A Weekend at Home

I love those weekends that you have where you've got very little on by way of events to leave home for. A weekend with no time constraints, no agendas or to-do lists; just to be and enjoy (rare, I know). This weekend was one of those for myself and my family. 

I spent a leisurely Saturday morning in town birthday present shopping for my youngest daughter (didn't have to be done, but I thought, why not!) and enjoying some fantastic op-shopping. We played board games, sketched together, mowed the grass, cleaned windows, scrubbed old bottles that we dug out like buried treasure from out in one of our paddocks, printed out beautiful inspirational illustrations for a little journal book that I made (another post on that one), cleaned and shined op-shop finds, re-positioned furniture to make way for a beautiful cabinet that belonged to my Great Grand-parents, and just had a lovely time being together and being home.

It was a few weeks ago that we dug out the above mentioned bottles, and I've only just had the time to really try and get them scrubbed and as clean as possible. It took around 6 hours (in two separate time frames) to actually finish this ... felt like mission impossible at times! They went from looking like this ...

To this ...

To finally (and I mean finally) this ...

I think it adds a nice bit of old-fashioned charm to the kitchen. They still aren't spotlessly clean, but if soaking them for one week, putting them through the dishwasher, then filling them with rice (for abrasion), vinegar and bi-carb and attacking them with wire bottle brushes in hot soapy water can't get all of it off ... then who knows what will? I think I'll just be happy with them like this! 

This year I intend to sketch a lot more than I have in the previous couple of years. It's one of my personal goals in my new bullet journal. I find it very relaxing to sit after doing chores or preparing dinner or whatever it may be, to sit and create with pencil in hand. 

This gorgeous fox is a copy from another artist, it is not my original work (only for personal use). I really enjoyed creating the different texture in this piece with the fur of the fox and the grain in the wood. 

This is my original piece that I sketched from a photograph that I took of our lovely little rag doll kitten 'Aslan' ... I just can't resist him and had to capture him in a drawing as well.

Another copied sketch (personal use only) that I just loved. It's actually from a piece titled 'Little House on the Prairie' and I really like how it speaks of such simple, beautiful, wholesome times. 

I hope to be able to carve out more snippets of time here and there to sketch more lovely images, I'd like to have my journal full of them by the end of the year.

My great grandparents were such an amazing Godly influence in my life. I have many fond memories of them and I believe that their character and example is what has helped me form my own in some ways. They're very special to me and so having this piece of furniture (even with the timber veneer strips chipping off) in my home is very important to me (I hope to replace the veneer soon).

While at the op-shop I purchased a beautiful set of four 'Peter Pan' series plates in perfect condition for only $4.00 each, and a gorgeous cat and bunny rabbit one for the same price, along with a lovely butterfly one for only $2.00. I couldn't believe it. I also found a lovely little deer ornament that was only 50c ... it's pretty cute!

Here's my beautiful display cabinet that belonged to my Great-Grandparents ...

Well, I think that's about it. I'm going to tuck myself snuggly into bed giving thanks to my God who I love for all the blessings He gives. 

Life's never perfect, but it's still beautiful.

Good night friends xo

A Christmas Delight

Turkish delight has long been among the most favourite of our Christmas treats. All of us devour the soft, rose-red, snow dusted squares with eagerness. It is so delicious. This year we decided to make two batches of this delectable sweet, using two different methods; one batch on the stove top in a saucepan, and the other in the microwave (I know, I never knew Turkish Delight could be made in the microwave either!)

We began by making the stove top recipe ...

Stirring the sugar, water and gelatin together ... 

 

We discovered that the tin was too thin only after we had let the confection set ... oh well! Thank fully it doesn't effect the taste at all! We ended up 'folding' one half over on top of the other half to give it more thickness, it turned out much thicker!

Then, we experimented with the microwave recipe ...

I found this recipe was the most convenient, in that we were able to put the ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl, then walk away while it cooked. There was no having to stay by the mixture, stirring constantly. We were all sure that this recipe was going to give us the best results and provide us with the consistency and texture that we love in Turkish delight; soft, chewy and slightly stringy.

So we began to make the microwave version ...

We deliberately made this batch slightly darker in colour so that we could tell the two batches apart ...

... again, we only realised after this was set that my son had, unthinkingly, lined the tray with freezer paper, not baking paper ... you can imagine how that ended.

Sneaky little fingers always have to stick themselves into the mixture, 'just to check'!

The final results? ...

Stove top batch ...

The microwave batch ...

Our conclusion is that, surprisingly, the stove top batch turned out a much better result. We were all thinking that the microwave one would 'win', as while we were cooking it, the consistency just seemed so much nicer. It actually ended up being more jelly-like with the stove top recipe being the texture that we love! I would probably give it just a few minutes longer boiling and stirring on the stove next time though, just so it's a bit more chewy!

As you can see, we take making Turkish Delight very seriously in this home ...

... and we may have ended up with having an icing sugar fight in the kitchen!

***

‘‘It is dull, Son of Adam, to drink without eating,’’ said the Queen presently. ‘‘What would you like best to eat?’’ 
    “Turkish Delight, please, your Majesty,” said Edmund. 
    The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious. He was quite warm now, and very comfortable. 

***

Turkish Delight ... it reminds us of Narnia, every time.

Taking The Stress Out Of Meal Times

Can anyone relate when I say that sometimes meal times with a large family can feel more like 'feeding time at the zoo' then it does a nice quiet family meal time?!

Kids up and down getting water, getting knives and forks etc and the whole process of getting ready for dinner taking about half an hour with mum wanting to pull out her hair before the meal even begins?! Well honestly, that's what was beginning to happen around here and far out, it just wasn't pleasant! So I knew that I had to change things up and get back to a simple system that actually works. Meal time rosters don't work for us, and I was wanting something that would foster 'co-operation' and working together as a team. Something that would hopefully lessen the 'but I set the table last night' response that I'm sure most of us have heard!

Enter the 'Dinner Servery' ... 

... this is not my original idea! I 'borrowed' it from a very good friend of mine who also has a large family and has one set up in her home! I knew that it would work so well for us, so I came home from time at her house and immediately set one up in our kitchen! Let me tell you, for something so simple, it's just made things so much easier and calmer at dinner time!

I also love that it gave me a reason to visit the op-shops again (does anyone really need a reason though!) so that I could find some glass jugs for our water. I already owned the one with the orange flowers, but I picked up the two clear ones for just $3.00 each. Now the kids just grab the jugs, fill them with water, and carry them to the table, along with everything else that's on the dinner servery!

Underneath the dinner servery is the cupboard for all of our plates and bowls etc. We have trivets permanently down the centre of our dining table with place mats out as well, so once everything is brought over from the servery, and the food is on the trivets, we grab our plates and sit down to our meal! Everyone does it all together and it's very quick and very enjoyable!

As the dishes get done (either by us or the kids), we need to make sure that we 're-stock' the servery with enough cutlery for the family, fill the napkin holder ($1.50 at op-shop), sometimes top up the salt and pepper, and wash and put the jugs back for the next meal. 

This really isn't anything fancy, and it's certainly nothing that's been expensive, but I would really recommend it to you if you are finding meals times a bit of a stress as well! 

Honestly, feeding the hungry hoard here has just gotten so much easier! 

Have a great week!

Herb Stand

As I've shared with you all in my post about My Personal Goals, I am wanting to learn more about natural living, healthy eating, gardening etc. Over this past weekend, I was able to set up a herb stand that I am very excited about. My son and I did it together on Saturday night, which made it even nicer! 

At our local produce there were herb seeds for sale that were $4.30 a packet, I thought that was way over-priced so I held off, and I'm glad I did. I searched in the dollar store and found herb seeds there for only $1.69 a packet! ... much better! So I grabbed all the ones that I knew I'd use in our kitchen (and hopefully teas and medicines etc), and brought them home pretty excited to get it started! Such simple things in life!

While in Toowoomba a couple of weeks ago, I planned ahead by purchasing some small terracotta pot plants from Bunnings for only $1 each! The cost of the same pot-plants where we live are over triple the price! So, naturally, I stocked up! (my husband plans on using some for making more of his amazing projects too!) A couple of $3.00 bags of potting mix later and I have some herbs planted, waiting to sprout! I'm so thankful that I was able to do this little project cheaply! I was going to wait to purchase some already established single herb plants from the next local markets, but I'm impatient. Sigh. Even though I have to wait for the seeds to germinate anyway! Oh well! 

My parents gave this gardening stand to us a couple of Christmases ago, I'm happy to have it set up with herbs!

I remembered I had two vintage drawers that I thought would add some nice character to the shelf! 

The stand is set up underneath our outdoor patio area, so that it's nice and close to the kitchen! I find that if I have herbs close I see them regularly which reminds me to not only use them, but water and fertilize them as well! I love sending my kids out to pick the herbs I need to add to cooking, it is a really good experience for them! 

Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.

May Sarton

When the flower blooms, the bees come uninvited.

I'm very excited to be growing Peppermint and Lemon Balm, I've not grown either of these before. I think they would both be nice in a tea? 

I'm looking forward to seeing all the little sprouts popping up out of the soil in time! 

Next, I hope to plant up more flowering plants; maybe lavender, some bulbs, some roses ... and anything else that's pretty really! I was watching Sarah, Plain and Tall the other day with my girls, and Sarah was hanging lavender up in their home to dry it ... I hope to do the same! 

Pinterest has been overloading my mind with all these gardening ideas that I am really keen to begin! As we are renting, I'm trying to set up things in pots so that we can take them all with us when we leave. I've been smitten with the 'hidden gardens'  that I put into the search bar on pinterest. Wouldn't it be lovely to be able to create a little hidden spot, bursting with beautiful flowers, sweet smells and lots of birds, butterflies and bumble bees! 

Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odorless but all together perfume the air. 

Georges Bernanos

Well, I hope you're all having a wonderful week! I'll be sure to show you photos of the herbs as they sprout and then recipes using them! 

Potato In A Pan - Cooking With Coconut Oil

Lately I have been looking into the benefits and uses for pure coconut oil. It is amazing the amount of health benefits that it has for our bodies, both internally and externally. I am really enjoying what I am learning. It's been my desire for a while now to begin using pure and natural ingredients in my home for cleaning, cooking and medical purposes. 

I borrowed out a stack of books from our local library about coconut oil, herbs, essential oils, organic gardening etc, and I'm very eager to see these changes starting in my home. I would like to think it would be a quick transition, but I think I'll be a little limited at first due to budget. That's fine though, better late than never, as they say!

I've been using more coconut oil in my cooking and the other day, I made 'potato in a pan' as my kids call it! It was delicious!

My Potato in a Pan! ... 

Grate enough peeled potatoes to fill the bottom of your pan.
I use an oven proof pan as later, I put the whole dish in the oven.

Flatten the potato in the pan with two tablespoons of pure coconut
oil in the bottom of the pan, and add salt and pepper.
I also added herb and garlic seasoning.
Cook the dish like this with the lid on for about 12-15 mins
so that the potato is soft.

After the 12-15 mins add grated cheese to taste, then put lid on to melt it.

Put the whole pan in the oven at 200degC just long

enough for the cheese to brown.

The potato forms a delicious crunchy golden crust on the bottom of the pan from the coconut oil and it has a delicious cheesy crust on top and the potato is soft and fluffy! It's so good! I've cooked it as a side dish to scrambled eggs, and just for a lunch dish sometimes. It's a really yummy way to use the humble potato, it's cheap and is a great way to add coconut oil to your diet. My family devours this dish and have asked me to cook it again for them! 

I'd love to here from you all with any recipes that you have using coconut oil so that I can build up my stash of yummy dishes! There's probably many of you who've been using coconut oil for years and are next to masters in using it! I'd love to glean from your experience! 

I hope you're all having a lovely week!


(Linking up with A Bountiful Love)

Preparing For Busy Times

At the moment, our family is in the process of moving house. You know, that process where things are all over the place and your home is turned upside down as you see a wall of boxes grow before your very eyes?! Yep, it's full-on around here.

There's something though, that I've been wanting to invest in for a few months now, and yesterday, I was finally able to do so. It's a second slow-cooker (or crock pot for my American friends!) This morning I woke up and gave our home a thorough cleaning, with the help of our children, and then set to work putting meals in the slow cooker.

I've been wanting a second slow-cooker for so many reasons; one of them being so that I can be cooking two meals at once. One for that night, and one for the freezer. This is what we plan on doing over the next couple of weeks. Making meals in the slow-cooker for freezing to enjoy when we're in the thick of moving house in a couple of weeks time. Hopefully this will make things so much easier and we will still be enjoying healthy meals as a family.

Obviously, I had to think through the financial side of things and figure out if investing in another appliance is worth it. We have a page on FaceBook where we can buy and sell things and I was able to purchase my second slow-cooker (although smaller than my first one), at just $25.00 with a recipe book as well! That's an investment I can afford!

Why do I love my slow cookers so much? ...

• the time I gain back
• knowing that the meals are healthy
• leaving the house is fine as my meals are still cooking!
• no rushing at the end of the day
• more time to spend with my family
• stockpiling meals in the freezer!
• less washing up!
• I can make this delicious breakfast!
• I feel very organised! (although, lately not so much!)
• cooking two meals at once
• there are so many things I can cook in them!
• they're easy for my children to use should they want to cook a meal
• the house smells amazing!
• I have a sense of satisfaction knowing my family will be well fed




My second slow-cooker. It has tomato, honey, potato and sausages
(and a whole pile of veggies!)



But this second slow-cooker wasn't just purchased for the benefit of my family alone. Here's the other ways I hope to bless others with my small investment ...
 

My first slow-cooker. It's currently cooking honey mustard chicken legs
(also with a whole pile of veggies!)

• sharing pot-luck meals with Church family on Sundays
• meals for sick families
• meals for others who are very busy too
• meals for families struggling financially
• meals for our elderly neighbours (especially in winter)
• larger sized meals for get-togethers with friends and family

I'm really thankful that I could make this little investment!

Is this something that you would consider doing?

 

I hope you're having a beautiful week!

 

A Favourite Winter Warmer

With winter settling in, we naturally begin to enjoy all things warm and comforting. This includes breakfast for us. This is one recipe that I'm sure is going to be well used over this winter period. It's our 'Apple Cinnamon Oats' ... and it's delicious!

• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup peeled and chopped apple
• 1/2 cup craisons (dried cranberries)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

I simply add all the ingredients into the slow cooker, and cook it over night. It's so easy and the house smells amazing when we wake up in the morning! I enjoy having a dollop of natural Greek yoghurt on mine!

Give it a go! Let me know what you think! 

Be Inspired Monday: The Most Delicious Biscuits Ever!

These are the most delicious biscuits ever! Best of all, the dough mixtures can be frozen till needed and you can create any flavour combo your family likes best! Enjoy, and be sure to let me know how much your family liked them!

Here's the recipe, just for you!

Basic Biscuit Dough

 

Ingredients:

• 250g butter, softened
• 2/3 cup castor sugar
• 1 tspn vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2-2 1/4 cups of plain flour, sifted

Method:

1. mix butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer, until light and creamy.
2. add egg and mix until combined.
3. stir in two cups of flour for a soft dough, or 2 1/4 cups of flour for a firm dough.
4. add flavourings and shape, as desired.
5. bake at 180 oC for app. 12-15 mins

Flavour combinations:

Our favourite of all is dark chocolate drops and chopped up pieces of dried apricots. Delicious! We have tried white and dark choc and craisons, which were also very nice! MR S is currently in the kitchen making some 'lemon' ones using the rind and juice of some delicious lemons we received from a lady at church ... so we will see how they go!

 

I think a white choc and macadamia would be nice too. Or you could place them on a tray and press in a dint to make jam drops (if you're using the 'firmer' dough recipe).

 

What other combinations could I make?

 

Oh would you like a picture of them? ...

 

 

I would love for them to be on a pretty little plate next to a steaming hot cup of tea, but they just don't last long enough!

 

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

 

A God Stretched Meal

"What on earth am I going to whip up for dinner with this?"

Been there??  *sigh* You just have to laugh! That was me tonight. There were no spuds, no pasta, a piddly amount of rice and that's it as far as 'most commonly used' ingredients goes! There was one packet of rice paper wraps. Hmmm.

I looked in my freezer. 10 sausages and 1 tray of 500g free range chicken tenderloins, 4 sheets of puff pastry. I had 2 carrots and 1 zucchini left in the fridge, along with 4 little bits of bacon. I had heaps of onions and garlic though!

I had the idea of using my food processor to 'wooj' (that's French for 'wooj'!) up all the ingredients and make it in to sausage rolls and rice paper wraps. They were delicious!! The kids loved and devoured them and asked if we could have it again! Happy Mummy!

So what's the point in my sharing this? We are 'tight' financially for the time being for a few valid reasons, but I was able to cook a great dinner that filled my family, was delicious, nutritious (apart from the 4 puff pastry sheets!), minimised wastage and made the little food we did have go a long way.

I want to encourage you, if you are in financial stress, to not give up. To try and be creative, think outside the square and just do your best. I don't know the extent of the stress you may be in, but I know that we serve a God that never lets us go hungry, who provides our every need (and sometimes our wants too, because He just wants to love us like that!), who inspires us to create these kinds of meals so that our families are fed. He is amazing!

I've written out the recipes for you so that you can make them for your family too if you would like. My children have no problem eating 'whole' pieces of vegetables, but I know that some children don't enjoy that, so the processing of the ingredients 'hides' them!

So here they are ...

 

Chicken Sausage Rolls

 

 

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken tenderloins (or whatever 'cut' you prefer)
• bacon (your desired amount) *optional (it couldn't really be tasted!)
• 6 whole garlic cloves
• 1-2 onions, quartered
• 1 carrot, chopped 'chunky'
• 1 zucchini, chopped 'chunky'
• handful of fresh basil leaves (from my garden)
• 2-3 tspns chicken stock powder
• salt and cracked pepper to taste
• good splash of soy sauce
• 4-5 slices of bread, to stretch the mixture (I used sour dough, so the texture was 'fluffy', it didn't taste doughy either)
• 4 sheets of puff pastry (or however much you need)

 

I basically added all this (Except the puff pastry sheets) raw to the food processor, pressed the button and added water if needed! The end result was a 'paste' that looked like something that was less than appetising! You can just stop processing when you've got your desired texture. I fried it off in the last dribbles of my olive oil (it resembles mince, but just with more flavour!) and then rolled it up in half cut sheets of the p/pastry, put it in the pre-heated oven at 200'C until golden brown.

 

You could add or change the ingredients as suits your families diet/tastes ... I had no choice but to use what was on hand tonight!

 

 

 

Chicken Rice Paper Wraps

Why is it that photos of these little bundles never look attractive?!

Ingredients:

• chicken mince (made as above)
• spinach leaves (from my garden) thinly slithered
• lettuce (from my garden) thinly slithered
• red onion thinly sliced *optional
• rice paper wraps
• thinly 'peeled' strips of my last carrot! (done with a veggie peeler)

Prepare wraps as per packet instructions, then add fillings, wrap up and enjoy! (They are fabulous dipped in soy sauce). Once again, you can choose to add/delete anything you want, this is just what I had.

The best part? There were left-overs! God is amazing! When we are diligent in using what we've got to the best we can, He takes care of the rest!

I thought of making the meat up in a bulk batch one day and freezing it in it's 'raw state' in portions, so it could be made into things like pies (with a bit of a gravy needed I think), rissoles (probably add an egg or two), even just lightly fried and on toast for a quick meal, lightly fried and served in lettuce cups (topped with maybe fresh thinly sliced chilli and shallots with a dash of soy sauce/sweet chilli as an appetiser), pizza topping, through fried rice?, mixed through a pasta with a creamy herby kind of sauce?, spring rolls, lasagne, spaghetti, cottage/shepherds pie ... you get the idea, it's pretty versatile and best of all is that we know what's in it!

For those of you who dress your own 'home-grown' chickens (as my husband does when needed), we thought that as you can sometimes get a 'little on the lean side' bird, it would be great to remove the meat and use it in meals like this to stretch it further (skin off of course).

God is just so good! Let me know if your kids loved this too. What are other 'variations' you can think of?

I wonder what will become of the 10 sausages tomorrow night?


Happy cooking!


I'm linking up with Naomi over at 'A Wise Woman Builds Her Home' ... you are most welcome to join us!


P.S. (I won't mention the bread rolls that I made last night, strictly following the recipe that turned out a bit like ... well ... play dough! The chooks got those!)