A new book, a curry and homemade yoghurt...

This lovely book arrived yesterday.  I am excited to try some of the yummy bread recipes in there!

I made a nice chicken curry for dinner, last night.  

I also did a tomato/cucumber chutney (raw) and a cucumber raita.  These team really well with it.

Stay home fakeaway! As good as any takeaway curry! 

I thought I’d give Outback Tania’s homemade Greek yoghurt.  I followed her tutorial ...

...that’s the yoghurt mixed up (I did use my Bamix to really mix well)...then into the EasiYo yoghurt maker...

...and voila! This morning I have a kilo of Greek Yoghurt!  I refrigerated for a few hours before tasting.  It’s quite firm but next time I might use just a smidge less water for a thicker outcome.  Delicious drizzled with lavender honey!  

This is the most successful I’ve been with the EasiYo - I have tried a few sachets but always have had runny yoghurt.  If you have a kit, have a go at this method.

Cheers - Joolz xx

Sally rallies...

So, Sally rallied and the dough rose well overnight.

I made a loaf and 12 rolls with the batch.

The rolls browned up okay but afew remained pale.

I was very pleased with the loaf.

I'm going to try a batch of soap soon. Not sure when, but soon...so I'm drying some little rose buds to decorate the bars of soap with.

My Soul Sister rose is producing some blooms but the bushes are a bit spindly. I think their next season will be better. Still in love with these flowers!

Rhonda shared a recipe for Salmon rissoles today so I gave them a go tonight...

http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/salmon-rissoles.html

I gently sautéed fresh corn, spring onions, capsicum and chives in a bit of butter...

They were very good. We just had a simple salad with them. Definitely printin this recipe off!

Cheers - Joolz xx

Sally lives!

Oh dear, I thought I'd killed her!

I had neglected Sally Sourdough starter so badly, she looked ghastly. A nasty scummy film of I don't know what covered her. The colour was not good either! I carefully removed said scum which only left a bit of Sally left. I then tipped all of her into a bowl and fed her, just 1/4 cup of bakers flour and 1/4 cup of water. I fed her a few more times later on Sunday. That was yesterday and today she has rallied and at least showed signs of life...

When I got home at lunch time I portioned off a good 1/2 cup into another bowl and fed her again. I tipped this Sally back into her jar. She must be happy because this is how bubbly she was when I got home tonight.

This is the remainder so I will mix dough tonight to rise overnight. Looks like Sally lives to see another day!

Cheers - Joolz xx

Sluggish sourdough and a birthday...

Remember how I had fed up my starter on Saturday?  I fed it again on Sunday and by the evening it seemed good and bubbly so I made a high hydration loaf, following 

The Life of Clare's recipe

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It was very cold overnight and when I checked the dough on Monday morning, it had risen a bit but not to the top of the bowl like it usually does...

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I gently flipped and folded the dough (I had halved it into 2 bowls) and left if for a while, sitting in a warmed oven which had been turned off...just to get it going.  Then I just left it for the rest of the day while I went to work...

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It had risen when I got home so I made a focaccia with one and a loaf with the other...

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Oh, wow! It turned out great!

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Nice open crumb and it tasted delicious!

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The loaf, maybe could have done with a few minutes less but it was fantastic also!

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Celia from Fig jam and lime cordial said when sourdough is a bit sluggish you just have to wait...which is what I did.  She said this loaf looked 'burnished and grand'!

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The weather has been cold the last few days and we are in for a cold snap tomorrow and Friday...

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We are south of Adelaide and its colder here so I may need to whip up this little number to keep me warm!  Lol!

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Today is my beloved's birthday so I whipped up a chocolate cake to take to work and share with the staff at smoko time...

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This recipe makes the fudgiest chocolate cake without it being a mud cake.  Throw all the ingredients into a food processor, blitz and you are done!

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Dana's chocolate cake (cupcakes) - scroll down a bit for the recipe.

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Perfect bundt cake...

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Frosted to perfection!

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These are a few pics from my archives of the last leaves on my silver birch trees...

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I hope you are keep warm wherever you are in the Southern Hemisphere and cool in the Northern.  I hear California in parts, is reaching 48C which is ridiculously hot!  That is not a problem where I am at the moment, we are going for 13C tomorrow and 11C on Friday.  Providing the wind stays away, it is bearable!

Cheers - Joolz xx

Quiet Sunday...

With the man of the house away for most of the day, I spent a quiet day indoors. 

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I put towels out as it was really windy but I knew rain was on the way...
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 It started raining around noon, on and off, so I cross stitched for a while...

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This pattern is Dear Jane, taken from an old Civil War quilt dating back to 1863.

I'm half way through it now.  I started this back in 2010 and just pulled it out to have another go at it...

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Our autumn has been mild and I'm still getting roses from the garden...

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I gave the tables out under the pergola a wipe down and de-cobwebbed the windows then swept the pavers. Still a bit of tidying up to do but its better than it was...

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Bonnie is still under the weather.  Gus (who says he hates the cat) decided she needed some fillet steak to cheer her up! 

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This morning I tackled another sourdough loaf.  It rose really well.

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I cut it at lunch time and its a bit holier so I'm on the right track!

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Cheers - Joolz xx

Overnight Sally Sourdough...

I followed Celia's tutorial for this bread...

https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2014/12/12/an-overnight-sourdough-in-pictures/

I began feeding my Sally starter on Friday afternoon but she was still sluggish yesterday so I just tipped that out and started again. Naughty Sally!

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So starting over, at 1pm I fed 1/2 cup of starter with 1/4 cup bakers flour and water...

4.30pm I fed it 1/2 cup flour and water...

Then I promply forgot about it as I got busy making dinner later thst evening. It wasn't until we were going to bed that I remembered it. 

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I peered in at Sally and she was nicely bubbly and ready to party!

So at 11pm (!) I am mixing dough in my mixer, crazy lady style!

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Sally had risen to the top of my big bowl this morning ~ good girl!

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I decided I'd make a pistachio and cranberry loaf and a plain loaf...

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Deliciously fluffy dough plopped out of the bowl...

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I folded in the thirds...

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...and divided it in two.

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I shaped the first loaf just by gently pulling the outer edged into the middle, round and around...

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...then plopped it into the cane banneton which I hope I have floured enough!

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The second loaf, I massaged in some pistachios and cranberrys, just turning the fruit and nuts in until they disappeared, then added more to do the same. 

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I have no idea how this will turn out but we'll give it a go.

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Here it is all combined...

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Both loaves ready to prove...

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Hooray! It came out of the banneton without sticking! Happy dance!

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Celia says to "slash with panache"...

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45 minutes later...

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Yum!

I sliced it immediately to see how it was. I'm hoping the fruit/nut distribution will be better through the middle of the loaf.

It is delicious!

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Cheers - Joolz xx