by Krista | Sep 14, 2010 | Gulliver Tuesday
As my friend Amy and I drove along the coast of Cozumel, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the tumbling turquoise waves crashing onto the white sand beaches. The sun was blazing hot, toasting us the moment we stepped out of the car, but the salty ocean breezes cooled our skin and tossed our hair and all I could do was stare in awe and wonder.
I had just been through a gutting time in my life and my heart was raw and aching. Tears filled my eyes as I tipped my head back and looked up at the palm fronds dancing against the the bright blue sky, felt the hot sand cover my feet, heard the gulls shrieking as they swooped over the waves.
It was in this place, with a dear friend who tells me regularly: “You do know I’m your biggest fan right?” that I began to heal. The torn, gaping holes in my heart were soothed as I saw the waves pounding against the rocks, always shaping but never destroying. Deep inside hope took root, urging me to believe that life could and would be beautiful again. The painful memories were still there, but new memories were building on top of them, bringing with them that rich comfort of true-hearted friendship and the chance to start over stronger, wiser, and braver because of the pain.
It was also in Cozumel that I drank my first glass of Sangria on a sultry night by the beach. Sangria, that heady mix of red wine and fresh fruit that speaks to me of tropical breezes and fiesta music and renewed hope. Today I mixed a pitcher of Plum Lemon Sangria and oh, it cheered my heart and made me smile. Life indeed is beautiful again.
L’Chaim!
As promised yesterday, here are the three winners of the Artisan Salt Giveaway!
- Shenais
- Pat
- Barbara from Moveable Feasts
I will be having another giveaway soon and can’t wait to share it with all of you!!
In the meantime, is there a place that helped provide healing, hope or a new start in your life? I’d love to hear about it. 🙂
This is my contribution to Wanderfood Wednesday.
Plum Lemon Sangria
(serves 2)
Ingredients:
2 cup red wine (I used Malbec)
2 juicy plums, sliced thinly in wedges
1/2 lemon, sliced thinly in wedges
1-2 tsp real maple syrup
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients and lightly muddle. Allow to sit 30-60 minutes for flavors to meld.
- Sip and count your blessings.
by Krista | Sep 13, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning, dear ones! 🙂 I wrote my post for you today from my friends’ beautiful apartment in downtown Vancouver, Canada where I was happily trapped most of Sunday. There was a humdinger of a power outage in the night which woke us with resounding alarms and emergency vehicles rushing past. Although the alarms had ceased by morning, the power was still out and the electric gates on the parking garage weren’t working so no one could get their cars out. Thankfully my friend’s boyfriend could pick her up for their appointment, but I was blissfully stuck in a lovely apartment with nothing to do but eat cereal, watch the rain fall, and listen to the swish of cars driving past the cobbled streets of Gas Town below. I loved it!
After a delicious nap I entertained myself watching brightly colored umbrellas bob past and taking pictures out the window and around the apartment.
Modern life is so different when the power goes off. I washed my hair in freezing cold water and smiled thinking how similar it was to bathing in cold mountain streams whilst camping. Mighty invigorating!! I couldn’t get to the store for milk, so I added a bit of water to pure whipping cream and had the most decadent bowl of cereal I’ve had in ages. Yum. I packed my suitcase by candlelight and then basked in glorious silence: no music, no television, no humming of appliances. It was so peaceful.
Mid-afternoon the power finally came back and I was able to head home, listening to Sherlock Holmes while driving through heavy mist and drizzling rain. I had an equally peaceful evening tucked up in bed with a big mug of Vanilla Caramel tea and a stack of books. Bliss. 🙂
Now it’s time for a new week and I’m excited. I feel rested and rejuvenated and in the next day or two I’ll announce the winners of the Artisan Salt Giveaway!
Are you looking forward to anything this week? I’d love to hear about it. 🙂
by Krista | Sep 10, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, dear ones! 🙂 How are you this fine, Autumn day? I am sleepy (up waaaay too late last night!) but so excited to be sharing my first giveaway with you!!
You’ve been such dear and supportive readers and this weekend I want to say thanks. A friend gave me a marvy collection of the most delectable salts from around the world, and I am giving away one cork-topped jar of artisan salt to three of you. I will ship anywhere in the world so you are ALL welcome to enter! 🙂 Winners will be announced next week and will receive one of the following salts:
- Flower of Bali from Indonesia
- Peruvian Pink from Peru
- Flor de Sel from France
To Enter simply comment below or on Facebook at RamblingTart. I’d love to know where you’re from and what you’d like to see more or less of on RamblingTart. Is there a country you’d like to learn more about? Perhaps a specific cuisine? Anything at all! I’d love to know your thoughts. 🙂
In the meantime I’ll share with you a positively SCRUMPTIOUS and easy crockpot roast I made this week. I salted and peppered the beef, placed it in the crockpot and sprinkled it with sliced garlic and fresh rosemary sprigs. Then I mixed 1 can of mushroom soup, 1 can almond milk and one envelope of onion soup mix and poured that over the beef, turning it a few times to coat. I popped on the lid and cooked it on low for 8 hours. Oh mercy. My house smelled positively heavenly when I woke the next morning and the beef was fork tender and savory as can be. The soups make a divine gravy so all you have to do is shred the meat, pour on the gravy and you’re set. 🙂
Happy weekending, dear folks!! Good luck with the giveaway. 🙂
Easy and Tender Crockpot Roast
1 medium sized roast
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup almond milk or regular milk
1 envelope onion soup mix
Directions:
- Salt and pepper beef and place in crockpot. Sprinkle with garlic and rosemary.
- In small bowl mix milk and soups and pour over beef, turning to coat.
- Set crockpot to low and cook 8-10 hours.
by Krista | Sep 9, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” — George Eliot
Paris
“I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne
Amsterdam garden
“Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity; but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance. What man can stand with autumn on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling hills that reach to the far horizon?” — Hal Borland
Versailles village
What is your favorite Autumn travel memory?
by Krista | Sep 8, 2010 | Compatriot Wednesday
I woke early Sunday morning and was outside reading in the precious Autumn sunshine when all of a sudden delectable wafts of bacon came dancing across the breezes. Rachel, my sis-in-law, was making breakfast. Oh. My. Goodness. 🙂
We filled our plates then found sunny spots on the deck and tucked into thick cut bacon, fried eggs, fresh strawberries, and grainy artisan bread slathered with Nutella. Delish!
We basked in the hot sun as we visited and ate leisurely, laughing at their cat Elliot as he prowled bravely through the long grass, pouncing on invisible prey.
At last we mopped up the last of our eggs, crunched through that last bit of bacon, and dashed inside as thick, black clouds obliterated the sun and Autumn rains began.
It was a perfect breakfast.
What is one of your “perfect breakfast” memories? 🙂
_logo.svg){kind=logo}
