Triple family sized casserole and my new Tefal Fresh Express

Today I was meant to catch up with some girlfriends for a big bake-off and to test run a Tefal Fresh Express that I have been given to trial.  But you know what they say about the best laid plans... and busy mums and sick kids.  So we had to ditch the catch up but I already had the makings of a super triple family sized sausage casserole, and the Tefal Fresh Express to trial.   So I just spent some time in the kitchen getting it all cooked up ready to share around with some friends.

The Tefal Fresh Express is pretty nifty.  The best way to describe it is an electric desktop grater.  Not quite a food processor (you can't mix things around) but it handles most of the slicing and dicing.  Super easy to use (I haven't read the instructions...  ssshhh don't tell anyone) and really easy to clean. 

I'm pretty excited that it has a splash of red on it, as I am hoping to accessorise my new kitchen (that was put in this week) with red.  You need two hands to use it; you hold the button with one and push the food in with the other.  Its nice and compact and light, so much so that tonight I will pack it back in its box and lend it to a colleague at work to test out.  Thanks to The Soup for the opportunity to try out this cool new kitchen gadget.

Taking stock

Having large containers of stock in the pantry is essential.  But most of the recipes I cook, I always end up with some left over.  If I am clever with my planning I pre-empt this and cook two different dishes requiring stock close together to make the best use of it.  I hate having to throw leftovers out!  Of course most people know you can freeze stock and many people suggest ice cube trays.  I prefer freezing in 1/2 or 1 cup quantities personally because that is how much I am likely to need at a later date.

Be careful, I only recently read up on freezing and re-heating home made meat-based stock, and it is more complicated than the store bought variety.  There are a variety of use by options and methods on line.  I read through loads and the most important thing I think I learnt was to remember to not freeze the meal you end up making with it.  Now I am no expert of food safety, so if you are not sure about this make sure you read up on it too!

The war against dishpan hands

I have horrible hands that look about 20 years older than the rest of me.  Largely a result or dermatitis/eczema and too much use of cortisone creams.  Over the last few months it has been completely out of control.  Cooking isn't exactly great for them, given the number of times you wash your hands, or wash fruit and veg, wash up dirty dishes etc.  So after consulting a number of people, this week I waged war.

First: I purchased a pair of premium, latex free, super-sensitive washing up gloves.  I never usually use washing up gloves because they tend to irritate my skin more than the water.  This time I splurged.

Then: a neighbour put me on to this fabulous hand cream from the Body Shop.  I have tried most "miracle" creams under the sun, and usually as soon as I put them on I am in all worlds of pain from the stinging, and they don't do much to improve my hands.  This one is different.  It doesn't smell lovely but within a day of using it I noticed considerable improvements.

Lastly, a week of antihistamines.  The Asthma Foundation's Twitter feed kept informing me of the extreme pollen counts over the last few weeks, and my constant sneezing tipped me off that its that time of year again.  I love spring, if only it didn't make me so terribly uncomfortable.

So I am at the end of the week of the war against dishpan hands, and I think I may have won!

Blog roll?

Hot shopping tip , I learned this interesting little snippet last night from a lady very knowledgeable about such things and with some industry knowledge.  Apparently you should never pay more than 26c per roll of toilet paper (the nice/premium style type).

Do you have any shopping tips you can share?

Love Food Hate Waste

I was excited to visit the NSW Government Love Food Hate Waste stand on the weekend at the show.  I was amazed to see that there is such a great resource and interesting information for all of us on this website http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au/ . There is even a whole section on menu planning with some printable lists/templates for you to use.

Even more excited to see that I seem to be doing most things right!  I really hope that I can keep up this pace for our family in the years to come and not succumb to ridiculous levels of expenditure and consumerism that we used to achieve.  I do think I can learn more about storage of food, so I'm looking forward to reading through this website.

You, like I was, may be startled to learn the following facts quoted on the site:

"In NSW, we throw away $2.5 billion worth of edible food a year.
Here is what we are throwing away:

• $848 million of fresh food
• $694 million of leftovers
• $371 million of packaged and long-life products
• $231 million of drinks
• $231 million of frozen food
• $180 million of take-aways"

There is just so much interesting, relevant and useful material on this one site, I highly recommend you all take a look.  If you find something you think I should check out, please remember to post me a comment.

A glass of wine

I am not a huge drinker, some weeks go by and I wouldn't have anything to drink.  Other times, often on a Friday night or a weekend away, there is nothing I like more than to take a deep breath and sit down for a few minutes with a glass of wine.  Our budget isn't really allowing for many wine purchases lately, so I headed for some "cleanskin" options instead.  I think this one cost me about $5, and it is going down just fine thanks.  Cheers...

What is your favourite kitchen accessory?

Sounds a bit weird, but mine is my iPad!  It gets the most use sitting in the recipe holder in the kitchen to save me printing out recipes or running back and forth to the computer to check what to do next.

Keeping it all together

A couple of girlfriends have asked me recently how do I keep it all together and under control??  Simple answer: I really don't!! Everything is usually chaotic and rushed and frayed tempers are not uncommon let alone a huge pile of washing to fold and dishes in the sink.  If you have visited my house recently, you can definitely vouch that this is the case.

To try and ease some of this rushed and crazy feeling I make sure I plan quick and easy meals (or leftovers or cook ahead options) for the days when I am at work.  Then on my day off and weekends I do loads of baking and cooking to see us through the next week. 

Our other single most relied on organisational tip is that my husband and I share an online calendar synced to our phones, so if its in the calendar its happening and its your responsibility to know about it.  And EVERYTHING goes into the calendar.  A downside to this is our phones are continuously going "bing bong" reminding us to pay a bill, return a note for an excursion, wear mufti, or be somewhere for a meeting or appointment.

My only survival tip here is that you have to learn to let things go.  If you are working and a mum, its unlikely you are going to stay on top of the housework too.  That's ok, its probably only you who cares.  I know its easier said than done, I'm not good at going to bed with a messy house - but I am getting better at leaving it until I at least have the time to deal with it properly and head to bed at a reasonable hour instead.  My bet is its probably not much different for stay at home parents, lets face it, its often easier to go to work for the day than it is to mind the kids!!

Creaming butter and sugar

Do you hate reading in recipes "cream butter and sugar"?  I keep my butter in the freezer, and often if you decide to make something at the last minute (this happens to me all the time) then the frozen butter just aint going to cream.

Well I have it on good authority that its okay to soften the butter in the microwave first! And by good authority I mean a long standing, award winning old-school baker. So next time you need to cut a corner, I highly recommend this one.

The only warning is, if it involves eggs, and you are adding them to the melted butter, make sure the butter has cooled or it is beating really fast to avoid getting cooked egg lumps.

The butcher

Last fortnight, I bought most of my meat from the butcher.  I love going to the butcher and seeing all the different types of meat laid out to choose from, not to mention the multiple cooking tips and tricks.  My husband loves it when I go to the butcher, probably because he has asked them to say "steak" every time I walk in.

This is an untapped resource people! If you are doing all your grocery shopping online, or heading to the supermarket late at night when the kids are asleep you are missing out.  Even if like me you are on a tight budget, I will pick up meat specials at the supermarket, but then always head to the butcher for other types of cuts.

If you haven't found a good butcher close by there are some online bulk meat delivery options too, so if you have freezer space you can save by purchasing this way.  Check out my butcher's online service if you live locally, or search around in your area. Alternatively, get yourself a book that will tell you how to make the most out of different cuts of meat.