Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Our family favourites recipe book - part 1...

 


It's been interesting this March, putting the focus on simplicity, and realising it can be found in many areas of life - in the practical, the emotional, and even the spiritual. 
In previous posts this month, I've written about a few areas of simplifying, some fairly obvious, others not quite so. In applying the decision to simplify as many aspects of life as I can, taking note of the day to day changes, and observing the fruit coming forth, a deep sense of confidence, joy and peace has begun to settle on my heart. Honest, it's quite simply, lovely. 

I have been promising to share our family recipe book for ages, and whilst sorting through more than thirty years of notes and files, I had to take lots of breaks as it became a larger project than I had first imagined. When I chose "simplicity" as the theme for March, it hadn't yet occurred to me that this was how I needed to put together a recipe book, but as the weeks have passed, it suddenly seemed common sense to choose the recipes we enjoy a lot, the ones I have never stopped making regularly, the simple family fare my children and husband ask for time and again, the meals and treats my girls request the recipe for so they can carry on the tradition of old family favourites with their own children. 

So, in simplifying my stack of old recipes for the girls, I was able to move forward with the plan to share them with you too. 

Another aspect of simplicity with this project, was to break it up into sections, and share them one at a time. Today you'll receive Part 1 - Sweeties...



Use the link below to download Part One in A4 or Letter files...



As this is part 1, I also decided to write about the inspiration I have for cooking, and it should be no surprise to you that it all began with Nana and Pop. 

You may not want to download this first recipe file, but perhaps you'd like to know a bit more about those precious grandparents who raised me, so I'll share that story here for you...



From the age of three I was blessed to be raised with an abundance of love and laughter in the tiny
home of my Nana, Phyllis May, and my Pop, Eric John.
Nana was born in 1911, a few years before the Great War. She married at eighteen and within four years
had three small children to raise, right in the midst of the Great Depression. Her younger sister died a
few years later so Nana took on the care of her sibling’s two children for a season as well.
By the time World War 2 began she was well equipped by previous experience to feed the family on
whatever was available. She had learned all the tricks of using up what was already on hand, mending,
repurposing anything and everything, re‐using (tea bags especially), bartering, growing some basics in
her tiny yard, preserving, doing without, substituting ingredients, and watching every penny.
I remember her telling me how during the Depression, she and her sister would save pink or red tissue
paper to re‐use as makeup. They’d dab a tiny piece with water and use it rub on their cheeks for rouge,
and on their lips for lipstick. Growing up with Nana, I never saw her leave the house without applying
an inexpensive red or vivid pink lipstick and clipping on a pair of earrings, and when she told me about
this experience from the war years, I understood why. They are small things by today’s standard, but
after doing without through a Depression and a war, it gave her much pleasure to ‘do herself up’ a little
throughout the remainder of her life.
My nan was a very basic cook, but everything she made was delicious and the taste of her food still
lingers in my memory. In fact, I find it fascinating that even today I can close my eyes and smell the
simple but yummy meals she lovingly prepared for Pop and I.
I remember with delight the breakfast conversations with her and Pop, when he’d praise her for the
simple meal and how blessed he was to have her as his wife, and how he’d encourage me to be just like
her. At the time I thought that task impossible, and later in life wished I’d paid more attention to ‘what’
she did, instead of only being awed by who she was – but Nana glowed with soft love, her vivid blue
eyes twinkled, and her loud house‐shaking laugh (which I inherited, along with her eyes) drew attention
wherever she went, especially mine. I simply adored my Nana and Pop, and never in life have I known
two people such as they, who were able to be content with so very little, and yet offer it all to a small
granddaughter like me.
We always ate leftovers for breakfast, never was a bowl of cereal seen on our humble table. If there
were no leftovers, Pop would roll up his sleeves and take over by peeling potatoes, chopping them into
chips, and frying them in a shallow pan with the fat from last Sunday’s roast. Served with slices of bread
and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, they were a real treat! Pop couldn’t cook anything else, and I doubt
Nana would have let him if he wanted to, but she knew there were no better chips to be had than those
cooked by her dear little husband.
Lunch was usually bread with whatever was available. In those days lamb was cheap so it was often
leftover roast lamb and her homemade pickles, but it might also be soup and dumplings during winter.
Nana grew a choko vine (chayote) over the back fence, and it was quite a prolific producer so she made
use of it in many ways – seasonal jars of pickle relish, pan fried in butter, crumbed and fried, or chopped
with apples and cinnamon to fill an apple pie. I was 23 when Nana passed away, and treasured the last
jars of choko pickle Pop gave me after the funeral. Every spoonful on a sandwich over the following
months was seasoned with my salty tears, and a crushing pain in my heart...right beside the memory of
her great loving hugs.
I was not a good cook when I first married and began a family, as Nana had not ‘taught’ me to cook, but
gradually, sitting quietly for a time and remembering all I could over many years, the simple recipes
came back and I’d tweak them until they tasted ‘almost’ the same…after all, how could I ever make
anything taste as wonderful as she did?
My children and grandchildren love what I make them, and so I suppose that’s the way of generations
as time goes by. The wonderful meals we remember as a child from our mother’s or grandmother’s
kitchens may be recipes we struggle to replicate today, yet our own children and grandchildren are
right now creating their own memories of our kitchens and our meals – and so the traditions go on.
I have come to believe that food is a lifelong memory, so let us not view it through the eyes of friend or
foe with regards to various diets or programs, but let us rejoice in the way it unites young and old
across a table, and how it lingers on in our minds many years after a cherished cook has folded her
apron one last time.


I'll sign off for today, but will be back at the end of the week. I'm re-reading all the gospels right now, and as with this time each year, I am once more brought to my knees by what our precious Saviour did to save us. There will never be words enough to express how His sacrifice changed my life...is still changing my life. 
If you have drifted from the Lord, and don't know quite how to rebuild a relationship with Him, read the gospels, dear one. Just quietly walk through them and follow the journey of Jesus once more...He will meet you in those pages, and change your life. He does that. I'm here today because He did that for me. 

Love and hugs


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Thursday, March 21, 2024

Gentle homemaking, the mind, and little pies...

 

Considering the soon farewell of another month, my thoughts have drifted to how things have been simplified around home, in my mind, and around the garden, through these days of March. At first, I focused on these past weeks, full of family, garden and medical needs that seemed to take up large portions of each week, but then I considered the lovely peace and calm which has come to be the normal daily atmosphere of home no matter what a day holds.  I am learning that the more I can let go of, in order to simplify my life - things, emotions, dreams, plans and unforgiveness for example - the more peace and calm and JOY is filling my life.

As I reflected on these things it occurred to me that more than dropping away things or plans, the most beneficial path to simplifying has been changing the way I think, feel, and how I see my life as a homemaker. 

Having a heart which chooses to be at home, experiencing joy in the care I am able to give our humble abode, a feeling of satisfaction borne from the fruit of my labours, filling my heart with gratitude for all the small things - for there are far more of those than big things in life - these are evidences of a simple life being lived well...and yet, I don't think I have looked at it from that perspective before. 

In my homemaker heart it's clear that there's a sweet and gentle rest offered by living this way, and as I grow older, I find more of the gentle domestic life is what I desire most, for it draws me back to what I knew as a toddler, child and teenager growing up with Nana. 

Experiences of the past, the ones we remember most vividly, are the ones I believe to have had the greatest impact on our lives as we age. In the midst of wonderful memories, there may be difficult ones as well, and I admit to having both. However with the passing of years, the easier it has become to let go of the ones which serve me no good, for those memories cannot be changed, and if I did give them power again they could harm my otherwise healthy mind. So I choose to release myself from their grip, and instead, gather all the wonderful memories built around Nana and Pop, who cared for me with selfless love, and taught me to love God.

I've not heard of mental simplicity, but it's the only way I can describe to you what has had the greatest impact on me recently. When I sought the Lord over the areas of my life to simplify, one that surprised me was a particular situation from thirty years ago which every so often comes to mind and continues to upset me, and even cause me to feel anger. In a moment, He disassembled the tower of self-pity and self-righteousness I had built in my mind, and left every stone shattered...ladies, talk about simplifying, this was a burden gone, done and dusted, slate wiped clean, chains unshackled, in a moment. I am free, and it is so very life-changing to forgive, and to be forgiven. Simply.

If you have been burdened with the past, let me pray for you...

Heavenly Father,  this is but a short and simple prayer, because You are not complicated, and do not bury your children in long and wrenching psychological tortures. You are a kind and compassionate Father, Who, at the right time, leads us from darkness into Light, and  today I am asking You to do this for anyone reading this who needs to be set free from the shackles and burdens of the past. Lord, in Your deliverance, shine Light on the best things for them to remember, stir up the good experiences and memories, bringing them to the surface, and in doing so, please bury forever the harmful ones. Guide those who need to forgive, impart wisdom to those who have held a grudge or misunderstood an incident so they can repent and let it go. Simplify their lives, Lord, and simplify their minds, that they may look with  JOY at the days yet before them, given as a gift by Your perfect grace. In the precious name of our Saviour Jesus, Amen. 


Here's the steps and recipe to make those lovely little pies my grandchildren and son in law gobble up with glee!


I have these lovely little pie tins which were purchased for a couple of dollars at the local op-shop, and they make the perfect size pies for children, lunches, or picnics.


The base is a little disc which is removable, making it easy to lift the baked pies from the tin. 


Whatever size your pie tins are, you will need to cut a circle for the base that is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch larger than the tin. Try making a circle with scrap fabric or tissue paper first, to work out the correct size, and then look for a plate or dish which has the same dimensions. 

I use puff pastry sheets from the freezer section of the supermarket. Using a circular plate the right size, I cut the bases and press them into the greased pie holes. Then I fill the cases with an egg, bacon and cheese mixture.


The FILLING -

Grill or bake rashers of bacon to remove a lot of the fat. Once cooked, chop them into small pieces. When cool, scatter them across the bottom of the pie cases. 

Make a mix of 6 eggs, 1/2 cup of cream, some salt and pepper. Pour this into eight small pie cases. Scatter some grated cheese over the top. Cut circles of puff pastry 1/2 inch wider than the top of the pie cases and place on top. Press the sides of the base and top together.

Make roses and leaves from the excess pieces of puff pastry. Cut your rose strips first - they only need to be about one inch wide, and 4 inches long. Then cut the leaves from the remaining odd shaped scraps of pastry. 


For the roses, just roll the 4 inch strip of pastry (not too tight), and then using your fingers, turn some of the rolls down to form a flower. 


Place them on top of your pies, pressing very gently to attach them. Now make a egg wash (just beat a whole egg until the yolk and white combine...it only takes about ten seconds), and then using a pastry brush, paint the top of the pies with it. 

Bake in an oven of 200C (400F) for about 20 minutes, depending on your oven. The pies will puff right up and be golden brown when done. 


You could make the same pies with any filling of your choice, but my tribe do not want me to change anything! ;-)


Now I must sign off as I need to see my optometrist again today, do some grocery shopping, and find a decent dish drainer for the kitchen sink as my old one has lately been the cause of a few broken cups and glasses due to a section breaking away. I knew this time was coming but had put if off, but then a favourite mug broke earlier in the week and it can't be replaced. The dish draining rack can! 

God BLESS you dear ones, and may the March days still ahead of us be days of joyful simplicity in the ways that matter most. 

Love


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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Making a simple envelope style pouch....

 


I've previously shown the slow stitched fabric pouches which have brought me joy to make over the past month, and as you have requested, today I'll show you how to make your own. 

These pouches can be made any size you want, you just need two squares of fabric the same size, some thin fusible wadding 1/2" smaller than your squares, and a long length of 1" wide fabric for the tie. 




For three of my pouches I used two different fabrics, but for the green linen check pouch I used the same fabric. Use what you like, experiment a little, and just have some fun. 
What I loved most about the process of making my pouches was not having to hurry, being able to pick it up and put it down at leisure, usually slow stitching quilted lines in the evenings for little while at a time. 
I have previously made two pouches from 10" squares, one from a 12 inch square, and for this tutorial I made one from an 8" square. 
So as I said, choose your square size and cut yourself two pieces of fabric, and one piece of thin fusible wadding, 1/2" smaller than your squares. You'll also need a 1" wide length of fabric, twice as long as your square - so if you have a 12" square, cut a 24" long length of fabric for the tie.

(the photos aren't as good as I'd hoped, due to using my phone and not my camera)


Use a bias maker to turn the 1" wide fabric into bias. You don't need to cut your fabric diagonally because we're not going to use it as bias, but as a the wrapping tie. 


Once made, fold the bias in half and sew the halves together. Tie a tight knot at each end of the tie. 


Fuse the thin wadding to the wrong side of one of your squares (best to choose the fabric which will feature as the outside of your pouch)...


With right sides facing, pin the fabrics together. Sew around the four sides of the square with a 1/4" seam, leaving a 3" opening along one side. 




Turn right side out through the opening. Press the opening down before ladder stitching it closed. 




I took the next lot of photos before I quilted the square, as it was easier to get as many 'step' photos as I could at the time. 

Press in three corners of the square, envelope style.




NOTE: another lovely thing about these pouches is that they are reversible, so choose your lining fabric carefully too.


Now, before we stitch the folds together, it's time to quilt the square. I just do small stitches in straight lines, fairly close together - this effect makes me very happy. No idea why, but it does!





Now sew the tie to the top (open) flap...but sew it 1/3 of the way along the length. You need one end of the tie to be twice as long as the other (for wrapping around at the end).
Then sew the two folded sides together with a ladder stitch to complete your pouch. :-)







I hope you make one (or more)...they have come in very handy in my house. Two are cases for my reading glasses (one at home and one in my handbag); one holds my crochet hooks; and this smaller one which I made for the tutorial holds nail clippers, small scissors, a nail file and a hanky, for my handbag.

As well as little pouches, this past week I've also been working on more Dresden blocks for Blossom's 30th birthday quilt (due in May)...



...completing the repair and extension of Rafaella's damaged crochet blanket...



...a return to working on my own crochet blanket (first one I have made for myself)...



...baking a new sourdough banana bread recipe, which is now the family's favourite...



...and back to baking sour dough bread again, thanks to Elly who did a video on baking with sour dough in the hot and humid areas of the country.



Tomorrow I'm choosing to have a nice slow day at home, pottering around in the sewing room, listening to an audio book, and enjoying fresh herbal teas with greens from the garden. I've had a very busy few days deep cleaning the kitchen appliances, sorting the linen cupboard, organising my home apothecary supplies, weeding, and planting herbs...as well as the usual homemaking rhythms that bring me joy.

I'll have the pie photos and steps on Thursday for you, and hopefully the recipe book (part 1) on Friday or Saturday. 

God bless you dear ones, and may the remainder of your week be blessed in every way. 

hugs

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Friday, March 15, 2024

Pruning to flourish...

 


What a wet season this has been. For the past few months we have had seemingly endless rain, and with that comes soil which never dries out, grass and weeds that grow skyward overnight, and our summer heat combined with constantly high humidity just drains the body's energy so that even simple outdoor tasks are exhausting...but they must be done. 

The upside of all this rain is how wonderful it's been for many of our trees, shrubs, and established plants - though admittedly a few have rotted in the sodden soil. We live on a water table, on the outskirts of town close to the city's dam, with a river just 250 metres from our door, so even in dry months if you dig down twelve inches you will inevitably hit water - and this is why (at the moment) our soil is so saturated from all the rain that it can't dry out. Hanging the washing on the line involves sinking into mud, even on the few sunny days we've enjoyed this week. 

It's been ages since I shared photos around the garden, so this morning I thought it might be nice to give you an update. Last month I wrote about our pulling back a bit and choosing not to grow vegetables this winter (for those who many not have read previously, in the tropics we grow 'normal' summer crops in winter because it's too hot and humid in summer) as we are completely exhausted from years of working non-stop through every season on our quarter acre - with not much reward, but having spent thousands of dollars on soil that just didn't make a difference to the heavy clay we cannot be rid of living on a water table. We have tried 'everything' on our soil, to the point of buying tons of good soil...but it just washes away or sinks down into the clay during wet season to make more clay. Having two very high raised beds is a help with growing herbs and greens, but it has not helped with vegetables at all. 

Our dreams outweighed our abilities and resources when we bought this house in late 2018 - both in the garden, and in life too as it turns out. This year we needed to simplify. 

On with the garden and a lesson I'm learning...


Our four year old Poinciana tree now covers more that half the area of our main yard...


...throwing so much shade that some of our plants struggled to see sun on the rare sunshin-y days, and remained soggy bottomed most of summer. 

It covers part of the clothesline now, and until I pruned some of it earlier this week, it covered the large raised bed at the back of the house and touched the roof. It has even grown so far over our neighbours yard that their dogs lay by the fence under its shade to shelter from the sun. 





The roses, which normally love the speckled sun/shade in summer here, have struggled with all the wet this season and became host to way more diseases and bugs than I'd ever seen on them before. Just as with the tree, I pruned them all right back this week, apart from two, which had a couple of nice long stems that just needed care, so I left those stems and just pruned the rest of the plant. 
The Elder tree had gotten so out of control that it and the Poinciana were almost entwined high in the sky, so that too was pruned rather heavily. The rain had given us a lot of elderberries from the tree this summer, and loads extra for the birds, and for that we were grateful - but it still needs to be kept at manageable size.


Using the long pruning shears yesterday, it occurred to me that it's not just things in the garden that need pruning. We prune roses, fruit trees and other greenery in the garden by removing stems, old branches, spent blooms and overgrowth in order to revitalise the plants, encouraging them to flourish in a new season - and just like plants in our garden, our lives are a series of new seasons, one after the other through the passing of years, and in order to flourish and refresh our souls, perhaps we may need a little pruning too. 



Part of our pruning was deciding not to add anything new to the garden this year, and possibly next, but to look after what was already here. We made the decision not to grow any vegetables either. The effort, expense, and consistent failure of doing this year after year had become such a burden - physically and mentally - that we had to admit it was too much, and we needed to let it go. It was a dream we had for so very long, but hanging on to that dream was not God's plan, just ours, and once we surrendered this dream, we felt the burden lifting. 


The surprising thing though, is the fact that we still grow a lot, and that's the fruit of our labour - the established fruit trees, many which won't fruit for a couple more years; twenty different herbs, and every one of them can be used medicinally as well as for food/flavouring; berries (blueberry, blackberry, elderberry, mulberry); fruit (banana, Burdekin plum, pineapple, fig, pomegranate, dragonfruit, barbados cherry, lime, lemon, fingerlime); as well as Spring onions, sweet potato, radishes, rocket and lettuce. 


Our good raised bed is in the best spot for both summer and winter (as long as the Poinciana is pruned). We emptied two low raised beds from the front yard into it a month ago because the soil was rich with organic matter and worms,  (we won't have any raised beds, or the big brown climbing fence in the front yard anymore, just fruit trees, shade trees and a macadamia tree) and I've planted out flowers, rocket, herbs and spring onions already. Later today I'll fill in the spaces with lettuce, and plant dill under one of the trees. 






This makes our garden far more manageable. I have even emptied pots that were scattered here and there, to eliminate the time it takes me to water everything in the long dry season which will begin in April sometime. In fact pots dry out faster than garden beds, so some days (when its not raining) I need to water all the pots twice, and standing for hours in that scorching sun is no fun at my age - especially when I have a home inside to care for and a family to help. By choosing what we want to grow - things that are not badly affected by tropical and garden bugs - and ditching excess work, plants and dreams we held on to for so long, we are freeing our bodies and minds to once again have enjoyment in our garden. And really, that's SO important for everything we do around our homes. 

If you're not enjoying your home, ask yourself why. Write down everything you do - whether it be in the garden, or in the house - and pray. What do you need to let go of, what needs pruning, what things take up precious time that could be better spent on other tasks or relationships. 




Be honest with yourself - are you getting grumpy from the overload of life? Have you committed to too many things? Have you been trying to keep up with someone else's life choices? Do you have a dream that needs to be relinquished? 


Until we clear away the things which have crowded out our mental and physical space, we can't imagine what a simpler life is able to offer. 

The past couple of months our family have had quite a few health issues to manage, and the more I pursued simplicity and let go of excess in my own life, the more time I had to step forward and help them. 




I am back to loving the garden, and learning what's wise to grow and what is wiser to buy. I am spending time watching the birds again, and each day praying before removing one more thing from my garden, my home, or my life. 
It's important to bring every decision back to the Word. Our example is dear Jesus, who had no place to lay His head, yet promised us we should never worry about what we are to eat or what we are to wear...for the Lord provides when there is a need. 
I no longer want to fill my home or garden with all the lovely things, because no matter how lovely they are, they require more time to maintain than I can ever give. So I'm continuing to prune away...bit by bit, each drawer, each cupboard, each potted plant, each garden bed, each book, each coffee mug, my email inbox, saved photos, ingredients...not getting rid of everything, but the things that hold no real value, need, purpose, or demand too much from me in general. 

How will you pursue simplicity in your life, dear one? Perhaps you already have and are way ahead of me? How lovely if you have. Any tips to share with all of us reading here?



NEXT WEEK...

I decided to catch up with things I have promised this year, so next week there will be three separate blog posts to share * the tutorial from here, * the steps for making my bacon/egg/cheese pies, * and the recipe book at last!

God bless you and keep you safe, give you wisdom to make the right choices for your unique life, shine a light on the way forward if you are stuck, provide for your needs according to His riches in glory, bring godly friendships your way if you are lonely, and enlarge your understanding of His Word as you seek truth in the pages of your Bible. May He put on your heart those who need prayer, and may He put you on the heart of others when your own life has need, and I pray His loving presence will be felt always as you go about your day and lay down to rest at night. 

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts....

Hugs

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