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, 

You will find me on Instagram HERE @jennyofelefantz

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