Wychwood

The kitchen is my happy place and whenever I am stressed, upset or bored, I cook something or go do some gardening. Bread is great, but the biggest stress buster is to make a big batch of meatballs from scratch, or stand and stir a pot of risotto. Weeding and generally pottering around in the garden does the job as well. Doing something because you want to, rather than because you have to I think is the best stress buster.

I mentioned in the manufactured Beef thread that I make Seitan (also known as wheat meat) and Mother asked if I could post my recipe. I'm not vegetarian or vegan, but I do think having another protein source at your fingertips is a good idea. This is a recipe I found on the 'net have have used with success from the Spruce Eats website. Homemade Seitan Recipe (thespruceeats.com) 1 cup vital wheat gluten 1/2 cup chickpea flour 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari 6 3/4 cup water or vegetable broth, divided Optional: Sliced onion, fresh ginger, nori, poultry seasoning Although seitan can be made with wheat flour, it's easier and less time-consuming to use vital wheat gluten. Double-check the expiration date to ensure that the gluten is still fresh; expired vital wheat gluten won't work properly. To make your homemade seitan, combine the vital wheat gluten flour, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, ground ginger, and garlic powder in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the soy sauce and 3/4 cup of vegetable broth or water. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. After a few initial stirs, you’ll probably need to use your hands for this since the gluten will have a rubbery consistency. Do not use an electric mixer! If needed, add more water, a tablespoon at a time. It should be fully mixed while maintaining the rubbery consistency. Once the mixture is well-combined, knead your seitan 10 to 15 times, allow it to sit for 5 minutes, and then knead a few more times. Don't skip this step, as kneading develops the gluten, a protein found in wheat, to give the final product the consistency that you want. Separate your ball of gluten into three or four smaller chunks. Gently stretch each piece into a flat cutlet, around 3/4-inch thick. Seitan will expand when cooking, so keep the cutlets on the thinner side. Don’t worry about any holes that may form in the gluten; most will fill after expansion. Add the seitan to 4 to 6 cups of cold vegetable broth — don't boil the liquid first — in a large pot and bring to a slow simmer. Add extra flavor to the seitan by using extra soy sauce or tamari, fresh ginger, or sliced onion. For a seafood-flavored seitan, add crumbled nori or other seaweed. For a chicken-flavored seitan, add a tablespoon of poultry seasoning. Cover the pot and allow the seitan to cook for an hour or more. Be sure to use a large pot and plenty of broth, as the seitan will expand. Seitan is done when it has expanded and firmed. This is a very versatile basic recipe that can be tweaked to produce different flavours. As long as you stick to the basic quantities of vital wheat gluten, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast and liquid, you can vary the flavourings as you see fit. I use mushroom powder to make a kinda 'beef' The possibilities are endless. the website I got this from also has recipes for using the seitan. As Mother mentioned, B12 is an important vitamin that can easily be lacking in a vegetarian diet, hence the nutritional yeast.

Good to know I'm not the only slacker I've done the cupboards and pulled out the items that need to go into long term storage. That's another matter to be dealt with next week, it's at least a two coffee problem just to get my head around and lordy, I'm not looking forward to it. I blame the Russians! Today is bread day and I have some seeds to sow as the slugs got the ones I sowed direct.

I'm planning to tackle the food cupboards today. I've been buying more of everything, and I'm ashamed to say I've just been stuffing things where there's a gap (so embarrassed) So, today I put on my big girl panties, grasp a sharpie and set to sorting and dating everything. I feel a Cpt Oates moment coming....... " I'm just going outside (or in the kitchen), I may be some time"

I read about this a while ago and I have to admit, it got me mad, then sad, then downright belligerent! I'm afraid I don't take to this type of preachy dogooding well. The thing is, there are far better ways to replace meat in a persons diet without having to resort to some sort of weird science. What I suppose I'm trying to say is, if you feel that way inclined, there are better things to eat than manufactured meat. I have reduced the amount of meat we eat, more for economic reasons, we now have 2 or 3 non meat meals a week often something cheesy, or beany, or now I've got the hang of it, I mix it up with homemade Seitan. The latter being a bit of a revelation. So I'll stick with good home cooking with or without meat thank you, not some science experiment.

It's a similar problem over here Ambergris. My son has been waiting 2 years to have the house done up. We have had nothing but trouble. He and a friend, who also needs work doing have decided to go on a few courses and learn how to do things and then do the work together on both the houses. We just can't trust the *ahem* professionals.

Recommendation is to take 25mcg (1000iu) daily. Everything else was fine, so apart from being old and depressed, I'm AOK.

Bread making is my happy place and I bake a couple of times a week or more. I only make one loaf at a time or a batch of rolls as there are only two of us and I reserve our small freezer space for veg and meat/fish. Here's the recipe I have used for over 40years. 500g flour (white wholemeal or half n half) 1 tsp instant yeast 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 1 oz lard 320ml warm water (more may be needed for wholemeal flour) Rub lard into flour then add yeast, salt and sugar. Mix together. Add water stirring with the handle of a wooden spoon until a soft dough is formed. Turn out onto work surface and bring together, then knead for about 5 minutes, sometimes a bit more, until you have an elastic smooth dough. Oil a large bowl and pop in the dough, turn it over in the bowl to oil all over. Cover bowl and leave to rise til doubled in size (I use a shower cap to cover the bowl, works great. Nigella...thanks!) Knock back and knead for a couple minutes more then place in loaf tin, shape to your choice or make a batch of rolls. Place in a plastic bag to rise then bake at 200C for 35 minutes for a loaf or 16 minutes for rolls. This recipe makes one 2lb loaf or 6 large rolls. Depending on how I feel, I either use my Kenwood mixer or knead by hand. Either way works!

Found this interesting to read as I have recently had a blood test and I have low vit D, not sure whether it's my age or the low sunlight levels we get in the winter, I'm more inclined to go for the former as the symptoms hang around regardless the time of year. It explains a lot of things, low mood, bone pain and other symptoms. Also dealing with depression and a hatred for work. I'm taking a vitamin D supplement now, only a week or so in, so not seeing any benefit yet. Hope the supplements help everyone else

I have to grow brassicas under netting too, Mother. Over here, they are known as Cabbage White Butterflies and are the pest du jour! they go on for months!

I agree, I like to try something new as well. Sometimes it's just a new variety, or a whole new type of vegetable. The research I have done for this shows it to be a versatile vegetable that apparently makes a great risotto and is also good with pasta.

I came across a new variety of Broccoli when I was ordering seeds last year, the description intrigued me so I have taken a punt and got some. Broccoletto Quarantino Riccio Broccoletto Quarantino Riccio. A speciality fast growing variety from Italy also known as “Rapini, Raab or Rabe” which is very popular on the continent. Harvesting in around 45 days this is a ideal catch crop vegetable similar to Kale with thin shoots topped by loose, small broccoli like bud clusters with a slightly sharper flavour than broccoli. What caught my eye was that it is quick to mature so makes it ideal for successional sowing.

One of our big box stores had some cheap fruit trees in this week so I got a couple of Apple trees. Not the sort of trees I would normally buy, however, we don't have much of a garden, but we do have a large area of wasteland over the back wall so I'm going to start a little guerrilla garden. I have a thornless blackberry, Rhubarb and a gooseberry plant as well. If they make it, brilliant, I and anyone who wants them have a free supply of fruit, if they die, I haven't lost much money and it's worth a try. I've also got the first veg bed ready to plant up. This year I'm direct sowing everything to see how things go, rather than start things indoors.

Easter is just around the corner, so I did a practice run of Hot Cross Buns. Need to make a thicker paste to put the crosses on, but otherwise....OMG! they are to die for.

Good morning SusanAnn! another Brit here. I'm in the West Midlands. I'm a recent returnee to Mrs Survival. Hope you hang around and join in. The ladies here are a lovely bunch and I'd forgotten how good it is to be here.

Thanks everyone, it's good to be back. The war in Ukraine has definitely perked up my prepping. Not for now, but for the winter and beyond. Ukraine is central to the world's grain and sunflower production and although Great Britain is almost self sufficient in wheat, I believe we will still see great shortages as cereals don't just feed us, but the animals we eat. I fear things could get worse before getting better. Already bread has gone up in price and I now make our own again. I'd forgotten how therapeutic bashing a bunch of dough about was.

Good evening folks! I received an email from Darlene and decided to answer the call! I was active here some years ago, but it seems, like some others, priorities changed and life moved on. I haven't stopped prepping, but I did go through a patch of what I can only call 'prepper fatigue' and slowed down somewhat. I've moved a time or two as well and we are now happily settled in a 120 year old red brick terrace house in the West Midlands of England. This area has a rich history of coal mining and pottery, in fact this area is known as 'the Potteries' and if any of you have seen The Great Pottery Throwdown, well, I live not a million miles from the Gladstone Pottery Museum where it is filmed. I'm happier here than I've been in many years and I finally feel like I've found home. Anyhoo, with things looking decidedly dodgy over the English Channel in Europe I have decided to get my act together and there's nothing like a likeminded bunch of ladies to help. Look forward to seeing you all on the boards!

Merry Christmas to one and all. It's almost bedtime here and me and DS have had a great day, cooking eating and laughing at the Cat.The poor wee thing is plum tuckered out after kicking seven bells out of his new toy all day.

For me flu and respiratory infections are my worst nightmare. DS had major thoracic surgery a couple years ago so his lung function somewhat compromised now. The worst part? because of the surgery, he can no longer take Tamiflu. Luckily he has the constitution of an Ox and is rarely ill. I'm the one who goes down with stuff...

I find that wetting a pan scourer then rubbing well with household soap and then sprinkling on a good amount of Bicarbonate of Soda and some elbow grease works very well. You may have to go at it a couple of times. Have the jars in really hot water to help soften the glue and expect to bin the scourer when you've done.

Ya know, the more I read of this Obama don't care, the more I'm glad of the NHS. It may not be perfect, but at least everyone, from the vagrant on the street corner to HM The Queen has access to first rate medical care. I can't get my head round what you folks have to pay for healthcare.

One of the best presents I've ever seen a couple of little girls enjoy was a box full of 'dress up' stuff. They were kept amused for hours on the day of giving and went back to it on a regular basis. Things were added to freshen it up and things were removed as they wore out and looked tired.

It's just me, my grown up son and a hooligan Cat now, so we just have a tree, although whether that will survive the Cat is debatable. I no longer give presents to any adults expept my son, just the kids and I haven't sent cards for several years, I donate the money to charity instead. We celebrate quietly eat too much and generally slob out.

Have 12 pints of Chilli on the go today. I think that will be about it for a while. No more room in storage until we eat some of it!

Canned 8 pints of Spaghetti sauce with meat. Great to have on standby when I don't feel much like cooking.