That Went Quickly

This week has positively flown by, we've roughly kept up with some form of school work even though it has still been the Easter holidays.  I had to laugh when I saw an Instagram video post of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge talking about the importance of mental health during this time (that wasn't the funny bit)  At the end of the interview they were asked, "so how are you all coping?" and that was when they had admitted they hadn't told the kids it was the Easter holidays and that homeschooling was 'interesting' :-)

Building the raised bed

 Ben finishing the raised bed with the advice of Dave in positioning of the drill holes.

From the kitchen

  Easy Banana Muffins

70 grammes unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly

190g flour

50g xylitol/sugar

2 level tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 ripe bananas mashed with a fork

2 eggs

1/2 tspn vanilla extract

130g grated/ finely chopped chocolate

Heat oven 160C and grease muffin tin or use paper liners

Whisk flour, xylitol, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

In another bowl whisk melted butter, mashed banana, egg and vanilla until blended.

Add banana mix to the dry bowl then use fork to combine.  Do not over mix.  Stir in the chocolate and fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake until a toothpick can be inserted and comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.

These muffins were totally yummy and we will definitely be baking them again.

 Butternut, chilli and peanut butter soup served with vegetable and sausage tartlets.

 Sausage and Veggie Tartlets

454g sausagemeat

1 Courgette grated

1 Carrot grated

1 Onion finely chopped

320g weight in puff or flaky pastry

Flour to dust

Preheat the oven to 200C

Place sausagemeat, courgette, carrot and onion into a bowl.  Mix well to combine.

Roll out the pastry and cut into rounds and place in a shallow muffin tea and then add small amounts of the sausage and veg mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.  These are great served hot or cold.

Everyone tucking in to our Saturday night supper :-)

Not Sorted :: 40 Acts :: Plastic Less Lent

Well Pip's weekend away has been cancelled :-(  The National Deaf Children's Society wanted us to speak with the Orthopaedic Clinic and they in turn couldn't countenance the trip.  Poor kid was really upset but Dad managed to console her with the promise of a 'dad and daughter date' on Saturday a bus trip to Lancaster and lunch in town.  There is also the opportunity for a future weekend away in the summer so she went to bed with a smile on her face.

 40 Acts 2019

We attended mass this morning for ashes and everyone left with a very visible cross on their foreheads!  It is day one of 40 acts and our challenge was to find a buddy for the challenges, we have paired up, 'mum and son' and 'dad and daughter.' 

  Excuse the mucky mini mirror :-)

Plastic Less Lent

I made home made tomato sauce from tomatoes that were not wrapped in plastic but loose in a cardboard box, yay!  Ideally I would normally use tinned tomatoes but they contain citric acid a product not allowed on my current diet.

  

In addition to the sauce I made raspberry jam muffins and two banana cakes, some for now and some for the freezer.  I also concocted another batch of yummy peanut butter and raisin granola.

We are slowly working through existing foods even if they are wrapped in plastic.   Once they are gone the challenge is to find a suitable alternative and if one cannot be found then they will be dropped from our food list for the duration of Lent.  We do however have two exceptions: we will still continue to buy rice cakes as these are a staple for me especially since I cannot for the time  being eat gluten free bread or oatcakes;  I will also continue to drink organic soya milk that comes in tetra paks with a plastic cap.

Even at this early stage of the challenge it is eye opening to realise that you can do your best to knowingly avoid bringing plastic into the home, but you have very little control over what comes through the post.  I did however read an interesting post that challenges the consumer to go back to the source and to write to companies and engage them in a conversation about the need to reduce unwanted plastic.  As a result of the increased media awareness around plastic waste, the RSPB changed their packing for the magazine from unrecyclable to plastic, to a cover that is fully compostable and made of corn starch.  We do have the technology available so it is up to us as consumers to speak out :-) 

Easy Elderberry Jam

We have a freezer draw full of these delectable jewels and given the fact that, our redcurrants are ready to harvest, a jam making session was long overdue!  

Elderberry Jam

Ingredients

Elderberries washed but not de-stalked

Sugar

Jam Thermometer

Large Crock pot

Clean Jars

1.  Place the washed jars onto a baking tray and bake at 100C.  Once the oven is up to temperature bake for half an hour to sterilize.

2.  Place the jam lids in a pan of boiling water and boil on a stove top until needed.

3.  Place the washed berries in a crock pot, add a little water to prevent sticking to the base and cook on a medium heat until the berries have softened and burst.

4.  Once the mixture has cooled, place a fine mesh sieve over a mixing bowl and slowly tip the berry mixture into the sieve.  Using the back of a metal spoon press the mixture to release as much juice as possible.

5.  Once the mixture has been strained, place the crock pot onto some weighing scales so that the liquid can be measured as it is tipped in.  The amount of sugar needed is 75% of the liquid weight.

6.  Place the liquid onto the hob and heat slowly.  Whilst the liquid is heating, warm the correct amount of sugar on a low setting in the microwave.  This will make it easier to dissolve.

7.  Once the sugar has warmed, add to the elderberry liquid and turn up the heat to a rolling boil.  Use the thermometer to check the temperature and once 102C has been reached, stir continuously for a period of 8-10 minutes.

8.  Don't worry about skimming off the scum, should any form add a tiny piece of butter at the end of the cooking time and the scum will disperse.

9.  Let the liquid cool for 15 minutes and then tip into the sterilised jars.

Naturally home made jam calls for a home made treat and so when my friend Debbie called on Sunday, we enjoyed a different Sunday Gathering snack and an afternoon tea was the order of the day!  This gal is my stalwart friend and  it was nice to present her with a well deserved gift at the end of her second year at University.

 Even Peter Rabbit joined in the fun!