Winter fare

Isn't it funny - you can have the best intentions in the world, but winter always gets the better of you.

I promised myself this winter I would be a good girl.  But, I haven't been.  1.0kg heavier already and still a couple of months of cold weather to go sigh

And, it's all the Rosie's fault.  And my new all the bells and whistle's fridge.  Now that I have freezer space to store "snacks", I'm taking full advantage of it.

RMan and I love nibbling - especially when it's cold.  But, the "ready made snacks' available in the supermarkets are revolting, and a complete rip-off.  More pastry than filling - if you can find any filling at all...

So, I decided that I would make my own.

I boiled up an entire chicken, and when it was cooked, and cold, used the chickeny / herby / garlicky water it had been boiled in to make a gravy.

I stripped the chicken away from the skin and bones and added it to the gravy.

Then I pulled out the phyllo pastry which was in the fridge.  Slathering each sheet with a good dose of olive oil I  cut the sheets into strips.  I used only one strip - you'll see why now...

Taking one of the strips, I added a spoonful of the chicken mixture - right at the end.

The corner of phyllo pastry got pulled over the chicken...

 ... and the corner got folded again...

 ... and again...

 ...and again...

... and again...

 ...and again...

 ... and again...

 ...and again...

That last little bit of phyllo pastry got folded up
against the samosa

 ...and then folded again for the last time.  I didn't worry about the uneven triangle I had created - as long as the filling is securely enclosed and doesn't leak out during the cooking process, to my mind all those bits of phyllo pastry edges which are visible in the pic above = extra crispy crunch in the mouth :)  .

A whole plateful of homemade chicken samosas :)

What was I left with?

A whole plateful of chicken samosas.

One strip of phyllo pastry got folded 10 times - equivalent to ten layers of phyllo pastry :)

3/4 of the plateful has gone into the freezer.  The other 1/4?  As soon as we light the Rosie later this afternoon, and it gets to temperature, I'm going to have a nibble :)

(I can't wait to posts this, so I'll add a pic of the cooked samosa's when they're ready :) )

1½ hours to cook / simmer the whole chicken (which also became chicken pie and chicken à la king), 15 - 20 minutes to boil and reduce the stock and make the chicken gravy, ten minutes to strip the cooled flesh from the carcass and 20 minutes to roll the chicken and gravy mixture spoonfuls in the phyllo pastry.  Effectively, it took 30 minutes of actual work to make enough chicken samosa's to last us a month (I hope...lol)

Who needs to buy ready made nibbles, when they are so easy to make yourself?

Update:

Baked at 200°C for 20 minutes and served with a
chopped side salad and some chilli sauce.
Dunno what happened to the sauce, but they
tasted full of moist chicken - goal accomplished :)

RMan wanted to know how many I made, and how many I had left in the freezer.  He says 24 is not enough... ;)

They were, even if I say so myself, absolutely, excellently yummy, crispy, and tasty!!

Frugal food

I don't know if anyone else battles with deciding what to cook for their evening meal.  Don't get me wrong, I love cooking - when I'm inspired.  And when I have the time.

But, sometimes it is a terrible chore...

Frequently, I can't find the inspiration / be bothered to think at 7 - 8 in the morning what I should take out of the freezer for our dinner roughly 11 - 12 hours later.  It's not as though everything that I take out can immediately be cooked when it is defrosted - sometimes it's easy, but too often it's the main ingredient of a recipe - which requires quite a bit of further attention / preparation in order to prepare the meal.

So, I often wish that I had some ready meals on hand.

Bulk cooking - to save  time and give me
inspiration

Last week I got stuck in and made some homemade ready meals.

Instead of just cooking enough mince for a spag bol (plus the inevitable remnants which hang around the fridge until I can hide them some way so that RMan eats the left-overs) I made 4 times the quantity (roughly 450 gms of ostrich mince).

Spaghetti Bolognaise - plus two portions in the freezer
big enough for a lasagne or two :)

That night we had our spag bol...

2 - 3 ready made cannelloni meals

The next day I took some of the remaining mince and stuffed some cannelloni tubes.

They went into the freezer as they are - and all it will take is opening a jar or two of my homemade tomato sauce, making a quick Bechamel sauce, putting the lot together in a baking dish with a sprinkling of grated cheese, and placing in the oven of the Rosie, and there you have it - an instant meal :)

My kale plants are producing madly...

...so I picked a bunch...

... and shoved them in my steamer.

Some of the mince Dolmades I made

When they were soft and pliable, they got filled with mince and rice - à la Dolmades or stuffed cabbage leaves style.

Whilst the leaves were steaming, I used the base of the pot to cook also steam some gem squash and carrots for our diner that night.  Why waste energy heating another pot - plus it's one less pot to wash lol

So, out of a normal four portions of mince I now had / have:

a  The portion of Spag bol which we ate for dinner

b  2 - 3 future Cannelloni meals

c  2 X future meals of Dani's Dolmades (which will be placed on a bed of kale and sliced carrots and just covered with hot chicken stock and baked for 3/4 - 1 hour, and served with an Avgolemono sauce)

d  2 X future portions of mince which I'll use for lasagnes.  (All I will need to do again is grab some lasagna sheets, open a jar or two of my homemade tomato sauce, whip up a quick Bechamel sauce - layer the lot in a baking dish, sprinkle some grated cheese and place in Rosie's oven.)

8 meals out of an amount of mince which would normally provide only 4.

This pot stand creates a perfect "keep
warm" spot on the Rosie and ensures
that the contents of the pot will not burn
at the bottom.

By the way, I'm loving having the Rosie fired up again, and, although the Rosie has a warming shelf, it is quite narrow height-wise.  Purchasing a simple pot stand, it now doubles up as a keep warm area on the Rosie - and it works perfectly :)

"Time is fleeting..."

I just received this in an e-mail and can't wait to share it.

It's brought on one of my soap box moments...

If this doesn't make everyone who only looks at the images / reads the info below and go no further, or those who visits the site via the links I've provided, stop and pause, and think really hard on their contribution to these statistics, then I fear that this gorgeous, amazing, imited planet we call home is doomed.

http://www.poodwaddle.com/clocks/earthclock/

http://www.poodwaddle.com/Stats/
click on Energy

http://www.poodwaddle.com/Stats/
click on Population

"The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has created several computer models to estimate global warming rates. These various models project from a 1.1 to 6.4C degree rise this century. We have chosen to use their A1B scenario (2.8C/century). We display 10 decimal places only to show the rate of rise. We do not wish to suggest that we can project with this level of accuracy. Please read the Global Warming page for more information.

CO2 levels are continuing to rise and so is the ocean. The population is growing, forests are shrinking, deserts are growing, and thousands of species (mostly insects and mostly in shrinking rain forests) are going extinct each year. These issues and many more face our world as we struggling to balance the needs of nations with the needs of the planet.

We at Poodwaddle.com consider ourselves journalists, not scientists or activists. It is our job to report the data, not take sides in controversial issues. Global warming is one of these issues. We do not advocate for global warming, or against it. Doing so would violating our professional integrity.

SOURCES: IPCC | Global Carbon Project | Earth Policy
DETAILS: Global Warming | Deforestation"

http://www.poodwaddle.com/Stats/
click on Environment

http://www.poodwaddle.com/Stats/Sources/

If this didn't shock you - what kind of member of our human society are you?

Would it really hurt you to make a few small changes to your lifestyles, especially if it could help heal our planet?

It's the small things which count.  The small things which a add up and CAN make a difference.

Would you be prepared to:

~ significanty adjust your electricity consumption (put on another jersey / wrap yourself in a blanket for warmth or dress in cool cotton when the temperatures rise, use candes instead of light globes, save up for a solar oven instead of switching on those power guzzling electric ovens);

~ walk or cycle or share a lift in order to reduce your petrol (gas) usage;

~ be more aware and conserve our most prescious resource, water (shower more frequenty, instead of bathing, fix leaking taps, think as your hand touches the tap, turn off the tap whist you're brushing your teeth, use a cistern filler to reduce the amount of water used when you flush the loo - better still, "if it's yellow, let it mellow..."), and install rain water storage tanks for use in your gardens;

~ try growing something you can eat, instead of just filling your gardens with pants which are beautiful to look at - research "forest gardens" to see how you can grow vegetables in between your "flowering" plants, or in pots on a patio or small balcony;

~ try and limited the number of goods you purchase which are wrapped in plastic;

~ buy local instead of imported;

~ prepare more completely fresh meals, as opposed to pre-packaged ready-made convenience (including junk food) meals (try aiming for once a week, then twice a week, etc.) - honour your body instead of just filling it with whatever is easy;

~ use less chemicals in your home and advocate using less in your work place (trust me, our house is only cleaned with vinegar and bicarb, and I'm proud of the shine / level of cleanliness that I achieve);

~ do more housework / garden work / wash your own car / play with your children, instead of travelling to your local (hopefully) gym to get your exercise, or dumping your kids off at the local movie house / games arcade in order to "entertain" them;

~ recycle whenever, and wherever, possible, and pass on anything which is still useful to those less fortunate than yourself...

... to mention just a few of the small, but active steps you can adopt that will significantly assist in planet Earth's healing process.

I'm not asking you to chivvy your local member of parliment to do what he should be doing as your representative in government - such as taking your requirements and God given rights to the highest powers in the land to make them change laws for the immediate benefit of our planet, biodiversity, animals and mankind, instead of for the immense monetary considerations which are dictating their actions.

I'm just asking you to make a few simple changes to your lifestyle.

Would it really hurt you????

Chivvy-ing your local member of parliment comes later... LOL

Reflections

We have now been here for exactly 2 months to the day, and I thought it would be a good time to reflect on how we have coped and what we have achieved thus far.

The closer one is to water, the clearer the
background comes into focus

We rapidly confirmed that we did not have enough power.  Not with our damaged 4 X 130Ah batteries, 3 X 135 and 3 X 75 watt solar panels.  No where near enough power to do what I need to do on a daily, or nightly basis.  Lights, run the PC and / or laptop, a decent sized fridge, TV, MNet (subscription channels - well, RMan wants his sport LOL), charge phones, light (and torches batteries)...  Nothing fancy - no iron (thankfully LOL), no kettle, no heaters, no air-con, no hairdryer (not easy on a winters morning - thank God for the genny).  We just need enough power for the simple stuff.

Frustration.  Work could only take place once the sun was shining and the batteries were thus being recharged for the nights' use (the small fridge).

Lights - well, if the torch batteries were flat, we had our trusty standby paraffin (kerosene) lamps, but that didn't prevent my tripping over Scallyway, who, when lying on the floor at night, due to his identically coloured coat, blended in perfectly with his background :)  (Paraffin light seems to blind and reflect very easily off the glasses I am now, due to my slowly advancing years, forced to wear.)

Plus our genny broke.  The brushless genny RMan was sold turned out to have brushes.  Try buying one of those down the road.  No - they needed to come from Johannesburg (i.e. a 2 week wait).  We have a 2nd genny (which RMan scored from the auction he went to), but that has no AVR (automatic volt regulator) so it is useless for running a PC, charging a laptop, powering a TV or MNet decoder.  But - it could be used for the cement mixer, power tools, etc...

The Dover stove - well, you've already heard of our trials and tribulations.

But, it has been the cold that has affected us (well, definitely me) most.  Cold - all the time.  I normally have the internal temperature of a simmering kettle.  My feet have always stuck out of the bed covers every night of the year - in order to regulate my temperature.   But, when you wake up in the morning to anything from 5 - 10oC (inside) and go to bed with the same temperature, your perspective changes.  Feet exposed actually ache from the cold.  Even though I love snow, the unusual snowfalls that we have already had (four separate ones this year so far) have probably not helped in that respect -  :)

Imagine, in the dead of winter, you are without electricity for an extended period of time - really, really think about the consequences of that inconvenience, especially those of you who live in the colder Northern hemisphere.  Would you be able to cope?

For I have discovered that when you are cold -  bone-chilling cold - everything feels hopeless.  The cold gets inside and clouds everything - every judgement you make, every thought that flashes through your head, everything.  You somehow lose the inclination for any physical movement - "Please, just let me stay curled up in a foetal position, with my hands, for warmth, wrapped round yet another piping hot cup of tea / coffee / hot chocolate .  I really don't need to weed the beds or prepare a seedling mix to plant my seeds right now.  Really I don't.  But I should..."

Each and every breath condensed into mist as we exhaled - whether we were inside the building or braving the cold outside to check on the builders / building progress.  And, as for going to the bathroom with it's tin roof - I had to <shiver> mentally prepare myself for that every time LOL

And, RMan and I both have warm down-filled jackets.  We have literally lived in them for the past two months. If their waterproof outer layers didn't make so much noise, I would probably have gone to bed in mine LOL

I have also discovered a very deep compassion and respect for those who live in the informal townships scattered around our country.  And for those who call the street their home.

The fact that those township dwellers who are employed, get up in the crispy, cold early morning and go to work, that they manage to keep their families together and put some kind of meal on the table daily, and that they have children which have the sweetest smiles and largest inquisitive eyes, and the least expectation of life, can face each day hopeful - I take my hat off to them.  To some degree I also understand the temptation (and availability) of drugs and alcohol that causes the abuse of those substances under those circumstances.  Anything to "take them away" from their dire circumstances - be that the bitter cold of winter or the oppressive heat of summer.

The builders, and their mess - not good.  The lack of privacy of living on a building site, the constant noise of building / demolition or from the genny and the cement mixer, the dust, the streams of muddy water from hoses left running...

And currently only one outside tap - which serves both the builders and my washing machine.  They just don't understand that if the hose pipe is connected to another pipe, they can't just disconnect it.  Well, they can and they did - more times than I could count.  I don't know what it's done to the washing machine programme - I guess I'll only find that out once they leave the site, whenever that is... LOL

Our internet connection has not been ideal, and although we have had the technician out, he has told us that we cannot expect to have a better one due to our location.  So my dongle has to suffice.  Even though the connection is erratic.  And that is with a 5 mtr usb cable in order to give the little dongle a bit more of an aerial.  I have also had to be aware of the state of charge of our damaged (solar) batteries and that has been incredibly restrictive.  Basically, it was only when the sun was shining brightly that I could venture anywhere near the computer in order to work, which took precedence, or browse blogs or travel the world wide web - when my connection behaved itself :)  And then, "If I only had enough megabytes..."

Hopefully, the affordable 2 year contract we signed has sorted all that, and the new power set-up is going to address the power shortfall.

Yin and yang - true and false - what you think
you see is not necessarily what is actual :)

Finally, I would recommend to everyone who reads this blog post - whether you are planning to move and live off-grid, or whatever your plans are for that "one day if something unexpected and dire occurs" - be that a full-on financial depression à la the 1930's, a natural disaster, an unexpected lengthy break in your grid power, a terrorist attack or a war in your country which affects your power supply, etc - first and foremost, consider that your preparation should include warm clothing - and then, at minimum, double it.  For, if those warm items get wet, and you don't have the wherewithall to dry them quickly, you're up the creek.  Literally.

Protection from the elements and warmth.  Those two things are imperative.

Then, sufficient light to see in the darkest hours after the (sometimes evasive) sun has disappeared over the horizon.  Some manner of replenishing the batteries in your torch - like a solar charger, or, if you're able, invest in a small, very basic mobile solar system for lighting only.  Or, if you're fortunate, invest in a small petrol-powered generator - but bear in mind that means that you have to have some quantity of petrol in storage.

Storage and cleansing of water - even rainwater - which can, and must, be strained and boiled (for a minimum of 10 minutes) in order to be suitable for human consumption for dust, seeds, bird droppings, etc - they all contaminate the water collected from our roofs.

Some non-grid method of cooking / warming food.  Solar oven, wood fired barbecue or pizza oven, or a rocket stove.  And plenty of dried storage ingredients.  I've surprised even myself with what food I can prepare from a limited selection of dried / home preserved goods (the rest of my foodstuff is still in our storage facility in Swellendam...).  And, of those home preserved goods, tomatoes came out tops!  Our tiny, tiny bar fridge provided only limited space for those items / leftovers which needed cold storage.  Harvesting produce from our shadecloth veggie patch this winter was a Godsend.  Lettuce, swiss chard, radish, rocket, beetroot, broadbeans, peas - each was gratefully harvested when it was needed, and, together with my jars of home preserved tomatoes and stock of pearl barley, dried split peas and dried beans, was added to soups and stews to make a delicious, nourishing meal.  And, as an unexpected bonus, the shadecloth structure also protected the growing plants from frost, which we are unused to, and of which we've had plenty.  Our second shade cloth structure is in progress as I write... :)

Plan for the very worst case scenario, and you'll be better off than you would've thought you could be.  Just so long as you make allowance for warmth, water, basic off-grid power, of whatever kind, and dried foodstuffs.  And basic medicines.  Those items will allow you to feel human.  And allow you to effectively function on a day-to-day basis.

Looking at the positives, we have been able to have a hot (LPG powered) shower every evening,  We have enjoyed our hot meal every night, thankfully cooked initially on our wood-fired Dover stove, but more so lately on the 2-plate small old recycled caravan (LPG) stove, and, once we even had enough sun to use the solar oven.  We have slept in a warm bed each night.  And our albeit drafty four walls have afforded us protection from the wind and biting cold outside.

Mirror images - much like life - and how much can
we learn from them?

But, given all the above, would I change a thing?  Am I hankering for town life with all it's mod cons?  Not a chance!  Nada.  Nothing.  Zilch.  Yes, the building process has taken longer than I imagined, and that was due to the inclement weather and it's knock on effect (boggy and consequential deep rutted, and, at times, impassable roads).  And the delay has stretched my patience (and my temper on occasion), caused discomfort and inconvenience.  But, the building work will be finished - sooner rather than later... :)

Life on the farm is brilliant.

Taking cuttings.  Planting seeds.  Harvesting, and eating, home grown crops.  

Taking in the view that greets us each day.  The sight of the blue cranes, fallow deer, and even springbok, on the nearby fields, and the hares which regularly come out in the early evening as they have taken a liking to a particular spot on our piece of land (which, thankfully, is far enough away from my veggie patch).

Enjoying the space, and the quiet.  And the lack of electronic hum, which is replaced with the crystal clear sound of birdsong, the bullfrogs, the neighbours cows and sheep...

There is nothing on this planet to beat what we are experiencing each and every day.  I, for one, feel completely and utterly blessed.

Humbled.

And grateful.  So very, very grateful.

I call them Chickpeas...

I call them Chickpeas, but they are also called Garbanzo beans :)


And, I just can't get enough of them.  I tend to listen to my body when it craves something.  There is obviously something it is short of, and the only way it can be provided is, to my mind, by giving me a craving which will satisfy that shortfall.  Lately I have been craving chickpeas.

Tomato and chickpea soup.  I used raw,
sprouted chickpeas for the crunch factor :)

They are such a versatile food.  They can be eaten cooked and placed in soups and stews, or made into a flour, ground and (shaped into balls and) fried as falafel (and served with an almond mayonnaise - yummy!), fermented into an alcoholic drink (haven't tried that yet), made into hummus (raw or cooked) or sprouted and eaten raw in salads, or as a snack.


Chickpeas can easily be cooked in the solar oven, or on the stove top.


Here is the nutritional information on them (taken from: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4326/2): 

Chickpeas are low in Saturated fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium.  They are also an excellent source of Dietary Fiber, Protein and Copper, and a very good source of Folate and Manganese

Recent studies have also shown that they can assist in lowering cholesterol in the bloodstream.

Bean and lentil sprouter

How to sprout Chickpeas

Garbanzo beans contain enzyme inhibitors, which are dormant until they are soaked and start to sprout.

Take a cup of chickpeas and place in your sprouter.  If you don;t have a sprouter, you can soak the chickpeas in a glass jar.

Simply place the chickpeas in the jar, add three times as much water and soak overnight.

Drain the water and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly.  Drain well and cover the neck of the jar with cheesecloth / muslin and secure that with a rubber band.  Set the jar at an angle (don't completely invert the jar as the sprouts need oxygen to enter through the cloth) and place in a position out of sunlight and at room temperature.

Rinse and drain morning and evening until you notice that your chickpeas are beginning to sprout (a tiny white shoot will start growing from the chickpea.  This should happen roughly 2 - 3 days from the initial soaking.

By sprouting the chickpeas you reduce phytic acid, a type of phosphorous compound found in seeds, grains, beans and nuts.  This acid affects your body's ability to absorb nutrients.  Soaking the chickpeas ensures that you will be able to digest the peas easier and absorb more nutrition per serving.  To ensure a silky and smooth finish, blend the raw peas for longer than you would do for cooked peas.

Raw Hummus

(yields 1 cup)

Ingredients:

1 cup sprouted chickpeas

1 - 2 cloves of garlic

2 - 3 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley or coriander

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup filtered water

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Using a food processor blend the raw sprouted chickpeas, garlic, tahini, parsley/coriander, lemon juice, soy sauce and olive oil together until it forms a smooth paste.

Taste and adjust the lemon juice salt and pepper.  Use as a dip with raw veggies.

Chickpea and pasta salad

I recently had this for dinner.  It ticked all the boxes - being delicious, filling and completely satisfying.  And a brilliant way of using up left over pasta :)

Chickpea & Pasta Salad

(Serves 1)

Ingredients:

One cup of sprouted chickpeas

One cup of cooked, cooled pasta of your choice (I used spaghetti in the photo above, but any pasta will suffice)

One cup of grated carrot and cabbage

A couple of broccoli spears - roughly chopped

8 - 10 cocktail tomatoes - quartered

A handful of Walnuts - roughly chopped

A sprinkling of crisp, drained and cooled, onion pieces

1000 Island dressing

Combine all the ingredients and dress with the 1000 Island dressing.  Enjoy :) Filling healthy and nutritious!

As an experiment, this year I have a couple of chickpea plants growing in my garden.  Judging by the success that is already visible, next year I'm planting many more...

Caution:  Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans) can cause a severe allergic reaction to those who are sensitive to them.  They contain purines which can lead to an excessive accumulation of uric acid, which may contribute to health problems, such as gout and kidney stones.  Chickpeas also contain large amounts of oxalate.  Individuals who have a history of oxolate-containing kidney stones should avoid Chickpeas / Garbanzo beans.