The simple stuff

I woke up early this morning, made a big mug of tea and just sat here, cuddling Keith the dog.  It was quiet and peaceful and it made me think about how lucky I am.  A little over a year ago we made a few choices about the direction we wanted our lives to go in and that meant me quitting my job, us moving to Wales and my husband being the sole breadwinner.  We were lucky that we had that option available to us and we are grateful every day.  We can now enjoy a simpler and happier life.

Pretzels....

Moving on swiftly to my favourite thing: food - what could be a more simple and yet delicious than fresh bread with butter?  And if you have never made your own bread, maybe this next recipe is something fun to try: pretzels!

In Germany (where I am originally from) these are sold pretty much anywhere and are known as "Laugenbrezel", referring to the fact that the pretzels are dipped in lye (yep - much the same as drain cleaning lye but luckily of food grade).  Now, I don't know about you but I am not too confident using lye in the kitchen, so I've been looking for an alternative and have finally found one: my old friend bicarbonate of soda.

Similar to bagels, pretzels are briefly poached in hot water prior to baking and in this case, the water contains bicarb.  It gives the finished article a lovely brown shine and whilst the pretzels come out a bit softer than the lye variety, they are absolutely delicious, especially served slightly warm with butter.  You could make smaller ones for a picnic, filled with ham & cheese, salami, just cheese & lettuce or anything else you might fancy.   It's the first time I made these and - although my pretzel-forming skills need fine-tuning - this was definitely not the last time.

Useful in the larder (Part II)

When I looked around the park on my dog walk this morning, I couldn't quite believe my eyes - daffodils in full bloom...in January???

Daffs in January...

Anyway, I digress...

When I open my larder door I see lots of stuff - bags of flour, different types of sugar and an array of bottles and jars.  What I don't automatically see is cleaning materials and yet - as in Part I of "Useful in the larder" about bicarb - it is surprising that some of the items can be very handy around the house.  Take vinegar as an example: lovely in salad dressings or sprinkled on hot chips and great when making chutney, the right type of vinegar doubles up as a great household cleaner.  Here are a few tips using white vinegar:

• Window cleaner - fill an empty spray bottle 2/3 with warm water, add 1/3 white vinegar for a cheap and eco-friendly way to clean those windows...optional: add a drop of essence of lemon oil for extra fragrance
• Refresh dishcloths - place in enough water to cover & add approx. 60ml white distilled vinegar. Soak overnight & rinse.
• Clean the fridge with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.
• Clean the bathtub by wiping it with white distilled vinegar and then scouring with bicarb.
• Get rid of mildew, dust, and stale odors by wiping down walls with undiluted white distilled vinegar on a cloth or a sponge mop.
• Remove stains from coffee or teacups by scrubbing them gently with equal parts bicarb and white distilled vinegar. Rinse clean.
• Remove corrosion deposits from cast aluminum with vinegar solution and rinse off afterwards 

So, as you can see there are lots of ways vinegar comes in handy.  I love that it is much more environmentally friendly to use and also much cheaper than buying a selection of household cleaners.  Why not give it a go?

Useful in the larder (Part I)

Do you have a favourite item in your larder?  Something you simply can't do without...either for cooking, baking or general household use?  On top of my list is bicarbonate of soda.  It is so versatile - have a look at some of its uses in the list below...

• Sprinkled on carpets, it absorbs the dreaded wet-dog smell and can easily be vacuumed up, leaving the carpet smelling clean & fresh 
• Dust your pet's fur with it to get rid of unwanted odours & brush out after a few minutes - it's not harmful to them, even if they lick a bit off
• Put some at the bottom of your cat's toilet tray and top with cat litter
• Keep some in a bowl in the back of the fridge to make it smell lovely & clean
• Combined with lemon juice (or powdered citric acid) it makes a fabulous household cleaner...simply sprinkle into the sink, bath tub etc, add lemon juice & water for an eco-friendly way of cleaning your house
• Add a little to your toothpaste for extra white & shiny teeth...

Once you have started using it for more than just baking, you may want to buy in bulk - that way it works out cheaper than if you just buy the standard boxes from your supermarket.