My general recipe ... I usually make it up as I go & substitute where I don't have a particular ingredient ..

 

About 500 g  of top beef mince;               At least a similar qty (edit .. by volume)of Panko crumbs rolled;

1 or 2 eggs;                                           1 or 2 chopped onions;

Good handful of flour ;                            At least a handful or two finely chopped fresh herbs

                                                             eg. Thyme, Coriander, Parsley, Oregano or Marjoram,

Chilli, fresh,flakes or my chilli jam;           Ground spices like Cumin, Coriander, salt, lots of pepper;

Lots of Tomato & Holbrooks Sauces;         I sneak in a few chopped Anchovies if SWMBO is not looking. 

 

Lots of crushed or chopped Garlic.  I far prefer fresh chopped garlic

Sometimes I put in a few glugs of Hoysin or other Sweet Soy and may leave out the salt & use soy sauce instead.

 

If I use lamb mince I take out the heaver spices and sauces & use chopped rosemary, lots of mint, garlic & thick mint sauce.

I think that you could even use sausage meat as I do when making sausage rolls.  In which case I double the panko crumbs, onions, flour & fresh herbs.

 Edit 2 .. If it's too wet, I just add more Panko crumbs & maybe flour if I've run out.

 

That's about all I can remember. 

 

 I just use wet hands to make them into compacted balls (throw from hand to hand) & squash them, make them square and place into takeaway containers, separated by baking paper so that I can take out as many as we need.

 

LAST EDIT I promise ..

Buggar  .. Just went out to watch a cooking show with my afternoon red medicine & it reminded me that I have been known to throw in some grated carrots & even grated cheese of whatever sort is in the fridge.

-- Edited by Cupie on Tuesday 24th of March 2020 05:15:47 PM

-- Edited by Cupie on Tuesday 24th of March 2020 05:18:03 PM

-- Edited by Cupie on Tuesday 24th of March 2020 05:25:47 PM

AH! Did some useful stuff at the end f a busy day in the front yard. We had a Corona Camp out tea in the back yard.

I am chuffed - just put to 1st use my wood lathe steady rest. Home made, ideas from the web and all used materials with three in line roller blade wheels / rollers so I can now deep turn out goblets, dried flower arrangement vases etc.
It worked, so heaps more hours in the shed turning scrap / waste off cuts into useful decorative things.Pity there is no room in the van to go out bush and turn up some decent Aussie timbers.
Cheers - Ian

Well Ive retired now......finally 10 days later we are in lockdown so no shakedown trips for Skippy New Age Big Red 20footer.

In the meantime have a few things to sort out cameras, light bar, drawers and maybe a roof rack.

So the last couple of days I have patiently in between showers installed reversing camera into a 200 series. Caravan camera can waited but Im shocked the bloody thing works tidy up and put it back together tomorrow.

Ah! Today I retrieved the Coolmatic HDC-190 fridge from the repairer and lugged it back into the van to install with some minor mods to the cabinet (neatened up extra fan wiring, and outside table LED wiring). It works very well and is soooooo quiet. Just have to obtain and fit the double sided tape around the flanges for dust intrusion prevention then slide in fully and screw in place. $545 for new compressor etc as against $2-2.5k for new fridge which would not fir neatly - I am chuffed.
Cheers - Ian

Mobi Condo wrote:

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Ah! Today I retrieved the Coolmatic HDC-190 fridge from the repairer and lugged it back into the van to install with some minor mods to the cabinet (neatened up extra fan wiring, and outside table LED wiring). It works very well and is soooooo quiet. Just have to obtain and fit the double sided tape around the flanges for dust intrusion prevention then slide in fully and screw in place. $545 for new compressor etc as against $2-2.5k for new fridge which would not fir neatly - I am chuffed.
Cheers - Ian

---

 Ah! Pleasant sighs, relief that the fridge is now fully installed, with new sealant tape around it and the cabinet, the drain tube re-connected thanks to my wife's slender fore-arms and hands in fitting it through the external vent panel. Add $14, and some sundry 12v wire connectors and some litres of sweat, and we have a "new" fridge in the van. Just have to sort and re place all the tools required from the van back to the shed and we can go off somewhere for a few days.

Cheers - Ian

Listening to the coulda been champions followed by footy, footy, footy, ha ha

 

Mobi Condo wrote:

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Howdy - maybe shoulda put this in the Joke Section - just received our NBN box and TELSTRA Modem.
It is reputedly "Plug and Play", well the man at the TESLTRA shop said it would be.
SO I am about to see how it works. Hopefully will be back soon to let you know!!!!!!
Cheers - Ian

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 I did that job a few months ago ... Yes it was certainly plug & play  ..  SWMBO was amazed at how clever I was.   Saved us a $200+ techo visit fee.

 

After trying to get someone from Telstra & other providers to advise me .. got lots of bull@#$% advice .... I think they have made all their technical people redundant & employed contractors without a clue ....   

I was able to reconnect my existing phone system comprising a two fixed phones and a cordless base station with a couple of handsets.  Only cost me a double adaptor phone connector to go into the Telstra modem phone socket.  One output went to the cordless base/main & the other into a nearby wired socket.  Oh yes, I disconnected the street copper cable from the phones wiring set up.  My NBN is delivered by co-axial on their HFC shemozzle.

ps.  I must declare that I was once a Telstra Principal Technical Officer Gr3, so I have some background .. albeit in the (very) old technologies.

Mobi Condo wrote:

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Cupie wrote:

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Mobi Condo wrote:

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Howdy - maybe shoulda put this in the Joke Section - just received our NBN box and TELSTRA Modem.
It is reputedly "Plug and Play", well the man at the TESLTRA shop said it would be.
SO I am about to see how it works. Hopefully will be back soon to let you know!!!!!!
Cheers - Ian

---

 I did that job a few months ago ... Yes it was certainly plug & play  ..  SWMBO was amazed at how clever I was.   Saved us a $200+ techo visit fee.

 

After trying to get someone from Telstra & other providers to advise me .. got lots of bull@#$% advice .... I think they have made all their technical people redundant & employed contractors without a clue ....   

I was able to reconnect my existing phone system comprising a two fixed phones and a cordless base station with a couple of handsets.  Only cost me a double adaptor phone connector to go into the Telstra modem phone socket.  One output went to the cordless base/main & the other into a nearby wired socket.  Oh yes, I disconnected the street copper cable from the phones wiring set up.  My NBN is delivered by co-axial on their HFC shemozzle.

ps.  I must declare that I was once a Telstra Principal Technical Officer Gr3, so I have some background .. albeit in the (very) old technologies.

---

 Well, it seems to have worked. Not all lights blinked and blanked as the 2 videos (NBN & Telstra Big pond instruction videos said they would) but I am back on and I hope TELSTRA will be working on it behind the scenes for the next 24 - 48 hrs.  as they as said would happen. Currently at 72mbps what ever. Do not know what it is supposed to be.

Cheers - Ian

---

 Well, we can use the Internet, but we still have the incorrect colours blinking and blanking and as per the instructions for such we have to contact the ISP (Telstra) but the TELSTRA phone message  tells me because of COVID-19 they will not respond as it is not an emergency AND the Norwood Parade (Adelaide) Telstra shop tells that they get the same answer! So, we shall wait for them to complain to me!

AT least I can do some vital business.

SO much for large Corporations and help for individuals. Ba! Humbug!

Cheers - Ian

Cupie wrote:

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Hi Ian/Sally

I suppose that you gave it the modern version of a kick or a hit with a hammer, and turned off the power, waited for a few minutes & then turned it back on again.

---

 Being an ex Tech Officer - Building Designer - Design Drafter etc, I ALWAYS wore my hard cap safety boots, even in the office when back from the field or W/shop ready to draw (CAD & Board), edit what ever project was being done. WHY might you ask wear such in the Office?

So I would not hurt my toes when I re booted the computer!!!!!!

Cheers - Ian 

Drizzling rain today here in Brisvegas.  Unusual to get rain during winter!

So I spent an hour or so installing a 12v outlet beside the bed in the van.  It was easy as there was a 12v feed to the bedside fans just where I needed it.  

This will allow SWMBO to use the laptop while it's charging, so that she can watch videos on an extl HDD.  Less power usage than on the TV I think, though I could connect the TV screen via a HDMI cable. Another lead to trip over.

If only we could get away in the van to use all this stuff.

 

ps. Back on the net on the hunt for an affordable but reasonably accurate DC Clamp meter to give me peace of mind in tracking the charge/discharge rates.  Given up on my crap cheap Battery Monitor system with its Chinglese instructions.  I'm too lousy to pay for a decent one.   Also pondering the use of a centre zero meter that I can get from a friend.  Perhaps I can put it across the existing shunt & then calibrate it against a temporary in line test Fluke multimeter .

What else would one do on a miserable wet(ish) day in paradise?

Craig1 wrote:

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Cupie, have a look at this. www.sales67.com.au/collections/bluetooth-monitors/products/lcd-0-200v-300a-dc-battery-meter-volt-meter-amp-meter-discharge-capacity-energy. NFI about quality, just a review on a 4wd site

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 Craig ... Thanks for that. I'll look into it.  Price is right.  I just hate the idea of un installing the current set up & putting another in.  Current one has low voltage alarm & cut out option.  No mention of that feature on this one.  I'll have to check that out.

Well I am a little excited.

I have brought my first item off E Bay, not the best way of buying an item but lots cheaper. A 2kw diesel heater for the caravan which arrived yestered day 7 days and 4.3 hours after pressing OK on the computer. From Melbourne, even if the add said they were in Sydney, arrived in Brisbane all the parts appear to be there in new condition.

Now for to fit heater before the end of the month.

Hi Mike

I agree its a great lifestyle option with plenty of benefits yet the costs can be high so it is  good idea to be as fully informed as you are. I learnt some good lessons when selling my parents home in an over 55s retirement gated community. Not only did they need to  pay the 30%+ on the sale price, the contract required the seller to repaint internally, replace floor coverings, replace blinds/curtains plus make any necessary maintenance repairs - added costs to consider. If the owner had changed anything in the home since purchasing it was essential to produce documented evidence of prior approval as without that the seller could encounter big problems. In my parents case they had replaced carpet with high quality  timber flooring. In addition, the company (as per contract) had up 9 months to sell their  home and during that 9 month period the weekly maintenance fees ($110) had to be paid. My parents moved into residential aged care so their  home was empty and ready for sale and they needed the sale ASAP to fund their $700k aged care fees which attracted interest until paid. We came to realise that it was company practice to advertise and show only a few units at a time to potential purchasers. When a home next to my parents was filled with a truck load of contemporary furnishings we new it was next on the list yet it had been empty and ready for sale for several months prior.

As for my parents home which they had totally loved, I admit to being a bit sneaky and while clearing up and when the sales person was in the house next door locking up, I invited the potential purchasers while waiting outside chatting to look through my parents home which they did and loved it. While I clearly faced a very angry salesperson once he realised his clients were with me next door my strategy worked and his clients subsequently insisted on buying my parents home. 

Best wishes with your search and decision making.