oops - set the smoke alarms off tonight :)

Cooking of course!

I found a recipe for Gozleme which is a rustic Turkish snack stuffed with silverbeet and salty feta.

I don't have silverbeet at the moment, so I used a mixture of Cavalo Nero, Mizuna and Beetroot leaves.

I found a 'good taste' magazine from last month at the op shop - so 50c instead of $4!

Gozleme:

600g plain flour

1tsp salt

410ml warm water

1/4c olive oil.

Mix til dough comes together, then knead until smooth and elastic... Recipe said for 10 mins... I learnt a new way of kneading on masterchef last week. Carefully stretch the dough out as much as you can by pulling one side toward you and pushing the other side away... then carefully roll it up. Only needed to do this about 6-8 times (less than one minute) and it was good, didn't stick to the bench at all.

Place in a bowl covered overnight if possible, or at least for the day (I mixed it up in the morning and cooked them for dinner.)

*for all the sourdough ppls out there, I actually redid recipe with sourdough - about 500g starter with 300g flour, salt and I forgot the oil, but it didn't seem to need it :)

Filling

6 cups finely shredded leaves

4 shallots finely chopped (the mini onion ones rather than the green onions)

100g ricotta

250g feta.

Mix well.

when ready to cook divide the dough into 6 portions.

One at a time roll out to a rectangle about 20x40cm

Top half the dough with the filling, leaving a 3cm border, fold the other half over and press edges together.

Recipe said to cook on flat BBQ plate on med low heat - drizzled with a little oil 5 mins or so each side... as it's wintery - cold and blowing a gale outside, I cooked on flat cast iron pan inside - which cooked really quickly - only 1-2 mins each side but well cooked inside and not burnt... although the smoke was all through the house :)

Serve cut in half with lemon or lime wedges to squeeze over!

I'm always looking for recipes using things that are in the garden - seasonal recipes...

To help this I have rearranged my recipe magazines into month by month, not worrying about what type of magazine, meaning that I can pull out all the magazines for the month I'm in a flick through to find something that I already have the ingredients for... In this recipe all I had to buy was the ricotta and the shallots. (Had some feta in the fridge already, and the limes are from my mum's garden. (Her tree gets so many there's no point planting my own tree :)

How do you plan seasonal recipes? any tips or ideas?

sourdough waffles..... delicious of course :)

I have had an old waffle iron in the shed for ages and in a recent sorting, decided to move it inside and give waffles a go.

Sourdough style of course.

They need a lot longer cooking than pancakes, but were delicious, with that crispy edge typical of waffles. The key seems to be cooking even amounts on each side and oiling between each waffle. I have a small olive oil spray that I used, but would like to try brushing oil on with a silicon brush...

But what you all want - the recipe.

Night before - one cup of starter, one cup of flour and one cup of liquid (I use whey, you can use buttermilk or water)

In the morning mix in 1/8cup oil, one egg and mix thoroughly, then add pinch of salt and 1/2tsp bicarb soda.

Cook!

I had mine with bananas and frozen yoghurt... but it was gone before I thought to take a photo loaded up :)

Have a happy day xo

Scrummy Muffins

Having muffins for breakfast means getting up earlier, to finish the recipe started the night before, but theres something in getting up early, seeing the sun rise. Takes 5 mins to mix and knead the dough, then you have 40 mins or so to let them rest until cooking. Lots of time that for me at least was productive time. Shower, cup of tea, quiet time, putting dishes away....

And then breakfast of an English muffin straight off the grill with butter and local honey... mmmmm

I whinged the other day that my hubby almost never picks up the camera so he insists on taking one this morning. Thanks babe.

ENGLISH MUFFINS (sourdough recipe)

The night before: combine 2 C flour, 1C water and 1C starter

Leave overnight.

In the morning put 1C starter aside to keep, mix in

1/4C milk powder

1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

1tsp sugar

and enough flour 1/2-1C to make a dough that sticks together.

Turn onto floured surface and knead well until smooth and no longer stickly, adding more flour if needed (for 2-3 mins.) Flour generously and roll to 1/2inch thickness. cut out with drinking glass about 7-8cm diameter. Place on parchment or silicon baking sheet sprinkled with polenta. Sprinkle more polenta on top.  (Should get about 16 muffins from this recipe)

Leave to rise, covered in a warm place at lease half an hour.

Cook muffins kind of like a pancake, in lightly greased pan - cast iron is best for this if available.

7-8mins on low-med heat (I set the timer and get other things done while waiting.

Have a happy day xo

Gardening and Cooking with Friends

It was lovely to spend the morning gardening and cooking with some friends from the permaculture group and with some friends from church who are interested in similar things.

Jody and Deeann weeding the cherry tomato jungle - and all the subsequent weeds, pruning the grape vine and harvesting what they could.

We spent the morning gardening, below you can see the other garden bed near the house weeded, mulched and the rhubarb plants were dug up, divided and replanted with soil food - horse manure and dynamic lifter! We then stopped for (a couple of pots of) tea and lamingtons, and then spent the rest of the morning cooking. Made sweet chilli and tamarillo sauce, posted about that one last week, bottled pears and demonstrated and discussed drying food. I am currently experiementing with my first fruit leather.

Jody really enjoyed bottling fruit and was very proud of her bottle of pears.

Working with 4 is so much more productive than one.

Thanks for those who came lending a hand. hope you had fun, and your cuttings grow well!

Have a lovely day xo

Exciting new project... and chokes!

Very exciting to be asked to be part of a new blogging project -

can't say much yet but know it will be fun

And bless your world

and mine

For now you can see the photo shoot done to start setting up the blog....

Soup for lunch!

Made from Jerusalem Artichokes straight from the garden.

These were planted in the spot they're growing about three years ago, got a harvest the first year, then little the next, then they were mulched over with newspaper and woodchips and suddenly they made a reappearance!

They are a member of the sunflower family and you just eat the tuber - great sliced thinly in salads, pureed and mashed, or just baked.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup.

Saute One onion diced in 20-30g butter.

Add 500+g jerusalem artichokes (scrubbed and chopped roughly) and 1 litre vegetable stock

Bring to boil and simmer 15 mins or until soft. Puree and season.

Delicious!

Lots happening at the farm... all 1/8 of an acre of it :)

I am loving having a strong set of arms (belong to my husband) who is happy to dig holes, move heavy things and is currently installing my fence between the lawn area and the vege garden area. All the posts are in now, just need two more recycled hardwood rails - from my BIL who is renovating his and my sister's house and ripped out some walls.

I have been busy in the kitchen...

Sourdough english muffins for breakfast this morning...

Sundried tomato and olive sourdough loaf....

And exciting to be bottling the first produce entirely from the garden! 4 size 20 jars of yummy rhubarb. I was given the plants from a special friend who was killed in a freak car accident shortly afterward and they are very special to me. This year I divided most of the original plants and they are doing so well. I always make sure I leave two leaves and one baby leaf on each plant when I am picking it.

Sourdough loaf (you need starter from a friend or watch multitudes of youtube videos on how to grow your own.

Feed your starter with a flour/water mix the night before

Before work the next morning....

1 cup starter

1 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar or honey (only if going to be a fruit loaf)

I put all these in a mixer with a dough hook and then add plain flour (mix of regular and wholemeal) until dough forms a lump and comes away from the sides.
Then place dough - still a bit sticky - in an oiled bowl and turn a few times to coat in oil (stops it drying out) Put the whole bowl in a plastic shopping bag and leave all day.

When you get home from work.

Tip dough (should have about doubled in size) onto well floured bench.

For a plain loaf - knead a minute or two then put in loaf tin

for a fruit loaf - knead a minute then use fingers to spread dough out into a rectangle. Sprinkle mixed fruit (I am using sultanas/raisings and dried plums at the moment) and 1 tsp mixed spice onto the bread, then fold it over and knead the fruit through a little. Place in loaf tin.

For a savoury loaf. Do the same but use sundried tomatoes and olives (no pits) chopped roughly and I use mixed italian herb sprinkle too. Place in loaf tin.

Leave for 1-2 hrs. (I have noticed that there is a warm spot just in front of my oven... not sure why, but tins go there while oven heats up)

Bake in a hot oven 200-220'c for 30-35 mins

Should pop out of tin straight away.

(loaves can also be made freeform on a pizza stone)

delicious toasted.... just had two slices of fruit toast to prove it.

Anyone have any other interesting sourdough recipes

Hannah xo

Upcycling - recycling but better.

Rhonda over at Down to Earth posted this week on recycling and asked others to talk about their efforts. My house, and the majority of it's contents are recycled in some way, in fact it's only in the last year or so that I have ever bought new furniture (although I did buy new whitegoods when I moved into my house as I had given my old ones away a year before when I moved from Sydney to the south coast to board with friends.

My garden beds are recycled from old fences, rabbit cage from an old chook cage that was chucked out on the side of the road, Some of my plants are recycled (cuttings, saplings from other gardeners, even a mature pear tree that someone gave us in return for digging it out of her garden.) About half of my kitchen equipment is recycled, handed down by an aunt when she replaces things, collected at op shops and garage sales etc. Clothes the same. The list could go on....

Probably my favourite example of recycling/upcycling is my wedding. (click on hyperlink to go to photographer's blog) I got married in June and a lot of things were recycled. Candle holders from op shops and markets, vases from a friend at church, ring holder made from an antique prayer book by inserting a secret hole by cutting out with a punch. We also had a friend drive me to the wedding in a recycled boat (he bought it worse for wear and did it up) some friends were taking bets that I would fall in as there wasn't a proper jetty and we had to walk off the front of the boat

The most important upcycled item was my wedding dress. I purchased it over ten years ago (about 9 or so years before I met my husband but anyhow, it was a steal) in a second hand shop as it was beautiful and fit me like it was made for me... It was a bit old in style though - think lace sleeves with frills over your hands, high frilly neck. I unpicked the sleeves and worked out that I could modernise the dress by pulling it to the sides. Lucky for me I have an amazing friend who studied fashion design and together we recreated the dress....
And it was an amazing wedding!

This last photo is a photo of us recycling a shed - It was originally recycled with old corrugated iron roofing, built around an old cottage fireplace with chimney - to use as kitchen for a camp, and storage when camp not on.

It was blown down in storms last year in September (on father's day - Aussies will remember the weather on the south coast) and we rerecycled it.

Garden Lovers Fair and hummus recipe

Last sunday I woke up, looked outside and felt a sigh of relief as I saw the sun. It was the sunday of the Garden Lover's Fair, annual fundraiser of our permaculture group, and the weather can be quite changeable at this time of year and the fair is amazing, the biggest collection of plant growers, seeds, garden supplies on the south coast, and this year we increased the focus on food products and sustainable living.

I spent a lot of time on the gate, and behind the permaculture stand, answering questions about growing food, living sustainably, meeting times etc, and eventually found some time to have a wander around, buy my spring seedlings (there's a store that does pick your own punnet - so I got a punnet with 2 each of tomato, capsicum and eggplant, and one with different herbs and some red onions.

Also got a strawberry guava and a lillipilli (native food producing plant) which I'm going to plant in my neighbours yard ( we have a hold in the fence so I can get in to water and harvest) and an orchid I have been wanting to get for a while... I then texted my hubby to say thankyou to him for buying me such a lovely gift.

One of the highlights was the cooking demonstrations that were put on by www.ifeelgood.com.au with a vege tagine, hummus and salad. I went home and made the salad and hummus monday night, and it was amazing...

1 tin of chickpeas drained

1/4 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 clove garlic

salt

Put all in a food processor and start it, slowly adding water to the mix until it is a smooth consistency and able to be poured (like thick cream)

Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika and served with flatbread to dip.

YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Light

God is light, in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not walk in the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:7-9

This is my kitchen - window being replaced and enlarged. Lets in so much more light. Previously two small sash windows with wooden middle panel and thick wooden surround.

I have replaced it with glass... need to paint the surround, maybe first coat tomorrow morning

Kitchen Renovations are Go

Change.

I am slightly distracted from other things I should be doing by my kitchen renovations....

I have ripped out all the cupboards and a wall, plumber has removed taps and disconnected the oven - now for sale on Ebay. Wednesday was new window. Old one was broken sash window - sash and glass broken. Didn't let much light through. In this photo builder is cutting the window space larger to let more light in!!!! It looks so good now.

Spent yesterday jackhammering removing the tiles from the floor. So much easier than by hand! Thanks to a builder friend who lent me the (massive) tool. Luckily I got it all done in the morning and went to body balance class after lunch.... stretched all those muscles out before they could get too painful. The guns are massive today...lol.

So now only need to do the electrical work and paint the ceiling before the new kitchen goes in...

Have a happy day.

Hannah