Alfredo Sauce

Amber Alden's Alfredo Sauce 

Ingredients
100g butter
2 Tsp gluten free flour
100g lactose-free cream cheese
230g lactose-free milk
75g grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp garlic infused olive oil
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp basil
¼ tsp oregano

Method
1. Medium non-stick skillet, melt the butter. Using whisk, add the flour and cook approximately 2 minutes whisking continuously.
2. Add the cream cheese and milk, continually whisking until the sauce begins to thicken. (approx. 5 minutes) Once sauce thickens, add grated cheese and continue to whisk until the cheese melts. Add the garlic oil, pepper, basil, oregano and more milk if necessary. Once cheese has completely melted and smooth, serve.

First Pile Declttered

The first pile of rubble has been decluttered! The 'Rubble Be Gone!' spray didn't work, and I had to do it all by hand, well shovel. As I was taking a progress photograph of the rubble that isn't there, the reason for the renovation appeared. Ava enjoys being out in the back garden and has thoroughly investigated everything I have been doing. 

This projected started out as a way to create a safe secure garden for a dog, but it has evolved into so much more. Oh! You should see the pictures in my head! The once unloved space is going to be a clean, crisp, green space, full of life. It's going to be a place to grow fruit and veggies, sit and chat, dry washing, cook, as well as being an out door space for Ava.

Rubble Be Gone!

Work progresses! The first pile of rubble is now half the size it was yesterday. It looks like the first planter is going to have just about the right amount of drainage in the bottom. Hopefully the first pile will be gone by the end of Friday.

The Beloved talked with a friend with a van. Brian popped round this evening and had a look at the stuff beyond the gate. He will come and dispose of it for us on Sunday. He asked about the concrete blocks, and said he could use them as foundations for parking space. Another job ticked off. Brian also expressed interest in the shed. As I've already spoken to Ian about the sheds, and will contact him tomorrow to see if he's still interested. If he's not, then Brian would love to have them. What's more, Brian knows a source for manure to spread over the rubble in the planters, and also top soil! 

Brian is a very useful person to know!

Moving the Shed

A few cement bricks and blocks have been moved, along with a wheel barrow. The shed with the broken door has been moved into that space, out of the middle of the garden. The space looks so much bigger now. Down the side of the shed is a second shed, all in pieces. Both sheds were left behind by the previous owners of the house. It's taken me over 10 years to do something with them, ie move them a few metres. One of the builders thinks his friend would be happy to take the sheds away. This would be great. I'm going to give them to the end of the month to remove them. If they haven't gone by then, I'll get them taken to the tip. 

Pictured above is an old corroded bed frame, a wonky ladder, a sheet of corrugated plastic, a rotary clothes dryer. These have all be moved from beside the second shed to the back wall. Whilst the Younger Offspring is out on lunchtime walkies, I'll move them just outside the gate. The Beloved is going to ask a friend with a van to help him taken them to the tip over the weekend. The pile of rubble is gradually getting smaller. 

Update: The items from the back wall have been moved outside the gate, and more rubble has been cleared. Its proving to be easier to use the shovel to move the rubble/sand/soil into the wheelbarrow, move it a short distance and then lift out the large chunks by hand into the planter, and shovel the rest.

Next time, I'll divide the rubble pile into portions. then see how much I can do each day. 

Hedgehog Fabric

A fat quarter of this beautiful fabric was bought on Saturday. I was looking for yarn for a Temperature Blanket, but couldn't see a rainbow of yarns. The Younger Offspring was wanting yarn for arm knitting, and as I owed them a little money I said I would pay. the total didn't reach the minimum total for a card purchase, so these cute little hogs were added. An impulse purchase.

The fabric has been made into couple of  drawstring bags. 

Goal Digger 2018

In 2017, I had a few goals. The biggest was to resign from work. Dues to changes in the management structure, and the gradual eroding of my position, responsibilities and autonomy, I was becoming more and more unhappy. I discussed this with my husband, The Beloved, and he told me to resign.  Instead of resigning immediately, I made a plan to take as much information from my head and commit it to paper/computer so others would be able to use the information in future. I tidied and organised, and worked my way thing a load of stuff. With my husband, I planned a finish date, and then a month before, I handed in my resignation. It was freeing, it was brilliant! Since then, I have been so very much happier. My health has improved, my life has improved. It was a brilliant move. 

Another goal was to lose weight, and I lost a little.  My skirts and trousers are now rather loose on me. I'm going to carry this idea on into 2018. But, this year, I'm going to set a goal. This year, I want to lose 25kg (almost 4 stones). This is going to be accomplished by eating food that's better for me, dog walking, cycling and gardening.

On the gardening front, I want to get the back garden looking crisp, clean and green. The 'builder's yard' look is so old. Now, I want 'sanctuary', a place to grow food, potter around, dry washing, and hang out with the dog. 

During the building work, I was reminded of the church building renovation I took part in whilst a student. There were so many things I learned, how to work with wood, tiling, knocking down walls, plastering etc. This year, I'm going to learn how to build a brick planter. I'll use the leftover brick pavers, sand and concrete from the back garden to make a planter for the front garden.

And my final goal, for now, is to use more fabric and yarn than I buy. This has been my goal for quite a number of years, and it is working. It's slow, but it's working.  So far this year, I have bought one fat quarter of fabric. Some sleepy little hedgehogs nestled in autumn leaves.

Brick Pavers Moved

One of the things accomplished yesterday was getting a washing line back up. There's enough space for about 8 t-shirts, or a duvet set. It has to come down when I'm working in the garden. 

All of the brick pavers have been moved from closer to the house, and stacked neatly. All of this bending and carrying is giving my back, arms and legs a work out! But, I can see an improvement. Things are starting to look a little tidier. 

Time for a shower, a hot water bottle and some knitting. I must pace myself otherwise I'll damage my back and shoulders. The flip-top mittens will worked on today, and a hopefully finished.

Garden Decluttering

One of the main things I have learned from last year's decluttering in the house has been the importance of breaking down a huge job into much smaller ones, and then biting off a small chunk at a time. Other things learned have been 'Make it a little better', and the importance of tidying things away at the end of the chunk of work.

There is so very much that needs to be done in the garden to make it the space I want it to be. Ava is very happy with things the way they are: I want to be as happy with space as she is. 

The whole thing is rather overwhelming. However, there's a pile of builder's rubble behind the shed. It's manageable; I can see myself being able to deal with this area. This is where I'm concentrating my activities. Once the rubble has been tossed into the planter beside it, and the brick pavers have been moved up close to the house, I'll be able to move the shed and create much more space for getting on with the next stage. I am capable of moving more than 2 pavers at a time, but if I do that the chances are I'll hurt myself. IT's far better for me to make many little journeys with a small load than being out of action.  

Garden: Building Works Completed

The building works have been completed. We now have a new tall garden wall with a tall gate, two long raised beds/planters and a concreted area for the car to be parked. And a load of builder's rubble to deal with!

Quite a number of brick pavers have been lifted. These are from the area under the new wall, the planters and also some from the parking space. My plan is to stack all of the whole pavers, and then use them at a later date to build a planters in the front garden. Some of the half pavers will be kept for filling in. The rest of them will be put in the planters for drainage. There's a load of sand, broken bricks and broken cement blocks that will also go into the planters for drainage. The various bits of wood will be taken to the tip. There's also a huge amount of cement blocks from the wall that has been demolished. These will need to be removed too.

My exercise for the next few weeks will be moving the small rubble from the two piles and moving it into the planters. I expect to come away from this with some serious muscles.

2.2kg in a week!

I don't know quite how this has happened, but it appears I've lost 2.2kg (5lb) in a week! That's the equivalent of a small baby!

The FODMAP diet is not  designed to be a weight loss programme. However, the foods I have chosen to eat this week have been chicken, salmon, a bit of cheese, veggies, a bit of fruit, granola, some yogurt and a bit of oil. There have been a few naughties, some chocolate and a couple of banana and chocolate chip muffins. I haven't been properly low FODMAP, but lower than usual. 

Next week, I will try to do better, and achieve a properly low FODMAP intake of food. The chocolate I had caused some discomfort, but the reaction was too swift for it to have been FODMAP related. There is some non-FODMAP issue with some forms of dairy.

The Garden, a Progress Report

The old wall has been taken down, and a new, higher wall erected, a bit further into the garden. This is to allow an off-street parking space for the car. Two planters/raised beds have been built. A new gate/door has been built and installed, and a number plate has been added. The garden is now secure! It has been inspected by Ava, the Wonder Dog. She decided it was lacking in one thing, and wee-ed on it. 

There's some tidying up work to be done where there brick pavers meet the planters and wall. Two new drain covers are needed, and the parking space will be concreted over. And that will be the end of stage one. 

Stage two involves staining the new door/gate, applying exterior paint to the new walls and planters, and putting up hooks for the washing line. Stage three is transforming the old wall rubble into drainage material for the planters. Stage four is the removal of the various extraneous stuff from the garden. From there we're into getting in some top soil and starting a garden.

Hi Ho, It's Off to Work We Go

The Beloved is back at work after the holidays, and I am now getting back into my regular routine. This year is going to involve a little bit of decluttering for me, and a lot of renovation, decorating and getting routines firmly in place.

Every day will start with getting dressed, walking the dog and feeding her. After I've had my breakfast, it will be time for the 52 Weeks to an Organised Home mission, starting a load of laundry, and giving the kitchen a quick clean. 

The Younger Offspring has decided to declutter this year too. I shall be helping and advising, but they will be the one making the decisions. Today was the first day, and it was a pajama day. Two sets are being donated, one set is be binned, and a pair of bottoms is also heading bin-ward. On the shopping list is a pair of leggings/joggers. This will being the total pajama count to three sets, one for wearing, one for washing, and one in the drawer. A good start.

Granola, Mark 2

Ingredients

6 cups rolled oats 

1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds 

0.5 cup chopped hazelnuts

0.5 cup chopped pecans 

0.25 cup brown sugar (omitted in the latest batch)

0.5 cup maple syrup 

0.5 cup vegetable oil 

1 Tsp ground cinnamon 

1 Tsp vanilla extract 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line two large baking sheets with parchment.

Combine the oats, seeds, and nuts in a large bowl. Place in a saucepan,  the sugar, maple syrup, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.

Bake until crispy and toasted, about 25 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then store in an airtight container.

Notes

This is a pared down version of the previous recipe. The original recipe made a huge quantity. This one produces about half. I prefer the taste of maple syrup to honey, so have replaced the honey with syrup. Cinnamon and vanilla are also favourites; I haven't cut those back. The seeds and nuts were what I had in the cupboard at the time. 

One portion of this granola is low FODMAP. It is great with lactose-free yogurt and fruit compote.

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In the latest batch of granola, I left out the brown sugar, and I greatly prefer the reduction in sweetness. The maple syrup adds enough sweetness for my tastes. We also had no pecans, so cashews were used instead.

Starting the Year Decluttering

Monday's decluttering task was reading. Yesterday's decluttering was postponed due to a migraine. today, the migraine has gone. The sink area has been decluttered of dying herbs and a few random bits. 

Today's task was to declutter and clean the kitchen counters. I have so little counter space in the kitchen that they have to be in a reasonable state, otherwise it's a mammoth job to do anything. Last year I removed a number of counter top items that weren't in daily use. It released much needed space. This year, I have found a place for my balance scales and weights. These are used every 10 days or so, and not need to be out.

I am delighted by how easy this is to do this year. Tomorrow's mission is even simpler - clean the kitchen table. We don't have a kitchen table.

What's Cooking?

Dinner last night was roast chicken with roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots and lightly boiled broccoli. The gravy was made by using some of the chicken juices and cooking the dark green part of spring onions into it. Mixed herbs were added, along with some salt. It was thickened with a little Dove Farm flour. The gravy was not my typical fayre, but it had some flavour and it was wet.

The breakfast I had planned was a BLT with mayo on gluten-free toast. And when I was just about to make it I realised there was no bacon. There was some cold chicken from last night, so I had a CLT with may on gf toast. It worked really well.

Feta and Parma Ham Salad

Ingredients

lettuce

spring onion (green part only)

cucumber

cherry tomatoes

honeydew melon

feta cheese

parma ham

balsamic vinegar

Method

Cut or rip the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Slice the cucumber, and quarter the tomato. Scatter all on the dish. Cube some melon. Cut a little feta and rip a slice of parma ham. Drizzle over with balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle a little finely sliced spring onion (green part only).

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I do like the combination of flavours and colours. It's very fresh and lovely. It would also work well with some finely sliced red cabbage and a dressing made from oil, lemon juice and a little mustard.

December Craftings

Ribbed Wrist Warmers 

Start: 5th December 2017 

Finish: 8th December 2017 

Japanese Wrapping Fabric (Furoshiki) 

Start: 8th December 2017 

Finish: 9th December 2017 

Broken Rib Fingerless Mittens 

Start: 10th December 2017 

Finish: 11th December 2017 

Andalusian Fingerless Mittens 

Start: 14th December 2017 

Finish: 14th December 2017 

Gift Bags 

Start: 15th December 2017 

Finish: 15th December 2017 

Muppet Baby Quilt 

Start: 2nd September 2017 

Finish: WIP

Christmas Tree Quilted Hanging 

Start: 3rd December 2017 

Finish: WIP 

Jultomtar
Start: 16th December 2017
Finish: WIP

Carrier Bag Holders
Start: 27th December 2017
Finish: 29th December 2017

Mid Grey Mittens
Start: 29th December 2017
Finish: 29th January 2018 
Image in 'January Craftings'.

No Resolutions for 2018

Last year I decided to make no New Year's resolutions. It worked! 

In 2016, I started the 52 Week Declutter, knowing the chances of finishing the programme was going to be very small. I started with the idea that it didn't matter how far I managed to stay with it, every month, every week, every day would be a bonus. The couple of months I stuck with it made a lovely difference, and I decided to attempt it again in 2017. 

I made it almost all the way through this year. The things I had tackled in 2016 were a breeze in 2017. I'm so very much happier with my home than I have been for years. 

For 2018, I've decided to do it all again. This time through I'll also be redecorating, renewing and replacing (when needed).

FODMAPing in the New Year

I'm so glad I didn't just launch head first into the FODMAP diet. Instead, I've been doing some research and reading. This afternoon I spent time making a start on a seven day menu. It would have been rather difficult to deal with festive foods whilst in the elimination stage of FODMAP.

Breakfasts are simple, most days it will be homemade granola, with lactose-free yogurt and fruit. Then, every so often it there will be a BLT on gluten-free toast. Lunches are proving to be simple too, mostly salads with other bits thrown in. Dinner is the one that will take the most work. Normally dinner starts with 'Take one onion...' and that's not on whilst FODMAPing. I seriously hope to be able to get back to onions and garlic. Living without those would be a sadness. But, it's now only a little bit of sadness when I smell a Danish pastry or a croissant. I'd rather have a happy gastro-intestinal system than a few titillated taste buds.

Dinners I have planned are maple-glazed salmon with new potatoes and green beans, butternut squash with pasta and home made blue cheese dressing, roast chicken and roasted veggies, and jacket potatoes with tuna and salad. I'd like to add another three to my menu. Seven meals in rotation will be easy to maintain for a number of weeks.

Flip Top Mittens

Yarn: Top Value DK

Company: James C Brett

Composition: Acrylic 100

Colour: 8429 (medium grey)
Pattern: Flip Top Mittens
Size: Woman
Needles: 3mm
Amount used: 
Started: 29th December 2017
Finished: 29th January 2018

Cast on 44sts on 3mm needles. Join. 

Work 20 rounds of 2x2 rib.

1. K to last 2 stitches, kfb, kfb.
2. K (and every second round).
3. K to last 4 stitches, kfb, k2, kfb.
5. K to last 6 stitches, kfb, k4, kfb.
7. K to last 8 stitches, kfb, k6, kfb.
Continue in this manner until there are 60sts on the needles. Then work 8 rounds of stocking stitch. Transfer the last 16 stitch to waste yarn, leaving 40sts on the needles. Join, and work 8 rounds of 2x2 rib. Cast off using a lace bind off.

Left Mitten
Cast on 20sts, and then starting at the thumb, pick up 20sts, at the bottom of the ribbing. *Join, and work 8 rounds of 2x2 ribbing. Work 27 rounds of stocking stitch. Then shape the top of the mitten.
1. (K1, ssk, k14, k2tog, k1), repeat.
2. K.
3. (K1, ssk, k12, k2tog, k1), repeat.
4. K.
5. (K1, ssk, k10, k2tog, k1), repeat.
6. (K1, ssk, k8, k2tog, k1), repeat.
7. (K1, ssk, k6, k2tog, k1), repeat. (20sts)
Graft the top of the mitten closed.

Right Mitten 
Pick up 20sts, starting at the thumb. Then cast on 20sts. Follow the instructions for the left mitten from the asterisk.

Thumb
Transfer the 16st for the thumb from the waste yarn onto needles. Join and knit 15 rounds in stocking stitch. Knit two together eight time (8sts).  Knit one round. Break yarn, leaving a tail, and thread the yarn through the stitches to fasten off. Draw up tightly and weave in the end.

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I've been struggling a little with a sore throat and a bit of a temperature. The Jultomtar are lovely, but I'm converting the pattern from 'flat' to 'in the round' as I go, and for the legs/boots, I've also switched the direction of knitting. It's too tricksy to work out at the moment, so a pair of flip top mittens will not require too much thought.