by Krista | May 5, 2011 | Fabulous Friday
Hello dear ones. I wish I could reach through my computer screen tonight and hug each of you so tight.
It’s been a rough few weeks for me and I feel wrung out like an old dishrag. My dear friend died, my Grandpa is dying and will leave us any moment, my uncle is in bad shape in the hospital, and I’m just trying to soldier along as I recover from the ravages of Ecoli.
Sometimes it really does seem like too much to bear.
As I was thinking of what to post tonight, I spent a while scrolling through pictures until I found these beautifully peaceful ones in Ireland. Just looking at them made me relax.
I started thinking of the Irish, of the terrible things they have gone through: civil war, famine, poverty. That sent me on a search for Irish poetry and I found this beautiful Funeral Prayer that made me teary and smiley at the same time. I think it was actually written by an Englishman, but we’ll just keep that between us.
An Irish Funeral Prayer
Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Everything remains as it was.
The old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no sorrow in your tone.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort
Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was.
There is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting, when we meet again.
Whatever you are going through today, I hope your heart is comforted, your spirit strengthened, your body restored.
Thank you for being part of my life. xo
by Krista | May 4, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
“Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men and animals.
Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression;
some are pensive and diffident;
others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock.”
– Henry Ward Beecher-
Dear ones, I’m not doing so well today, so I thought lingering among these bright and cheery sunflowers might be the very best thing to do. I hope you have a wonderful day wherever you are, secure in the knowledge you are loved, you matter, and this world is better because you are in it. xo
by Krista | May 3, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
After a veritable torrent of rain, the clouds parted and the sun shone through just in time for Cooking Club this week. Yay!
My friends and I gathered at Darren’s house, arms filled with all sorts of ingredients to make a delectable array of soups and sushi and appetizers.
Nicole started us off with a big bowl of salted tortilla chips and her refreshing Bell Pepper Salsa.
I made an African Chickpea Soup made with Cumin and Ras al Hanout and served it with scallions and capers. It is my new favorite soup and the thing I crave when I’m not feeling so good.
Darren made a salty and warming Miso Soup that was the perfect start to a night of sushi.
Cameron, Robin, Kat and Ed worked like fiends slicing and dicing all sorts of seafood, fresh tuna, vegetables, and seaweed, turning out the most gorgeous platters of stunning color and texture.
They made Ball Sushi topped with Tamago Yaki (rolled sweet omelette) and Prawns…
…and regular sushi stuffed with cucumber, carrot, and seafood…
…and bar sushi topped with seared tuna and wrapped in seaweed strips.
Michael made a splendid Eel Sauce to accompany each morsel and before long we had eaten those platters clean.
Don ended our evening with a round of his famously stout Cosmopolitans and we all relaxed and visited until it was time to go home.
Are you a sushi fan? If yes, what is your favorite kind?
Krista’s African Chickpea Soup
Ingredients:
2 cups chickpeas (soaked overnight or 2 cans rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped fine
2 pints chicken broth
2 cups water
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp Ras al Hanout
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1 small jar capers (rinsed)
Directions:
- In soup pot heat olive oil and bay leaves, add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add chickpeas, broth and water. (If using canned chickpeas, omit water) Bring to boil and simmer covered about an hour.
- In small bowl mix garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and Ras al Hanout.
- When hour is up, add spice mixture to pot, stir, and continue cooking 20 minutes more.
- Taste and add salt if necessary.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with scallions and capers.
Darren’s Miso Soup
Ingredients:
8 cups water
8 Tbsp miso paste
2 scallions, sliced thin
1 cup chopped shrimp
Directions:
- Combine everything in saucepan and bring to boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.
Kat and Ed’s Rolled Sweet Omelette (Tamago Yaki)
(Can also be served as a side dish with sushi)
Ingredients:
4 eggs
dash of salt
15 ml (1 T) water
30 ml (2 T) sugar
10 ml (2 t) soy sauce
45 ml (3 T) sake or dry white wine – we used chardonnay
Special Equipment:
(we used none of these, and it turned out fine, but if you’re going to be a purist…)
a square frying pan
a bamboo sushi rolling mat
chopsticks
cheesecloth (optional)
Directions:
- Beat the eggs in a bowl and add a pinch of salt
- Add water to the egg mixture and beat until fluffy.
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the soy sauce and sake or wine, and lightly stir into the eggs.
- Heat a square frying pan over medium heat.
- Oil the pan very lightly (a small piece of cheesecloth is useful to do this)
- Pour in a third of the egg mixture to cover the entire pan. Cook over medium heat.
- Before the surface begins to dry, roll or fold the egg mixture towards you in thirds.
- Now, move the rolled egg away from you to the far end of the pan (or you can cheat and just turn the pan 180 degrees like I did 🙂
- Oil the empty space.
- Tilt the pan, adding another third of the mixture under the rolled egg – you can lift it with chopsticks. Continue to fry the mixture.
- Now roll the omelette away from you again.
- Oil the front half of the pan once more.
- Add the balance of the egg mixture – be sure to roll it under the omelette again.
- Just before the mixuter dries, roll the rest into the already-quite-fat omelette.
- Slide the roll so the its final join is underneat and cook for 10 seconds.
- Remove the roll from the pan and out onto the bamboo mat and roll up tightly.
- Press it neatly into a rectangular shape and set aside until cool
- Slice the cold omelette into 1 in thick pieces. (We did thinner. Maybe 1/2 inch)
by Krista | May 2, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
It was a sunshiny morning in Australia when I decided to go for a walk. All my dear Aussie friends were at work so it was just me and the dogs: Whombat and Fletcher.
I donned my favorite polka-dot rubber boots and off we went to explore the countryside and see what we could see.
Birds were singing madly as I nibbled some grapes I found growing higgledy-piggledy along the fence. I grinned at the profusion of wildflowers everywhere I looked. They clustered around fence posts, dotted the grass, and blossomed in great purple swaths through the fields.
Eventually our walk led me back to “my garden.” If you haven’t already, I’d love you to read the story of how this garden came to be. You can read all about the kindness of my dear Aussie friends here: An Australian Herb Garden.
I’d been letting it run wild the first couple of weeks what with all the rain and flooding, so I had to battle spiders that had taken up residence in my absence. I must’ve been quite the sight flailing my broom around at the spider webs and hollering loudly when I felt something brush my hair or land on my arm. Yipes!!
At last the garden was spider-free and I puttered at my leisure, finding out what was growing (everything) and what needed weeding (everything). So I started with picking big bowls of sorrel leaves, nasturtium blossoms, and mint.
I’d never cooked with sorrel in my life, didn’t even know what it was until I got to Oz. My only association with it was from the old movie “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” when Millie gets her new husband to stop the wagon for her to pick sorrel for their dinner.
So I asked my friends Ann and Janyne for ideas. They had plenty! Salads, sandwiches, and, my favorite idea of all, sorrel pesto.
I hauled out the food processor and washed, dried, chopped and pureed my way to a bowl of sorrel pesto. Mmm, mmm!! Lemony and light with just a hint of earthy greenness, it works beautifully tossed with pasta or spread on a toasted sandwich with tomato and creamy goat cheese.
Have you ever cooked with sorrel before?
Sorrel Pesto
2 big handfuls fresh sorrel
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/3 cup good olive oil
Directions:
- Rinse sorrel well then pat dry.
- Remove ribs and chop coarsely.
- In food processor combine sorrel with remaining ingredients and puree until it reaches desired consistency. (I like mine coarse rather than smooth like paste)
- Keeps for 2 weeks in fridge.
by Krista | May 1, 2011 | Bootstrap Monday
Hello dear ones. 🙂 It’s been a gorgeous weekend, sunny and beautifully peaceful. I spent many happy moments snoozing and reading in the sun, breathing deeply of fresh, clean air.
I had more energy than I’ve had in months and am so thrilled to have a clean and tidy house again. There’s nothing quite like walking across newly vacuumed floors and slipping into pristine clean sheets to make this girl happy. 🙂
Today I am off to US Immigration to renew my Permanent Resident card. It’s nice to have graduated from Resident Alien to Permanent Resident. 🙂
Thank you so much for your many kind emails, calls, texts and comments regarding my Grandpa. He is still hanging on, seems to be waiting for the last of his kids to get there. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking of him this weekend. He grew up on the Canadian Prairies and loved taking us grandkids out to wonderful abandoned homesteads where he’d tell us stories of when he was a youngster as we explored every nook and cranny. In the winter he’d take us out onto the frozen prairie and somehow find hills steep enough for us to slide down. We loved it. I’m so grateful for such good memories of this lovely man.
I was so sad when this weekend started, but dear friends invited me over for a dinner and movie night and it ended up being the best thing for me. How good it was to be with safe, loving people, to share delicious wine and scrumptious vittles. I made one of my favorite comfort food dishes from my homeland of Canada: poutine. It is not even remotely healthy but oh, it’s so very good. 🙂 Simply pile piping hot French fries on your plate, sprinkle with grated cheese (we used Swiss) and top with peppery roast beef gravy. If you want to be TRULY Canadian, finish it off with a drizzle of white vinegar.
What is your favorite comfort food from your homeland?
Canadian Poutine
Ingredients:
1 bag frozen French Fries
2-3 cans roast beef gravy
2-3 cups grated cheese (Swiss, Monterey Jack or Mozzarella work best)
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: white vinegar
Directions:
- Bake French fries according to directions on bag.
- While fries are baking, heat gravy in saucepan. I like adding lots of freshly ground black pepper.
- When fries are done, salt to tasted then pile them on individual plates, sprinkle with cheese, drizzle with gravy and eat.
- Add a few shots of white vinegar to make it truly Canadian. 🙂
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