by Krista | Feb 16, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
The wind whipped wildly through the trees as the Single/Significant-Other-Out-of-Town folks of the cooking club gang gathered to celebrate Valentine’s Day with some Chinese comfort food. Darren cracked us up by purchasing a package of Medjool Dates so we could all tell folks we had a date Monday night. 😉
We took things at a leisurely place this time, eating in courses and lingering over each one as we sipped wine and Darren’s hot jasmine tea, and discussed all manner of interesting things.
We started with my soup – a simple garlicky beef broth with scallions and cilantro poured steaming hot over either glassy Mung Bean Noodles or hearty Chai Green Tea Soba Noodles. Each person doctored their bowl with soy sauce and slurped up every last bit.
Next up was Selwyn’s splendid salad of Napa cabbage, broccoli slivers, julienne carrots, red cabbage and a fabulously savory peanut dressing.
Our third course was Toby’s fantastic fried rice with a special sweet Chinese sausage, shredded carrot, egg, and bright green peas.
Last week we had oh-so-authentic “Chinese” chocolate chip cookies for dessert, and tonight we went equally traditional with Selwyn’s divine dark chocolate salted caramels.
It was a marvy evening of great talks and much laughter with dear friends. A perfect Valentine’s Day.
Did you do anything special Monday night?
Selwyn’s Napa and Broccoli Shred Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients for salad:
1/2 head Napa Cabbage, sliced thinly
1/2 cup broccoli shreds
1/2 cup carrot shreds
1/2 cup red cabbage, sliced thinly
1/2 cup snow peas
Crispy Chow Mein Noodles
Ingredients for Dressing:
1 Cup rice wine vinegar
1 Cup canola oil
1 Cup peanut oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 Cup soy sauce – gluten free
1/2 Cup sesame oil
1/4 Cup agave nectar
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced Ginger
Directions:
- Toss vegetables together in large bowl. Set aside.
- In medium bowl whisk together all dressing ingredients until smooth.
- Toss dressing with salad and top with Crispy Chow Mein Noodles.
Krista’s Garlicky Beef Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
2 boxes organic beef broth
1 bunch scallions, sliced thinly
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
handful fresh cilantro
sprinkle of dried red chilies
1/2 tsp Chinese 5-Spice
soy sauce to taste
Fresh cilantro
cooked and drained noodles (I used Chai Green Tea Soba Noodles and Mung Bean Noodles)
Directions:
- Combine first six ingredients in saucepan. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.
- Place noodles in bowl, pour broth over them, add soy sauce to taste and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
Toby’s Fried Rice with Sweet Chinese Sausage
(Click here for recipe)
by Krista | Feb 15, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
My Aussie friend Ann was working in her Queensland garden when she heard her dog barking fiercely. Getting up she wandered over to see what the fuss was, and saw movement under a pile of grass clippings. Thinking she saw a harmless blue-tongued lizard, she bent over and brushed away the grass. Suddenly a venomous brown snake shot out straight at her. Before she could even react her dog leaped in front of her, grabbed the snake mid-air and broke its neck. Her heart pounding a mile a minute, Ann praised and hugged her dog. It wasn’t until a while later that he collapsed in the doorway. In his heroic protection of Ann, he’d been bitten. She rushed him to the vet and $700 later, he was alive and recuperating.
“The funny thing is,” chuckled Neil, Ann’s husband. “if Ann had been bitten, it would’ve cost less to have her fixed up!”
But with a dog like that, you do everything you can to make sure they’re OK.
When I arrived in Australia this January I was scared of two things: snakes and spiders. Reading Bill Bryson’s fabulous book “In A Sunburned Country” had given me a holy terror of venomous things awaiting me at every turn. My Aussie friends thought this was hilarious.
Nearly every person I met had startling stories of snakes leaping at them from the feed bin or slithering down from under the hood of their car, yet they told them with laughter and shrugs of shoulders as if there was nothing to worry about. Heavens!
They assured me that snakes (referred to as Joe Blakes or wrigglies) were hardly ever seen in town and rarely in the city. This afforded me little comfort since I was spending my entire trip in the country, so I did what any sensible person would do: ask for advice on how NOT to be bitten by snakes in Australia.
Their response: “Stay out of Australia.”
Helpful buggers, aren’t they? 🙂
Although Australia has some of the most venomous snakes in the world (click here to see shiver-inducing photos), my friends informed me that more people get injured or killed from honeybee stings and horseback riding accidents than from snake-bite. There are even more injuries from car accidents than snake bites (which doesn’t say much for Aussie driving! ;-)). In fact, according to the splendid Birgit from Outback Australia Travel Secrets, when snake bite fatalities per million inhabitants are compared, they are higher in the United States than Australia. Phew!
So, dear ones, here is how NOT to be bitten by snakes in the Australian countryside:
- Wear sturdy shoes/boots. Sandals, bare feet or flimsy shoes are not adequate protection.
- Bring dogs with you. They are marvelous snake-hunters and protectors. They’re also excellent at giving warnings, offering you the chance to take a different path.
- Carry a good stick. Aussie “bushies” (folks who live in the country) always have “snake sticks” scattered around their farms. The best ones are shaped like a hockey stick giving you both distance from the snake and a flat surface with which to bash him. As my friend Robbie said: “It’s very good at making two snakes out of one.”
- Make a bit of a racket. Use your walking stick to pound the ground regularly and don’t be bashful about stomping your feet. The vibrations will warn the snakes of your location and approach, giving them time to scurry away. They are naturally shy creatures and will only attack if they’re startled or feel threatened.
- Don’t just stand there. If you see a snake, hoof it in the opposite direction. Their eyesight isn’t so good and they may mistake you for a tree and attempt to hide around your ankles.
- Be observant. Snakes are most often to be found near their food source – mice, frogs, and small animals. This includes creeks, ponds and lakes, long grass, deadwood, and feed bins. Don’t go “fossicking about” with your hands in the grass, don’t reach into hollow trees, or stick your hand into dark spaces where you can’t see what’s inside.
- Get out of their way. Snakes don’t want to see you any more than you want to see them. If you see one, keep off his path.
After all my fretting, I actually didn’t see a single snake. Not one! I hiked in the bush, tall grass, by creeks, ponds, rivers and lakes, but no snakes. I guess all that stick-pounding, boot-stomping, and dog-guarding really does the trick. 🙂
Are you scared of snakes?
by Krista | Feb 14, 2011 | Bootstrap Monday
Brrr! It’s a cold, damp night in Washington and I’m writing you by candlelight, snuggled up under a cozy blanket.
There are times when I really love living here. Winter, alas, is not one of them. Although it is still stunningly beautiful, the incessant gray and abundance of rain can be rather vexing to body and soul. This winter seems to be worse than usual and instead venturing out for my usual hikes and treks through the woods, I want nothing more than to stay dry and toasty warm indoors.
So today I decided it was time to remind myself why I live here. Inspired by my fellow Washingtonian, Nicole Durbin’s, Washington post last week, I decided to go back through my photos of this area and find reasons to take heart and press on through these few months of icy, gusting, pouring misery. And I found them.
Here, dear ones, are a few photos from one my favorite places to hike: Fragrance Lake. It’s a gloriously secluded spot tucked away in the woods above Chuckanut Drive near Bellingham, Washington.
I’ve been here in winter, summer, and fall, and it never fails to calm and inspire me. The glassy lake mirrors the sky beautifully, and there’s always a fallen log to perch on to take in the inspiring surroundings.
This particular hike my friends and I arrived just as the sun was setting behind the hills. There was nary a soul to be seen and we ambled along the shore catching our breath from the steep climb in, feeling that every aching muscle in our legs was worth it to be in this gorgeous place.
We finally tore ourselves away as the sun disappeared entirely, and hoofed it back down the mountain in the gloaming.
Tonight I shall ignore my soggy environs and remember days like this when the sun is shining, nature is at her very best, and dear friends are tagging along to make any adventure delightful.
Do you have a peaceful place you like to visit?
by Krista | Feb 11, 2011 | Fabulous Friday
Hello, luvs. 🙂 I’m writing to you this evening surrounded by library books and back issues of Victoria magazine and Christmas cds and flickering candles. A hot cup of sweet orange tea is brewing as I huddle under a quilt and heating pad to keep warm. It’s a wonderfully cozy night. The sort of night I hope to have many of in the months and years to come.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since I got home from my travels. I learned a lot of things on these trips, not the least of which was that somehow I had well and truly become a workaholic. In my attempts to get out of debt, pay mounting medical bills, and meet unnecessarily lofty expectations I had for myself, I had taken on one full-time job and four part-time jobs. To do it all I was getting 4-5 hours sleep a night and working myself silly.
R.I.D.I.C.U.L.O.U.S.
Needless to say, when my brother Ryan sent me a ticket to fly to Amsterdam to spend Christmas and New Year’s with my family, I cried. 🙂 I was so happy, but also exhausted, worn out, utterly done in. All I wanted to do was sleep, stare out the window and wander aimlessly doing anything but work. So I did.
I enjoyed every bloomin’ moment of that trip: blizzards, long walks in the icy dunes, eating my siblings’ delish homemade food, visits over foamy coffee, playing Settlers of Catan, watching old movies, meeting new and old friends for good ol’ chats, and wandering the streets of the Netherlands and Germany. It was wonderful.
When a dear friend gave me a plane ticket for Australia the day after I got home, I cried again. 🙂 I could hardly believe such kindness.
By then I was starting to perk up. After a couple of weeks on my Aussie friends’ farms eating fresh eggs and fruit, going for walks and getting lots of sleep, I could think about work again without cringing, and felt my creativity and enthusiasm coming back. Instead of plotting out jobs, assignments and goals, I realized how much I missed reading good stories, listening to new music, watch great movies, just sitting and watching the sunset, going to bed early, taking walks, spending leisurely time with dear ones. I wanted to live beautifully again.
Instead of a To-Do List, I started writing a Dream List – the one I told you about here earlier this week. It wasn’t so much about what I want to accomplish, but more how I want my life to look, feel, and be. I don’t want to be a workaholic. I don’t want to be constantly worrying about finances and debt. I DO want to live a happy, peaceful life with people I love and who love me back, with enough to meet my needs and share with others.
Now I’m back home in Washington, learning how to live what’s in my heart. I’ve thought long and hard through my priorities and responsibilities, and a lot of things have been shifted into the “Not Now” and “Maybe Never But That’s OK” piles. I’ve looked at my budget and figured out ways to cut costs so I don’t have to work so much.
And I’m happy because the things in the Important Pile, really are. 🙂
What is one thing you do each day that makes you happy?
by Krista | Feb 10, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
Normally I hate a long layover. It doesn’t matter what airport it’s in, there are few things more tedious than wiling away hours on uncomfortable seats, eating terrible food, and wishing more than anything to be tucked into a nice warm bed or taking a hot shower.
For my recent trip to Australia, I didn’t discover until after I had purchased my steal-of-a-deal ticket that I had two long layovers at the Nadi, Fiji airport: one for 15.5 hours, the other for 17.5 hours.
Now I love many things about Fiji – the people, the climate, the beauty – but the airport is definitely not one of them. There is one waiting area surrounded by the ubiquitous duty free and souvenir shops that at best can occupy about an hour of your time. The few places to eat may or may not be open and if you request anything hot, be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes while it is cooked elsewhere and brought bound tightly in plastic wrap by frazzled but smiling women.
It is not the place to spend 17.5 hours.
Thankfully that is not the only option.
When you exit any international flight in Nadi you are greeted by a jolly group of Fijian men in flamboyant shirts singing their hearts out in joyous welcome. At this point you can take a left to transit to your next flight or hang a right and get in line for Customs. Take the right. As the musicians serenade you, make sure you have your passport and Customs card handy. Once your passport is stamped simply pick up your luggage, get some Fiji dollars from the handy bank machine near the luggage carousel, head through Customs and grab a taxi. You’re all set for a mini-Fiji adventure.
Fiji has numerous 3 and 4 star resorts a short taxi ride from the airport. Many of them have day rooms available for a reduced rate. This will allow you full use of a room and the resort facilities (including beaches, swimming pools, and restaurants) during your stay. Since most international flights to Nadi are red-eyes arriving around 5 a.m., the use of a day room is pure bliss, giving you a chance to sleep, shower, eat real food, and explore the beaches and countryside of Fiji before continuing your journey. Make sure you call ahead to specifically reserve a day room since availability is limited.
I stayed at two resorts on my layovers.
The first was Sonaisali Island Resort, about a 30 minute drive from the airport. I stayed in an Oceanview Bure for $252.00 Fiji dollars, which works out to about $138.60 US. The taxi ride from the airport was about $35 Fiji dollars ($20 US) each way. The short boat ride to the island was free and made a crossing every 15 minutes.
View from the front porch of my room at the Sonaisali Island Resort
(it was pouring rain at the time, but you really could see the ocean when it stopped).
The second was The Westin Denarau Island Resort and Spa, about a 25 minute drive from the airport. I stayed in a Tropical Garden View Room for $200 Fiji dollars, equaling about $110 US. The taxi ride to and from the airport was also $35 Fiji dollars (about $20 US) each way.
The view from my room at The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa.
Both resorts were beautiful and graciously let me into my room around 7 a.m. (normal check-in time is 10 a.m.) and let me stay until 6 p.m.
Eating out at Fiji resorts is really expensive. I made sure to eat on the airplane beforehand and get a cheap bite at the airport after, only splurging on one good meal.
I settled on breakfast at the Sonaisali Island Resort. For $38 Fiji dollars ($21 US) I had unlimited trips to a buffet breakfast that included fresh fruits, cereals, made-to-order omelets, and a large hot food section with items such as baked tomatoes, baked beans, potato cakes, and ham, plus chutneys, sauces, and lots of juice and coffee. The dining room faces the ocean with beautiful views of the pool, palm trees and rolling waves.
At The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa I opted for lunch, ordering room service for the first time in my life. 🙂 I had succulent ahi tuna with Fijian green beans, rice with crispy shallots, and a smidge of lettuce for around $80 Fiji dollars ($44 US). My dining room was my patio where I could eat in happy solitude with views of the ocean and tropical plants.
The grand total for two full days in Fiji was about $400. That may seem like a lot, but it was worth every penny, worth every restaurant dinner, movie ticket, and shopping trip I gave up in order to save enough. It was much better than two days in an airport, spending nearly $200 on crummy food, feeling exhausted and dirty with nothing to do but wander the same halls for over 30 hours.
Instead I had two glorious days in one of the most beautiful places in the world. In addition to comfy beds, hot showers, delicious food, and first class treatment, I also got to stroll gorgeous beaches, walk through the exquisitely beautiful Fijian countryside, swim in the South Pacific, snooze in a hammock, and meet some of the loveliest people imaginable.
What would be your ideal way to spend a one day layover?
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