A few more household hints and tips Part Three

Are you conscious of killing germs at the moment?  How is your remote control looking?  A splash of hand sanitizer on a piece of kitchen towel will do wonders for your remote controls.  A cotton bud can help get to the trick.

Want your undies to smell nicer?  Take a coffee filter and fill it with a little bicarbonate of soda and some essential oils.  Lavender or orange sound good.  Tie it with an elastic band and pop it in those drawers.

Want to keep your bread fresh?  Pop a clean potato in the bread bin.

Just had a cup of ground coffee?  When the grains have cooled down use them on your hands as an exfoliator.

Got dry skin on your face?  Try a mayonnaise mask and leave it on for 20 minutes.

Feeling tired?  Whilst watching TV, roll a tennis ball under your feet.  A bit of a revival.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How are lovers coping during lockdown?

I was just reading about lovers making love in a supermarket car park.

None of my friends have admitted to having a secret lover in their senior years. But it set me thinking. How would you contact each other with your spouse in lockdown with you? Would you have a secret phone? Would it be hidden and switched off? Would you have a secret email address? How would you access your lovers messages with your spouse looking over your shoulder, especially a jealous partner or worse still, an abusive one you were planning to escape from prior to lockdown, with or without the support of a lover.

Meeting up in a hotel has become impossible. Meeting up in a bar or cinema is a no go. Even if you get to meet up in a mutual friends house/garden, Should you be using your mutual friend’s wine glasses and cutlery? Surely you wouldn’t dare kiss and hug your lover in case you unknowingly have the virus and his daughter has just had a baby and vice versa?

Would you risk it for a quickie in a car park or in the woods? I know I wouldn’t, but many people are young, energetic and miss a good sex life, or maybe just a bit of romance that is missing at home.

It’s a difficult time for everyone. Most especially those grieving for their loved ones lost to this terrible virus but lovers must feel a little helpless and wondering if it’s all worth the risk.

Spend Some Time Outside Every Day

Feel the sunshine, breathe the fresh air, even rain on your face. It reminds us that we’re alive. To be alive is the most wonderful thing of all.

Summer joy – a picnic

What could be nicer in this lovely warm weather we have been having? The flowers are nodding in the light breeze. The birds are singing. Bees buzzing around. Adults and children eating al fresco. If your knees aren’t quite as flexible these days, don’t forget to take a folding chair and a picnic blanket.

A summer salad

Guests arriving for a big lunch party?

Don’t forget the drinks. Plenty of vino, big jugs of still and sparkling water. Orange juice for the children. Thirsty guests are unhappy guests and at Casa Janussi it’s OH’s job to make sure nobody has an empty glass. 🍷

An Italian Housewife’s tips for feeding a big family

Don’t let the family forget mum’s boss in the kitchen.

When you are feeding a large family, you can’t bend to their every individual whim. Mama’s kitchen is not a ristorante. There’s no menu to choose from.

An Italian Housewife’s hints and tips for your weekly shop and meals

1. Make sure your store cupboard is well stocked with the basics. Flour, oil, olives, arborio rice, sugar, penne, spaghetti, tinned Italian tomatoes, garlic and pesto.

Eggs, milk and cheese in the fridge.

You will be able to make a few meals from this.

2. When considering olive oil, buy the best you can afford. Don’t ruin a lovely meal with cheap oil.

3. On Sunday evening, take 15 minutes to plan your meals for the week. Might save on food waste.

I finally tested positive

I have been in bed for over a week now and finally tested positive yesterday. I thought I was going mad when I kept testing negative with the energy of a tortoise. I hope the worst is over. An awful lot of people are in the same boat. Trying to keep positive.

TROPICAL FRUIT ANYONE?

Do you know what to do with it?

My significant other was working for some VIPs last week and when they left their hotel suite, they gave him two bags of tropical fruit.  Not being very keen on fruit in general, except for citrus fruit, it seems a shame to waste it all.

The problem is what to do with it.  I googled various fruits to see if the pips were edible and got busy with a sharp knife, making a fruit salad.  The star fruit were a little complicated to peel (no idea if they should be peeled) and after taking out the pips, I sliced them into, guess what, star shapes.  It took over an hour to peel and chop a large bowl of fruit, but I am sure the vitamin content will be well worth it.

An Italian Mama’s Tips for Taking it Easy and Chilling Out

Good cooking can’t be rushed. Bread needs time to rise.

Flavours need time to infuse properly.

Standing over the cooker worrying will not make things happen faster.

Learn to love the wait. It’s where the magic happens.

Mama’s tips for taking it easy and chilling out

The key to an easy life is flexibility.

Be the olive tree that bends in the wind,

Not the English oak that snaps.

ECUADORIAN LAMB STEW

3;fl.oz. Olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves crushed

14oz tin of tomatoes , drained and chopped

1 red pepper, cut into chunks

1 green pepper, cut into chunks

Half a teaspoon of hot chilli powder or harissa paste

1 teaspoon of crushed coriander seeds

1 teaspoon of salt

2lbs. of cubed leg of lamb

8fl.oz.mot dry white wine

2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves

Heat half the oil. Fry the lamb. Add onion and garlic with the rest of the oil. Fry for 6-8 minutes . Add tomatoes, chilli, coriander seeds, wine, salt and stir

Simmer for at least 30 minutes

Add the peppers last of all and cook for a further 20 minutes.