5 weeks break - baking potato bread

This bread is the most amazing recipe as it makes a firm but moist loaf of bread with beautiful texture and a light garlic taste. I've adapted it from I don't remember where sorry.

If you use a bread machine place the ingredients in the order listed. I find it a bit moist and usually have to take out the dough and add a little more flour before its ready to bake. I highly recommend letting it rise and baking in an oven, but feel free to let the bread machine do all the kneading for you.

·         1 cup of water

·      2 tablespoons butter

·      1 egg

·      4 cups bread flour ( I used wholemeal spelt)

·       2/3 cup mashed potato - boil or steam 1 large or 2 medium potatoes and mash with 1 extra tablespoon of butter

·      1 tablespoon sugar

·      1 1/2 teaspoons salt

·      1 clove of garlic peeled and crushed

·      2 teaspoons yeast

      Mix together all ingredients and knead well. Let rise.   Roll out into 2 long sausages. Twist together then place in a lined bread tin.  Leave in warm area to rise again.  Bake until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped, 20-30 minutes at 200C.

  

5 week break - Day 14 cultivating oyster mushrooms

Back in 2013 I did a course with Milkwood Permaculture in cultivating mushrooms.  I have neglected it over the past year more or less but hey, as I'm on leave I've had the time to start up my cultures again.

Mushroom science 101:

Take an existing mushroom, cut some tissue from the inside and place in a petri dish of agar (seaweed gelatin and food for the growing fungi).  Leave until the dish is full of fluffy white fungi.  Transfer to grain to let it grow some more, then straw and let the mushrooms, or fruit of the fungi, to grow.  Add humidity along the way.

The course was wonderful. Day 1, I was convinced that I could never learn it.  The science hurt my head. If this was what high school science class had taught me I would have loved the classes.  All the theory in the world is useful if you can see no useful application for it. Please hear that science teachers out there.

Overnight I got determined and went back to the course with renewed vigour.  Some wonderfully detailed notes later as well as some practical experience and yes I can cultivate mushrooms from a tissue sample. See some of my other mushroom stories here.

So I got out my kit today, prepared my agar plates and let them cool. Then I took samples from my fresh oyster mushrooms.

Now I wait. I hope I achieved a suitable level of sterility so no foreign matter contaminates my dishes. I'll let you know when I get to the next stage.

5 weeks break - Making soap

5 weeks holiday equals lots of homespun bliss

I am today embarking on the wonderful indulgent bliss of 5 weeks from work with nothing particular to do and nowhere in particular to go.

Five weeks to explore what homespun bliss is all about. To cook, sew, garden, spend time with my pets, to journal and meditate.  Ahh how wonderful.

Sit back, tune in and let me share my adventures.

Day 1 - housework
Ok yeah yeah, I know it sounds boring.  But a clean, de-cluttered house is a wonderful way to start down time as it allows you to feel free and refreshed.

Sweep away some cobwebs and feel present in your home.

I've actually been de-cluttering for weeks and have sent clothes, crockery, books and more to the charity shops. I've cleaned out my filing cabinet - only 7 years of tax and bank records, no junk and everything I removed has been shredded. I washed curtains and sheets and put away all my work clothes, I won't need them for a while.

Day 2
We all went kayaking on a local river, you know one of those spots we've been talking about exploring for ages but never got around to, now that we've been its one of my new favourite spots. Lovely calm water with plenty of bird life.  We took our doggies along for the ride which they enjoyed, I think.  It was a new experience for them.  

They both sat very quietly and were such sweet company. I got a little nervous when we passed cows cooling their hooves in the river as at home the dogs bark and bother them but there wasn't a sound from either.

I ended day 2 like this::

A great beginning but stay tuned it gets better.

Making Channa Dhal: great vegetarian dish served three ways

Channa Dhal is a delicious, nutritious and versatile vegetarian dish. I recently cleaned out my recipe file and found this gem. Unfortunately I don't remember where it came from to give credit.  It is quick and easy to make on the stove or would work well in a slow cooker.

You will find the recipe below but first of all some serving suggestions to whet your appetite.


A simple bowl of dhal topped with plain Greek yoghurt and fresh coriander.

A steamed golden nugget pumpkin stuffed with dhal and topped with cottage cheese and watercress.

Your favourite green leaves filled with dhal, rolled topped with a tangy tomato sauce.  Suitable leaves are cabbage, silverbeet/komastuma red mustard greens, shown here. Whatever is growing in your garden. Bake until leaves are soft.

So are you feeling hungry yet? Here comes the recipe:

Channa Dhal
Ingredients:
2 cups yellow split peas
1 onion, diced
grated ginger
minced garlic
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 red chilli
salt and pepper

Method:
In 5 cups of water, bring split peas, onion, ginger and garlic to a boil. Toss in chopped cauliflower. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Stir in the coriander, turmeric, garam masala and tomato paste. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until split peas are soft.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the mustard seeds, cumin and chilli for 2 minutes.
Add to cooked dhal and season to taste.

Creamy, cheesy potato bake with a lower cheese, higher protein twist

All afternoon I had a hankering for potato bake. At work, on the way home. I love the soft potato, the creamy sauce and the crispy cheese on top. Ah yum. I never make it though as I can't bear to cook with that much cream and cheese. I like to eat it but if I bake it I skimp and end up disappointed.

But no more! Tonight I gave into my craving and cooked the best potato bake ever. I skimped again of course but this time it worked. I had to share because this recipe is divine.  I credit the success of this recipe to the strength of my desire. Not to mention my homegrown spuds adding something special, but I'm sure store bought will be just fine.

Of course I made a huge dish so there is potato bake for lunch tomorrow and the day after.


Here's the recipe:

Wash, peel and slice potatoes. Steam them over boiling water until just soft. Be careful not to turn them to mush.

Preheat the oven to 180-200C and lightly oil a baking dish.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce.  Heat 40g butter in a saucepan. When melted, whisk in half a cup of plain flour.  Add 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Add half a packet of silken tofu and whisk like mad over reduced heat to keep the sauce smooth. Add more milk to keep the consistency of cheese sauce. Note there is no cheese needed at this stage.

Layer potatoes in the baking dish, top with shallots or herbs, then a third of the sauce, then more potatoes and herbs. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and spread evenly.  Top with grated parmesan. Bake until golden and crispy.

I know I've said it again and I'll say it again, if you use tofu like this no one will ever know let alone object. The tofu adds soy protein and thickens the sauce. The mustard gives a cheesy flavour.  But I saved the cheese just as a topping which means I used a lot less.

If you like potato bake I hope you give this version a try. I'm completely thrilled and will continue to make it this way from now on.

A little early but aren't these daffodils beautiful

What can you do on a cold, windy Winter day? Why, bake of course

Sunday dawned cold and blowing a gale. Too cold to go out. Hmm what to do with my day?
Why I baked of course.

Pumpkin and apple muffins for a sweet morning tea treat. There is a surprise inside - a little dollop of cream cheese. Impress everyone with this simple little tip! Mix cream cheese and icing sugar, then place in the fridge. Prepare your muffin batter and fill greased muffin trays to about one third. Put a dollop of cream cheese into each one, then top up with remaining batter. Watch everyone's surprised faces when they bite in. Yum.

The rest of my baking wasn't as exciting, but has helped prepare me for the working week.  Bread with potato and herbs from the garden. Mini frittatas and a dish of roast vegies will provide lunches and dinners in various forms. A big tray of vegetable lasagna has gone into the freezer in individual portions.
Mushroom soup will be tonight's dinner and tomorrow's lunch.

I've also done a serious cull of my recipe collection. I subscribe to a couple of email recipe alerts and when I see something yummy I print it out. Well I have ended up with a crazy number of recipes I have never tried. So I have culled as part of this year's de-cluttering plan. Believe me I still have plenty left to choose from and have picked a few new things to cook this week like sesame encrusted tofu with orange reduction and spring rolls.

Other than that my day was spent on housework. All essentials to get ready for the week ahead.  What are you eating this week?

Some days gardening is disheartening and I feel like giving up

Last weekend I worked so hard in my vegetable garden, weeding, mulching and nurturing.
I wondered down one morning for a little fix of paradise before rushing off to work.  Everything looked so beautiful.

This morning I rushed down to check nothing had completely dried out as we have had gale force winds since Tuesday. I mulched well but this wind has been strong and persistent. I was devastated to see my magnificent, lush silverbeet had been stripped to the veins. I had plans to eat silverbeet for dinner. Most of the plants will be lucky to survive. I never take more than a few leaves, but this raid left nothing.

But I haven't given up. I stomped around for a bit, added scraps and fallen leaves to the compost. Collected twigs for kindling so we could have a fire to ward off the winter nights.  When I calmed down I set about trying to solving the problem and protect my plants.

I screwed saddle clips on the inside of the highest risk garden beds, slid in some tomato stakes and stretched some bird netting over the top. It is not an easy thing thing to work with, difficult to stretch out and pin down.

The wind has picked up again tonight so I hope it will stay in place. I also hope it deters whoever left this behind.

I have done just a little research into scats, yes, yes I know its a weird thing to research but without an infrared camera set up in the garden how else can I work out what's doing the damage. The pointy ends suggest black rat. I've never seen rat poop anywhere near this size and yes we definately have rats near the chicken coop and in the compost.  Grey ones.  The next best guess is possum. I have seen possums in the past although not often. Not seeing doesn't indicate their absence though. Possums are lovely and native. But the rotters can't eat all my plants.

Let's wait and see if my net works.

Early winter gardening

May was astonishingly warm and sunny. An Indian Summer that we all enjoyed so much we didn't want it to end. But we can't reprogram Mother Nature that easily and June has dawned cold.  The weekend just past was stunning, chilly mornings and evenings but warm, sunny days so what else could I do but get into the garden. All through the busy weeks, the lovely weekend away and the time spent renovating and de-cluttering, my thoughts have been on my garden and the guilt of neglecting it.

I missed the warm May gardening weather so really I would have gardened whatever last weekend turned out. The critical issue was that I had the time and gardening was no longer relegated to the bottom of the priority list.  Its sad but I can't get away from the fact that other chores must take precedent and that gardening can only be done when everything else is sorted. Gardening doesn't get us through the working week with clean clothes.   But Nature smiled on me and gave me exceptionally perfect gardening weather. It was not only clear and unseasonally sunny but only a couple of days later its blowing a gale. So its good I didn't waste that perfect chance. Hopefully all the mulch I spread is doing its job and keeping my vegetable beds moist.

So here's what I did:

I weeded all garden beds and pulled carpet grass out of the open areas.

I emptied a big bin full of fine compost. Hard to believe this used to be food scraps, shredded paper from the chicken coop, manure and grass clippings.  Every bed got two buckets of this garden food.

Next I topped each bed up with this straw and soil that I scraped up from the bottom of the chicken yard.  Chicken droppings are a bit high in ammonia to put straight into the garden but this mix was been out in the rain so I'm confident its all quite dilute.

Harvey came to help me.

Benny too.

The finished garden with all beds mulched with a layer of straw to lock the moisture in. This will break down into the soil adding yet more organic material.

There are lots of 'greens' growing: silverbeet and this red mustard komatsuma.

My last task was to pop my trusty Diggers Club snail traps in the brassica beds and under the passionfruit vine with its lacy leaves shown here on the left. I don't do poisons but hopefully the soapy water in the trap will do the trick. A good weekend's work!

An end to my unplanned blogiday - homespunblissblog is back

I knew it had been a while since I last posted on my blog but until right now, I did not realise just how long. Funny how time gets away. Normally I would say I don't know where it went but for once I know exactly where I have been since May 5. That was the day I stepped into a new, challenging job at work. I posted with obvious intentions to continue regardless of the work challenges ahead of me but looking at that date now, I apparently succumbed and abandoned all routine. Here's the tale of how I got off, and then back on my path.


The first month I worked at least 40 hours each week while I found my feet, mastered the ropes and met the deadlines I had inherited. Looking back I have ticked many many things off my work to do list. Which is good, feels good.  Gradually the long hours have subsided, the routine is slowly coming back and I can look up again. And realise what I have neglected.

I have bought lunch almost every day over the past week so I need to fill up the freezer and start packing home cooked food again. Especially healthy snacks as I have been far too indulgent. Hard work does give one an appetite for breaks and snacks.

I have mostly kept up on cooking dinners but have been shopping every other day. Meed to get back to planing ahead.

I did get to go away to Hobart for a lovely, romantic, relaxing weekend. That was a couple of weeks ago and I think I've only just caught up on the laundry.

And we have done a lot of de-cluttering. Over Easter we ripped up the carpet in two bedrooms and the hallway and replaced it with a floating timber floor. This required completely stripping out both rooms and living amidst boxes and stuff for weeks on end. Howard did a great job of laying the floor so I didn't want to shove all the same stuff back in those rooms. My sewing room, aka spare bedroom, has new furniture and looks fabulous.  Last week we hired a big skip, got rid of the old carpet, and old stuff from in the house and under the house. Ah it feels good to have cleaned up so much, de-cluttered and re-organised.

So really, now that I chronicle it I have not been idle in my time at home, I have just re-prioritised for a while.  Now that I have achieved so much, I'm back to share my journey to homespunbliss.

Cooking gluten free crepes

Picasso had his blue period, Van Gogh had his sunflowers, Monet his water lilies. I am currently in my crepe stage.

I have recently discovered they are a very quick alternative when you don't have any bread for breakfast and don't feel like pasta or rice for dinner. You can stuff them with cottage cheese nuts and fruit, with mushrooms or spinach. Any tasty nutritious filling you like.


I even stuffed them with beans and topped them with taco sauce as enchiladas.


So far I have tried making them with plain white flour and with buckwheat. Both are a great success so the gluten free is a viable option. I am yet to try spelt and am intrigued by besan.

Here's the recipe:

3/4 cup plain flour of your choice
pinch salt
40g butter melted
1 egg
1 cup milk

Mix together the wet ingredients then whisk into the flour and salt. Let sit for a few minutes until bubbles form.  Pour half a cup of batter into a hot pan and swirl around until it coats the bottom of the pan. Cook until the crepe lifts off the pan and is lightly browned underneath.

Place your favourite filling into the centre of the crepe and fold edges over. Cook a little longer.
Voila!

Tip 1
The pan! For best results use a non-stick omelette pan with shallow sloping sides. This way the crepe will slide off when done.  You may have to experiment until you get the heat right. It should cook quickly but not burn.

Tip 2
You will need more milk with the buckwheat flour than white flour.

Tip 3
If you are going to bake or reheat the crepes as in the enchilada example, you can pile the crepes on a plate before filling and rolling up.

Tip 4
Enjoy them and share your favourite filling ideas with me!

Saffron milkcap mushroom crepe with ewes' milk camembert

Making lemon cordial

I am making lemon cordial!  I have filled old syrup bottles and pretty jars with fresh cordial make a pretty presentation perfect for gifts.


This is really easy.  The only ingredients are fruit juice, rind, sugar, water and tartaric acid. All easy to find in the kitchen or supermarket. Old fashioned lemonade is so in fashion right now.  Use your in-season citrus fruit to create that summer taste all year round. Everyone can do it.  A little simple fruit preserving tip for you.

Lime or lemon cordial recipe

6-8 limes, 4 lemons

1.5kg sugar

4 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon of either citric or tartaric acid

Finely grate the lime rind, avoiding the bitter white pith. Squeeze the limes and set aside.

Bring the water to the boil and add the lime rind, citric or tartaric acid and sugar. 

Stir to dissolve the sugar. Take off the heat when dissolved and stir in the lime juice.

Leave to cool completely, overnight if you make it in the evening. 

The mix will thicken into a syrup as it cools.

Strain the syrup to remove the rind and pour into sterilised bottles.

This cordial is excellent with cold mineral water. A splash of gin doesn't go astray either. Enjoy!

Note this recipe makes 4-5 cups of syrup. I recommend you pour it into small bottles so you can share it.   It keeps for months so you can enjoy your harvest or the greengrocer season surplus all year long.

Antiquing at Dirty Jane's Emporium Bowral

We love rummaging around antique shops. Dirty Janes in Bowral, Southern Highlands of NSW is a favourite. He are some highlights this week.




Oh wow I wanted to buy this ticket booth. it is so very beautiful. I can see it in my garden.

Spicy carrot and sweet potato soup

Yesterday we ate out at a cafe for lunch. It was cold and wet and the spicy carrot soup on the specials board really appealed to me. But alas, as is common, the chef felt the need to use a meat stock in a vegetable soup. I always check what stock is used in soups and risottos. I have learnt to check for these hidden sources of meat. I don't know why they have to do it but t happens more often than not.

I found something else on the menu for lunch but decided the die was cast for what I would cook for dinner.  I guarantee my version was way better than the cafe version anyway.  And yes it was just the thing for a cold day.


Ingredients
Carrots, 4-5 large, peeled and sliced
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
Chilli infused olive oil
Ground cumin, 2 teaspoons
Ground coriander, 1 teaspoons
Fresh coriander or lovage* see note

Method
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Saute the carrots and sweet potato in the oil for about 10 minutes until beginning to soften.
Add the spices and half the fresh herbs.  Stir and heat a little longer.
Add just enough water to cover.
Cook over medium heat until all vegetables are soft.
Puree in a blender until the right consistency has been achieved. Add a little more water if too thick but be careful not to water it down too much. Put back in the saucepan and replace on the stove over low heat to warm again.
Serve with more herbs on top and chunks of crusty bread.

Serves 4 as an entree or 2 as a meal.

Autumn harvest dinner: spinach roulade recipe

Wow what a week for tackling culinary fears! First I cooked artichokes and they were divine.

Now I have conquered the savoury roulade.
I have always wanted to make one, but they sound so complicated. I not only managed to turn out a restaurant quality meal, I did it almost completely from my garden produce. My chickens are moulting and off the lay, and I don't have a cow for cheese or cream but everything else I grew and harvested. This was such a wonderful celebration of home grown produce!

Last week I was rummaging around in a thrift shop or two. I bought a couple of pillow cases and an old recipe book. Apologies to all celebrity chefs of great fame: I prefer old cook books. My family and colleagues at work are well aware of how much I love my 1977 Women's Weekly Biscuit and Slice cookbook. The recipes never fail and are always wonderful.  This time, I found the 1986, Rose Elliot "The new vegetarian cookbook". With a mushroom filled spinach roulade recipe.

I trusted the recipe to work out and yes the instructions were spot on. I improvised a little on ingredients, the actual how to worked superbly.

Here is the recipe paraphrased and with my own version of the ingredients based on what I had in my garden today.

And yes they are enormous oyster mushrooms I grew!

Ingredients for roulade
fresh greens: spinach, silverbeet, kale
butter
salt and pepper
4 eggs, separated
grated Parmesan

Ingredients for filling
butter
mushrooms, diced
celery, sliced
sage, sliced
artichoke heart, chopped
300 ml sour cream
salt, pepper and nutmeg

Instructions for Roulade
Prepare a Swiss roll tin with baking paper. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Wash, trim and chop greens. Dry cook in a saucepan, stirring occasionally until tender, about 10 minutes. Take greens off heat, add a dollop of butter, egg yokes and seasoning. Stir well, be careful not to cook the egg.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the greens.
Pour the mix into the pan and bake for 10-15 mins.

Instructions for filling
Heat butter in a pan and toss in the chopped mushrooms and herbs.  Cook until they release their juices and brown a little. Add sour cream and seasonings. Heat gently to warm through. Take off the heat and allow to thicken.

Putting it all together
Turn the oven down to low.
Place a fresh piece of baking paper on the bench and sprinkle a little more Parmesan across it.
Take the roulade from the oven and gently slide it off the tray onto the prepared paper. Lightly press down into the Parmesan.
Spread the filling evenly across the roll, leaving a gap of about 5cm from the far edge.
Roll the roulade up a little way at the filled edge and squeeze to ensure tight. Keep rolling slowly and firmly pulling the paper away as you go.  Stop and tuck in any filling squeezing out until you get to the end. Cover with paper and gently squeeze the roulade to make sure it has rolled well and is firm. Take away the top piece of paper. Replace on the tray and put back into the oven for a little while to make sure it is warmed through.

That's it!

Slice and serve warm with a fresh salad, baby potatoes or whatever you have growing.


What's next? I feel absolutely ready to tackle anything with the produce I've grown!

Sunday chores in the garden

After weeks of rain we had sunshine for most of the day. The fog has rolled back in now and the drizzle is watering my plants. I was able to use some of the sunshine to catch up on some gardening chores.

It is early Autumn so I have planted cauliflowers, broccoli and brussel sprouts.  I put in leek, spinach, bok choy and pea seeds. The vegie garden is weeded and mulched, the compost turned and capped off with a thick layer of damp used straw.

Th chickens have had a wet old time of the past week too.  Now their coop is clean and filled with dry shredded paper and straw. They have fresh green pick and lemon balm strewn through their egg box.  I dug up a couple of wheelbarrow loads of old muddy straw from their yard, which is being recycled through the vegie garden, and gave them clean dry straw to scratch around in.

I have been gradually creating a fernery in one shady side of the garden. So today I did some work on that too. I put in two purple fountain grasses and five small ferns.  I estimate about 6 more plants, a huge amount of mulch and its all done. Its been a big project as we naively let the chickens in and they destroyed many, many plants. Its all coming back now and looking good.  I will feel a lovely sense of accomplishment when I have finish that area. Don't worry there are plenty of other projects to move on to.

Comfrey in flower

March wherever you are, north or south, is a month of changing season

Soup weather: potato and kale from the garden

Suddenly its cold and wet. We have had torrential rain since yesterday.  It is a great night to hole up inside with a lovely bowl of soup.

Recipe for potato and kale soup

Garlic, peeled and chopped
Parsley and rosemary, chopped
Olive oil
Potatoes, washed peeled and chopped
Kale, trimmed and chopped
Celery, sliced
Water
Milk
Greek yoghurt
Parmesan to serve

Place garlic in a large saucepan with olive oil.  Heat until garlic starts to brown, then toss in herbs and celery and keep heating.  Toss in potatoes and kale and stir in the oil and herbs for a minute or two before adding just enough water to cover.

Cook on the stove top until potatoes are soft.

Puree in batches. Add milk and yoghurt until the soup is a lovely creamy consistency.

Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan and a crunchy bread roll.

All the ingredients in the soup apart from the dairy and olive oil came from my garden.  I ducked down during a brief break in the rain and harvested celery, spuds, kale and herbs.  The garlic I have in abundance from this summer.

I made bread rolls as well to make it a really great meal.  I used my bread machine to make the dough. I don't mind kneading dough but like to use my machine and there are a couple of reasons why. Firstly its quite cold here so it can be hard work to get the dough to rise.  But the main reason is that it saves so much time. While the dough was mixing and rising I cooked pasta, lentil curry, basil pesto, and the soup. I did about 4 loads of washing too, but sadly it all had to go through the drier due to the rain. Even my wide verandah is awash. 

To make rolls I set the machine to dough. When ready I turned it out on to the floured bench.  I cut the dough into 10 pieces and rolled them out. I spread olive tapenade on one half of the rounds and basil pesto on the other. I rolled each up, and placed into a baking tray lined with paper then left them on top of the stove to rise again while the oven warmed up, then baked them until sounding hollow when tapped. 

I highly recommend these kinds of rolls, you can use so many types of filling from herbs to cheese or pumpkin and ricotta.  And make them all different sizes, lunch or dinner roll sized or batards.  

Give them a go.

Sundowners what a civilised notion after a hard day gardening