Making The Most Of Citrus Fruit.

When most people think of Winter they think of colds,  the flu and putting the heater on.  I love Winter for the cold weather,  comfort food and most importantly,  citrus fruit.  At this time of the year citrus fruit is in abundance and it's cheap. My girls love oranges as a Winter snack. They cut them up into eighths and eat every last drop of pulp.  Much better for you than store bought orange juice and cheaper per portion size.

I love to make 50 / 50 cordial for the family . It's made with 3 oranges and 3 lemons. So to have the cheap Winter fruit available for cordial in Summer, I zest and squeeze the oranges and lemons into a container and freeze. I also make a whole orange cake that uses one orange. I just blend the whole orange ( minus the pips ) in the food processor and freeze it in a container for all year round baking.

Lemons are coming into season too. With supermarkets selling them at 80 cents each, I'm very grateful that my lemon tree is in it's sixth season of bearing a good amount of fruit. To make the most of the "free" lemons, I zest them and freeze the zest for lemon slice, lemon and pistachio biscuits, lemon chicken and savoury chicken or salmon flan. Then I juice them and pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze. The ice blocks are stored in an airtight container to be used on fish , pancakes, to make lemon butter, jam.  lemon slice etc, etc. This year I'm planning on slicing some lemons and freezing the slices to make lemon chicken.

It's great to have these items on hand in the freezer. It stops the need to run to the supermarket for one lemon. I'll bet it would be out of season and you'd be paying premium prices.

If you haven't thought about it before, growing a lemon tree is great. It looks good, the blossoms and fruit smell divine and a bowl of lemons on the kitchen bench is a little ray of sunshine in the middle of Winter. It can be grown in a pot too. Best of all, you'll get your money back from the cost of a tree in no time.

So if anyone offers you a bag of lemons, or your neighbour has a tree with too much fruit for them to use, you'll know what to do with it.

Lemon butter

Orange cake and muffins

Freezing the juice.

Lemon butter for presents

Getting ready to make 50 / 50 cordial.

Rissole Casserole

This is another one of my made up recipes.  I love a good casserole and mash and this one ticks all the boxes.  I'm the best Mum ever when I make this for my family.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

500 grams of beef mince

1 medium carrot peeled and diced

2 – 3 medium mushrooms sliced

½ a zucchini diced

1 cup of frozen or fresh beans

1 stick of celery diced

1 tin of tomato soup

Salt and pepper to taste

Good shake of dried oregano,  basil,  onion flakes and garlic

500 - 700 ml of water

1 cup of uncooked shell or 1 1/2 cups of spiral pasta

Roll mince into small balls. 

Place into a large oblong casserole dish. 

Add carrot,  celery,  mushrooms,  beans and zucchini over the top. 

Sprinkle on the seasonings.  

Mix the soup with 500 - 700 ml of water and pour over everything..
Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius 

Take out of oven,  remove the foil and add the pasta.  

Push the pasta under the liquid so that it cooks.  Replace the foil.  

Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until the pasta has cooked through. 
Serve with mash and crusty bread.  

Serves 4 – 6 people. 

Freezes well.

NOTES -

*  If you have the time,  brown the rissoles in a fry pan first then add to the casserole dish.

*  I'm all for budget ingredients but this is a dish that needs a good quality tomato soup.  The Aldi brand is strong in flavour and dilutes well without loosing too much taste. Please don't use a generic brand unless you add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste for extra flavour..

*  This is a recipe where you can add any vegetables you have on hand. 

*  Left overs are great on toast.

Winter comfort food.

Browned rissoles with added carrot.

Adding silverbeet - because I can.

Ready to serve.

5 Easy Ways To Cut Your Heating Bill Part 3

I hope you've enjoyed this three part series on cutting your heating bill.  Here is the last installment.

*  Feeling a little cold at night and want the heater on when you are in bed ?  A much cheaper option is to buy a Winter weight doona.  I bought an Australian Wool  Doona ( king size ) from a manchester shop last year for $80.  It's much warmer than the standard polyester doona but only slightly heavier in weight.  Darren and I no longer need to pile the blankets on the bed or freeze when the overnight temperature drops outside.  Our wool doona will last for many years as we only need it for 3 months each year.  If it lasts for 10 years then I've only spent $8 per year to be warm.  Compare that to having the heater on a higher temperature and the costs invloved.  At the end of Winter I fold the doona back into it's bag and store it away for the next year.

*  Keep your windows and doors closed.  Yes,  I know I'm stating the blatantly obvious but I hear from mums all over how their kids leave the door open.  It's just one of those things you need to keep on top of.  I'm always asking my girls if they've closed the front door when we come home from school.  95 % of the time they have but I ask anyway. It pays to check.

*  Install a programable thermostat.  Ok,  this is going to cost you a bit of money but it will save you so much more in the long run.  We changed over from a manual one to a programable one back in 2001 for $150.  It was one of the best decisions we've made.  No longer is the heater left on 20 degrees overnight.  No longer  do we keep turning it up " just a bit more ".  If you can't afford one right now,  make it a goal for next Winter.  Maybe start a savings tin.  I've been known to use a soft drink can to save $2 coins.

*  Don't heat an empty home.  It's just dollars out the window.  If we think we'll be out when the heater switches back on for tea time heating,  we turn the heater off all together.

*  Keep all ducting vents clear of furniture and curtains.  There's no point in heating a couch or having curtains billowing in hot air.

*  Wear a dressing gown and slippers.  You might not be wearing high fashion but you will be warm.

*  Turn the heating off before bed and place heated wheat packs between the sheets.  Doing this 15 - 30 minutes before bed will give you a toasty spot to climb into. 

Cobbler Dessert

This is a wonderful Winter warming dessert.  I originally heard about this dessert on the Oprah show years ago when she popped into her neighbour's house unannounced.  They were having this dessert with their meal that night.  So I googled it and came up with my version of this American favourite. 

1 x 410 gram tin of fruit in juice or stewed fruit
1 cup of SR flour
1/3 of a cup of sugar ( white or raw )
About 1  1/2 cups of milk - enough to make it a slightly runny batter

optional extras - 
chopped walnuts
cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top,
sultanas or other dried fruit.

Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.

Empty slightly drained tin of fruit into a casserole dish, cutting up any large pieces.
In a mixing bowl mix the flour, sugar and milk until it's a smooth, slightly runny batter.
Pour evenly over fruit and sprinkle with nuts,  cinnamon and sugar.
Bake on 180 degree Celsius for 40 mins. Serve with cream,  ice cream or custard.

NOTES -

*  A couple of weeks ago I made a cobbler using stewed apple from the freezer.  It was a big hit with the family.  Darren said it tasted like apple pie.

*  Other fruit I've used with success are plums ( make sure you take the stone out ), peaches,  apricots and pears.

*  This dessert can be cooked 2 - 3 days ahead of time and reheated as needed.

*  If you don't have any tinned fruit,  grab a couple of apples ( even the wrinkly ones ),  peel,  cut and slice into a casserole dish.  Cover with cling wrap and cook in the microwave on high for about three minutes.  Then pour the batter over the top.

5 Easy Ways To Cut Your Heating Bill Part 1

With the ever increasing cost of electricity and gas, it's becoming harder to heat your home without blowing the family budget.  Here are five easy ways to cut your costs and still stay warm -

*  Put a door snake or draft stopper at the bottom of each external door.  This might seem so basic or simple but it's amazing how much cold air comes in that little gap. You can make your own door snake using scraps of material and filling it with rice,  rags or sawdust.

*  Open the curtains when the sun is shining on the windows.  By the same token,  as soon as the sun starts to go down,  close your curtains to keep the warmth in.

*  If you have a programable heating thermostat,  reduce your heating time gradually.  Shaving fifteen minutes off each heating time really does add up and make a difference to your bill.  If you take your kids to school at 8.45 am each morning,  you don't need the heating on until the minute you leave the house.  Chances are you and the kids are running around getting ready until the last minute getting hot and bothered.  Try turning the heater off at 8 - 8.15 am.

*  Put an extra jumper on for warmth.  Yes I know,  it's so obvious but I've been in homes when the heating is on and people are walking around in t shirts.  Really  !!!

*  Close off any rooms that don't have heating ducts.  In my home it's the toilet and laundry.  By keeping the doors closed you are not heating rooms that are rarely used.

Shave off your heating times

Our door snake

Closing doors

Close curtains and blinds

Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding

 

1 cup of Self Raising flour

75 grams of butter – melted
Approx. ½ cup of milk
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder – sifted

 Sauce

½ cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
Approx. 800mls of boiling water

 Mix flour,  sugar and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl.  Add the melted butter and milk and mix to form a very thick batter.  Spoon into a deep casserole dish and smooth off the top.

Into a large measuring jug add the cocoa powder,  sugar and boiling water.  Stir until sugar has melted.  Pour gently over the batter.

Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes.  Serve with cream or ice cream

Just out of the oven

Ready to eat.

.

Chunky Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

I love homemade soups.  They are quick and easy and taste so much better than anything you can get in a can. Making them yourself eliminates  the need for artificial preservatives,  colorings and flavourings.  You know exactly what is in the soup and can change the flavour and ingredients to suit your needs and diet.  It's also a great way to add or hide vegetables that your kids might not normally eat.

The first time I make this soup I looked up a few recipes on the internet.  I combined a them to make my own.  Megan,  my daughter asked me to add extra vegetables to make it chunky.

Here's Megan's and my recipe -

1.5 litres of chicken stock. 
! x  420g tin of creamed corn
1 x  400g tin of corn kernels
2 cups of cooked chicken bits or two small chicken fillets cubed and cooked
4 - 5 medium potatoes peeled and diced
2 medium carrots,  peeled and diced
2 teaspoons of dried ginger
2 sticks of celery, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons of dried onion flakes or 1 small onion  finely chopped
75mls of soy sauce or two good dashes
1 tablespoon of dried or fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 packet of crushed 2 minute noodles ( no flavouring ) or three egg whites

Add all ingredients except the noodles or egg whites to a large saucepan.  Cook until the carrots and potatoes are just soft - about 1/2 an hour. 

Add the crushed noodles and stir through.  Cook for a further 2 minutes.  If adding the egg whites instead,  lightly beat them in a measuring jug and slowly pour into the soup as you stir.

Serves 6 - 8

Can be frozen.

Notes -

*  Add extra potatoes or carrots if the soup doesn't look thick enough.

*  I use Aldi tins of creamed corn and corn kernels.  No name brands work well.

*  I make the chicken stock in the slow cooker using chicken bones or frame with a couple of bay leaves.  Then I freeze it for future use.

*  If the soup needs more flavour,  add a tablespoon of chicken stock powder.

*  You can add whatever vegetables you like.

Chunky Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup 

A Cold Winter's Day

Today is a cold and wet day in Melbourne. We've had some strong winds too. On days like today I'm very greatful for ducted heating in my home. I've set myself a challenge of keeping the temperature on the heater set at 18.5 degrees instead of the usual 20 degrees. So far so good. I've kept myself busy and warm doing the vacuuming, mopping and clothes washing. I've hung the wet washing on clothes horses. A bonus of floor ducted heating is that you can place your clothes horses over a duct and in about 24 hours you have dry clothes.  A double use of the heating.

I have a beautiful lamb stew cooking in the slow cooker for tea tonight. The aroma of lamb,  tomatoes and rosemary is amazing, I'm drooling just thinking about it. I'll be serving it with buttered toast on the side. All being well there will be some leftovers for tea tomorrow night.

I'll be getting out the blankets tonight and closing the curtains a little earlier to keep the warmth in.
Lots of good things to warm the soul.