Category Archives: Cooking

Marking Time

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I have been back at work since the New Year and after having had 10 days break it feels strange.  While I was at home I made some really good progress on my decluttering journey, most notably, the scanning of almost 2000 photographs.

Now I am at work each day, I feel as though I am just marking time rather than making any appreciable progress.  The last few days here have been extremely hot which adds to the general lethargy.

However, as I review what I have actually achieved I realise that the constant streamlining and decluttering of the past year or so have really made a difference.  It is easy to do very little and still manage to have meals made from scratch, dishes done and kitchen cleaned, the living room neat and tidy and the washing and ironing up to date.

I have resorted to having the same meal tonight as we had last night.  Conjuring up new and interesting meals is not very appealing in the excessive heat after a long day at work, so it is ham and salad again tonight.  I am looking forward to it as I really enjoyed our dinner last night.

The weather will become more moderate and work somewhat less demanding soon but in the meantime I will coast for a few days and all will be well.

What strategies do you have for when you have limited time or inspiration?  What do you let slide and what is deemed as essential in your household routine?

Friday Favourites – Bolognaise Sauce

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Today’s favourite is bolognaise sauce.  It is a versatile base for may meals and most people have their own version.  Here is mine which has evolved over many years.

BOLOGNAISE SAUCE

2012-01-07 01250g beef mince
1 cup TVP (dry)
1 cup hot water
1 onion (diced)
400g can tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 – 2 teaspoons mixed herbs
Tabasco sauce
Black pepper

Soak the TVP in hot water for about 10 minutes.

2012-01-07 02Cook the onion until soft.  Add the mince and cook until browned.

2012-01-07 03Add the TVP mixture and combine.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer gently for 15 – 20 minutes.

2012-01-07 04HINTS & MODIFICATIONS

The onion I used was frozen in packs of 150g – this is the size of a medium onion.  By flattening the contents of the bag it is easy to break off a portion if you only want the equivalent of half an onion.  These packs were made from onions we grew during the winter.

The upturned jar of tomato paste in the photo is how I store it in the fridge.  This stops it going mouldy and is much easier than spooning it into ice-cube trays and freezing which is another option.

This batch of sauce included some vegetables as well.  I added a grated zucchini and grated carrot to the mix as well as some pureed leftover vegies from a previous meal.  I did add an extra can of tomatoes as the mix was a little dry.  This ended up making 9 serves which is not bad from 250g of mince.

Other additions can include 1/2 cup red wine, 2 teaspoons of beef stock powder, 1 cup of finely chopped celery.

There are many ways you can use this sauce and it is limited only by your imagination.  Apart from the obvious one of serving over pasta you can make lasagne, stuff cannelloni tubes, top baked potatoes, serve with nachos and make savoury pancake filling.  While some of the ideas are not strictly traditional you can make variations to suit your family.  The addition of kidney beans and chilli turn it into chilli con carne,  cook a bit longer to reduce the liquid and top with mashed potato for a shepherd’s pie or put into shortcrust pastry to make a meat pie.

Apologies for ‘Friday Favourites’ being a day late but my camera was not ‘talking’ to the computer last night.  I hope enjoy the meal suggestions in this post and please add your own thoughts as well.

I have also updated the post for Layered Salad.  I have finally added the photos to this post.

Friday Favourites – Layered Salad

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This week I have another salad for you.  It is simply known as ‘Layered Salad’.  The original recipe was given to me by a friend about 25 years ago after I tasted it at a BBQ.

LAYERED SALAD

Iceberg lettuce
2 cups frozen peas
4 eggs
200g mushrooms
1 cup mayonnaise
Small tub natural yoghurt
2 rashers shortcut bacon

Wash and dry about 6 large lettuce leaves.
Cook peas and allow to cool.
Dice and dry-fry the bacon.
Hardboil the eggs.  Cool and mash finely.  (I use a mouli-grater)
Slice mushrooms.
Cut the tomato into wedges.

Use the lettuce  leaves to line a large salad bowl.  Layer the other ingredients inside the lettuce.

2011-12-23 01Start with the peas, then the egg……

2011-12-23 02and finally mushroom.

2011-12-23 03Mix the mayonnaise and yoghurt together and pour over the top of the mushrooms.  Arrange tomato wedges around the edge of the bowl and sprinkle mayonnaise mixture with bacon bits.

2011-12-23 04

HINTS & MODIFICATIONS

The quantities in this recipe are only a guide.  Use a bowl to suit the numbers you are serving.  The ingredients are designed to completely fill the chosen bowl.

Friday Favourites – Choc Nut Fruit Mince Truffles

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This recipe is not a favourite of long-standing but I have made it previously at Christmas and it was a big hit.  So here is a special Christmas treat.  This is from the Woolworths free ‘Fresh’ magazine, December 2009.

FRUIT MINCE

1+1/4 cups raw sugar
3/4 cup marmalade
3 large oranges, rind finely grated and 1 cup juice
2 large lemons, rind finely grated and 1/3 cup juice
50ml Cointreau (optional)
375g sultanas
300g prunes, finely chopped
300g pitted dates, finely chopped
200g glace cherries chopped


1. Combine sugar, marmalade, orange rind and juice and Cointreau in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to the boil.
2. Add chopped fruit and stir until well combined. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often for 8-10 minutes or until plump. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
4. Spoon fruit mince into sterilised jars.

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HINTS & MODIFICATIONS

As the original recipe states, the Cointreau is optional.  I do not use it.  I also just store the mixture in a container in the refrigerator.  It has lasted perfectly well for 4 months that way.

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Once the fruit mince is made you can use it in any way you would normally use fruit mince.  The mixture is very rich and quite sticky so if you were making fruit mince pies I would add grated apple to the mix.  Stewed apple would be another option.  I may try that as I have lots of stewed apple in the freezer.

Today, I used the mixture to make the Choc Nut Fruit Mince Truffles.

CHOC NUT FRUIT MINCE TRUFFLES

375g dark cooking chocolate
80g butter, cubed
1 cup prepared fruit mince (from recipe above)
1/2 cup almond kernels, finely chopped
cocoa, for coating
chocolate sprinkles, for coating

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1. Break chocolate into pieces and melt in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Remove bowl from heat. Slowly add butter, 1 cube at a time, until well combined and smooth. Add fruit mince and nuts. Stir to combine. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for 1 hour or until mixture is firm.
2. Roll 2 teaspoons of mixture into balls. Roll balls in cocoa or chocolate sprinkles to coat. Place onto a large plate. Cover and refrigerate until firm.

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HINTS & MODIFICATIONS

200g milk chocolate
50g butter, cubed
1 cup prepared fruit mince (from recipe above)
1 cup almond kernels, finely chopped
1/2 cup coconut
Extra coconut, for coating

As you can see, I have changed this recipe quite a bit.  The amounts of chocolate and butter are reduced, nuts increased and coconut added.  I found that the mixture was much too chocolatey for my liking and too liquid to roll.  If you use the quantities from the original recipe they could be dropped from a teaspoon onto a tray in random shapes.  It is entirely a matter of choice.

I use milk chocolate and roll the balls in coconut.  They are ideal to freeze and you can remove as few or as many as you need at any time.  The quantities in my recipe made 32 balls.

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These balls are quite rich so do not make them too big.  They make a great festive gift in a pretty jar or wrapped in cellophane.  If you have them in the freezer, they an easy offering if you are taking a shared plate of sweet treats to a function.

Friday Favourites – Mango & Avocado Salad

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This week I want to share what is probably my favourite salad.  The recipe for this Mango and Avocado salad came from the Women’s Weekly BBQ cookbook which was published about 20 years ago.  My copy of the book has disappeared in the intervening years but I make it pretty well as it was in the book apart from the dressing.  The finished salad looks appealing and has a combination of textures.

MANGO & AVOCADO SALAD

Lettuce leaves
1 large avocado
1 large mango
2 – 3 rashers shortcut bacon
¼  cup walnuts

Spread the lettuce leaves on a large platter.  Slice the avocado and mango.  Lay the slices over the lettuce.  Dice and dry-fry the bacon until crisp.  Allow to cool and sprinkle over the salad.  Chop the walnuts and sprinkle on the salad.

DRESSING

100g natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon French mustard
1 dessertspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine the ingredients.  Add a little milk if necessary to make it a pouring consistency.  Drizzle the dressing over the salad immediately prior to serving.

HINTS & MODIFICATIONS

Since I no longer have the book I cannot be certain of the original.  I know the dressing was based on cream and quite rich so I changed mine to suit our tastes.  I have also used pecan nuts which make a nice change from the walnuts.  Canned mango may be used if you do not have access to fresh mango.  Young loose-leaf lettuce is best but is you are using larger leaves you can roughly tear them into smaller pieces.

2011-12-09 01Here is the salad without the dressing or the walnuts.  Some of the dinner guests have food intolerance issues so I just serve the chopped nuts in a small side bowl to be added as desired.  I usually drizzle the dressing over the salad at the last minute or it tends to become soggy.

This salad has become a firm favourite with our family and friends and I hope you have an opportunity to try it out.

Where Are the Savings?

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I was debating what to write tonight when I came across this post from Jennifer Lorenzetti at Fast, Cheap and Good.  The final 2 paragraphs are the crux of the matter as far as I am concerned.

For many people it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet financial commitments and this is a clear reminder that simply making at least some meals from scratch can be a huge saving on the budget.

If you can manage to grow even a few vegetables it can make an even greater difference.  Here in Australia, we have the benefit of being able to grow something almost all of the year round in most parts of the country.

Lettuce, bok choy, pak choy and broccoli

Compared to the USA and Europe we are still in relatively good financial shape but it is anyone’s guess how long that will continue.  Therefore, it is prudent to consider what changes we can make to the way we prepare our meals that will both save us money and reduce our reliance on ‘just in time deliveries’ to the major supermarkets.

Have you made any changes to the foods you eat or way you prepare meals?

Introducing Friday Favourites – Best Banana Cake

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Today is the beginning of a new feature, ‘Friday Favourites’ where I will share one of my favourite recipes.  I hope to include a photo as well as the hints, tips, variations and shortcuts that are what makes a ‘tried and true’ recipe so appealing.

How often have you made a recipe that simply does not live up to the description or the photo which attracted you to it in the first place?  Here is an opportunity to bypass the less than stellar successes.

Streamline and simplify your cooking and recipes, then you will be more inclined to cook.  Remember the line, “whip up a batch of scones”?  It was what women of my grandmother’s generation could do when company was imminent.  The recipe and method were simple, ingredients always to hand and they knew the recipe off by heart.  I do not pretend to be able to make scones so I will stick to what I can do well.

It seems that there as many banana cake recipes as there are people in the world and I feel as though I have tried most of them.  In my opinion this one is as good as you will get.

BANANA CAKE

1/3 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana (2-3 bananas, depending on size)
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup milk

Beat oil and sugar until smooth.  Add beaten eggs, one at a time then beat in mashed banana and vanilla.  Sift flour and combine dry ingredients, add alternately with the milk and stir until mixed well.  Pour into a greased, lined loaf tin.  Bake at 180 degrees for 45 mins or until an inserted skewer comes out cleanly.

That is the recipe, now for the reality.

This is a great recipe and it can be made using 2 utensils – a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.

I do not sift the flour – in fact I do not own a sifter!

I use 1/8 cup of skim milk powder mixed with the dry ingredients and add ½ cup of water in lieu of the milk.

The eggs are not pre-beaten before I add them at the same time.

I use an empty butter wrapper to line the base a halfway up the side of the tin.  I keep used wrappers in the refrigerator specifically for lining cake tins.

The cake may be iced with your choice of frosting but it is just as nice plain.  I slice and freeze the cake in a container in the freezer.  Individual slices can easily be removed for snacks or packed lunches.

Enjoy and have great weekend.

Christmas, Birthdays, Anything……..

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The byline for this blog is ‘An organised, sustainable life’.  Perhaps you wonder where the link is between organisation and sustainability.  If you think about it, the connection is there every day in everything you do but never is it more obvious than in the lead up to celebratory events such as Christmas and birthdays.

Tomorrow we will be going to Miss O’s 4th birthday party and I have been planning and preparing her gift.  Here is a dress that I have made for her.

2011-11-26 01The fabric has been in my stash for a couple of years, the facings are scraps from a dress that had been unpicked, the buttons (originally used on a dress for Belle about 20 years ago) came out of the button jar and I bought 20cm of contrast fabric for the pockets.

We bought a wooden jigsaw puzzle from Amazen.  They have a shop at Montville, which is about 15 minutes drive from us.  The range of quality children’s toys and games in excellent.

2011-11-26 02I made a bag to store the puzzle pieces as it does not come in a box.

2011-11-26 03Once again, this was created entirely from scraps.  I think it looks really effective and hope it will be useful.

I wrapped the gift using recycled paper and ribbon that I have saved.  I made a card using some white card and an offcut of the paper.

2011-11-26 04Being organised means that you can easily locate items that have been stored for future use.  Equipment is easily accessible.  Planning ahead is essential if you do not want to be rushing to the shop and grabbing something at the last minute.

It is 4 weeks until Christmas so now is definitely the time  to think seriously about preparations for Christmas.  I have already tested a couple of recipes for things I am making as gifts.  Tomorrow I will start the ginger beer plant so that the finished product is ready for Christmas.  I will share the details of that in my next post.

Now I am off to make up a platter that we are taking to a ‘Christmas drinks and nibbles’ function this evening.  It will include balsamic dipping sauce from the recipe I posted the other day and guacamole made with our own avocadoes.  I made sure I picked some avocadoes earlier in the week so that they would be ripe for today.

What have you done to get organised for Christmas?  Will it minimise the last-minute rush and inevitable overspending that seem to go hand-in-hand?

Make Your Own Condiments – Part 2

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As promised, here is the recipe for another sauce you can easily make.  This is an excellent replica of the specialty product which is marketed as balsamic glaze, balsamic syrup or ‘aged’ balsamic.  I cannot take the credit for the recipe as it was posted by Mimi on Simple Savings.

Here is the recipe:

BALSAMIC SYRUP

500ml balsamic vinegar
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup port

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Simmer gently until required consistency is reached (approximately 30 minutes).  Watch carefully and stir regularly to ensure it does not catch or burn.

Cool and pour into small jars or bottles.  This makes an excellent gift and a list of uses could be attached.

Here are a couple of serving suggestions.

A small quantity in a tiny dish with good-quality olive oil makes a perfect dipping sauce.

Mix with orange juice for a marinade for chicken.

Drizzle over your favourite salad.

It is a great addition to the festive menu and I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Through a Child’s Eyes

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I mentioned yesterday that this simple living can be darned hard work – gardening, planting, harvesting, preserving, storing and cooking from scratch – not to mention the million and one other things that need to be done.

A sure-fire way to rejuvenate the enthusiasm is to see the ‘chores’ through the eyes of a child.  Our granddaughters stayed here this weekend and spending an hour or so in the backyard with them was a sheer delight.

2011-10-02 01Collecting the eggs.

2011-10-02 02Checking out the onion patch.

2011-10-02 03Splitting open beans to retrieve the seeds.

2011-10-02 04The excitement of finding a bean seed.  We will be letting them dry out and saving to replant.  We have also saved snow pea seeds.  Miss O had fun sorting the bean and pea seeds into separate containers.

2011-10-02 05Helping with the harvest.

There were lots of other things that did not get captured on film.  Pulling up the spent broccoli and cauliflower plants and dragging the up to the compost bin as well as pulling the old snow pea vine off the trellis.

Miss O helped me cook and we made a fruit slice with passionfruit icing as well as currant, orange and poppyseed muffins.  The girls took some muffins home to put in their lunchboxes for daycare tomorrow.

I also managed to get a little sewing done.  2 pairs of shorts are finished.  Here they are on the models.

2011-10-02 06And the second pair.

2011-10-02 07It is a pleasure to see the sheer delight on the faces of my grandchildren when they can help with the jobs we do every day.  I am reminded that what I am doing is ‘right’ and I look forward to sharing many more things as they get older.