by Krista | Nov 10, 2010 | Compatriot Wednesday
A couple months ago my dear friends, Cameron and Robin, returned from an extended trip to South Africa. Robin was there a year helping women trapped in the sex trade, and Cameron was there for a few months designing and creating a sculpture to be featured in the facility where Robin worked.
Both Cameron and Robin are part of my cooking club and are such fabulous people. Authentic, down-to-earth, kind and loving, they make all our lives better just being there each week. They’re also fantastic, inventive cooks. They’re the sort of folks who can look in the fridge and cupboard, pull out random ingredients and put them together in ways that make us all swoon.
While in Africa they didn’t have a big kitchen to putter around in. Their tools were limited to a funny little hot plate and a small Braai – the South African BBQ. But that didn’t stop them. They still managed to churn out the most scrumptious dishes, and today I’m delighted to share two of them with you.
The first is a red lentil curry made at Museum Park, Pretoria Central, South Africa. They picked up spices at their local Pick and Pay, turned on their hot plate and started cooking. They added garlic powder, cracked mustard seed,
celery seed, and birds eye red peppers to red lentils and black pepper.
Then covered the lot with water and let it simmer for 45 minutes until the lentils were tender and flavorful.
While visiting the Cape of Good Hope, they got a craving for fresh fish. Although staying at a backpacker hostel, they were delighted to find a Braai (BBQ) at their disposal. They picked up a local black fish called Rock Fin from Kalk Bay, a small town on the Cape of Good Hope. They got some off the shelf braai spice at the Checkers grocery market down the street and grilled the Rock Fin until the skin was browned and crispy and the fish flaked beautifully.
I’m hungry just writing about it! 🙂 Makes me want to hop on the next plane to South Africa and explore that incredible country, closing each day with dear friends and homemade food cooked on a hot plate.
This is my contribution to Wanderfood Wednesday.
Cameron and Robin’s Red Lentil Curry
Ingredients:
1 package red lentils
black pepper
garlic powder
cracked mustard seed
celery seed
birds eye red peppers
Directions:
- Combine everything, cover with water, bring to boil and simmer for 45 minutes until lentils are tender.
- Serve with fresh bread.
by Krista | Nov 9, 2010 | Gulliver Tuesday
Storm clouds billowed up looking dark, menacing and absolutely beautiful one Fall afternoon in Paris last year. Undaunted by the impending storm, I tossed a red scarf about my neck and walked briskly through the crowded city streets and into the Jardin des Tuileries.
How I love Parisian gardens, be they small, tidy ones tucked away at the back of an old church, or grand, sprawling ones like the Tuileries or Luxembourg. The Tuileries was my favorite that trip. It was a five minute walk from my brother’s apartment, and the perfect escape from honking horns and yelling passersby.
It was a source of never-ending delight for me since I never knew what I’d find there. Fully expecting marble or stone statues in classic poses, I was highly amused by this fellow and his compatriots dotting the landscape for some sort of exhibit.
I strolled past amorous lovers, watched children shrieking with laughter as they played tag in the trees, smiled at finely dressed elderly couples walking slowly along hand in hand.
The massive gates of the gardens always make me feel special, like I’ve been granted access to a place normally reserved for royalty. I smile as I walk through them, suddenly feeling more confident and not caring one bit that I may be the only woman in the park not wearing heels.
It was a beautiful morning, made all the more lovely by a stop at a cafe for luscious Crème caramel and a hot, strong cup of espresso.
My friend Tuula has a great post up today featuring 17 Ideas for An Afternoon in Paris. It’s perfect for a bit of armchair traveling on this cold, Fall day.
What would be your ideal dessert on a wander through Paris?
by Krista | Nov 8, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning! How was your weekend? It’s been a perfectly splendid one for me, and I’m feeling rested and happy. 🙂
Saturday I went to town for the annual Scandinavian Festival and had a jolly time perusing the Nordic wares of the numerous vendors. I love bustling events like this. It’s so fun seeing folks dressed up in their native garb, sporting lavish jewelery and intricately embroidered dresses. I like leafing through books of history and culture, eying the homemade pastries, and choosing the perfect souvenir – this time a hand-painted wooden butter knife.
Then I drove through the rain to my favorite thrift store in search of desperately needed winter clothes. It was so fun!! I found a whole stack of treasures that met my needs and budget perfectly. Woohoo! 🙂
I slept a whopping ten hours that night – yep, I was tired – and woke to sunshine and falling leaves and glorious stillness. Sunday afternoon I lit the beautiful lantern my brother brought me back from Morocco, popped in a Nero Wolfe mystery, and started decorating for Christmas.
I had such a great time hauling out boxes of glittering fruits, shiny berries, and all sorts of fabrics in glistening gold and jewel tones. I still have a ways to go, but I’m so pleased with how warm, cozy and welcoming it all looks. I can’t stop smiling.
In between decorating and cleaning I took breaks for big cups of Vanilla Caramel tea and the last of the Maple Cinnamon Shortbread I made earlier in the week. Mmm. They’re humble looking cookies but absolutely delicious with the nuttiness of whole grain, hint of spice and buttery crispness.
What is your favorite memory from this weekend? When do you start decorating for Christmas?
This is my contribution to Chaya’s Meatless Mondays.
Maple Cinnamon Shortbread
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp maple flavoring
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In medium bowl stir flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- Melt butter and stir in maple flavoring.
- Pour into flour mixture and stir with wooden spoon until incorporated and mixture sticks together. (Add more butter if necessary)
- Press dough onto ungreased baking sheet about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into squares or desired shape.
- Bake 20 minutes until edges begin to brown.
by Krista | Nov 5, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, luvs. 🙂 It’s such a lovely thing to wake up and know that the weekend is just a few short hours away. How marvelous that tonight I get to go grocery shopping, tomorrow I can sleep in, and then I have two whole days to go for walks, visit with dear friends, have a jolly family shindig up in Canada, and maybe even decorate for Christmas!! 🙂
On this chilly Friday morning I have a question to ask you: what do you eat for breakfast? I am in a breakfast rut and want to break out of my scrambled eggs routine. I would love some new ideas that are healthy and delicious. What are some of your favorites or do you do similar things every day too?
Now I just want to rest a while and remember a golden, summer afternoon a while back when my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and I decided to leave the coast behind and drive up into the mountains.
I love going for drives and this day was one of the best. It was deliciously warm and we meandered happily along forested roads, telling stories and listening to music. We stopped for ice cream and they obliged me by occasionally screeching to a halt to let me hop out and take photos of waterfalls, snow-covered peaks, and crystal clear lakes. I thought you might like to join me on a drive up to Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan, one of my favorite drives in Washington State. 🙂
I wish you a beautiful weekend, dear ones. Is there one thing you’re looking forward to most?
PS – Thank you with all my heart for your kind messages, emails and phone calls of support yesterday. You have made this year so beautiful for me with your friendship and kindness. I love learning with you and from you, and whenever I’m having a rough day I just go back to your messages, blogs or Facebook pages and remind myself that there are good people in this world. I feel so lucky to know you. 🙂
by Krista | Nov 4, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
I don’t talk too much about my past here. Mostly, I think, because I want this blog to be a place of peace, beauty, and hope where anyone, including myself, can feel safe and loved. But there’s also some fear. I’m afraid my abusers will read this and smile that I still struggle with what they did to me. I’m afraid people won’t believe me. I’m afraid that in thinking about those things, my nightmares will return.
But I don’t need to be afraid.
I am safe. I am loved. I am free. I’m also strong and brave, and my abusers can’t get to me anymore.
I want to tell you a little bit about my past today because of my friend Andrea. She and I met as teenagers in a religious cult based in the Midwest. It was a traumatic time for both of us as we endured emotional, spiritual and physical abuse, daily brainwashing and neglect. I was in the cult for ten years before I found the courage and strength to escape. Andrea was stronger and got out before me, and I didn’t see her again until just a few years ago when she rang me up out of the blue to see how I was doing.
I was a bit of a mess. I was afraid of everything and everyone. I went from one abusive relationship to the next because that’s where I was comfortable. I kept stuffing down my past because it was too painful to deal with.
Then Andrea rang. She cried with me, relived those years with me, said “I understand” and I believed her, because she did. She gave me hope that this lost, dark, scared feeling wouldn’t last. She helped me to see I was much stronger and braver than I thought. And she showed me that the only way out of pain was straight through the middle of it.
Over the past four years her honesty, compassion and unbelievable bravery have helped me through the darkest time of my life. I’ve never known anyone so real, open, and utterly unashamed to be herself. Coming from a world where every word, expression and behavior is calculated, Andrea’s larger-than-life personality was a glorious breath of fresh air. She helped free me up from years of brainwashing, figure out who I was under all that fear and insecurity, and find that beautiful peace, happiness, and freedom I had only read about but never experienced.
In case I haven’t made myself clear, I love that girl to bits. 🙂
I tell you all this because Andrea needs our help. Since a dear friend of hers lost his battle with drug addiction, Andrea has had a soft spot for those with similar struggles. In July 2010 she realized that several guys from a local Recovery Home were closet musicians. A brilliant musician herself, she invited them to an impromptu Jam Night and they loved it! She had no idea how that one night would spark a tradition that has turned into an amazing place of healing, creativity and inspiration with a marvelously crazy group of recovering addicts she absolutely adores.
Their little group has blossomed and is meeting such a vital need in the community that they are seeking funding from the Aviva Community Fund to provide instruments and music for this great group of guys trying to change their lives. All they need are our votes. If you are interested, could you take one minute today to vote for them? Just click here to vote. You can also see photos, read more about the group, and watch a great short video where you can meet some of the guys.
In the meantime, here are photos of the roast pork pie I made this week. 🙂 I will have to give you the recipe later today because I’m going to be late for work! Yipes!! 🙂
Love you all. 🙂
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