Hall Table - finished

The little hall table I painted is now finished and back in the hallway

Here it is before the little knobs were put on

I wanted something a little bit different...and found these at Schots Home Emporium in Melbourne. 

Not something I would normally choose, but hey, they're only knobs and if I change my mind down the track, they can always be swapped out for something else

So that's another little job off my to-do list, which is damn long but gradually getting shorter.

A cake with a difference

I was hunting around for a cake recipe recently and came across one for a Red Velvet cake. But when I was looking through the ingredients, realised the only thing that distinguishes it from a regular old cake was red food colouring.

Sure it looks nice, but I wanted something with a bit more substance. and not not just food colouring. So I found this recipe and it's probably the most delicious and fool proof cake I have ever made. In fact it's so easy I've passed it on to a number of friends...and the proof must be in the pudding - or cake - because they've all reported back that they love it.

So here it is...


Chocolate Beetroot Cake
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The cast:

425g can beetroot - drained
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
100g dark chocolate - melted
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons bi carb soda

Action:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees or 160 fan forced

Finely chop the drained beetroot in a food processor
In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until pale and creamy, then gradually beat in the oil until well combined

Stir in the cooled, melted chocolate and the chopped beetroot. Then in another bowl, sift together the flour, bicarb and cocoa, then stir into the egg and beetroot batter

Let it sit for at least 5 minutes. This helps the gluten in the flour to relax and will minimize the cake cracking on the top. Also, the batter will be quite runny. Don't panic, it's supposed to be.

Pour the mixture into a 25cm cake pan that's been lined with baking paper.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes - check with a skewer to see if the centre is cooked.
When it is, cool the cake slightly in the pan before removing it

For the frosting:

I haven't actually measured this when I've made it, so these measurements are approximate.

Put about 3/4 cup of cream into a heat proof container and microwave for about 30 seconds until it's hot. Put about 100g  chocolate melts into the cream and stire until it's melted. Then put 3 heaped tablespoons of icing sugar in and stir until it's all combined. I then pour the icing mixture over the cooled cake and let it set.

All you have to do now is eat and enjoy

You can play around with the recipe a bit. Sometimes, I've added half a jar of drained cherries just for something different.

Painting and restoring

I've been keeping myself busy getting a few things done around the house.

The mirror and the decorative side panels from that old wardrobe have been sanded back and given a few coats of Danish oil...and I have to say they look and feel fabulous. More on them later.

I've also spent some time painting an old hall table

It's been handed down and around a number of times, ending up with me about ten years ago.

.I don't know what it was coated in but it was all flaky and awful and  had a terrible smell when it got wet. So it was time for a spruce-up

First, a really good sand and then a coat of tinted undercoat

Then the first top coat 

The sheen on it is lovely, considering I used ordinary low sheen wall paint. It's the same paint/colour I used on an old chest of drawers and my pine filing cabinet.

Once the paint is cured I'll put the new handles on

I got a bit carried away and even gave my kitchen stool the once over

Although to be honest, it needs another coat. 

Recycling and Repurposing

Years ago...in another life and another Victorian town I had a lovely little cottage that I had renovated and lived in for almost ten years.

Then I got a job offer interstate ... so instead of selling up and moving on, I rented out my little cottage...and it's been rented ever since.

Unfortunately though some of the old furniture that was left in the house has deteriorated to a point it's no longer useful. 

The main piece in point - this old wardrobe

Back in 2009 we had to do a major repair at the house as a floor in one of the bedrooms had rotted and was very "spongy". I wrote about it back then here, here and here.

This old wardrobe was sort of OK back in 2009...a bit wobbly but served a purpose. Not any more.

It was falling apart so instead of breaking up the three sections and throwing it in a skip, MONT decided to take it apart and save the most important pieces: the mirrored door and the side decorative panels, which are really lovely!

To cut to the chase here... we've been looking for a mirror for our bedroom for over a year now - we see something we like but then don't follow through for one reason or another. Then  I had a bit of a light bulb moment this morning. Use the mirror from this old robe for the bedroom!

It's now being sanded and cleaned up so it can be hung on our bedroom wall. I'll post a pic when it's done.

It's so good to be back!

Back in the Saddle....kinda

We're having a break from Number 10 and spending a couple of weeks at our usual campsite at the beach where we're trying to regroup and relax.

It's a great place on the Bellarine Peninsular...MONT goes fishing when the weather permits and I sit and read and sleep and generally veg out.

2015 was not a good year for our family. We're hoping 2016 is going to be less eventful, although it hasn't started well, with someone hitting my (parked) car. Not a lot of damage, but as always in these cases, I'll be the one who is inconvenienced while it's being repaired.

Still, I guess if that's the worst that happens then I'm not doing too bad.

I've never been one for New Years resolutions. I've never been able to understand the importance of making a promise to yourself on January 1st, when you could've done the same thing on September 16...or July 24th....so, no resolutions for me, but there have been some changes recently

I resigned from my full-time job in November and am now officially a part-timer and will work two days a week. A better work-life balance, as they say in the classics. There are so many things I want to do and working full-time wasn't allowing me to do them, at least not to the standard I wanted to.

The events of last year also gave us a bit of a wake up call, so MONT and I have changed a few things regarding our health and fitness. Nothing drastic...we're not training for marathons or triathlons, but we are making a point of being a bit more active

I plan to get back into "blogging" and start posting more regularly. I may not have been a regular "poster" these past few months, but I have been a regular reader of other peoples' blogs, so I haven't disappeared altogether.

So there you have it. I'm back. Sorta kinda. 

Life goes on

Considering my rather lengthy absence and lack of posts, one would think Life at Number 10 had stopped.

It hasn't.

But it has been a rather awful few months for us around here.

My (younger) brother passed away suddenly in April. It was a terrible shock and we're still trying to come to terms with it.

Then my elderly Aunt died. She would've been 102 next month. She was an amazing woman!

Even at her age she was sharp as a tack, lived independently in her own home, was an avid reader, shopped and sewed and until recently, mowed her lawn and pottered in the garden.

She was my Mum's only sister and she was my only Aunt.

I also learned just a couple of weeks ago that a very close friend passed away as well.

So, as you can imagine, we've been a bit down in the dumps around here.

But, life goes on here at Number 10. Fortunately, MONT and I are OK...just a bit sad

Zucchini and Walnut chutney

Back in the 1980's a friend and I would get together and spend entire weekends cooking....and some of the things we often made was relish, jam and chutney

We both had this little gem from Margaret Fulton - Published in 1981

It's only small but it contains just about every concoction you could ask for, from pickled mushrooms to  curry relish and this one - Zucchini Chutney.

I got thinking about this recipe after reading Kitchen  Hand's Countdown: the top ten vegetables of all time over at What I Cooked Last Night, so I hunted out my little book and started cooking

It's an easy recipe:

You salt the sliced zucchini to remove the moisture

Peel the tomatoes by pouring boiling water on them 

Put all of the ingredients (except the walnuts) in a pot and let them simmer and meld together
Put the walnuts in and stir for a minute and you're done.

Sterilize your jars...I put mine through the dishwasher then put them in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes...and spoon or pour the hot mixture in and seal.

Cast:

750 gr zucchini-sliced
1 table spoon salt
250 gr ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped
125 gr onions, chopped
3/4 cup sultanas
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups spiced vinegar (I used half brown and half apple cider)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
---

Action;

Put the zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with salt. leave for two hours then rinse and pat dry
Put in a pot with all other ingredients, except the walnuts,  and simmer and stir until the sugar's dissolved.
Keep simmering until the mix thickens slightly and is all melded together...then put in the walnuts and mix. Spoon or pour the mixture into your sterilized jars and enjoy
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If you like chutney's and relishes, then I think you'll love this.

Thanks KH...next up, asparagus

Malcolm Fraser

Australia lost another of it's Prime Ministers this past week. It's 22nd to be exact

Malcolm Fraser was 84 when he passed away after a short illness...and it came just a few months after his great foe, Gough Whitlam passed away

They may have been great rivals in their past political lives, but both men grew to like each other and when Gough died Malcolm became very emotional about losing his friend

Vale Malcolm Fraser

Holidaying

Mont and I are at the beach for a couple of weeks and while the weather's been a bit cool...the sunrises are magnificent!

Not that I see many of them mind you....this one was rather nice though

A long time coming

Welcome to my new kitchen...a peek of it anyway

To be honest, it was finished in November, but this is the first opportunity I've really had to put some photos together and show you what it now looks like

It's just a peek as most of the photos are on the home computer...

MONT and I are on our annual break at the beach and I have to say it's a VERY welcome holiday. Part of the reason...no, the main reason my blogging has been so slack this past year is because all I seem to have done is work....and this is the first break I've had since last January.

Yes, I'm exhausted.

This year - 2015 - is time for a reassessment of the work-life balance I think.

I'm always drawn to Ness Lockyer's wise words that...You only live once...live beautifully!

My life has definitely not been beautiful this past year so it's time for a change

I want to spend more time cooking - yes that was neglected BIG TIME in 2014.

I want to spend more time doing things I really enjoy...and while I do enjoy the work I do, I don't want to do it every darn day!

Righto...well it's cold and windy and there's been some rain, but I don't really care because I'm on holidays!