Category Archives: Homemaking

An Abundance

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When you grow your own fruit and vegetables there are invariably times when the amount is quite overwhelming.  Some things are difficult to preserve and others have a very short shelf life.  Figs definitely fall into the latter category, so when I picked a large bowl full yesterday there was no doubt that I had to do something with them straight away.

I pulled the dehydrator out of the bottom of the pantry and set to work.

Figs

I set the dehydrator up on the laundry bench and 24 hours later we have semi-dried figs with nothing added.

Dried figs

I keep them in the refrigerator as they are not completely dried.  They will not be eaten just yet as we still have plenty of the crop yet to be picked.  There may well be enough to dry another batch in a week or two.

Simple Food

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Simple really does come in all sorts of guises and one of them is food.  Here is what we had for dinner on Friday night.  It was the end of the working week, we were both exhausted and not keen on creating a huge meal so I pulled this together with what was in the refrigerator and pantry.  It took about 5 minutes, presented well and was nutritious and filling.

Dinner

The tomatoes, figs and pumpkin were from the garden.  The pumpkin had been roasted to use on pizza and I had some left over.  Cheese, capsicum and cucumber from the refrigerator and finished off with walnuts and dried apricots.

Do you make any truly simple meals?

This is just a quick post as I have been away for a couple of days with my job so no time for blogging.  I am working on a new post about my wardrobe.  It may be ready tomorrow night so look out for it coming soon.

Decluttering 101

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I have been decluttering for over 10 years now but I am not really sure when I started.  In fact, I had never even heard of the word until, perhaps 5 years ago and the concept of minimalism only entered my consciousness even more recently.

There are as many ways to approach decluttering as there are people on the planet.

I have heard of instances where people have decluttered their whole home in a weekend.  They ordered a skip, almost stripped their home bare and threw the excess in the skip.  I do not know what their long-term success rate was like but I suspect that it was a bit like a crash diet. The rebound effect brings you back to the same point as where you started or worse.

The slow and steady approach is my way and it also fits with my philosophy of minimising waste and making do with what I have.  I had numerous mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser from hotel visits.  I have gradually used them up until they are all gone.

I have no doubt that the key to successfully decluttering your home is to stop bringing more stuff into it.  Unless you can get rid of the endless stream of possessions coming in, nothing is achieved.  It is time to alter your mindset and cease the constant inflow.

Although I do not write regularly about what I have decluttered, rarely a day goes by without me moving something out. It may be physical items or even that very insidious junk – digital clutter.  When was the last time you checked your email inbox?  Is it overflowing with offers, freebies and emails that you haven’t even read?  Get set with the delete and unsubscribe functions!

Here are some of the things that I have re-homed recently.

Large chest of drawers – sold on Gumtree
2 suitcases – given away via Freecycle
Mirror in frame – given away via Freecycle
2 zips – sent to a friend
Paper napkins – sent in response to an online request
3 men’s polo shirts – given to op shop
Skirt and 2 tops – given to op shop
4 cookbooks – given to op shop

What have you decluttered recently?

Dinner – Keeping it Cool

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As I mentioned in my previous post we sweltered through some very hot weather yesterday.  I find find that producing an appetising, nutritious meal with the minimum of effort can be a bit of a challenge.

Since it was so hot yesterday, I had the added difficulty of not wanting to traipse to the shops to buy our weekly fruit and vegetables.  So, I decided that I would make do with what I had.

The end result was a 3 course meal.

Dinner
Chilled tomato and parsley soup
Rice paper rolls with dipping sauce
Pineapple and mint crush

Dessert
None of these came from recipes in the true sense of the word but were creations out of my head with the ingredients I had available.  However, I will add them to the recipe file soon.

Cool For Cats

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Today has been an extraordinarily hot day. The forecast for Brisbane was 41C and even here it was tipped to reach 38C.  It is now 5pm and it is 38C in my kitchen – no I have not had the oven on!

Because we live in a relatively temperate climate we do not have air-conditioning and our only means of cooling is a fan.  It is a very efficient Dyson model which we have had running all day.  Other than that, The Duke and I have been doing very little and conserving our energy.  We have drunk copious amounts of chilled water and I have planned a cool, refreshing evening meal.  I will post more about that tomorrow.

We have kept a close eye on the dog and cat who are both ‘seniors’ in animal terms.  There is no doubt that the cat was quite good at finding the coolest spot in the house.  At first, he was sprawled out on the slate hearth beside the fireplace.  Later on, he decided that on top of the low bookcase in front of the louvres offered the best hope of some movement of air.  However, he was panting and seemed a bit distressed so I decided to cool him off.

Washing the cat

Although he was not too keen, Mr Kitty did not put up much of a fight as I think he realised that he actually felt better.

Drying off

I then put him out on the verandah where he groomed himself and dried off quite rapidly.

I am about to have a cold shower before I finish doing the food preparation for our eveing meal.  I think we will be eating outdoors in the hope of catching even a whiff of breeze.

My apologies to my North American readers who are suffering from the terrible winter storms.  I hope you can stay safe and warm.

Catching Up on Comments

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I have been somewhat tardy in responding to your thoughtful comments over the past 3 weeks.  I have just gone back and replied or acknowledged all of them.

I read each and every one of your comments and am touched by the thought you put into them.  They really add an extra dimension to the blog and I would like to sincerely thank you.

The past couple of days have been a whirlwind trip to Sydney with my Belle, Miss O and Izz but more about that another day.

It has been hot here today and tomorrow is expected to be in excess of 40C so our focus while be on keeping cool.  I will be looking for some little jobs that I can do while staying as cool as possible.  Some of you are struggling to keep warm at the moment so my thoughts are with everyone who is doing their best to continue to function despite extremes of heat and cold.

A Christmas Table & Leftovers

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Each year I review my Christmas catering efforts to see what worked, what didn’t and what could be changed.

As I have explained, this year was quite different as I catered for a small family gathering of 4 in an unfamiliar kitchen with limited ingredients.  I shopped with a view to minimal leftovers as well as a very simple menu.  You can see the menu in my previous post.

Entree
This was the entree – grilled asparagus and prosciutto-wrapped haloumi.  There was a roasted capsicum sauce to accompany it.

Main course
Here is the table set for the main course with grilled salmon, chestnut and cranberry stuffed chicken roll and 3 different salads.

It was very enjoyable and there is nothing that I would change.  The menu could easily be used for a bigger group with minimal additional effort.

We visited relatives on Boxing Day so the leftovers had to wait until the following day when I used them to  create a main meal salad.  I do not have a photo but here is the ‘recipe’.

Potato & Salmon Salad

6 tiny potatoes
1 small piece of grilled salmon
1 stick of celery
1/4 red capsicum (bell pepper)
Herb mayonnaise

Boil the potatoes until just tender.  Cool and cut into small pieces.  Flake the salmon and add to potatoes.  Add finely sliced celery and diced capsicum.  Toss ingredients and stir mayonnaise through.  Chill and serve on a bed of salad greens with tomato wedges.

The recipe is based on exactly what I did and it served 3 adults for lunch.

What creations have you made with leftovers during the festive season?

The Christmas Menu

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As you know we are staying in a holiday apartment so Christmas this year is a little different.  I do have access to some basic oils and condiments, however, the full range of pantry ‘essentials’ that I take for granted at home are not all here.

On Sunday evening I finally made some effort to plan our Christmas Day menu but it was still really flexible when we went shopping at the Queen Victoria Markets yesterday.  The plan evolved as I found various items.  Today I went to the local shops to pick up the last few things I would need and I have started the preparation.

Here is the menu.

NIBBLES

Cracker biscuits and vegie sticks with dips – beetroot, pumpkin, carrot & coriander and 1 other which I can’t remember.

ENTREE

Grilled prosciutto-wrapped haloumi and grilled asparagus with roasted capsicum salsa

MAINS

Chicken roll with spinach and pinenut stuffing
Seared Atlantic salmon with lime and cucumberPotato salad with herbed mayonnaise dressing
Roasted balsamic pumpkin, red onion and feta salad
Rocket, avocado, tomato and capsicum salad

DESSERT

Berry meringue smash

It is designed to be a simple yet special meal which I can prepare in an unfamiliar kitchen with minimal extra ingredients.  I have made the pumpkin salad, cooked the potatoes, wrapped the haloumi in prosciutto, roasted the capsicum and made the salsa.

Kitchen
Tomorrow I will assemble the other salads, roast the chicken and make the dessert.  The Duke will cook the asparagus, haloumi and salmon on the BBQ.

BBQ
I am looking forward to sharing a relaxing day with my family.

 

 

A Quiet Christmas

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You may or may not have noticed the lack of posts about getting organised for Christmas.  That was because I really have done very little.  We are going to be travelling interstate so it will be somewhat different to most years.

Things I have done:

Made a cake
Organised gifts for our children and granchildren
Attended the annual Christmas drinks with neighbours from our road
Sent a small number of cards and emails
Had a BBQ with my mother and siblings before we all head in different directions for Christmas

Things I have not done:

Put up a tree
Rushed around buying gifts for lots of people
Attended work Christmas functions
Planned a huge feast

2013-12-17 01This evening we called in to visit our daughter and family and give them their Christmas presents.  The highlight was explaining to Miss O and Izz that we will be going to Sydney on New Year’s Day to see “The Lion KIng” for their Christmas gift from us.

The Duke and I will not be exchanging particular gifts but instead we are saving towards our planned trip to the UK later next year.

We will be spending Christmas Day with my mother and our younger daughter in Melbourne.  We are staying in rented accommodation so I will decide on a menu based on the weather and also availability of kitchen equipment/utensils.  We will have access to an excellent of fresh food from the market and we will enjoy creating a special meal without over-indulging.  A laptop and the internet means that I will be able to use virtually any recipe I could possibly want.

I will spend some time reflecting on the year that was.  2013 has had some challenges which we have survived and I am looking forward to a fresh slate – 2014!

What are your plans?

Tomato Day

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It was nothing like ‘Tomato Day’ as described in the novel, “Looking for Alibrandi” but The Duke and I had our own mini version when we cut up 5.5kg of tomatoes yesterday.

A couple of weeks ago I asked at the local fruit stall if they had any cooking/sauce tomatoes as I wanted to make tomato sauce.  After some discussion it was agreed that they would try to get some from the market if there were any available and let me know.  I had not heard anything so I asked again when we went yesterday to buy our weekly supply of fruit and vegetables.  B then presented me with a box of assorted over-ripe tomatoes which had been sorted from the regular ones rather than specifically purchased.  These were then given to me as they would otherwise have been thrown out.

Back at home, we only had to discard 3 or 4 that were completely rotten and the rest were chopped up and placed in bags in the freezer.  I simply do not have the time to make sauce this week in the lead-up to Christmas and holidays so they can stay in the freezer until I have time to make the sauce.

This is an example of the benefits of eating seasonal produce and also supporting and getting to know your small, local retailer.  I could not imagine this scenario happening at my local Coles or Woolworths supermarket.