I want to say a special thank you to Leigh at Blog Chicks who helped me set up the new forum last week. She basically did the whole installation and advised me what to do along the way. It was a complicated process and without her help I would either have had to pay someone to do it or struggled with it for a long time.

I have never met Leigh. I came across her site when I was added to the top Australian women bloggers list, which she compiles. Then I found Blog Chicks, her forum for chicks who blog, like me. :- ) The forum is friendly and you can ask questions about blogging or troubleshoot there if you're having a problem with your blog. The forum is there to support and encourage blogging.

So this woman, whom I had never met, offered to help me after I slipped in a question about forums into a forum about blogging. I didn't know then that the support I would get from Leigh would be so gracious and generous, but true to the nature of her site, she encouraged and supported. I like that, a woman who not only talks the talk but also walks the walk.

If you have a blog, click here, drop by and register, you never know when you too will need help. Thanks Leigh.

I had a question from a reader the other day regarding cleaning soap making utensils and equipment. She wanted to know if it was okay to wash the soap making equipment and use it for other kitchen tasks that involve food. If you thoroughly wash all your utensils and equipment it is fine to use it all for other food making tasks. However, if you use a wooden spoon for soap making, you should dedicate that spoon to that task and store it with your soap making ingredients, rather than keep it in the kitchen. Wooden spoons are porous and might absorb some of the caustic elements of the soap making process and, if left to sit in a pot of stew, might contaminate the stew. I didn't read that anywhere, I thought of it myself.

So when you go to wash your plastic, glass and metal utensils, use your common sense, think about all the cracks and crevices that might hide soap. Soak them in the sink for a while then get a brush and scrub all the areas that might hold soap, or put it all in the dishwasher. When they're thoroughly clean, they're ready for your kitchen tasks. I know there is advice out there that says have a separate set of everything for soap making, but why?

We used to be a society that followed in the footprints of our parents. We had mothers and fathers who set the rules, were role models for their children and who taught by example. Sadly, that is not so common now. Often young people have to ask these questions because they have never seen, first hand, a lot of the things they want to do, like soap making, and they don't trust their own judgement to think it thorough themselves.


Common sense has a role to play in almost everything we do on a daily basis and yet many people don't trust themselves to make safe and sensible decisions. I have often wondered about that and I think it's because many decisions aren't ours to make any more. We are over protected. We have governments and local councils who make rules and regulations about such a wide variety of things, and corporations whose products line our shelves, that we don't really have to think about our own circumstances; we know there is a rule for it or a product we can buy.


I guess that is fine if you want to live a sheltered life, but I don't. I have decided to step outside what is "normal" for my class and age and I want to rely on myself more and others less. Now let me first say that I am not advocating anarchy or even civil disobedience, I am merely saying that I make my own decisions and, if there are any consequences for a wrong decision, I suffer that, and make sure I don't make the same mistake again. I am horrified when I see councils and governments setting regulations and making laws about all manner of things. You can't legislate against stupidity, they should have public awareness campaigns about taking responsibility for ourselves and reviving common sense.

One of the problems is that often we don't even know we are making a decision. For instance, if you buy those antiseptic kitchen wipes, and you haven't thought of the consequences of that, you will be wiping out the normal yeasts and bacteria that should be in your home. Yes, you will get rid of the bad bacteria, but those wipes don't discriminate, they wipe everything out, and then you wonder why you can't make ginger beer, sauerkraut or sour dough. Soap and water, or even a few drops of tea tree oil if you have a bad problem, will get rid of most bugs - the wipes used on a daily basis are overkill.

There are many examples I could come up with but let me just say that your life is the sum total of all the decisions you make, allowing someone else to make too many of those decisions for you will result in a one size fits all society that I don't want to be a part of. All the young mums out there pregnant with their first baby. I know you want to do the best for your child, but the best doesn't necessarily involve buying all the products you see out there. Think about the consequences of those buying decisions, both for yourself and your baby. Making more and buying less will not only put you in a better financial position it will also give your baby a greener future. Instead of being guided by advertising, be guided by your mother or your local mothers' group.

I love variety, change and difference and that is not a bad thing - you have seen how I live, I am not a radical, I am just advocating that you question, be sceptical, and decide for yourself. And even these words I'm offering to you now, you should question what I say, make sure it suits you and if it doesn't, keep doing what you're doing. But if you question, use your common sense and make decisions based on self reflection, consideration of consequences and how you want to live, you will make a life unlike any other.


I mean no disrespect highlighting this soap making question. I actually do understand why it was asked - skills are not being passed on, and being multi-skilled develops self confidence. But I hope to use the opportunity to highlight what I see as an underlying problem of mass dependence on needing, and sometimes wanting, others to think for us. There is a lot to be said for taking responsibility for one's self, questioning the way things are done and making your own way. My way might not be the right way for everyone else, but it suits me fine and it is like that because I think about my decisions, ignore rules that don't make sense to me and use my common sense. And that, my friends, has made all the difference.

Chances are you've come across recipes for meatballs in tomato sauce but I'm going to recommend mine to you because it's one of those that is perfect for us stockpilers - it uses items from the freezer, garden, pantry and stockpile cupboard.

The trick to this dish, and most other meat dishes, is to develop flavour in the meat by caramelising the sugars when you fry it. Caramelising is the process where you add a little oil to the frying pan, add the meat balls and let them fry to a brown stage without burning. The brownness that develops during that stage adds a huge amount of flavour to the final dish. Adding uncooked meatballs to a sauce will not give you the fine flavour that caramelising will. As most of you know, I cook from scratch and don't add bouillon cubes, stock powder, soup mixes or pre-cooked sauces. I prefer to develop the flavour already in the ingredients to build up in stages as I go. The result is a wholesome meal full of flavour but with no preservative or artificial flavours added.


MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Meatballs
750 grams (2 pounds) minced beef (ground beef)
1 large onion
herbs - I used parsley, oregano, bay and marjoram. You could also use chives, chilli, thyme or basil.
4 slices of old bread
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
salt and pepper

Sauce
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
whatever herbs you used in the meatballs, add here too, finely chopped.
several leaves of silverbeet or spinach, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tin tomatoes - or your home canned tomatoes, about 2 cups
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper

Method
Soak the old bread in the beaten eggs and milk. Finely chop the onion and herbs. I do this in a little processor so it's very fine. These are very small meatballs so your ingredients need to be very finely chopped. Add the meat to a bowl and add the soaked bread, leaving the rest of the egg mixture to one side. Add the chopped onion and herbs and mix with your clean hands. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whatever egg mixture is left over, add now and mix in so the meat and the other ingredients are thoroughly combined. Wash your hands, then with wet hands, form the meat into little balls.


Heat up your frying pan, add a small amount of oil and when the pan is hot, add the meatballs. Turn the balls so that all sides are able to brown. When the meatballs are brown all over, remove them from the pan to a plate and keep them to one side.


To make the sauce:
Use the same pan you fried the meat in. Add the chopped onion and garlic and stir while it cooks. Be careful as the garlic can burn. If it does it will add a bitter taste to you meal. When the onion is soft, add the tomato paste and stir in. Cook for two minute to get the raw taste out of the tomato paste. Add the tomatoes, chopped silverbeet/spinach and herbs and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste and the teaspoon of sugar. The sugar takes the acid taste off the tomatoes. If you're using your own home grown tomatoes, you probably don't need the sugar. Bring the sauce to the boil, then turn the heat right down to a simmer. Add the meatballs and continue cooking, very slowly, for 20 minutes.


Serve with pasta and a garden salad.


This amount is enough for at least two meals for Hanno and I, with a lunch for me to take to work. It can be frozen for a couple of months or whatever your freezer's recommendation is for processed meats or sausages.

I was going to answer a question about cleaning my soap making utensils and using them for other tasks. I have some thoughts that go along nicely with that topic, so I'll write a post about it all tomorrow.

I'll check those registrations now for the members who had trouble registering yesterday. So far we haven't had many problems with the registering and it's much easier than the other forum. The moderators have worked very hard to bring over as many of the old threads as they could manage but we're also keeping the old forum as an archive you can dip into. All the signs indicate that this forum will be better than the old one, it's user friendly and many of the members are used to the format of VBulletin. When we are all settled in, there will be swaps, challenges, competitions and prizes in each of the sections. It's already a bustling community full of people eager to learn and pass on what they know. The atmosphere is calm and friendly and the threads are building up nicely. Over 300 people have signed up in the past 24 hours, why don't you join us?

We are waiting for rain to fall. Our tanks are empty. There was thunder and lightening last night but only about five minutes of rain. We are using town water on the vegetables to keep them growing and each time I do that I think that we should get another tank. I thought 15,000 litres/4,000 gallons would be enough for us, our annual rainfall is 1200mm/47 inches, but it is apparent that if we are to produce backyard food on an ongoing basis, we need to store more water for these times of drought.

But despite our water shortage, the garden is growing well and producing some nice vegetables. At the moment we are growing cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums (peppers), leeks, lettuce, sunflowers, radishes, zucchini, bok choi, celery, silver beet, the last of the kale and cabbages, beetroot, wild rocket (arugula) carrots, corn, eggplant, Welsh onions, parsley, chives, oregano, curry plant, marjoram, yarrow, comfrey, thyme, bay and a selection of fruit.

The first of the eggplants. These are heirlooms, Black Beauty.



Tomatoes and lettuce, all we need is the bread.

I used to think housekeeping and the mindset that supported it was demeaning and dependence-driven. In those days of high-flying Rhonda, power and independence were demonstrated by having enough money to get others to look after my home for me. I knew a home was a necessity but I didn't realise its significance. I didn't take the time to get to know my own home until I gave up work - there was something calling me back home but I didn't know how much I would be changed by being here until I surrendered all thoughts of the outside world, slowed down and focused on living to my true potential.

Now that I've cut myself off from the overtly commercial world and shop only for needs rather than wants, I have come to see the domestic world I live in with kinder eyes, and I appreciate it much more than I ever did before. I know now that I am more independent than I have ever been. I am not tied down by debt, contracts, fashion, trying to prove myself to indifferent people or wanting to be more than I am or have more than I need.

I had forgotten that cooking a meal at night was not just about food but also nutrition, health, integrity, reliability and the most effective way of drawing a growing family close each day. Until I took up my knitting needles I didn't fully understand the satisfaction of using and wearing hand made. Smelling the aroma of home made bread awoke in me the memory of it when I was little - my father was a baker. All these things, and more, helped me come back to myself. The softness of my home made it a place of peace and comfort, it was easy to be here and when I made it the productive and creative place I needed it to be I didn't want to leave.

I am happiest when I am working at home, knowing that my family is happy and healthy and well on the way to building their own lives. When I keep my house as clean as a whistle, take time out for knitting, watching the chooks and the wild birds and gardening, when I cut, pin and sew each afternoon and cook a good meal from our backyard each day, I consider that success of the finest order. But I don't just live for what I can do for myself and my family, I live also so that I can give to others and therefore I spend time on my blog and forum, I volunteer in the community and help where I can. There are never enough hours.

I guess the biggest surprise for me about living a life focused on home is the independence and power that comes from that. Gone are the days when I looked for validation in shopping malls and being just like my contemporaries. Now I'm pleased to stand apart, I don't want to be like anyone else, I don't bother about fashion or trends, I know now that my true value is more complex than that.

There is a feeling of control and self-reliance that comes from getting my house in order, from growing vegetables and fruit; planning out a day; knowing how to store and prepare wholesome food; from working out a frugal budget and sticking to it; being creative and skillful enough to produce the majority of my family's needs; learning how to get the best from what we own and to use those assets to help us live well; and by being prepared, emotionally and financially, for hard times, while working towards and celebrating times of abundance and family growth.

I am not going to say that living as I do is right for everyone but I'm pleased I know now that it's right for me. I know now that my home is a reflection of me and that getting to know my home and becoming comfortable here helped me understand myself and my place in the world. Being here at home has given me direction, it's enriched my life and made me a better person than I was. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter much how I live but when groups of us live in a purposeful way, it does make a difference. One of the absolute pleasures of writing here as I do is that I have come to know there are many who live in a thoughtful and purposeful way, and for that I am ever thankful.

I hope you have a beautiful week.

One of my long time blog friends, Little Jenny Wren, has done a tutorial on the most delightful little pinwheel hair clips. I want to add it to the projects we can make for Christmas. If you've never visited Jenny's site, pop over there today and be prepared for a treat.

When I stopped eating meat for all those years, the one thing I missed was meatloaf. Ha! Meatloaf is a frugal favourite for a lot of people. I like it because it's a tasty, cheap meal and I can cook one meatloaf and it will do us for dinners and sandwiches for quite a few days. On the first day I always bake vegetables in the oven alongside the meatloaf, the second day I slice a few pieces off and reheat them, they are served with mashed potato, pumpkin, carrots and silverbeet. The third day it's cold meatloaf with salad.

Everyone has their own favourite recipe, and I have mine, but since I read Nourishing Traditions, I've modified my recipe slightly. Here is the Nourishing Traditions recipe:

SPICY MEAT LOAF
2 pounds (1 kilo) of ground beef or any other red meat
½ pound of ground heart (optional) - I don't add this
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped - I grate the carrot
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme - I use fresh thyme
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ cups whole grain bread crumbs - I use three slices whole grain bread
1 cup cream - I use ½ cup milk
1 egg - I add two eggs in with the milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
4 tablespoons tomato paste - I don't add this

Saute onions, carrot and celery in butter until soft. Add chilli flakes, thyme, pepper and salt and stir around. [Take off heat and allow to cool] Meanwhile, soak bread crumbs in beaten eggs and milk.
Have a 9 inch Pyrex pan ready. Using your hands, mix meat with vegetables, soaked bread, and fish sauce. Form into a loaf and put in the pan. Spread tomato paste on top and bake in the oven on 350 F (180C) for 1½ hours. I don't cook my meatloaf in a loaf pan. I form it into a loaf and put it into a baking dish. I prefer this method because I think putting it in a loaf pan makes it stew in the juices instead of roasting it.

You don't need to buy the extra lean ground beef for this dish. According to Nourishing Traditions (page 357) The University of Missouri conducted tests on regular, lean and extra lean ground beef. They found that the broiling (grilling) process almost levelled out the cholesterol and fat content of the beef. They started as 28.5 percent for the regular beef and nine percent for the extra lean. The higher fat beef lost mainly fat and cholesterol while the leaner meat lost moisture. In the end the regular beef had only four percent more fat than the leaner beef but the test tasters said the regular beef was juicer and more tender.

If you would like to serve a good gravy with the meatloaf, throw out that gravy mix and do this instead. When you take the meat from the roasting pan, drain off any excess fat in the pan keeping about ½ cup - it needs to cover the bottom of the pan. Add salt and pepper, ½ cup plain (all purpose) flour and stir this all together over a medium heat. Stand at the pan and keep stirring because this can easily burn. What you're trying to do is to develop a deep brown colour in the mix without burning it. When it gets towards the colour you like for your gravy, add homemade stock if you have it (beef or chicken will do) or water if you have no stock. Stir quickly, to prevent lumps forming, until the liquid is thick and lump-free. Turn the gravy right down to a very low heat and serve your meat and vegetables and then pour the hot gravy on top of the meat. This gravy will store in the fridge for one night - use it the next day.

I'm going to be busy today. I have some fundraising baking to do this morning. I'm making a couple of dozen mini quiches to be sold at our stall this morning. If you're in Maleny, please drop buy, we have cakes, slices, plants and books, and all money raised goes to the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre. After I drop off the quiches, I'll come home again to tidy up and after lunch I'll drive Hanno to the doctor. He's been having trouble with his knee for some time and his doctor has referred him on to a specialist. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it's nothing serious.

There is a bit of work to be done over the weekend but I hope to get through it all early so I can spend a bit of time knitting and sewing. There are always things to do when you make the majority of what you use - sometimes you look forward to the tasks, sometimes you don't But overall being busy with life tasks fills my days with interesting work and that is the most anyone can hope for. I'd take interesting work over watching "soapies", shopping and "retirement" any day.

Thank you for your comments here and visits to the forum this week. I love reading your comments, they give me the feeling that I'm not alone and inspire me more than you can know. I hope you have a peaceful weekend.

Good morning everyone. I don't have time for my normal post today but I'll be answering a few questions in the comments later. In the meantime, the voting in the Nuffnang blog awards finishes this Sunday and I would really love you to vote for me until the voting finishes. Just click here for the voting page.

You can vote more than once but only every two hours. Thank you! I'll see you tomorrow.