Success!

Just a quick check in to share my successful Ginger Beer.

Despite all the warnings and concerns regarding glass bottles and brewing Ginger Beer, mine have been a roaring success. No explosions. Perfectly carbonated.

This is what I think I did right:

1. Very well sterilised bottles. I put mine through the rinse/dry cycle of my dishwasher. This is how I sterilise my jam jars too, and it works every time.

2. Only filling the bottles 2/3 full, allowing lots of room for carbonation.

3. New bottle seals. Everytime.

4. Kept them outside in a cool spot. Just in case.

5. Small batches so I'm never storing too much at any given time.

6. Chill each bottle well before opening, and open very slowly, preferably over the sink. Think Champagne. It does fizz and bubble over initially and will make a huge mess if you aren't prepared. You can see just how bubbly it still is after a few minutes in the photo above.

As tomorrow is another party day, I'll take a few chilled bottles along for the kids to drink at the park. Something to wash down all that sugar and cake...

The Cook-Off

Well today was party day, and boy was it fun! Thirteen tiny cooks all together, helping Poppy celebrate her birthday.

 The favour bags were finally finished, each with a pot holder and wooden spoon,

a little Blue wren (my favourite Australian native bird) in a teensy home,

and a little knitted carrot.

A giant freckle was the only sweet, but after a hard day's cooking (and eating), I don't think they really needed too much more...

Blue Monday

Oh what a big weekend we've had. A stay in the country and a day of cycling for the boys. I chose the more sedentary activity of getting sunburnt...

Today has been altogether quieter. Shoes have been bought for lovely spring weather, flowers have been picked and mountains of washing hung out under the beautiful blue sky.

The lilacs are still hanging in there, but are nearly finished for the year.

The weather is certainly warming up, but as you can see, NOT all the mud has gone.

Perhaps this is a good reason to be a spectator, rather than a competitor.

Gin O'Clock

Here I sit. Gin in hand. Contemplating weeding. Honestly, I can't keep up, and sometimes I think I just need to take the time to sit, relax and enjoy. I can only nag so much about the mowing. After all, theoretically I could do it myself, but that would be starting a rather unpleasant precedent. I guess it's kinda like vacuuming, and that never gets done either. 

My new boots have been given a minor workout with a stroll in the garden, and so far, I think they are rather fantastic. Shiny red rubber. Hose-offable, and not too heavy. My winter boots are way too warm now, and I'm not a fan of rubber clogs, so these are perfect.

Just to prove I'm not a total lush, who sits around all day sipping gin, I'll show you what else I've been up to.

Bottling my ginger beer.

I used an easy to follow recipe from Sally Wise's new book (well, new to me).

I've borrowed this one from the library but I might have to add this to my Christmas wishlist. Full of great recipes and old fashioned treats, I think this is one book I would find myself using again and again. Now because I have a mortal fear of exploding bottles, but really didn't want to go down the plastic bottle path, I've been super careful with sterilising the bottles, and have checked all the seals closely before putting them in an old esky outside the door. I've also left lots of headspace for the carbonation process.

If they do, ahem, explode, the mess should be fairly contained. They need to brew for 5-6 days, but I will check them each day, just in case things get out of hand....

I had looked at a ton of recipes before choosing this one. What I liked most was it made a relatively small batch (six bottles), meaning we could drink it in the time it took for the plant to be ready again ( eight days). While I liked Pip's, I really didn't want to commit to making such a colossal amount, only to find I didn't like it or it didn't work. So, fingers crossed and I'll let you know how it all goes.

So bottoms up, and enjoy your weekend!

p.s. I can't begin to describe just how good this homemade cordial is. Here's a link. Go make some today.

I should have been a farmer's wife

 Or at the very least, owned a cow. I LOVE my dairy products. Cheese, cream, butter, milk. Where would I be without them? Certainly not drinking Soy Milk. Today has been dedicated to all things yoghurty.

Do you make your own yoghurt? It's very inexpensive, and once you have made one lot, you can simply keep going, using a little of your previous batch to make the new batch. I always make it plain, preferring to add flavourings and sweeteners later if necessary. I also like to process it a little further by straining overnight until it thickens up, leaving the whey behind.

The thicker yoghurt is then ready to be rolled into balls with moist hands, and then served as is, or sprinkled with fresh herbs. My current favourite combination is kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, chilli, ginger and garlic. Stored in oil, they keep for about a week in the fridge. We have them spread in sandwiches, on toast, or with a bit of grilled chicken.

Homemade yoghurt is also great for breakfast, layered with a rhubarb compote and crunchy granola.

Sweet, tart and crunchy.

Granola is another pantry favourite here. I'm currently in love with a Nigella recipe, using peanuts and chocolate. Heavenly, but certainly not diet food...

Cup Day. Again.

It's Melbourne Cup day today, and living only a suburb away, we get to experience all the traffic, all the helicopters and all the crazy dressed up people first hand. 

Not horsey folk ourselves, we avoid it like the plague. Hell, I can't even walk in a pair of heels, let alone trying to cope with fascinators and floaty dresses.... 

Instead of attempting to go anywhere by car today, we've dragged the ponies out for a canter around the river.

Sadly I was made to ride up hills all on my own

but was at least allowed to rest on the other side.

Fake It Victoria Sponge (or how to be a domestic goddess without really trying)

This weekend it rained, and rained and rained. I could go on - it did. In fact on Saturday alone we had a months worth of rain in one day. The roof leaked - eek, the car leaked eeeek! And we were forced to be indoorsy people.

So I baked.

Fruit cake. Lemon curd. Savoury scrolls. Yoghurt, then Labna Balls (and I'm so in love with yoghurt making I might tell you about it another time). Stewed rhubarb. Strawberry cheesecake. Orange and chocolate pinwheels and rice pudding. Lunchbox treats and desserts.

But the prettiest were possibly the easiest because I like to cheat.

In the far reaches of the freezer was a slab of store bought sponge, left over from the last cheaty dessert, Bombe Alaska. Mini Victoria sponges were cut out using a scone cutter then some were filled with the homemade Lemon curd and some with last seasons Raspberry jam. To make them look a little less cheaty, I crystallised some rose petals (The Squire) and lemon blossom.

Crystallising flowers is dead easy. Simply choose any edible, pesticide free flowers, brush lightly with beaten egg white, then roll in caster sugar.

Allow to dry for roughly an hour then they are ready to use.

Pretty no?

The skies are starting to clear today, so I really have no excuse to stay indoors now, but I'm making a valiant effort to make some headway in Little Dorrit. This book is taking me forever. Perhaps a quick bike ride down to the river might brighten me up a bit. After all, I do pass a particularly large lilac bush along the way, and it would be awfully nice next to my bed as I read my book....