No Knead BREAD

I thought I would post this as it the easiest bread you can make, it is lovely and can be ready by the time you have cooked dinner.

you will need

3 cups of plain unbleached four
1/4 teaspoon salt ( I like rock salt)
1/2 teaspoon rapid rise or instant yeast
1and 1/2 cups of water or enough to make a wet dough not a dry one.
1/4 cup of sugar if needed but I never use it.
Bowl lol

in a bowl put the flour, salt and yeast add the water tap water is fine. (I find depending on the quality that you may need a little more water which is fine) mix with a spoon or spatchula until all ingredients are mixed into a nice dough,
Cover with glad wrap or cling wrap and leave on the beach *(not the fridge) for no less than 12 hours and up to 18 hours.

When you are ready to cook the bread put some flour on a board and tip out the dough and let it sit for 30 min while the oven preheats at 265c. place dough into a dutch oven or casserole dish with the lid on for 30 minutes then remove lid for up to 15 more minutes to get a nice crunchy crust.
I add herbs or pesto to this bread as well and often cheese too.

water, yeast, flour and salt mixed in a bowl and covered with glad wrap leave for between 12 and 18 hours YOUR BREAD WILL RISE 

heat your oven with the casserole dish or dutch oven inside and tip your bread dough onto a flour covered board letting it rest for the 30 minutes that the oven and dish are preheating.

DO NOT KNEAD THIS BREAD pull it and fold it once 

take your HOT dish out of the oven toss in a little flour,(no oil needed) then pop the bread dough in as well

You can use any dish you like or tin I just prefer the dutch oven

then after 30 min take lid off and bake uncovered for another 15 min so as to get a nice crust , if you are not using a covered dish then skip this tip lol

I made my dough yesterday so I could do the photos for the tutorial.

I like to make the dough before I go to bed, then before dinner the next evening I will cook it as I love it with home made soup but it is easy to make if you are having guests and you know ahead of time.

The Quiet Achiever

Pizza Rolls

 I have to admit I am over paying $4.20 for a savory bread roll so I thought it was time to take out my trusty bread maker and have go at making my own.
So this was my first attempt and I have learnt to not roll the dough as thin as pastry lol it needs to be a little thicker.
made the dough in the bread maker Soooooooo easy or use the no knead bread recipe on this blog
I then rolled the dough
put pizza sauce on it
pepperoni
pineapple )or what ever you like but I made this one simple
and pizza cheese thinly spread.

rolled
cut and cooked

my brother must have liked them as he ate 8 ROFL even thought I cooked them for too long

Quiet Achiever

Cleaning Paint Brushes

One thing that annoys everyone is having to throw out paint brushes so here is a tip when it comes to cleaning them if you are using water based paint

Soak your old brushes in white straight vinegar and they should soften up after about 30 minutes

Soak them in fabric softener and water and they will be as good as new

The Quiet Achiever

Playpen Clothes Airer

I think this is a great use of an old play pen.

You need

1. split playpen into two sections
2. four curtain rails (hooks)
3. dowel

The picture kind of explains how to set this airer up but if you need  it explained please contact us and we will be glad to assist

The Quiet Achiever

Removing Musty Smells

The easiest way to remove musty smells from wardrobes and draws, suitcases etc is also cheap.

KITTY LITTER its that simple

pour kitty litter into an open container such as a bowl then place bowl in the wardrobe or case or draw, or if you wish just pour it in the case or draw leave it for a few days and the musty smell will be gone.

you will need the whole bag of kitty litter as it takes the whole bag to work

How fantastic is this

The Quiet Achiever

Dog Bed Four Poster

how to make a 4 poster dogs bed

Find an old coffee table

tip a small table upside down lol put curtain ends or draw knobs on the top of the legs and 4 little blocks underneath the table. , Make a soft mattress to sit inside, add nice fabric roof and curtains and bobs your uncle.

We all love our pets so making this kind of bed is such a great idea and weven better if you make one for a friends dog.

I love this bed and kudos to the person who thought this one up as it goes to the top of the best idea list.

OH and CATS LIKE THESE TOO 

The Quiet Achiever

Black Board Framed

You will need 

1. Picture Frame
2. chalk board
3. nails or glue, Silicone ??

This is a great thing to have in the house and we all know how awful cork and chalk boards look so making one that suits you and your rooms is easy fast and it will look great

Picking up a frame is easy at garage sales or op shops or new if you like but I am into recycling

If you want to make more than one then pick up a can of chalk board paint and you can make your own inexpensive blackboards that will last for years.

Frame & black board = framing the black board (chalk board) and remember with the frame you can decoupage, paint, bling or what ever you want and this is a great thing for the kids to help

Love  and what a clever idea

The Quiet Achiever

DIY Designer Curtain Rails

I love this tip

we all know how expensive curtain rails are and of course how limited the selection often is so here is a great way to make your own and to get the perfect one for your needs and of course much it will be much cheaper than you think.



You will need

1 Dowel
2 draw knob
3 paint

  I suggest you paint the dowel before you add the door knob

the rest is easy and the picture explains everything else

The Quiet Achiever

Freezing pancake mix

I hate waste so a good way to use up milk before it goes off is to make pancake mix, once made full zip lock bags then freeze until needed. Allow to thaw, Snip the corner off to use as a piping bag when needed. Makes a quick mess free breakfast.
You can use any plastic bag just remember to seal the top with a rubber band or something that will keep it shut tight.

 The Quiet Achiever

Cake Mix Biscuits

 This is one of the easiest recipes you will ever try and very cheap to make

The bottom shelf of Coles Murwillumbah you will find plain brand cake mix for less than 80 cents and there are generally two flavours. You can add coco powder or milo or what ever you want to this mix to give it the wow factor

you will need

1.1 pk cheap cake mix....choc, vanilla, what you like

2.1/2 cup melted margarine or butter

3.1 egg

Mix together, roll into balls, slightly flatten with fork, place on tray lined with baking paper,

 bake 170c (340f ) for 12 to 15 mins.

They should be light brown on the under side and firm to touch, cool on rack, they also freeze well. You may add other things to the mix eg: m & m's, coconut, almond flakes, choc chips etc. Makes 16 biscuits.      

The Quiet Achiever

Easy Cupcake Ice-cream Cones

1.one box of cake mix and all ingredients needed

2. 12 ice cream cones (these will not burn in the oven)

3. preheat oven to 350

4. put liners in in cupcake tin

5 . Make cake according to box

6. fill cupcake liners in tray 3/4 of the way up

7.  Take your ice-cream cone and place it upside down on top of the batter (cake mix)

8. press the cone down in the batter so the cone stands upright
bake for approx 20 minutes but after 10 minutes open oven and tap cones down again.

9. remove cupcakes from oven when cooked let them cool down and peel off the cup cake liner. ice and eat lol
 I will often melt chocolate and dip the cakes into it and of course add sprinkles or fruit  Yummmmm

Push cone into the batter

The Quiet Achiever

Amazing VEGAN cake

Sophia  was kind enough to post this VEGAN CAKE  recipe so I thought I would share it as I tried it and it is wonderful


I can't sleep this evening - I have a job interview in the morning and I am a bit nervous - so I am occupying myself by posting somewhat useless things on here.

Anyway - this cake is AMAZING! I discovered it while looking for a vegan recipe to serve to my boyfriends grandmother who takes Lent very seriously. Anyway - here is cake. It's vegan.. unless you're one of those vegans who doesn't eat honey. I have tried it with golden syrup instead of honey and that works pretty well too.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of honey
1 T vegetable oil.
1 cup water
360g self-raising flour.
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger.
250g chopped dates. (Fresh is best, otherwise soak in the honey and add when you add honey)
100g chopped walnuts
50g chopped slivered almonds
Extra honey, or sugar syrup to put on top.


Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 C (Haven't tried in convection oven... so make sure it's fan forced or this temp. may be wrong).
2. Grease shallow cake pan, or tart tin.
3. Stir honey and water in saucepan over a low heat.
4. Combine sifted flour and spices, dates and nuts in a bowl.
5. Add honey mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir!
(Mixture should be fairly wet, but not sticky - apart from the dates)
6. Spread into cake tin, and bake for 30-45 minutes.

It's easiest to tell if it is done by sight. It will be golden and the edges will look very very slightly crispy. Sticking a skewer through doesn't work as well because the dates stay moist and stick to it no matter how well done the cake is. The cake also gets harder as the honey cools, so it may seem a bit soft at first.

7. Cover the top with syrup or honey. (I put kumquats into the sugar+water as I am making the syrup!)

The Quiet Achiever

COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM

This is lovely and such a nice change from the usual cream and sooooo easy to make

1. Put a can of coconut cream in the fridge for a couple of hours

2. open can and scoop out the thick coconut cream that has settled in
the top of the can. Keep the liquid and use in smoothies or for cooking

3. Add a little cinnamon and or vanilla to the thick coconut then whip

A good tip to remember is making the bowl cold will help the cream whip faster.

 you will find it gets very thick and creamy and it also tastes great in coffee.

You will always have cream to whip for those odd times when you forget to buy cream if you leave a can in your fridge
Let me know what you think

The Quiet Achiever

Muscle Ache Rub

Do your muscles ache well try this as it is the best rub you will ever use and better still it is chemical free and is instant relief.

DIRECTIONS
1 table spoon of horseradish
1 cup of Olive oil

Mix together and allow to sit for at least half an hour before using, this works really well and will keep for months

The Quiet Achiever

Screws on your glasses

 STOP  the screws from coming out of your glasses.

Brush a little clear nail polish remover on the threads of screws then tighten them. This is so simple and works so well.

The Quiet Achiever

Carrying Drinking Straws

 I like to have drinking straws in my car as I really dislike drinking out of cans but storing straws is always an issue, so how clever is this idea and how practical

Tooth brush cases make the best drinking straw cases. Bet you are kicking yourself that you didn't think of this but it's okay you can tell your friends you did lol
You can buy these cases at any cheap shop or chemist.

 The Quiet Achiever

Camera case

How cheap and easy is this for a case for a small camera

Pick up a soap case at any cheap shop and it will protect your camera

I love this idea

The Quiet Achiever

worcestershire sauce

HOME MADE tastes FANTASTIC AND EASY



I feel like a Princess trapped in a tower waiting to be rescued in the summer as the heat here is awful. I spend most of summer inside in the air conditioning and the prince I wait on is the cooler months or winter lol, anyway while I wait to be rescued I cook and today I am making my years supply of worcestershire sauce although I make it more like a thick sauce or a relish.

So here is the recipe which is my fav .

3 large brown onions
1kg (2lbs) brown sugar
1 orange
1.3kg (3lbs) green apple
4.5 liters (1 gallon) brown vinegar
2 tablespoons ground ginger
4 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons cloves

Put all ingredients including cut up fruit and onions into a pot, boil slowly for 3 hours, strain, bottle and cork when cool.

I prefer to blend the mixture when it is cold and then bottle as it makes the sauce thicker.

This sauce will last for up to a year and better for you than store
bought.

THE QUIET ACHIEVER

Fried Gnocchi, what a winner

 I love this to use as mini roast potatoes, croutons for salads or dipping bits or serve with cold meats.

Fast, easy and very handy'

 
I am not a fan of gnocchi because I find it very heavy HOWEVER I do buy it when it is on sale especially the long life packets that can be placed on a shelf and here is what I like to do with gnocchi.

open packet of gnocchi
empty into pan with a little oil
cook until golden brown

or place on oven tray with a little oil and cook
in oven until golden brown.



I thought you might like my handy fast potato tip and my version of how to cook gnocchi

 The quiet Achiever

Cheese in 20 minutes

How cool is it that you can make cheese in 20 minutes, Thanks Jonathan Dick 
Everything you need can be picked up on a normal shopping day at any supermarket.


Making your own cheese is a great way to become more self-sufficient while saving money for your family. Many people, after researching how to make their own cheese, leave a bit disinterested because they have to use ingredients that are hard to come by – rennet, tartaric acid, calcium chloride, etc.
However, there are simple ways to make cheese with a gallon of milk, lime juice and salt! It’s easy. Here’s how you do it:
You’ll Need:
• One gallon of Whole Milk (You can use pasteurized or raw milk but not ultrapasteurized)
• 1/2 cup of Lime Juice (about 4 limes) or 1/4 cup of White Vinegar
• Salt
• Strainer or Colander
• Cheesecloth
• Candy Thermometer (optional)

Directions

1. Place the gallon of milk in a large, non-aluminum pot. Bring the pot to a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until it looks like it’s about to boil. Be careful not to actually let the milk boil though. (If you have a thermometer, the milk should be at 185 degrees.)

2. Add 1/4 cup lime juice to the milk. The curds will begin to separate from the whey. The mixture will begin to look grainy.

3. Continue to allow the mixture to simmer for a couple of minutes.

4. Line a strainer with cheesecloth and remove the pot from the heat source. Pour the contents into the cheesecloth and allow it to drain for a couple of minutes. (You can save the excess liquid to make ricotta, add protein to oatmeal dishes, etc.)

5. Sprinkle the curds with salt (you’ll probably want to add a little more salt than you normally would due to the fact that some salt will drain from the cheese as it dries).

6. Since this cheese isn’t aged, the cheese will have a neutral flavor like mozzarella. If you’d like, you can add herbs, spices or chiles to add a bit of flavor.

7. Gather the cheese curds in the center of the cheesecloth and pull the ends of the cheesecloth up. You can then tie the ends of the cheesecloth to a faucet or cupboard and allow to drain for a few hours. You’ll want to drain it for at least four hours or overnight if you can.

8. After you’ve waited for a few hours, untie the cheesecloth and remove the cheese. This recipe should make about 16 ounces of cheese. Keep the cheese refrigerated. It should last as long as milk would in your fridge.

9. You can also place the cheese in the bottom of a clean can and use a glass bottle to form it to the can. That will give it more of a circular form.
10. Enjoy!

I like to add chillies or chives, parsley and even chutney to this cheese and i am sure you can think of many other wonderful things to add to yours. Let me know if you make this cheese and what you think.

The Quiet Achiever

YOGHURT , Slow cooker and FREEZABLE

 so easy  I love this THANKS TRICIA (one a month meals)

 Homemade Slow Cooker Yogurt

Ingredients:

• 8 cups 1% milk (you can use other types as well, I used whole)
• 4 ounces plain yogurt
• 0.5 cups sugar/honey
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla (optional)

Directions:

Pour the milk into the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker on LOW, put the lid on, and heat the milk for 2.5 hours. After that time, turn your slow cooker off, unplug it, and let it sit, covered, for 2.5 – 3 hours. To the slow cooker add the plain yogurt (your starter), sugar (or honey), and vanilla and whisk together. Cover the slow cooker and wrap it in a thick towel to insulate it. Now you let the yogurt culture by letting it stand like this for 8+ hours. In this case, overnight. take a strainer, line it with a coffee filter, and place it over a bowl. Then ladle your yogurt into the strainer and place the bowl/strainer combo into the fridge where your yogurt can cool. After several hours, the whey will strain out of your yogurt, leaving it nice and thick! Scrape the yogurt out of the coffee filter and into a container (pour your whey into a separate container, it can be used . Serve plain or with your favorite fresh fruit.

 Freezing Directions:

Portion into freezer containers and freeze. To serve: Thaw.
Servings: 10 (1/2 cup servings)

The Quiet Achiever

PS 

Here are some options for using your whey:
- Use as a replacement for buttermilk in recipes (it works great as the buttermilk substitue in Banana Pancakes!)
- Use as an acidic medium for soaking grains
- Add the frozen cubes of whey into smoothies for additional nutrition

Check out Alicia's blog on making yoghurt

http://www.aliciashomemaking.com/2010/08/homemade-yogurt-in-crockpot.html

Cheesecake no bake 139 cal per serve

I love this cheese cake and make it often lol

Here is recipe for raspberry cheesecake with only 139 cal per serving and it is very low in fat, this will hold the worst sweet craving at bay lol.
I have modified this from the original so it works a little better.

1 x pack of low fat cream cheese

1 x 200 oz tub of low fat raspberry yoghurt

2x packets of raspberry jelly and the diet ones are really sweet lol

4oz of crushed biscuits, I use ginger nuts

2oz of melted butter

TO MAKE

Make one pack of jelly with 150 mils of water and set aside


crush biscuits add melted butter and press onto base of small cake time.

Whip cream cheese and yoghurt together and add in the jelly which was set aside earlier the
Pour mixture into tin over biscuit base and place in fridge to set.

Make second raspberry jelly with 250 mils of water set aside for half an hour then pour over top of nearly set cheese cake.

Here is a couple of slices FROM ONE I made earlier , help yourself

Thats it folks and it is Fabulous and will not only impress it will help with the sweet issues lol.
Takes about an hour to set with no cooking required

The Quiet Achiever    

Drying Shoes

I know we live in the land of endless sunshine (well for  those of us who are lucky enough to live in the Northern Rivers that is) but we are also subject to a wet season so we know that there are times of ENDLESS rain and we are forced to use a dryer  or we have kids who like to  puddle jump (bless them) and this is a great way to dry shoes without wreaking your dryer.

Making one of these nets is easy and if anyone would like instructions please just ask.

The Quiet Achiever

Carrying Sliced apples

I am one of those people who doesn't like to bite into a whole  apple so yes I like them sliced into wedges.
I often like to have an apple when I take my lunch with me and this works great when you have kid lunches to make for school.

Cut an apple into wedges then place a rubber band around it to hold the wedges in place.Your apple stays fresh and doesn't go brown.

This tips works for oranges as well as a whole range of other fruit

The Quiet Achiever