How to make veggie 'sausage' rolls

I tried to grab a picture of them straight out of the oven, but hungry, growling tummies were too loud.

This one Ned is eating, is the very last one.

And a little battered at that.

They must have been good!

My friend Felicity said these were her favourite thing of my Moondew cooking so far.

That is really saying something, as for over 2 years, we have had different recipes each week and sometimes, a different one per group. 

So, here is the recipe.

Simple, and delicious.

And you can hide all manner of veggies in these too!

1.  Use a food processor/thermomix/knife to finely chop 2 carrots, 1 zucchini, 2 sticks celery, 

1/4 bunch parsley, 1/2 red onion and 2 tomatoes.  

(Today, I added a chunk of red cabbage and I do think you could add any of your favourite vegetables or to finish up the week's supply)

2. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a fry pan and stir fry the veggies until they soften.

3.  Add a tin of corn (or the kernels from one fresh cob) and a tin of lentils. (1.5 cups soaked lentils) to the pan and continue stirring.

4.  Remove from heat and place veggie mix in a large bowl.

5.  Add 2 cups cheddar cheese to the veggie mix and stir through.  The cheese will melt and begin to hold the veggie's together.  (No need for egg).

6.  Remove a packet of store bought puff pastry from the freezer and allow to stand for 10 minutes.  When ready, lay out one sheet of pastry on a clean chopping board.  Slice the sheet in half to make two long rectangles.  Spread 3-4 tablespoons of veggie mix down the left hand side of each half rectangle of pastry.  Be sure it reaches both ends! 

7.  Either beat an egg or take a small cup of milk and use a pastry brush to paint the bare side of both pastry rectangles.   Now, roll up each sheet and cut it into 3 pieces about 7cm long.  Place them on a baking tray, ready for the oven. Repeat with the other 5 pastry sheets.

8. When all is done, pop the veggie rolls into the oven for 30 minutes on 180 degrees C (Moderate oven) or until golden.  Serve with tomato or barbeque sauce. 

Wait for the rush!

Kindness House

Doesn't this sound like a great place to visit?

Wonder what they do in there?

Can you imagine?

I wonder if they sing songs to help you sleep, or make you cups of delicious chai tea with a drop of honey, or perhaps they offer an ear and listen whilst you ramble on about the mysteries of life...

What kind of things do you think would be on offer at Kindness House?  

How to make a little cloth dolly. Perfect for the dollhouse.

Cut this pattern from a piece of your favourite coloured flannelette.

My pattern is approx 10cm in length and 8cm across the arm width.  

(slightly bigger than onscreen) 

You'll need to make two little hands and a head too.

Use tricot or a skin coloured cloth. (Rugby knit will work if you can find a decent colour)

The material needs to have a little 'give and take', a bit of elasticity. 

Take a small strand of white fleece (or a cotton ball) and tie a knot in the centre. 

Wrap the leftover lengths tightly around the knot to make small ball. 

Lay the ball in the centre of a material square.  

(The hand pieces are about 5cm square.  

The head piece will need to be about 9cm square, with a bigger ball of wool) 

Carefully lift up the material and wrap it around the ball.

Tie it off as neatly as you can, trying to smooth out any lumps or catches as you go. 

The head piece in particular needs to be smooth on the front side.

Practice makes perfect.

If you don't at first succeed, undo the thread and begin again.  

Thread yourself a needle with a double strand of cotton.

Use a Whip Stitch  to bind the pattern together.  

Begin at the base corner of one sleeve, and work your way around the body to the base corner of the other sleeve.  Leave an opening for the hands.  

Now, we'll turn the garment inside out.

These are handy tools to have around the place. I'd been looking for a pair of dental pliers for ages and then one day, my friend Carrie's husband brought a few pairs home from his work and asked if she could use them in craft.  She gave me a pair too!  Problem solved.  

Dental pliers are great for turning patterns inside out, and also great for gripping needles that get stuck in material and especially for doll's heads.  

We'll use them to turn the pattern out, going through the arm hole. 

Attach the hand pieces.  Be sure to fold a small hem when you put the hands in place to keep it neat. 

You'll need to cut a small hole for the head too. 

Stitch it in place with a gather stitch (in and out stitch, or running stitch are other common names).

Be sure to fold a neat hem around the material too.

This prevents the flannelette from fraying as it wants to. 

For hair, I simply stitched 10cm lengths of wool onto her head.

But you might like to use fleece or give her a hat.

You can make boys or girls, depending on your embellishments.

You can also change the pattern slightly by cutting the skirt into two,

 and rounding it off a little each side to make two legs.

Why not add a bit of embroidery, or a coat?

An apron would look lovely, as would a scarf or tie. 

These little dolls take very little time but they are so versatile.

Older children might even like to make their own.

Why not create a doll for your whole family?

Friday's Guest: Jennifer McCormack

The Secret of the Doll: BEAUTY, TRUTH and GOODNESS

by Friday's Guest, Jennifer McCormack. 

BEAUTY

Waldorf dolls were inspired by the teachings of Dr Rudolf Steiner and by the doll-sculpting techniques of Kathe Krusse. They were originally very simple dolls possessing the barest essence of humanness in their features, for this allowed the child the freedom to connect to the doll’s beauty and spirit through their imagination. A lovingly-made doll with simple features has greater capacity to transform and connect in a child’s imagination. This doll can take on any expression and emotion the child needs in order to replay, process and heal their daily life experiences.

Waldorf dolls have become much more formed over the years, but my favourites are still the ones that just have eyes.  Even the formed Waldorf Dolls are preferable to a lot of the dolls available to children at the moment: popular dolls now have exaggerated features - heads impossibly big for their bodies, limbs that could not support such a head, facial features that are also too large. Not to mention the issue of body image and the misuse of marketing to children. These dolls, particularly for the girls, are often designed as an induction into teenage- and adult-hood, and yet are marketed to four and five year olds. Imagine what kind of nourishment they provide for the imitative growth of a child? Indeed, our children are entering adulthood long before they are emotionally ready.

I don’t believe however, as Dr Steiner indicated, that ALL formed toys and dolls are damaging to the growing child’s formative forces. Every little girl I know has fallen in love with a plastic baby doll at some point.  We have one in our house who is lovingly dressed and tucked in beside the handmade baby dolls. While of course I believe handmade dolls to be the most suitable playmates for my children, balance is a healthy thing. There is a place for other toys. The attention and love given to a child’s special plaything is what imbues it with life and warmth.

TRUTH

Waldorf dolls emerged to serve as a plaything that supported children’s developing sense of self. The doll is a child’s support in development because it provides the child with another human experience. The doll, in a child’s image, is a child’s equal, friend, confidante, and a representation of another loving human being: someone who can receive and receive and receive and keep on receiving. The doll is a willing participant in every activity (what more could a mummy wish for?!), someone who listens and who will give you a hug whenever you need it.

Giving the doll to your child is more than presenting them with a toy – we are giving them a friend that they can model our behaviours with. It gives our children the opportunity to play out the role of adult to, and in their imaginations practice behaviours and replay scenarios for their own healing.

GOODNESS

Waldorf Dolls are so delightfully appealing and so lovely to hold and cuddle. Anything handmade is imbued with the love and labour of the maker – that is something worth having just there. You can be sure it is not mass produced, and once you have made a Waldorf doll you can appreciate the time and effort that has gone into the making of these sweet little ones.

Using natural fibres is a bonus too. Natural fibres are washable, they breathe and they retain and return the warmth of the one who is holding them. Natural materials are made from things that have had LIFE and provided they are not processed too much they retain that quality of life in their new form. Synthetic and plastic toys are made from chemicals that may affect our hormonal activity. Not hard to choose what I’d rather have my child playing with!

In our society now it is difficult to avoid synthetic materials for toys.  Making our child a special doll with love and with materials made from Mother Nature will mean a lot to them, and it may not be their doll of choice to play with always, but it will still be a constant companion, and if treated with due respect to its ‘child-like’ nature then it will always be a healing presence in the playroom. 

Thank you Jen!  A great read. 

Jen has a lovely shop Lavendilly Fibre Arts, where you can purchase your own doll kit to make, or if time is pressed, why not order a custom made doll by Jen herself?  And to read more of Jen's writings, please pop over and say hi at her blog, Lavendilly House ?  

If you too, would like to be featured as a guest at Friday's Guest on MamaMoontime, please email me with your story/craft how-to/recipe topic.  amber.greene@hotmail.com

Your creativity can be on show.  Can't wait to hear from you too!  

Collecting Colour from Nature

Ned and I have just been reading this book.

It is a story of how Indigenous Australians weave baskets, mats and bags from pandanus palms to use for collecting bush food, carrying shopping from the supermarket and holding babies. 

The story also shares the way that family members search the native bush to collect colour from nature to dye the pandanus palm.  It is a lovely tale. 

The book, Collecting Colour, doesn't seem to be easily available but perhaps you too have it in your local library, or you might order it in?

I love it when I can read true stories of how people cared for the land, and were resourceful in their endeavours to create.  Don't you?  

Pop Up Playgrounds

Have you heard of the concept of a Pop-Up store?

How about a Pop-Up Playground??

What an idea.

I love it when communities begin thinking outside the box to come up with helpful and life changing/affirming strategies for their local citizens.

This article, Presto! Instant Playground is worth a read. 

Game: This is our 'Winter' tree

This little bare branch tree has been sitting on my nature table for the past few weeks.

You'll see that there are lots of paper 'blossoms' loosely attached to tree.

Each one of these has a little 'action' task on it-

perhaps to 'Jump up and down, like Kangaroo brown', 

or 'side step, side step, back and forth you go', 

or 'slide like a slippery snake along the floor'.  

After our singing time, we finish with the game.

All the children and mama's and papa's dance on the spot, whilst the children wait for their turn to pick a blossom.  (Sometimes, two children just couldn't wait and picked a blossom at the same time. We just did two actions in a row).  When the child finish their turn, it is time to go and put on shoes for outside play. 

Here is the little song we sang:

This is our winter tree

Shining, shining, down on me

Pick a blossom, let it fall

Reveal to all. 

(This game could also be used in Autumn.)  

For Spring/Summer, you might change the words to:

This is our Spring tree

Shining, shining, down on me

Pick a blossom for the vase today

Let's dance and sing and play 

How to make Tomato Ricotta Tart

Oohhh, who can resist juicy cherry tomatoes? 

And this recipe makes the most of them.

Three tomato ricotta tarts, perfect for a picnic. 

In a bowl, mix 250 gram fresh ricotta cheese, 250 crumbled feta cheese, 2 large eggs (beaten), 1 tablespoon each of chopped basil, dill and mint, 25 gram of Parmesan cheese (substitute cheddar if you need), a dash of salt and pepper.

Separately, chop a punnet of cherry tomatoes into thirds.

You'll need three sheets of puff pastry for the three bases.

For each tart, lay out a piece of baking paper on a flat tray.  Sprinkle the paper with flour.

Lay out the pastry on the tray. 

Run a knife around the pastry (be careful not to cut through!). 

We need to create a 2cm border, clear all the way around.

Spread your ricotta mix between the three pastry sheets.

Be sure to only spread the mix inside the border line. 

Cover the ricotta mix with plenty of tomatoes. 

Bake in a hot oven (180 degrees C) for about 15 minutes or until puff pastry border begins to rise and brown.  

Delicious when served hot or cold. 

How to make a bee mobile

These little timber shapes come from Casey's Wood  

To make a bee, all you do is paint the body with yellow acrylic paint. 

Add a few stripes around the body. 

and a cute face. 

Cut a small 2cm square of mesh netting for the wings. 

Run a gather stitch through the centre, 

and pull it in tight.

Tie this around the neck of the bee. 

Use the extra thread to  hang it up, either on a tree or on a little twig.

One of our Wednesday friends was besotted with the little bee, and carried it around with her all morning, holding tightly onto the twig as it zoomed around...

Why not make a few and hang them around a wire or rattan ring?

You might add some butterflies too.

Spring is coming!

(PS Do you like my new Sheye-inspired photos?  I'm madly practicing and liking a few of my efforts!

Plenty more practice to come though....)

Friday's Guest: Bernadine Murray

Friday's Guest: Bernadine Murray of 

"Pretend and Move"

Workshop Wednesdays - At the Car Wash

With such lovely weather around at the moment it is easier for us mums to venture outside, it is also easier to set up some outdoor activities.  Kids love playing with water so why not create a carwash outside.  

You can use tubs filled with warm water and detergent and get the kids to wash some toy cars, or if you do not have any cars they can play with different size cups and containers.

If you have a larger toy car at home the children will also enjoy washing this.

Thank you, Bernadine.

If you would like to feature as a Friday's Guest, please send your idea or article via email to amber.greene@hotmail.com.

Perhaps you have a creative activity (for adults or children!), a philosophical idea, tips for making time for creativity, a recipe, a story or a song to share...?

I can't wait to hear from you!

How to make a guest feel welcome

My friend Felicity has been away on a family road-trip for these past two weeks,

but rather than let her beachside abode sit empty, she invited three groups of her friends to stay and enjoy the beachside lifestyle she loves.

I was one of the lucky ones!

On Tuesday, our little family headed down to Tugun, my favourite pocket of the sunny Gold Coast 

(and even more special as this is where we used to live, mere metres from Felicity's house).

Upon turning the key, I was delightfully surprised to see our 'Welcome' package.

Yes, my fabulous friend had not only lent us her space, but she had built three piles of goodies, one for each group.

In each pile, was a stack of personalised library books!

She had gone to the trouble of renting out books, magazines, and dvd's that she thought we each would love and devour.  Mine included Jessica Seinfeld's latest cookbook (just recently, we had been joyfully swapping recipes and her first was a common fave), a few books on letting go of stuff and decluttering, country living magazines, a yoga dvd, and a couple of philosophy tomes. 

She also made sure we were well nourished- with marshmallows, crackers, tea, hot chocolate and even a coconut soap!  

What a friend! 

And when we finally ventured out, this is the view we came upon literally 50 metres from her front door. 

My fave spot "Flat Rock", a little rocky outcrop of wading pools breaking up the flat expanse of coastline, and a park for kids, was 200 metres to the left. 

And a little walk further, is Currumbin beach, Elephant rock, cafe's, restaurants and the surf club.

We treated ourselves to Thai last night- yellow curry- before heading home for hot choc and marshmallows.  (Ned ate the marshmallows. We didn't get a look in).

Today, we spent time digging in the sand, eating lunch from the local bakery, jumping on the mammoth trampoline in Felicity's yard, chatting to neighbours, and just generally enjoying beachside life.

Ahhhh, I do miss it so.

No matter how lovely acreage and the hilly country life is, I'm a beachie at heart.

Thank you Felicity and family for your generosity and kindness.

We had a ball. 

Cooking with children: Fruity Trifles

Fruity trifles are a big hit around here.

The wonderful thing about them is that children make them up, and the very act of participating in the creation of this treat encourages them to eat a variety of fruit, some of which they may have never tried before or have claimed they don't like. 

You need a number of containers to begin.

Have an adult pre-cut a selection of fruits, one variety per container. 

Why not try rockmelon (cantaloupe), pear, strawberry, banana, apple (skin removed), pineapple, kiwi fruit and mandarin slices? 

You'll also need:

*a freshly baked homemade butter cake (or store-bought), cut into 1cm cubes and placed in a bowl

*a bowl of freshly whipped cream 

*freshly baked custard (or pouring custard from the cold section in the supermarket)

*a tin of passionfruit pulp or at least 5 fresh passionfruits 

It is really easy to make your own custard.

Beat 60 grams of castor (superfine) sugar together with two eggs.

Add 500 ml milk, and 40gram of cornflour to the egg mixture and pour the lot into a saucepan.

Over gentle heat (mid point on your stove), stir the mixture until it thickens.

Remove from heat and transfer to serving bowl. 

 ***

When you are ready, line up all the containers and bowls.

Children can follow one another along the line as they reach, scoop and select to fill up their trifle.

This is the order I used, mostly to ensure the moistness of the cake. 

Here we go...

*rockmelon

*pear

*strawberry

*cake

*passionfruit pulp/juice

*custard

*mandarin

*banana

*pineapple

*kiwi fruit 

*whipped cream

Little L did not move until she was finished!!

She loved it!!!