by Krista | Aug 16, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning, dear ones! I’m still basking in the glow of two marvy days spent with my folks, brother and sis-in-law. It was SO good to be with them.
I started my Saturday morning with comfort food: fried potatoes with sausage, caramelized onions and ripe cherry tomatoes.
Saturday night my ever-present pain decided to give me a reprieve – hooray! – so I was able to go out for dinner where Dad treated us all to fabulous German food: Schnitzel, red cabbage, fried potatoes, steaks, spaetzel. Mmm, everything was marvelous.
Then we went back to Mum and Dad’s place and Mum built a fire outside and we all huddled close telling stories and roasting marshmallows and laughing ourselves sick. We had such a great time and parted that night with squeezy hugs and resolutions to get campfires in all our backyards. They really are the most wonderful things.
by Krista | Aug 13, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Happy Friday, dear folks!!
It’s a gloriously sunny day in Washington and my windows are open catching cooling morning air before the scorching afternoon hits.
I’m SO excited about this weekend because my brother and sis-in-law, Dana and Rachel, are coming to visit!!! HOORAY! HOORAY!
(Photo by our friend and fab photog Justin Pearson)
Marvelous and hilarious rellies are the best medicine. I may be confined to the couch, but I’m going to enjoy every minute of our talks, British murder mystery watching, and Mum’s delicious food. I sure love my family. 🙂
In the meantime I’m tucked up in bed looking out at a brilliant blue sky, sun-dappled trees and a flowering overgrown meadow. What a perfectly gorgeous summer morning.
Earlier this week my friend Val at More Than Burnt Toast inspired me with a peach bellini as part of her delightful Eat Pray Love Food Challenge. Since I can’t have alcohol until after I’m better, I decided to make a Virgin White Nectarine Bellini.
It’s simple as can be, especially since I don’t remove the nectarine skin because I think the little red bits look pretty floating about. Just blend 1 white nectarine with a Tbsp of seltzer water until smooth, pour it in a glass, add 1/2 to 1 cup more chilled seltzer water, stir and sip.
It is light, refreshing and the perfect way to start off a beautiful weekend. It is also my contribution to Myscha’s Happy Hour Friday.
What beautiful things are you looking forward to this weekend?
Virgin White Nectarine Bellini
Ingredients:
1 chilled white nectarine, washed, pitted and sliced
1 cup chilled cup seltzer water
Directions:
- Puree nectarine with a bit of seltzer water until smooth.
- Pour into glass, add remaining seltzer water, stir and garnish with nectarine slice and mint leaf. Serve cold.
by Krista | Aug 12, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
Good morning, dear folks!
After a whole string of days of dark, cloudy, rainy weather, yesterday the sun appeared in all its warm, golden splendor. Hooray!
One of the nice things about having lots of rain is that my landlord doesn’t mow my lawn, and it turns into a wonderful meadow filled with all sorts of wildflowers popping up in the most random spots. I love them all, but on hot, sunny afternoons I like dandelions best. They’re like sunshine in a flower.
How has your week been, my friends? Have you been going “flat strap” as an Aussie friend says, or have things been motoring along just fine?
My week has been spent in bed, or propped up in my armchair covered in a quilt as my body adjusts to the remedies designed to get the mold out of my system and my pituitary functioning properly. It’s been painful, so painful, and I’ve had a few teary moments weathering each gut-wrenching moment. Last night was horrible and I awoke bleary-eyed and exhausted like I’d just gone through battle. So I was very happy to see sunshine dappling the trees and bushes outside my window, hear birds twittering away, and know that this is a new day, the long night is over and I can start fresh.
Perhaps that’s why you’re seeing so many flower pictures this week. I haven’t been able to go anywhere or do anything, so my simple pleasures are very simple indeed. Funny how wonderful little things become when your world suddenly becomes very small. Like a cup of tea in the biggest, cheeriest mug I could find, Christmas music while I do office work remotely, and these perky Morning Glories so radiantly white in the sunshine.
Kevin at Closet Cooking has been inspiring me with his super simple but delicious savory tarts. There’s no dough making involved, no tedious rolling out or carefully fitting dough into a fluted tray. Nope. He simply rolls out puff pastry, tops it with pesto or sauces and layers on his veggies of choice and pops it in the oven. I love that.
So yesterday I waited for my pain pills to kick in, then hastily assembled one using phyllo dough as a base topped with sun-dried tomato pesto, thinly sliced zucchini drizzled with oil, salt and pepper, and Herbs de Provence. Mine turned out a little darker than it should be because I decided to add some Parmesan cheese on top, place it under the broiler to toast, and promptly forgot about it. 🙂
It tasted heavenly though. Simple, light and so savory.
I hope you have a beautiful day, my friends. 🙂
Zucchini Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Tart
Ingredients:
10 sheets phyllo dough
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
1-2 small zucchini, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning)
1 cup shredded Italian cheese (Parmesan, mozzarella)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lay one sheet phyllo dough on baking sheet, brush with olive oil. Layer and repeat until all phyllo dough is used.
- Spread pesto across dough within 1/4″ of edge.
- Layer zucchini over sauce, slightly overlapping.
- Spray or drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over Herbs de Provence.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and return to oven under broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese is slightly browned.
- Serve warm or at room-temperature.
by Krista | Aug 11, 2010 | Bits 'n' Bobs
I love my creek very much. I love laying in bed with my window open, hearing it trickle under the blackberry bushes overhanging its banks.
Every time I go to the creek I see something new and beautiful. The other day it was towering stalks soaring up through the morning glories with these ethereal pink blossoms dangling from the tops. Do any of you know what they are?
Today I was delighted to discover the blackberry bushes covered in plump, ripe berries. I popped a few in my mouth, delighting in the sweet juices warmed by the sun.
It’s been dark and rainy here the last few days, and since I’ve been unwell, the crockpot has become my new best friend.
My latest favorite dish is Ginger Lime Shredded Pork over whole grain basmati rice. I made a marinade of carrots, ginger, garlic, Hoisin Sauce, Soy Sauce and red wine and basted a lovely pork roast with it. I slow-cooked the roast about 6 hours, turning it every 30 minutes to let those delicious flavors sink into the meat. Then I cranked up the heat a bit, added a cup of diced green beans and some lime juice and cooked it for another hour until the meat was falling apart and the green beans were cooked but still pleasantly crunchy. Oh boy – did my house ever smell good!!
What is your favorite crock pot recipe?
Ginger Lime Shredded Pork
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
5 medium carrots, sliced in rounds
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, minced
1 4″ piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup red wine
1/4 hoisin sauce
1 pork roast
1 cup green beans, diced
3 limes, juiced
pepper and salt to taste
Whole grain Basmati rice, prepared
Directions:
- Set crock pot on low and add first 8 ingredients, stir until mixed.
- Add pork roast and baste.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, basting with sauce every 30 minutes.
- Add green beans and lime juice, turn crock pot on high and cook for 1 more hour.
- Remove pork roast and let cool slightly, then shred.
- Serve with sauce over rice.
by Krista | Aug 10, 2010 | Spring
I love exploring a city when it’s first waking up, as the early rays of sun skim the roof tops, long before the crowds of people arrive.
I like being among the first ones through the gates, standing alone in a cavernous courtyard, gazing up at the thick stone walls and shuttered windows, wondering about the history and lives of the people who call this place home.
I especially love it in a city like Dubrovnik, Croatia.
I will tell you more about Dubrovnik in the weeks to come, about her grand history, tragic stories, and the undeniable beauty that has earned her the name: The Pearl of the Adriatic.
But today I’m delighting in her simple moments, the ones that disappear with the first rush of tourists spilling out of buses and cars.
The worker washing his hands at an opulent stone fountain.
A vendor hastening to set up his booth in the cool of the morning.
And a simple stew of vegetables in a rich, paprika broth.
What is your favorite time of day to visit a new city?
This is my contribution to Wanderfood Wednesday at Wanderlust and Lipstick.
Croatian Zafrig
(Adapted from St. Anothony Croatian Catholic Church)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup bacon grease
1/4 olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup flour
1 Tbsp Hungarian paprika
Directions:
- In saucepan heat bacon grease and oil, add onion and cook until transparent.
- Add flour and stir until flour is dark brown.
- Add paprika and stir into paste.
- Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Croatian Cuspajs
(From St. Anthony Croatian Catholic Church)
Ingredients:
1 head green cabbage, cubed
1 Green pepper, diced
Salt
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 recipe Zafrig
Directions:
- Add cabbage and green pepper to soup pot and cover with water. Salt to taste and bring to boil. Cook until tender.
- Add potatoes and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes.
- Do not drain.
- Add Zafrig and simmer for 10 minutes until mixture resembles stew.
- NOTE: I did not have cabbage or green pepper, so I made mine with potatoes and green beans. It was fabulous!
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