From Dimes to Diamonds...more bling without the ka-ching! Please join me in my new venture.

Please join me and my good friend Kimmie on our new blog...From Dimes to Diamonds....

Promising lots of lush and lovely things...

...x

But what do I do with....preserves and pickles???

I adore making my own pickles, relishes, confit, jams and preserves.

This is a relatively new passion for me, as I was always of the opinion that making those things was for Nannas. Well I guess I am a Nanna now, so maybe that's okay ;0)

The thing about making your own stuff, is that you are then compelled to find new and inventive ways of using it up. No point in having umpteen jars of Tomato Relish or Onion Confit, if it just sits there gathering dust and/or mould. One of the suggested uses of relish is not usually 'manufacture your own penicillin'.

As I've gone along making these things and using them, I've realised that chutneys, relishes, and pickles are the most wonderful form of DIY pre-packaged flavour bombs.

A couple of tablespoons of my Onion Confit in a casserole, and no other thinking is required. Lets see...the onions are there, as is the peppercorns, and other delectable earthy spices..why would I need anything but that and some H2O for a casserole to-die-for.

Similarly, my Tomato Relish is a brilliant addition to curries of the old fashioned kind that our Mums and Grans used to make before the appearance of Curry mixes and pastes on the supermarket shelves. The ones where a few generous spoonsful of relish and a teaspoon of curry powder gave the required exotic-ness to the dish. You may scoff, but those meals remain a staple in many households, and are much loved around here as a budget performer that satisfies the fussiest palate!

Note...Vintage style recipe in two sentences, as written by my Mum, coming up....

To whatever meat is inexpensive on the bone at the time, add a cup of  relish, a couple of tablespoonsful of onion confit, and a half a cup of water, then cook in the slow cooker till tender and thicken the juices with 3 dessertspoons cornflour mixed with a bit more water. Add a generous teaspoon of Indian curry powder, and serve with rice.

 I'm betting right here and now, that my Mums curry will become a family favourite for you too. Sort of sweetish, spicy, earthy and comforting all at once.

Being a Gluten Free household also means we view Corn Tortillas and Taco shells as a vessel for many things other than the obvious Mexican selections. We've used the aforementioned curry as a filling for warmed taco shells on many occasions. Topped with more Tomato Relish, some spiced yoghurt, and a bit more Onion Confit, and I defy you not to be groaning with culinary delight from go to whoa.

Here's my own recipe for Spiced Yoghurt. It's a grand accompaniement to curries, roasts, salads, and any manner of dishes, including a Hangover Breakfast...just ask my sons!

Spiced Yoghurt

1 cup natural yoghurt

1 small onion, peeled and diced finely or grated

1 small green chilli, finely sliced

1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 small tomato, finely diced

Pinch salt

Leaves according to cuisine eg. curry leaves, kaffir lime leaves, coriander

Whip the yoghurt with electric beaters until smooth and thick. Add the other ingredients, first heating the mustard seeds in a small pan over a high heat. They will pop and become aromatic. Mix well and allow to sit to maximise flavours. Overnight is best.

Serve with anything you fancy. Careful...highly addictive!

My Dream Home...

http://oneshabbyoldhouse.blogspot.com.au/

My dream home has cosy corners with soft squishy chairs and crocheted rugs over the arms for snuggling, and books, lots of books...real ones.

My dream home glows with the warmth of worn wood, utensils, china and glassware glinting from open cabinets.

 

My dream home has photos in frames displayed everywhere, reminding us of fun times, cherished memories and loved ones who have left us because their time here in this life was at an end.

 

My dream home does not adhere to a colour scheme or a style. It is just a collection of things I love in all the colours of the rainbow.

My dream home has furniture that has seen better days, because the 'better days' are the history of our family.

My dream home does not seek to impress those we don't know, but to embrace those we love.

Shabby, never. Well loved, always.

Playing nice in the big world...

Today I'd like to have a word about playing nice.

Playing nice is something that seems largely forgotten in the big wide world of instant gratification and the 'me' culture.

Things like loyalty seem to only extend as far as buying the same branded handbag, jeans or sunglasses year after year. Or getting a free latte` when you've bought nine.

Not too many people understand the concept of loyalty, unless it comes with instant gratification, be it admiration from their friends or a smiley stamp on their loyalty card.

Making the most of your hard earned cash requires a range of strategies from budgeting to saving for your retirement. But I'd like to add that fostering long term relationships with those with whom you conduct business is an undervalued approach.

Loyalty, paying on time or early, and referring friends to businesses that have performed work to a high standard for us, has gained us many benefits.

We've had free loads of firewood, free deliveries when we've all been too sick to leave the house to grocery shop, discounted travel, entertainment at little or no cost, flowers for the house and plants for the garden for nix and reduced rates on all manner of things from handyman tasks to major electrical work. All because we were good customers who referred friends without the expectation, implied or otherwise, that we would receive something in return.

 Loyalty has also saved me from a great deal of embarrassment when I once filled my car with fuel, only to discover I did not have my wallet with me. This was a genuine oversight. However, had I not been a loyal customer at that service station, I may have struggled to convince the manager that I did, indeed, just live up the hill and would return promptly with my wallet, to pay for the transaction.

When I was a child, there was a Mum and Dad style shop on every corner. All of them would run a 'tick', where regular loyal customers could 'run up' a bill. You'd go there, buy what you needed, and then be trusted to pay later, whether that was tomorrow or a month from now. This was pre-credit card days of course, and mostly pre-supermarket chain. This system largely functioned well, and helped many families through a tight financial spot. Alas, these are long gone. But loyalty and honesty and integrity were key ingredients in that happy relationship. Sadly, a few folk whose honesty and integrity were lacking, have spoiled that old fashioned custom for the most part. It didn't seem to occur to them that if they didn't pay their account at the end of the month, then the Mums and Dads who owned the corner store, may eventually not be in a position to pay their own accounts!

As much as the household budget is of crucial importance to me, sometimes it's not worth saving a few cents or a couple of bucks by doing the run around, even when things are tight. Loyalty gains me far more in the long term.

Play nice. Be polite to tradespeople, checkout assistants, the postman, the delivery van driver, the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker. Pay them all promptly and with a smile. The checkout assistant of today, is the entrepreneur with the thing you want, tomorrow. If someone does a good job for you, tell your friends, and make sure you use them next time that service is required. That might be in a few days or in several years. But I guarantee that returning customers to our business are always given the royal treatment.

Loyalty, manners, financial integrity.

These too, are important qualities and valuable tools for Guardians of the Budget.

Planning a menu...how to, when to, whether to....

My approach to menu planning has changed considerably in the last several years.

I never used to menu plan at all. I'd just randomly buy stuff and then find it limp and sad or iced over in the fridge or freezer several weeks later. I'd bin it, and start over.

Then I started making a list of meals from the fancy schmancy cookbooks I had, listing all the ingredients I already had (few) and the ones I needed (many) and patted myself on the back for being so organised.

Then I joined Simple Savings and realised I'd had it wrong the whole time. You menu plan on what you've already got, only purchasing extras for the gaps in your menu.

Wowser...talk about major life epiphany. I've never looked back!

These days there are only three of us and the dog at home, AND we're gluten free, so the menu has changed considerably, compared to when DS21 was still at home and eating us into a second mortgage. Quite often I find I only need to spend a minimal amount on the fresh fruit and veg and dairy items, with everything else well planned and catered for. Meat makes a twice or thrice weekly appearance on the menu, as does chicken and/or fish, with GF pasta and veg making up the balance of the weekly meals, including breakfast and lunch.

We've learned to not let our gluten sensitivity get in the way of a good hearty meal too. Pasta, bread and baking used to be our comfort food, and still is to a small extent. More often those items have been replaced by vegetable bakes, fresh fruit, baked whole pears or apples, some home made gnocchi and lots of lots of salad.

We eat salad all year round and there are few vegetables we don't eat...except for artichokes...what the heck does one do with those anyway. Sorry..don't answer that. I sort of know. But they hold no appeal for these happy campers!

The other thing is, I now sort of menu plan in reverse. I have a few standard go-to meals that make a regular appearance, but mostly I strive to have the bare 'bones' of many of our faves, in the fridge prepped and ready to go so that we can change our minds on a whim without it impacting on our budget.

So steamed baby potatoes can be eaten as is, turned into potato salad, hash browns, rosti, gnocchi, pan fried, tossed with flavoured butter and herbs, turned into a gratin, a frittata, a slice with marscapone and thyme and bacon, patatas bravas, and so on.

In fact, if there wasn't much else but baby potatoes and the contents of my pantry, I reckon we could eat well for the whole week!

That said, most of those recipes could be adapted for pumpkin as well. You've just got to think outside the square.

Our menu is also influenced by what seasonal bargains might be available. A whole pumpkin for $3 or a huge cabbage for $2 can change our whole eating plan for the week. I can use the pumpkin as a substitute in any of those potato dishes, and cabbage leaves make a great replacement for pasta sheets in lasagna, or for tortillas or burritos in mexican meals. You can shred it for salad, stir fry it, turn it into a warm coleslaw by tossing it in a hot pan with pine nuts for a few minutes or roll it around mince and slow cook it.

Get the idea?

I'll be writing more on this as we go along but for now, challenge yourself to think outside the square when you shop this week. I bet you can surprise yourself.

~Mama Guardian~

The Time Plan Guide is now complete...

Thankyou to those who have contacted me to remind me to insert the links in my 'creating a time plan' post.

You will now find all recipes will link to the other appropriate posts here on the blog, and you'll have all the information you need to be a SuperMum.

Ok...maybe not.

But you'll certainly be organised beyond measure...I promise!

Enjoy creating your own time plan, and please let me know how you go!

Love...Mama Guardian ;0)

The Week Long Salad....

This is such as easy thing to do you'll wonder why you haven't always done it.

No more limp slimy lettuce in the crisper and mealtimes made simple. Save time, save money, tasty meals...what's not to like?

Week long Salad No. 1

Half to one red cabbage, shredded (the mandolin slicer is brilliant for this)
1 capsicum, finely diced
3 peeled and grated carrots

Store in an airtight container. Remove enough each night for that meal only, and add additional ingredients. DO NOT add the extra ingredients to the salad base itself in the storage container.

Day 1: Add halved cherry tomatoes and dress with balsamic vinegar.

Day 2: Add one tin rinsed beans such as cannellini or four bean mix. Fry 2 rashers of diced bacon, and chop some herbs. Toss well with a dressing of one third each balsamic, olive oil and wholegrain mustard.

Day 4: Add grated cheese and finely sliced shallots. No dressing.

Day 5: Add zest and flesh of two oranges. No dressing.

Day 6: Add 1 cup cooked macaroni, italian herbs and italian dressing.

Day 7: Toss with cooked 2 minute noodles and dress with sesame oil and Sushi vinegar.

Week Long Salad no. 2...

Purchase 2 different 'trendy' lettuces...by which I mean not iceberg. So Romaine, Butter, Frilled and so on.
This is mainly because of all of them, the Iceberg lettuce, having the most water content, deteriorates the quickest.

Cut off the bottoms to separate the leaves. Wash them well.

Stack the leaves on top of one another and slice into smaller bits. You can also just tear them with your hands, and sometimes this is preferable as metal can taint the lettuce leaves, making them brown along the cut section.

This is important....you need a salad spinner to spin the leaves bone dry. Your salad leaves will revert to limp and slimy if there is any moisture left on them.

Put leaves into the salad spinner and spin thoroughly. You'll be amazed at how much moisture is collected and it's moisture that makes the lettuce yucky after a couple of days.

Tip into a large salad bowl.

Put a clean paper towel over the lettuce and cover with cling wrap.

Change the paper towel every couple of days to keep it dry.

Voila...perfect salad greens for the whole week....add ingredients as listed above or add your own variations!

No more dead salads in your crisper!