Friday, October 15, 2010

Lemons!


We have a big bag of lemons from mum and dads garden. I dont know who is more excited about it, Chloe, Ben or me. So far we have made Lemon butter, Lemon cordial, Lemon Impossible Pie and Lemon Pudding.

Some recipes:

Lemon Honey

Ingredients:

125g butter
1 cup of sugar
2 large lemons
1tbsp cornflour or custard powder

Method:

Melt butter and sugar in the juice from the lemons. Add grated rind. Remove from heat. Moisten the cornflour with water so it can be mixed smooth. Stir this into the mixture and return to heat. Stir while cooking until the mixture is lovely and smooth. Remove from heat and cool a little before bottling in small jars and labelling. This lemon honey can be stored in or out of the fridge.

This is one from Destitute Gourmet:-

Lemon Curd Krummeltorte

2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup sugar
100g butter, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup lemon curd
1 tbsp icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180C. Place SR Flour, sugar and butter in a food processor. Run machine until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. add the eggs and pulse to combine.

Press two-thirds of the dough into a greased 23-25cm cake tin
lined with baking paper. Spread the lemon curd over this and crumble the rest of the mixture over the top.

Bake for 35-40 mins.

Dust with icing sugar before serving

Lemon Cordial

6 lemons ( I use a mix of citrus fruits)
5 cups sugar
30g citric acid
1 litre boiling water.
1/2 tsp lemon essence (optional preservative)

Take the juice of six lemons, finely grated rind of two of them, add sugar and acid, then pour over boiling water and bring to the boil. Remove from heat as soon as boiling and add essence. Bottle and use as cordial.

Lemon Cordial

6 cups white sugar
3 cups lemon juice
6 cups water
2 level teaspoons tartaric acid
2 level teaspoons citric acid
Bung the lot in a saucepan. Boil five minutes. Boil 5 minutes. Strain. Bottle . Throw out if it bubbles or grows mould

Salted Preserved Lemons

Cut lemons in quarters, but not right down to the end (should open up like a flower).

Next, put as much salt as you can into the open lemon then re-form it back into its original shape. Fill jars with salted lemons. Squish them right in, they don't mind being forced in.

Cover lemons with lemon juice in filled jars.

Put on lids and leave for at least a week before using. Can last for up to about a year in a cupboard or pantry.

MOROCCAN PRESERVED LEMON QUARTERS
Categories: Foreign, Fruits
Yield: 4 servings

Eureka/Meyer lemons, rinsed
Kosher salt

Quarter lemons lengthwise and put in a noncorrosive airtight container.
Freeze for 8 hours. Add 1 tablespoon salt per lemon (4 quarters).
Store airtight at room temperature for 6 days; shake occasionally.
Use as suggested.
To store, chill up to 6 months (colour darkens).
Each lemon makes 4 pieces.
RecipeSource

Preserved Lemons
Categories: Condiments, Fruits, Harned 1994, Moroccan, Preserving
Yield: 1 batch

5 Lemons
1/4 c Salt; more if desired
1 Cinnamon stick
3 Cloves
5 To 6 coriander seeds
3 To 4 black peppercorns
1 Bay leaf
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
-- if necessary

The author writes: “Preserved lemons, sold loose in the souks, are one of the indispensable ingredients of Moroccan cooking, used in fragrant lamb and vegetables Tagines, recipes for chicken with lemons and olives, and salads. Their unique pickled taste and special silken texture cannot be duplicated with fresh lemon or lime juice, despite what some food writers have said. In Morocco they are made with a mixture of fragrant-skinned doqq and tart boussera lemons, but I have had excellent luck with American lemons from Florida and California.

”Moroccan Jews have a slightly different procedure for pickling, which involves the use of olive oil, but this recipe, which includes optional herbs (in the manner of Safi), will produce a true Moroccan preserved-lemon taste.

“The important thing in preserving lemons is to be certain they are completely covered with salted lemon juice. With my recipe you can use the lemon juice over and over again. (As a matter of fact, I keep a jar of used pickling juice in the kitchen, and when I make Bloody Marys or salad dressings and have a half lemon left over, I toss it into the jar and let it marinate with the rest.) Use wooden utensils to remove lemons as needed.”

“Sometimes you will see a sort of lacy, white substance clinging to preserved lemons in their jar; it is perfectly harmless, but should be rinsed off for aesthetic reasons just before the lemons are used. Preserved lemons are rinsed, in any case, to rid them of their salty taste. Cook with both pulps and rinds, if desired.”

To make preserved lemons: If you wish to soften the peel, soak the lemons in lukewarm water for 3 days, changing the water daily.

Quarter the lemons from the top to within 1/2″ of the bottom, sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh, and then reshape the fruit.

Place 1 tb. salt on the bottom of a sterilized one-pint mason jar. Pack in the lemons and push them down, adding more salt, and the optional spices, between layers. Press the lemons down to release their juices and to make room for the remaining lemons. (If the juice released from the squashed fruit does not cover them, add freshly squeezed lemon juice - not chemically produced lemon juice and not water.*) Leave some air space before sealing the jar.

Let the lemons ripen in a warm place, shaking the jar each day to distribute the salt and juice. Let ripen for 30 days.

To use, rinse the lemons, as needed, under running water, removing and discarding the pulp, if desired - and there is no need to refrigerate after opening. Preserved lemons will keep up to a year, and the pickling juice can be used two or three times over the course of a year.

*According to the late Michael Field, the way to extract the maximum amount of juice from a lemon is to boil it in water for 2 or 3 minutes and allow it to cool before squeezing.

Cathy's note: I thought that the Safi spice combination sounded so good that I included it all as part of Wolfert's recipe although, when she wrote it, she only called for the lemons and salt as the main ingredients and made the rest of the ingredients optional.

From _Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco_ by Paula Wolfert.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1987. Pp. 30-32. ISBN 0-06-091396-7.
RecipeSource


Lemon Butter
1/4 lb butter - 125grms
1 lb sugar 450 grms
4 eggs
rind and juice of 4 lemons

Mix altogether, stir over low heat till thickened - not to boil

I found all these recipes on the Simple Savings Forum

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Planting the Square Foot Garden - Spring

I decided this morning that today was the day to get planting. Chloe had Kinder this morning so I went and purchased all of the seedlings and seeds while I was one child down. I had my garden plan with me and pretty much stuck to it although I was able to pick up a few bargains of reduced to clear seedlings so I bought them as well, even though they weren't a part of the original plan. Im glad I did because when I actually measured the garden out it was bigger than I had planned for so I definitly had the space for a few add ons.

I also purchased a big triangular wooden trellis that expands and collapses. It fits really well in one of the plots and I'll use it for all of the climbing plants and the plants that need a bit of support. It was the perfect gardening afternoon, not too hot and not too cold. I packed the picnic blanket, drinks, should have packed snacks but didn't, hats and all the gardening tools. I also threw in a bag of Blood and Bone.


This plot has Tomato, Eggplant, Lettuce, Spinach, Silverbeet, Pumpkin and 4 Cucumber seeds. Lots more plants to be added tomorrow including Roma tomatoes and Rocket


I was wondering what I was getting myself into, trying to do both plots while keeping two kids occupied. One that desperatly wants to help and one that desperatly wants to explore, eat little things and climb. Luckily Elyssa had a big sleep in the stroller under a tree and Chloe used her little watering can to make mud up one end of the garden bed. She loved it but was covered in it!



Chloe also ammused herself by watering everyone elses gardens with her little watering can and by picking snails out of everyones gardens. I don't think anyone will mind....

It all went a bit pear shaped towards the end though, we had been there for two hours, Elyssa woke up grumpy and I didnt want to pick her up because I was covered in the mud Chloe had made. Chloe was being a pain because she wanted to go play at the park next door. I had a sore back from all of the planting and we were all hungry. We packed everything up, loaded up the car and Chloe had a play at the park. I put a blanket out on the ground and had a lie down while Elyssa sucked on my keys and climbed on me. I knew it was time to go when Chloe screamed 'wake up Jeff!'. The Wiggles have alot to answer for! Then Chloe lay down next to me and Elyssa climbed on top of both of us. I convinced Chloe to go home without a drama by reminding her there was yoghurt in the fridge at home and Daddy was home from work. We all had a big bath when we got home.

So far in this plot is 2 Chillis, 2 Capsicum, 8 Dwarf Bean plants, lots of Beetroot and the Rhubarb plant

The Dwarf Beans in their square foot. I marked every 30cm with an oil pastel

More Beetroot! This wasn't on the plan but I don't think the winter crop will last long :)

I moved the silverbeat from one plot to the other so that it was with the spinach

A grumpy, tired Elyssa
Overall I think the garden is looking fantastic, but I need to get quite a few more plants though. Its amazing how much fits in such a small space. Im going to head back tomorrow while Chloe is at daycare and finish it all off...ssshhhh! don't tell Chloe....

Planning the Spring square foot garden


See? I didnt kill it last year afterall


Usually when I do a vegie garden I just do it on a whim. I go to Bunnings, see what they have, decide what we like to eat and buy seedlings. I then randomly stick them in the ground and wait for them to grow. This method seems to work quite well although I do tend to go a long time with nothing to harvest while everything grows, then I end up with a heap of the same thing. Like the Beetroot and Leeks I planted over winter. I pulled out ten Leeks today. Im going to have to slice them up and freeze them. See them all in the right of the pic?


Over the past couple of weeks I have been looking into the square foot garden method of gardening. Basically the idea is you plant alot more different vegies, alot closer together than the pack recommends. You get fewer weeds because everything is so crowded. I really like this idea and it suits my two little plots because they don't have alot of room in them. I followed the advice on the 'My Square Foot Garden' blog (see side bar for button/link) and drew up a plan. I used the advice on the blog about how many plants to put in each square, depending on what type of plant it is. For example, a tomato plant needs 1 square foot (I decided to do 30cm squares, since we are metric) whereas you can put 9 dwarf bean plants in 1 square foot. I decided on what plants to buy based on the types of food we like to eat and the quantities of things we like to eat. Tomato and tomato products are very popular here so I planned to plant alot of them. I also considered space in my planning because it would be best if I didn't have too many over hanging plants as Im not sure how much space outside of my garden bed I am able to use. Below is the picture of my plan. See all the dirty finger prints from all the gardening?




After drawing up the plan Chloe and I went on a walk to the garden with our wheely bucket of garden tools (thats what Chloe calls it) and pulled out as many weeds as we could in preperation for planting the following weekend. She is very excited about the whole process which I love. She is definitly eating alot more veg now that she is helping to grow it. She LOVES the pickled Beetroot.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Miracle Cleaner

Household Cleaner

1 litre water
200ml vinegar
40ml detergent
40ml eucalyptus oil
2 dessertspoons of washing soda

Mix all ingredients together, and it's ready to use. Use 60ml of solution in warm water to wash your floors. Fill a spray bottle and use it to clean your table, benches and bathroom.

This recipe comes from the simple savings forum.

I used to make this. Im not really sure why I stopped, it is fantastic stuff and it makes your house smell so fresh and clean. I just made up a double batch this afternoon and filled all the empty spray and wipe containers with it. I put one in the kitchen, one in each bathroom and one in the laundry to use as a pre-stain remover. I have never tried it as a stain remover but apparently it works really well.

The Yogurt Experiment

I have been making my own yogurt on and off for a couple of years now, using my Eziyo, Eziyo sachets and an extender recipe that allows you to get 6 ltrs out of one sachet. I got the recipe over at the Simple Savings forum. The idea came about because one very clever lady read the back of the packet and realised that the sachets are something like 95% milk powder with a  bit of powdered yogurt starter thrown in.

This is the recipe, a sweet one and a plain one:

SS easi-yo -plain

1 cup water
1 1/3 cup powdered milk (dry)
2 TBS starter (dry powder: recommmended: natural, greek)

Combine the above in easi-yo container, shake or stir to mix well. Top up to 1 ltr with water, seal and process in easi-yo flask.
-------------------------------------------------
SS easi-yo sweet vanilla

1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup cold water
1-2 TBS vanilla (extract with no alcohol seems preferred)
1 1/3 cup powdered milk (dry)
2 TBS starter (dry powder: recommmended: natural)

Dissolve sugar in small amount of boiling water..add another cup of cold water...allow to cool a little if needed (should not be too hot) Add vanilla, starter and milk powder, shake or stir to mix well. Top up to 1 ltr with water, seal and process in easi-yo flask.

I usually make plain and add fruit or just cinnamon. Chloe loves it without sugar so I don't bother with the sweet one anymore. Also another tip, the Greek Eziyo seems to be the best and I use Homebrand or Aldi milk powder. Also, do not attempt to make it with low fat milk!

Anyway...so this method has been working wonderfully and saves us alot of money as yogurt is so expensive and we all love it so go through alot. We also cook with it so having such a cheap supply means we can use as much as we like. I also like it because I know whats in it! This was all great until little elyssa came into our lives with her various allergies and sensitivities. After thinking she couldn't eat gluten for a year and that she is lactose intollerant, it turns out it is more likely to be an allergy to the cows milk protein in dairy. The peadiatrician we saw thinks that she can tollerate lactose free stuff because the process used to remove the lactose also can break down the protein a bit making it easier her her to digest. So...she can't eat our yogurt!!



Today I am trying an experiment. I am attempting to make an almost lactose free yogurt in the Eziyo. I am using about 1/2 cup of left over natural yogurt and her UHT lactose free milk. If it works Ill then make another yogurt with her lactose free milk using 1/2 cup of todays almost lactose free yogurt and if that works Ill try Elyssa with it. By this stage Im hoping most of the lactose will be out of the yogurt. I should then be able to continue to make lactose free yogurt with the lactose free milk...Did that make sense? Ill report back if it works because I know Im not the only one out there with this problem!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Pickled Beetroot

This is  my first attempt at cooking Beetroot. Ben has done it a couple of times but I was a bit intimidated by it. I found this blog this morning and was feeling very inspired so I decided to give it a go and quite honestly it was really easy, made a bit of mess but cleaned up in about 5 minutes so it really was ok. I made the pickled beets with about 8 big beetroots from my garden. Here is the recipe...


Boil up the beetroots and peel when tender. Combine:

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
some new fresh bay leaves
salt and pepper
Slice up the beetroot, put into a pickling container and Pour the pickling mix over the top. It keeps in the fridge for up to 6 months. I made two jars full but I don't think it will need to last 6 months...it will all be gone pretty quickly around here!

Now I need to plant more beets...

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Sewing Barbie Clothes



We have recently gone a bit Barbie crazy at our place. Chloe received lots of Barbies and a (surprisingly) big doll house for her 4th birthday. I found the doll house at Big W on sale for $90 reduced from $200 so I thought 'Bargain!!'. I didnt realise how big it was though until Ben started putting it together. It is massive! I do love it though. It has an old style cottage feel to it and has older style furniture, even a swing. One of the things I love about Barbies is that it provides opportunities for creative play....for me! lol. So today I got out the material scraps and started sewing. I made a pattern for a dress by measuring barbie and looking at the clothes she already has to see how they did it. The first dress I made took an hour and a half. I gave that one away to one of Chloes friends who also likes Barbies when I picked Chloe up from a play date. I then made another one exactly the same and it took about twenty minutes but didn't fit as well as the first one had. I made a couple of alterations to the pattern and made another one, the one in the picture and Im really pleased with it. Next time Im going to decorate it a bit more with some ribbon, buttons or ric rac.