we sell some and rearrange the remainder.

My sewing machines that were serviced and repaired. The Janome QC wasn't serviced properly last time but it's all fine now. The Decor missed the picture parade as it just needed a quick clean. A little free advertising for the serviceman Neil Bunter (0429471751) as he did a champion job fixing the machines. When I had the EzyLock serviced, years ago, another repairer  told me to use it till it was skipping stitches  too much then throw it out!   

I will have approximately another 33 years use from it now :D.  It stitches like brand new again! 

Thanks Neil.

 

My latest acquisition: a used Yamato 5 thread industrial overlocker. Just needed a really good clean and some lubrication. Neil told me to become used to the feed with waste fabric, until I could safely manage it, before starting practice with 3 threads and building up to all 5. The running speed is so fast the parts become a smudge not a blur! Makes the Janome domestic overlocker look positively slow.

The last few days I made a different  tallow based soap and this time I included Bramble Berry Pumpkin Lager scent. Of course I had to make it a lager looking soap, with a head, for the loaf mold. These cakes will be for gifts while the scented heart and cake shapes will be for our use. It's still a little soft 4 days later but there's 200g Sweet almond oil and the same amount of Olive Oil in it, for moisturising purposes, so I expect it to harden much more as it matures. It smells divine. :)

These little beauties have been growing and ripening for weeks now and I will be seed saving so I can grow some in the future. I think I eat more when weeding and watering than I do at other times.

That's all for now folks!

Cheers,

RobynLouise xo

Weekends…..

....are usually the time when I cook for the week, wash the laundry and clean house and possibly potter around gardening.

I don’t really like cleaning house through the week as I already spend between 26-30hrs doing pretty much the same at work – sweeping, mopping, vacuuming and wiping stuff down. To come home and do it just seems like I haven’t left work. I think I need a change of mindset as I should make myself do at least one job a day at home then I can have more of my weekends free – even those ones where I'm rostered on Saturday morning and don’t finish till 9am.

This last week had a few little surprises in it. I discovered that I can cook on my woodstove. Why on earth I never realised that before is beyond me but I thought the little handle was so one could lift the tiled section up to clean under it…..I never thought of putting my camping teapot or my saucepan there. That’s going to save me a little bit of gas charges over Winter.

I also received a lovely hand knitted beanie from Shirley over in WA. Adore the colours and finding myself living in it on cold days as it’s so warm! Thank you again Shirley!

I finally bought the knitting needles and found some 8-ply wool for the sock knit-along at the DTE forums but they have been sitting there mocking me as I haven’t even cast a stitch on yet! I really need some more socks to wear outside work so I’ll have to motivate myself!

Hoping everyone had a lovely weekend!

Cheers,

RobynLouise xo

The Bucket List and other things.....

I had a doctor's appointment the day after my last blog post to have a small growth on my head inspected. Well, it was fine but I'd been feeling a bit tired and had a couple of head spins while in the waiting room and, as that had happened at work a few times in the previous week, I asked him to take my blood pressure. I knew it was in orbit and I was correct - 180/105. I thought I'd just go home and take the meds, I managed to exercise and diet myself off before, but doctor told me no meds, no strenuous exercise, go home and rest and come back in 3 days for a blood test. He wanted a clean test with no interference from drugs. The usual culprits - vitamin/mineral deficiencies, thyroid, diabetes and cholesterol.

Well everything was fine though I was a bit worried that my cholesterol was up to a total of 5.9 (from 4.9) again but the doc said as the triglycerides and HDL's were at very good levels and the LDL's were low he wasn't too bothered by the total reading.

So....I'm back on meds....again :(. Better than being dead though I suppose *silly grin*. Back to square one - repeat - till I'm off meds again. I'm blaming this on the work stress.

Meanwhile...over on my emails...... Booktopia were having a postage free sale so of course I went in search of the book I've wanted since it was printed and low and behold it was on sale too! Well I can't take my money with me if I cark it and I don't think the government taxes your books after you've gone so I purchased it, and a companion to it, and now I'll have something to read while I drink my green tea and snack on my homemade healthy goodies and can cross it off my Bucket List!

In a renewed effort to have more vegetables in my diet I tried out the Savoury Split Peas recipe on the side of that pack. It was quite tasty, though I did add some tabasco to it to liven up the other condiments, and filling as well as being cheap.

I've been doing some more baking and tried out this Pumpkin Fruit Cake Recipe I found on the internet as I couldn't find the original one I had. DUH!! I knew I had it somewhere safe  (I can just see and hear Matti May laughing) and of course I discovered it last night on the Recipes page on my blog after I'd made the pictured cake and started this post *picture me banging head on hand*. LOL, must be practising for senior's moments but I guess I can blame it on the vagueness caused by high blood pressure!!

I’m not happy with this recipe and I think I’ll go back to the tried and tested one I posted here.

There was a bit of rain around yesterday that kept me housebound and it was accompanied by thunder and lightning. The cat spent the day inside the house and the dog holed up in the shed outside. 

The front yard.

The back yard.

Nearly forgot! My lovely friend gifted me a selection of his brews.  Lol, I jokingly tell him that if there was some way I could clone him I would J. The bottle on the left contains Old, the centre one is Pale Ale and the one on the right is Mexican. I can drink them 3 weeks after the dates on the caps so I could have the Old now….if I could lower this damn blood pressure! Suppose it gives me something to look forward to….sigh….

Cheers,

RobynLouise

Posts, Projects and Pleasant People

Well, I aimed to try to make one post a week – or 4 a month – on the blog when I started posting this year but I’ve already mucked that goal up as I only made 3 in April. Even though it averages out to 4 a month that’s not quite the same. It’s not as if I don’t have more than enough to post!

This last week I’ve been ripping out unwanted plants and discovering new areas to plant ones I do want. In other words….anything edible :D.

I tried a no knead sourdough recipe but I need to work on that some more as the timing for using the dough has to be correct. The temperature here could have been a bit on the cold side too.  I feel my effort could have been less dense and risen more and I don’t want to use yeast to do this. I have made no knead yeast bread already.

I’ve started some lemon/lime vinegar. The juice is frozen in ice cubes in the deep freeze or has been used in lemon/honey drinks, as salad dressing and also glazed roasted whole chickens.

After the letdown with the social evening I was delighted to have an early Mother’s Day present from my daughter in the form of a dinner for one at the restaurant where she works. She was my waitress for the night J. I had an entrée of Oysters Kilpatrick, a main dish with calamari and prawns and a yummy cheese platter for dessert with a very fine Sauvignon Blanc to wash it down.

I had my hair cut and coloured while I was over there too. It’s been a long time and as I’m off to the Riverina DTE meet up this weekend the photo will have to wait until after then .

I had a friend visit me yesterday with a box of goodies. There’s 2 jars of tomato relish, one of corn relish, the big jar is tomato pickle, and there’s one of fig jam. The bottle contains plum sauce. As you can see there’s also fresh granny smith apples – that taste unlike any I’ve ever had before as those were bought from stores and these are home grown – and a bag of walnuts. I’ve already depleted the apples by one, which is why there are only 3 in the photo, and started diminishing the walnuts and also opened a jar of tomato relish, which is really delicious.

All these lovely items were given to me in exchange for a bag of my homegrown lemons and limes as he wants them to flavour his home brew beer. I’ve promised him some lemon butter in the future too.  He made all the preserves and, just by the way, his name is Phil! There must be something about that name….LOL!

Cheers,

RobynLouise

Wonderful Weekend

Well it's Sunday night and I feel fine :D.

Yesterday I attended the gym and spent about an hour longer there than I usually do for my personal workout as I discussed some more exercises with 2 of the trainers, Chrissy and Megan, as well as free weight mass and best place to purchase barbells and weights for them. I really should buy a pushbike so that's on my "future" list. Won't hurt the fat border collie to run beside a bike instead of walking beside me.

When I left the gym I collected my car from the repairer and did my fortnightly shopping. I was very pleased to find most of my purchases at discount prices so saved about 20% on what I had budgeted :).

After I arrived home I made some pumpkin soup in the crockpot from a JAP pumpkin that I purchased from the CWA stall a couple of weeks ago using Julie's recipe. It is delicious!

 I also made some toilet bombs and they fizz nicely as they clean the toilet bowl :).

This morning I went to see a friend and we talked and had cuppas and then lunch. Afterwards I decided to drop into the park beside the river and go for a walk.

I cooked another Crock Pot Chicken  and seasoned it with soy sauce, ginger and lime and lemon pieces and it was ready around the same time this evening as Phil's Swedish Meatball recipe that I tried.

All of the above links can be found on the DTE forums and I love being a member!

Hoping everyone had as great a weekend as I did :D.

Cheers,
RobynLouise xo

Home Made Sausage Rolls

I've had this recipe for a few months and I finally tried it. 

Beef and sausage roll

Few people can resist the lure of crispy pastry! Add the savoury succulence of a herby sausage filling and you are onto a winner with the family. Sausage meat can be fatty and all meat is expensive. This super stretcher recipe combines lean beef mince with the sausage meat for a healthier option and stretches 500g of meat into 8-10 serves.

      250g sausage meat

      250g lean beef mince

      1 tsp mixed herbs

      1 onion, chopped

      2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and boiled till tender

      ¼ cup tomato sauce

      ¼ cup chutney

      2 sheets of frozen puff pastry or a block of pastry (home-made short crust will also work if you have no frozen pastry)

      1 egg for glazing - optional

Preheat the oven to 220°. Prepare the pastry by brushing a little water along one edge. Overlap the wet edge with the second sheet of pastry and press firmly (I roll over the join a few times with the rolling pin). If using block or home-made pastry roll it out to roughly 50cm long and 24cm wide.

Chop the onion and combine with the sausage meat, beef mince and herbs, this can be done in a food processor. Slice the cooked potatoes into ½ cm slices. Combine the chutney and tomato sauce.

Brush a little water down one long side of the pastry. Spread the sauce mixture over the pastry not quite to the edges. Form the meat mixture into a sausage shape down the middle of the pastry, flattening it slightly so it is compact. Place the potato slices on top of the sausage and carefully wrap the pastry around the filling. Stretch the pastry a little if you need to, to accommodate the filling. When you have joined the pastry along the length of the roll as best you can (don't worry if it's not perfect) carefully lift (using a long spatula) or slide the roll onto a greased baking tray, you may need to place it diagonally. Beat the egg lightly and brush over the pastry, then use a serrated knife such as a bread knife to cut slashes into the pastry top at 1 ½ - 2cm intervals. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes or until pastry is a rich golden brown. Slice and serve hot or cold with vegetables or salad.

Cook's tips:

We get at least 8 adult serves (2 slices per person) from this when we serve it with side dishes. If you are feeding little people you'll get even more. If you don't want to waste an egg on 'glazing' the pastry, just brush it with milk.

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However, I'm a bugger for changing things around to make them more healthy, and doubling recipes so I'm not forever cooking, so I added a few veges, popped in a half a cup of finely ground oatmeal to compensate, mixed all the ingredients together and made them regular sausage roll size.

The filling turned out a little soft, even though I let it cook for a bit longer so maybe I should have added more oatmeal but possibly it was the sausage mince was too fatty.

Ah well, they taste nice and one half of the mix is curried so there's a bit more variety :)! Shame the poor light doesn't make them look as good as they taste.

Cheers, Rob xo.