by Krista | Dec 5, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
It is well and truly summer now in Australia and how I love it!!! Yes, it’s been outrageously hot the last few days, but it always cools off beautifully in the evening, and mornings are absolute sunshiny perfection.
Yesterday I spent a wonderful afternoon in my veggie garden, basking in sunshine and gathering my first harvest of baby heirloom beets, radishes and swedes.
I was never much of a gardener, but now it seems part of me, awakening that earthy side that loves going barefoot and wearing sundresses whenever possible.
After a slow start my tomatoes are producing and I’m so happy!!! To me nothing quite says summer like ripe tomatoes still warm from the sun. I’ve been eating them like mad in salads with eggs and of course with big chunks of buffalo mozzarella.
As I prepare for Christmas I’ve been having fun altering beloved recipes to suit the piping hot climate I live in now.
Instead of fresh from the oven pies I make white chocolate cranberry tarts. Instead of lovely roasts and stews, I’m sticking to splendid sandwiches layered with delicious meats and slathered with caramelized onion spread. Rather than steaming cups of hot apple cider, I’ve been making apple cider popsicles spiced with cinnamon, cloves and star anise. They are so good!!
Have you ever spent Christmas in a hot place? What cold foods would make you feel holiday-ish?
Spiced Apple Cider Popsicles
Ingredients:
8 cups apple juice (fresh is best, but bottled works fine too)
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4-6 cloves
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in crockpot or in saucepan over low heat.
- Simmer on low for 1-2 hours until juice has absorbed the taste of the spices and the house smells heavenly.
- Remove from heat and cool.
- When cool, pour into popsicle (ice block) molds and freeze 3-4 hours until solid.
- Remove from molds and bite, suck and lick your way through the appley goodness.
by Krista | Dec 3, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
I love Mondays. I think they may be my favorite day of the week. After the fun and rest and project-accomplishing of the weekend, it’s my day to hunker down, cozy in and plan my week.
I especially love Mondays on the farm. The animals seem to know I need some downtime and they oblige by snoozing contentedly in the morning sunshine. I turn off everything – music, TV, noisy kettle – and bask in the silence.
Since I’ve been learning to live slowly, I’ve embraced these quiet Monday mornings as time to reflect and write, think and dream. I let the laundry and dishes wait until after lunch. I move back my writing deadlines until mid-afternoon. And I quiet my restless heart and whirring thoughts.
On such mornings I like to have something special for breakfast. Something a little beyond eggs and toast or a bowl of cereal.
Currently my favorite comforting breakfast is wholemeal pancakes topped with Greek yogurt and Rhubarb Ginger Sauce.
The sauce idea came to me as I examined (with chagrin!) a couple of scrawny rhubarb stalks that had prematurely wilted in the searing heat. With the ends dried out only the middle was worth anything. There wasn’t enough for jam or crisp or pie, but I thought a sauce of some sort would be perfect.
I thought a bit more and somehow ginger seemed like the right addition. So I chopped rhubarb and fresh ginger, covered them with water and simmered them until the rhubarb disintegrated into feathery little wisps. Then I added raw sugar and honey (use whatever sweetener you like), tasting to make sure it was just right. I simmered it until the sugar dissolved then set everything aside to cool. Once cooled I whizzed it up in the blender until it was smooth and pink with no ginger chunks to make your lips pucker when you bite into one.
I poured it over the aforementioned pancakes and Greek yogurt and both Bear and I were so smitten that we nearly ate the entire jar in one day. Mmm. 🙂 Since then I’ve been making it weekly, buying up bunches of rhubarb at the market and cheering on my one little rhubarb plant that survived the animal raids. 🙂
What is your favorite thing to put on pancakes?
PS – the winner of the Brave Girls Club Giveaway is Bethany Miller from the blog Good Global Citizen. Congratulations, Bethany!! 🙂
by Krista | Dec 1, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
I love getting new body products. The luscious lotions, soaps, and scrubs smell so good and always make me feel spoiled and special.
What I do not like are the toxic chemicals and perfumes they often contain. It’s rather dreadful to have saved up for a special jar of something, only to discover it burns, itches, or stings.
Recently I’ve been studying how to make my own and it has been so much fun. 🙂 I feel like a little girl in kindergarten mixing and brewing, stirring and sniffing as I experiment.
My recent favorite bit of pampering is a Peppermint Sugar Body Scrub.
Essential oils are wonderful, healing, soothing, restoring, and all manner of good things. Although I’ve chosen peppermint for this one, you can choose any essential oil you like, from lavender or eucalyptus to rose or bergamot.
I like peppermint because it feels Christmasy and cool and is an excellent oil for easing sore muscles, clearing sinuses, and taking away headaches.
You can use any pure extra virgin oil for this recipe, but I prefer apricot oil because it is so wonderful for the skin and is easily absorbed.
The nice thing about this scrub is that it can be made in less than five minutes and looks like snow in the jar, a perfect Christmas project.
Do you ever make your own body products? What is your favorite scent?
Peppermint Sugar Body Scrub
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin apricot oil
10-15 drops peppermint essential oil
Directions:
- Pour sugar into medium-sized bowl.
- Add apricot oil a spoonful at a time, mixing well after each addition, until mixture resembles wet sand or slushy snow. You should be able to form it into shapes that hold together.
- Add peppermint essential oil and mix well.
- Scoop mixture into clean glass jar, tamping it down so there aren’t any large gaps.
- Top with 1-2 spoonfuls of oil to keep moist.
- Seal and store until ready to use.
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