by Krista | Oct 27, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
Eating at my Mum’s table is always a wonderful experience. Guests are greeted with warm hugs and beaming smiles and ushered into her beautifully decorated living room where they’re regaled with jokes from my Dad as Mums bustles about getting everything ready.
Last week was no exception. Our cold weather made its first appearance and when I arrived just moments before our friends Art and Donna, I made a beeline for the heater in the corner. Mmm, the house smelled so good! We took our seats around the table and started on a fresh green salad topped with candied almonds, dried cranberries, mandarin orange segments and a Raspberry Pecan vinaigrette.
Next Mum brought out steamy bowls of Red Lentil Dal and a basket of grainy bread that we slathered with butter and dipped into our soup. It warmed us up beautifully and we happily chit-chatted through second helpings.
Dessert was a marvelous rum-drizzled Hot Fudge Pudding Cake and we tucked into it whilst watching the delightful A Month By The Lake that had us positively DYING to go to Italy!!! If you haven’t seen pictures of Lake Como, click here to be whisked away to a place of stunning vistas, welcoming villas, and, well, George Clooney. That guy shows up everywhere! 😉
Does your Mom like cooking? If yes, what is your favorite thing that she makes?
Mum’s Dal Soup
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp.turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup dry red lentils
2 tsp lemon juice
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 1/4 cup coconut milk
Sea salt and ground pepper
Garnish: cilantro and lemon wedges
Directions:
- In a saucepan saute butter, garlic and onion until onion is transparent. Add spices and coo, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes.
- Add lentils, lemon juice, vegetable stock, coconut milk and bring to boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 25-30 min. until lentils are tender. Season with sea salt and pepper.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and lemon wedges.
- Serve with warm naan bread.
Mum’s Hot fudge Pudding Cake
(Serves 8)
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. oil
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup rum (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Sift together flour,baking powder, salt, sugar, and cocoa in a bowl.
- Stir in milk and oil. Add walnut pieces, stir well then spread in 9″ prepared square pan.
- In small bowl mix sugar and cocoa and sprinkle over batter.
- Over the whole thing pour hot water and bake 45 min. Cake rises to the top, sauce settles to the bottom.
- Drizzle with rum and serve warm with ice cream.
by Krista | Oct 26, 2010 | Gulliver Tuesday
Brrr!! It’s been cold, rainy and oh-so-blustery today. I’m huddled under three quilts with a heating pad in my lap to keep me nice and toasty as the storm rages.
On such a night it pleases me no end to go back through my photo albums, looking at pictures of warm, sunny places with dear friends. So today I’m going to do just that, and drag you along on a stroll through the back streets of Cozumel, Mexico.
As much as I love stunning monuments and historical buildings like the tower below, I am always drawn to the side streets, back alleys, and neighborhoods of the places I visit. This is where the real citizens of a place live, shop, and visit with their friends.
I explored Cozumel with my friend Amy and we stayed at the lovely Allegro Cozumel all-inclusive resort. We were both exhausted upon arrival and spent our first few days on the beach snoozing and soaking up healing sunshine. Then we were ready to explore!
We went to the main strip of Cozumel, wandering past jewelry vendors, eying the fabulous lacy white hammocks that swayed enticingly all over the island and deciding that no, we really did not need to take any back with us. Then we headed down a side street and meandered happily through town. Amy loves to look at local pharmacies and grocery stores to get a feel for a new country, and I’m a fiend for Farmer’s markets and restaurants. We found plenty to delight us both.
I was intrigued by the gates and bars guarding every home we saw. By themselves they could’ve been austere, stark, and decidedly unwelcoming, but the instead the inhabitants planted flowering vines that clambered everywhere softening hard edges and making even security look beautiful.
It was a great way to spend an afternoon. What things make you feel like you’re seeing the “real” side of a city or country?
by Krista | Oct 25, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning, dear ones! How was your weekend? Are you feeling rested and ready for a new week?
My weekend was just what I needed. It started with a delicious sleep-in Saturday morning, followed by cranberry orange scones and coffee with Mums, and a long walk in the country. There were so many beautiful things to see: storm clouds billowing over the mountains, leaves drifting on a lake smooth as glass, and these lovely berries. I’m delighted by the bright orange against those red leaves! 🙂
I was able to go to Seattle to meet up with a fabulous little group of food bloggers (Val, Sandy, Janelle, Sarah, and Don) for a great visit and delicious dinner at Poppy. I’ve never had a meal quite like it! They serve thalis-style, which is like a tasting menu all on one platter. You choose a list of 7 items or 10, and each item is only large enough to provide 2-3 bites, that’s it. I loved it!! I always wished that I could find a restaurant like this that would let me have a taste of everything instead of making me stick to one entree. 🙂 My favorite tastes were the Blue Cheese, Cherry and Sage Tart, exquisitely savory Pork Belly, and either the Nutter Butter bars or Salted Caramel Truffle for dessert.
While the food was great, it was the company that made the night beautiful for me. I loved our good visits and drove home that night smiling and feeling inspired and enriched.
I also cooked like a mad woman this weekend. 🙂 My fridge is now full of all sorts of yummy things, but I think my favorites are the slow-roasted garlicky tomatoes. Oh. My. The flavor of these beauties is like a soft, warm sun-dried tomato, absolutely packed with flavor. I confess I eat them like candy, popping them in my mouth right off the baking sheet.
They can be used in so many ways, but they’re so rich I like to keep my combinations simple. I add them to whole grain pasta and don’t even need sauce, or tuck them into a sandwich, layer in a tart, or toss into a salad.
What is your favorite taste from this weekend?
This is my contribution to Chaya’s Meatless Mondays.
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients:
8-10 Roma tomatoes, washed, hulled and halved
olive oil
1/2 to 1 bulb garlic, peeled and minced
sea salt
ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Place tomatoes in medium size bowl and add olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat.
- Arrange on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Sprinkle with minced garlic and drizzle with a bit more olive oil.
- Roast 2-2 1/2 hours until tomatoes are half their size and garlic is nicely browned.
- Serve warm.
by Krista | Oct 22, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, luvs! I’m sitting cozy in my big, plaid armchair sipping cinnamon tea and nibbling on crisp, Cameo apple slices. It’s a good way to start a new day.
My eyes feel like dried up salty peas from all the crying I’ve done the last few days. It’s been one of those weeks when painful bits from my past came rushing back in to torment me all over again, trying to tear me down, crush my spirit and make me think I don’t matter much after all. I admit it knocked me down for a while and I felt wretchedly sad, lonely, and unlovable, but then I took a (shaky) deep breath, wiped my tears away and started thinking on good, true things:
- I am not alone.
- I am dearly loved.
- I do matter.
Life is truly beastly sometimes, and thankfully we’re allowed to be a bit of a puddle, to have our weeps and fears and shaky moments, and to withdraw for a while to get that badly needed sleep or just sit quietly with a cup of tea. Then, when we’re ready, we can be brave again, strong enough to see that we really are OK, that life has glorious moments even in the midst of pain, loss, and fear.
I had planned to write a different sort of post for you this morning, but my blogging friend Heather inspired me with her oh-so-real post yesterday. Every day she gathers beauty from around the web to share with her readers, real beauty. But when life handed her pain and heartache she had to share that too, real life. Her words (and courage!) reminded me of my commitment to myself to always be real here.
I was sitting at my desk yesterday when a Mumford & Sons song came on. How I loved these lines:
“And there will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.”
Mumford & Sons
I don’t know what your life is like today, whether things are beautiful, free and happy, or if you too are feeling attacked on all sides. But I hope for patience, courage and peace for you, that you’ll experience love that dismisses your fears, and strength to keep going forward with grace in your heart and, if you’re a bit crazy like me, flowers in your hair.
by Krista | Oct 21, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
So today I’m thinking about things that have made me happy in the last week. 🙂 Like driving home from visiting my folks and catching a glimpse of their neighbors garden. I had to stop right there in the middle of the road and take a picture. Isn’t it a lovely tangle of beauty?
Having my god daughters, Jayda and Koda over for a sleepover was so much fun! Koda did my make-up, Jayda draped my collection of scarves everywhere to create her very own restaurant and I made them a blanket tent to sleep in. And of course we took lots of crazy pictures. 🙂
I was also happy with these delicious mini-turkey burgers. Ground turkey had seemed like a healthy option at the grocery store but I didn’t really know what to do with once I got it home. I thought a while and finally decided on turkey burgers. I added a whole grated onion, lots of sage and ground pepper, a bit of salt and fried them up in olive oil. They are scrumptious little numbers, especially topped with a nice hot mustard and served with mashed potatoes.
What are some things that have made you happy this week?
Turkey Sage Burgers
Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, grated
1 Tbsp powdered sage
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
olive oil
mustard for dipping
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients except olive oil. Form into round, flat patties.
- Heat olive oil in sauce pan over medium-high heat. Cook until browned on both sides and cooked through.
- Serve warm with good mustard.
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