My new favourite spice as a seasoning is smokey paprika especially accompanied by a little salt.
It goes fantastic on hot chips, chicken, french toast and fried eggs.
I’m probably behind the times but I’m working on this spice to see what else it’s good with.
Is this a spice you use and how?
My funny baking moment I wasn’t even aware of making. My inlaws came over for morning tea and I decided to make some fresh pikelets and as far as I was aware I made a fantastic batch. My pikelets formed nicely, they rose and were nice and fluffy and everyone enjoyed them topped with jam and freshly whipped cream, a good morning tea.
A couple of weeks later when I saw my son and his family we were saying it was nice to catch up with the grand parents and they both started laughing.
Why did they laugh, well it turns out that my son found (by biting into it) a bay leaf in his pikelet but didn’t want to embarrass me so slid it under his plate. We all cracked up because he did it so well and no one was the wiser … except his wife.
You see I put bay leaves in my flour containers to stop the weavils, we have hot humid summers and I don’t have the room in my freezer to store the big containers. Bay leaves seem to do the job.
I was totally unaware that that rogue bay leaf had slipped in as I had measured the flour, mixed the batter, poured the pikelet and flipped it and had no notion it was there.
So my question to you, have you had any similar funny moments with your baking?
My mum and I were talking packet mixes the other day and how she’d like to do a master mix like she did many years ago but now she has neither the space to store it or it makes way too much mix for her.
We came to the conclusion that next time she made her favourite cake from scratch that she should measure out the dry ingredients for 2 or even 3 mixes in 3 bowls ( 1 mix to make up now and 2 for later).
Now all she’d have to do is write the remaining wet ingredients (eggs, milk and butter or other) and the method on separate ziplock bags or jar and store in the pantry for a later date and it would be just like a bought packet mix cake. You can keep the labelled jar for the next mix.
After a little while you get a few varieties to choose from but remember to watch the dates on your original ingredients like baking powder or flour and to date from your shortest date. A lot depends on how far ahead you get.
The master mixes that you can pre make sometimes need large amounts of ingredients then to make you measure by cups of the mix, my preference is this less grand scale.
Many will depend on the method of your recipe but a lot should be adaptable, try muffins or loaf recipes as well. You can cut (or blitz) your butter into your flour and dry ingredients but you will have to store in the fridge or freezer so that it does not go off/rancid.
Example Banana maple loaf Measure and mix flour, sugar, baking powder and walnuts and write the wet ingredients and the method down.
Give it a whirl and see how you go. Worth a try even if you only have one spare to quickly throw together in a hurry.
Now that I’ve had my toweling remover pads for a while and the previous ones I made out of flannelette my favourite would be the toweling ones.
Why, I think it’s because of the tufted bits of towel that make it plumper when wet with remover (I use a Micellar water) While the flannelette ones worked well for the time I’ve had them they seem to start looking pretty grotty pretty quickly.
They are washed the same way, first giving them a soapy rinse out while in the shower then in a lingerie bag in the normal wash with my towels.
I guess we all have our own preferences but for me for the moment my little leftover towel squares are good.
Washing the clothes, doing the laundry, whatever you call it do you use a liquid soap or a powder soap in your machine?
For myself I like a laundry powder, one that works in a cold water wash.
Do you use the full amount in the instructions on the box?
I use about 1-2 tablespoons of powder depending on whether it is a very dirty wash or just the usual everyday clothes wash. For whites I also use a tablespoon of Napi-san ( a powder bleach usually for soaking cloth nappies (diapers)).
Do you use a fabric softener in your wash cycle?
A very long time ago I heard you could use white vinegar instead of softener as it’s better for your machine it’s cheap about $1 for 2 litres ( be aware there are different strengths).
I also found vinegar in the rinse/softener cycle took the summer sweaty smell out of the boys clothes, you know how stinky sporty teenagers get and even better if you line dry. The vinegar smell dissipates as the clothes dry.
Do you have a top loader or a front loader washing machine?
After many years of a top loader then going to a front loader it was wonderful to get our water bill cut by a third. The front loaders use much less water but I know some people have a hard time giving up their top loaders.
The first rule of front loader, if you forget that sock you forget that sock, it has to wait for the next wash.
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