Labneh Lebanese cream cheese made simply at home.

"This is the Lebanese version of cream cheese and is a lot tastier and lower in calories and additives than commercial cream cheese.
It is sort of a cross between cream cheese and yoghurt. I made mine with low fat Greek yoghurt. Next time I will try making it with Kangaroo Island sheep yoghurt.
I first tasted this at the Darwin markets with an amazing eggplant pickle that contained pomegranate molasses and other spices. It was served on a zattar pitta bread. Trying to develop this pickle recipe myself as I can't find one that tastes the same as I remember.
The good news is that you don't need any special equipment to make this cheese and it is very easy to make. The most important thing to remember is that everything must be scrupulously clean.
The concept is to strain the whey or liquid out of the yoghurt. Rather than using a colander over a bowl I used my stainless steel saucepan and steamer and it worked well.



1.
I lined the steamer with a double layer of immaculately clean, undyed muslin and to be sure it was sterile I soaked it in boiling water.

2. I spooned in the yoghurt and sprinkled it with rock salt and gently stirred it in.



3.
Put the lid on and place in fridge.



If you are using bowls and a colander then tie the corners of the muslin together to keep it covered. If you want the whey to be forced out faster, put a plate on top as a weight.
4. Leave for about 12 hours in the fridge.

5.
When well drained it will be the consistency of cream cheese.
6.
Spoon and scrape from the cloth, drizzle a little good quality olive oil over it and store covered in the refrigerator until needed.






7.
You can mix in fresh or dried herbs, minced garlic, cracked pepper or anything you would use to make a herbed cheese. It also makes a great base for your favorite dip recipes.
8.
Or you could add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some cumin and spread it on pita bread.



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Fruit drinks from Darwin markets

I fell in love with the fruit drinks at the Darwin markets along with the food! Not really being a fan of fruit, other than berries and bananas in milk drinks, I was surprised to see fruit drinks made with water and ice.
Now that I am home, I am experimenting with mixes to get my drinks right.
The one I fell in love with was mango, banana, lime and ginger.
I have been using Buderim ginger refresher until I experiment with making my own ginger syrup, or try using fresh ginger.
For this I will need to get really young pink ginger and will need to go the Adelaide central market for this.
Today I made a peach, watermelon, lime and ginger drink. The lime and ginger makes the drink so refreshing.



Just peel and chop the fruit roughly and place in a blender, cover with ice water and about a large soup ladle of ice. Juice a lime and add this along with about two tablespoon of Buderim refresher.



Lots of short bursts in the processor seems to work best, at least that is what they do at the markets.



More if you are a ginger fan like me. Drink is best drunk with a straw, as it settles out, but I just used a swizzle stick.



I am addicted, and so refreshing when made with water and ice. From a dietary point of view, getting the benefit of the whole fruit. Enjoy and I look forward to experimenting with lots of different fruits.

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Darwin experience

I have always wanted to visit Darwin in the top end of Australia. I very much wanted to come in the wet season, which is supposed to be now. This year the monsoon is late so we have missed out on seeing the spectacular lightning storms Darwin is famous for. But the holiday has been great.
From the crocodile tours....






The amazing waterfalls,some of which are crocodile free, and you can swim in them.


We made the mistake of doing the crocodile tour the day before we went swimming in the waterholes! Did not make for a comfortable experience.



There is so much natural beauty!



Strange cup shaped mushrooms that collect the rain.



Large bats are hanging in all the trees.



Feeding the fish at Doctor's Gully.
I love Darwin and can't wait to come back.

Kookaburras in the garden

Love the kookaburras and their raucous laughter which is their distinctive birdsong. Just wish they didn't have to all start laughing when I appear in my recently acquired fitness gear. Perhaps it's because it has a certain 80's, "Jane Fonda" style to it!




Definitely not good for the confidence when even birds are laughing!

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Easy summer dessert for Nutella fans

This was so easy and looked good on the plate!
Using the metal ring forms',not sure what they are called, but they look like wide egg rings. I set the rings up an a tray with a piece of baking paper under them.
I broke chocolate wheaten biscuits up to make them fit into the rings, as a base. Then I spread Cadbury chocolate chip,vanilla ice-cream over the biscuit base.
Next I put a generous dollop of Nutella on top.



Then another layer of ice-cream followed. On top, I put an even more generous dollop of Nutella and sort of roughly swirled it around.



Covered the tray with glad wrap and put it back in the freezer till I was ready to serve.
You could use any fruit, but I had strawberries, blackberries and mango which I soaked in a little sweet dessert wine and a little sugar. Use your favorite alcohol for this or none if you prefer.
When it was time to serve,I just loosened around the edges of the rings with a knife and they just pushed out.
Put the fruit on top and served.
It was so easy because I had made the icecream base the day before.
Best of all, I made more than was needed, so now have them ready for a quick dessert. Although I am hoping I will forget they are there, which unfortunately was not the case with the left over jar of Nutella.
I think I was depressed.
Earlier in the day the Wii trainer on my Wii fit plus had told me in his little, upbeat voice that is was only 349 days since we had last met. After checking my weight, informed me that I did not seem to have met any of my goals set then either.
Luckily the Wii remote was firmly strapped to my wrist or I might be shopping for a new TV! When I finished my routine he asked me if I would like to know how many calories I had used. His next question was would I like to know how much food that equated to. I was sorry I asked when he told me it was one boiled lolly
Anyway this was a great no stress dessert even if I dare not try and equate how much exercise the Wii would want in return for a serve.
Ignorance is bliss!


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Saved fridge dump fees

I have started my new garden beds. Using two fridges that had 'died' as garden beds has saved me dumping fees. Not to mention the hassle of getting them to the dump.
The motor end has had a piece of steel pot riveted over the opening.



The freezer compartment in this one will be great to isolate something that usually takes over.



As you can see it makes a good depth of soil and will keep the ground moist and cool. I have emptied the current compost container into it, along with rotted manure.
Old styrofoam lids can be cut to size to block the ends with a few bricks to hold them up and the soil inside can be filled against this barrier.
This will be left empty till autumn plantings.
I have also begun extending my upside down roof garden too. As you can see the soil depth is not great but shallow rooted plants have done exceptionally well.



This will be filled with compost and well rotted manure as well.
I plan to utilise another roof garden as a strawberry bed next year.
Gardening at waist height is also a great advantage, especially when hunting strawberries.

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Garden stress planning day

Everywhere is so dry now and plants are dying in the garden. Rather than just getting more and more depressed I have decided to develop my garden plan for next summer so that I don't repeat mistakes.
You know it's bad when agapanthus struggle to survive!



My biggest issue apart from 45 degree days is lack of water.
One garden that is unexpectedly thriving is the asparagus garden.
Asparagus needs very deep, rich soil and water. The difference here is that I planted the asparagus in an old commercial fridge. Put a couple of holes in the bottom for drainage and used it as a compost pile for about 12 months. Mixed in good soil and planted.



The big difference in using the old fridge is that it is insulated so that helps keep the soil moist and cool. When I do water, very little water is lost to evaporation or draining away uselessly. This is going to be the blueprint for next summer.
I grew my tomatoes in raised beds this year but no matter how much I mulched I still struggled to water efficiently. The other problem is, as I have previously mentioned, the water quality now is terrible and the plants are
starting to die back. My thyme was doing beautifully and has been watered and mulched but it just can't tolerate the water.



My horseradish is also showing signs of stress. I am going to switch to watering this with rainwater now.



My vegetable garden next year will all be in old fridges and baths.

I will continue to use my 'roof' bed as this was so successful for shallow rooted plants like Beetroot, rocket and spring onions.


We have ample rain in winter so I will position a tank next to this bath and fridge garden. I will need to elevate it so that I can use gravity water these gardens with good water. I am also going to look at putting one garden under shade cloth.
This is the plan anyway! I feel better already!



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