Chocolate Zucchini Cake and Other Tales

Hallo Every-one and a warm welcome to new readers who, like me, are greatly saddened by the closing of the Down to Earth Forum this morning. We do have a facebook group which is not every-one's cup of tea but it's an opportunity to keep in touch with forum members.
We wish Rhonda and Hanno a long and happy retirement and are so grateful for Rhonda establishing and then maintaining our little home from home for so many years.

As our dear Rose would have said let's just get on with it!

Using seasonal produce is a great way to save money and eat better so in Autumn here that means lots of zucchini, eggplant and capsicum dishes as well as this lovely moist Choc and Zucchini Cake...

Recipe

2 cups(250gm) of self-raising flour(or use plain flour and add 1/2 t bicarb and a teaspoon of baking powder)

350 gms of sugar

60 gms cocoa powder

1 level teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg powders

Mix thoroughly and add and mix in well

3 beaten eggs and 350mls of vegetable oil

Add

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or sultanas

340 gms grated zucchini, lightly pressed to drain a little of the water, not too much as you need it's moisture

Pour batter into a greased or lined baking tin, 20cm x 30 cm

Bake at 180C for about 1 and 1/4 hours until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

I made a very basic icing with icing sugar, a heaped tablespoon of cream cheese and enough lemon juice to help it mix.

This cake freezes beautifully.

We've been eating ratatouille and lots of capsicum salads ~ yummy and thrifty.

I finished another string bag this week in red cotton...once again using that Diosma bush to model for me ;)...I prefer this handle as it doesn't roll under itself...

Around town Easter is on it's way ...well it has been in shops since February... I do like these bunnies though...

Well spotted Angela who commented on that huge spider in the last post...it has now built a second web high up in a neighbour's tree several metres away from our tree, it's threads are the strongest I have ever seen/felt.

See you next time,

Love from Sue

xxx

Frugal Measures Indeed

Hallo Folks...this is my 400th post and it's back to the very basics after a tough federal budget was announced this week.
I'm taking time to reflect on all I've learned at the forum and through my life and jot a few things down that may help you as well as me.

A good place to start is in the kitchen.
 Cooking from scratch is usually cheaper and has the added benefit of you knowing just what you are eating to a large extent.
Reduce the amount of meat we eat, it is costly and un-necessary to eat the huge amounts of meat we do in the Western world.
Less meat...what then?
More beans, lentils and legumes in general. Cooked from scratch they are a very thrifty alternative to meat.
Here is a great chart for pressure cooker users.
Eggs are great main meal staple too.
Eat more soup! We love our soup and it's a great way to use up little bits of left-overs and what-ever is in season and becoming 'boring'. It takes 5 minutes of prep and 5 minutes of pressure cooking to have a hearty vegetable soup ready. For variety use different vegs each time, vary the size of the pieces and puree it occasionally. Rose's soup with a cup of chick peas added...

Nothing is wasted in our house, small amounts of left-overs are added to the next days' meals or frozen until needed.
Next step is to shop as seasonally as possible...that means buying what is being grown in your area as it will be fresher and hopefully cheaper. Here is a link to what's in season in Australia, I'm sure your country will have a similar site...
http://seasonalfoodguide.com/

Perhaps you can keep some chickens or ducks?
Even the smallest gardens can produce some vegetables or fruit. I planted Rainbow Chard, chillies and sage in the front garden here as well as my lemon tree. A neighbour has 7 paw-paw trees heavy with fruit that she has grown from seed...we both grow a wide variety of herbs to add taste and nourishment to our meals.

Let it be known that you would love to receive any-one's glut of zucchinis, tomatoes or what-ever they have and use them up! Juice citrus fruits and freeze the juice in Winter when they are at their peak and fully ripe.
Join 'Ripe Near Me' and share the bounty!

Around the house you can save money by making your own green cleaning products, gifts and toiletries, clothing, soft furnishings...there are so many links out there that I won't bother sharing any; come and join the forum if you are stuck for ideas. Leave the car at home when you can or do as many errands as you can when you go out. Use the op-shops and libraries, have friends over for coffee or a meal instead of going out to restaurants. Can you put on a jumper and socks instead of turning on the heater? Check with Centrelink to see if you are entitled to any extra payments or a health care card. Before you re-new any insurance policies etc phone around and get quotes...you can save $100s at times.

Do remember to have some treats now and then though!

I know we don't have children at home now and that many families will be worse off if the budget gets through the Senate but let's start by making changes at home, let's be pro-active as Becci says.

Let's keep our chins up, our grand-parents and parents went through far harder times, we are still very fortunate to have so much here in Australia.
Love from Sue
xx

there is light at the end of the tunnel...

Mypost Concession Card/Australia Post

Mum told me about this deal at the weekend....


This only applies to Australian Federal Govt concession card holders and may save a few dollars, perhaps you have family who hold this card even if you don't.

http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/m...n-account.html

Australia Post has again increased the cost of mailing a local letter, from 60c to 70c despite big increases last Sept and a $302 million dollar profit last financial year(don't get me started!) BUT if you are a pensioner etc you can apply for a concession account which allows you to buy local only stamps at 60cents when you buy 5 at a time. Along with your mypost concession card comes a booklet of 5 free stamps as well as reduced cost Mail Hold and Mail Redirect.

Unfortunately it doesn't apply to parcels or overseas mail.

Jessica had a party at the local swimming pool on Saturday...

Funny kids!!!

Rhonda at the Down to Earth Blog has been nominated for an award...you can vote via this link

We had a wonderful lunch and fun day out at the casino yesterday, for April the cost to go on the casino bus is an incredible $5: transport, $4 to play with, full/all you can eat buffet carvery lunch (soup/salad/seafood/carvery/desserts/soft drinks/tea/coffee) ... sounds too good to be true...just don't get hooked on the gambling!

Big hallo to Scooz from the forums who wrote me such a lovely note to say she's enjoying reading this blog and I wish you all a wonderful week,

Love from Sue
xx

Old Fashioned Rock Cakes

One of Dad's oldest and corniest jokes is "Rock cakes for tea. Take your pick!" when he knew Mum had made these traditional treats. They are much like a scone but quicker to make because there's no rolling and cutting involved. The slice in the background was made by our Gordon at High School over 20years ago is still cherished by this mum...

You'll need

2 cups of wholemeal self raising flour
125 gms butter
2/3 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of dried fruit(anything goes)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 egg, beaten with about 2 T milk

Preheat oven to 200C
Rub the butter into the flour( you could use a food processor to do this)
Mix in the sugar, spice, fruit and then the egg mixture, add a little more milk if it's too dry but it should be a 'stiff' mixture.
Place tablespoons of the mixture onto a greased tray and bake for around 15minutes (I patted mine down and smoothed them a little this time)
They freeze well or are best eaten fresh

I've been to Bunnings and the library this morning. Jamie Oliver's new book was there so I grabbed that..."Save with Jamie" and has lots of thrifty tips for kitchen and meals.
 I also saw this amazing $2,000 BBQ in Bunnings and had a little day-dream...it even has a sink!

The Christmas Decoration Swap is in full swing at the Down to Earth forums, our friend Chel has this gorgeous Calico Angel tute on her blog that you may enjoy making.

Hope your week has started off nicely,
Take good care of yourself and your loved ones,
Sue
xx

Tutorial Competition at Down To Earth Forums

Over at the forum we are running another Tutorial Competition all through July. Last year we had some wonderful ideas...clear instructions and photographs, they add to the richness of the forum as they are always there for new and older members alike to learn from. We had tutes on making a simple moisturising cream, an tablecloth recycled into a poncho, raggedy quilts, aprons, toys, yogurt and sourdough and much more.

This year's prize is a hamper from Ecostore to the value of $150 or a book if you are living in the UK or Europe where we can't ship the hamper...this is the one I was awarded recently...all gentle earth and family friendly products with no nasty chemicals...there's a huge jute shopping tote there too,

You can join the forum(it's completely free) and have a go, in fact I hope you do.
Follow the link on the right-hand side of this page and you will be made very welcome. We talk about frugal cooking, budgeting, gardening and growing our own food, simple living, our homes, family and pets, home remedies etc all in a supportive and warm manner...it's wonderful to meet so many like-minded people.

Bye bye for now,
Sue
x

Forum is Up and Running Again

Rhonda and Rose have been battling for weeks to repair some serious glitches with how the Down to Earth forums perform and have overcome the main ones.
If you would like to come and join this thriving simple living community then please follow the links from Rhonda's wonderful blog here.

Very windy here yesterday so poor old Twitch had to spend most of day inside...he doesn't look bothered does he? His big white belly is adorable!

Heather/Joybelle has posted a lovely recipe for a moist fruit loaf/cake at the forums which I am going to try very soon, it uses some mashed potato and I wonder if pumpkin could also be used, it does look very much like a scone recipe...

Potato Loaf Cake - tried and true

1/2 cup mashed potato
1/2 cup dried fruit
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cups SR flour

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in oven 180C for 3/4 hour.

I've run out of dried fruit so it will have to wait until Monday for shopping day!

So do come on over to the forum, it's totally free, we have a wealth of information on gardening, cooking, family life and gentle living and no rudeness is tolerated. I've made many wonderful friends there and can't recommend it highly enough.

Have a great weekend
Love from Sue
xxx

ETA Cake was made with some lovely mixed dried berries and it even makes great toast. I think the top stayed white because I left a baking tray on the lower shelf of the oven.

Post Card Swap

We're having a post-card swap at the forum this month and have many members joining in already. It's become very popular with mums of under 12s putting their childrens' names down too so the children will be part of an international swap with other lovely Down to Earth families. The postcard is to be one from your region, perhaps the town, beauty spots, flora or fauna so will be a little educational too and who knows what friendships could begin here? You can click on the link on the right-hand side of this page to become a member, it's free and there are no rude a or annoying posters there.

This lovely little chap was found on a local beach and taken to the Naregabup Environmental Centre until he was well enough to be released in the North-West of the state.

It's still hot hot hot but is supposed to be cooler next week, around 30C!

Bye bye for now,
Sue
xx

Christmas Decoration Swap

This year we held our 4th Down To Earth Christmas Decoration swap. Interested members put their names down and the original idea was to create a decoration for tree or ornament for under $5 and post it off to your partner. The emphasis is still on hand-made and frugal and the quality of the decorations is just wonderful. Members can use any medium they're comfortable with such as paper/card/fabric/yarn/beads and glued, knit, crocheted and sewn gifts are the result.

Marnie (Noonee Wilga) was my swap partner this year, she likes to recycle fabrics and papers and came up with these delightful ornaments...I couldn't stop smiling when my package arrived. Marnie also shared the link to the knitted stocking and to some very cute knitted mini jumpers for the tree.

I got busy with my felt scraps and embroidery threads and came up with these to send to her...I forgot to take a photo so have used the one Marnie posted at the forum...I popped washcloth and some soap in too as an extra treat ;)

The owl is from a free pattern available at Juicy Bits Blog  and I drew the other three on paper and made my own pattern after seeing similar items on line. Wee Folk Art are very inspiring.

Tomorrow it will be five week until Christmas, are you making hand-made gifts, cards, tableware?
We're going to really get busy sharing our Christmas ideas at the forum starting today. The mods have come up with some brilliant ideas to share so if you still haven't joined and are looking for inspiration for a calmer, greener and thriftier Christmas you can click on the DTE badge on the right of this page. It's free and the members are truly lovely.

Getting exciting!
Have a wonderful week

Noonee Wilga is Marnie's business name, she is a very busy and talented lady

It's Starting to Smell a Lot Like Christmas

Yesterday I started making our Christmas Cake...I had intended to follow Rose's bake-along at the forum but Life got in the way as it does at times ;)

The one I'm making is from the Women's Weekly "best recipes from The Weekly" which contains their most requested and best recipes. It's the Melt and Mix Fruit Cake on P72 and is delicious.

I've altered it slightly so here's my version

1 1/2 kilos mixed dried fruit 1/2 cup Cointreau* soaked together overnight.

This morning I added

1T Golden Syrup
1 grated apple
1 firmly packed cup of brown sugar
2 organic duck eggs and 2 organic chicken eggs

I melted 250 gms unsalted butter and added that once it had cooled a little

1/2 cups of wholemeal self-raising flour
2 cups of wholemeal plain flour
1t mixed spice and
1/2 cup of milk were mixed in very thoroughly and I pressed a few pecans nuts into the top once the batter was in the tin and smoothed flat.

Mum brought the Cointreau back from the UK in 2008...Uncle Kenneth had bought years ago as you can see from the old label on the bottle...it has a beautiful orange flavour. My camera batteries died at this stage but hopefully I can add a pic of the cooked cake later today.

I lined my large square tin with 3 layers of baking paper to prevent the cake from burning and it will cook for about 3 1/2 hours, near the bottom of a slow oven ie 150C Then I will brush it with another 2T of  Cointreau let it cool completely and then wrap it firmly in cling film and aluminium foil to keep in the fridge until Christmas.

The cake is taking forever to cool down but here it still in the tin...it weighs well over 2kgs which is maximum my scales go up to and would have cost about $15 to make as I already had the Cointreau and the eggs were free...

I also have a 2Kg turkey breast in the freezer and will buy a ham nearer the time as I have less fridge space than usual.

Priscilla has still not been called to the specialist's rooms...I find this quite outrageous...everything we ever hear about cancer is get it seen to quickly. She will phone her GP again tomorrow.

Bye bye for now,
Love from Sue

*you could use sherry, brandy, rum or whisky 

Christmas Swap

Over at the Down To Earth Forum we have a Christmas Decoration Swap each year. The idea is to sign up, make a decoration for a Christmas tree, be allocated a swapping partner, either in your own country or overseas, and then post your decoration/s off to them in plenty of time for Christmas. Once you receive your parcel it's fun to take a photo of the contents and post them in the swap forum for other members to see the marvellous crafty skills we have amongst us.

In 2009 I sent the following off to Toronto in Canada with 3 little Caramelo Koalas...

Back from near Vancouver came 3 hand stitched tartan ornaments and a very cleverly beaded cover for a glass bauble...I cannot find the photos of them at the moment so please forgive me.

Last year I sent off the following to Claire in Brisbane...

and a week later these beautiful origami birds and crocheted bauble cover arrived from Albany in Western Australia....

It's hard to describe the fun and warmth that goes into these swaps...it brings members closer together and is a really lovely benefit of being part of the forum community. I'll start the swap next week to give every-one plenty of time to put their name down...you can choose whether or not you can post internationally or locally too.

I need to put my thinking cap on too and decide what I'd like to make this year....

If you haven't joined the forum you can go here and register, it's free, very friendly and supportive and lots of fun too... http://www.downtoearthforums.com/

Wishing you a pleasant and restful weekend, we may be in for a thunderstorm here today and then the Rugby World Cup final is on TV tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to make some vegie burgers for the freezer and perhaps a cake for Joe and Dad.

Toodle-ooo,

Sue

xx

Rhonda Has Joined The Australian Women's Weekly

How's that for a cause for celebration? Rhonda starts next month as a columnist for this long established and much loved magazine. The column will be called "The Simple Life" and will appear next to Jackie French's column.

Perhaps even more exciting is the fact they sent a team to Rhonda and Hanno's home last month to write a story about their way of life and it's growing impact on so many. They took many photos, drank Rhonda's tea and listened while Rhonda explained how much happier she is these days living a simpler, more frugal life and making much of what she needs at home. Rhonda's recipe for her Laundry Liquid is there as well as the costing of it and her 5 Top Tips for saving money around the home. Next March Penguin Books will release Rhonda's much-awaited book, "Down To Earth".

The team also spoke to nellymary and seedling (Narelle and Christine) and got their points of view as well as their recipes for Citrus Cleaner and Comfrey Ointment.

Here is more about the magazine itself, it's Australia's largest magazine and has been running since 1933. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Women's_Weekly

The October edition of the magazine came out today and the article is spread over 4 pages starting on Page 40 and is entitled "Why We Crave The Simple Life". The photo on P41 is beautiful, Rhonda, and on behalf of all of us here I'd like to say how very thrilled we are that you have had your work and influence recognized and we wish you every success with your new column.

Edited to add that the costing of the laundry liquid is incorrect(see Rhonda's blog today) and they didn't use a photo of Rhonda and Hanno together as per her request...every good woman has a good man beside her.

Simple Living Thoughts from the Forum

Last week Rose asked us to do this little questionnaire about what we'd achieved over the past week and here are my responses...

Over the last week:

I made a great meal of:slow cooked lamb....a cheap boney thing that I hadn't had before.....$2.05 and it was quite meaty and very tender, very good with a few sultanas added, fresh thyme and lots of potatoes.

I baked:bread and a date loaf(from my folder and I added some chopped fresh dates)

I preserved:pickled onions

I stockpiled:tins of tuna that were very cheap($1 each for 95gm tins)

I handmade/started to hand make:baby clothes:a cotton dress(Itty Bitty Dress) and simple knitted jumpers(Milo) etc

I repurposed:a soft drink bottle to make a fruit fly trap

I saved money by:staying in

I sowed seeds/planted seedlings/cuttings of:mizuna seeds but I also have tomatoes etc self-seeding and doing very well.

I harvested:rocket, thyme, chives, limes and lemons

I tried something new:Puy lentils tiny ones that are popular in France....I cooked them in tinned tomatoes and garlic and they're lovely. I bought them at Pantryman in Rockingham City, around $9 a kilo.

I read and was inspired by:Slow Cooker Recipes for Vegetarians, the many posts of our members here
at the forum.

I finally tackled:My knitting patterns and wool stash ~ this involved Joe lugging my 57litre box out to the loungeroom....it's a bit embarrassing really as there's two more boxes almost as big and I still want to go to Spotlight for more!

 I really enjoyed:Spring-like days in the garden and knitting while watching Wimbledon(recorded) on TV

Finished knitting is my first Milo vest for Phoenix,