Two wings lift a person up from earthy concerns: simplicity and purity. Simplicity should be in intention, purity in feelings. Simplicity reaches out after God, purity catches hold and tastes. ~ Thomas A’Kempis

Thursday 17 March 2022

Living Simply

 Hello friends,


I just wanted to pop in here quick and share a couple of 'frugal living' things with you a recipe & an idea. These days most people are being a bit more mindful about spending and looking for ways to cut costs. Like many people I spent many years having to live this way out of necessity, especially when the children were small. Now life is easier but I still enjoy being a good steward of what God has blessed us with, and like looking for creative ways to do that.

First up: the recipe 'Pillowy Potato Bread' - oh my word this bread is so good.  It was fairly easy to make and I used our garden potatoes and that made it even better and cheaper. We ate a slice each with our dinner tonight and will have it for sandwiches for the next couple of days. The texture was simply divine, very soft and delicious. I made two loaves because if I'm turning that big oven on I may as well make it count and use the power wisely. The only changes I made were I didn't have regular yeast, only instant - so I used 2 teaspoons of that instead per loaf. I also added 1 T of light olive oil to each loaf and added a little oil to the bowl that the loaves were rising in. Here's a link to the ladies recipe and blog: https://www.attainable-sustainable.net/homemade-potato-bread-recipe/



 

Next up - here's a little idea for homemade cloth napkins to save on purchasing paper serviettes.

~ C L O T H   T A B L E   N A P K I N S ~


I wait until tea towels/dish towels are on sale (normally at KMART). I cut them in half across the middle and hem them. They look good are lovely to use. I much prefer them to paper ones. Also cloth napkins are expensive in New Zealand and often come in shades I don't like or the material is synthetic.
Pics of what I did:
 
        ~ Then I store them stacked up in this little wire basket, so they are always handy to grab. ~
 

...and finally. I got an Instant Pot. :) and I'm quite pleased with it. I'm taking my time and apart from one bad experience where I disintegrated the vegetables, it hasn't been too bad. Mind you I've only made two other things in it ...he he :) One of the things I made was to cook a whole chicken. I followed a dear lady on YouTube and did exactly what she said. Mine somehow took a little longer to cook completely (48 minutes), and also made about 2.5 Cups of delicious chicken stock too. I like that it is saving money as I'm not using my big oven and it cooks so fast. I can use ti to cook beans (which we eat a lot of), Rice and even yoghurt. I also made a Thai Chicken Curry another night and that was very delicious too. I purchased the 6 litre and that is a good size for our needs. If you also have one I would love to hear what you've made in it plus your cooking adventures, be they good or funny :)


Video tutorial to cook a whole chicken in the instant pot: https://youtu.be/vjQzADYqSow

Well that's all for now. I hope you try the bread recipe - let me know if you do. I also hope you enjoy reading about how I make our little cloth table napkins. Blessings to you all ~ Linda





22 comments:

  1. Oh Linda! That bread looks scrumptious! I'm going to try to make some when I get time, it looks so delicious. Thank you for sharing!

    I had to smile, I too have little cloth napkins, I make mine with pieces of cotton fabric, not that large, maybe 8 or 9 inches, I did buy some nice spring yellow ones from Hobby Lobby with white lace edges that I want to use soon. But I also use small towels too sometimes. I like your idea to cut homie tea towels in half. I throw mine in a clear glass bowl, but yours look so nice and neat! Beautiful!

    Have a sweet week, xo ~Amelia

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Amelia :) Its so fun to hear what other people do/use in their homes for these everyday purposes. x The Hobby Lobby ones sound very pretty and fancy :)

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  2. Gosh that bread looks absolutely yummy, I bet spread with butter it was delish.. I too have used tea towels cut in half for napkins and I found hand sewing the hems very rewarding.

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    1. How amazing someone else did this with the tea towels !!! cool. I just sewed mine with the sewing machine. Thanks for your comment :)

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  3. A lovely idea for cloth napkins - well thought out indeed. The bread .... just wonderful.

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  4. Cute napkins!! We all need to be more mindful and frugal! I am new at the instant pot not sure I find it easy, still prefer my crockpot (smiles) The bread looks beautiful. Blessings!! Hugs, Roxy

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    1. Thank you Roxy :) I'm trying to adapt recipes to the Instant Pot that I would normally do in the slow cooker. I realise I only need to start them 1 hour before dinner though !! that's the hard part. my mind is used to kicking into gear early morning to get the slow cooker going. Blessings - Linda x

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  5. Wow the bread looks so amazing I most give it a go I love your post thanks for sharing x

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  6. I just found your blog and it's so cosy and sweet! I love that it's filled with beauty and so much information on homemaking... ♡

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    1. Thank you for your kind comment Ashley. Have fun looking at older posts. I really need to write something new !! :)

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  7. Dear Linda,
    That bread looks like a dream to me! Are those poppyseeds on top or sesame seeds? I'd really like to try those next week. I'll see what my schedule looks like. ~smile~

    I definitely need to sew some napkins, too. I just ran out of the paper ones. I used to use cloth all the time, and one by one, they wore out and then cancer. So I didn't get any more made.
    I hope to enjoy some time at the machine this fall.
    Blessings from Harvest Lane Cottage,
    Laura

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    1. Hi Laura, thank you for your kind words :) The seeds on top of the bread are a mix of Black and White sesame seeds. I hope you do get some time to enjoy those movies :0

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  8. Your kitchen looks so cozy. I love cloth napkins. Storing them in a wire basket is a good idea. God bless you!

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  9. Dear Mrs White, thank you for your kind words about the little cloths - I do love them and they are used every day. I also somehow felt prompted in my spirit from your comment to return to blogging. I don't even know why I stopped...I think I just became overwhelmed with life and all it's expectations. I so enjoy reading your writing and will endeavour to return to my little writing space too. Blessings ~ Linda

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  10. I think that would be lovely! I always enjoy your writings. I don't write very often myself, but whenever we are able - is still good to do!

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  11. So happy you plan to return to blogging. I so enjoy your lovely posts! Angela

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