Repurposing a schoolbag

My daughter loves schoolbags that come from a surf shop in Wodonga. It takes 1 1/2 hours to drive there. Last week my eldest daughter went with her Dad to take her beloved mandolin to be fixed. It had a manufacturing fault in the batch and needed a new thingo (haha) that keeps the strings up? Anyway it meant a drive. While there they got my middle daughter the one that likes schoolbags from the surf shop some other school supplies. However she knew funds had to stretch to agreed a sewing project we cooked up, she loves it really.

She has two of these school bags. The old one and the new one. We hadn't thrown the old one out since last spring, ie somewhere in 3rd or 4th term last year. The new one? had a broken zip. So the other ones zip went into the new bag. The remainder was made into a pencil case and my husband took some photos.











The money was put towards a drink bottle, and lunchbox for my eldest daughter to start uni and other things she needed like umbrella. We also had to keep some money for driving her to her new place where she is staying already, getting ready for the new uni life on the 13th. My two youngest daughters, the only kids still at home start school on Thursday, my husband starts tomorrow, though he is there now.

Have you heard of a Hughie sink?

I admit, I hadn't.





You could win a Hughie sink here. Hughie website here.

The plastic bag issue

Image by flickr (click)

Living where we are, there are no plastic bags in our supermarket. There is another supermarket down the road, but I think most use the supermarket in town. The next town to buy food in is 50 minutes away, and another in the other direction 60 minutes away.

I was interested the other day in my shopping trip to Target at the regional centre 1 1/2 hours away. I am not sure how long it has been since I went there. I was asked if I wanted to pay an extra 10c for a compostable bag. When that was full the check out lady had to ask me again if I wanted to buy another one. I like them, they have a nice feel to them.

I knew there was such a bag developed in Australia. I found it on a forum awhile back where they tried to introduce them to Coles. With Coles/Myer and all the takeovers or whatever happened to their finances, perhaps any new management decided to take on the bags (if they are the same ones) for Target. Apparently it is not food that is the largest section of plastic bag use, so putting them in Target is a great idea. They are a nice neat fit for the clothes, they don't flop around in them. The old address for this topics was:

myshoppinglist.biz/forum/viewtopic.php?t=219&highlight=plastic" target="_blank">http://www.myshoppinglist.biz/forum/viewtopic.php?t=219&highlight=plastic+bags

So I guess you can tell I don't watch normal TV? Here is the ad for it. I am pleased, and here is a news release for it. I can understand the feeling of the other people who were upset. However, corn starch bags sound good, and it would great too if the take aways had them, as I think they must be a high user of them.

Myself personally the no bags policy in our town has had a big impact on my life as I drive 50 minutes to shop to avoid this. Our town doesn't take boxes for free at the tip, which could be a reason the shop has no bags in the first place.

Having said that, our fruit comes in a rather large box, and we find we love them and use them for all sorts of things.

Plastic Bag Woes with all the links to my struggle with the loss of plastic bags. Our old hometown didn't keep up with this pan to get rid of bags in the supermarket, and they don't have a Target.

Off milk and curing your own meat

This book is a joy to us. We didn't know a book like this existed. We already had a Leader Spare Corner book, I think originally from the Spare Corner of the Leader newspaper. It was where the recipes were published. Then after so many months or years they published the spare corners into a book. We recently bought a better copy of the one we had that had no cover. This one is in a much better format. For example it reads like a normal cooking book.

I found a section for example for eggless puddings. I know this is interesting, because I am eggless and have decided that I am not going to replace them until next shopping day, which is in two weeks. I want to keep our left over money for my husband's trip and the girls day at the show. I don't need a pudding though but it is interesting. I suppose if our meals turn out a bit light I could try one.

Last winter I found a curious bag in the supermarket where I shop. It is a farming district and I assume it is salt petre. My husband says it could be carcenergenic. However, imagine having sheep and being able to pickle some of the meat. I suppose freezers are just as good. I love pickled leg of lamb though, I used to have it for Christmas. Maybe my Nana did it so I would know what it was like. Maybe it is that bit special, it did taste nice. Anyway the book has the recipe. That is special in itself because I was sorry I didn't know how to use this ingredient that was prominently on my supermarket shelf.

I found a recipe for scones that uses up off milk. I thought these days with fewer people in homes that could be useful. We use UHT milk, and it doesn't go off really, you don't have to be as careful with it.

Sour Milk Scones

Never throw away a cup of sour milk, keep it, as it makes the most delightful scones. Into 3/4lb. plain flour mix 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/2 teaspoon carbonate of soda, and sift all together in order to get rid of the lumps. Mix into a light, but not too moist, dough with the sour milk, shape into a round on a floured board, and then cut into triangles and bake for twenty minutes on a buttered tin in a good top heat. Mrs. A.K.

I assume it is for slightly off milk.

I wonder if these recipes were tested. Lots of them say, for example for plum sauce, that it will keep. The recipes seemed to have practicality in mind.

Too much plum jam?

Made lots and not sure you can use it all up? Maybe it has set too hard? This recipe is a family favourite that we used to make often with chops not fillets. It is an Ellen Sinclair recipe.

Pork Fillets in Plum Sauce

4 pork fillets
cornflour
60g (2oz) butter
2 onions
1 red pepper or capsicum
2 sticks celery
4 shallots or spring onions
2.5cm (1 in) piece green ginger

Plum Sauce
1/3 cup plum jam
1 chicken stock cube
2 teaspoons cornflour extra
1/2 cup water
3 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 clove garlic

Remove any fat from pork, coat fillets lightly with cornflour. Peel onion, cut into quarters. Cut red pepper in half, remove seeds and membranes, cut into slices. Slice celery, chop shallots, grate ginger.

Heat butter in pan, add pork, cook until golden and cooked through; remove from pan, keep warm. Add all vegetables to pan, cook 1 minute. Add Sauce, stir until Sauce boils and thickens. Cut pork fillets into thick diagonal slices, arrange on serving plate, spoon vegetables and sauce over.

Plum Sauce: Combine all ingredients, mix well. Serves 4.

Metric cups 250ml US cups 200ml. Tablespoon 20ml, US tablespoon 15ml.