Fast Food: Eggs Florentine

Sometimes I need a night off and really don't feel like cooking. Sometimes that feeling lasts for days. Back in Cape Town we would have bought take-aways for dinner on days like that. Here on the farm, it would take longer to drive to town and back for take-aways than it would take to rustle up fast food Elastic Mom style. Anyway,  greasy take-aways leave me feeling dissatisfied and disgusted after eating farm fresh all the time.

A while back I was having one of those cooking-is-the-last-thing-I-want-to-do moments. A little bit of thought, and I had a nourishing, yom-chomp dinner on the table in 15 minutes flat.

EGGS FLORENTINE
Set a small pot of water to boil
Pop some bread in the toaster
Warm up some leftover cheese sauce
Drop a sealed bag of our frozen chopped tunnel-grown swiss chard into the pot of boiling water and as soon as it has defrosted,  remove the bag and stir the contents into the cheese sauce.
Pour a dash of vinegar into the same boiling water and crack in three eggs to poach.

When the toast pops, plate it and spoon over the cheesy spinach sauce and top with perfectly poached eggs and season. Voila!

My men reacted as if I had made a gourmet meal for them. There was lots of lip smacking, yom yomming through dinner. If I had thought of it at the time, I would have added a classic few drops of Worcester Sauce onto each egg. So there it is, fast food at its best. I know that it required little bags of frozen spinach and some leftover cheese sauce, but that's my point...

We all have something better than take-away that we can rustle up faster than it takes to find the keys on those low-energy evenings.

Moving House

So we are moving house again, the seventh time in seven years. This time we are not going far, just to a different house on the farm we are on. The truth is, that no matter whether one is moving down the road, or across the country, the process takes pretty much the same amount of effort, and it causes pretty much the same amount of disruption in our lives.

Thanks to Fly Lady, I have a very helpful printed list of Moving Tips which I keep on hand for times such as these. This list helps me to keep my head in the chaos of an upside down house.

I have allocated us a school-free week to pack up house, move, and unpack. I know that unpacking will take quite a bit longer, but on arrival day I will make sure that the beds are made, the kitchen is functional, the clothes are unpacked, and the current school work is readily available in the study, in that order. Then slowly over the next few weeks, I will find places for everything and sort and shelve books etc. My fun-loving husband will make sure that the music system and computers are up and working before the washing machine and dishwasher - he always does. My daughter will have her bedroom unpacked and decorated within the first two days, and my son will see to his bed and leave the rest for me while he explores, if I let him.

While I pack and prepare, my children are under instruction to use this time to catch up any schoolwork that they have fallen behind in, and give me at least two hours of packing time a day. It helps them to have the time boundary, so that they are free to play when they are tired. Both of them have willingly given much more time than this already. I start them in their own bedrooms and then they move on to their books. I find them much more willing to help when they are packing their own things. Ever since they were tiny tots, I have always kept them very involved in each move that we have made. I find that it helps  them emotionally with the transition and it also really helps me a lot. They also tend to be more ruthless than I am when it comes to tossing out unwanted possessions.

My favourite moving tip is to mark each item with a coloured sticker coded to each room of the new house. Then when the boxes and furniture are being carried in, they are taken to the correct rooms, each marked with a coloured sticker, immediately. This saves me a lot of back-strain later. It also helps me to visualize where each item will belong in advance. I am not so good at decision making under pressure. I also always draw a quick sketch of the layout of the house and "place the furniture" before the move. Again, I can direct the heavy furniture to exactly the right spot to save my back. We can always rearrange it at a later stage.

This time we are packing a lot of our goods into solid plastic crates from the farm - usually filled with freshly picked vegetables or fruit. Thankfully we are at the beginning of harvest time, so there are plenty of spare crates available for the week. The crates are wonderful because they fit into each other without squashing their contents, perfect for breakables. Their only snag is that the move will be on open vehicles on dusty roads and the crates are slatted. I am planning to cover the lot with blankets to prevent a lot of washing later. Soft goods, like clothes and cushions go into clear garbage bags so that I can easily see their contents.

I plan ahead for meals for the move. sometimes we are blessed with meals from kind friends, which are always much appreciated. Monday's lunch next door was very welcome when I was just getting started with the packing up.  I also like to clear the fridge as much as possible so that very few perishables have to be moved. Over the last two days I have cooked quite a few extra meals to help when the pressure is on. Firstly I made an enormous batch of muesli which will feed us for breakfast for the week. I had some leftover stir-fried vegetables which weren't all that tasty. So I used half in a pasta sauce and half in a quiche. I also had a half bucket of milk which needed using, so I made macaroni cheese and yoghurt. Then I found some cream at the back of the fridge - about a liter, so I made butter and then bread with the buttermilk. There was also some cream that was turning sour, so I used it up in a batch of scones which the many children gobbled up with great gusto. It may seem crazy to be cooking so hard while packing, but in doing so, I have freed up the rest of the week and don't really have to cook again. It also gives me a chance to leave the boxes for a bit.

Another thing that I have learned to do, it to pack an Arrival Kit which is the first box that I unpack in the new house. It consists of cleaning supplies, snacks, a set of linen for each bed, pajamas for everyone, towels for the bathrooms, dinner for the first night, some tea, and the kettle. If that is the only box to be unpacked on the first day, then that is ok. My husband will make sure the coffee machine is up and running before I have managed to make the first cup of tea.

Oh, and we always have music playing while we pack and unpack house. No one can be grumpy when they are singing. I am really looking forward to a bigger house. I love taking a house and turning it into a home.

Thanks Aesop

All Summer and Autumn long, as I busily scurried harvesting, jamming, pickling and preserving, stocking up for Winter, I was spurred on by Aesop's ant who was wiser than the grasshopper. She made the most of the harvest and smiled through Winter, while the fun-loving grasshopper played the Summer away.

Now, as my frosted vegetable patch is yielding just a few salad leaves, some herbs, a few radishes and carrots, I too am smiling. A lot of our current meals are painless and fast, the nearest thing to take-aways around here. I just defrost a tub of broccoli soup base and fiddle it a bit for a delicious meal, thaw some tomato sauce for a pasta dish, spread sweet jam onto hot scones, slap some delicious pickles on a toasted cheese, toss some pesto into a salad, stir-fry an assortment of my prepared frozen veggies, or toss them under a chicken that is roasting...

 Today I am under the weather, mom-down in bed, yet there is plenty of food for my family thanks to the hard work during the warmer months. Last month I was also able to plan meals and feed my family for two weeks just using food that I had stored up in the freezer and pantry.

So this cold season is my chance for rest and comfort. I am settling into the rhythm of the climate here. I have picked up my crochet with renewed enthusiasm. This is a time for warm fires, stories and movies, creative hands and comfort food. What is more comforting than effortless, nourishing food on the table.

Lately I have even been seen soaking the occasional warm rays on my tiny patio as I read a magazine, cup of tea close at hand, kitty on my lap. Best of all, there is no guilt as I enjoy my rest. I darn well earned it.

So thank you Aesop for the motivation.

On My Mind Today...

Aren't these booties just gorgeous. So far I have made three pairs. Two babies are on the way. We are waiting with bated breath for THE CALL from my farm friend who is already a few days overdue. The second baby will be my long awaited nephew, due in April. I just love to knit and crochet. As a busy home educating mom, a TIME TAMING TECHNIQUE for me is to work my crafts sitting alongside my studious children. In this way I am available when they need help, and I am rested rather than restless when educating my precious people takes longer than I had hoped. If we have a glut of a harvest to process, I can also often be found chopping and stirring in the kitchen, sharing the kitchen table space with maths or language books as I pickle, process and teach at the same time.

Take a look at Rhonda's blog:  Down to Earth for loads of elastic living inspiration.

Shopping Savvy

There are many more fun things to do in life than grocery shopping.  The art of Savvy Shopping is an easy way to stretch your budget, and is another TIME TAMING TECHNIQUE.

Choose one day a week to shop. Remember, the best way to save money at the shops is to stay away. Once a week is better than once a month because running out of sugar is a minor inconvenience for a day or so at the end of the week. On the other hand, running out of sugar for a week at the end of the month can be rather challenging.

Follow these easy steps to learn the art of Savvy Shopping. 

STEP ONE - all week

Keep a running list of essential items that you run out of. My list is on a pretty wooden memo block in my kitchen. Train your family to write up that peanut butter, borax for the science project, or whatever else they need. If it's on the list I will buy it on Shopping day. If my family forget to write it, I forget to buy it. They remember next time. It has to be empty, or almost finished, to be written up. If we already have two bottles of shampoo and my darling daughter desires a different brand, she will need to develop the art of Delayed Gratification and wait a while before I will buy a new bottle.

STEP TWO - the day before shopping day

Take a quick visual tour of  your bathroom, fridge, pantry, and vegetable patch (if you have one) the day before you shop.  Are you running our of toothpaste? What needs using the most? Look for the oldest things in your fridge and freezer. I mean, not scary potential microscope specimens, but what has been there for the longest time. Do you have a glut of marrows or tomatoes in the garden? Do you have a bit of leftover meat from a BBQ?

STEP THREE - still the day before shopping day

Look at your diary, and your plans for the week. Are you having a date night out where your kids can survive on a simple dinner, like dippy eggs? Is Granny coming to stay for a few nights? Jot down ideas in your diary for breakfast, lunch and supper on each day up until the next shopping day. Remember to plan the first few meals using those urgent items from STEP TWO, and try to plan meals using as much of what is in your freezer / pantry as possible. Remember to plan some meals as LEFTOVER PLAN-OVERS. How about a pasta dish made with diced meat from that BBQ and a tomatoey sauce from that glut in your garden. Jot down special instructions in your diary, like "defrost chicken" the day before you plan to serve it for Sunday roast, or "soak beans" the day before you plan to try out my delicious BUSTING BUTT BAKED BEANS.

STEP FOUR - again the day before shopping day

Add to your list from STEP ONE: any missing ingredients needed for the meals you have planned as well as bathroom or cleaning items that need replenishing. Group similar items together on your list - fruit and veg, meat, dairy, cleaning materials, etc. The goal is to see how few items you can put on your list, and still feed your family well.

STEP FIVE - Shopping Day

Make sure you and your children are well fed. I like to shop after lunch. Grab your trolley, with your list and pen in hand. If your kids are joining you and are big enough, let them push it or run to find items on your list. I prefer to shop while they are doing music lessons. Whizz up and down the aisles grabbing only the items on your list, and cross them off as you toss them in the shopping cart. See how fast you can go. This is the reason for grouping similar items in STEP FOUR. The faster you go, the less you are tempted. Think of it as a replacement aerobic workout, get that heart pumping. Play fast music on your ipod if you're alone. Lifting bags of groceries strengthens those biceps. I have been known to do a few extra lifts when I think no one is watching me.

STEP SIX - Shopping Day

MAKE THE MILEAGE MATTER. Use your shopping day to run errands, fill your car with fuel so that it runs on full instead of empty, visit the post office, pharmacy and the library. In Summer it's best to make shopping the last errand of the day so the ice-cream doesn't melt.

STEP SEVEN - After shopping

Unpack the bags as soon as you walk in the door. Put your feet up alongside your man, if he is home. Enjoy a delicious, refreshing cool-drink or cocktail and take a well deserved rest before tackling dinner.

FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK: 

No thinking is required. Just open your diary each day and cook whatever is on that day's menu. If something else crops up, like your husband surprises you with take-aways, or you are invited out, or it is too hot for the cooked meal you had planned, then be flexible and go with the flow. You can smile sweetly knowing that you have enough meals to cover your week, and now, maybe a few for the following week too.

Mother Hubbard's Paté

Bulk cooking is a wonderfully stretchy way of dealing with food. It's often a time stretcher and a money saver when we find larger quantities at better prices. Remember the BOUNCING BEANS from my last post? Well, they just keep bouncing into my mind and onto our plates in all sorts of wonderful disguises. 


After an absolutely delicious meal of Busting Butt Baked Beans, followed the next day by a hearty, yummy BEAN SOUP, I opened the fridge this evening to see a container of fat white beans just waiting to be made into MOTHER HUBBARD'S PATé for tomorrow's lunch.


So, while making supper this evening, I popped the beans into my food processor and whizzed them into a paté along with:
- a large dash of balsamic vinegar (normal vinegar or lemon juice would work just as well)
- a good measure of salt
- generous sprinklings of ground coriander and cumin
- and enough olive oil to make a spreadable consistency 


Tomorrow I will garnish it lavishly with fresh coriander leaves from my garden, and serve it on bread with some garden salad leaves.


Cooking a little extra of something when I am already busy in the kitchen is a TIME TAMING TECHNIQUE, and a way of blessing myself the next day with one less meal to prepare. It also miraculously converts what would have been two loads of dish washing into just one. 


This recipe was devised last month, during a no-shopping-pact time when my resources were rather lean and in need of some serious stretching. Nothing sparks my resourcefulness more than this sort of a challenge. I was in the mood for hummus, but had no chickpeas, nor garlic, nor lemons, nor tahini...... so I made a plan.... and it worked really well. My family gobbled it up, squabbling over the last blobs in the dish. 

Just a last word on that ground coriander. Last Summer I was dismayed to find the coriander in my veggie patch going to seed rather too quickly for my liking. But, in an Elastic Mom moment, I gathered as many of the dried seeds as I could, and they have supplied me with more ground coriander than I could use for the rest of the year. They also seeded themselves all over my veggie garden and have been supplying me with fresh leaves since early in Spring. 


Happily, the beans are still bouncing along merrily, feeding my family on the sniff of a pepper pot. I still have one frozen portion to cook, but that will have to wait. I wouldn't want to overdo the bean thing. And besides, the first marrows of the season have arrived.