I did good! Recycling and passing on...

Making progress on the cleanout/downsizing!
I cleaned out the linen cupboard yesterday and have 3 more bags of 'stuff' to take to the op shops!
Unreal how much 'stuff' one can cram in a cupboard - stuff that never gets used because you can't find what you need!
Also went through all the pillowslips and made a pile of odd ones that can go to the local wildlife rescue organisation - pillowslips are used as pouch liners for Joeys, so don't throw them out, pass them on, they will be put to good use!
The same goes for old electric blankets (the wool ones) - they pull the wiring out and turn the blankets into pouches for the little ones - wool and other natural fibres are great for the bubs as it breathes.
So there ya go, another way to recycle items you no longer need, but want to see go to a good home. :-)

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

Dear hubby, and resident gourmet chef, was given a fantastic gift - a KitchenAid stand mixer!
I can't imagine many things he would enjoy more! He's already plotting which recipe out of his 'Heston Blumenthal at home' cookbook to try first. :-)
Now, the hard part - waiting for it to arrive. It had to be ordered as they didn't have the colour he wanted in stock - red, of course, as it goes faster!









This appliance is a blessing to us for sure! Over the last few years we've been slowing upgrading to more efficient items that will serve us well for years to come. This was one on our list, but WAY down on the list as other things needed to be sorted first.
So many thanks to the angels in our lives - you know who you are - you are most appreciated!

Creating a Vacuum

Moving to the next stage in one's life can have advantages!
We now have the opportunity to downsize and pass on the things that we no longer require - and create space for the Universe to bring in new things.
One discovers that one does not need nearly as much for two people - except plenty of space for books and kitchen gear - two things we both love, reading and cooking!
Truthfully, this 'downsizing' bit is pretty darn cool!
It's very satisfying to be able to create space where there was none - and to be able to find things!
Goodness that's a good feeling to know exactly what you have and where the blooming stuff is any time you want to use it!
It's a work in progress at the moment, but progress is definitely being made - and that's what counts. :-)

Time to move forward...

Well, after a long period of absence, it's time to get back to my blog, and get on with creating the life we want to live.
It's been a challenging couple of years, with lessons learned, and paths changed.
We are now 'officially' empty nester's - having slogged the hard roads with my husbands two youngest children, and have seen them set off on their own paths in life - and their own lessons to learn.
One finds that you can GIVE children the opportunity to rise above the mentality of welfare dependence they were raised with in their mother's home - but you can't make them TAKE the opportunities. Many times people find it easier to continue on the familiar path, rather than choose to step outside the box and do something different with their lives.
As my very wise mother would say, 'it's not your path to walk', so we must let them return to the life of living with one's hand out, rather than grasping the offered hand up.
Do I sound jaded? Well, yes, I probably am - after four children through our home with the same unfortunate result - one does get that way. You can show them other ways of doing things, and expose them to the many opportunities that this wonderful country offers, but the choice is always ultimately theirs.
So, you send them on to their greater good - and hope to goodness they find it at some point, rather than follow the path laid out for them by their other parent.
As a woman who comes from a LONG line of very strong women, I cannot imagine living the rest of my life blaming others for my misfortunes and lack of opportunities - all the while refusing to see what is placed in front of me for the taking, if I only choose to reach out and grasp it.
Now we let them go, and get on with creating the life we want to live - and as the old saying goes about one door closing and another opening...
Well, we've opened that new door. :-)
Onward and upward...

We Haz Goatz!

Well, we took delivery of two goats - both boys - last Saturday.
They are settling in nicely and slowly but surely getting used to us and all the other critters.
We have a 2 year old black/brown named Lucifer - yeah, it suits him!
Plus, a 6 month old white named Crowley. Ok, way too much Supernatural for us! LOL!
Here's the handsome lads:

Chickens.....

Finally!
Back to my blog after a long break and the upheaval of moving house one more time - that's 5 moves in 3 years. I don't want to see another moving box for a VERY, VERY long time!
Unfortunately, it was all a necessary evil due to the circumstances, but lessons learned, and onward and upward to bigger and better things.
Like chickens!
Now that we're on acreage - nearly 900 acres to be exact - we have free ranging chickens! I do love my chookies, they are such characters!
We have Roscoe P. Chicken, the Silkie Rooster - he's a rescue from the soup pot, now living the high life on the farm. Then there's Wesker the other Bantam Rooster and his two 'wives' Alice and Margaret (two little Pekin hens) and the 'kids'. Each little hen has 4 chicks at the moment, about 2 weeks apart in age, so the older batch is at the 'ratty' stage and starting to get feathers. They're all very cute and are great at doing bug patrol in the lawn and gardens.

Roscoe P. Chicken

Wesker and Family

What fun these guys have been to watch over the last few weeks! Now we're just hoping for more hens than roosters in the batch of chicks! :-)

Cobbler for a Crowd

Well, I love a good bargain, and food is no exception!
I picked up two daggy looking packages of nectarines on the clearance stand at the local fruit market for $2.50. Out of those I got a 2 liter bowl full of sliced fruit - not bad!
Now what to do with the fruit.....
Cobbler! A BIG Cobbler!

Oven to 180c
In a 9" x 13" x 2" cake/roasting pan place 250g or 2 sticks of butter - put in the oven to melt
Meanwhile...
Get a large mixing bowl and mix together the following:
2c sugar
2c plain flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2c milk
Remove your pan with the melted butter from the oven, let cool for a minute or two, then pour your batter over the top of the butter - DO NOT STIR!
Scatter the sliced fruit over the top of the batter evenly
Take 1 cup of Brown Sugar - sprinkle over the fruit
Bake for at least an hour, or until a knife comes out clean and the batter has cooked and turned a lovely golden colour.
Now, my cobbler took closer to an hour and a half to completely cook as my pan was FULL, so it was quite thick. I just kept checking it once I'd passed the hour mark.
Serve hot with ice cream or custard.
Enjoy!
We did! It was yummy!

Crumpets! And more Crumpets!

Well, in an effort to remove another processed item from our meals - I decided to try making my own crumpets.
They turned out pretty darn good! The resident crumpet addict, otherwise known as the husband, said they were a great improvement on the rubbery store bought ones!
Needless to say, I'll be making more of these on a regular basis.

The recipe.....
150ml milk
150ml water
200g plain flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
Warm the milk and water to 'finger warm' - too warm and you'll kill the yeast - so make sure you can comfortably put your finger into the pan.
Combine the rest of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, make a well in the center and pour in the milk/water mixture. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

When the mixture is ready, heat butter, or oil, or a combination of the two (my personal favourite) in a flat bottomed fry pan. Grease egg rings - making sure the rings are well covered, you don't want your crumpets to stick! Place the egg rings in your pan, and spoon in the mixture - filling your egg rings about 3/4 full.
Cook on medium heat until the tops no longer look 'wet' and bubbles are forming.
Carefully remove the egg rings and flip the crumpets over to cook the top.
How many you will get out of this recipe will depend on how big your egg rings are - I got 6 really good sized crumpets.

The results.....

Hubby's favourite - butter and creamed honey!
Enjoy!

Afternoon Tea

Quick and easy basic muffin recipe....

1 cup Self-Raising Flour, sifted
1 cup thickened cream
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Makes 6 normal, or 12 mini muffins. Bake at 180c until golden brown.

The results.....

What we did with the prawns.....

From this.....

To these.....

Pineapple Prawns

2 Tbsp oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 large stalks of celery, chopped finely
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped finely
1 cup catsup
1 cup crushed pineapple
1-1 1/2kg or 2-3 lb cooked prawns (shrimp), peeled

Heat oil in large pan, add onion and cook until tender, being careful not to burn the oil. Add the salt and pepper, celery, bell pepper, catsup, and pineapple, stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add the shrimp, mix well, and heat through, remembering that the shrimp are already cooked.
Serve with rice or pasta.

Garlic Prawns

4 cloves of garlic (at least)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns
2 tsp lemon juice
Olive oil
Chopped parsley
1/2 cup cream
500g or 1 lb prawns (shrimp), shelled

Crush garlic with salt; add crushed peppercorns and lemon juice. Mix well. Place prawns in saucepan, add garlic mixture and enough olive oil to just cover and cook quickly until the prawns just change colour. Stir in cream.
Serve garnished with chopped parsley.


Honestly, my husband is just the best cook!

Homemade Olive Oil Spread

One small thing in the quest to cut food costs:

Homemade Olive Oil Spread
500g block of butter
Equal amount of Olive Oil

Allow the butter to come to room temperature. Place in a mixing bowl and add your olive oil.
Mix together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Pour into container.
Store in the fridge.

On My Mind.....

Utilising the local bounty.....

Last night's catch, thanks to my husband!

Looks like it's definitely 'fish on Friday'!

In our effort to simplify our lifestyle and rein in our finances, we will be taking advantage of the benefits of living on the coast with readily available fishing. Seafood is one of our favourite foods, however, it's expensive to buy. My husband is a keen fisherman and is doing a great job of keeping our freezer full of the various types of fish (and prawns) from our local area. It makes a huge difference to our food budget!

Even our pets benefit as the dogs get a regular supply of fish frames and heads - sounds awful, but they love it, and it's a nutritious addition to their diets.



Risotto with Mushroom, Spinach, Parmesan & Chorizo

Last night's dinner was a lovely Risotto with mushrooms, spinach, lots of Parmesan cheese, and chorizo sausage. Pretty darn good, even if I do say so myself!

Recipe is as follows, feel free to adapt to your taste - I always do:
300g mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 chorizo sausages
100g Parmesan cheese
2 cups baby spinach
1 litre chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1½ cups arborio rice
1tbsp butter

In a saucepan bring stock to the boil and turn down heat to low.
In a separate saucepan saute the onion, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil.

Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes.
Slowly add hot stock to just cover rice. Stir well. Once stock is absorbed add more stock and continue adding and stirring till stock is almost finished.

Meanwhile, grill chorizo till crisp and golden. Slice and set aside. Just as the rice is almost cooked add the chorizo, Parmesan, spinach and butter. Continue stirring. Check consistency and add more stock if too dry.

Serve immediately.

Frugal Recipes / Healthy Snacks

Well, in my household, learning to provide healthy snacks - cheaply - is a necessity!
So, I decided to make my own. Here's one of the favourite versions:

Muesli Cookies

Oven to 180 c / 350 f
1 baking sheet, greased and lined with baking paper

125g (1 stick US measurements) butter, melted - set aside to cool slightly
2 eggs, beaten - set aside

In large bowl, dump...

2 cups muesli cereal
1/2 cup flour - plain or self raising both work fine
1/2 cup sugar

Pour the butter and eggs over the top, add a dash of vanilla and a good sprinkling of cinnamon if desired, and mix well.

Blop onto baking sheet.
This recipe will make 12 cookies, or spread batter out over sheet to make bars.

Bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees c or about 350 degrees f.

Enjoy!

Granny's Chicken Stew

Family traditions, memories from my childhood......
I'm very fortunate to come from a family of wonderful cooks. Food has always been a centerpiece for any gathering, whether it be a holiday celebration, the fishing trip my sister organizes each year, or the inevitable family funeral.
There are many recipes in my large, and ever growing collection, that have been handed down through the generations. This one is one of my favorites!
It dates back to one of my Great-Grandmothers and has been used as a Christmas Eve staple for every generation since. My sister and I continue that as well.
But mostly, it's just a darn good, economical recipe that feeds a crowd.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Granny's Chicken Stew
In a big stock pot, place 1 large chicken, cover with water and boil until the chicken is tender and the meat comes off the bones.
Take the chicken out of the water, drain, and set aside to cool.
I always strain my stock at this point. Take a fine mesh strainer and pour the water you just cooked your chicken in through it to take out any fine bits of bone or remains of foam from the chicken.
Give your stock pot a quick rinse out, and return the stock to the pot and turn your heat down to simmer.
I start adding vegetables at this point, while my chicken is cooling.
Now, there's no set amount, or of type of veggies - just add what you like.
I usually add peas, corn, beans, carrot, and whatever else strikes my fancy at the time.
I also add in at least one can of diced tomatoes.
Let your veggies come back up to a boil and add in a 500g package of pasta.
I've also used rice, and it works just as well.
Stir occasionally to keep the pasta or rice from sticking.
Check your chicken, it should be cool enough to de-bone.
Discard the skin and all the bones in a separate bowl - and shred the meat into small pieces.
(Now, because I have dogs, I keep the chicken skin for my dogs as a treat and discard only the bones. Never feed your dogs cooked bones of any kind!)
Add the shredded chicken meat to your stew and stir.
Turn your heat down to low and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Add your seasonings to taste. I add salt and pepper (lots of pepper), a bit of chili or cayenne, give it a good stir and taste - add more until it tastes right to you.
I'll let it simmer on low until I'm ready to serve it.

In the mean time, I make Corn Bread to go with it......

Corn Bread
Heat your oven to 200c
Take a cake pan - either square or round - I use a 9" square one - and put a bit of vegetable oil in the bottom.
It needs to be enough oil that you can swirl it around and cover the bottom of the pan.
Place the pan in the hot oven while you are mixing the rest of the ingredients.
1 cup of corn meal
1 cup of self-raising flour
1 cup of milk
1 egg
1 heaping tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a fork or wooden spoon, just until blended.
Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and pour the mix into the pan.
Return the pan to the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until brown.
Serve hot with plenty of butter!

The stew and corn bread make for a good hearty winter meal, with plenty of leftovers for the freezer or lunch the next day.
Enjoy!