Work and Play

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The title sums up our day.

This morning we spent a couple of hours in the backyard. My first job was to remove the old cauliflower plants that remained after I had harvested the cauliflower during the past week. The garden bed will rest until it is time to plant summer crops such as zucchini, tomatoes and basil.

Meanwhile, GMan mowed the pocket handkerchief patch of lawn and then started on disassembling some timber lattice that has weathered badly and deteriorated significantly. It currently provides a division and some screening between the main area of the backyard and the clothesline which is in the far corner. We are planning to slightly realign the framework and change the overall style. I do not have any photos to share at this stage but there will be more details and photos once the reconstruction gets underway.

After lunch we had some slightly more frivolous plans. We headed to Bendigo to admire the mass plantings of tulips in the public gardens in the middle of the city. There were lots of people enjoying the colourful displays on a pleasant spring afternoon.

Here is a selection of photos.

The tulips were definitely the star of the show but by no means the only attraction in the gardens.

Inside the conservatory.

The exterior of the conservatory which was built in 1897.

Our next stop was a nearby hotel where we enjoyed a couple of hours listening to a local band.

A most productive and enjoyable Sunday.

Homemade Sauce/Dressing

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Fromm time to time I stumble across interesting sounding recipes on Facebook. I generally ‘save’ them on Facebook and often forget to go back and look them again. However, a few days ago I saw one that I could not wait to try out.

This is for a vegan ‘sour cream’ made from sunflower seeds. Sounds a bit ridiculous? That was my thought, too.

VEGAN ‘SOUR CREAM’

1 cup sunflower seeds
1¼ cups water
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ onion
1 large clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz until creamy. Makes about 500ml.
Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze portions for later use.

NOTE: I have not tried freezing it as yet.

NOTE: You could also try adding additional spices or nutritional yeast to alter the flavour a little.

I know it sounds improbable and ridiculously easy – it really is that simple.

This is the result, although some has already been used. I would say it is a bit like a cross between sour cream, yoghurt and mayonnaise.

This was my lunch today with a generous serve of my new-found dressing.

Please note that this is not GMan-approved but I am happy to have found an easy and tasty alternative.

However, he is still raving about one of my other homemade sauces, a bechamel-style sauce made using cauliflower instead of flour and butter as the base. We have successfully grown cauliflower this winter and the last 2 became another batch of the sauce. The recipe is here and it freezes really well.

A Successful Search

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I think I have managed to collect enough suitable fabric for my next patchwork project.

This was a fitted bassinet sheet that I spotted in the op shop yesterday.

I unpicked it and salvaged the elastic.

My basket of new and used elastic of various types and lengths. It is surprising how often it yields just what I need.

Some of the squares have been cut up and added the collection and I will do the rest tomorrow.

The newest pieces are in the bottom right-hand corner. I am looking forward to making a start on the sewing before too long.

Op Shop Finds

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It is hard to believe that it is a week since my last post. There has been plenty happening, including committee meetings, a friend’s milestone birthday party, family visiting from interstate as well as lunch with a group of extended family. PHEW!!

On Saturday we were out and about with our visitors and had fun checking out a few op shops in our travels. I had a couple of small wins with the spatula ($1) at one shop and 3 more of my favourite jars (50c each) at another.

The spatula shows very little sign of previous use and the metal handle means that I can safely prop it on the side of the pan.

The jars are my some of my favourites when making jams or chutneys as well as for general storage. The wide neck and straight sides make them simple to fill using a wide-necked funnel and also easy to scrape out the last of the contents.

Patience Pays Off

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This afternoon GMan was weeding in the garden and he removed the cover from the raised bed where I planted some cauliflower seedlings months ago. They have had no attention and amazingly we found one ready to pick.

There are about 4 or 5 others which are a bit smaller but will be ready to harvest before too long.

Meanwhile, the chard continues to produce enough to pick. Here is what I picked this afternoon and it will be used for dinner.

We arrived home yesterday after being away for a few days. We went to see our football team play in the first of the finals and it was a very disappointing outing as they were thoroughly outplayed. They do have one more chance this weekend. I am hopeful but not confident. Our other engagement was a difficult one as we gathered with many others to farewell a friend who had died much too young after a courageous battle with cancer.

Out of respect for everyone involved there are no photographs.

However, here is a sweet reminder of the joy of little things.

Where’s the Wine?

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In our previous home we had a storage space under the internal staircase and several dozen bottles of wine. We had a large modular storage system for them but decided to sell it when we were relocating interstate.

Like many things, the wine collection has been downsized somewhat, however, it still needs to be stored somewhere. The cartons have been in the wardrobe of the 3rd bedroom but invariably the desired bottle is always in the most difficult box to access.

We had talked about a variety of options but the wardrobe remained the best location due to the maintenance of a fairly steady temperature.

A few days ago I found some wine racks advertised on Facebook Marketplace so we decided to check them out. They are the same style as what we had previously and are perfect for the space we have.

GMan is very happy with the arrangement as it will make finding a particular bottle much easier. Additionally, it is much simple to keep track of exactly what he has.

Share and Repair

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Yesterday I made a new discovery – the Bendigo Share and Repair Shed. I stumbled across this gem from a Facebook post advertising a destash sale of art and craft materials. When I arrived at the address I discovered that it was so much more than just a one-off event.

After perusing the various offerings I came home with a selection of goodies – most with a specific purpose in mind.

Two pieces of fabric which will yield a total of about 35 squares for the ‘pink’ quilt that I am preparing to make.

Another piece of fabric suitable for patchwork but no particular project in mind.

A large piece of curtain fabric which will make some great tote bags. I am planning to make some more to donate to the Community Pantry for people to use (and reuse) when collecting groceries.

The final piece of fabric is this fine cotton fabric which is blue with a tiny white spot. I am thinking of making a summer dress for myself. I think this is probably quite old as it is less than 90cm (36 inch) wide. I will have enough as there is more than 2 metres of fabric.

This close-up gives a better indication of the print.

The premise of the Share and Repair Shed is to make a donation/offer and I was happy to pick up all of these pieces for $9 as I will be able to give them new life in various projects.

I also had a quick look at other non-craft items that were available and I was quite excited to pick up these 3 jars to add to my collection for when I am making jams, pickles etc. There are always plenty of jars around but I like to limit my collection to a couple of different styles. These have a wide mouth and are easy to fill.

All in all it was an enlightening and fruitful visit and I am sure I will be back again before too long.

Day Out and A Door

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I went to Melbourne today as I needed to stock on on some of the dry goods that I buy in Melbourne – usually every 3 – 4 months. Graina at Moonee Ponds was my destination and I specifically chose to go today as each Tuesday there is a 20% discount if you bring your own containers. I think that is a pretty worthwhile incentive so I headed off with a list and a bag of containers of various sizes.

I also ventured to Footscray to Cheaper Buy Miles. There are stores at Footscray, Flemington, Fitzroy and Brunswick. The stock is end of lines, short-dated, unpopular flavours etc and varies from week to week. There is generally a good selection of gluten free and plant-based foods. The great thing about buying from here is that as well as saving money you are also doing something positive about saving stuff that would otherwise end up in landfill.

Today I picked up 3 x 350g packs of GF penne and 2 packets of GF crispbreads for the sum total of $7.

I caught the train to Melbourne then used the suburban train and trams to get to Moonee Ponds and Footscray before the train trip home. I was reminded of how easy it is to take familiar scenery for granted. This is a view from the train as we sped towards home.

The reason that I went by myself was that GMan needed to be at home as we had a carpenter coming to install a door at the end of the hallway. This will make it much easier to heat or cool the family/dining room and kitchen in the future as the benefit from the reverse cycle airconditioner will not be bowing directly down the hall.

There is still some finishing touches to be done on Thursday but I am really excited by this relatively minor alteration. It is going to make a significant difference.

What’s For Dinner?

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I do not often post our main meals these days as we mostly eat a selection of the meals already on the index. However, a couple of weeks ago I made a new creation which was a great success so tonight I photographed the steps when making it again.

CREAMY MUSTARD CHICKEN – serves 2

Ingredients

Half onion
Handful of silverbeet
1 chicken breast fillet
1 medium mushroom
250ml cauliflower white sauce** (recipe here) or you could use regular white sauce
2 spoons of mustard mayonnaise

Method

Finely slice the onion, cut and finely slice the silverbeet stalks. Shred the silverbeet leaves and slice the mushroom. Cut the chicken fillet into small strips. Cook the chicken lightly until cooked but not browned. (I cook the chicken in the airfryer). Set the chicken aside.

Saute the onion and stalks, add sliced mushroom and chicken. Cook for 5 minutes. Add cauliflower sauce and mustard. Finally, stir in the shredded silverbeet and cook for a few more minutes until the silverbeet is softened and the mixture is all heated through.

I served the chicken dish with mashed potato, carrots and green beans. It works equally well with rice which I chose previously or pasta could be another option.