SIO Tips 64: Maintaining a Wooden Board

Wooden or plastic chopping boards are the best to keep your knives sharp but wood can harbour bacteria so it's important to keep them clean. One great, natural, way to do this is to sprinkle the board with salt and use half a lemon to scrub all over; then rinse off with hot water. 
Once the board is dry simply wipe with a little olive oil or similar on a piece of kitchen paper to keep in tip-top condition.

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time.

No more ugly glue from labels

Empty jars from jams or preserves make wonderful storage for little bits in your craft room but removing the glue left behind after soaking off the paper labels can be a nightmare and very irritating when it comes to re-using them.





Here is one easy way around the problem; you will need - Baking Soda, Vegetable Oil and a brush.

Mix together equal parts of Baking Soda and Vegetable Oil and simply brush onto the gluey areas; leave for around 10 minutes and then wipe off. 

 






I like to then run them through the dishwasher to remove the oil and beautiful, clean jars come out ready to re-purpose! 


 


Thrifty Tip: To save some pennies use veg oil that has already been used once for frying. Invest in a wide funnel with a removable mesh filter that you can strain the oil through once cooled. Keep in a plastic bottle and store in the cleaning cupboard ready for jar cleaning duties.

SIO Tips no. 58 - De-odorise your wooden spoons.

Wooden Spoons are one of the most used items in the kitchen. Some people may have separate ones for baking or for stirring a savoury pot but this isn't always ideal and who wants onion or garlic tainting your Victoria sponge mix?

Here is a simple way to care for your spoons to revive them and have you cooking with confidence.

Mix together 1 Tablespoon of Baking soda to 1 Cup of warm water. Adjust the quantities depending on how many spoons you're treating; you want to fully cover the bowl of the spoon. Leave for 15 to 20 minutes and then rinse well. Dry as normal before using.

SIO Tips no. 36

Five tips for perfect pancakes:

1.  It's important to measure the ingredients properly to make sure you don't end up with rubbery pancakes.

2.  Use a large whisk to mix the ingredients; this means that more air gets whisked into the batter to make lovely light pancakes.

3.  If you have time, make the batter a few hours in advance or even the night before. The time resting improves the texture of the cooked pancakes.

4.  Heat the pan for a couple of minutes before adding the fat to make sure it doesn't burn. Be sure to grease between pancakes to make sure they don't stick. (A non-stick pan is your best friend when making pancakes!)

5.  Wait until the batter is bubbly before you flip it. Flip it too soon and you'll have a mess on your hands.

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time.

Easy peasy, with lemon squeezy!

Easter is just around the corner...

We traditionally have pancakes on the Tuesday 40 days before Easter; traditionally this is to use up richer foods in the house before the start of Lent. 
We forget to make them the rest of the year even though they are one of the easiest treats to whip up; with ingredients you usually have in your store cupboard and fridge. So there's nothing extra on the shopping list unless you want to get creative with your toppings!

Ingredients:

225g Plain flour
Pinch salt
2 large, fresh eggs 
600ml Milk (I like to use 100ml Buttermilk and 500ml Milk for a nice texture)
2 tsp melted butter 
Plus melted butter for cooking

Make:

Sieve the flour into a large bowl, add the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour, add the eggs and beat with a whisk. Once the flour has combined nicely with the egg start adding the milk (and  buttermilk if using) until all the flour is mixed in. Then add the 2 tsp of melted butter and beat in. 

 Be careful not to over whisk the mixture because this can make the dough rubbery.

Leave the batter to rest for at least 15 minutes or, if you can, prepare it in advance - just keep it in the fridge, covered, until you're ready to use it.

Lightly grease a hot frying pan with a little melted butter, veg oil or low fat spray oil if you prefer; add a ladle of batter to evenly and thinly coat the base of the pan. Cook until set and lightly golden. Flip over when you see that the batter is set on the top and cook for another 30 seconds on the uncooked side.

Remove the pancake from the pan, place on a sheet of kitchen paper and keep warm. Continue as above until all the batter is used up.

Serve:

Pancakes are usually served rolled up with brown sugar and lemon juice but you really can add anything to yours to make a unique treat for you. Pancakes are even great with savoury toppings, try them with bacon and maple syrup or melted cheese and ham.

Here are a few other favourites from my family for you to try at home this pancake day:

Banana and Choc spread
Golden Syrup and Pecan nuts
Brown sugar mixed with Cinnamon powder
or if you really want to impress - Poached egg with Creamed Spinach

Enjoy your Pancake Day; whatever topping you think to try!

SIO Tips no. 34

Brushed steel appliances are difficult to keep looking show-room perfect and special cleaners can be pricey. Try using WD40 instead; simply wipe down the appliance with a damp cloth and spray on a thin layer of WD40, wipe off using kitchen roll leaving a clean, dry surface that is easier to wipe up next time your saucepan boils over.

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time.

Eggless Wonder Cake

 This weekend set me a new challenge that worked so well I felt to share it with everyone who might be Seeking Out something special out there...

Choosing my mixing bowls

A good friend let slip on Saturday that it was going to be his Birthday the next day - I try to make a cake for any loved one on their birthday but this one had a catch...Jo and his wife Heidi are Lacto-Vegetarian and I had never tried to make an eggless cake before.

So, I did what all modern food lovers do...I looked online for a recipe! having no knowledge of where to start, I ventured into the unknown and gave this very simple recipe a go from: http://kitchenexhibitionist.blogspot.com/2006/09/baking-for-lacto-vegetarians-eggless.html

A little tricky to turn out...

Chocolate Cake 
3 cups flour 
6 tablespoons cocoa powder 
2 teaspoons baking soda 
2 teaspoons salt 
2 cups sugar 
2/3 cup vegetable oil 
2 tablespoons white vinegar 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
2 cups cold water 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and beat well. Pour into an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Allow cake to cool before frosting. 

Chocolate Fudge Frosting 
1 cup sugar 
5 tablespoons butter 
1/3 cup milk 
1 cup milk chocolate chips 
(I used a cup of broken up plain chocolate)

In a medium saucepan bring sugar, butter and milk to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until melted and frosting is smooth. Pour evenly over the cake that is still in the pan. Allow to cool.

Double-boiler to the rescue

I made the frosting far too soon so it started to set before the cake was cooked but I found that transferring the whole lot into my trusty double-boiler and warming it over a gentle heat soon brought it back to its silky smooth texture.

Caught licking the bowls clean

I found all the ingredients (bar the chocolate bar) in my cupboards and it took no time at all to whip up. I was naughty and iced the cake while it was still quite warm, I also dug out the candles and stuck them straight in too...just in time for Jo to walk in and see his surprise. The boys (grown men actually) tucked into the frosting pan with sheer glee and couldn't wait until after dinner to try the cake itself so we dug in while it was warm with a wish for Jo, I think he wished for another one just like it next year!

Yummy!

So, if you find you have friends who can't eat eggs or you need to whip up a quick cake for surprise visitors - this is a great 'go to' recipe.

Good luck and happy baking! 

Ruthie in South Africa