Renovation Time

It's been a few weeks since I last posted, I have got one very good reason... we now have the largest renovation job to do, along with over an acre of land to tend. Just when I thought having two kids under three, a stressful job, not shopping at the supermarket and a husband who works away was busy enough, we have taken on this. It's very exciting, and tiring. I may never sleep-in ever.

So please let me show you some highlights!

 

Here I am looking at the house, from this angle the roof looks pretty smart.  This is our new front garden, complete with apple, apricot, plum and peach tree. Yum :) So that is the good side, the rest is a work in progress. I will share some photos of the inside.

 Talk about value- two layers of carpet. Nothing says quality like carpet being layed on other carpet. 

I am not sure, but if the world's ugliest curtain competition comes to town, we might have a winner. Not only does the pattern hurt the eye, but they don't fit the window and transparent.  

A secret door, you may think you are looking at a sauna, or possibly a Swedish restaurant, but no that's our new dinning room. Also no that's not a light switch on the wall, that's the socket- very useful and visually appealing. 

Some very coral coloured wardrobes, mmmm fishy pink. This is how I imagine this happened- you are at the paint shop and think what colour would I like my wardrobe to be? Wait that pinky salmon is 90 percent off, that will do. Any other reasons don't seem to be plausible.

So there it is, a small sample of jobs that I should be getting on with.

Beetroot be Gone

These days our pantry is looking a lot less like we are preparing for a Cold War style invasion and more like we are ready to move. Although our exchange date has moved back a week, we are getting there and eventually will be leaving the beach for the river. We will also be not moving various odds and ends of cans.

Last weekend I was very pleased to get rid of one (there are still two more) cans of beetroot. I was given some great ideas, but was trying to please the under two contigent and surprisingly I have managed to find a way to get them to eat beetroot and enjoy it.

In a very old copy of Real Living magazine, (it may not have even been dated from the previous millennium) I found a reciepe for Healty Ice Treats and I ran with it.

2 large frozen banana

1 punnet of frozen strawberries

1 tin of beetroots (no juice)
1 tin of coconut milk

Blend and freeze!

They were pretty good and the kids loved them.

This week I am trying to use up some canned corn. Any ideas please- other wise it may be a side dish no one wants.

The Least Gourmet Can of the Week

What an exciting and busy week at ours. We are three weeks away from settlement of our new house, there is now even a sold sign up. So no going back now!

Can of the week and ridding my cupboard of all canned goods is getting more important. This week not only did we use up canned pineapple, but also some jelly. It is obviously not at all gourmet, but was a great dessert for young and old alike. If I was on  Come Dine with Me they would cut to a shot of the contestant getting Maccas ice-cream on the way home. But, with a crowd that consists of 50 percent under two it was a crowd winner.

I must mention that Cottee's Cold Water Jelly is great - easy to make with kids and vegetarian friendly.  So it's win-win.  I enjoyed it and enjoyed no one moaning about dinner.

So onto next week - two tins of Baby Beetroot, what to do?  Can not think of anything to red.

Can of Carrots

Its not technically Can of the Week - for the astute reader it has taken two weeks to use up the cans of Baby Carrots. I do have my reasons and it is all not entirely laziness and lack of wanting to eat carrots from a tin.

Last weekend we were without water. The better half turned on a tap on Saturday morning (just before visitors were due to arrive) to be greeted with a screech and some brown mud. Ewww. So we did like all mature adults and headed to my mums. It is very hard to get by without water. We were greeted by the water truck on Monday, only to discover that the tank really wasn't in the best shape and sprung several leaks - literally pouring money down the drain (ok, not literally). This tale of woe ends here, we have water and are all bathed.

After some deliberation I used the can in making Carrot and Coriander Soup. In the words of Kath Day-Knight, I cracked onto the Internet and found a Jamie Oliver recipe.
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/member-recipes/Classic%20Carrot%20and%20Coriander%20Soup/3138


It was easy, but was not perhaps the best tasting soup I have ever had. Still unsure if the blame is with my mediocre cooking skills or with Jamie Oliver, the jury is still out. We had a guest; she ate it all (I imagine out of politeness). One child licked her bowl clear, the other refused.+ I had some and the other half tried to make one child try it- while he attempted to eat bread, avoiding soup. I was caught up with hosting, so in my imagination this is how I presented the soup.

So onto the next can- crushed Black and Gold Pineapple. Answers on a postcard please. 

Can of the Week - Two Ways

What an exciting weekend! Ok it was just a very normal average one, but very excitingly I not only managed to use one can from the stockpile, but two. Life has never been more perfect.

For anyone who missed last week or was in a coma, we are moving and I am determined to use up all food stocks before we move. This is our seventh or so move in the last ten years and it's going to be our last. I am determined just to move what we need, last time we moved a can of creamed corn from the back of one cupboard, to the back of another. 

Fortunately, I had several suggestions of what I could do with my tin of pears. The poached pears in red wine sauce, did sound lovely, but I feared probably not a winner with the under-two contingent. I almost went for pears with rice and cream, but had already had rice pudding twice this week. Mmmmmm. My decision was made a little easier when I discovered I was blessed with two tins of pears. What a life :)

So on Saturday I presented the masses with Upside Down Caramel Pear Cake

http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/cook/recipe/upside-down-caramel-pear-cake-20121123-29uc1.html. Thank you to a lovely reader caller Janet-Micheal for the suggestion. 

 

I would love to show a photo of a stunning cake, but as you can tell from the photo, the caramel in the centre stuck.

 

If it was Masterchef, presentation would be nill!! But on a Peppa Pig plate I should at least get a smile and a wink from George. We all enjoyed it, definitely putting it on the rotation. 

Today was 'can two' of pears. I also found can a pineapple and killed two birds with one stone

and added an exciting twist of tropical pineapple to Pear Crumble. Thanks to the lovely Lauren, Verity and Louise for their suggestion. 

I had a ANOTHER mini culinary disaster when sprinkling icing sugar. It was definitely more of a localised blizzard, (as you can see from the photo) than a light sprinkling. It was also pretty tasty.

I have a feeling next week's Can of Week will not be as well received, tinned carrots :) Any ideas welcome, 'cause all I can think of doing with them is donating them to charity.

Can of the Week!

What the hell is this? I hear you ask. Well, we are moving in a few weeks and am trying not to take junk, when we go.

Though we have only lived here for a year, we have accumulated a rather big collection of weird canned goods. None of which are coming with us. So my aim is try and use them all up in a fun game of can of the week.

Today Mark was the guinea pig for Vegetarian Nut Roast.



Whilst we all dined on sausages (gourmet), he had nut roast burgers, grilled with halloumi. Luckily as you can see I burnt the halloumi, to add some texture. It's not Masterchef here.
 

 

The verdict was and I quote "not too bad", in my book that's a winner.

 Now all I need is a recipe for tinned pears, any suggestions welcome. 

Happy New Year

I am the world’s worst blogger, I will blame the nice weather and sea breeze for my lack of writing of late. BUT I have hit 2013 with renewed vigour and the idea that I will do more!!

Had an amazing supermarket free Christmas. To be fair I went to my mum’s, she provided food as far as the eye could see. They are still eating leftover now- there is one thing my family loves to do is over cater. We all like to invite people round and pile many dishes on the table, creating no space for plates or drinks. I have often seen a second table erected on for eating, thus creating a food and eating table. So much great food at Christmas!! My favourites was a vegetarian cheese course. Yum and extra yum.

My meagre contribution were some very tasty mince pies and rum balls from one of my favourite haunts, the Exeter Bakery. There fruit buns also come very highly recommended, you got a lot of fruit and I feel this is important in a fruit bun.

Back on topic we very excitingly went camping over New Year, luckily we went a grand total of 7 minutes from our house to Kelso. It was great and now back at work ready and raring to start the new year. According to Woman and Home (yes I like Woman and Home, both the Woman and the Home part) it’s the year of being settled.  I am going to settle in, buy in more independant shops and eat more veggies.