Friday Favourites – Bolognaise Sauce

4 Comments

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.

Just Do It

2 Comments

I am not advertising Nike shoes.  This is simply a reminder to us all not to procrastinate, most importantly, about making contact with people.  It is easy to think about writing a letter, sending an email or just picking up the phone.  Don’t delay – tomorrow may be too late.

Today I made 2 phone calls, sent an email and wrote a letter.  There is satisfaction to be gained from completing a job rather than putting it off but nothing compares with the delight in the voice on the other end of the line.

Make someone’s day – make contact before it is too late.

A Christmas Plan

9 Comments

No, I have not forgotten that it is January.

We have all heard the phrase about learning from past mistakes.  While they are not strictly mistakes, past events can be reviewed to see if it is possible to change things with a view to making life simpler and less stressful for ourselves.

Since it is a new year, what better to review than Christmas and the festive season?

My Christmas celebrations are very low-key compared to some.  However, comparison is not the issue here – streamlining the process and having time to enjoy the seasonal festivities is my aim.

Last year we went on holidays in October/November so I didn’t really focus seriously on any Christmas planning until mid-November.  There are also family birthdays at this time – one in November and one in early December.

Lazy Brownie Day is a concept I may have mentioned last year but it never quite got off the ground.  I believe the name comes from a book character, but regardless of the name, the concept is that the 25th of every month is dedicated to Christmas preparations.   While I may not always be able to do Christmas prep exactly on the 25th of the month due to work commitments, I will have a plan and review it each month.  This year I want to make sure that I do a little bit at a time and that there is no mad rush (physical or mental) at the end of the year.

Based on what I did in 2011 I have mapped out a basic idea of what I need to do each month to ensure that I am organised when it gets to December.  I have taken into consideration what worked, what didn’t and what I wanted to do that didn’t happen.

This is what it looks like:

January

  • Sort and file Christmas cards and letters
  • Make sure any contact details are updated in address book
  • Update Christmas card list
  • Set up complete contact list for 2012 e-cards

2012-01-04 01February

  • Make gift bags
  • Plan home-made gifts
  • Make list of gift recipients

2012-01-04 02March

  • Write Q1 review for 2012 Christmas letter
  • Work on home-made gifts

April

  • Work on home-made gifts

May

  • Work on home-made gifts

June

  • Write Q2 review for 2012 Christmas letter
  • Work on home-made gifts

July

  • Work on home-made gifts
  • Make Advent calendar

2012-01-04 03August

  • Complete home-made gifts
  • Check what other gifts to buy

September

  • Write Q3 review for 2012 Christmas letter
  • Buy any extra dried fruit/ingredients for cake
  • Make Christmas cake

October

  • Write Christmas cards
  • Select suitable photos for Christmas letter
  • Discuss plans for Christmas festivities/venues with extended family

November

  • Buy Christmas stamps
  • Make sure Advent calendar is complete and ready
  • Check times and location of carol service and displays of lights

December

Week 1

  • Put up and decorate the tree
  • Finalise menu for meals I am hosting over Christmas
  • Do major grocery shopping to last until after New Year

Week 2

  • Post cards
  • Take Miss O and Izz to carols and light displays

Week 3

  • Send Christmas e-cards/letters
  • Take Miss O and Izz to work Christmas party
  • Buy fresh fruit and vegetables
  • Relax and enjoy

Since Christmas 2011 is still reasonably fresh in mind, I hope I have covered most things.  There will be other small things I do throughout the year.

I am going to print this post and put it in a folder for reference and with the assistance of Lazy Brownie days I plan to have a smooth, non-stressful lead-up to Christmas 2012.

Do you have any particular timelines for Christmas preparations?

Back to Basics

Leave a comment

A new year is a good time to remind myself of my aim.  It is to live simply while adhering to the principles of organisation and sustainability.

Today I have done something that ticks both boxes.  It may seem like a small, or almost insignificant action, but I see it as worthwhile.

After doing a trial last year, our council have decided to offer the option of receiving rates notices by email.  When I saw this mentioned in a promotional booklet before Christmas, I sent an request for this option.  I have now registered our details, and while I am not exactly looking forward to our next rates notice, it is good to know that I can receive this notification electronically.  This means that there is no paper used (sustainable), the council saves money on postage and I do not have to handle and file the paperwork as it lands directly in my inbox (organised).

We receive as much correspondence as possible electronically.  This includes statements, phone and internet bills.  There are probably others that I cannot think of right at the moment.  Automatic payments and direct debits also help to streamline and simplify the business of running a household.  By automating as much as possible this leaves more time for doing productive and fun things.

Speaking of productive activities, yesterday The Duke and I planted out 23 rockmelon (cantaloupe) seedlings.  If they all thrive and produce fruit I will be able to run a market stall!  Some were planted in the rather desolate area nicknamed ‘the snakepit’.  It is a barren patch near the low part of the garden and seems to be filled with rubble.  Some months ago I managed to plant a couple of pumpkin seedlings which i had rescued from the compost heap and they are doing well.  I counted at least 10 tiny pumpkins growing on the vine yesterday.

Do you receive mail electronically or have automatic payments set up in order to streamline the business of running your household?  What other strategies do you use?  I would love to hear your thoughts.

Goals & A Resolution

Leave a comment

I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions but I do have goals and I resolve to achieve them.

My goals so far for 2012 are:

  • Scan and digitise all of my photographs as described in my previous post – I am well underway with all of the items scanned.  Now I have to sort, file and save them which is a mammoth job.
  • Buy Christmas fabric and make reuseable Christmas gift bags in a variety of sizes to suit all gifts.  The fabric is bought.
  • Consolidate all of my addresses, telephone numbers (landline and mobiles) and email addresses into one comprehensive list which is complete and identical in all loactions – hard copy address book, contacts on the computer and the address book on my mobile phone.
  • Have the bathroom renovated.  Spend only on essentials in order to save enough for this project.  I need to start getting quotes and also look for fixtures and fittings.

There will be other things that come up along the way but these are the things I have identified and am determined to achieve.

I am going to read some more of ‘Simplify’.  I am making fairly slow progress as I am usually ready to sleep pretty much as soon as my head hits the pillow at night but I promise I will let you know what I think of it once I have read the whole book.

A Big Project

4 Comments

I have been debating for some time about how best to arrange my photographs.  I have about 1500 prints in albums, a shoebox full of prints, hundreds in digital format on my computer and the prospect of this number continuing to increase.

As it stands, we rarely look at the albums, never sift through the shoebox and occasionally look at the ones on the computer.  We mostly look at the holiday ones which are actually sorted and categorised which makes it easy to select what we want to view.

2011-12-30 01So my project for 2012 is to have all of my photos sorted and filed.  I have started by scanning the photos in the albums.  The first 650 are done and I hope to have the 5 albums scanned by the time I go back to work after the long weekend.

I have had fun looking at some of them as I go along.  Here is one you might like.  Note the boxes stashed under the change table.  That was one of my storage solutions for my ‘stuff’.

I plan to keep a full set on the computer as well as a couple of USB sticks kept in different locations as well as uploaded to the web.  Hopefully this will minimise the chance of them all being wiped out by a disaster.

Our current television is networked with the computer so it is easy to view the photos directly on the screen in the lounge room.

I will also be able to put together a selection of relevant photos on DVD for Missy and Belle so that they have a record for themselves.

So, what am I hoping to achieve?

1  The photos in a sensible order and easy to access format so that we can view and enjoy them rather than having them stashed away gathering dust.

2  Not leave an uncatalogued jumble for someone else to sort out when I am gone.

3  Declutter the albums from the bookshelves.

This will all take time but I am pleased that I have made the decision to do it and I am clear in what I want to achieve and how I will do it.

Alongside working on my photos I will be continuing to streamline and simplify both my home and my life.

I have just downloaded a new book to my Kindle.  It is Simplify by Joshua Becker.  I found it on his blog, Becoming Minimalist.  I am off to read it shortly and will let you know what I think.  It is good to see as many perspectives as possible on a subject and minimalism is no exception.

Do you have any big goals for 2012?  I would love to hear what you have planned.

NOTE:  Friday Favourites is on holidays but will be back next week ready for 2012.

One In,One Out

3 Comments

One of the principles that is often espoused in discussions around decluttering is the idea of “One In,One Out”.

Just before Christmas I bought a new iron as mine had ceased to work as it should.  Since it can still be used (sort of) it would be easy to put it away ‘just in case’.  Just in case what?  Just in case my brand-new one does not work properly?  No, it had to go, so I have given it away.

One of my Christmas gifts was a new frying pan so I have given away the old one.  The original is a cast iron Le Creuset pan which we were given as a wedding present.  It has given wonderful service but is very heavy and can be difficult to lift so it was time for a new home.  I listed it on Freecycle on the recipient is very pleased with her ‘new’ frying pan.
This is my new Neoflam pan.  I have yet to use it but am sure it will be perfect.

2011-12-29 02Have you received new or upgraded versions of existing items as a gift?  Is it time to consider whether you really need both or can one be passed on via Freecycle, Ebay or some other means?

While You Were Sleeping………………

2 Comments

I am not sure what you were doing, but during the short hiatus in posts over Christmas I have done a bit of housekeeping and (hopefully) improved the features of the blog.  The links which were in the sidebar are now listed in the pages under the header photograph.  Roll your mouse over the black bar to see your choices.  I hope the categories will help you to find the particular things that interest you.

There are some new blogs to check out and more will be added in the future.

There is now a search function on the sidebar so you can find posts relating to a particular word or topic.

Please let me know what you think and if there are any other changes that would make it better.

I know some people are seeing ads and pop-ups on the blog.  This is annoying and I will be working to stop this, however, I don’t expect it to be a quick fix.  Please bear with me.

Closed For Christmas

1 Comment

A short final post to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas.

When I began writing this blog early this year I had no idea whether I could really blog consistently, what I would write about (apart from a very general idea of the topics I might cover) or if it would be of any interest to anyone.  You have all inspired me to keep going and develop the themes of organisation and sustainability which is what underpins all of my writing.

I hope we can continue to inspire each other and make a difference to our own lives and the lives of others in 2012.

Please have a safe and joyous Christmas season.  Wherever you are, I hope you can take time to relax and recharge yourself.  Enjoy the company of family and friends.

I hope you will come back and join me in 2012.  I am looking forward to the new year with anticipation.  I love the thought of a blank canvas waiting for me to put my mark on it.

Best wishes for the festive season and 2012.  May it be everything you desire.