by Krista | May 4, 2010 | Spring
It’s not every day you get lost driving through Bosnia and stumble upon a military installation complete with tanks and fighter jets and end up hanging out the window snapping pictures like mad with your heart beating like crazy because you think you’re going to be shot any second but you do it anyways because your brother is in the middle seat and can’t reach the window and thinks this is SO COOL and really needs to be captured. 🙂
He was right, of course. It was terribly cool and utterly terrifying. It was especially invigorating when, just as we got past the last of the tanks, a loud explosion occurred right in front of us. Our eyes bugged out and our hearts leaped into our throats until we realized that it was only a semi-truck blowing out one of his rear tires. 🙂 Needless to say it took a wee bit for our pulses to stop racing. 🙂
We didn’t intend to get lost, of course, but our well laid plans of “stick to the main highway through Bosnia” came to naught once we crossed the border and suddenly the highway was shut down and we were shunted off into the hills with the aid of orange signs that we can only assume spelled “detour.” Unfortunately for us the detour signs disappeared and we were left to wander through the back country of Bosnia trying to find out where in tarnation we were. 🙂
Wherever we were, it was absolutely gorgeous and, barring the whole military/explosion incident, wonderfully peaceful as we wended our way through pastoral farmland, thickly forested hills, watching shepherds in their fields, children playing by the water, women carrying groceries along the road.
This was not the Bosnia I anticipated. My pictures of Bosnia were formed by grainy WW2 photos and, even more recently, the terrible battles of the 90’s that left so many dead or shattered in body and spirit. I confess I was afraid of Bosnia before I went, but I also desperately wanted to see it, to drive over the land that has been torn by so many wars, to see the faces of the people who have survived, over and over again. In reading their history I can’t begin to fathom the horrors they have seen and experienced, yet they are still here. Still getting married, having babies, working the land. We would see evidence of massacres, battles, and death further down the road, but for now there was beauty, life, and peace.
by Krista | May 3, 2010 | Spring
The wind is whipping madly about the eaves but the sun is shining and a black squirrel just scampered across the yard and dashed up a cedar tree. 🙂 It’s going to be a good day. 🙂
How was your weekend, dear ones?
I had a grand weekend, comfy, cozy and adventurous with dear friends. Saturday morning Deb, Darren, Selwyn and I drove up to Canada to attend the Leonardo DaVinci: The Mechanics of Man exhibit in Vancouver.
The exhibit was fantastic, each carefully preserved piece of manuscript suspended in glass so we could see every detail of DaVinci’s incredible drawings and lovely Old World script. What a brilliantly talented man.
Also on display was an exhibit called Visceral Bodies which elicited shudders and groans of revulsion. Blechy. We were delighted to get back out into the sunshine and indulge in “Crazy Canadian Watching” – which was much more inspiring. 😉
Normally my fellow countrymen are quite dignified and polite, but somehow the sunshiny weather brought out a more diverse crowd. Take the extremely well-endowed, scantily clad hoola-hooper who invited passers-by to join her in hoola-hooping very badly to their hearts content. 🙂 Or the Cannabis crowd who gathered on the front steps of the museum, flags waving, joints smoking, in preparation for their “No Prison for Pot” parade. People are so interesting, aren’t they?
We had a scrumptious brunch in an Old World-ish cafe: smoked salmon frittata with Hollandaise sauce and lovely salty, crispy potatoes. Mmm.
Then we were off to Stanley Park, driving along the coast and delighting in the fresh sea air, white-clad cricketers in a green field, and the beauties of towering trees and sandy beaches.
It was a good day. 🙂
Smoked Salmon Frittata
(From Ina Garten)
Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
12 extra-large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, such as Montrachet, crumbled
1/2 pound smoked salmon, chopped
3 scallions, chopped, white and light green parts
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Saute the onion and butter in a 10-inch oven-proof omelet pan over medium-low heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the heavy cream, goat cheese, smoked salmon, scallions, dill, salt, and pepper and combine.
- Pour the mixture over the onions and place the omelet pan in the center of the oven. Bake the frittata for about 50 minutes, until it puffs and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve hot directly from the pan.
by Krista | Apr 30, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
This afternoon thick clouds scudded across the skies, letting random splashes of sunlight warm my perch in the doorway. Those fickle bits of warmth felt so good and I loved looking up between the trees, waiting in anticipation for the next one. 🙂
Today was a good day, a peaceful day, all the stress and anxiety of the last week melting away in a delicious sense of well-being. My dear friend Kat braved the early morning hours to drive out and have breakfast and a jolly visit with me before work. 🙂 I toasted prosciutto until it was nice and crispy, and made a stack of buckwheat pancakes while the tea water came to a boil. Kat whipped up crème fraîche and diced fresh mangoes and glistening wedges of ruby red grapefruit, and soon we were sitting down to a scrumptious breakfast and comfy chat. 🙂
Tonight I got to meet my folks and dear family friends for a fabulous Indian feast at a new restaurant. Our waitress was a kick in the pants, ordering us about and telling us what dishes we should choose. 🙂 Her recommendations were excellent and we had a grand time attempting to eat even a smidgen of all the food heaped on our plates. I brought home my leftovers and won’t have to cook until Saturday! Hooray! 🙂
I’m really looking forward to this weekend. In addition to the usual things: sleeping in, indulging in some sort of dessert, and snoozing in the sunshine under a handmade quilt…
…I also get to go to the Leonardo Da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery with my pals from cooking club. If we have time we’re going to explore oh-so-beautiful Stanley Park a bit too. 🙂 I’m really looking forward to it. 🙂
What lovely things are you looking forward to this weekend? 🙂
by Krista | Apr 29, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
Hello, dear folks. 🙂 I’m so sleepy that I’m quite terrified to write anything here lest it turn out to be complete gibberish! 🙂
It’s been an intense week but a good one, much heartache in the beginning but now I’m basking in the glow of unexpected, but most welcome, resolution and peace. I’m gonna sleep like a rock tonight. 🙂
Until then, I’m mulling over little things that have brought me joy lately:
My “nest” I made on this oh-so-rickety bench outside my door.
This gorgeous view from the bench!! How I love to lay here and look up at the trees, watching the setting sun turn everything all glowy and wonderful. 🙂
My hardy lavender plant that has somehow survived moving, pot breaking, drowning, and my utter lack of a green thumb. 🙂
I’m also grateful for roasted broccoli topped with toasted Parmesan cheese. I usually make a big batch, fully intending to eek it out over several days, but I never manage it. It’s just too yummy! Especially all those toasty, salty, scrumptious bits of cheese that stick to the pan. 🙂
What “little things” are making you happy this week?
Roasted Broccoli with Toasted Parmesan
Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli, washed and cut into florets
olive oil
good salt and freshly ground pepper
4-6 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (pre-grated won’t melt properly)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Toss broccoli liberally with glugs of olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Spread on baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes or until tips begin to brown.
- Remove from oven and nestle broccoli close together. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and return to oven. Roast for another 5-10 minutes until Parmesan is browned and toasted.
by Krista | Apr 28, 2010 | Spring
I’m tucked in bed on a blustery evening, watching a grey squirrel as he laps up water from a puddle, then dashes over to a large cedar tree, grasps a dandelion stem with two paws, and starts nibbling. 🙂 So cute. 🙂
I had a lovely walk today, storm clouds black in the east as the sun shone brightly from the west, glimmering through new green leaves, dappling the stream.
The wind was gusty and cool, reminding me of my recent trip to Seattle when my pals Trish and Todd took me to fabulous little park overlooking downtown Seattle…
…and the ocean. We huddled against the chilly wind, delighting in the pearly sky, so peaceful after the rain.
We ate deliciously greasy burgers, salty fries, and thick milkshakes at
Dick’s Drive-In.
After our adventurous weekend, I was craving oatmeal cookies with chunks of dark chocolate. My favorite recipe is Betty Crocker’s because they always turn out and are wonderfully chewy. Using dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet renders them heavenly. 🙂
Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chips
(From Betty Crocker’s Cookbook)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup dark Ghirardelli chocolate chips
Directions:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Mix all ingredients except oats, flour and chocolate chips.
- Mix oats, flour and chocolate chips in separate bowl, then stir into wet mixture.
- Drop dough my rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown.
- Cool.
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