Category Archives: Homemaking

Clever Cupboards

1 Comment

Well, it is not actually the cupboards that are clever but the cabinetmaker for suggesting a solution for ‘blind’ corner cupboards.  When we were redesigning our kitchen he suggested these and I immediately agreed that they were a great idea.  The rails stop things falling off as the shelves are moved.

When I was putting the clean dishes away this morning I noticed that the shelves were looking a bit grubby so I removed everything and cleaned the shelves.

The shelves are on an arm mechanism and swing in and out by pulling the rail.  They are easy to manoeuvre and give access to an otherwise useless corner.

Here it is replaced in the closed position.

These shelves hold all of my bowls, jugs and colanders as well as scales, measuring cups, funnel, juicer and the attachments for the Kitchen Aid mixer.

I also cleaned the matching set of shelves in the opposite corner of the kitchen.

Creative Cookery

Leave a comment

Many of my recipes are adaptations of ones I have been given, or based on meals that have been served to me over the years.

Tonight I made Chilli Chicken with Corn Chips for dinner.  This recipe was given to me many years ago.  It was one of those recipes that did not rely on specific quantities and mine has evolved over the years.

My quantities are for 2 of us with leftovers for lunches.  It could easily serve 4 adults.

Chill Chicken with Corn Chips

Make a fairly stiff white sauce using plain flour, butter and skim milk.  Season with black pepper.

Add shredded cooked chicken (I use 1 chicken breast fillet, steamed)

Add sliced mushrooms – I use about 250g because we have an abundance of mushrooms.

Place mixture in a shallow casserole dish.

2011-09-07 01Dice 1/2 onion and lightly fry.  Make tomato sauce by adding 400g tin of diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, fresh chilli or chilli paste (as much as you like to taste) and a splash of white wine (optional).  Simmer until reduced a little.

2011-09-07 02Pour tomato mixture over the chicken.  Top with a layer of corn chips and grated cheese.  Cook in the oven or under the grill until heated through and crisp on top.

2011-09-07 03Serve with rice and vegetables.  I usually have broccoli and carrots.

2011-09-07 04I usually have nachos the following night to use the rest of the corn chips.  If you want to be organised you can make a double quantity of the tomato mixture and use the extra instead of salsa on the nachos.

NACHOS

Corn chips

Crockpot refried beans

Tomato salsa

Grated cheese

Layer the corn chips on a baking tray, spoon refried beans, salsa and grated cheese over the chips.  Repeat in layers until all of the chips are used.  Cook in the oven until hot and crisp.

I plan to make an Anzac cake tomorrow night to maximise the use of the oven.

Shopping For Something Special

1 Comment

In my quest to live a greener, simpler life with less stuff I rarely go shopping except for basic foods.  When I do shop it is for a specific purpose such as buying a gift or something I need for a sewing project.

I also buy from op shops where it is feasible and appropriate, as buying second-hand goods stops those things being sent to landfill and there is no additional carbon footprint from the production of new manufactured items.

Whether it is second-hand or new, I do not go browsing and shopping for the sake of it.  I know of people who go op shopping to minimise the cost of their need for a “shopping fix”.  This still tends to result in lots of extra “stuff” being bought.  It can actually be worse in terms of acquiring stuff as op shop goods are generally cheaper, thus enabling more to be bought.

Today I went to an op shop in the city but it was almost like a boutique compared to the basic op shops in the suburbs and country towns.  There are 2 op shops in Maleny so I went there is the hope of finding what I was looking for.  The purpose of my expedition was to find some things I needed for my costume for the themed dinner at a work conference on Thursday evening.  Our table is 1960’s and we have chosen Woodstock as our theme.

Here is what I bought.

A cheesecloth sundress which I am going to turn into a long skirt – $6.50

A single bed doona cover to make into a tablecloth for our table – $8.50

And finally, a top from the Nepalese shop in Maleny – patchwork,tie-dyed and hand-painted.  It even has bell sleeves.

I need to make a shoulder bag and I may make a vest as well.

Now I am off to start re-fashioning.  Next week I will post some photos of my outfit.

 

Doona Cover

1 Comment

2011-03-13 01
I am still trying to figure out the formatting of photos in my posts but in the meantime here is a picture of the patchwork I have been working on.  There is a sequence to the placement of fabric but I didn’t want it to look too contrived.  I am happy with how it is turning out.  I know Miss O will love it – Dora is her favourite!

A Fresh Start

1 Comment

This is a brand new blog, so here goes.

Come and join me on my journey towards an organised, sustainable existence.

This will be a random selection of happenings at ‘The Castle’ which I hope will prove to be both informative and interesting.  Please comment, make suggestions and generally let me know what you think.

I expect that there will be photos, recipes, hints and tips as well as some more personal thoughts.

Today I have been working on making a patchwork doona cover for my grand-daughter.  A few weeks ago I found that someone was selling a piece of ‘Dora the Explorer’ fabric online so that was too good an opportunity to pass up since Dora is a firm favourite with Miss O at the moment.  I bought some plain fabric from Spotlight to go with it and am very happy with the effect so far.  There is also a small pile of mending to be done so I might try to get that done tomorrow.