Bread Crumbs

The boys went camping and bought home a dried out loaf of unused bread. I popped it in a baking tray and sat it at the bottom of the oven. As I cooked other things it dried out fully and this morning DS19 used this muscles and made bread crumbs in the wheat grinder.

Electrical storm and fridge died!

We had quite a thunder storm roll by Thursday night and a massive crack just outside! Well the fridge and freezer did not take kindly and have turned up their toes. We have an old fridge out side that we fired up and since it's raining still I needed an indoor solution, our camping fridge!

Brilliant!!! I wonder if I could just use a small fridge for ever? Nah probably not, but it'll be interesting all the same while I'm waiting for the insurance company to go through their processes.

Piglet and Pooh

I thought we could pop out of the hundred acre wood to say Hi! Just so you know we have faces not just hands as that's what you normally see in these pics.

Here's Pooh with his eye patch off, which by the way is a great conversation maker, little children say look Mum, that boy's a pirate! In typical boy fashion Pooh says "Aaarrr"! LOL

I think he enjoys being called a boy!

Veggie Curry Puffs

These are a great way to use up those veggies wilted at the bottom of the crisper.

8 cups of chopped veggies, carrot, peas, corn sweet potato etc

In fry pan, 2 onions

2 cloves garlic cook till soft.

Add 4 tsp curry powder

3 tsp garam masala

1 can coconut milk and half can of water

Add veggies

Add 2 cans chick peas or same of soaked/cooked dried ones.

Cook until veggies are soft and allow to cool.

Cut puff pastry sheets into 4, place a heaped TBS in the centre, pinch corners to centre and pinch seams. Cook 25 mins till golden. This makes 30, left overs! Woohoo!

Knitted Boy Jean Greenhowe's pattern

Last week I knitted this little man, I am yet to find the embroidery cotton for his features but here he is, the little boys adore him. Here's a link to Jean Greenhowe's pattern: http://www.jeangreenhowe.com/Images/Rainbow_Babies.pdf

Road Side Food

Peaches on the road side, I am going to dehydrate some and stew a few and freeze. Yum!

A New Queen Bee

Here's the new queen going into a box, she is in the little box and in time will eat her way through the lolly end and rule a new kingdom!

What a big kid!

Look who I found in the children's sandpit!

Craft room Interior

We took the Christmas period to work on the interior of the craft. We lined it and popped in the windows. The plaster board was new but the windows recycled. We even managed to even clean up the old hinges! They were clagged with years paint. It was a great salvage as they are really expensive window stays and we needed 8 sets so this saved $100's!

Next is to lay a wooden floor and get the benches in. Woohoo!

Thermal Portable Cooker

Aldi was selling a Thermal Portable Cooker, a 'Dream Pot' look a like and it is brilliant for 1/3 of the price of the original cooker.

Tonight we had a melt in the mouth curry, rice and a 'nightshade' free casserole for the littlest. The food was SO tender and SO tasty, and it cost cents to cook with no risk of burning. A good buy.

You cook up the food it the pot (the one to the right) for 20 mins. Then transfer from stove top to the thermos part (on the left). Close the lid and don't peep for 3-5 hours. Keeps hot for 8 hours according to the box.

These can also be used to keep things cold. Instructions tell me that you put the pot in the freezer and add food stuff to keep cold for picnic... yummo

Seeing the free sights :o)

We had a mini holiday budget style. We took our food and saw the free sights. It was really nice just getting away even though it was quick and virtually only the cost of fuel, well, the movies the next day too.

Guess where we went!

Lentil Burgers

Hmm, well the mobile phone pic just doesn't do them justice, they are really yummy.

I really love lentil burgers. Tonight is lentil burgers and salad and thought I'd share the recipe.

Fry in fry pan:

1 onion chopped finely

2 carrots grated

Add 1 cup washed red split lentils, add water to cover.

1 teaspoon coriander and simmer all for about 15 mins till soft.

Drain and mix 1 cup bread crumbs and 2 tablespoon peanut butter (optional) and 1 egg.

Mix and form patties. Coat in flour if you want.

Fry up on bbq to save doing a zillion loads in the fry pan!

A few hours old, Lucy Lamb

Isn't this the tiniest lamb. Her mum didn't want any thing to do with her so we are her new parents.

She has survived 48 hours so we are hopeful :o)

UPDATE: 1 week old! She is doing well, fatter and very vigorous! She loves her bottles. I must say she has caused a budget blow out though! Expensive stuff that milk powder. She had better trade me some fleece for my craft later on ;o)

Sour Dough Starter -the beginning

Meet festering Fern!

I've been waiting for the weather to warm to get a new sour dough starter going.

Here she is in the garden, under some flowering rocket to pick up the wild yeasts.

I've used 1 cup organic rye flour and 1 1/2 cups blood warm water (we have tank water). Mixed with a plastic or wooden spoon in a ceramic bowl. No metal! I have then sat it covered with a wet tea towel in the garden on a baking tray, I thought this might stop the snails that some times climb up!

Everything is sterilised with boiling water of course.

I will bring Fern in each night and pop her in a warm spot above the stove. Each day I'll give her a new sterilised bowl and a cup of flour and water. In 7 days she is done and will live in our refrigerator, then will be the mother to all our loaves :o) At this time she will only get a new bowl each month.

I'll let you know how Fern goes.

UPDATE: Fern is festering away beautifully. She is growing and smelling very nice. I have changed her bowl each day, boiled every thing, given her a clean tea towel. When I pour her into the new bowl the smell is a pleasant yeasty odor.

1st successful off spring!

This loaf is not as big as I thought it would be but the taste is amazing! It has a really hard crunchy, hold on to your fillings style crust and a soft but denser than I'd like middle.

I really like John Downes 'Natural Tucker Bread Book' for various bread types. Good recipes and excellent information. Off to investigate why it's not as fluffy as it should be ;o)

On with the cladding!

It's looking good! He's been able to work between the massive wind gusts we are all experiencing on the coast of NSW.