When you've got left over mashed potatoes...

Make potato bread! 

My dear sweet husband allowed me a nap the other evening and he made a huge meal! This was a big deal because Mr Woo does not enjoy cooking....that may be a bit of an understatement. He finds it stressful. I can't relate really because I love cooking and baking and making of any description!
So how special did I feel when Mr Woo went in to the kitchen and started peeling potatoes?! What a guy! Working hard all day and then coming home and cooking!
He went a little crazy on the mashed potato front so there were some left overs. I can not waste. WASTE NOT WANT NOT! And we're  at a place in life where if we waste, we will go without. I think if we're ever in another stage of life that gave us more freedom in the purse I still wouldn't be able to waste.
ANY WAY!
I had these left over smooshed potatoes and we had no bread.

On page 34, recipe 19 you will find a recipe for Potato bread. It calls for 350g of mashed potato...and do you know THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I HAD!
Wanna make a loaf or round yourself???

Prep Time 25 min, plus rising Cooking Time 30-40min
Makes 1 loaf (serves 8-10)

1 large floury potato such as King Edward or Maris Piper, about 350g (12oz)
500g (1lb 2oz) strong plain white or wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting
1 sachet (7g/1/4oz) easy-blend dry yeast
2 t salt
55g (2oz) finely grated mature cheddar cheese
1 1/2 t dried herbes de Provence
a few turns of freshly ground black pepper
About 175ml (6fl oz) warm water

1. Grease or flour a baking shee and set aside. Peel and dice the potato, then cook it in a saucepan of boiling water for 10-15min or until tender. Drain well & mash thoroughly and set aside to cool.

2. Mix the flour, yeast, salt, cheese, dried herbs and black pepper in a large bowl. Add the mashed potatoes and work into the flour mixture using your fingers. Make a well in the center, then gradually add enough water, mixing to form a soft dough (I had to add quite a bit extra water to get everything to combine. I ended up adding quite a bit extra flour during the next step to get it to become elastic).

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a round, then place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

4. Knock back the dough on a lightly floured surface, then shape into an oval or round and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and leave to rise again until doubled.

Meanwhile, preheat the over to 200 degrees C/400 F/gas mark 6. Dust the top of the loaf with a little flour. Bake for 30-40 min, or until the bread is risen, golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve in slices.

I added a few extra dashes for herbs and some extra salt & pepper and a bit extra cheese. We like flavor in this house!

It should come out looking a like this! (they slashed the dough with a sharp knife before baking for that fancy bit on top!)

At the moment my dough is mid rise (the first one) sitting next to the pan of tomato sauce bubbling away! It's been unattended while I've been typing so I'd better to check on things! Are you gonna give it a go?

The British Homefront

As you know, the women of the 1940s are a true inspiration to me. I am fascinated by the way British women ran their homes during the war, under extreme rationing and hardship.
I'm in awe of the incredible ingenuity and creativity from the WWII homefront.

First please allow me to share this from the home sweet homefront website.

With the scarcity of so many everyday items during World War Two, Britons were encouraged to become much more self-sufficient and make greater use of the materials they had.

The phrase most associated with this British wartime drive for self-sufficiency was 'MAKE DO and MEND'.

Some of the ingenious ways of how people got by included;

i.   making wartime JEWELLERY from old beer bottle tops, cup hooks and corks
ii.  supplementing a shortage of CLEANING MATERIALS by crushing egg shells for use as a scouring compound and cutting squares out of old stockings for use as dishcloths

iii. using the dregs of cold tea to clean WOODWORK

iv. varnishing the soles of CHILDREN'S SHOES to prolong the foot-wears life and

v.  cutting up old Mackintoshes to make BIBS for babies.

 Just look at this brooch! It was made from a button and electrical wire! Isn't it brilliant!?! 

Nothing wasted.

Kitchen scraps were all saved and recycled to feed pigs, goats and chickens which could be used for milk, meat and eggs. People created Pig Clubs to keep pigs which would later become meat and be shared by the members of the club.

Keeping rabbits was popular during the war...but not as pets! Eek!

Phil Bryne writes:

Households were asked to wash their recyclables before putting them out in tied bundles. Waste was segregated for the following uses:

- Tins and metal were collected for use in aircraft, tanks and weapons
- Boiled bones were used to make glue for aircraft, ground up to make fertiliser or made into glycerine for explosives.
- Kitchen waste provided feed for pigs, chickens and goats and people would bring their scraps to communal bins.
- Paper for munitions - newspapers were printed on low quality paper
- Rubber was collected to make tires

Man oh man, we've got it good. So good.
We're recycling for different reasons now, but I would love to be as committed to making do and reusing as people of the WWII homefront. I have a loooong way to go to change the way I view waste and what's still "good".

I'd love to hear some of your recycling and making do tricks. Or what you like or don't like about the home front during any of the wars.

Bye for now!

I've got a lot of jewellery to finish for this week!