by Krista | Jul 24, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
The light in Australia is unlike any I’ve ever seen. It is clean and bright and feels so alive.
I love it.
In the afternoon it softens to the most intense gold, glowing and warm, even in the dead of winter. This is my favorite time to go for a walk on our farm: Citadel Kalahari.
I’ve started taking our goats out for a daily trek through the bush. They love it! Dashing from one succulent bush to the next, stretching up as high as they can to nibble off tender leaves.
This little fellow loves eating so much that he gets utterly absorbed in it and never seems to notice when the entire herd wanders off. I keep an eye on him and laugh every time he suddenly realizes he’s all by himself and hoofs it off through the grass to find his mother.
I take them for their walk in late afternoon, simply because the soft winter light makes it even more pleasurable.
While they’re munching along, I get to explore a bit too.
This week I nearly scared the liver out of myself by almost stepping on an enormous (but harmless) yellow and black blue-tongued lizard. Yipes!
A while later I had the unnerving sense that someone was watching me, and looked up to spot a lone kangaroo peering at me through the grass. 🙂
I’m very happy we have so many gum trees for the winter light to filter through, so many meadows of long, golden grass for the setting sun to glimmer through.
I feel lucky every single day to live in such a beautiful place. It may not be Paris or Amsterdam or even my beloved Italy, but it is infinitely precious to me.
On such beautiful days I feel the need to spoil us a little.
Turnips may not be the first thing that springs to mind when it comes to food indulgences, but they may be after you try these little beauties. 🙂
I often have a surplus of vegetables around my house, mostly because I get so excited at the Warwick Farmer’s Market that I forget I’m only cooking for two and come home with BOXES of plum tomatoes, Lebanese cucumbers, and silverbeet.
This week I had an abundance of root vegetables: turnips, parsnips, potatoes, etc., so I decided to make root veggie pancakes. I didn’t want plain ol’ pancakes though, so I jazzed them up a bit with Feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, and added a dollop of garlicky plain yogurt and a drizzle of roasted tomato puree.
I love when healthy things taste so good you feel like you’re getting away with something. 🙂 That’s the case with these little pancakes. We had them cold and plain for mid-afternoon snacks, piled them high with the aforementioned yogurt and tomato puree, and warmed them slightly with a sprinkling of Worcestershire sauce. All of them are good, especially eaten in the glow of the setting sun.
What is your favorite healthy indulgence?
PS – If you’d like to know more about life on our Australian goat farm, visit us at our blog: http://www.citadelkalahari.com/or our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/citadelkalahari
Feta Root Veggie Pancakes
Ingredients:
6-8 small turnips, peeled and cubed
1-2 parsnips, peeled and diced
3-4 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
salt and pepper
1/2 cup Feta cheese, grated
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
3-4 green onions, sliced
4 eggs
olive oil for pan
Toppings:
plain yogurt mixed with minced garlic, green onions, and salt.
roasted tomato puree (roasted tomatoes whizzed up in the blender until smooth)
Directions:
- Dump turnips, parsnips and potatoes into large pot. Cover with salted water and bring to boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat slightly and simmer 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender enough to mash with a fork.
- Drain vegetables and let cool 5-10 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, Feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and green onion. Mix well.
- Add four eggs and mix very well.
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add spoonfuls of vegetable mixture to make disks about 2-3 inches wide.
- Cook until disks bubble on the edges (like pancakes). Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Flip again if necessary to ensure even browning.
- Remove cooked pancakes to platter and cover to keep warm while you cook the remaining batter.
- When ready to serve, arrange three pancakes on a plate, top with garlicky yogurt and/or roasted tomato puree, or eat plain.
- While good warm, they are also good cold straight out of the fridge as a snack.
by Krista | Jul 23, 2012 | Bootstrap Monday
I do love a Girls Day Out, especially when it involves chocolate and jazz.
Thanks to the generosity of my friend Sue who gave us tickets, my friends Ann, Shirley and I got to go to the Like Chocolate for Women event in Warwick, Queensland this weekend.
As part of the Jumpers and Jazz festivities, it provided a much-needed respite from our hectic daily lives, and reminded us of the importance, nay, the necessity of taking care of ourselves.
Held at the beautiful Warwick Town Hall, Like Chocolate for Women started off with fabulous jazz music, first a jolly group of locals outside, jamming their hearts out, later a female vocalist wowed us with her gorgeous voice and made us swear we were at a Parisian nightclub instead of a small town in Australia.
We were seated at chocolate themed tables – ours was Cadburys – and at each of our seats was a ribbon bound box filled with delectable chocolate cupcakes, cookies, truffles, and fudge. We sipped strong cups of tea and coffee while we listened to the music, feeling the anxieties of our myriad responsibilities melt away.
Speaker Kim Morrison spoke with hilarity, honesty and intuition, focusing on this one belief:
“Self-care is not selfish – It’s essential!”
Her words were not new, but somehow they came at the right time for me and, based on the responses of those around me, for many other women as well.
She focused on our willingness to lose ourselves in the care of others, forgetting to care for our own bodies, emotions, and goals.
She listed the things that are essential for good health: gratefulness, exercise, healthy eating, solid rest, good relationships. We KNOW these things, but somehow we don’t make them a priority.
We’ll walk two miles to help a child in trouble, but we can’t find time to walk two miles to keep ourselves fit and healthy.
We’d spend two hours a night making healthy lunches for our partners, children, and friends, but content ourselves with quick fast food or ready made meals for ourselves.
We’d devote a whole weekend to attending sporting events or business functions for various family members, but can’t find time for coffee and a good visit with a trusted friend.
Again, we KNOW these things. But does that keep us from living schedules and lifestyles that leave us frazzled and stressed and sick and overweight and unhappy?
It really hit home for me when Kim explained gently that how we live our lives is a shining example to the kids in our lives of what it’s like to be an adult.
Would I ever want my friends little girls or boys to feel like they don’t matter? That their goals and hopes are secondary to others? That they aren’t worthy of good health, thriving relationships, and a fulfilling life?
Never. Ever. Ever.
I know I’m probably rambling here, but that short talk yesterday really, really impacted me.
What I loved most about it is that the goal of self-care is NOT to put down anyone else. No way. The goal of self-care is for us to thrive as human beings so that we can celebrate and support the lives of the people dear to us in a strong, healthy and loving way.
I love that. That’s the sort of person I want to be.
My friend Ann and I drove home under a glorious sky, feeling rather thoughtful and emotional after all we’d heard. It was like Kim had given us permission to look our lives square in the face and see them for what they are, no apologies, no fears, no guilt, just reality. As she said, “Sometimes you need an upper cut.”
We got one. 🙂
Today I feel quiet in my spirit. Looking around my house, the farm, my little world with new eyes. I’ve been in survival mode for so long that in some senses, I’ve forgotten how to live. REALLY live. I’m changing that now.
I leave you with this beautiful snippet from the Brave Girls Club that meant so much to me this week:
“Somehow it happens that we isolate ourselves over time,
stuck in a mode of survival,
and forgetting that there’s anything else to think about beyond how to get through the next day….
or even the next few minutes.
Life is not meant for that kind of living,
even though there are stages of life that can stretch for a long time living this way.
Try to reach out today.
Call a friend and be really honest about where you are.
Try something new….a new skill, a new recipe, a new route to the same old places….
this will help you get unstuck and begin to build a live that is about
THRIVING and ENJOYING
rather than surviving and enduring.
You are SO STRONG and you are so great at surviving and enduring, friend……
but everyone who loves you wants more for you than that.
YOUR SOUL wants more than that too…..you know that, right?
You can do this….
there are so many smiles and laughs and new friendships and new adventures ahead for you.
Your best years have not even been lived yet…
you have so much to look forward to.
Decide to LIVE BIG!
You are so very loved.”
by Krista | Jul 19, 2012 | Fabulous Friday
It may have been pouring rain outside yesterday, but that didn’t stop volunteers from braving the weather to decorate trees all through Warwick, Queensland in time for the Jumpers and Jazz in July festival opening today. Jumper in the States may mean a shapeless dress, but over here the word refers to cozy sweaters.
My friend Ann and I pulled our own jumpers a bit tighter against the cold so we could check out some of the earliest completions like this gorgeous tree outside the library.
We couldn’t get over the detail in this amazing display in the library parking lot. A whole table covered with knitted food like spaghetti and meatballs…
…and a knitted hamburger with French Fries next to a platter of knitted burritos. Someone was very creative. 🙂
Tucked up in the tree was this little knitted doll with a star-topped wand, and all sorts of other creatures like owls and bugs.
Even the Warwick Town Hall was decked out for the occasion with its stately pillars covered in a rainbow of patchwork squares and larger than life knitted flowers.
For the next two weeks thousands of people will descend on our little country town to attend jazz festivals, gourmet dinners, wine tastings and all sorts of events.
On Sunday afternoon a group of friends and I will attend the Like Chocolate for Women event. I’m so excited to see this interesting combination of soft jazz, delicious chocolate and inspirational speaking.
It’s put me in the mood for chocolate, of course. Something decadent like these oh so simple but delectable Dark Chocolate Cups that my friend Shirley and I made. Filled with coffee-flavored yogurt, fresh fruit and whipped cream, they are light but scrumptious.
What is your favorite chocolate dessert?
Dark Chocolate Strawberry Yogurt Cups
Ingredients:
4 dark chocolate cups
1 small container latte/coffee flavored yogurt
1 banana, sliced
1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 sprigs mint leaves
Directions:
- Divide yogurt evenly among four dark chocolate cups.
- Add bananas and strawberries.
- Whip cream until stiff, fold in powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Top dark chocolate cups with whipped cream.
- Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
by Krista | Jul 17, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
It is a cold, dark and windy day in Queensland, so I’m escaping to a summer morning in Italy when the sun was warm, the breezes cool, and we had a whole day to do whatever we liked.
On such a day a leisurely breakfast on the sun-drenched terrace was essential. We lingered long over fresh strawberries and toasted ciabatta topped with fried eggs or spread with Nutella. How lovely it was to be outside in our pjs, talking for ages with dear friends as the birds twittered cheerily in the orchards below us.
After breakfast we piled into our rental car and headed down the hills near Perdifumo, wending our way past ancient villas, lush olive groves, and roadsides carpeted in a profusion of wildflowers.
We stopped often, spilling out of the car to stretch our legs and soak in the views of emerald hills and cerulean skies.
The road was narrow and rutted, twisting and turning down the hillside heading towards the Adriatic Sea.
At last we saw it, vivid blue against the sandy beaches and red-tiled rooftops of the seaside town of Santa Maria.
We meandered our way through the unfamiliar streets until we found a parking spot, then hauled our bits and bobs down to the beach, eager to kick off our shoes and plunge into the cool, clear water glistening in the early morning sunlight.
What a jolly time we had on the beach that morning: swimming, tanning, hiking up and down the beach, reading under a bright blue umbrella, napping happily in the sunshine, taking pictures like mad. 🙂
I loved the wildflowers growing by the road, little kids bathing suits hanging out to dry, and the rocky shore that rose up on either side of pristine sand, the water aglow with lime green seaweed and gold lichen clinging to the stones.
As much as I love these wild winter days in Australia, I can’t wait for spring and summer to arrive with brilliant sunshine, blue skies, and long days to putter and adventure in.
What do you love most about summer?
by Krista | Jul 16, 2012 | Bootstrap Monday
On June 29, 2012 my friend Barbara Harris died after a long and painful fight with cancer.
We met online a couple of years ago through her blog, winos and foodies, and became virtual friends. As soon as she heard I was in Australia, Barbara and her husband Bryan drove down from Brisbane for a visit. It was like we’d known each other for years, and once we got talking we couldn’t stop. 🙂 Before lunch was even over, they invited me to stay with them, so we made a date for December.
As the date for our visit drew closer, we laughed because they found out they would have to suddenly move apartments on the day of my arrival. Our plans for a leisurely visit went out the window and instead we spent the weekend packing and hauling boxes in the pouring rain. 🙂 We had a marvelous time chatting as we packed, taking breaks to indulge in pastries from Barbara’s favorite French patisserie, and to take in the stunning views of the Brisbane River from their new apartment. They dubbed their guest room “Krista’s Room” and said that it would always be open for me. 🙂
Throughout all this Barbara was suffering terribly from the effects of her cancer treatments. She could hardly breathe. Her voice was only a whisper. She could no longer taste the food that she loved so much. But she wouldn’t dream of putting her life on hold while she recovered, she simply adjusted her schedule to accommodate naps and rests and wrote to her friends instead of talking with them. Barbara was not a martyr, she didn’t push herself past her limits or take risks with her health, but she was brave beyond measure, and I felt stronger just being with her.
She taught me so much, helping me work through painful things from my past. She shared stories from her life, urging me to trust my own heart, to not be afraid, to press forward with hope. She also gave me courage to be myself, and inspired me to live as beautifully as possible in the time I am given.
My last visit with Barbara was a week or two before she died. Her perky silver hair was gone, and even eating was painful for her. Yet she insisted on providing lunch, spreading the table with scrumptious bread, antipasti, and cheeses. Although she felt terrible, we had the jolliest visit, discussing food, books, music, shared acquaintances, travel and family. I never dreamed it would be the last time I’d see her.
One of Barbara’s greatest blogging legacies is her creation of LiveSTRONGwith a Taste of Yellow, her tribute to Lance Armstrong for the courage and strength he gave her in her own fight against cancer.
This month Meeta from What’s for Lunch Honey? is dedicating her Monthly Mingle to the memory and legacy of Barbara. It will be hosted by Jeanne from Cook Sister, and the theme is Taste of Yellow.
That makes me smile because when I think of Barbara, I think of yellow.
Near my house are fields of yellow sunflowers, and Barbara was planning to drive through them so she could take heaps of pictures with her beloved camera.
Barbara grew up on a farm in Australia, and she always peppered me with questions about life on our farm – Citadel Kalahari – wanting to hear all about our chooks, goats and gardens. She had planned to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with us here next month, and I know she would’ve loved these yellow leaves, the yellow dish towel drying in the sun, and the yellow tail on our windmill.
My contribution to Monthly Mingle’s Taste of Yellow is a recipe for Irish Potato Pancakes with Garlic Cottage Cheese. It is pure comfort farm food and when you make it with yellow Yukon Gold potatoes, they fry up a beautiful golden yellow. I call these pancakes Irish because the recipe for the potato mixture was shared with me by an Irish friend who made them regularly on the cold, rainy days Ireland is so famous for. They pair beautifully with creamy cottage cheese mixed with garlic and scallions.
I’m so grateful for the chance to know Barbara, to see her love for her husband and children, her passion for food, music, and travel, and her kindness and genuine care for the people she loved. My life is so much better because she was in it.
Irish Potato Pancakes with Garlic Cottage Cheese
Ingredients:
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 can green beans
4 garlic cloves, minced
salt
1/4 cup (or more) olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup creamed cottage cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
1-2 scallions, sliced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Directions:
- In saucepan place potatoes, green beans (including liquid), garlic, and salt, cover with water and bring to boil. Lower heat slightly and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes mash easily with a fork.
- Drain well and return to pan. Add olive oil (add more if needed to make mashed potato consistency), salt and pepper to taste, and mash well. Set aside to cool.
- In small bowl mix cottage cheese with garlic and scallions. Set aside.
- Add eggs and Parmesan cheese to cooled potatoes. Mix well.
- Heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in large skillet and add tablespoons of potato mixture, spreading to make even discs like small pancakes. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until crisp and browned. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat until potato mixture is gone.
- Serve warm with garlic cream cheese and sprinkle with additional sliced scallions.
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