Oily rag: Scarfie's frugal smarts

In 1957 poor students would make a lot of pavlova. Photo/Thinkstock

Our readers have been sending in lots of interesting and imaginative tips to share with others of a frugal disposition.

JWC from Auckland has an interesting lunchtime vegetable recipe: Warm salad. Preparation time: 4 minutes. You will need 3 medium carrots coarsely grated, 2 or 3 Brazil nuts crushed slightly, 1 level teaspoon salt, a rounded teaspoon of honey, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of butter. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the nuts. Drop the carrot into the pan and add the honey. Turn the heat down. Stir and toss for half a minute until the carrot looks pale but still has some crunch. Tip into a bowl. Sprinkle the lemon juice on top and serve warm.

And here are some memories of her days as a student in Dunedin: "I'm 74 now but I well remember being a poor university student and begging bacon ends from the butcher and ends of the cheese rounds from the grocer. We ate pavlova most nights - sugar was cheap and we got egg whites free from the laboratories because they only used the egg yolks for their tests. We used to line our rooms with egg cartons for sound insulation and to stop draughts. That was in 1957."

Egg cartons for soundproofing and insulation - now that is an oily rag trick!

LM from Paraparaumu Beach has this tip for making a bathroom cleaner: "I brought a spray bottle from a dollar store and put in just a little bit of cream cleanser - with a good shake it is ideal for the shower and bath."

LM also has this suggestion for yummy pumpkin pancakes: Make a normal pancake mix using wholemeal flour, cooked and mashed pumpkin, spices, butter, a cup of rice milk, and two eggs. Pour into a pan and cook for a minute on each side.

Denise from Auckland has a tip for making golden breadcrumbs: "Make tasty breadcrumbs by using up dry bread - grill and turn every couple minutes until golden then blend. I also add blended cornflakes to give a nice golden colour. Kept in an airtight container it lasts for months. I keep odd slice of bread in the freezer until there's enough to defrost and make batch."

Here's her suggestion for a less-cheese sauce. "To make a cheese sauce that looks cheesier without using lots of cheese, add a small amount cheese then chicken power and optional mustard - to enhance the flavour. Adding a pinch of turmeric will give it a golden colour."

Denise also has this tip for a kitchen cleaner: "I bought the cheapest bleach in a trigger spray bottle and keep it at hand to clean benches, tea stained cups etc.

"Using a trigger spray is very economical. By using bleach in kitchen, the summer flies are kept away too!"

R'laine from Kawerau has this tip for those with lots of lemons: "With lemons being plentiful on my tree I came up with a refreshing summer drink. For each litre of water you need the juice of 3 lemons and around 3 tablespoons of sugar. Strain the juice to remove seeds. Heat juice and sugar in the microwave for a few seconds - to make the sugar dissolve faster - then pour into a bottle and top up with the cold water and refrigerate."

And for refreshing fruit iced tea you will need: 5 teabags (either black or green - I like the Twinings Green Tea with Cranberry), 1 litre (approx) boiling water, 2 litres of cold water, 1 cordial sachet with the flavour of your choice (apple berry, raspberry, crisp apple or peach are nice ones for this) with white sugar added to make it up to about two-thirds of a cup. Place the teabags in heatproof jug. Add boiling water. Allow to steep for at least 5 minutes then remove teabags. Add sugar and cordial mix and stir to dissolve. Pour into 3-litre juice bottle. Top up with cold water and refrigerate.

If you have a favourite recipe or oily rag tip that works well for your family, send it to us at www.oilyrag.co.nz, or by writing to Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag, PO Box 984, Whangarei, and we will relay it to the readers of this column.