by Krista | Jul 2, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, dear ones!
Well, I’m supposed to be sound asleep but I can’t because I’m too excited!! I just had my first guest post at Travel Belles and am tickled pink! It’s all about a lovely villa some friends and I discovered in the mountains of southern Italy. If you’re interested in such things, I’d love it if you’d pop over and leave a comment. You can find it here. If not, no worries! Here’s a sample photo of what you’ll see there.
Do you have special plans for this weekend? Somehow it crept up on me and I clean forgot that I have Monday off! HOORAY! What a glorious thing to have a whole extra day off. My mind is whirling with marvy things to do, mostly of the utterly lazy, beautifully cozy variety since it is oh so dark and rainy.
I’ll pop over to my folks for a cheery visit and stroll through my Mum’s wonderfully peaceful garden.
Perhaps I’ll actually finish one of the five books I have going all at once! They’re all so good I can’t stick with just one. đŸ™‚Â I’m rather excited at the prospect of sleeping in and have the John Adams DVD’s to watch and dear friends to meet for coffee and lovely toasted beef sandwiches with chevre. Mmmm.
Sunday evening my cooking group is getting together for a jolly time of good eating and hunting down the best fireworks in Bellingham. I can’t wait!
Today is Myscha is hosting Happy Hour Friday over at WEBESHARIN and since it’s oh so cold and dreary today, I’m contributing Irish Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon Cream. It’s so warm and creamy and delectable, it chases dreariness right out the window!
I wish you a beautiful weekend, dear folks! I will see you next week.
Krista’s Irish Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 packet hot chocolate mix
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp Irish Cream
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp agave syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
- Combine hot chocolate mix, hot water, coconut milk and Irish Cream.
- Whip heavy cream with agave syrup and cinnamon until soft peaks form.
- Spoon cream on top of hot chocolate and sprinkle with cinnamon.
by Krista | Jul 1, 2010 | Literary Nibbles
I adore good illustrations.
My bookshelves are filled with books featuring the exquisite renderings of artists old and young, dead and alive, Russian and British. I love them all.
As a wee lass, my favorite illustrated books were from the brilliant Brambly Hedge series by Jill Barklem. I would curl up in a cozy nook holding the books close to my face so I could take in every detail of the amazing world she created. From the lush hangings on a canopied bed and adorable mice to the intricate workings of the Store Stump and finely wrought berry bushes, I was mesmerized.
I’m still in awe of her work. The attention she pays to every swoosh of fabric, fold of petal, and groove of woodwork is truly magnificent.
I could never hope to match her prowess in this area, but in homage to the years of inspiration and delight she’s given me, I thought I’d illustrate this blog post with my own humble doodles.
Throughout her books, Barklem highlights simple events in the lives of her mice: a winter ball, a young girl getting lost, a wedding. In each one she features the old-fashioned foods they loved. Everything was made from scratch using the ingredients found in the woods, meadows and fields where they lived: Chestnuts, berries, dandelions.
They roasted apples over open flame, baked lavish cakes, and brewed their own flower wine. I was enchanted by all of it, but especially by something called syllabubs. It was a strange and wonderful word to this Canadian girl, but I had absolutely no idea what it was. A cheese? Soup? Some sort of drink?
Finally last week I researched it and found it was none of the above. It is, in fact, a lovely, airy concoction of cream, some sort of alcohol, and sugar. I was surprised and delighted and last night I made my very first syllabubs.
I whipped heavy cream and agave syrup until soft peaks formed.
Zested and juiced a lemon,
measured out white wine,
and blended them into the cream, whipping it again until soft peaks returned.
Topped with a sprig of fresh mint it was a lusciously light and perky dessert, a splendid follow-up to a dinner of Lime-Walnut Crusted Flounder and Irish Mashed Potatoes.
Next time I want to make a posset. đŸ™‚
Did any of you read Brambly Hedge? Is there a dish you were intrigued by as a child?
Lemony Syllabub
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
2-3 Tbsp agave syrup
1/4 cup chardonnay or similar white wine
Juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon
Fresh mint leaves to garnish
Directions:
- Whip cream and agave until soft peaks form.
- Add wine, lemon juice and zest and beat until soft peaks form again.
- Spoon into glasses or small dishes, garnish with mint leaves and chill until ready to serve.
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