The joys of being a teacher - Art by Miss Sarah Lamb Year Three

I taught Sarah many, many years ago. I kept this picture................... ! Too cute!

Caramel Apple Pudding

There is nothing like a home made desserts. The sweet smell of cooked apples. Good luck with this one. I found it easier to have everything weighed and ready to go before I started. I made the sauce first, then prepared the dish and apples, and finally the cake batter.

You will need:

5 apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1cm thick

350 grams of plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

250g caster sugar

200ml milk

150g unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup golden syrup

Ice cream or icing sugar and thick cream – serving suggestions.

Putting it all together:

• Place brown sugar, golden syrup and 300ml water in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil without stirring.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Lightly butter a baking dish.
• Place apples in the prepared dish.
• Sift flour and baking powder into the bowl of an electric mixer, add caster sugar, milk, butter and egg. Mix until combined.
• Spread mixture over the apples.
• Place brown sugar, golden syrup and 300ml water in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil without stirring.
• Pour over the pudding batter, then bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden.
• Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream and or ice-cream.

Boot - Card Game

This is a card game we play regularly with our friends. We call it BOOT. If you can play canasta, you will find this a breeze.

Rules to “BOOT”

• Shuffle five packs of cards.
• Deal two hands to every player, each hand containing eleven cards.
• Players select a hand to initially play with……they are not to look at the second hand. This second hand becomes what we refer to as the BOOT, to be played upon once the player manages to eradicate all cards in the first hand.

AIM:

• To create a minimum of one natural canasta and two mixed canastas in order to go out. A natural canasta consists of seven cards of the same value,

e.g. 7 x 5s, 7 x 10s etc. A mixed canasta is a canasta that contains seven card of the same card BUT – up to two of the cards can be replaced with a wild card (Jokers or 2s)

NOTEWORTHY CARDS:

• Jokers (50 points) and twos (20 points) act as a wild and can become any card you wish them to be, except a three.
• Red threes (100 points) can be placed on the discard pile thus stopping the next player from picking up from the pile. They can also be placed under a canasta for a bonus 100 points.
• Black threes (300 points) freaking nasty suckers! These can be placed on the discard pile thus stopping the next player from picking up from the pile. Peter and I have added our own rule here for the brave: if you managed to collect a canasta of seven black threes, place it aside for a bonus 500 points……it does not count as a natural or a mixed canasta…just as bonus points.

HOW TO START PLAY:

• Taking it in turns starting with the person on the left of the dealer, players start their turn by picking up two cards from the deck. Players then discard one card and the next player takes their turn. If a player wishes to they may pick up form the deck. If they have not tables any cards they need to have two of the face value cards in their hand in order to pick up. They cannot use a wild card to assist in the pick up. If a layer chooses to pick up from the deck they must place these cards down on the table.
• The penalty for picking up is metered out in the number of cards required for pick up. For example if a player wants to pick up the 4, they must pick up four cards, if they want a seven they pick up seven cards etc. All card pick up is at face value with aces and picture cards requiring the player to pick up ten cards.

TABLED POINT REQUIRED IN ORDER TO TABLE CARDS:

If person’s score is under 5000	50 points are required for initial tabling of cards
5000 – 10000	90 points are required for initial tabling of cards
10000 – 15000	120 points are required for initial tabling of cards

·        The hand ends when a player manages to play all of their cards in their first hand, goes onto their boot and manages to build a minimum of three canastas, one natural and two mixed.

ADDING UP HAND:

Initially add up basic score, this is the canasta points and the bonus points for the person who went out. Once basic score has been counted, remove red threes from under canasta, combine your cards and add up the face value of the cards. Add up what is tabled; take away what a player is caught with in their hand and in their boot (if they have not played their boot).

WHAT	SCORE
Bonus for going out	200
Natural canasta	500 each
Mixed canasta	300 each
Red three under a canasta	100 each (one max per canasta)
4,5,6,7,	5 points each
8,9,10,J,Q,K	10 points each
A and 2	20 points each
Jokers	50 points.

POINTS TO NOTE:

You do not add onto anyone else’s hand.

PLAY BIG TO WIN BIG!

Jackson Gleeson-Crichton

Vale:  10th April 2010

 Jackson Gleeson-Crichton

A letter to our boy, PACKARDIA WHAT ABOUT ME, Jackson,

Dear Jack-Jack, Jacko, Fluffy-Butthead, Fluffy-Bumhead, Big-Boobie, Cactus-Butt, Miggy-Moos, Bubby-Jack, Boom-head, Whacko-Jacko, Baby-boy… (and yes you answered to them all).

We want to take this time to thank you for the wonderful memories that we have of you and for the sheer joy you brought into our lives. Every day that we have shared has been glorious and an absolute pleasure. We recall the day we picked you up after your big flight from Victoria.

It was love at first sight. With puppy smiles and enthusiastic eyes you bounded into our arms and into our hearts forever. Little did we know the impact you would have on changing us, as people and as Dads.  We laughed hard as you went out of your way to entertain us with your ‘contained and sensible’ puppy enthusiasm. You were impeccably behaved and beautifully mannered. These traits you carried through to your last days. With your blue bandana and perfected ‘cuteness’ you allowed us to venture into the Qld. OES Club where together we built many friends. 

You allowed us to train you, to educate you, while at the same time you managed to train us and educate us too. We are now able to give the perfect ear rub, serve a perfect gourmet home- made dinner and can hold a grown dog on his back while tickling his tummy and singing “Around and ‘round the garden like a teddy bear.” Something you would allow us to do on a daily basis, something you never tired of. You allowed your Daddies to realise that it is okay to use an OES as a beanbag to rest their head upon while watching television….. only, as long as they would sneak a tickle in between commercial breaks. You showed us that it is okay to tightly hold an OES when a human is sad, is happy or is in somewhere in between.

Our baby man, you have left a void so large that only a pet owner can understand. You were our child, our love, our joy and our reason for wanting to stay at home in order to give you the best life we could provide. You appreciated every single thing we did for you and you were never selfish or rude. How could we not notice the loving look in your eye as you would seek us out to give us a kiss after every meal we provided for you? We never expected you to thank us, but we certainly loved the way you went out of your want to show your gratitude.

When the day starts without you,
And you’re not here tomorrow;
The sun will rise and find our eyes
Are filled with painful sorrow.

We wish so much we wouldn't cry
The way we are today,
Remembering how you'd lay your head
In our lap that special way.

We know how much you loved us,
As much as we loved you,
And each time that we think of you,
We know you'll miss us too.

But when tomorrow starts without you.
Please try to understand,
That with daddy kisses and Maddy’s close by
An Angel petted you with her hand.

She said your place was ready,
In Heaven far above,
And that you'd have to leave behind
All those you dearly loved.

But, as your spirit went away,
Tears filled our eyes,
For all our life we never thought
Of the day you would have to die.

You had so much to live for,
So many ‘tummy rub cuddles’ to do,
It seems almost impossible,
The thought that we now live without you.

If I could relive yesterday,
Just even for a while,
We'd scratch your butt and kiss your head,
In order to share a smile.

But, then we fully realised,
That this could never be;
For emptiness and memories
Are all that we can see.

When you walk through Heaven's gate,
We hope it feels like home;
As God looks down and smiles at you,
From His beautiful golden throne.

He’ll say, "This is eternity,
And now we welcome you,
Today your life on Earth is past,
But here it starts anew.

But good dogs are forgiven,
And now at last you're free;
So won't you sit here by my side,
And wait right here with me?"

So when tomorrow starts without you,
Don't think we're far apart.
For every time you think of us,
You’re right there, in our hearts.

Bubby boy, our hearts ache as we bravely step forward on Earth. We thank you for allowing us to create our family unit with fun, with love and with you! You will forever be in our hearts and in our memories. Our friend is now our angel! Our Boofy-Bumhead!

WHAT I OWE MY MOTHER....too funny!

This was sent to me in an email, source unknown. I have modified parts of it to ring true growing up with my mother. Some are not exactly true. However, never let the truth get in the way for a good story. Like many of us I am sure you will find a few of there that are YOUR Mum! I am sorry about the smart aleck retorts in bracket but some of the following just needed to be challenged….especially now that Pammy is not in earshot! Phew!

WHAT I OWE MY MOTHER: 
1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
'If you 're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'

            (Every Saturday morning Mum would do a huge sweep. Anything left on the floor would be swept into a pile and placed into the trailer ready for the tip. Reading glasses, books, clothing, school work….EVERYTHING!)

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
'You better pray that this will come out of the carpet.'   

(God, I can remember when Mum’s tax cheque bought new SEMI-SHAG pile carpet – hues of sand, green and cream swirls - in the lounge room. Initially we were not allowed to eat in there. I would rather be dead that to have to report to her that I mad a meson the carpet).
 
3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL 
'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'
            (Yep…..we heard this one often).

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
'Because I said so, that’s why.'
            (An oldie but a goodie – especially when asking why we were not allowed to go somewhere)

.
5.My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
'If you fall off that trampoline and break your neck, you'll be sorry.'
            (I always wanted to say….. “Probably, but you will be shitting your pants if it happened!”

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.'

            (Ironic that My Nana was in a car accident, and her first words to the Ambulance driver was “Thank God I have on clean underwear).

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'
            (Yep…heard that one too!)

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
'Shut your mouth and eat your dinner. '
            (Funny how times have changed,,,, our dinner mantra was “SIT UP, EAT UP and SHUT UP”….Oh the art of family conversations, lol)

 
9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM ..
'Look at that dirt on the back of your neck! Look how dirty your ears are!'
 
10. My mother taught me about STAMINA 
'You'll sit there until all of those vegetable are eaten.'
            (Use to love watching my sister sit there with cold vegetables….while I bounced on the trampoline outside the dining room window. HA!)

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER ..
'This room of yours looks as if a cyclone went through it.'
            (Nah, just another fart!)

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY 
'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'
 
13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE .
'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'
 
14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION.
'Stop acting like your father!'
            (OUCH!)

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'  

(Then why were there times as a child I wanted to live with the neighbours?)

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
'Just wait until your father gets home.'
            (Why is he bringing fish and chips?)

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .
'You are going to get it when you get home!'
            (What? Chocolate?)

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
'If you don 't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way.'
            (Bull dust!)

19. My mother taught me ESP .
'Go and put a jumper on – you must be cold.'
            (Well if it wasn’t a light blue hand knitted polo neck jumper with freaking dark blue camels going across the front I probably would put one on! – Ha my mother taught me about camel toes…..too funny)

20. My mother taught me HUMOUR .
'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'
            (S*^# I hope I don’t get blood on the carpet)

 
21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .
'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'
            (Dad did!)

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
'You're just like your bloody father.'
            (Double OUCH) 
23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a tent?'

(NOPE, a hospital with sliding doors!)
 
24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
'When you get to be my age, you'll understand. '
            (I WILL NEVER BE THAT AGE….NEVER!)

25. My mother taught me about JUSTICE
'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.'

(Dogs are better behaved than kids) 

26. My mother taught me about CONFUSION  – rhetorical or not?

'You have always got to have the last word. Don’t you?' and

'Do you want a smack?'

            (Hell Yeah!)

27. My mother taught me about SEXUAL INTRIGUE  

'Get in and clean up your room, it looks like a brothel.'

(How would you know what the inside of one looks like?)

 
28. My mother taught me about TOUGH LOVE  

' It is only a small flesh wound, get up – you are not dying!'

            (Flesh wound my arse…I can see bone!)

28. My mother taught me about FEAR  

'You will go blind!'

(Ummmm Nope, another furffy!)

'You will get hairy palms!'

(Nice…she knows it is a two handed job)

Pumpkin Soup....the best ever. Trust me. When sharing..accidentally forget to tell others about the coriander and peanut butter....OOPPS!

Whenever I make this soup, I am guaranteed to please. The fine balance of  orange, peanut and the chilli flavours always have my guests asking for more. Instead of chopping onions and garlic, I tend to be a bit lazy and throw mine through a food processor without altering the final outcome. Because it is a thick soup it is best served as an entire meal with crusty bread/hot garlic, herb or cheese bread. If serving as a course before a meal, you may like to serve small amounts.

2 large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed (mortar and pestle)

1 fresh chilli, (green or Red according to preference of taste) chopped finely

1 kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed

1 kg sweet potato (Kumara), peeled and cubed

4 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of orange juice

1 or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook on low heat until the onions soften and become transparent. Add Curry powder, crushed coriander seeds, chopped chilli, salt and pepper to the onion mixture. Continue to stir over medium heat. Add the sweet potato and the pumpkin to the saucepan, toss for roughly one minute. Add the chicken stock. If you do not have chicken stock on hand, feel free to replace with water, and add 2 or 3 chicken stock cubes. Bring your soup to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are beginning to naturally mash. Add orange juice and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Taste it, if it is not too nutty add a second. Be careful as the nutty flavour can take over. Allow soup to cool. Puree the soup in  a blender allowing it to thicken and become smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve soup hot, with a swirl of sour cream through it. Dress the soup with a sprinkling of chopped coriander.

Pam's Chocolate steamed pudding and chocolate sauce - you have to try this!

This recipe was given to me by my mother, Pam. When I am next speaking to her I shall ask her where she got the recipe from. The steamed pudding recipe has been around as long as I can remember. As a child whenever I was allowed to pick my favourite dish THIS WAS IT.

Without a doubt this recipe is easy, cheap to make …………..and totally foolproof. I have never had a steamed pudding not turn out.

I am so glad that I share my mother’s passion for cooking. Every time I cook this recipe, and share it with guests, I think of her. Although she may not be sitting around the table with us I quietly thank her for contributing in making my guests happy and satisfied.

So where do you start?

You will need:

Pudding

2 tablespoons of cocoa

1 cup of self raising flour

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

½ cup of milk

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

Sauce – I tend to double this recipe!!

3 dessertspoons of corn flour

2 tablespoons of cocoa

1 cup of water

¼ cup of sugar

1 dessertspoon butter

Vanilla to taste

What to do:

Place a huge pot of water onto the stove to boil. You need this boiling so that your pudding may be placed into the pot as soon as you make the mixture.

Grease your pudding tin and lid with butter…I have been known to cheat with cooking oil/spray.

HINT: Grease a piece of tin foil to place between the lid and the pudding mixture.

Pudding: Place all dry ingredients into a cake mixer, add milk and blend for three minutes. As the pudding batter is blending add the melted butter. Once done, place the mixture into your pudding tin. Place greased tin foil across the top. This prevents the pudding sticking to the lid. The tin foil also tightens the seal between the tin and lid, when in place. Secure the lid in position.

I am paranoid about water seeping into the pudding tin so I tend to wrap the tin with tin foil x 2, then place a couple of rubber bands around the lid seal, securing the foil in place. Anal I know, but hey, whatever works I guess.

Carefully place pudding into the boiling water so that is floats evenly. Do not submerge. Keep the kettle handy, with hot water on hand, to top up the saucepan as required. Do not let the water level drop so the pudding rests on the bottom of the saucepan. Using a lid will reduce water levels dropping significantly and will reduce the condensation in the kitchen.

Boil for 1 ½ hours.

Once done I take the pudding tin out and rest it on the sink while I unwrap the sucker. Do not burn your fingers trying to find the rubber bands. I use scissors or a knife. I remove the lid and cover with my serving plate. I then tip the pudding upside down onto the plate. It should fall out. If it doesn’t fall straight away, leave it upside down – it should fall.

Sauce: Make a paste out of the cocoa and corn flour using a little water or milk. Make sure there aren’t any lumps. Add everything to a saucepan and stir continuously over medium heat. Once the sauce looks like it is about to change consistency turn the heat down. While waiting for the heat to settle on the stove top, remove it from the heat and continue stirring. Do not let it produce a solid thick layer on the bottom of the saucepan. KEEP STIRRING. Place it back onto heat source and stir until it thickens.

The secret to a good sauce is knowing that it is okay to remove it from the heat while stirring it and placing it back on the heat as required. Too much heat and you will have a blobby lump.

This sauce tends to thicken considerably when cold. I tend to ¾ make it, then remove it from the heat. I then place it in the refrigerator and finalise the cooking process while preparing for dessert to be served.

Serve with – strawberries, ice cream, grated peppermint crisp or grated mint slice biscuits.

HINT: I have added coconut, orange zest and juice etc. I have split the batter into two parts – only adding cocoa to one half of the mixture and leaving one half vanilla. Place alternate spoonfuls into tin for a marbled cake. 

Sterilising jars and bottles.

In order to ensure your preserves do not become contaminated and to lengthen the shelf life it is important to take care in the initial stages of sterilising all storage jars or bottles.

Firstly, preheat your oven to 120°C.

Wash jars and lids in hot, soapy water. Rinse well. Place jars and lids in a deep saucepan. Cover with cold water.

Bring water to the boil over high heat. Cover pan. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes.

HINT:  I hate trying to find the right lid for the right jar when everything is hot. So this is what I do……I am not sure if it is the correct procedure but my preserves last and I am yet to poison anyone YET!!!!

Place a clean tea towel over the drainage rack on your sink. Using tongs remove jars and lids from boiling water and place upside down or rack.

When cool, using clean hands screw appropriate lids onto their matching container. Store jars until needed.

When required, place in oven and heat for 15 minutes. Bottle hot chutneys or jams in hot jars and cooled chutneys or jams in cold jars.

Vegetarian Chilli - a staple to have in the freezer

This is a wonderful dish to serve on a cold winter’s evening with hot buttered toast. I usually whip up a batch and freeze what does not get inhaled! I set my slow cooker going and simmer this for hours.  I freeze the leftovers in portions so that I can easily reheat what I need as required.

You will need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cups celery, chopped

1 ½ cups green capsicum, diced finely

1 cup onion, diced finely

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans diced tomatoes

3 cans of beans, rinsed and drained (kidney, white, chick pea etc)

½ cup sultanas

¼ cup red wine vinegar

3 teaspoons chilli powder or any chilli product

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

A handful of fresh basil or 1½ teaspoons dried basil

A tablespoon of fresh oregano, chopped or 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground allspice

A decent pinch of vegetable salt

Grounded pepper, to taste

A couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce (if desired)

1 bay leaf

2 cans of beer 0 one to drink while cooking and the other to place into the dish

¾ cup cashew nuts

1 cup shredded tasty or cheddar cheese

What to do:

·  In a large saucepan heat oil. Add celery, capsicum, onion, and garlic. Cover and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

·  Stir in untrained tomatoes, drained beans, sultanas, vinegar, chilli, parsley, sugar, basil, oregano, cumin, allspice, salt, black pepper, Tabasco sauce, and bay leaf.

·  Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 ½ hours. Stir in the beer. Return to boiling. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more or until desired consistency. Discard bay leaf. Stir in cashews. Sprinkle cheese over each serving.

HINT: if you are cooking this in the slow cooker;

            - fry up vegetables, and then whack everything into the slow cooker, except for the cashews and cheese. Add these just before serving.

Zucchini Fritters

Well where do I start with these little fritters? Yum, Yum, Yum! It is difficult to tell you exactly what measures to use as a part of the fun of cooking is exploring textures and flavours.

You will need:

1 large zucchini, grated or finely chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 eggs, beaten

½ cup grated tasty cheese

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 cup milk

2 cups plain flour

Salt and pepper to taste

 

• Place everything into a bowl.

• Shallow fry. Take care not to burn and dirty the oil as the fritters will burn on the outside and remain raw in the centre. I tend to lower the heat slightly as they hit the pan. I have also been known to lift the pan off the heat slightly to ensure the fritters do not burn.

• I placed a bunch of coriander in this batch.

HINT:

• Before you cook the fritters it is worth looking at the consistency of the mixture, too wet add some more flour, too dry more milk. In the past I had added corn and strips of left over roast meat.
• I usually serve these with either a thin jam like spread of mint jelly, relish or homemade avocado dip.

Kibbeh - a summer must!

This recipe was given to me by a dear friend Bronwyn. I am yet to make it as nicely as Bron does, but I am getting there. The secret is to make sure it does not dry out too much in the baking process.

You will need;

3 cups of burghul (cracked wheat)

1kg lean lamb

1 large onion

1 teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper

Lots of mint - I have is growing rampantly so I use about two handfuls

6 ice cubes

• Place burghul in a bowl and cover with ice cold water, leaving it to soak for ten minutes. Drain. Press firmly to ensure you remove as much water as possible. Spread out on a tray and place in the fridge for 1 – 2 hours.
• Trim fat from lamb, cutting into small cubes. Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Place all ingredients in a food processor and grind to a smooth paste.
• Grease a lasagna dish with olive oil. Spread meat paste evenly covering the dish.
• Press down. Using a knife, cut deep diamond pattern scores across the top of the meat.
• Cook in a moderate oven for 30 minutes.
• Serve with a salad and a mint, cucumber and yoghurt dip.

Ginger Beer Corned Beef

1 large piece corned silverside
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 knob of  ginger, sliced
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 bay leaf
4 thyme sprigs
1 chilli, sliced
2 bottles ginger beer
Extra water

·        In a saucepan add all the ingredients.

·        Add water to cover the corned beef.

·        Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour. I tend to keep an eye on the texture of the meat. A skewer should be able to be inserted with ease.

·        Turn off the heat source. Allow to cool in the stock. To keep the meat tender, store unused pieces in some stock in the refrigerator. Drain well before serving.

·        Slice the meat thinly and serve with white sauce, mashed potato and a bucket load of every vegetable you can get our hands on.

HINT: you can use lemonade insteade of ginger beer if you prefer the taste of lemonade to inger beer.

MUSTARD SAUCE SIDE – you have to try this! It will certainly clear your nostrils for sure, but can be TAMED down easily by adding more tomato sauce. Place a teaspoon of mustard powder in a small dish, add about ½ teaspoon of sugar and enough tomato sauce to make a paste. Add more mustard, sugar or sauce to individual taste. As kids, part of the joy of having corned beef was making our own sauce on the side of our plate.
 

Lemon Butter

Okay, so I think I am onto a winner here. I have managed to find a way to make Lemon Butter without the egg curdling. I am not sure if you know, but sometimes making Lemon Butter can be difficult as the egg white sets at a lower temperature than the yolk.

Okay so what do you need?

Lemon Butter

4 free range hen eggs (please do not use cage eggs – let’s put an end to this horrific lifestyle)

2/3 cups of lemon juice

¼ cup unsalted organic butter

1 ½ cups sugar (I am yet to try it with Rapidura)

• In saucepan, over low/medium heat, melt the butter.
• While the butter is melting add the sugar and lemon juice. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
• HINT: The minute the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved remove from the heat.
• Lightly beat eggs in a heatproof bowl.
• Once the butter mixture has cooled a little, slowly pour it the raw egg, beating all the time. I use my kitchen blender on a slow speed. The slower you can add the butter mixture the smoother your lemon butter will be as you lower the chance of the eggs curdling.
• Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and slowly heat, stir continually.
• You know it is ready when you cannot taste raw egg and the when swiping the back of the spoon with a finger, you leave a trail. Make sure you stir the entire mixture and the crevices in the side of the saucepan to avoid the mixture catching.
• I let the mixture’s temperature drop just a little before I place it into hot sterilized jars. If the jars are to hot the mixture bubbles and spits when added, sometimes the jars will crack. Allow both the jar and the mixture to find a similar temperature when adding.
• You need to place the Lemon Butter in the refrigerator.
• Serve on pancakes, hot toast, crumpets, in lemon tarts or in a cheesecake mix. MM MMM MMMM!

Cluckingham Palace

Miss Brandy and Miss Cream

Finger Lickin' Good!

Miss Brandy and Miss Cream posing.

Miss Kate Middleton - (fake tan)

Miss Rhonda Burchmore

Miss Brandy "Sitting Pretty!"

Miss Effan from the "Kay-Effan-Cee" trio

Plants soon to be destroyed!

Well the girls have finally moved into “Cluckingham Palace.” We are quite proud of our efforts in designing our palace. Thanks to Bob and Josie who were put to work on their recent visit.

All of the girls have names of course;

Light Sussex – Brandy and Cream

Australorp - Oprah

Wyandottes – Kay (turned out to be a rooster), Effan, Cee

Buff Orphingtons – Pippa and Kate Middleton (faked tanned)

Rhode Island Reds – Julia Gizzard and Rhonda Burchmore
Lohmann Brown - Miss Noelene Brown.
Ex battery hens Lohmann Browns - Miss Camilla Faith and Miss Elizabeth Hope

We are trying the deep litter method which appears to be working. We top dress the yard with garden and lawn clippings which the girls love. We are slowly introducing the dogs our new extended family. Spirit is fascinated and wants to round them up while Miss Maddy just wants to go inside the hen house to drink the water.


2 July 2011....Well Miss Beatrice decided to get her first egg stuck. I dropped her off at the vet yesterday. Fingers crossed after being poked and prodded she does what girl cooks do. Who would every have thought that eggs are able to get stuck and block a tube. o way I could poke my finger up a chook's bum. Too rude for this little farmer.

They girls have settled in really well and to date are enjoying dust bathing in the nearby pine needles and scratching around the composting mulch nearby. Fingers crossed they have left the rest of the garden free. I know it is only a matter of time. Once they commence destruction we shall split the back yard giving them one third to ruin. In this third I intend to plant rotational vegetable gardens (with removable fences).

9th September 2011..... Well a lot has happened here at Cluckingham Palace. Miss Eugenie also had an egg stuck and is now in heaven with Miss Beatrice. No more Barnevelders for us.

Well the flock has grown to thirteen. with the addition of Miss Noelene Brown and our two ex battery hens; Camilla Faith and Elizabeth Hope who have their own blog entry.

Destruction of the garden along with our desire to allow the dogs access to the rear block we have built the girls their own run.

We have more girls coming from Andrew O'Hare (  www.backyardpoultry.net ). We have ordered two more Light Sussex; to be named .... Miss Alex and Miss Zanda.........this will give us four Light Sussex in total; Brand Cream Alex Zanda.....Ha ha!

We have another Rhode Island Red arriving to befriend Miss Julia (Gillard) and Miss Rhonda (Burchmore). In true show girl style, how could we not introduce you to Miss Lucille Ball. To be friends with our Lohman Brown named Noelene.

25the September
We have planted CLUCKER TUCKER - barrel medic, bok choy, buckwheat, forage chicory, clover, cocksfoot, linseed, lucerne, millet, forage plantain, silver beet, sub-clover and sunflower seeds. Fingers crossed we can keep the girls off their crop....to allow it to survive.

I am getting a bit excited as our chicken that Meg has at her place are heading  home this week. It will be great to see how much they have grown and to see if they turn into beautiful birds.

28th September 2011
Well the kids have arrived home and have settled in well. Lucielle, Alex and Zanda are big girls now. They place with the chickens during the day and sleep in the big chook house at night. Our chicks are stunning and have settled in well.