How to make rice milk and oat milk

Ok, so we have enough milk to keep us going a few more days, but maybe you haven't? What are you going to do, the shop shelves are empty.
How about you make your own? I've found recipes now for rice milk (delicious in red bush tea) and oat milk.....

Rice Milk

1/4 cup brown rice
4 cups boiling water

Put into a saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1hr. Allow to cool and blend till smooth. Strain through muslin.

It looks less milky than milk but tastes just as good, with a nice light rice taste! I reused the strained rice adding sugar and heating to make a (gruel like) rice pudding!!!



Oat Milk

Ingredients
3 Cups Very Hot Water
1 Cup Rolled Oats
2 Tsp Sweet White or Barley Miso

Combine all ingredients in a container with a lid, being sure that miso is dissolved. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, blend until smooth in a blender or food processor. Keeps for one week. Always shake before serving.

The miso is there for added B12 and fermentation, but I dont have any in so I'll be trialling it without for now???


Does anyone else have any tips for 'making do' with store cupboard stuff?

How to use Soap Nuts

A while back I bought some soap nuts. I've used them in my washing machine as a laundry cleaner* but knew they were capable of so much more....

* Tie 4-6 soap nut shells in a muslin bag (provided with most soap nuts orders) and put it in the washing machine load at a desired temperature. You can use the same pouch for 4 to 6 loads of laundry. When the shells become grayish and mushy, they are ready to be replaced and added to your compost. My next step in replacing commercial products is to use them as a dishwashing liquid.

Dishwashing Liquid Recipe

To make the liquid, boil 100g of soap nuts in 12 cups of water for approximately 30 minutes. Cool the liquid, remove the shells, and your liquid soap is ready! Storing the liquid in an air tight container helps it to keep longer. Because there are no added chemicals in soap nuts liquid, it can go bad after some time, depending on the storing conditions. You can use this liquid for washing the dishes or even use 3 tbsp for a large load of laundry.
This liquid can then be used as castilles soap in other recipes such as towards sutainabilities recipe here or melissas here

Homemade washing powder

I'm going to try make my own washing powder again, last years trial recipe wasn't great so I've searched the 'net again and found a new one that seems good.

6 oz soap (flakes or whatever soap I have, but avoid synthetically perfumed ones),

2 cups borax and

2 cups of washing soda.

(All available at hardware stores, some chemists or supermarket)

Finely grate the soap (if not using flakes) and add to the other two ingredients, mix well, and store in a cool dry place. You can grate the soap by hand, or put it through the food processor, but make sure to wash it thoroughly afterwards.

I'll be trying it later this week

Happy Halloween!!!

Oops!! Where are all the crafty things I was going to make for it??? We knocked up the window silhouette this morning. It actually stretches across the whole front window but I can't get a good photo!

Spooky Window Silhouette

You will need:-

Yellow Card
Black marker Pen / Poster paint
Scissors


Instructions

Measure window pane, and mark this on a piece of yellow card.

Cut card to length and draw on your spooky scene - gravestones, bats, witches houses, crosses, black cats - just remember to keep outlines simple if you are wanting the kids to help cutting out! We compromised with me cutting out and them colouring in and sticking it up!

Next cut out this outline. Now with LOTS of newspaper underneath your shape outline, colour it in with a marker or paint with poster paint. Remember not to colour in windows etc as the yellow card showing through will make them look illuminated in your room.

Now turn the shape over and paint it again ( you'll be able to see both sides if you are sticking it in a window!

Use left over scraps to cut out bats, flying witches etc ( colour them black too ) and even a big yellow circle for a full moon.

Arrange shapes in window and adhere with small bits of clear sellotape.

Sit back and enjoy!!!!

Halloween plans tonight are a big warming veg curry before 'trickle treating' as my kids call it, then off to a firework display and halloween disco!!

Easy Sweet Veg Curry

Medium Onion, chopped
Tbsp Olive Oil
1 /2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 pt basic tomato sauce
4 small potatoes
1 large sweet potato
1/2 small butternut squash
1 can butter beans
up to 1/4pt water

Dry roast the spices, add oil and sweat onion. Add tomato sauce and stir. Chop potatoes and squash and add to pan. Add beans. Cover and cook for 40 minutes adding water as need to get the amount of sauce you like in your curry!


I'm glad todays a bit more relaxed we don't seem to have stopped this week! We've had lots of fun though, building a willow play area for bath city farm!




These were bent over, weaved and tweaked into little igloos for the kids to play in, a short scavange around the site found 2 logs worthy of bench status to put inside for a very comfy hideaway!!

We had lots of fun there too, shooting apples off post with a home made bow and arrow, apple bobbing, homemade see sawing, hot ribena, berry spotting, and even baking cakes in oranges on a campfire.....

Little miss seems to have an insatiable appetite at the moment, declaring I'm hungry every 1/2 hour!! Has anyone got any good suggestions for some filling snacks???

What do you do when your kids bond with supper

We have two new (hopefully temporary) family members

Nutterbut Gosh ( a squash) and baby butternut ( a melon)
Grr, I hope they let me turn it into a delicious veggie feast and snack by Tuesday!
Homemade Yoghurt

Yay, I've finally got around to trying this out!! I made up 600ml of powdered milk, warmed it until it started foaming at the side of the pan, then poured into a bowl - mixing in 1/2 small tub of natural yoghurt. Covered and placed in a cooling oven (50 deg C then turned off to cool) . Left overnight I was greeted with yoghurt at breakfast time :)

Next thing to try is turning it into soft cheese, later in the week.

Sparkly Goodness!!

White Power in a white jar - great picture Maxine! Oh, well picture aside this stuff rocks, homemade dishwasher powder, I tried it sceptically last night but it worked better than the shop bought stuff!!
Recipe is so simple I feel ashamed to post it......

Homemade Dishwasher Powder

1 cup Borax
1 cup Bicarbonate of soda

Mix thoroughly and use 1 heaped teaspoon per load.

Rain rain go away!!

What a great weekend!!! Out partying saturday night then a trip to the beach with friends yesterday for a BBQ, we all cruised down to Brean from Bristol. Evven though it rained we all had fun - the kids didn't even seem to notice!!




We calmed down this morning with a playdough session. ( Handmade of course )

• 1/2 cup of salt
• 1 1/2 cup of plain flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 cup of boiling water (from the kettle) mix it with 1 cap of food colouring
• Glitter ( as much as needed)
  

Instructions:

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl pour in oil then mix with the hot water.

Keep in the refridgerator in a sealed container.

Now for an indoor picnic - as true to form its raining again!!!

Its mine mine mine all mine!!!!

This gorgeous apron arrived from etsy
Isn't it lovely!!! I feel like a glamourous 50s housewife, so to keep in role I've been baking.....

Kims Cake

8oz Sultanas
1 cup cold tea ( Lady Grey is my fave but u can use any)
2 cups SR Flour
1 cup sugar
1 large egg ( beaten)

Soak sultanas in tea overnight, then mix with other ingredients in a large bowl. It'll look to dry but keep mixing and it'll get wetter!
Pour into a greased and lined loaf tin then bake in oven at 160C for 2hours. Turn out allow to cool slightlly and slice. This can also be frozen but i doubt if ours will be around that long!!!!!!

Oh well back to the housework now...........At least i'll feel pretty in the apron!!!

Busy as a bee.......or is that a butterfly??

I whipped up this fancy dress mask for Evie this morning, its reversible with a pink butterfly on the back. 2 cutouts sewn together and a body added on each side - simple!!!!

Guess I better get on and do that super hero mask for Cam now!

Paul magiced up these whilst I was sewing......

All In One Cupcakes

4oz Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
4oz Soft Marg
4oz Sugar
2 Eggs

Mix all ingredients together with an electric whisk, Bake in Oven for 15 - 20 minutes at 170 C.

Finished another teacher gift too : yay! :

Homecooked Saturday

Goatboy's Quick Pizza

1 and a half cups flour, half a cup of water, 2 tablespoons olive oil. Blend it all together with a fork. Then get your hands in and kneed it for about 5 mins.

Then flatten it out to required size/thickness and bung on tomato paste with the back of a spoon, meat or veg bits, mozzerella and then grated cheddar.

In the oven for about 10-15 mins at 180deg. For a nice twist, sprinkle chilli powder on the tomato paste."

i used sweet chilli sauce over the puree and added cooked chicken and olives. cooked it for a bit longer too.



Supper Quick cheesy pasta

Heat 1/2 pint milk in micro wave for 1 minute.
Stir in 1 tbsp of cornflour ( slated in cold water ) then hear again for 1 minute.
Stir vigourously, add in 200g grated cheddar cheese and 1 tsp of mustard, then heat for 1 further minute. Stir and serve over wholewheat pasta.




Having been to two houses in the last 2 days with walk-in larders, I am definitely adding that to my checklist of things I'd like in next house!! Oh, and an utility room too!

Home is always with you......

and there's always things to do!!!! Wouldn't it be fun to have a cute little ring like this one to cheer you up when you're doing the house work?

We've been working on bf's house all weekend, painting, carpeting etc. Only boring housework at mine. No fabreeze left in the bottles when I went to them instead so I homemade some instead ......

Room Deodorizer

- 1/2 Litre Warm Water (NOT boiling or it will fizz over like a witches brew) *mmmm cool new idea for a halloween make!!
- 2 dessert spoons of bicarb of soda
- 1 cap of concentrated fabric softener
- 1/2 cap cider vinegar (optional)

add ingredients to water stir then when foam has subsided, decant into a spray bottle. Use as needed to clear rooms of unwanted smells.

If you add the vinegar you will smell this when spraying but it will disappear in 5 minutes or so.