Call for recipes ... and some answers

On Tuesday I'll be doing the final session of my Centre's frugal living workshop. I told everyone I'd bring along a few more thrifty recipes for them to try, so I'm asking you all for your help. I'll be taking along the extra recipes I promised them, but I'd like to include more. I want everyone to rack their brains and give me just one recipe. It should be the recipe you think everyone should have, something you use over and over again because it's so great, something that saves you money on a regular basis. It can be any recipe - either for food or a cleaner.

I'll post them all tomorrow so everyone here can share them as well. Thanks everyone!

I'm going to answer some of your questions here because I didn't have a chance to come back here yesterday.

First up, Jennie has shared her silverbeet bread recipe. Thanks Jennie!

Recipe for Silver Beet Bread

• 2 tsp dry yeast
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 55g grated cheese (strong flavoured if possible)
• 375g flour
• 80 g silver beet
• 3 tsp oil
• 235 ml water

Chop silver beet very finely, add to other ingredients in breadmaker, select white bread cycle. This makes a dense loaf with a delicious nutty flavour.

Diana, this is the pattern I usually use, it's a basket weave pattern, and very simple:
I usually do a basket weave pattern because it's easy to keep track of. Cast on 50 stitches and do two rows of plain knitting. At the beginning of a row start doing 5 plain, then 5 purl and repeat to the end of the row, do five rows of that. Then, to get the basket effect, start your row with 5 purl, then 5 plain, and repeat till the end. Do five rows of that then go back to the row starting with 5 plain. If you do ten rows of alternating plain and purl, you'll have a square. End off with a two rows of plain and cast off.

This is the dishcloth I'm working on right now. This is the bamboo and cotton blend yarn and the needles are a beautiful pair of Tasmania Oak needles my sister gave me. They're 5mm, AUand UK size 6/US size 8.

I have written about dishcloths before, there is a post here and a general post on needlework here. If you've never knitted before, please give it a try. This pattern is a really simple one, but there are many others to try in the links contained in the old posts I've linked to above. Don't be put off by the abbreviations, needle sizes or ply types. It will all become clearer after you've knitted a few cloths. There is an explanation of knitting terms here. If you're just starting out on the road to simplicity, or if you're looking to add another skill, knitting is an easy and simple craft to learn. It's portable, so you can take it with you when you go out and it's very relaxing.

Anonymous 2 May 2008 19:46: It sounds like you're either leaving your bread too long to rise or you're adding too much water. Dough shouldn't spread out, it should just rise up. Try cutting back on the water a bit.

Still at Home, I believe a good salt is any simple salt that has not been processed. Check your label before buying. You'd think they couldn't add anything to salt, but they do. They add "pouring agents" or aluminium. I think I crave the minerals good sea salt contains. In addition to sodium chloride there are also traces of manganese, iron, sulpher, potassium, zinc, copper and other minerals. Also, good salt doesn't taste as salty as processed salt. It sounds weird I know, but unprocessed sea salt has a more subtle taste than its processed cousin. And please don't be lured into buying expensive salt. Although it is a delicious treat on occasion, your common old sea salt, sometimes called cooking salt, will do the trick. You will have to replace your salt shaker with a little salt bowl because sea salt won't pour through a tiny hole.

Anonymous 2 May 2008 22:55, we've never had hornworms here so I have no advice. With powdery mildew I will cut off all the old and affected leaves and increase my spaying of seaweed tea. Here is a very useful link for dealing organically with some fungal problems.

Stacy, the only silly question is the unasked one. I use dried yeast and store it in the fridge. I generally buy a 500 gram (1 lb) bag and because I bake bread almost every day, I easily get through that before it dies. I wish you both all the best in your marriage. You know that you can simplify anywhere, just go slow, one step at a time, and you'll make good progress. I reckon the real secret is to enjoy it and develop yourself and your life as you live.

Lyn, I don't watch Oprah, I have quite a few American friends, both online and off. That is where my opinion was formed. It really wasn't a criticism, more of a personal observation and I think the most important part of that observation was in the statement "that has changed". I believe America has to be part of the solution, it has been a major part of the problem in the past. This is from the Boston Globe:

"Americans consume like no other nation -- using three times the amount of water per capita than the world average and nearly 25 percent of the world's energy, despite having 5 percent of the global population; and producing five times more daily waste than the average in poor countries."

This isn't about apportioning blame though, we are all to blame, it's about solutions and seeing with my own eyes the changes that many Americans are making now. We all need those changes to keep happening in your country, we need you to put pressure on your governments to provide leadership. I want my blog to be an encouragement to others, I try to write with integrity and from my heart. So please don't feel you or your country are being criticised, I see us more as recognising our problems and working together on solutions. :- )

I have more than enough recipes now. NO MORE RECIPES ... THANKS EVERYONE!

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