tomato kasundi

The tomatoes are ripening up so fast, especially with the hot weather we continue to have.  Pick them one day and the next day there's another lot ready and waiting.


Last year one of my neighbours gave me a jar of tomato kasundi.  I'd never heard of it before but I'll give just about anything a go!  After consulting with the university of google - as I do on a regular basis - I learnt that it is a spicy Indian tomato relish and its fantastic!  I ended up just eating it on toast by itself or in a bread roll when I had nothing on hand for it to go with.  DS16 has been hassling me to make some more, so with the abundance of tomatoes at the moment, we've now got enough kasundi to last us a while.


So here it is .....


TOMATO KASUNDI


1 1/2 black mustard seeds
1 1/2 cups malt vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
20 cloves of garlic
20 fresh green chillies (I used half amount of big ones, mix of red & green)
2 kg firm ripe tomatoes
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons ground turmeric
4 tablespoons ground cumin
1-2 tablespoons chilli powder, to taste
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt

DAY 1


Put mustard seeds, chilli, garlic, ginger and vinegar in a blender and puree.  Let sit overnight.

Peel and chop tomatoes.  Add 1 tablespoon salt and let sit in bowl overnight.

DAY 2


Strain liquid off tomatoes.  


Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan until smoking hot.  Allow to cool slightly, then add the ground turmeric, cumin and chilli powder and fry, stirring for a few minutes.  


Add tomatoes, blended vinegar mixture, sugar and salt.  Simmer until tomatoes are reduced to pulp and the oil starts to float on top.  Taste and add more salt if required.  Bottle and seal while hot.  

Leave the pickle to mature for one week before using.

It is very spicy so you don't need a lot, we love it!




Hope you're having a great weekend :)

uninvited guest

Yesterday when folding clothes I went to drape a shirt over the back of a chair and got the surprise of my life!!

DS4 was terrified of it!  The body and head was about 10 cm long.  I left it there for a while to show DH when he came home from work and he carried it outside.


Hope you're all having a wonderful week :)

more tomato for breakfast

I'm  certainly loving my tomatoes!!!

Another yummy breakfast.


So, what do you do when you don't know what to do??


KIDS - AARRGH!


Eldest has decided to go back to the boyfriend.  He has treated her badly, she says everything was her fault - after he told that to DH of course among many other things he said.  It was his conversation with DH that was it for us.  Our opposition to her decision but more so her behaviour and treatment of her family has not gone down well.  She's not heartbroken anymore, but I am.  She can't understand why we're not embracing the reconciliation like she is, after all the things he said and the way she was treated.  We were there for her, we cried for her, we loved her no matter what.  She is our daughter.  She is shunning her family.


Last night when I went to bed, the tears start falling and I couldn't stop them.  I thought of that beautiful little baby I so proudly brought home from hospital.  The little girl who was always laughing and off in some imaginative world.  The teenager starting high school who was bewildered by the bitching and how nasty other girls could be - 'why can't everyone be friends mum'.  To the seventeen year old who said 'you did a good job raising us mum', when she left school.  To the lovely young lady she was becoming who was so kind and sweet, this is not who she is anymore.  


I look at her, I can't find my girl.  She is lost in some place and I'm scared she'll never find her way out.


In some way I feel I have failed her.  I've been a good mum.  Not perfect, I made lots of mistakes.  There were a lot of times I couldn't find that damn manual on parenting - that's right, there's not one, it was trial and error and a whole lot of gut feeling.  Gut feeling is often good - why does it feel so bad now?


Of course we will always be here for her.  She's our daughter ..... but I can't find my girl.


What do you do, when you don't know what to do??


I hope you all have a great week :)

enjoying the tomatoes!

I've been patiently waiting, waiting, waiting for my tommies to be ready.  The last few days have seen quite a few picked, going into salads for dinner.  This morning on my way out to greet the chook children, I saw splashes of red through the vege patch.


Do you know what I just love for brekkie?


Freshly sliced tomato on warm toast, lightly sprinkled with ground black pepper and salt - the best part??  All homegrown and home made.

Of course, the obligatory cup of freshly brewed stove top coffee to accompany, mmmm, what a wonderful start to the day.

Yesterdays pick of tomatoes ....... just found my recipe for Tomato Kasundi ......... think it's time for a batch!

Have a lovely day :)

homemade dishwashing powder

When we were building our new house, there were many things I wanted that I'd never had, simple things really, but a dishwasher was not one of them.  It was DH who insisted on this, not sure why as he doesn't do the dishes!  I have to admit there have been times that I've thought its the best thing I've got that I never wanted.  Its the kids job to do dishes at night, but with DS16 being in Germany for six weeks and more often than not just three of us home I've been washing them and not using it.  However, with him back and eldest being home as well now, its getting a good work out.  There was a period of three months - an electricity bill length - where I banned it to see the difference in the electricity bill.  I couldn't believe there was none, so much to the delight of the dishwashers it started up again.


About six months ago I found a recipe for homemade dishwashing powder.  I can't remember where abouts, I just googled and printed.  I just couldn't justify the cost of shop brought powder and it was another cost saving measure, although knowing what's in it is just as important to me.




DISHWASHING POWDER


1 cup borax
1 cup bi-carb soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid
30 drops citrus essential oil


Mix thoroughly and store in an airtight plastic container.  Use 1 tablespoon at a time.


I found in one lot that it tended to clump after a while.  I think this was due to the lid not being sealed properly, I just give it a good stir or shake up each time.

 I also use white vinegar for the rinsing aid which works just as well as commercial ones.


Hope you're having a great week, we've had a small respite from the heatwave, back up to very high temps at the moment!


Trying to keep cool :)

tuesday treat

Here's another yummy slice recipe for you.


This one I remember my Mum always made at Christmas.  Dad loved ginger, this was one of his favourites.  I don't like ginger as a rule, but love this slice.


Another no bake one.

CHOCOLATE GINGER SLICE


1 cup chopped dates
65g preserved ginger, finely chopped
125g butter (not margarine)
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups cornflakes
1 small block chocolate


Melt butter, sugar, dates and finely chopped ginger in a saucepan; keep stirring until well mixed and mushy.  Stir in cornflakes and spread in a 17 x 27cm greased tin.  Melt chocolate in double saucepan and spread over mixture.


Put in fridge and when slice is hard, cut into small squares.  Store in the fridge.




Mmmm, yummy!


Have a great day :)

awol and far too busy

I'm not quite sure what I've been doing with myself over the last couple of weeks, it seems to have gotten away from me rather rapidly....that and I decided not to turn my computer on for a week....


Lets see .....  


DS16 is home from Germany, now its feels like he never left, 

DS4 and I made special cookies that he got for Christmas,

They never turn out quite like the picture do they .... we had fun though!

We found some fig trees on the side of the road, had a 'picking session' and made jam,

Do you see that red splash right in the middle of the photo .... that's DH climbing the tree!

Went crabbing in the Swan River in Perth,

DD19 had her last procedure (hopefully) and has been pain free - the first time in months,

Did some more fishing and camping on the beach,

This time with good friends,

Hubby quit his job, took a pay cut and went back to his old company .... in his words ' family comes first and working 60 - 70 hours a week is detrimental to our family life', 

At last I got some tomatoes,

Today we finally get a break in the heatwave, 

Why does it take nothing to feel exhausted these days??

tuesday treat

I thought it was about time I posted the recipes for those yummy treats I made at Christmas and posted about here.  


I'll do one every week.

NO-BAKE HAZELNUT SLICE


125g butter
3/4 cup condensed milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup
250g packet milk arrowroot biscuits, finely crushed
1 cup flaked almonds, toasted


Topping
250g block hazelnut chocolate, chopped
60g copha


Place butter, condensed milk and golden syrup into a small saucepan.  Stir over low heat until butter is melted.  Simmer for 2 minutes.


Place biscuit crumbs into a large bowl.  Add almonds and butter mixture.  Mix well.  Grease and line an 18 x 28cm slab tin with baking paper.  Press mixture evenly and over firmly base of tin.  Refrigerate while preparing topping.


Prepare topping:  Combine chocolate and copha in a small saucepan.  Stir over low heat until melted and smooth.


Pour chocolate mixture evenly over crumb base.  Refrigerate until set.  Cut into squares when firm.




Of course the final and most important step is to indulge!


Have a fabulous day :)

my two 'evils'

and here they are .... so pleased with how it all turned out!

hope you all have a great weekend :)

costumes and chaos

Whooooo ..... they're finished.  I'm so tired!  Finally got to bed at midnight last night, determined to finish the 'evil clowns'.  


It took three days, not bad if I do say so myself.  That was not just three days of solid sewing.  In between all that, DD19 went for her hair appointment, I played netball - and my oh my am I feeling it today - and my beautiful DD21 moved back home.  We had her packed and moved in one day.  She is struggling with the change in her life.  I feel sad for her, she is lost, heartbroken and unable to see that she will be ok.


I'm glad she's home.


I was going to wait until the kids were all dressed up, faces painted and all before I posted any pictures, but I'm so excited at how they turned out I couldn't wait.  I'll still put up a pic of them before they leave.


In the midst of it all.  Dinner was eaten in the lounge in front of the television for these nights.

On the lounge last night following finishing touches.

And because my photography sucks, my camera is old and sucks, and I'm never able to get those beautiful pics that other bloggers do, I threw them out on the lawn for some 'natural light'.

Today is a day of rest for me .... well, after I find those darn face paints and get the washing done and ... well never mind, maybe I can have a rest tomorrow!


Have a great day :)

dusting off the sewing machine

When I finally get my stairs up, I won't have to ...... clear the kitchen table, bring out the sewing machine, baskets, material, extension cords and then ... CLEAR IT ALL AWAY AGAIN!


What a pain in the ... well anyway, DS4 is having a sleepover at Nanny's house and going to the movies.  Me? well I thought about all the things I could do.  Then DD19 and her boyfriend reminded me that I said I'd make them some costumes for a fancy dress party.  They came home from holidays on Sunday and dragged me to the shops yesterday to get everything.  The party is on Friday night so I haven't got much time to spare.  Guess I'm sewing 'scary clown' costumes for this week!  That's in between a play date for DS4 and taking DD19 to get her hair done - she still doesn't have her licence back - plus all the usual jobs that need doing. I'm also starting back at netball tomorrow night after a six month break to rest an injury, so I could be quite incapacitated for the rest of the week.


I actually really love sewing and used to do a lot more, these days the time just gets away from me.


We're going for a cross between the pattern and the picture!

Better get cracking!!


Have a great day :)

weekend gardening

Best laid plans and all that ... we didn't get to the stairs making this weekend.


Saturday we had to get the trailer emptied to get some mulch for DH mum.  It had a couple of small square water tanks we picked up for some friends in it, so we delivered them and came back with these.

We revitalised one last year and have been on the lookout for some oldies ever since.

I did a bit of tidying up in the vege patch, staked my tomatoes etc.

I'm hanging out for my tomatoes to ripen.

Zucchini, cucumber and beans down the end, DH hanging out for his corn - I see vege patch, he sees corn!

I baked some beetroot the other night - what a hit - DS4 ate nearly the whole lot!

Good friends dropped in in the afternoon, MIL for dinner, so that was the end of Saturday!!


Sunday when DH went off to do the mulching for his mum, I started repotting and dividing plants.


This little loquat tree I posted about here is now three plants.  I divided and repotted it and gave one to my neighbour along with a pot of raspberry shootings.

Out of two raspberry plants I ended up with around twelve or more little shoots, I hope they take.

By the time we did all that, mulched all the fruit trees, another day was over.


Stairs next weekend!