Last week I joined our local LETS group. It is an anacronym for Local Exchange Trading System. This Wikipaedia entry gives a good general overview if you want to know more about the concept.
Meanwhile, back to the local group, known as MaLETS (Mount Alexander Local Exchange Trading System) which is based on our regional local government area of Mount Alexander. This article is an excellent explanation of LETS in general and the successful operation of MaLETS in particular.
It was easy to join and start trading straightaway. On Sunday I bought a dozen eggs and a cucumber from 2 different members and sold 2 tote bags that I had made. I am really excited about the possibilities this opens up.
I am making some more bags (as well as other things) in preparation for the next market.
I think everyone has a personal favourite way of making lasagne.
Lasagne was my ‘go to’ dish in the early days of our marriage. In fact, so much so that GMan once commented that our impending dinner guests had eaten at our place previously so we would need to think of something else!
My version of lasagne has evolved noticeably over almost 45 years due to a changing culinary landscape and a variety of dietary considerations. I have reduced the proportion of meat in the dish, eliminated cream, use gluten free flour and pasta. The latest iteration actually replaces the pasta with thin slices of zucchini and the bechamel sauce is made with cauliflower rather than a roux of flour and butter. Interested? Read on for the full details.
LASAGNE
Meat sauce
250g lean minced beef 1 cup dried red lentils 1 large onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 large carrot, grated 2 sticks celery, finely chopped 2 teaspoons beef stock powder 2 tins crushed tomatoes } – whatever combination of fresh, dried or frozen tomatoes 2 tablespoons tomato paste } you have on hand. More water may be required. Herbs (fresh or dried) to taste – I used a handful of fresh basil and 1 teaspoons of dried mixed herbs Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Place the lentils in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. In a large saucepan fry the onion and garlic, add the mince and brown. Add the remaining ingredients including the drained lentils. Simmer gently until the lentils are tender. Add more water if the mixture becomes too dry.
Chop the cauliflower roughly. The stalk and small leave can be included in this recipe. Steam or microwave until tender. Place cooked cauliflower in blender and gradually add milk until the mixture is smooth and a suitable consistency. Add seasonings to taste. The quantities are only suggestion so add a bit at a time until it reaches your desired taste.
Set sauce aside until required. This sauce can be refrigerated for a couple of days or frozen if you have too much. It can be substituted in any recipe that requires a creamy white sauce. You can use plant-based milk if you choose.
Other
Zucchini, sliced thinly lengthwise Grated cheese, I use a mixture of cheddar, parmesan and nutritional yeast
Assembly
Layer the various components in an ovenproof dish. I usually do meat sauce, zucchini, white sauce and then cheese and repeat 2-3 times until the dish is full.
Cook in the oven until heated through and browned on top. Alternatively, it can be heated in the microwave and finished off under the grill to brown the top.
Makes 6 generous serves.
This is the only photo I have as I did not think of writing this post until after we had eaten dinner. We ate 2 serves and the remainder were packed up and frozen in 4 individual serves.
Here is an overview of how I created the scarf. This is not a sewing blog and therefore it is not a step by step tutorial as such. Additionally, it assumes general sewing competence.
The dimensions are somewhat variable but you will need a piece of fabric that is approximately 150-170cm long and 25-30cm wide and an 18-20cm dress zip.
Insert the zip close to one end of the fabric.
Stitch the remainder of the long edges in a 1.5cm seam with right sides together.
Turn the tube to the right side. Press the seam flat so the the seam and zip are lying in the middle of the tube. Use the seam allowance to create a lap to conceal the zip.
Press under 1cm on the end away from the zip.
Insert the end near the zip inside (1.5-2cm), pin and carefully topstitch to secure the ends. Check that the stitching has caught on both sides.
Stitch across the scarf at the lower end of the zip to create the secure pouch. Trim loose threads.
I have a shoebox full of scarves in various weights and colours which I wear on a regular basis. However, yesterday I made myself a new one which is a bit bit different and rather special.
It is a infinity (loop) scarf made from some fabric scraps from my stash. The particular feature that prompted me to make this was the ability to create a discreet pocket for valuables. I had seen a similar item advertised a few years ago as being suitable for travellers and I had always considered making one.
So, I finally did it. I used a lightweight crinkle cotton as our next trip is to Hawaii so a heavy fabric is definitely not required.
You can see the zip and pocket section more clearly in this close-up. The zip was also a salvaged one from my stash. I was fortunate to have one in an appropriate length and colour.
The zip opening and pocket are large enough to hold a passport. The ability to carry my passport and cash discreetly and on my person is an important consideration when in busy public spaces when travelling.
Here is an example of me wearing the scarf with my passport in the pocket section of the scarf.
During the past 5 days I have completed numerous mundane tasks including grocery shopping, washing and ironing. However, my attention has been predominantly on one task that I was determined to complete.
I will not go into specific details except to say that I reviewed all of our logins and passwords and the way that they are stored. There are various programs available for securely storing sensitive information. I know that nothing is perfect but since we live in a digital age it is important to do the best we can.
Old or obsolete accounts have been closed/deleted. I have created unique passwords for everything we access online. I felt that this was of utmost importance when you consider the number of organisations who have suffered data breaches in the past couple of years. There are undoubtedly other breaches which go unreported. By having unique passwords for everything means that if we are impacted by any future security breach then the impact will mostly be limited.
Even after deleting about 25 assorted organisations I still have well in excess of 100 different logins and passwords.
I am not going to be complacent but I do feel a little more reassured regarding the integrity and security of our information in the digital space.
Please do not post anything about your own ‘system’ but do let this be a reminder for us all to be a little more vigilant.
It is a relatively rare occurrence these days for me to buy much other than consumables such as groceries and fuel, and experiences including travel, tickets to shows and events.
However, I think a recent purchase is worth sharing. Just after Christmas I was ordering some mixing bowls for one of my daughters. While perusing the website I saw some Joseph & Joseph chopping boards. These are rather expensive but were significantly reduced. I had seen my sister using them when we stayed with them early last year and I was impressed with them but had not done anything more about looking for some.
Anyway, I bit the bullet and bought two new red (naturally) boards. They are what I would regard as large and extra large. They are plastic but that is offset by their perceived longevity.
I may be a bit late to the party but here are some of the features I love about them. There is lip around 3 sides and a slight slope overall. These help to retain juices or errant bits when preparing food. Juices can also easily be poured from the deep corner. This in turn, helps to minimise waste. The recessed handles make them easy and safe to carry. One side has a spiked area which can assist in holding meat or other items in place while chopping them. There is also a narrow rubber strip on the edges which means they are stable and do not move when being used.
I have tried and used a variety of chopping boards over the years but these really appear to be the closest I have found to perfectly meeting my needs.
The other collection of boards all have their uses and will remain part of the kitchen until they break or wear out.
In June 2014 I took my first tentative steps towards making a quilt using Disappearing 9 Patch blocks. I was finally completed nearly 7 years later as I finished sewing the binding on while I sat with my mother when she was in hospital. I am so glad that I was able to share the finished quilt with her as much of the fabric had come from her stash of offcuts from garments she had made for herself and various family members over many years. You can see it here.
Last year I offered to make one for our younger daughter. Her preferred colour palette was soft greens such as sage and olive. I wondered how on earth I was going to source sufficient scraps of these colours as they are not generally colours that I use. However, I have been remarkably surprised at the bits that have come my way from many and varied sources.
Initially, I made about 6 blocks but I have not made any since before we moved. I had been collecting and cutting fabric in preparation. So, the past couple of days have been a bit of a marathon and I now have 33 completed blocks. I have some squares cut out but need 42 blocks altogether so I need to keep a close eye on fabric in op shops.
This is a preliminary layout with the completed blocks.
I am confident that this quilt will not take 7 years to complete.
The past 10 days have been an alternating mix of warm, sunny days and some significant rainfall so the young seedlings are enjoying the conditions. The zucchini plants which I planted at the beginning of December are literally doubling in size overnight. You can see what they looked like in this post.
This is today. The eggplant in the adjacent bed are doing well, too.
The cucumbers and new lettuce are also getting established.
Then there is the basil. Some in pots.
And more in the garden bed.
The basil is going to be trimmed this afternoon. I am planning to make a pesto/green sauce to serve with grilled eggplant, capsicum and pasta for dinner. As usual, this a creation I have have dreamed up. If the reality is as good as the idea I will hopefully have a recipe to share in a future post.
A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the sheets on our bed were beginning to look a bit threadbare. I have 4 sets of QS sheets which I rotate for our bed and also the guest bed. Naturally the ones on the guest bed don’t get a lot of use. They are top quality pure cotton sheets and have lasted very well. In fact, I could not remember when I had last bought sheets. After doing some detective work I discovered that they would have been one of the sets referred to in this post from June 2011. Over 12 years is not bad.
However, I was not quite ready to throw them out. The top edge of the top sheet was literally disintegrating so I removed it and replaced it with a strip from a KS sheet which I bought recently from the local op shop. I used some of it for the backing of a quilt but there was plenty left for other projects.
Then I turned my attention to the bottom sheet. This had 2 small splits amid a larger very worn area. You can see the splits on the wrong side after I had placed a patch on the right side.
I use double-side fusible interfacing to secure the patch before sewing it. This also helps to reinforce the worn area. I used a piece of very similar fabric for the patch.
I know it probably doesn’t look particularly comfortable, I will be able to place the sheet so that the patch is near the foot of my side of the bed and my feet barely reach that spot.
I don’t know how much these repairs will extend the life of these sheets but it was a relatively easy fix and a worthwhile one in my opinion.
The other two jobs were alterations rather than mending. I had bought both of these tops at op shops recently and while they are in very good condition the sleeves were too long for me and the grey striped one was much too long in the body. I have adjusted them for a better fit and they are ready for wearing during the cooler months.
As I prepared to write this somewhat reflective post, I re-read the posts I had written in the last 12 months – all 99 of them. That is more than double the number I wrote in 2022 which was a measly 44.
I know that statistics only tell part of the story and are certainly not the reason I began writing this blog back in 2011. Nor are they the reason that I continue. The blog is primarily a diary. It is a record of activities undertaken as well as thoughts and feelings on a wide range of subjects at any given time. I hope that some of it is of use and/or interest to those of you who read it.
As you will see in an upcoming post, it is sometimes the only record I have of something which has happened in the past.
There is no doubt that 2023 was overwhelmingly about our relocation from Queensland to Victoria. The sale of one house and purchase of another and the subsequent move and organisation of a new space.
Like every other year, 2023 has been a combination of highlights interspersed with some less than wonderful moments but on balance I feel as though it was a better year than the previous couple of years. Unfortunately, I know that has not been the case for everyone.
organised castle 