Pak Choi Stir Fry

Ingredients;

2x Pak Choi

Handful of peas, like sugar snaps

1x red onion

2x spring onion

Half a yellow pepper

2x handfuls of white mushrooms

I used ready curled carrot and two tubs of rice noodles. 

Sweet chilli source 

Half a lemon

One Apple

Black grounded pepper

Chia seeds

(I cooked up rice too but in the end we didn't use it. I would say cook up rice if this is for four people or your mega hungry!  

Fry in one big pot all but noodles and carrots and source, until the onions, mushrooms, peppers and peas have started to brown. 

In another pan, fry the Pak Choi, with black pepper and lemon chunks (I used veg oil to fry all this, didn't need much at all.) I put a lid on this pan to steam them too.

Add the rice noodles, carrots and sliced up Apple, to the big main pan. 

I added chia seeds to the pak Choi.

Add chilli sauce to taste, I just lightly covered it.

I would have layered it with rice at the bottom, then the noodles, then Pak Choi on top. We were not as hungry as I thought, so left out the rice! Yum! 

Vegan Cottage Pie

I had been really craving a simple cottage pie, with green veg and mash. I haven't cooked one since we became vegan, so thought I would just make it up as I went along. I didn't think it would turn out all that great, so didnt pay much attention to what I was doing or take photos! Well it was blinking amazing, hubby and I both had seconds. I will have to come back to this when I make it again and add photos and more information!

Ingredients;

White potatoes (about 4 mid to large)

Parsnips (2-3 large)

Soya mince

1x table spoon of mustard

Soya cream

Dairy free butter

2x carrots

2x red onions

1x Apple

1-2 celery sticks

6-7 white mushrooms

1x spring onion

1x green pepper 

Gravy powder

Breadcrumbs 

Herbs; thyme, rosemary, black pepper

Seeds; chia seeds, sesame seeds, I used two others I need to check what they where!!

Ok, so not 100% sure what I did but something like this...

Chop and peel the potatoes and parsnips. Boil until ready to mash. 

While they are boiling, chop up mega small the: onions, mushrooms, spring onions, celery and pepper, fry up till starting to brown. Add the carrot and mince. (Follow its intructions.) add lots of black pepper, Rosemary and thyme. 

Then add one serving of gravy. Once brought up to a quiet boil, spoon out into a deep oven dish. Add to the top, the chopped up Apple.

Mash the potatoes and parsnips. Mix in a table spoon of butter, the soya cream and mustard. Spoon over the mince, make sure there's no gaps. 

To the top cover with breadcrumbs and seeds. I cooked it in the oven on 100 for about 40mins to an hour. Not sure on timings, just cook till starting to brown on top. Serve with fresh green veg! Yum! 

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan- Now We're Cooking on Gas

I was so happy to see Daisy still had her original 1960s cooker, which looked cleaner than mine! 

I love the colours and popped a few of the removeable parts into the dishwasher. They came up gleaming! 

Daisy had two gas lights, I may have saved them if they had still had their original glass surrounds. The decision was made to remove them, only the oven will be hooked up to the gas. 

We have a lovely gasman working on all her pipe work, and while he had her oven out I cleaned all the hidden places! 

Am so excited about this part of Daisy's restoration, cooking is so important to me and it's like the heart of the home! So it will be amazing to cook on her oven. Fingers crossed as till we hook her up, we won't know that she works!! 

Will keep you posted! 

Well SHE WORKS!! So excited to update this blog, such a wonderful gasman only got her 1960's oven working!! I can't wait to cook on her, even boiling the kettle in our van is going to be so much fun! 

She now has her very own gas bottle, will have to get her a second one when I have finished her off. So excited.

Click here to see what we have done with Daisy!

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan - Make Do and Mend

So often people rip out the original furniture, in these old vans. I wanted to keep as much as possible and show where things had been replaced or mended. Daisy is 47 years old and it's ok to have a few dents and bits mended!

She has two tables, this is the smaller back one. It had started come apart.

Nothing that a bit of a clean up and some glue couldn't fix! 

Her wood under the table had become very dry and started to crack. A big clean and some wax has brought out such a lovely colour! (Even had the help of a mini person!)

Lots of people paint the old would veneer, filling in any holes, hiding the imperfections. I quite like her little dents and dings! I want to keep her looking original but with a few surprises...

Big tip, when painting use some cardboard!best tip my mother has given me! 

Ive picked out four colours for Daisy, I normally only use three main colours and really toyed with the idea of dropping the yellow....but am trying to keep the end look in my mind....as this is so bright right now!! 

I wanted to open the draws and get a pop of colour. Am trying to remind my self that when these are in place you won't see much of these mega retro bright colours!  

All old things will need a bit of help over the years, so am sure I will be gluing and waxing again soon!

Click here to see all the jobs on Daisy!

Perfect Rice Every Time!

Rice, thing I love about this way of cooking rice is you can cover and leave it for ages! Allowing time to getting the rest of the meal ready. Think I've offen left it about half an hour at least, or served it within minutes!

About a cup full per person, (half for not that hungry.) I use basmati rice, pour in the rice first into your pan (some people like to rince it first.) Then pour in cold water. I use my thumb, pointed down and resting on the top of the rice. I then fill with cold water till it reaches the first bend line on my thumb! 

Pop on the hob and bring to the boil, keep on a rolling boil (keep a close eye as may bubble over) until all the top water has gone. Leaving holes in the top of rice. 

Now, if everything else is ready and you want to serve it soon, turn down the heat and heat on low for about 5-10 minutes. Keeping a close eye, as it's quick to burn! 

The best way at the point of the holes fourming is to turn off the heat and cover with a teatowel and then lid. Move to one side and get on with the rest of dinner. (Give it at least 10mins, don't check on it often as the steam will be lost.) You can leave it like this for ages, I've left it for at least half an hour and it was still perfect and warm! (Make sure you don't put down the hot pan on something it could damage!)

Yummy perfect rice, every time! (I will add photos when I next cook it!)

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan - Colour by Number

Doing up Daisy 

When I was on the hunt for a vintage/retro van, I had ready picked out the fabric I wanted to use. 

I've had this fabric sitting around, waiting for something really special! I have about four favourite fabrics, so you can tell am fussy!

I love spending hours looking at fabrics and paint. (Hours and lots of pennies!!)

I had some ideas about what colours I would like to use, I knew I wanted to keep her feeling warm and cozy inside. 

I started to think about what would match the fabric. I love grey, it's one of my favourite colours and our house is full of it. It's such a warm calming colour. 

I wanted to use her name, with use of colour and in the soft furnishings.

At last I've brought her paint! So excited to get going with painting the inside! I knew I wanted grey, blue, yellow and orange. It was great to find the perfect matches! I have big plans for the inside, but keeping as much of her retro original interior. I want to show where new bits have been added or changed, but not make it a hodgepodge!

I've been staring at her black stripe for, well since we brought her. I knew I wanted to change it....

The first big change!! Ta da!! This is a very small part of a huge plan for her exterior, but with so much to do inside I will have to come back to the job later! 

It's amazing how much such a small amount of colour has made such a huge impact!!

I wanted to add in the bright colours but not being over powering, so inside the draws works really well. Keeping her looking original looking but a pop of colour when you pull out draw! 

I can't wait to get all these bits back in side her! 

**update**

Am so happy with how the colours are coming together in Daisy. There was quite a big moment, where I was panicking, while painting the walls.....the colours are so bright and I was really worried I had picked the wrong colours for her. I've tried to keep as much of the original features inside Daisy. Painting wood is quite scary, as once you have done it, there's no going back!! I've only painted inside the cupboards (almost finished, by heck it's harder work than I thought) So when they are closed she looks original but when their opened, you get a large pop of bright colour. The wood has really started to dry and crack, even though she was full of rot! 

So it's taken at least 4 coats of paint to get anywhere near a good cover. The wood as just sucked in all the paint. So am going to wax over the top once I've finished, this will 'feed' the wood and give the paint some protection from chipping. 

Even though there is still some wood to finish I've started kiting her out. It's really exciting to see the colours working, now things are back in their rightful places!

For more blogs about doing up Daisy, click here

Potato and Cauliflower

Using up the last few left overs before the next food shop, I came up with this.

Ingredients;

2x tins of tomatoes (and 2 tins of water)

About 10 small white potatoes 

Hand full of mushrooms

2-3 carrots

2 small red onions (or one large)

About 8 esh frozen cauliflower chunks (I used about half a bag) 

 

Fry up the onion and mushrooms, till starting to brown. Then add the carrots. After that add the frozen cauliflower (fresh would be fine, you could add anything like peas etc)

Fry and then add tinned tomatoes, and the water from refilling the two tins. 

Then add the potatoes, skins off, chopped into chunks (under a table spoon size.)

I had pretty much run out of everything, so used loads of pepper, a little cayenne pepper and a little parsley. Brill to a boil then slow cook low for about an hour! 

Serve with homemade bread, yum!

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan - Cleaning and Sorting

I had started to feel quite low about just how much work it's going to take to get Daisy finished. Each time I started on one job, I could spot another two....our deadline for the first time we are taking her out is really not far away!

I had a few days, of rain and the baby only taking a small naps. I got my self in a panic about Daisy sitting all on her own and not been worked on. If the baby slept in the night I could have been working nights to catch up! 

Then I had a real think about it and a chat with my mother. I thought, why am I panicking! As long as she's safe and water tight I can have a big to do list for next winter! Straight away I felt better and more energized to get back on!

Suns out so we got all her windows open, with some help from wd40!! I cleaned all the mold and got out the hover. 

The boys dragged out blankets and pillows from the house. Telling me all about where they where going to sleep and making a little den. 

It was so lovely to get all her windows open and some fresh air through. So much light in her when the sun is shining and lucky to have so many windows! 

It felt great to sort through all her cupboards and start cleaning. While making lots of mess in her, it hadn't made much sense to clean her but today the boys wanted to snuggle up while I worked. It is hard to work on something like Daisy around three young children but they love her and want to 'help.' I managed to get quite a lot done, but making a den for them at one end, and painting the other. I put any tools away up high on top of the wardrobe so it was safe for them to be inside with me. Children a little older, would make very good little helpers! So don't let having little minis, put you off doing up a caravan. 

I cleaned the oven, though it's in amazing  condition. Everything which we could remove from the oven, I popped in the dishwater and it's come out lovely! 

To see more blogs about doing up Daisy click here.

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan - Roof Garden

Doing up Daisy! 

The next scary job, is Daisy's skylight.....

I must admit, I've been pushing this one to the back of my mind...as well the moss scares me!!

Am still working in the back of the van but thinking ahead to this being my next big job. 

So while suns out I thought I would get the step ladder out and take a look....

Here's Daisy's roof garden.....

Am still quite scared but I have a plan! Will update once the parts get here, fingers crossed for lots of sunshine while I wait! 

Finding a skylight to fit Daisy is proving to be hard work! They just don't make them like that anymore. I thought the best thing was to make a temporary skylight, which will do until we could somehow find one. My first plan was to make the whole thing from perspex, but then I thought about the family boat (wood.) I had quite a lot of off cuts left and used them to make a simple frame.

I painted it with three thin layers of silk paint, then two - three of varnish. 

The perspex sheet fits quite well and am mega proud of my self as never made anything like this, ever!! 

I need to add some sealant and then work out how to hold it in place......but am very inpressed with my self! 

It's due to rain here tomorrow, fingers crossed that she holds!! (Am still waiting for the sealant to arrive!) 

Click here to see an update on Daisy's roof garden. 

Follow along on doing up Daisy by clicking here or you can check out her adventures, by clicking here.

Roasted Chips

Here are my roasted chips, cooked in rosemary and garlic. (A bit like how I cook roast potatoes.)

Ingredients;

2x small red onions

5x huge white potatoes

1x large clove of garlic

Rosemary, black pepper and breadcrumbs. (Cooked in veg oil.)

Chop up the potatoes into chip shapes. 

Use lots of pepper and rosemary.

Cooked on 200c for about half an hour, then added breadcrumbs after flipping. 

These are perfect on their own or like tonight with pie! Yum! (Used vegan homemade breadcrumbs.)

Renovating a Retro/Vintage Caravan - Going Retro

Kiting out Daisy

Am a huge lover of all things vintage, my favourite times are 1940/50's. Most of my wardrobe is full of 1950's dresses. Passed on from my Great Grandmother and Granny. I have a 1940's dressing table and wardrobe, given to me by my Nan (in law) which I love so much! I count my self lucky that my family, are very much 'make do and mend' ok, I mean hoarders. (Crazy obsessive never throw anything out hoarders!) 

Thanks to this craziness, my children play with my childhood toys and I can pick from my Great Grandmothers ballgowns. Even down to the pots I use to cook in, where passed to me from my Nana!

Then along came Daisy.....a 1969 caravan. 

Mmmm. I know very little about the 1960's apart from mini skirts and the Beatles. So I've been feeling a little out of my depth, when it came to wanting to keep the Caravan looking original. 

Great Great Uncle to the rescue! 

He brought me this beautiful Meakin 1960's coffee set! It's me too a tea! ;) I love coffee and this little set is such a colourful indulgence! Best of all, there is quite a bit of this style out there, so I know what will be top of my birthday list this year! Am looking forward to getting more to add to my set. The colours and style are perfect for Daisy.

It's really helped me to feel inspired to get Daisy finished! 

For now it will be stored away safely (and hopefully added too, if anyone has any of this style sitting around unloved please email seasidehousewife@gmail.com) ready for Daisy's first outing in a few weeks time #dontpanicsomuchtodo

While am on the hunt for beautiful retro items for Daisy, I've been thinking about her finished look. I want to keep her looks original but want to update, and show off my personality at the same time. 

I've come across this website http://retrorenovation.com/2014/03/18/18-colors-1960s-st-charles-steel-kitchen-cabinets/

Showing all these amazing 1960's kitchen colours! 

Some of the colours I already had in mind for her are here, so will be matching these to off the shelf colours I can find now! It's very hard, to get the balance right between wanting to update and make Daisy mine. But keep her amazing 1960's original look! I so upset that the last owner, had already pulled her her curtains and soft furnishings out. It would have been great to have an idea of what colours where used. A lot of beautiful old vans, have a load of paint thrown at them and some cute pillows and then sold on. Thinking that it's increased the value. This is often not the case, you will struggle to replace original fixtures and fittings. So be warned, don't just throw it all out and then regret it later! 

Am loving this china set for Daisy, and finding more all the time! I've managed to add a gravy jug and a milk jug to my set. Now am after some plates!

Many people use china in their caravans, my Grand Parents always did with their static but I guess they didn't have to worry about weight! I love using real china, not plastic in Daisy.

Am searching out matching items for Daisy's dinning set. It's very exciting looking for items which will go in her when we are finished. It's a great way of getting me through this stage of her renovation.

Its now the end of the summer and I have managed to find some great items for her. Its lots of fun, hunting for things which will match and I know I will spend the winter months looking as am sure I will be getting withdrawal symptoms from using her!

Daisy on show for Retro Fest!

The set look fab when she is on show, and like all her 'props' they are used and loved. Here is the set on top of my Nana's 1960's table cloth. Which I have had for years, it looks amazing in Daisy.

Another great find, was this Le Creuset kettle. Its wonderful, I love the sound it makes when it boils, looks fab and in keeping with the van but you can still pick them up new. Click here for my review on this fab big kettle!

You can see how much better our new kettle looks, compared to our small camping one! The new one holds at least double the water so I can now fill up a few hot water bottles at once! Being me, it was lovely to pass on this kettle to some of our friends who are starting out camping and didn't have a kettle. So important to pass on things!

Fabrics!

Making her curtains and pillows, has been lots of fun. Though its hard work finding the perfect retro fabric to match her. I have had to settle with the idea that she wont have 6 matching curtains! 

These blue and while pillows are imported French 1960's fabric, I have covered my self. Click here for how to make an easy pillow case. The amazingly retro orange ones where a find on ebay! I managed to cover a pillow and make one small curtain for her door. 

Look what I found!!

You never know what you will find in a charity shop or boot-fair! Look what I found, vintage but never used and still with stickers on, pans. I have a little list in my head of what I need for Daisy so when am out and about, I can keep an eye out. Am trying to end up with a second set of everything. As I've lost count of times I have forgotten the peeler or tin opener! I want to match her, so 1960/70's are best. 

Pans is really high on my list as I have been using old camping ones, and a few extras from our kitchen. My 1960's big cooking pot is in daily use so Daisy couldn't nick it!  Now the only problem is, these are beautiful and unused. I always say, things are made to be used. Look at Daisy, with a bit of love and some pennies and she is in use at 47 yrs old. Then I look at these pans, and think they are worth a lot and maybe I should sell them to pay for more needed things for Daisy. But then I look at them and think, where on earth would I find pans as amazing and perfect as these for her! Am going to see if I can get the stickers off and keep them safe. Then I think am crazy and should just get using them! (I've already had two offers to buy them from me!)

What I love about some companies which are still going today, is you can still get info on your vintage item:

'Good afternoon Alice. 

Thanks again for your message.

You really have a relic, a porcelain on steel set belonging to 2000 collection manufactured in 1965-1970. 

Thanks for trusting Magefesa'

High on my list to find is a picnic set, but there are so many different types! There are lots of them out, many way out of my price range and I just haven't found a set which looks like it could be in Daisy! There are so many out there to pick from I even made a pinterest board about them! If you want to get lost on a summers day, click here! (I have now found a picnic set and currently restoring it, so will be a post coming soon!)


Click here for the essential items you need in your retro caravan

If you want to read more about doing up our shed *beautiful 1969 Bluebird Caravan, click here.