As Carol takes time this year to complete her two cook books I thought it was time to share her labour, time and environmental saving series of posts from 2021. Excellent tips on creating healthy, cook from scratch dishes for sustainable ingredients. I will hand you over to Carol.
Those of you who know me well know how passionate I am about cooking from scratch using fresh ingredients, the environment and ensuring that the food I make for my family is clean and as chemical free as it can possible be.
I am also of an age where I need to keep myself as healthy as I can by eating a varied diet which will also keep me at a healthy weight as long as I continue to exercise which in my case is walking daily…
This series will cover sustainability, news on food production…changes for the better and maybe a villain or three…haha, a recipe or two including some plant- based recipes, hints and tips on making my household a little greener…aka recycling and composting.
I will make mistakes of course … there is so much we could do just not all at once, some changes depend on our own lifestyles as above all… we want a happy household not one which is fanatical about going green at the expense of being frankly… miserable …what works for one does not work for another we have to find our own happy medium based on our circumstances and budgets.
It isn’t easy …in theory we know what we should do …ditch the plastic…grow our own vegetables…install solar panels…there is so much…we could empty all our cupboards, our fridges and freezers, throw out all the plastic, the bottles of household cleaners, shampoos etc etc …Start from scratch…
The reality is it wouldn’t work …our recycling bins could fill a skip all on its own, veggies take time to grow and imagine all that shopping you would have to do to replace everything.
THEREFORE I have looked at what I can do gradually…every small change is a bonus.
Many of us were confined to our homes and immediate neighbourhoods for nearly two years in some places…
The upside is that it we became a nation of cooks again we are baking bread, cooking from scratch, hearing how the environment is changing for the better… so many good things have came out of this maybe it is what was needed to make us focus on change…A reset…
I now bake bread every other day…Sandwich Loaf…a Nigella Recipe…
Ingredients
• 500 gm Bread Flour
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 7gms instant yeast
• 125ml milk
• 150 ml of cold water
• 100 ml of boiling water
• 3 tbsp butter melted
Let’s Bake!
Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl and whisk to combine then add liquids and butter and draw the mix together cover and leave for 10 mins…I now use a shower cap which is brilliant as plastic wrap never stuck to the bowl and the cap stays put…Leave for 10 minutes then knead for 10 seconds(yes) and leave for 10 mins and repeat this 3 times…
On the last one shape and put in a bowl cover and leave to prove for about an hour…Knead and shape and put in a 2lb loaf tin for the final prove of about 1 hour sprinkle a little flour on the top of the loaf…
Once proved put into a preheated oven on 180/200 and bake for 45 minutes…remove from the oven if you like a softer crust I cover the loaf once I removed it from the oven with a clean t/towel for about 5/10 mins just to soften the crust slightly.
I followed this recipe to a T and it came out perfectly it slices very well for sandwiches and makes lovely toast or just bread and butter…
It is the first time I have followed Nigella’s recipe and it is one of my top 5 bread recipes now…The whole family loved it!
N.B…Now I am confident making this bread yesterday I swapped 100gms of the flour for a stoneground whole wheat flour it was perfect. Next time I will use 150gm the reason I am doing this gradually is that it is such a nice recipe that by doing gradually I can see if I need to make changes to the liquid so far no… maybe today I will need a little more liquid we shall see.
I have also learnt about how different flours affect the texture and rise of my bread…I have had some disasters I have learnt how salt can halt the rising of the bread if it comes into contact with the yeast, now I am using the shower cap to cover the dough it means plastic wrap has been taken off the shopping list… I no longer use it.
When I looked at what I really used it for …I didn’t want to buy it anymore …The cost to the environment is stunning…
My First change: This is an easy one…
- Today, consumers around the world have plastic wrap brands at their disposal made of PVDC, PVC, and polyethylene.
- Plastic infiltrates the environment
- Thin, flimsy, plastic-like bags are difficult to recycle; without specialized equipment they clog machines. And even when plastic wrap is recycled, it’s costlier than using virgin materials.
- When it ends up in landfills or incinerators, both PVC and PVDC can release a highly toxic chemical called Dioxin, says the World Health Organization.
Did you know?
Americans buy enough plastic wrap to shrink wrap Texas?
Yes, I use a shower cap but it can be reused over and over it in no way reflects the amount of cussing and plastic wrap I use trying to get it attached to the dang bowl…
My bread making is now stress free… plastic wrap begone…Two birds with one stone!
But I hear you how can I keep my sandwiches fresh…
Everything you need to know is here…Here’s one I prepared earlier…smile x
Latest Recycling News September 2019 – Carol Cooks 2
Clean food and chemical free is another passion which means all my recipes will portray that…
“There are too many people who count calories and not enough counting chemicals”
I truly believe this and now we are spending more time at home …can we not take 5 and start looking at the foods we eat and use so we know what they really contain? Any highly processed food will contain preservatives and chemicals…That’s a given..
All these chemicals do affect our health…I am not saying don’t ever buy processed foods I buy some things maybe products I can’t replicate at home but there is much I can and frankly most of it is so easy I ask myself why have I not done this before…
I do not spend every waking minute in my kitchen…its too hot for one thing but I do spend time researching recipes and the content of some foods and whether or not I can replicate them at home…For me time well spent…
If you have any favourite food and would like me to do the research on whether or not it will be easy to replicate in your kitchen please let me know.
Did you know?
- It’s a given that processed foods can save you a little time. But what you gain in convenience, you lose in money, environmental impact and maybe even health.
- That’s because processed foods require more labour to convert them from their natural state to something that fits in a box, bag or tub.
- You’re also paying for the chemicals added to the processed food to keep them fresh.
- You’re paying for the packaging, too, which is totally worthless once you get it home. Indeed, $1 out of every $11 you spend at the grocery store you spend on packaging you throw away.
I will give you a simple example…Shredded Cheese.
Pre-shredded cheese always comes in a plastic bag or tub along with chemicals to prevent mould growth and even the dust from wood pulp…yes, that is correct it is added to prevent the cheese from clumping.
Why not grate your own cheese instead?
It will be fresher, cheaper and you can minimize packaging if you buy a chunk of cheese from your deli counter rather than in the dairy aisle.
To me so many of these changes are minute…Take minutes to do and tick all the boxes pun not intended…lol
Are you ready to join me in making your kitchen a little greener, are you ready to cook from scratch more often and to count chemicals instead of calories?
Love Carol xx
©Carol Taylor 2021
About Carol Taylor
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use have to improve our health and wellbeing.
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: Amazon US
Connect to Carol – Blog: Carol Cooks 2 – Twitter: @CarolCooksTwo – Facebook: Carol Taylor
Thanks for dropping by today and I know Carol would love your feedback.. thanks Sally.
I knew there was a reason I always kept that plastic shower cap.
I will have to bake some bread next.
As for shredded cheese.! Nope I always grate my own
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Send photos please Sue…. and great to hear you grate… ♥
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Very wise advice from Carol. Thanks, Sally!
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Always Olga..hugsx
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Great ideas and advices, Carol! Thanks for this, especially for the bread recipe. Will try to reproduce soon. Best wishes and enjoy your weekend! xx Michael
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Thanks Michael..hugs
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Reblogged this on https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks for sharing Carol’s column Michael..hugs
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I always grate my own cheese 🙂 Love your shower cap idea for a wrap Carol. I actually bought a pack of assorted sizes of these covers that look exactly like shower caps, and been reusing them for ages. And Yay for a cooking book. Looking forward. Hugs to both ❤ xx
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Hopefully there will be one fro Christmas recipes very soon Hugs xx anything elasticated grips much better especially when making bread I hate faffing about with something that keeps sliding off and those are ideal-smile xx
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Thanks Carol. And looking forward to your Christmas cookbook! ❤ xx
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Looking foward to the books when they’re ready – no pressure! I love the idea of the shower cap and will use one myself from now on. When we were travelling we had some hotel ones that we used and kept and they’ll be ideal as they’re transparent. I had no idea about the dust from wood pulp being used to stop grated cheese from clumping. Gross! I have a lovely pumpkin soup recipe from Nigella that I keep on coming back to because nothing else I’ve tries tastes as nice. I’ve taken note of your bread recipe and I suspect it will become another firm favourite! xx
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Thanks Trish and that bread is delicious..♥
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I love her recipes and I find a shower cap,ideal and you can wash it or make your own from a piece of spare cloth it grips the bowl far better than anything else …Enjoy the bread its my go to recipe now :)…xx
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What a fabulous post! I loved that sentence ‘counting calories and not chemicals’ so true. Until recently I was guilty of buying pre-grated cheese and then I read that the vitamin D content of cheese is more or less gone when you buy pre-grated. I’m up for the small changes over time to making a big difference in the end. Thank you Carol and Sally 😊
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts Dawn.. small changes do make a big difference over time, very true.
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Thank you, Dawn and yes small changes do make adiffence in the end 🙂
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What a great post, Carol! I am guilty of buying shredded cheese, but no more! I just bought a cheese shredder. I am excited because I prefer sharp cheddar anyway. Thanks for sharing, Sally!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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Fantastic Yvette and watch your fingers….♥
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Thank you, Yvette I also have a new cheese grater a gift from my DIL ..I love it as it has 2 different graters that fit over the bowl and a lid ideal if you have grated the cheese and either have leftovers or as it is here too warm to leave out if I grate cheese in adance when meal prepping. I also love a sharp cheddar the British are the best when it comes to cheddars 🙂
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This post and recipe are so timely. I want to start baking my own gluten free bread. Thanks for the reminder to make this a priority. 💖
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Great Colleen… and much better than the store bought variety and cheaper.xxx
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I’ve been eating Ezekiel bread, which is said to be gluten free because they use sprouted grains… but my research says this isn’t true. So, it’s time to take matters into my own kitchen. LOL!
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Definitely..x
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Have fun and enjoy, Colleen 🙂 xx
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I ordered a bread maker. It should be here today! WOO HOO!
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Yehhh! Go Colleen a breadfest 🙂 xx
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I love reading your tips, Carol, on how to “make your own,” as well as how to reduce waste. Many of them have become part of my food management routine. I splurged a couple of years ago on glass food-storage containers and cut way back on plastic as a result. And I love making bread (except we eat the entire loaf before it cools down! Thanks for the new recipe to try. Great share, Sally.
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Home baked bread doesn’t last long in this house either Diana ♥
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🙂
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Thank you, Diane for your kind words…it is just making that move to changing and some of the glass storage containers are very pretty…Haha thats one of the downsides of beautiful hot fresh bread unfortunately and I don’t have a solution-smile-This is lovely recipe as I have tried different flours and it has always turned out well…Enjoy!
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🙂 We had your peanut sauce last night, which is now a staple in our house. Keep the great food and ideas coming.
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Thank you for letting mre know, Diana we love peanut sauce I use it as a marianade on chicken sometimes too 🙂 xx
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🤣
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It’s all such good practice!
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Thank you very much, Carol. I used to bake my own bread but stopped because I was too busy. I’m not that busy anymore so it’s the best time to start all over again. I like the idea of counting chemicals instead of calories, I’m on board. Hugs
Reblogged on Improvisation – “The Art of Living”
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Glad to hear you might start breadmaking again William and thanks for sharing to Tumblr..hugsx
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I make more bread now I have retired and I also think for you its the best time to start again,,,Enjoy! Its also far more enjoyable when not counting calories and you get satisfaction from kicking chemicals in to touch 🙂 x
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Thanks for the heads up about the cheese, Carol. I had no idea. I will grate my own from now on…
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Thanks Jaye.. and well worth it ♥
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You are most welcome and as its so easy to grate plus a little goes a long I also think it is cost effective especially with parmesan cheese :)x
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I always grate our own parmesan, so half way there…
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Thanks for reblogging Carol.. lovely to share your Green Kitchen again..♥
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Thank you, Sally I enjoyed the read and the recap 🙂 xx
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Thank you, Sally for the rewind it has been good to reread and I still use the same bread recipe Hugs xx
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Delighted to reshare Carol and I am not surprised, it is a great recipe..♥
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Absolutely I love Nigellas recipes the ratios are always spot on…. xx
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I like the idea of makin gradual changes. I should start making my own bread again. I much prefer the taste to that of store-bought–and it’s a heck of a lot cheaper.
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I think gradually is the only way to go, Liz and I can make bread with my eyes shut now I think if you work with the same recipe and then start making changes because you know your dough you can tell if more liquid is required yes I have had a few that maybe haven’t turned out quite as good but hey we are home cooks and it has still always tasted good 🙂 the bonus is that as you have noted you save money 🙂
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The only real downside to the homemade bread is how quickly it gets eaten!
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Lol.. along with a certain amount of lovely butter x
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Yes, the butter is essential!
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I agree Liz.. and there is something very satisfying about making bread, especially when it is enjoyed. x
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Its hard to resist when its warm from the oven in fact someone always nix the topper when its just out of the oven he who shall be nameless-smile- and he can’t cut straight…haha so that gives him away x
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The smell of fresh from the over bread is amazing and no wonder we all want to dive straight in..♥
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My favorite part is punching down the dough after it has risen. (I have no idea why!)
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mmm…lol I wouldn’t want to mess with you…xx
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Heh heh . . .
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x
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Punching down the dough is a great stress reliever-smile-
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