Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Free Pantry Staples ebook, and a new little stitchery for you...

 



As promised, today I have the pantry staples ebook for you to download. It's taken a bit of time, but I really hope you find this useful.

Growing up, Nana always served homemade-from-scratch meals. I never saw her buy a box of anything, apart from custard powder, which she used to make a pouring custard over sliced bananas, and quite liberally sprinkled grated nutmeg on top before serving as dessert one night a week.

Everything else was made from individual ingredients she grew, bought, swapped or had been gifted. Her meals were simple fare, but so tasty, and most of them we ended up having for breakfast the next day, because like I said, Nana didn’t buy boxes of food, so cereal never appeared at our breakfast table.

These days we have recipes, herbs and spices, from all over the globe to choose from. We have television shows and social media sites where we can watch different exotic recipes being made, and we have innumerable restaurants, markets and take-away shops to try food from just about anywhere in the world. I sometimes wonder what Nana would have thought of that? Knowing her as well as I did, I’m fairly sure she’d have enjoyed trying something new every so often, but it would never have made it to her regular menu.

The only meal she ever made that was a bit different to the Australian fare she grew up with and which she made for Pop and I, was a meat sauce she poured over spaghetti. As a recipe she was given by a family member, this ‘experiment’ was huge to her, having never tried pasta in her life, but encouraged by other family members who said it was good, and discovering the only thing different she needed to buy was long spaghetti, she made it for us one Friday night.

This was around the time I started high school, maybe 12 years old, and really was delicious. Simple, but delicious, and she continued to make it every month or so after that. Just in case you ever want to give it a try, here it is. At the time, we called it Spaghetti Bolognese, but years later as a young mother of two moving away to the big city, I learned what real Bolognese sauce was…and yet, I still love this recipe and the memories associated with it. In case you ever want to give it a try, here it is…

Someone’s Simple Bolognese sauce (from the early 1970’s)

·         400g minced beef

·         One, 400g can Heinz Big Red tomato soup

·         One onion finely chopped

·         One small can of pineapple pieces, drained

·         One small can of green peas, drained

·         One heaped teaspoon of mixed herbs

·         One tablespoon of butter or oil

Sauté the chopped onion in a frypan with the butter or oil, and when it begins to soften and become translucent, add the minced beef to the pan. Break up the mince and cook till brown. Stir through the mixed herbs and the can of tomato soup. Add the pineapple and peas, and stir until everything begins to bubble. Turn down to a simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add some black pepper (and salt if you like) and stir in.

Pour over cooked spaghetti, and sprinkle grated cheese across the top. Mmmm…simple. But good. Kids seem to really like it too.



I have gathered most of the recipes in the ebook over decades, but the seasoning mixes and bulk pantry staples only began a few years back. In the first section of the ebook I’m sharing what I have already tried and enjoyed, much of it things I make quite often. You'll find those on pages 3-7 of the file.

In the second section, pages 8 -13, I’ve added recipes I intend making this year to build up our pantry, and they include bulk pre-mixes for things like cakes, puddings, pancakes and hamburger helper type things. These are mixes I want to make up for my daughter Blossom and her family too. I made a huge amount of pancake pre-mix for her last year and it really made life that little bit easier at breakfast with three children, but I lost my recipe notes, so have started over with a new one.

I hope they give you some ideas, or help with your own pantry building. Like Nana, I’m simple and enjoy living that way, especially in the kitchen. It’s also important to us that we make food without nasty additives, but keep things as basic and natural as we can. The more our family follows this example, the better we feel, and the more satisfied. 

It's taken a lot of googling and reading to find a number of these recipes and pre-mixes, and then I needed to try things, read reviews, swap some ingredients out, and generally simplify if I could. 

I didn't include my Rosemary Salt, because all it is are those two ingredients - rosemary and salt. You could make Sage Salt, Parsley Salt, or some other kind of salt the same way, but just remember to dry the herb first before mixing it with salt in a processor, and don't overmix. :-)

Of course, I had to include a little stitchery for you with a kitchen theme. While I sipped a morning cuppa I sketched it up and added it to the ebook. I'm hoping to stitch it with a bit of applique later this week, and would love to know if you'll be stitching too, and how you'd display it. The stitchery is on page 2.


Use the link below to download the free ebook...

DOWNLOAD Pantry Staples (& a few recipes)

It's been quite a week so far, starting with an earthquake here on Saturday night that shocked us all as the epicentre was less than a kilometre from us under the mountain next to our river. The BOOM of the quake was quite literally deafening and we though a plane had crashed nearby, and the house shook like a giant had it in his hand...but apart from some things falling inside, and some suburbs losing power, all was fine. In thirteen months we've had a cyclone, a monsoon, and now an earthquake. Blossom said, "Mum, I knew about cyclones and floods living here, but I never signed up for an earthquake!" She has her dad's sense of humour and gave us all a good laugh.

It was Rafaella's 7th birthday yesterday, and despite a dreadful autumn heatwave, we celebrated well inside. I spent a week sewing more of those teeny tiny doll clothes for Rafaella's 6" bunny, and my fingers ache, but she was so happy, and that made it all worthwhile. She loves the lime curd I make, so it was only right to bake a swiss roll and fill it with more of the curd, then serve with fresh whipped cream. 



There were eight outfits made for the little bunny this time - and included were a mermaid tail and bandeau top (like Ariel from The Little Mermaid, which is her favourite), a shell embroidered ruffle edged dress (she collects shells), and a dress with matching butterfly wings. I wrapped them individually in cellophane bags, and then popped them into a pretty floral bag, as though they came from a dress shop. ;-) I find some of my very small scraps of vintage Tilda come in handy for these outfits too. 



Included with her presents was a gorgeous tutu with little dancing fairies around the edge, and a kit to make bead bracelets. The entire gift cost me $12. And that's because I plan ahead, and buy beautiful things when they are on clearance for future birthdays or Christmas...and the little bunny clothes cost nothing more than my time. What a treat!



Another thing we use every birthday, is a birthday box. I no longer need to buy wrapping paper or pretty gift bags for the children. They all know that on their birthdays, Nana and Poppy will arrive with the birthday box, and inside will be special gifts for that special birthday child. It's a lovely big box! I found it about three years ago at TK Maxx for $12 and it was Blossom who suggested I use it as a birthday box - such a clever young woman she is. (did you know that in the US the same store is called TJ Maxx, but everywhere else in the world it is TK Maxx)






Now that birthday sewing is done, I have traced up another Yumiko Higuchi design to stitch in the evenings. It's from her book 'Seamless Embroidery' which hubby gave me for my birthday last month, and is called The Life Cycle of an Apple. The fabric background she used in her original is a very deep pink, gorgeous, but as I have to use what I already have, my background is a soft pink linen, recycled from an opshop shirt purchased years ago. 

This is the photo from Yumiko's book...


And this is my progress from last night.


My thread colours are similar to hers, but not the same as I need them to pop a bit, so hopefully they will do just that against the soft pink background.


Well my dear ones, its time to water the front garden as it's in shade on the east side of the house now, and then I'll do a bit of a tidy up before my beloved arrives home from work. I do enjoy the familiar rhythm of our days, and the little pleasures scattered through the hours God has given us. 

Remembering that each day is indeed a gift, something to embrace and live out with enormous gratitude, helps me stay grounded in the midst of unforseen challenges and life changes. Never take your life for granted, sweethearts, for it is precious in God's sight. 

Until next time, may He bless your coming in and going out, and show you great and wonderful things that He has done in your life. 

Until next time, love and prayers, 



41 comments:

Annelein said...

What a lovely gift you made for your granddaughter... what can make you happier than a happy child... and the memories she wil have of a grandmother who is so creativ....

Lin said...

Gorgeous gifts for Raffaella, she must have been very happy! I think I am going to prefer your embroidery on the paler pink background. Looking forward to watching it progress. Thank you for your staples download - such a lot of work and there are a few things I am looking forward to trying - thank you. xx

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for the pantry staples book Jennifer and your whole post was uplifting. Adorable little outfits you've sewn, what a sweet set of gifts.
I am also returning to simpler recipes and using ingredients from scratch like your grandmother did, I'm sure it's much better for our health. I'm looking forward to produce from the garden again, it couldn't be fresher.
Blessings to you and the family.
Penny in the UK

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much Jennifer for your kindness in preparing the Ebook. I can imagine it took you quite awhile to collect and get all of it together.
The little outfits for the bunny are gorgeous. What a lovely gift.
Bless you and thank you for the encouragement of you blog. Gail💕

Annabel said...

The little outfits are exquisite Jenny! Just adorable. The sound of the earthquake and the fright of what is happening!!? That is a horrible moment! Yes you have had one thing on top of another. I agree that every day is so very precious and we must appreciate everything! xxx

Donna P. said...

Thank you so very much for sharing your recipes with us. I really have no pantry now but I will next year and hope to use many of your recipes then. You are such a blessing to us all. And your outfits for your granddaughter's bunny are darling! Blessings to you and yours

Lara said...

Oh my goodness thank you for the recipes. The outfits are beautiful. I remember my mum telling me that she used to sew me Barbie clothes in our basement literally in paperbags so I couldn't see them. I think all of my Barbie clothes were homemade, but they were wonderful.

Remembrances said...

The little clothes are exquisite! I love miniature things like that. Thank you for the staples e-book. I make a lot of pantry staples too, and I love seeing new and different recipes. As for the earthquake, I am sure it was quite the surprise! I lived in South America for 3 years and we had frequent earthquakes - in fact, at school we had earthquake drills similar to the fire drills they have here in the U.S. Back then my dog (a rather vociferous Beagle) would start howling minutes before an earthquake happened, alerting us to be ready.

Karin
Phi. 4:13

Sue in Seattle said...

Thank you so much for the ebook. I still work full-time, and find all these so helpful to have in my pantry! I have purchased a couple of those boxes to store my loose stitchery patterns - what a great idea to use one as a birthday box. I have no grandchildren (yet) but my grown sons would get a kick out of it too!! From earthquake country, Seattle ;-)

Anonymous said...

I recently saw a recipe on someone’s blog (sorry, I don’t remember where) that sounded interesting. It’s for pancake muffins. All you do is mix up pancake mix as usual, fill greased muffin pan about halfway up each cup, then top with whatever you like (blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, etc.). Then bake at 175c for 12-16 minutes. I haven’t tried these yet, but it sounds like something kids (and adults!) would like for breakfast or snacks. Candy

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Garden fresh produce always tastes better. Enjoy your bounty this year, Penny. :-)

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Thanks Annabel. I just keep thinking about how trials strengthen our faith...what would we do without the Lord? So blessed to be His child.

Jenny of Elefantz said...

You will be in a new season soon, Donna, and I'm excited to hear of what God will do when you have a new home. :-)

Jenny of Elefantz said...

What precious memories, Lara!

Jenny of Elefantz said...

People mentioned that here, just before the earthquake, that their dogs acted strange.

Jenny of Elefantz said...

And a great idea for pattern storage, Sue! I don't think we're ever too old for a birthday box. Ha ha! Oh dear, you would well know about earthquakes - whilst we're used to cyclones and monsoons. Every weather event is different, but when they happen regularly you get used to them, but with an earthquake you do not have time to prepare the same as we have with cyclones that spend days heading toward us. I pray you are always safe.

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Definitely sounds like something my grandchildren would love! Thanks for sharing that, Candy. :-)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the lovely ebook. I know it must have taken a lot of time putting it together, but it's very much appreciated. I love the little outfits you made. When I was a little girl, my cousins and I wanted Barbie dolls for Christmas. We got the dolls, and I was so surprised to see that Barbie had dresses out of some of the same material as me. That made them extra special. I'm sure Rafaella will appreciate her bunny clothes, too.
Hugs from Mary in Florida

Janice said...

Thanks for the lovely ebook. I’ll definitely have to try your retro Spaghetti Bolognaise. We learned how to make it in Home Ec in Year 8. Our recipe also was based on a tin of tomato soup, but no peas or pineapple. We worked with what was freely available in the supermarkets at the time. I do like the idea of the birthday box. Somethings special to look forward to without extra expense or waste. Rafaella’s gifts are so sweet.

Donna Rowe said...

I’m just hearing about hurricane Alfred and I have no clue of where you are located but praying for your safety and your outside pumps to stay working.

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Hi Donna, though Cyclone Alfred is going to hit our state, it is at the bottom of the state and we live over 1350 kilometres north of there (850 miles). It is only a category 2 cyclone, but it will hit a very densely populated area of around 4 million people, so your prayers for everyone in its path are appreciated. Where I am we are used to cyclones and houses are built to cyclone standard, but down south they are not used to such weather events.

Anonymous said...

I have been a long time follower of yours Jennifer and have always looked forward to seeing your wonderful posts over the years. You are a true inspiration. We were thinking of you and your family during your recent floods and praying for all in North QLD, please pray for us in SEQ & NENSW. It may only be a Cat 2 as you say but we are not use to cyclones down here and people are very anxious and scared. NENSW is still recovering from the horrendous floods of 2022 and these poor people are going to experience the southern effects of the cyclone (extreme flooding). They need everyone's prayers. Thank you for keeping us all in your thoughts. 💕

Joanne said...

Hi Jennifer,
We had a simmilar sauce recipe, Cambell's tomato soup, no pineapple but the rest was the same. Even used it to make our version of lasagne :) How tastes change over the years.
When I first used garlic Mom and Dad were " not too much " . Now, many years later they are so used to it :)
We used to make a hot chocolate mix , a bisquick mix and a few snack mixes.
My brother who lives on Vancouver Island, Canada mentioned an earthquake last month that was out at sea. No further updates.
Great job making those doll clothes !
Thank you for all these images and photos !
hugs, take care,
Joanne

kiwimeskreations said...

Such a lovely gift for Rafaella - and made with love and prayers! something she will treasure for years.
Earthquakes can be somewhat off putting - we have a few here, but only once have I heard a rumble or boom with them... not the most pleasant experience to wake to.
Thank you for the recipe book - I will print it off tomorrow
May you be richly blessed Jennifer
Blessings
Maxine

Kalli Inman said...

Oh Jennifer I had to have a bit of a chuckle…as I was born and raised in what was known as Cereal City. Aka…Battle Creek, Michigan USA. The home of Kellogg’s, Post, and General Foods. We had the smell of cereals cooking in the air, and you could tell what it was by the smell. Also had sugar coated cars depending on how close you lived to the factories.
Thought you might get a chuckle too!

Anonymous said...

Dear Jennifer, I am very grateful for your recipe booklet -- useful as well as beautiful! Thank you so much! This will be helpful for many of us. Thank you for your blog. 🌷Esther (NL)

Susan said...

Thank you for the Pantry Recipe book. I thank God for your blog and for you and what you share with us. Your little outfits for Rafaella are so cute. I can see in my minds eye how happy she must be with them. Ikeep you and your family in our prayers.

Julie said...

Another beautiful heartfelt post dear Jennifer. Thank you for the pantry staples book which I will download today. That spagetti sauce recipe with the mince is very familiar to me, given to me years ago as a young mum by a friend who made it often. I can't recall if peas were included but definately the pineapple. I will dig mine out as I am tempted to make it now that we have quite a lot of mince in the freezer.
Jennifer those tiny clothes are so adorable. They make my heart beat faster!!! I can just imagine the delight that Raphaela must've felt opening such a heart felt gift. They do not take a lot of fabric as they are so teeny tiny.
I am pleased you are safe after the earthquake, I find them frightening things, we get a few here. Wishing you a wonderful weekend dear friend x0x (am late to read posts as computer has days where it will not work at all & today I am seizing the moment) !!

Kathy Rex said...

Thank you so very much for your staples book. What a treasure! I am going to make all the staples for my daughters and son, for Christmas! It will be welcomed so warmly!I do have a question… what are rice bubbles and where can I purchase them?
I have been a long time follower and love how you have centered your life in Christ and love your dedicated discipleship. Your “voice “ and thoughts have been know to lift me on a blue day. Thank you!!

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Apparently what we call rice bubbles in Australia, is rice krispies in the USA :-)

Christine M said...

I can remember the first time mum cooked spaghetti. We thought it was the most exotic thing we had eaten! Those little dolly clothes are so sweet. I always keep an eye out for gifts on clearance too. Lovely stitching project. Thank you for the ebook Jennifer. xx

MoeWest said...

Thank you for the pantry staples e-book Jennifer! I appreciate your generosity. The bunny clothes are a beautiful gift that will surely be treasured.

liferecipes said...

These are remarkable! I am going to try out so many of these. Here in the US, a can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup ranges from $2.38 to over $3. A dozen eggs is costing $8 now because of the avian bird flu. Our vegetable and fruit prices will be going up as soon as the tariffs with Mexico start in a month. We cannot grow our own yet because we are still in winter. So, yes, we need to be watching our costs very carefully. I hope you do not mind if I share these with some friends who will not publish. They, too, want to be frugal in these crazy times. They, like me, are all very happy to be alive and well. We are all thankful to God for all our many blessings!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for sharing the pantry staple book. It is so much appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for the recipes and little pattern. Could you please tell me what rice bubbles are. I have never heard of them. You are very sweet.

Jenny of Elefantz said...

As I mentioned in a previous comment, Rice Bubbles in Australia are known as Rice Krispies in the USA. :-)

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for sharing, it really is the simple things in life that can be the most precious, especially in this materialistic world we live in

Anonymous said...

Happy memories of my dear Mum, and her Mum before her, who stitched dresses for all our dolls, from Barbie and her family, to Tearie Dearie, through to our 18" dolls, and my walking doll - she sewed tirelessly for 4 girls, along with our new Sunday School Anniversary outfits each year - so grateful for such blessed memories.

Angie in SoCal said...

It such a delight to read your posts, Jenny. I find them refreshing and enlightening.Thanks for a the goodies this time. God's blessings to you and your family
Angie in SoCal

Chris said...

Thank you, Jennifer, for the lovely gift of the recipes!

Anonymous said...

I love love love your blog and patterns! I look forward to it every week. So very sorry about the wasp stings but glad you are feeling better now.
Yes, please share more from your Bible Studies!
It is so wonderful and inspiring! I too love Jesus and follow Him. Love you Jenny and praying for you and your family!