Corn Beef and Mustard Sauce & Painting Progress

Well painting progress in Miss Fishes room, the ceiling is done and the first coat is on all the walls. Slow but steady is the way the room is being done.

I did manage to cook a meal last night, it was corn beef with mustard sauce in the slow cooker.

Corn Beef with Mustard Sauce
1 2kg piece corn beef, peeled potatoes and carrots, enough for your diners

Mustard Sauce - 2 tbsps butter, 3 tbsps plain flour, 1 tbsp prepared mustard I used Dijon, salt & pepper, 2 - 3 cups cooking liquid

I cooked the corn beef in a slow cooker on high for 5 1/2 hours.

Rinse your corn beef and place in the slower cooker cover with water but leave a 5cm gap at the top. Place on the lid and cook for 4 hours.

After 4 hours add the vegetables and cook for a further 1 1/2 hours.

Mustard Sauce - In a saucepan melt the butter add the flour and whisk over medium heat for 1 minute. Add mustard, salt, pepper and 2 cups of cooking liquid. Whisk and bring to the boil, let simmer 1 - 2 minutes or until thickened. If to thick add more cooking liquid, whisk while simmering.

Remove the meat and slice lift out the vegetables using a slotted spoon, place onto the serving plate, pour over the mustard sauce.

Where Did Yesterday Go & Up To Our Knees in Water

Well have we started painting yet ? The short answer is no.

On Monday after dismantling Miss Fishes bed, we thought we had better check the cellar, the door to the cellar is in Miss Fishes room.

Can you imagine our horror when we opened the door to find water that came half way up Mr CLI's thigh and filled his gumboots with water.

When a pump was originally put In the cellar well before we bought the house it was plumbed into the downpipe from the roof but NO non return valve was connected. You learn a lot when your husband has a knowledge of these things.

So basically when it rains heavily as the water runs down the drainpipe it floods into the cellar from the pipe that the pump pumps water out of the cellar.

So we spent all of Monday pumping the water out then we pulled the hose through Miss Fishes bedroom window and hosed down the cellar then sprayed it with domestos then more hosing and more water pumping.

Luckily Miss Fish was asked to go into respite on Mondayso she is away this week because she wouldn't have been able to sleep in the spare room because of the smell !

So we get to yesterday off to the paint shop to buy more paint, then another plumbing part so Mr CLI could plumb this non return valve in. Which he has done so no backwash of water into the cellar. Job done.

So yesterday afternoon we started washing the walls and ceiling of Miss Fishes room, now this isn't a quick job considering the walls are 4 1/2 meters high.

So I will sign off now off to finish wall washing then we might get some paint on the walls. I will take some photos and post them tomorrow.

Hi no hi ho of to Painting We Go ...

Well Mr CLI has this week off work. We originally were going away to Adelaide but circumstances changed and we were unableto go.

Mr CLI still took his week of holidays and we are going to paint Miss Fishes bedroom. Now there isn't anything really wrong with her room, but it could really do with a freshen up.

Miss Fishes room is the darkest room in the house because there is a large tree outside her window and as the house 120 years old the windows aren't very wide. For Miss Fish a dark room at nighttime is a good thing because as soon as she sees day light she is awake and up like the local rooster.




So what have Miss Fish and I been doing this weekend tidying her room and packing it up.

Miss Fish has had a ball especially as she can now sleep in the spare bedroom.

So today is a day of preparation in her room we have to wash walls and tape edges before Mr CLI checks out what paint we have and what we need to get tomorrow. So a very busy Day I am in for.

Till tomorrow be happy in what you do today.

Cabbage Rolls

This is one of those recipes that I have been wanting to try for ages, so yesterday was the day.

I served mine on a mound of creamy mashed potato this went well with the soft cabbage rolls and tomato sauce.

These are actually quite simple to prepare, the only tricky thing is to have cabbage leaves big enough. As I wasn't going to eat much of the cabbage I just covered the meat mixture with the cabbage.

Another tip is get a head of cabbage that is loose so that you can easily separate the leaves. Also leave the thick stem in till after you have blanched the leaves then cut it out, otherwise when you lift the leaves out of the water they will tear.



Cabbage Rolls
Filling - 500 grams minced beef, 1 egg, 1 tsp prepared mustard - I used dijon, 1/2 tsp ground sweet paprika, 1/2 cup raw rice, 1 tbsps finely chopped parsley. 1/2 onion grated, salt & pepper

Filling in a large bowl mix together all the filling ingredients.

1/2 savoy cabbage & 1 onion thickly sliced

Sauce - 2 cups tomato passatta, 2 cups water. 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp worsetershire sauce

Mix together.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Preheat oven to 180.c

While this is happening peel the larger leaves of the cabbage the mixture is enough for 12 medium size rolls, then slice enough cabbage to cover the base of your baking dish. Place the cabbage then the onion in the base.

Once the water has come to the boil drop 2 - 3 leaves into the boiling water, remove with tongs. When cool enough to handle remove thick stem and place a small sausage of filling at one end roll up enclosing the filling.

Place onto the bed of cabbage/onion. Pour over the sauce, cover and bake for 2 hours.

If the sauce thickens too much add some more water while cooking.

Serve with mashed potato and pour over some of the tomato sauce.