Clean Sheets

7 little luxuries that make the best gifts

I have been absorbed by writing Decembers recipe of the month for almost two weeks now, which is why posts  have been appearing at late hours and perhaps not at all! As a result I am not as organised as I have been in previous years buying gifts but my list has very few spaces so once I start it should be quick (she says, with her fingers crossed!) It's one month away today...

I don't know anyone who isn't making an effort to spend less at the moment, so personal luxuries if not totally cut out are at least harder to justify.

It struck me that great gifts this year will be the things that people may have to cut back on or may be feeling a little guilty spending money on. Here's 7 that came to mind:

The Neglected Gadget Update

You may recall I promised to use the bread maker more. I was doing okay, I suppose a teacher would have said "satisfactory" in a report on my performance. On Sunday evenings we habitually had a homemade pizza made with dough from the bread maker. Focaccia and bread roll dough were delicious when I made the small effort of filling and turning on the machine.

The motivation:

Two weeks ago I called to a neighbour and her house was filled with the aroma of freshly baked walnut bread. They had just invested in a breadmaker and were churning out their daily bread. This prompted me to up my game, and for 2 weeks and 3 days the only bread we've eaten has been home baked from the machine.

Project: Mister Bluebird or Pinkbird or whatever colour you have!

I look at sewing blogs with great enthusiasm and a little awe, I even print out patterns with great intentions but apart from the dog quilts there has been little productivity from me and my sewing machine for the last 4 years. I had a massive burst of nursery accessories before the Princess was born and they are still in daily use but are shamefully the most recent testament to my limited (I won't be making a wedding dress anytime soon) sewing abilities.  

Spool sewing inspired these birds with their free pattern, they have made beautiful mobiles with them. 

Breastfeeding - an article for all, even if you've no children or boobs!

PLEASE DON'T CLOSE THIS WINDOW - because If you know anyone who is having or has a baby you could be a support to them if they wish to breastfeed.

I don't want to start an arguement about breast versus bottle, we need to move on from that and make sure that anyone who wants to breastfeed their baby gets the support they need and that it becomes an option more people consider. Breastfeeding rates in Ireland are really low. This is a pity as breastfeeding provides many benefits for mother, baby, siblings and dad.

This article in the Irish Times by Sheila Wayman gets to the heart of the real issues facing mothers who are breastfeeding their children. It shows that everyone needs to look at their attitudes and make sure they are open and supportive. I am not going to repeat the benefits so well explained in this article, but here's a little slice of my experience:

Eat what's in season, but what's in season?

The eat local, eat seasonal, message is being directed at us from every medium. It makes sense financially, environmentally, and for our health. Unless you are a keen gardener or growing vegetables commercially it's not always immediately apparent what is in season. Preservation methods and transport mean many fruit and vegetables are available year round in shops.

My parents and grandparents both grew vegetables commercially and at home. I grew up knowing that cabbage is harvested (by hand) in inclement weather and that onions are harvested just after back to school time in September. Onions store well, but by mid to late summer last years one's are no longer of such good qaulity and that's why New Zealand onions creep into stores at that time of year. The journey to see our aunt in Wexford in June was punctuated by new potato and strawberry sellers on the roadside, these are the sort of seasonal landmarks in my year that prompt my cravings.

If you keep an eye on prices it'll be fairly obvious, a strawberry in November is much more expensive than in June. The country of origin is another clue: when Irish strawberries are in the shops in great quantities that's when they are at their best. Of course citrus fruits are at their best from now until late spring but you won't find too many of them from Irish farms! Right now the little ones, clementines, satsumas, and mandarin oranges are tasty and easy to peel and coming up to Christmas regular oranges come into their own. Marmalade oranges are in the shops for a short time in the New Year.

I was delighted to find the best in season website from Board Bia and even more pleased with the chart listing what is in season and when. It's up in the kitchen now and serves as inspiration when I am menu planning. The chart lists fruit, veg and herbs.

Vegetables in season in Ireland in November are: Beetroot, Brocolli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrotts, Celeriac, Celery, Kale, Leeks, Round Lettuce, Mushrooms, Onions, Pak Choi, Parsnips, Main Crop Potatoes, and Swedes. Plenty of choice: in season and grown here in Ireland.

   

Free Recipe Sheets now In Abbeyfeale

Toddy McMahon's Butcher in Abbeyfeale is now offering their customers cleansheets recipe sheets absolutely free.

Recipe of the month is Thai Style Chicken Stir Fry and there are ideas and tips on the back of the page.

If you are from the area, please call in and tell Toddy and his team we sent you. If you know anyone from that part of Co. Limerick please let them know, they can now pick up free recipe each month with their quality meat!

Play Dough

No picture today, you have to imagine a two year old and three year old happy as clams, at the kitchen table messing with play dough making shapes and animals. some recognisable to me, some not, but that is due to the limits of my imagination not their sculpting!

 

Yesterday we made some play dough. I find this quantity is enough for one child. I usually make one colour per child (they choose the colour), but I'm lazy!

Plastic cookie cutters are best for play dough as the metal ones rust due to the salt.

This is quick to put together and keeps for a couple of days in a plastic bag. Don't put it in the fridge. If it gets a bit sticky add more flour.

When the kids are finished the best way to pick up bits of dough off the kitchen floor is to take a little dough in your hand and use it to gather the dropped bits.

Don't forget to make some for yourself, sculpting is quite therapeutic!

Ingredients:

A cup of plain flour

Half a cup of salt

Tablespoon of sunflower oil

A few drops of food colouring

Half a cup of water (approx)

Method:

Put all the dry ingredients and oil in a bowl.

Add a few drops of food colouring to the water.

Add 3/4 of the water to the dry ingredients, mix with your hands if it's to dry to come together as a dough add a little more water. If it's to sticky add some more flour.

Have fun!

A comprehensive Christmas Card List

We send quite a lot of Christmas cards, between 70 and 80 each year. It sounds a bit daft but the rest of the year I am not a thoughtful person. I am hopeless at remembering birthdays and even worse at the advance planning involved in getting a card to someone on time via the post. Texting has made me even lazier. My new year resolution might be to reach for my friend Caroline's standards in this area. She remembers all of our significant occasions with at least a text and a handmade homemade card arrives for my birthday, our anniversary and at Christmas!

In contrast to this evidence of the lack of a 'hallmark' gene, last year I put our entire christmas card list on a spread sheet and mail merged labels for the envelopes. The time this saved was even more than I anticipated. I print our cards myself (photo of the kids on the front) and added a little synopsis of the family's year, printed labels with a return address on them and bought self adhesive stamps. So everybody received an informative seasonal greeting on time(!) from our house last year and once the spreadsheet was up and running it only took a couple of evenings instead of several like previous years.

Recipe: Thai Style Chicken Stir Fry

It seems only moments since I posted October's Recipe of the Month and here is November's.

Thai Style Chicken Stir Fry recipe on page 1 along with some gift ideas, alternatives to chicken for this recipe and an introduction to one of my most useful store cupboards staples Marigold Swiss Vegetable Boullion on page 2. 

Download November_2009[1]

Hard to believe this is the 6th one I have published, time truly flies when you're having fun. I'm putting links to them all here in case you missed one and want to catch up without trawling through all the food posts.

October: Autumn Lamb in Shepherd's Pie

September: Sage Roast Pork Steak with Roast Vegetables

August: Picnic and Packed Lunch Ideas

July: Summer Herb Marinaded Steak

June: Gently Spiced Meatballs

Of course if you do have a trawl there are lots more recipes that weren't recipe of the month.

It's not all about the big city...

Cleansheets recipe sheets have brought me to a few rural towns recently and I have been pleasantly surprised by each of them for different reasons.    

the Early Bird Cafe in Bandon, Co.Cork at 85 South Main Street Phone; 023 20465 is a bright airy cafe. Comfortable chairs, an area to sit outside (at the back, not on the pavement) and thoughtful features like newspapers and best of all a box of toys... I kid you not. A box of toys to buy you an extra few minutes to finish your coffee in peace. There is space to bring a buggy in and out comfortably so it's a winner with our team. Everything else you would expect in a modern Italian style cafe appears of good quality, I can vouch personally for the coffee and scones.

Objekt in Newcastlewest Co.Limerick, has some very funky furniture but don't dimiss it as a big budget item haven only, there are lots of quirky gifts to be found among the inspirational furniture. Candles in colours good enough to eat, frames that are worth seeking out great photos for, candy coloured kids cutlery and the jewel coloured plastic butter dishes pictured above (€17.95), an orange one now graces my Mum's kitchen.

Elizabelle in Listowel, Co. Kerry where I bought these lovely hooks, have got some of their Christmas decorations in and I was really impressed and unable to resist hearts made from read berries threaded on wire, they would fit in with any decorating theme and are just the right combination of natural and whimsy, that would not look out of place throughout the winter in any home.

So as the festive season approaches consider a trip off the beaten christmas shopping track and find something a little different, with cheaper parking, less traffic - both human and vehicular it'll be good for you and good for the town you visit!

Have you a little treasure chest near you that always offers something different or do you own a treaure chest store? Post a comment, I'd love to hear about it.