31 Day Minimalism Game: A Decluttering Challenge

In October I participated in Brooke McAlary’s monthly Slow Home Experiment. Brooke and her husband Ben try a different ‘experiment’ each month – this month it’s daily playfulness, and in October, it was the Minimalism Game, a decluttering challenge. On the first day of the month, declutter one item. On the second day, two items. And so on. It sounds easy – but becomes challenging towards the end of the month when it’s 25, 26, 27 items a day! The challenge declutters nearly 500 items from the home over the month.

I thought I would find this extremely challenging, having already done a couple of large ‘declutters’ this year. But, I also thought it would be an excellent opportunity to break through the more problematic areas of the house – like THE GARAGE, with all its dread-inducing spider-webby corners. Continue reading →

#11 A Simplicious Challenge: Four Muggin Variations

The Simplicious Challenge: I’m cooking all 306 recipes from Sarah Wilson’s book Simplicious, to see the impact it has on the way I buy, cook, consume and waste food. Read the first post here, if you missed it.

Thank-you for bearing with me on my tardy Simplicious post. September was quite frantic, and to be honest, October was even worse. I now have a one month ‘break’ before my final university subject over the summer – and then I’m free!

Last month, I made the last of the four delightful muggins from Simplicious. In fact, I’m starting to get down to the ‘lasts’ – I also made the last of the six toasties earlier this month. It’s hard to pick a favourite muggin – but I think I’d have to go with the chocolate, ginger and pear muggin. We don’t generally have dessert in our house, but if we do, it’s often a muggin! My husband also likes them now and again after a big bike ride.

The beauty of the muggins is that the ingredients are fairly interchangeable. Once I’d finished trying them all I started experimenting with some variations, using leftover bits and pieces that I had – which is exactly the point. Sarah’s muggins follow a fairly simple ‘formula’, so it’s easy to swap in different flavours using what you have. A tip to avoid the exploding muggin: I use a large ramekin (pictured); and I also measure the baking powder exactly, using a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon. I find that if I guestimate with a regular teaspoon, it erupts like a volcano in the microwave.

With Sarah’s (and her trusty EA Jo’s) permission, I’m sharing my four variations here, each with no added sweetener. Continue reading →

Nerd alert: Turmeric Hummus

I promised I would post this turmeric hummus recipe nearly five months ago – oops! I first created it for Miss Marzipan’s Food of Thrones Challenge back in June (along with the fiery dragon eggs and hearty chicken casserole with sweet potato dumplings). Each week that Game of Thrones aired in 2016, Marisa set a theme for nerdy food bloggers like me to contribute to. This turmeric hummus was created for ‘landscapes of fire and ice’, as a tribute to to vasty sandy plains we frequently see in GoT; including the grassy ‘Dothraki Sea’, and the hot desert of Dorne.

So, this hummus really is a ‘turmeric’ hummus. Turmeric haters beware. I’ve developed quite a liking for turmeric over the last couple of years, and these days even smear turmeric paste on my toast now and again! I use this hummus as a dip and a spread. I’ve even been able to sneak it onto my 5 year old son’s mountain bread wraps for school, and he hasn’t complained, which is a good sign! Continue reading →