by Krista | May 14, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Hello dear ones! I’ve truly missed you these last few days as I’ve scrambled to put together a semblance of a blog after much fuss and bother with my last one. There is still work to be done, but I’m so happy to have a place to put down my blog roots for a good, long while.
How have you been? How was your week? Are you so excited for the weekend?
With so much craziness in my life this week, I’ve been delighting in very simple pleasures: reading on the creek bank, one foil-wrapped Dove dark chocolate each evening, and, on a particularly beautiful day, a stroll in the woods.
I love the above trail so much. 🙂 I felt sure that it would lead somewhere quite delightful if only I had time to follow it.
I think this branch got blown down in one of our recent windstorms, but isn’t it lovely against the green?
Wildflowers were everywhere! Teensy tiny ones carpeting the forest floor and clinging to the banks of the stream. These little ones are so perky, aren’t they?
My happiness with simple things has extended to my food as well. I was too tired to muster up anything exotic, so I took a cue from Tracy at
Amuse-Bouche for Two, and turned to wine and pasta. Tracy waxes poetic about pasta, rendering it so dreamy and wonderful that I simply had to see what all the fuss was about. A glass of chilled Aussie white was the perfect accompaniment…
…to simple whole wheat thin spaghetti dressed with pesto, fresh tomatoes, and basil from my garden.
What simple things are delighting you this week, my friends?
by Krista | May 14, 2010 | Bits 'n' Bobs
Good evening, dear ones!! I’m in the process of transitioning to a new blog, fumbling and fussing as I go. Yipes! This is just a little test to see if everything is posting smoothly. I will be back tomorrow with a real post. Sleep tight!!
by Krista | May 11, 2010 | Spring
After our hair-raising adventure just over the border into Bosnia, we were delighted to find our road emerge into gentle, rolling hills, some smooth with closely nibbled pasture, others carpeted with thick forests. I was glued to my window, scarcely wanting to blink lest I miss some beauty of this amazing country.
I delighted in the dome-shaped haystacks, shepherds prodding their sheep, children romping in the grass with their dog. I wanted to pull over at every home, magically be able to speak Bosnian, and sit and talk for hours learning about their family and national history. But I couldn’t. All I could do was smile, wave at cute little kids strolling along the highway with sticks over their shoulders, and grin at the dapper old men taking the air in flannel trousers, blazers and hats.
My heart lurched as I saw hillsides covered, absolutely covered in headstones, both Muslim and Christian, women clad in black carrying armloads of flowers. I know every town has a cemetery, but usually the stones are old, covered in lichen, almost hidden by grass, a few new ones noticeable by their glossy marble and fresh flowers.
But not here. Here they gleamed, almost has if they had been erected yesterday. Row upon row of white crosses and black marble pillars. Hundreds of them in tiny mountain towns. My heart ached for the intensity of their loss.
Even as I soberly reflected on the devastation war has wrought on this place, we turned a corner and my heart again lurched, but this time for joy. A jewel of a lake tucked between forested hills, glistening and still, exquisitely reflecting everything around it. We pulled over and just stood there, staring, drinking in the peaceful beautiful of this unexpected place. After a bit some of us clambered down the bank, squelching our way through marshy grasses accompanied by the deafening chorus of thousands of frogs singing their hearts out. We couldn’t see them, but we heard them, and smiled. 🙂
by Krista | May 10, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
A Washington summer is so beautiful, so exquisitely clear and sunny and green, that we happily (cough, cough) endure months of dreary winter rains and the random hail storms of spring. This weekend brought those glorious sunshiny days at long last. I unpacked my sundresses and wore sandals for the very first time this year, my nose and shoulders are sunburned and I feel absolutely wonderful. 🙂
It was so good to have my friends here for a couple of days. We spent many a happy hour on a blanket by the creek, the sun beaming down upon us as the water gurgled by and the wind shushed through the trees. We sipped water and ate strawberries and talked of writing and cooking, travel and good books, drawing and treasure hunting in junk stores. It’s so fun dreaming and scheming with kindred spirits. 🙂
This morning we had brunch as we waited for the sun to rise over the trees and flood the meadow with sunny warmth. We had French toast made with fresh French bread from the Dutch bakery in town, slathered with extra thick sour cream, topped with super ripe strawberries, and drizzled with Dutch syrup I brought back from Amsterdam.
Mmmm, SO good, especially accompanied by salty slices of toasted prosciutto.
After they left, I sat down with some Cheetos and dark chocolate and stared out the window for a while, processing our talks. These friends inspire me, challenge me, empathize with my freak out moments, laugh at my EUREKA! ones, and draw out talents and dreams I didn’t even know were there. I’m so grateful for good friends today. 🙂
What are you grateful for, dear folks?
French Toast Krista Style
1 loaf French bread, sliced thickly
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1 bottle real maple syrup or Dutch syrup
Directions:
- In shallow, wide bowl mix eggs, milk and cinnamon until egg is well incorporated.
- Quickly dip both sides of one slice of bread in mixture and place in well-buttered skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook 1-2 minutes each side until nicely browned. Repeat until all slices are cooked.
- Spread French toast generously with sour cream, top with strawberries, drizzle with syrup and eat heartily.
Toasted Prosciutto
Ingredients:
Prosciutto, sliced thinly
Directions:
- Turn on broiler.
- Place prosciutto slices on cookie sheet. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes until edges begin to curl. WATCH CAREFULLY.
- Remove from oven and flip prosciutto slices.
- Broil another 2-3 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove immediately and serve.
by Krista | May 7, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Happy Friday, dear ones! Aren’t you SO glad that the weekend is almost here? 🙂
It’s been a decidedly wild but good week for me, and I’m feeling quite brave and feisty this evening after battling fears, squashing false guilt, and facing obstacles with my chin up. 🙂 There have been a few weepy moments along the way – isn’t anything worth doing sprinkled with those? – but I feel strong in spirit because I soldiered on, pressed through, and am the better for it. 🙂
Last night I was so happy to have friends, my parents, and my goddaughters over for dinner to celebrate Mother’s Day a bit early. 🙂 I had such fun treating them, but Mums, Johanna and the girls also treated me with big squeezy hugs and these gorgeous things that now adorn my kitchen counter and remind me I am loved. 🙂
The little girls arrived with these clenched in their fists. 🙂
Mums brought me these lovelies from her garden. 🙂
We had a great visit, strolled out to watch the sun set over the creek, and the little girls had a grand time plastering me with make-up and jewelry and making me “so beautiful!”. 🙂
For dinner we had Clementine Ceviche, a lovely soup that I’ll tell you about another day, and warm Blueberry Pudding Cake with Crème Fraîche. Mmm, mmm, it was so good! 🙂 Mounds of blueberries atop buttery cake moist with blueberry juice. Delish! 🙂
Now I must be off to put away laundry, vacuum, tidy up the last of the dishes and come up with a menu plan for this weekend. I have friends coming to visit –
Rebekah and
Trish and
Todd and
Deb – and I’m so excited! 🙂 A whole weekend of exploring and eating and talking our heads off and sleeping in and being crazily creative. 🙂 I just love kindred spirits. 🙂 They make life so beautiful!!
What beautiful thing do you have to look forward to this weekend? 🙂
Blueberry Pudding Cake
(From Epicurious)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
10 oz blueberries (2 cups)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
- Stir together 1/3 cup sugar with water, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan, then stir in blueberries. Bring to a simmer, then simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl.
- Whisk together egg, milk, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl, then add flour mixture, whisking until just combined.
- Spoon batter into baking pan, spreading evenly, then pour blueberry mixture evenly over batter (berries will sink). Bake until a knife inserted into center of cake portion comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes.
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