No More Bottled Sauces, Clear-outs and house washing

NO MORE BOTTLED SAUCES, CLEAR-OUTS AND HOUSE WASHING!

Settling back into life full-time in Sydney has been easier than I expected.  Unpacking suitcases stuffed with clothes and trying to fit them into cupboards already full,  forced me to begin a clear out.  

I love a clear out and try to re-cycle anything I no longer need.  The de-cluttering process feels good and especially when one has no choice but to tackle the piles on the floor.    At the end of it all, the hangers face the same way, pants all together, shirts and dresses all together, jumpers in neat piles and shoes neatly together in pairs. Such a pity I can't keep it up as I am rather untidy...   

This led me to thinking about built-ins versus the revered 'walk-in-robe'.  We had a small version of the latter on the farm and I found dust to be a huge problem.  Also.. unless one is very very tidy and continuously adhering to colour-coding rules,  the whole thing can look very messy.

Very colour coded!

Ralph Lauren's walk-in robe!

I have decided to go for built-ins in the new house which still looks great and can hide lack of colour-coding or messy jumper stacks when necessary.

The clothes done,  I was soon on to other things.    I decided to check all the herbs and spices and their sell-by dates. The offenders ended up in the bin.   When last did you check the sell-by dates of your herbs and spices?  It was pretty scary when I discovered cinnamon and a few others   dated 2010...The sauce bottles in the fridge were next - some more scary discoveries - toxic horse-radish sauce, three year old mint jelly - all gone now and a sparkling empty fridge... I chucked the lot!!! 

Good idea

A good way to re-cycle!

I have always had an aversion to bottled sauces, mainly because most of them contain vinegar which I cannot tolerate.  Staples however,  like mint jelly and horse-radish were always on hand for others to use.     

Instead of mint sauce in a bottle what about making a homemade mint pesto?    It's far healthier than the bottled version and much more delicious.  It's also really quick if using a hand-held blender.

The same goes for home-made horseradish sauce.   

Friends and I  were talking yesterday about this very thing and decided that there are many more delicious fresh ways of enhancing what we eat instead of sauces in bottles, quick-mix sauces in packets, instant soups, curry mixes etc.  

Gremolata is the most delicious and easy way of enhancing everything from fish to beef.  Mr R-I chops up the most delicious gremolata for his Osso buco! It's great to make it up fresh every week and keep in a screw-top jar in the fridge! 

Gremolata

Zest of one large lemon

2 cloves of garlic (small)

2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper.

CHOP

I have also shown him how to make the salad dressing and he does a pretty good job!  He is now a two-trick pony!

1/3 Lemon juice

2/3 Olive oil

1 clove garlic - crushed

1 heaped teaspoon Maile mustard

1 Tbsp Pure maple syrup

Salt and pepper

Whisk or shake up in a bottle.

Salsa's and caponata's are also fresh, tasty and healthy and there are hundreds of variations.  Fresh herbs are so much more vital and delicious.  

There is a definite place for bottled herbs and spices but using fresh whenever possible is so much healthier.  Has anyone bought bottled chopped garlic or ginger?... .it has an awful flavour and the odour of the garlic so much more offensive.  I don't however think I will be able to persuade everyone not to reach for the "T Sauce" when eating a pie!

On the new home front in Bowral, things have been moving slowly along.  We had a meeting last week while sitting alongside the newly poured slab.  Everything plumbing wise is now 'set in stone' and I found myself wondering whether all of the decisions regarding plumbing items and their positions are in fact correct.  Too bad if they're not!  

We spent the weekend with some of the family  in Mollymook and the weather was unseasonably warm.  

I did a big clear out there as well -  again chucking out old sauce bottles from the fridge and grocery cupboard.

  I also washed the house!  This is possibly the most fun I could have!   Coastal homes have the problem of the windows and screens getting coated with salt and moisture  and a wash-down with the hose nozzle twisted to emit a jet-force of water is the go!  Washing the whole house and decks takes me about 30 minutes and is often fraught with irritations like the hose knotting, getting caught behind something or the nozzle flying off and leaving me drenched. I usually ask for help but managed alone this time!  It is  very satisfying seeing the dirty water streaming off the windows and down the walls! 

Till next time and wishing you all a lovely Autumn/spring where ever you are! 

Cooking & Art classes in France

LA CREUZETTE

An experience of a lifetime!

I don't think it's very often that one is able to declare with certainty..."That was the best week of my life"!...  Facing a couple of raised eyebrows from the family I was sticking to my story after an unforgettable experience at La Creuzette.

La Creuzette is a beautiful 18thC Chateau sitting in a very large walled garden on the outskirts of Boussac.  Boussac,  is a small town in the middle of rural France - in the Creuse Department,  in the Limousin.  This is a beautiful, unspoilt rural area of France - about 4 hours from Paris by car, and two hours by train.

The owners Louis and Hardy have lived there for the past 12 years.  Originally from South Africa,  Louis a very well recognised artist,  who also lectured in Art in Cape Town and Hardy was in banking.  At the time they owned a small house near Boussac which they visited during holidays.  It was when they discovered that La Creuzette had come on the market,  that they decided to sell up in South Africa and move to France.

They arrived in Boussac in the middle of winter,  to a huge 'house' which had no heating.  The Chateau had been  a summer holiday destination for the previous family and heating was never installed.  Louis in particular, suffered in those first weeks,  while Hardy who is terribly practical worked on getting the heating going.  After a tricky start,  they tackled the renovation and soon the Chateau was open for business. 

Accommodation is sumptuous!  All the bedrooms are en suite and the beds are made up with exquisite Antique French sheets.  The rooms are serviced each day and nothing is spared to ensure 5star comfort!

Residential courses are on offer at La Creuzette,  offering art, cooking, French lifestyle, and so much more.   Louis and Hardy are the most generous of hosts and upon arrival,  one is made to feel so welcome.  Tradition dictates that Louis is responsible for the first dinner at La Creuzette.  

The cheese course and Louis' signature!

Louis and Hardy have, over the years collected the most exquisite tableware - china, crystal and French antique flatware.  Louis likes to present this first meal in a very formal and lavish way and the food is absolutely delicious too!

Entry into the formal dining room - note the candles!

Louis loves decorating the dinner table and every night is a different theme and colour scheme.

Food is a very important part of the La Creuzette experience.
Hardy is a very accomplished cook and the meals are nothing short of spectacular!  I enrolled in art courses for both of my stays with them and I believe that the cooking courses are even more wonderful!  

Hardy

The food is healthy - using the freshest seasonal ingredients and served in abundance!

The art component of the La Creuzette experience is divine.

There is a wonderful studio  and everyone has their own station.  Louis adores opera and is very knowledgeable and while we sit and work on our paintings/drawings,  the music surrounds us, pealing out of the open windows.   It really is so uplifting!  

Louis in his studio

 Louis is a wonderful teacher and entertainer.  He often reduced us to helpless laughter.  He  shows enormous patience and understanding while supporting our various artistic endeavours.  

This building houses the Summer Kitchen where most of the meals are served. The studio is upstairs.

 In between cooking, eating and the art,  visits to local gardens, brocantes and villages are on the agenda.

Hardy teaching us about French cheeses

A magnificent garden nearby - Priory d' Orsan

Sunday is Brocante day!

 

There are also excursions to the nearby town of Aubusson where the "Aubusson" rugs originate from.  We were taken into the workshops where antique rugs are repaired.

The town of Aubusson

I know this has been a very long post but I honestly had to stop myself from writing more and adding more and more photos.  It is a trip of a lifetime and Louis and Hardy also offer tailor-made trips for special birthdays - from a couple of days to as long as one would like.  I believe there have been substantial decor and garden face lifts to La Creuzette of late and I cannot wait to see it all.  Happily I will be visiting Boussac in May and will most definitely pop in for a 'hello'  and a look!   Visit their website here

The move off the farm, a birthday party and a christening

THIS WEEK - THE MOVE, A BIRTHDAY PARTY AND A CHRISTENING!

Monday & Tuesday

Well,  it finally happened - the move that is - and I can put everyone, including myself out of their misery!  It all went rather well I suppose and I posted all day on Instagram as I tried to extricate myself emotionally from this wonderful place.   The move took two days and on Monday night,  our friends Judy and Ozzie had us down to their home for dinner.  Thoughtful friends at a time like this are so appreciated! 

The last drive out!

On Tuesday night, our neighbours Bob and Ruth put us up for the night once we'd seen the last of the trucks.  After an exhausting day,  it was a soft landing arriving at their home and enjoying a hot bath!  Dinner was Mr R-I's favourite - Irish Stew!  Tired, but happy we shared a lovely evening with good friends... 


      




Wednesday

Mr R-I and I drove to Sydney with our cars packed to the roof!  It happened to be the day of my birthday and a lovely surprise of beautiful flowers greeted me when we arrived back in Sydney.   I really had to muster up all of my energy to meet the family at Bistro Moncur in Woollahra for dinner! Most of us ordered a firm favourite there - Sirloin with Cafe d'Paris sauce.  

These beautiful flowers were waiting for me in Sydney - sent by a very good friend in the UK.  

                     

Thursday

My daughter Claire moved house and we went over in the afternoon to help her!!... 

This says it all!

Saturday

Kitty's 2nd birthday party was a going to be in a park, but unfortunately, due to torrential rains,  we moved it to the local scout hall!  

Kitty in awe of her RaRa cake!

Sunday

Last, but not least, was Arabella's christening.  The weather was a dramatic improvement from yesterday,  and Arabella was as good as gold during the service.  The same cannot be said for the other little two year olds!!  Running races around the church was the best fun!

Very comfy in David West's arms!

Baby Arabella and her Mum

 This was an eventful week - exhausting and emotional on many fronts.  I look forward to a more peaceful time next week!