Tipsy trifle

I've been neglecting the blog over Christmas, a bit preoccupied with making biscuits, wrapping presents, and general celebratory activities.
Our family gathering on Boxing Day was a lovely day as always - a chance to catch up with all our nearest and dearest, exchange presents, and eat heroic quantities of festive food.
There were prawns. There was cold ham, turkey and chicken, and a bewilderment of salads.

For dessert, I usually contribute a dish of trifle, but this year I made hot toddy sauce instead. We also  had pavlova, David's wonderful home-made icecream, Susie's divine sticky date pudding, and a huge platter of Katie's organic cherries and apricots.

photo from Masterchef

Despite this, Some People were disappointed by the lack of trifle. So I offer this recipe, so they can make some for themselves - and so can you, it's not very difficult.
Trifle is often referred to as "Tipsy trifle", and stories abound of people getting drunk on it. My recipe has just half a cup of sherry, so you'd have to eat the entire dish to get even mildly tipsy... probably best not to give it to the kiddies, though.
I've read that the Italians call it "Zuppa Inglese" (English soup). This is not intended as a compliment.

Ingredients
1 purchased Swiss Roll (this is not about the quality of the cake)
1 medium-sized tin of Pineapple Pieces in Natural Juice.
1/2 cup Sherry (I use McWilliam's Cream Sherry)
packet of Port Wine or Raspberry jelly
300 ml jar of whipping cream
Thick vanilla custard (made with custard powder)
Method
Make up the jelly according to directions on the packet, place in the fridge to set.
Slice the Swiss Roll, and roughly cut into cubes. Strew in the bottom of a large bowl.
Drain the pineapple, saving the juice.
Arrange the pineapple pieces on top of the Swiss roll chunks.
Mix 1/2 cup of pineapple juice and 1/2 cup of Sherry, and drizzle over the cake and pineapple.
Make a thick custard according to directions on the packet, using 2 cups milk, 3 tablespoons custard powder, and 1 tablespoon sugar.
Pour custard over the soggy cake and pineapple, and place in the fridge to set.

 Just before serving, chop the jelly roughly with a knife, and arrange on top of the custard. Decorate with whipped cream. (Jelly round the edges, whipped cream in the centre - or vice versa)
Enjoy the sweet, sloppy decadence...

You can use other fruit, too - peaches, apricots, berries - and decorate the top with fruit or shaved chocolate or nuts.

My father

Now that I've finshed the story of my Irish ancestors, it's time to explore my German heritage.
Before we look at the history of the Niewand family, I'd like you to meet my Dad.

John Frederick Niewand was born at Willaura in Victoria on November 16th, 1906.

He died at Castlemaine on September 16th, 1962.

He was the grandson of German immigrants who came to Australia in the early 1850s, eventually settling at Minyip, Victoria.

Dad was a devoted husband and father, who  showed his love by working hard all his life to give us everything he could.

A quiet and unassuming man, he had no enemies, and many friends. When he died, my mother, my sister and I were surprised at just how many people came to pay their last respects, and in some cases to speak of some small kindness he'd done them.

Always a farmer at heart, he had built up a successful poultry farm and hatchery at Barkers Creek, but the last few years of his life were spent as a shopkeeper in Castlemaine.

Dad loved his chooks, and also enjoyed woodwork; wherever we lived he built something - poultry sheds, a new kitchen for Mum, small items of furniture. He treasured an old carpentry book - and his tools (woe betide the child who left a paintbrush uncleaned) and once told me that if he'd had the choice, he would have liked to be a cabinet-maker.

For as long as he lived, I knew that I was truly loved; no matter what I did, or what mistakes I made, I could always be sure of his love and support.  And he taught me to waltz.

Hot toddy sauce

 

Dried fruit has always been part of traditional Christmas fare, but today many of us find plum pudding and brandy sauce a bit of a challenge.
Here’s a lighter alternative for your Christmas dessert, a fruity sauce to serve over icecream.

Ingredients
3 heaped tabs Golden Syrup, 1 cup water, 1 tab arrowroot powder, 2 tabs brandy or rum.
1 tab each of chopped almonds, cherries, raisins, sultanas, currants, apricots, and peel. (or use mixed dried fruit) 2 tabs lemon juice.
Method
In a saucepan, heat the golden syrup, and allow to boil for 3 minutes.
Blend arrowroot with a little water, and add to golden syrup with the rest of the water. Add spirits and stir until boiling. Remove from heat, stir in mixed fruit, almonds, and lemon juice. Stir well and pour into a clean jar. Store in fridge.
To serve, reheat  and pour over vanilla icecream. May be garnished with whipped cream.
Notes
Best made a couple of days ahead, to allow the flavours to mellow. You can double or triple this recipe, which will keep for months. Sherry works too…

New cardigan

Just finished my latest crochet project, a nice warm cardie. This was started months ago, but then languished until recently.

Now it’s done, and looking good – just in time for summer!  The wool is Classic 8 ply wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills, in Cranberry. I bought 4 x 200g balls, and didn’t have much left over.

It was worked sideways, starting at the centre back.  I used a simple stitch combo – pairs of half treble stitches, stacked on top of each other.

The hem and sleeves were finished with a singly row of double crochet, and the front bands are worked in 1dc, 1ch, with the dc worked in the one chain space in succeeding rows (5 rows).

Now I can get on with those crochet squares I’ve been making…

Washing machine update - the new hose arrived and was installed. Machine now working beautifully!

Washday blues

I'm a pretty frugal person - I don't like the concept of replacing stuff just because it's old.
This week my washing machine had it's 30th birthday - I bought it in December 1981.
Since then, bless it's stout little heart, the Kelvinator has washed clothes, garage overalls, and even nappies (my daughter had it for a while back in 1984) without missing a beat.

Apart from replacing a pump some years ago, it's required no maintenance. It still washes just fine, but the lid is broken. I repaired it once, and wrote about it here, but when we reached thepoint of wedging a piece of cardboard behind the lid to make it go, the Resident Grandson began to whinge and moan gently suggest that maybe I should buy a new machine.

I resisted; why pay big dollars for a new machine when this one was still working (more or less)?

But I did mention to my sister that maybe I might consider a new machine, and if she saw one at a garage sale, I'd be interested.
She found me this - a Kleenmaid, the kind you find in laundromats. It's a heavy duty workhorse, with a ginormous bowl, which would easily take a doona or a big blanket. And it cost just $25.

It arrived on Saturday arvo, and on Sunday the Resident Grandson connected it up, and we decided to give it a trial run, without clothes.
As it filled, we noticed something. Water. On the floor. We shut it off, and I mopped up.

On Monday, our friendly local handyman came to take a look, and quickly found the problem. This hose has a hole, where no hole should be. The machine had apparently been stored in a shed for a while, and rats had feasted...

Finding a spare hose was problematical. Thank goodness for Mr Google! It seems Kleenmaid washers are no longer available in Australia, but there are a few places that carry parts.
Several emails later, I located a hose, and ordered it online. Hope it arrives soon, I'm running out of clean clothes...

Rabbit stew

As a child, I ate a lot of rabbit stew. The meat was free, and properly cooked, it's delicious. Rabbit meat is virtually fat-free, and therefore a healthy source of protein.
Any chicken casserole recipe can be adapted to use rabbit instead, if you're lucky enough to find a source.
Before cooking your rabbit, there's a couple of things you need to understand.
Rabits are muscular little creatures, and the meat needs long slow cooking to tenderise it. And it can be a bit gamey, so soaking it first is a good idea.
This is how Mum prepared rabbit stew.

Cut the rabbit into portions, and soak in cold, salted water, for at least an hour.
Dry the meat, and brown it in a frying pan. Remove and place in a heavy pot.

Then fry a roughly chopped onion and several rashers of bacon in the frypan. Add these to the pot with the rabbit. Pour some hot water into the frypan, and scrape up all the brown bits. Pour this water over the rabbit in the pot, and add a pinch of mixed herbs and two or three thickly sliced carrots.
Cover and simmer gently for about 1 + 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender - will depend on the age of the bunny.
Remove the meat to a plate, and thicken the gravy with flour, and a dash of Parisian essence if liked.
Serve with mashed potatoes and peas or beans.

Parisian essence was a browning agent, made, I think, from caramelized sugar. You probably can't buy it now. Today I would use Gravox as a thickener. Sliced celery would be a good addition, and a  slurp of red wine would also go well.


A bit of history (from Wikipedia)
Everyone blames Thomas Austin for the rabbit problem in Australia. He released 12 wild rabbits, specially imported from England, on his property, Barwon Park, near Winchelsea, Victoria, in October 1859 for hunting purposes. Many other farms released their rabbits into the wild after Austin. At the time he had stated, "The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting."^[5] 

Aussies have been hunting them ever since!

But rabbits were first introduced to Australia by the First Fleet in 1788. They were bred as food animals, probably in cages. In the first decades they do not appear to have been numerous, judging from their absence from archaeological collections of early colonial food remains.

However, by 1827 in Tasmania a newspaper article noted ‘…the common rabbit is becoming so numerous throughout the colony, that they are running about on some large estates by thousands. We understand, that there are no rabbits whatever in the elder colony' [i.e. New South Wales]^[2]. This clearly shows that a localised rabbit population explosion was underway in Tasmania in the early 19th century. At the same time in NSW Cunningham noted that '... rabbits are bred around houses, but we have yet no wild ones in enclosures...’ He noted that the scrubby, sandy soil between Sydney and Botany Bay would be ideal for farming rabbits^[3]. Enclosures appears to mean more extensive rabbit-farming warrens, rather than cages. The first of these, in Sydney at least, was one built by Alexander Macleay at Elizabeth Bay House,'a preserve or rabbit-warren, surrounded by a substantial stone wall, and well stocked with that choice game'^[4]. In the 1840s rabbit-keeping became even more common, with examples of the theft of rabbits from ordinary peoples' houses appearing in court records, and rabbits entering the diet of ordinary people.

So rabbit has been an integral part of Australian cuisine since the first white settlement. Many a farmer has cursed them, and they have caused untold damage to the environment and the economy. Still, they're damn good eating!

Simple muffins

The Resident Grandson had a sudden yearning for muffins, and asked for a recipe. He wanted them NOW, so I fell back on the basic recipe for Little Cakes. It goes like this -

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup  milk
1 + 1/2 cups SR flour

Method
Line 2 x 6 cup muffin tins with paper liners, heat oven to 200C
Warm the sugar slightly in the microwave, add butter and beat well. Beat in eggs and vanilla, then milk. Lastly stir in the sifted flour. Share out between paper cases. Bake for approx 15 mins, until just brown on top. Allow to cool a little, and ice with chocolate icing. Eat.

Modifications
TRG only made half this quantity, and mixed them by hand with a wooden spoon. He added 1/2 cup of choc chips, which sank a little, but nobody minded. It's not a true muffin recipe, so they were very light and spongy, and utterly delicious.

This is the recipe I used for quick and easy cupcakes years ago; I used to add some sultanas, and sprinkle brown sugar on top - no need for icing. Or you can make them plain, and ice them fancy...

Homemade pizza

Yesterday I tried a new recipe, for The Easiest Pizza in the World, found at Everybody like Sandwiches.  A no-rise, no knead dough? I didn't think it would work, but to my amazement, and the delight of the Resident Grandson, it worked a treat!  Here's the recipe

the easiest pizza dough in the world
1 packet of yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 c warm water
2 1/2 c flour
1 t honey
1 t salt
2 T olive oil
2 T fresh rosemary, chopped (optional)
cornmeal
Preheat oven to 210C. In a large bowl, add in the yeast and warm water and stir until the yeast dissolves. Add the flour, salt, honey, rosemary (if using), and olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon vigorously until combined. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle cornmeal onto a walled baking sheet and press dough into it until thin. Add toppings of your choice and bake for 20-25 minutes until pizza crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Notes
I followed the recipe pretty much as written, but  left out the rosemary. I didn't have cornmeal, so just floured an ordinary baking tray and pressed (well actually, rolled) the dough out to cover it. Next time I'll divide the dough in half and make 2 smaller pizzas.
I used bread flour - cos I had some - and would again.

This is the yeast I used - it keeps for ages in the fridge. That's a lot of yeast for the amount of flour, but there was no yeasty taste. And it was cooked all the way through, the bottom was lightly browned, and it didn't stick to the tray.

It made a very large pizza (leftovers tonight) but it was delicious! Will definitely be doing this again!

 I used the toppings requested by TRG, and they were expensive - Leggo's pizza sauce, red onion, some capsicum, hot salami, and Mozzarella cheese. But I could make a much cheaper version, I'm sure.
Next time I'll add the honey and oil to the liquid, and then stir in the flour, sifted with the salt.
The dough was a bit sticky when mixed, I had to work in a bit of extra flour. And I did knead it, just a little...

Now I'm wondering, what else could I do with this dough? Top it with bacon, pineapple and cheese, maybe?
And if I baked it without any topping, and maybe left it a trifle thicker, would I have Turkish bread? Then I could make some Anybean Hummus! (see below)

Or, what if I rolled the dough out, spread it with say, pesto, rolled it into a sausage, and sliced it - pesto rolls?
And then there are sweet possibilities - cinnamon scrolls, perhaps? If you experiment with this, let me know!

This handy little idea comes from Grill a Chef, the blog of chef Joshua Stokes

Anybean Hummus
1 can of beans
1 splash of an acid (citrus or vinegar)
a handful of nuts
some salt
some pepper
a pinch of a spice or an herb
a glug of oil

Spin the ingredients you have chosen in a food processor until smooth. Taste. Adjust. Taste again. Adjust until satisfied. Serve as you would any other hummus that you have purchased at the market... but would not feel as rewarded eating.

Oh, and if you like recipe-surfing, try this - Food Gawker

Quilters

Spent some time at my quilt group, Goldfields Quilters, today. It's always interesting to see what people are making, and for once I had the camera.



Lorraine's latest quilt is a showstopper. Great graphic design, one of those quilts that you just keep looking at and finding new details.

 

Lorraine and her family had a very sad time last year, and we all got together and made up a collection of blue fabrics for her. This is what she's done with them.

 
This is a queen-size quilt, and she is hand-quilting it. Detail of the centre.

Christine is using her father's ties for a hexagon quilt.

 And Brenda is making great progress with her amazing quilt -

  tiny, tiny hexagons, joined with fine hand stitches.

 
She says it's getting rather heavy, and this back view shows why.

Such talented quilters, and good friends too. We have a great time on meeting days. Wish I could share Eileen's latest joke, but it's a bit rude...

An American connection

The story of my great-grandfather Micheal Maher is the perfect illustration of what happens when family details are not recorded and passed down. Micheal (that's not a typo - he signed his name to several documents with that spelling) is something of an enigma. No records have been found of his arrival in Australia.
In 1868 he married Annie Hassett, in the Catholic church at Hamilton.

The marriage certificate shows that he was born in 1842 at Thomastown, Kilkenny, and his parents were Thomas Maher and Mary Read.  He began his life in Australia as a labourer, but when he died at Minyip, Victoria in 1913, he was a wealthy man, owning nearly 2500 acres of land.

 He and Annie had five sons and two daughters. His sons were each left a farm, and the daughters received 500 pounds each - a large sum in 1913.

When Micheal and Annie married, their residence was Port Fairy, but they moved to Ararat - at least two of their children were born there.

In 1874 the family moved to Minyip, taking up land near Annie's brothers, the Hassetts.

Over the years, Micheal continued to buy land and pay it off - his long and complicated Will gives details of several farms, some still mortgaged.

Some time between 1908 and 1913, Micheal returned to Ireland. It must have been after 1908, because he brought back a present for my mother, Annie Maher, his first grandchild. The present was a child's knife, fork and spoon set, with ornate silver handles, in a leatherette case - now owned by one of my nephews.

Micheal presumably still had some family connections in Ireland, but that information is now lost to us. What remained was a story of relatives in America - either Micheal or one of his sons supposedly exchanged letters with a Stephen Maher, who had settled in America. My mother had a vague memory of this, and thought Stephen or one of his sons was a doctor...
Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, it's now much easier to research your family tree. Using Ancestry.com, several family members have discovered that the American story is true!

Stephen Maher was actually Micheal Maher's uncle; he left Ireland in 1825 and settled in New Haven, Connecticut, and two of his grandsons were indeed doctors. There are many Maher descendants still living in Connecticut today.

 Anne & Jane Maher

Micheal and Annie's children (not necessarily in order, I don't have all their birthdates) were -
Thomas m. Grace Kenny - no children
William, m. Ellen Kenny - stillborn child
Michael, m. Amelia Sullivan - Frank & Mollie
John, M. Elizabeth Drum - Michael, Kathryn, Veronica & John
Patrick, m. Agnes Sullivan - Annie, Eileen, Kathleen & John
Anne (Sr. Philomena, Brigidine Convent, Wangaratta)
Jane m. James Hickey - no children

Two of Micheal and Annie's sons also visited Ireland.
Thomas retired from farming and took an extensive world trip, including Ireland.
Pat (and probably Ag) went to Ireland, and brought back souvenirs - a silver Celtic cross pendant for my mother, with her initials, A.M. engraved on it. Mum treasured her cross, and wore it often; my sister has it now. Pat also sponsored an Irishman, who worked on the farm for some years.

Pat Maher (on right) and his cousin, Pat Kelly.
Annie Hassett's sister, Honorah, married James Kelly, and the two families were always close.

Micheal died in 1913, and is buried with his wife in the Minyip cemetery. Some of his descendants still live at Minyip.

That brings my Irish history to a close, I hope it hasn't been too confusing! All the information here, plus a bit more, will  be published on my website, Marcie's Memoirs. Still tinkering with that, I'll reveal it soon...

Now it's time to tackle the history of my German ancestors, and be warned, I have LOTS of information about them!

Trevor's salad

When the weather warms up, we dust off the salad recipes. This is a recent addition to the repertoire, which I first tasted at grand-daughter Lucy's 18th birthday party. Made by her Dad, Trevor, it was the perfect foil for the curry dishes served that night. Turns out it goes with everything, it's ridiculously easy to make, and doesn't need a dressing!

Ingredients
mixed lettuce leaves
 fresh tomatoes
small continental cucumber
3 or 4 spring onions
small tin crushed pineapple(in natural juice)
pepper and salt

Method 

slice the lettuce leaves (think salsa)

dice the tomatoes

slice the cucumber lengthwise in quarters, then chop

slice the spring onions (scissors are fast)

drain the pineapple

Mix all ingredients in a salad bowl, add enough pineapple juice to moisten,

season generously with salt and pepper.

(no quantities given, you can make this for 2 or 10)

Two for the price of one today - this is a salad my mother used to make, and it's still a regular feature of our Christmas lunches.

Orange and onion salad.


oranges, peeled and sliced
salad onion, finely sliced - or red onion, or spring onions
mayonnaise (some of us like the old Condensed Milk mayo with this)
Delicious with cold chicken or ham.




S'pose I'd better give you the mayo recipe too, but this is really only for lovers of condensed milk...


Condensed milk mayonnaise
1/2 tin Nestles condensed milk
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1 level tsp. mustard powder
1/2 level tsp. salt

Method
blend mustard & salt with a little vinegar, stir into condensed milk, add rest of vinegar and stir. Slowly add oil, stirring until combined and thickened.
This keeps for a long time in the fridge.
What you do with the remaining condensed milk is your affair...

Grandad's last trip

Yesterday my sister and I attended an annual cousins' gathering, all of us descended from two Sullivan sisters who married two Maher brothers.


We lunched at the historic Craig's Royal Hotel in Ballarat.

This gorgeous old pub is a Ballarat landmark, built in 1853 at the height of the goldrush, and recently refurbished to full Victorian glory.
There were eight cousins in attendance, plus partners, and we had a great time. We've known each other for sixty or seventy years, and grey hair and wonky knees haven't dimmed the fellowship.
Josephine brought a treasure trove of family photos, and Brian and Bernadette heard the story of our convict ancestors for the first time. There was a great-aunt's diary, a collection of old newspaper clippings, and lots of reminiscences.
Barry told the best story of the day, about the death of my grandfather, Pat Maher. Pat lived all his life on the farm in Minyip, but when he retired, he used to divide his time between visiting various family members. In 1949, he went to visit his sister Jennie in Sydney. Unfortunately, he died there. The family knew he'd want to be buried in Minyip beside his wife and daughter. So...his son Jack, and nephews Frank and Michael, decided to bring him home.
Barry was just a nipper, but he remembers it well. The war was over, but petrol was still rationed - they wouldn't be able to buy any on the way. "Dad had all these 4 gallon drums." Barry told us. "He filled them up with petrol, put a bit of rag over the hole, and screwed the caps on tight. Then he stacked them in the boot." Jack's car was a big old pre-war American model, something like this one.

It's about 1000 kilometres from Minyip to Sydney, and on the roads of the day, the trip probably took them about 24 hours each way. "They collected Pat, and brought him home on the back seat, with the three cousins sitting in the front. They delivered him to the undertaker in Minyip, and went home and had a beer."
Understandably, this story gave rise to a few questions. There was a spirited debate as to whether you could have fitted a coffin across the back seat of the car. Consensus - no, you couldn't.
Barry stuck to his version of the story, backed up by his sister Pat. You really don't want to hear all the suggestions that were made for the best way to convey your deceased relative home in the back of the family car...
When we stopped laughing, we wondered - are there laws about that sort of thing? Do you have to get permission to take a body interstate (with or without a coffin)?

Anyway, that's how Pat Maher made his final journey, and was duly interred in the Minyip cemetery beside his beloved Ag. And I'm sure Jack, Frank and Michael treated him with all the care and respect he deserved - he was much loved.

Edit: some doubt has been cast on the truth of this story, I'm hoping to verify it - or not - soon.

Cat on a hot tin roof

Audrey rises to new heights...

Ooh, it's a long way down!

Baking 101

 In COOKING, experimentation  is good - a pinch of this or that, or a new ingredient, can lead to wonderful dishes.

But BAKING is different.

So I've put together a few notes for those just starting out - when I was learning, I wish someone had told me a few things...

Butter and sugar, eggs, flour and liquids, interact in weird chemical ways.
Some recipes depend on beating in lots of air, others rely on various rising agents. Too much sugar is sticky and sickly, too little will give you a dry, crumbly cake.

So when you're baking, stick to the recipe. Follow the method, check the oven temperature, use the right sized tin. All the recipes I give here have been made dozens of times, and adjusted here and there until I'm sure of success.

• Every kitchen should have at least one set of measuring cups and spoons - and make sure they are Australian measures - American measures are different.
• When measuring flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, take a knife, tap the cup sharply, then level the top. Flour and associated dry ingredients should be sifted - if you don't have a proper sifter, use a large strainer. Or as a last resort, stir the flour vigorously with a whisk, or even a fork.
• You can replace half the white flour in a recipe with wholemeal flour - any more than that will require extra liquid, and may throw the recipe out of balance.
• You really need some sort of scales - electronic ones are good, but expensive; I managed for many years with el cheapo mechanical scales.
• An electric mixer is great, but hand beaters will do the job - even a good old-fashioned wooden spoon works, if you have time, energy, and good arm muscles. My mother used to cream butter and sugar with a fork - over the years the tines of her baking fork wore down on one side - a bit alarming when you think about it, where did all that metal go?
• The microwave is a boon - it's much easier to cream butter and sugar if you warm the sugar a little bit first.
• Buy the best ingredients you can afford - cheap flour is often poor quality. Doesn't matter with sugar, it's all the same anyway. Use real butter, of a reputable brand, never margarine (shudder). Use real vanilla extract, not imitation, and cochineal, not some chemical colouring. I rarely use artificial colourings or flavours, even for icing.
• Buy icing mixture, which has some cornflour added, and is less likely to go lumpy.
• Store all your baking supplies in airtight containers - opened packets absorb moisture and the contents go stale more quickly. Look for big jars at the Op shop.
• Collect cake tins in various sizes - square, round, loaf and slice pans. They don't have to be non-stick; again, Op shops are a good source. If you buy muffin tins, look for the 6-cup ones, easier to rotate in the oven for even browning.
• Buy the freshest eggs you can find - check the use-by dates, and keep them in the fridge. Stale eggs don't have the same rising abilities as fresh ones. And always break an egg into a cup before you add it to your mixture - saves nasty surprises!
• Home baked cakes and biscuits (in fact any food you prepare yourself) are much better for you than commercial products - no artificial colours or flavours, no preservatives, no hydrogenated fats.

Friday favourites

Carrot cake

This is the best carrot cake recipe I know.
 It's a large cake; you'll need at least a 20 cm square pan, or a large deepish slice tin.
It's dairy-free, too.


Preheat oven to 180C, grease your pan, cut baking paper to fit the bottom.

Ingredients
2 large eggs (60 g)
1/2 cup oil (I use canola)
3/4 cup raw sugar
2 cups (about 300 g) grated carrot
 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 + 3/4 cups SR flour
1/2 teasp bicarb. soda
1/4 teasp each of cinnamon and nutmeg

 Method
Prepare carrots & walnuts - a food processor is faster than grating the carrots. Walnuts can be placed in a plastic bag and crushed with something heavy - rolling pin, chopping board.
Beat eggs, sugar and oil until light in colour
Mix in carrot and walnuts, then stir in flour (sifted with soda and spices) stirring only until combined.
Pour into tin, bake 30-45 mins, or until a knife inserted in the middle come out clean.(Who remembers when Mum used a straw to test cakes??)

When cold, ice with white icing, sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. The icing would be nicer with a teaspoon or so of butter, but then it wouldn't be dairy-free, would it? Your choice. Lemon juice is good for mixing the icing, too...

Flower garden

I love to crochet - it's faster than knitting, you get to play with lots of pretty colours, and you end up with something useful and beautiful. Here's a glimpse of my latest work-in-progress, a flowery afghan. It's based on a Granny Square variation by Lucy of Attic24, but I've tweaked it a bit.

 First you make some little circles.

 They become bigger circles.

 Then you turn them into squares.

 After you've darned in all the ends (my least favourite part of the exercise) you block the squares, so the finished rug will lie nice and flat. 

Blocking means you pin them out flat, spray with water, and leave them to dry

 Then you sew them all together...

I calculate I'll need 165 squares altogether; I've made 120 so far.
Don't know what I'll do with it yet, I hope to finish it by Christmas.

I can write up the pattern, if anyone's interested...

But wait, there's more!

Now that we’ve seen Annie happily married to Fred, you might think I’ve run out of Irish ancestors to tell you about. Well, not quite.

 If you’ve been paying attention so far, you may have noticed that most of my stories are about the women in my family. That’s no accident. All too often, it seems to me, family historians follow the male line, and the wives and daughters get barely a mention. But their stories are just as important.

Life was hard for all of our pioneer forbears, both men and women, but I think the toll was greater on the women. Living in a time when lawmakers, doctors, and clergy were exclusively male, women were essentially powerless. For most, marriage was the only career available. To them fell the burden of bearing and rearing children, making a home wherever they found themselves – sometimes far, far away from their homeland.

And yet, when you think about it, women made the greatest contribution of all in a new country. They were responsible for raising the next generation, keeping them safe and well fed and healthy, sending them to school whenever they could, and generally preparing them to make their way in the world. No strangers to worry, hard work, and sadness, I hope they also knew love, and saw at least some of their dreams come true.

Now I’m going to tell you what I know of my great-great grandmother, Anne Hassett (nee Kennedy), and her daughter, Annie Hassett.

In 1991, I travelled to Ireland as part of a European holiday.
I wanted to find out more about Anne Hassett, among others.
The only information I had came from her death certificate. Anne Kennedy was born in Co Clare, Ireland in 1797. At the age of 25, she married Patrick Hassett, farmer, and they had six children – Andrew, Mary, John, Honora (Norah) Martin and Annie. 

 I arrived in Ennis, and hired a car (no public transport beyond Ennis). My first port of call was the Clare Heritage Centre at Corofin, where I discovered that there are no surviving records of births, deaths and marriages for Crusheen. But the Griffith Land Valuation of 1855 showed that Anne Hassett rented a cottage and land near the village of Crusheen, about 10 km north of Ennis.

I drove there, and took lots of photos, wanting to remember the place she had left behind, and the familiar sights she had known.


The country around Crusheen was lush and green, with little stone bridges and beautiful lakes.I didn’t find Anne’s cottage, but it probably looked something like this one.

 In 1864, Anne, now a widow, left her homeland to emigrate to Australia. She was 66 years old. She had probably never travelled beyond her village before, but now she packed up her bags and embarked on a journey across the world. She wasn’t alone – her youngest daughter, Annie, accompanied her. Anne had a powerful reason to emigrate; her older children were already in Australia, and had sent money home so their mother could join them in the new land.

No shipping records have been found so far, but family tradition tells that the older children went first, probably as assisted immigrants, and when they were established, they sent for their mother. It seems likely that John, Norah, and Martin travelled to Australia together, and settled around Port Fairy. Family tradition tells of Norah, who worked for a Dr. Scott at Hamilton, and for 2 years never collected any pay, but got her employers to save it so she could send it back home to bring her mother out. 

(No record has been found for the oldest daughter, Mary, but she was still alive when her mother died, so she probably married and was thus recorded under a different name. Oldest son, Andrew is shown as deceased on Annie's death certificate - he presumably died in Ireland, perhaps as a child.)

Before long, Norah and Annie were married, and lived in the Ararat district. Norah married James Kelly, and Annie married Micheal Maher. Martin and John Hassett had also found wives, and before long Annie Hassett had grandchildren to cuddle.

In 1872, the Government opened up land for settlement in the Wimmera, and the Hassett brothers and the Kellys moved to the Minip district in 1873. Annie and Michael Maher followed in 1874. Annie Hassett went with them – in fact, a 640 acre block of land was registered in her name.
What a change of scenery it must have been for her! From the evergreen hills of Ireland to the flat plains of the Wimmera, where the only relief from fierce summer heat is the sparse shade of a sheoak tree, and the ground cracks open in the summer. It was good wheat-growing country, though, and I expect Annie found some consolation in seeing her family well on their way to success in their new country.

She died at Minyip in 1877, aged 80, and is buried at Rupanyup cemetery. Recently the cemetery trustees decided to mark some of the older graves, and there is now a permanent memorial in her name.

(My thanks to Pam Murphy for the photo).

Bachelors and Spinsters

After the death of their mother, Annie and her sister Eileen lived at the farm in Minyip, keeping house for their father and younger brother Jack. There was plenty to do; housekeeping without electricity is no easy job – no vacuum cleaners, washing machines or refrigerators. Cooking was done on a wood-fired stove. At haymaking and harvesting time there would often be extra men to feed – and they expected hot dinners, too!

Outside the house there were poultry to feed, cows to milk, and gardens to tend. Most people were as self-sufficient as possible, making butter, preserving fruit and growing vegies.

 You might think that life in a small country town would be pretty quiet – dull, even. But you’d be wrong. Country people are pretty good at entertaining themselves! Annie and Eileen had a very busy social life. Perusal of the local newspapers of the time show that there were plenty of social events - a kitchen tea, a concert, a card night, a twenty-first birthday party.

There was plenty of sport for those so inclined: football, golf, tennis and cricket. Lavish afternoon teas and suppers were the norm.

Mum used to tell the story of a school friend from Ballarat, who came to stay on the farm for several weeks, and Annie and Eily did their best to show her a good time. When the lass returned home, she spent several weeks in bed, suffering from “nervous exhaustion”!

By the late twenties, most people had a car; the Mahers had a Ford, a ‘tin Lizzie’ and it went everywhere, over the roughest of roads, and even across paddocks. Their next car was an Essex, followed by a Chev.

Every little community for miles around had at least one Ball; Bachelors and Spinsters Balls were all the rage (not the drunken affairs we hear of nowadays) and people drove a long way to attend them.

One the way home from one such occasion, in wet weather (the main ball season was winter) the car skidded on the greasy road (I’m talking here about an unsealed road which consisted of two wheel tracks with a grassy centre – you can still see a few tracks like that in the Wimmera - and landed in the table drain (wide shallow drain at the side of the road). They were hopelessly bogged, and had to trudge across the paddocks in full evening finery - long dresses for the girls - to the nearest house where they stayed the rest of the night. It was not uncommon for them to return home early in the morning, when the boys would milk the cows and then go to bed.

Everyone had dance programmes, with a little pencil attached, so the boys could book dances. 

When Mum died, we found a few of them among her keepsakes. 

In this one, the writing is my father’s, and I wondered why it had been kept for so long. The date was July 15^th, 1927, and Fred had four dances with Ann. 

She would have been just 19, Fred a couple of years older. What happened that night that caused one of them to keep the dance programme for all those years?

Over the next years, Annie had several boyfriends, but they all fell by the wayside; in a couple of cases, Mum said, because they were drank too much, and there was No Way she would ever marry a drinker! She had seen several relatives suffer the miseries of living with a drinker.

But Fred was always there, a good-looking, rather shy chap, and a beautiful dancer, too. Trouble was, he wasn’t Catholic, and thus not a suitable partner for a good Catholic girl. At what point Mum changed her mind on this, I don’t know, but Fred and Annie announced their engagement at St. Patrick’s Ball in Minyip, in 1936. Not a popular choice with her family, as I’ve written elsewhere.

By now, Eileen was about to be married, and brother Jack would soon follow suit. When that happened Jack would take over the farm, according to the custom of the times, and Annie and her father would have to move out. In those days, sons got farms; daughters were expected to marry (probably another son with a farm, but at least someone who would support them). But Fred, the next-to-youngest of thirteen children, was never going to inherit a farm, so they would have to provide for themselves. Fred had worked for an older cousin since leaving school, and was saving as much as he could to buy his own farm.

Annie at back, right

Annie would also need to earn a living, and she had already arranged to train as a nurse, at the Ballarat Base Hospital. She would not be paid for the first six months, but would at least have her keep, and could live in the Nurses’ home.

 

Annie enjoyed her training, and made many friends among the other nurses. The work was hard, but interesting. During her third year at the Hospital, she caught diphtheria, and was very ill, missing weeks of training.

 She still managed to pass her finals, and became a registered Nurse. She had to make up the lost weeks, of course, but finally she and Fred were able to marry.

(See also “A marriage of two cultures”)

When life hands you lemons...

...make Lemon Butter!

If you have lots of lemons, this is a Good Thing to do with them.
But if you have to buy your lemons, avoid nice shiny fruit that has been waxed - your local fruit shop might have wax-free lemons.
I know the wax used on fruit is supposed to be "food grade" and harmless, but I don't fancy eating any, all the same.
Lemon butter's easy and quick to make in the microwave - no more endless stirring of a hot saucepan!
You will cook the mixture in short bursts, stirring between times. I use a wire whisk.

This recipe, from my daughter Susie, has more sugar than most, which means it will keep for ages.(as if!)
Prepare your jars first - small jars are best. They should have lids that will make an airtight seal. Baby food jars are good. (This recipe will fill 7-8 small baby food jars). Jars and lids should be clean and perfectly dry.

You will need
a 1.5 litre capacity microwave-safe jug
A wire whisk is useful if you have one...
4 eggs, well beaten.
4-5 lemons (you need 1/2 cup of lemon juice)
500g sugar
125g butter

Method
Grate rind from lemons, then squeeze the juice, discarding seeds.
Place sugar, butter, rind and juice in microwave jug, cook on high for 1 minute.
Remove and stir, cook another minute. Remove and mix in the beaten eggs.
Then cook in approx seven x 30 second bursts, removing and stirring each time. Mixture should expand and develop lots of tiny bubbles. When it reaches this stage, don't be tempted to "give it one more go" - it may boil over!
Pour into jars, topping up as the bubbles subside a bit. Put the lids on immediately, so the heat creates a seal as the mixture cools.
Store in the fridge. Delish on hot buttered toast, or a filling for tarts or sponge cake.
Maybe you could make a lemon version of the Butter Sponge from last week?

Audrey

Some of you will know that Crystal, my sweet little black cat, was tragically killed a few weeks ago. She had been with me for 14 years, and always slept on my bed at night. Life just wasn't the same without her.

 So, a couple of weeks ago, I visited the lovely folk at the Castlemaine RSPCA shelter, and came home with this little girl.
She's just 14 months old, a pale "tabby tortie".

After much debate (including a hilarious discussion on Facebook), we named her Audrey, for the eyeliner she wears around her pretty green eyes.

 She settled in well, found my bed a comfy place to sleep, and soon learned that our old dog was no threat.

She was supposed to stay inside for several weeks, but oh, how she longed to be out!




  

 
Finally the great day came, and she had her first look around her new garden.
So much to see!

  



 

So many interesting things to explore...trees to climb, butterflies to chase, it's all quite exhausting really.
   
 

Time to curl up and sleep awhile...