by Krista | Mar 21, 2014 | Autumn
After a long and terrible drought, we finally got rain this week and I was so happy I nearly cried. Our parched, dusty earth is dark brown and moist again and the air is so clean and fresh and cool. At least at our farm. Neighbors 10 km away didn’t get a drop. 🙁 I ache for them and wish for bucketing rain for all of Australia.
Yesterday I spent the day in town so I could meet a new specialist who is making great strides in evaluating and helping my situation. Hooray! While I was waiting, watching the skies fill up with massive dark clouds, I decided to risk a drenching and walk down to the park.
It was gorgeous, with leaves in glossy russet, pale green, and sunny yellow carpeting paths and fields. The wind rushed through the poplars making the leaves shimmy and whisper. It was so cooling and refreshing I just stood there, eyes closed, letting it whisk away the week of suffocating heat and humidity.
I wandered slowly, stopping every few feet to sigh happily at one beautiful Autumn vignette after another.
Who can resist apple red leaves on Kelly green grass?
Or sage gum leaves etched against blackened bark?
Or a carpet of leaves under a stormy sky?
What about an aging poplar leaf…
…or a starry orange flower…
…or a lap full of colored leaves?
Then, as I walked and looked and sighed, the gentlest of rains began to fall, cool and luscious, misty and wonderful. A walk in the rain. The cherry on top of a magical morning.
What’s making you happy about your weather today? xo
by Krista | Mar 18, 2014 | Autumn
After a brief foray into cool Autumn weather, we are back in sweltering Summer temperatures. I’ve put away my flannels and brought back my sundresses and am guzzling icy cold peach juice mixed with soda water.
I am craving cooler weather and lush green mountains, so today we’re taking a visual jaunt to the Black Forest in Germany during late Summer.
My dear friends Rita and Slawik lived outside Baden-Baden for a while and a couple of years ago I was able to visit them for ten days of hiking and feasting and talking a mile a minute.
I love this area so much, especially during late Summer. The mountains are criss-crossed with trails and twisting roads leading from dense forest through vivid green meadows.
The undergrowth is lush with wildflowers and brambles, weathered pieces of wood and moss-encrusted rocks. If I were a painter I’d park myself on a fallen log and try to capture every feathery fern and fallen leaf.
Queen Anne’s Lace has been my favorite wildflower since I was a little girl, gathering bouquets of the lacy blossoms in British Columbia.
Dreaming of Germany has me dreaming of German food as well – potatoes, cabbage, and beetroot. It’s too scorching hot for casseroles or soups, so I’ve been roasting heaps of veggies and eating them cold.
After making roasted cauliflower with Thai spices and loving it, I added the spice mix to beetroot before roasting and don’t think I’ll ever be able to roast beetroot without it in the future. The cumin and coriander go beautifully with the earthy vegetable and the lime zest adds a delectable brightness.
Are you dreaming of a special climate or place this week? I’d love to hear about it. xo
Thai Spice Mix Recipe
Mix together the following:
1 tsp each of coriander powder, garlic powder, and onion powder
1/2 tsp each of sea salt, sugar, cumin, turmeric, dried mint, powdered ginger, and chili powder
zest of one lime
Roasted Thai-Spiced Beetroot Recipe
Ingredients:
4 large beetroot, peeled, halved and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp Thai seasoning (see above for recipe)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C).
Place beetroot pieces in large mixing bowl, drizzle with grape seed oil. Toss gently to coat.
Sprinkle over seasoning and toss to coat.
Place baking paper on cookie sheet and spread cauliflower evenly. Add more salt if necessary.
Bake 25-30 minutes until beetroot is browned and edges crispy.
Serve warm.
by Krista | Mar 16, 2014 | Autumn
It’s been a rough week health-wise, filled with more tests, more specialists, more doc visits, so I’m trying to make it as pleasant as possible by filling my other moments with tasks and projects that I love.
I’ve started doing puzzles again, smiling to myself as I remember how much I love doing them. They remind me of Christmases past where a puzzle on the game table was always on the go for anyone fancying a few minutes of searching for just the right piece. The library was getting rid of stacks of them so I nabbed a few featuring beautiful scenes from Europe and am excited to clear off the veranda table as a designated puzzle spot.
I’ve also been reading, a lot. It’s amazing how much reading you can get done waiting for appointments. 🙂 I always have a stack of books on the go, and here are a few from my stack this week.
“Food DIY” by Tim Hayward. I’ve been researching how to make my own prosciutto, salami, duck terrine, and bacon, and this book is a wealth of practical, funny, and inspiring information.
I love history, any history, so I’m thoroughly enjoying “1913” by Florian Illies. It captures the lives and events of 1913 through the lives of people who would impact the 20th Century for good and for ill. I’m fascinated by the intersecting of personalities I’ve only ever studied on an individual level: Rilke and Freud, Hitler and Stalin, Kafka and Proust.
This month I have started knitting lessons, taught via Skype by my knitting wunderkind friend, Marie, from Knitting the Moment. To augment my studies, and give me inspiration to see me through the frustration of dropped stitches and befuddling techniques, I’m reading “Knitting Around the World” by Lela Nargi. I love seeing the intricacy of works from around the globe and learning the history and traditions of various cultures.
I’m also doing a bit of re-reading, delving back into books that have touched my heart and opened my mind. I love reading autobiographies and biographies, learning what shapes and alters the beliefs, hopes, dreams, and choices of people. “The Dance of the Dissident Daughter” and “Almost There” are two such books, gifts from dear friends that drew me right in and alternately comforted, shook, affirmed, startled, freed, and awakened me.
So much reading requires the accompaniment of comfort food, so I turned to my old favorites: hot scones slathered with butter and lingonberry jam.
What are some of your most pleasurable projects? xo
Scones
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp raw sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, grated
2/3 cup cold milk
1 large egg
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 F (210 C)
- Stir together flour, baking powder, sea salt, and raw sugar. Add grated butter and toss with flour mixture to distribute evenly. Cut in more if pieces are too big.
- Mix together cold milk and egg and pour over flour mixture. Toss gently with a fork until it holds together.
- Turn over onto floured surface and mix with hands only until it forms a ball that holds together.
- Press ball flat until about 3/4 inch thick and cut into 8 triangles. (You can bake as is or brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with raw sugar.)
- Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown on top.
- Serve warm or cool.
by Krista | Mar 11, 2014 | Autumn
Some weekends are hectic, filled with hustle and bustle as you dash from one errand and commitment to the next.
Others are cozy and quiet, filled with happy things that inspire and comfort. I had one of those this weekend and it was just what I needed after a stress-filled week.
I only went online for pleasure, looking at beautiful pictures, reading soul-nourishing things, chatting with people who make my heart happy.
Bear and I worked on fun projects. He built a gorgeous medieval bench and painted it with a luscious dark stain. We designed a linen tarp to keep me protected from sun and rain when I give my medieval medicine talks. It’s a bright cheery red and really sets off the poles I wood-burned. I did some personal sewing too, updating some favorite sundresses that were a bit worse for wear after getting snagged on barbed wire and torn by eager dogs leaping up for a cuddle. They’re now looking spiffy again with all the tears mended and holes covered with fun flower patches that make me smile.
We went out for lunch and chatted for ages – I love when we actually have time to sit and talk for as long as we like – and went to our favorite thrift store that just happened to be having a book sale! Yippee! For one whole dollar I could fill a box with as many books as I liked. Oh. My. Word. Is there anything better you can tell a lover of books?
When we got back home I took some time to do wood-burning again, my go-to stress-relieving activity. I designed a new wooden rolling pin, and added this new sturdy wooden spatula to my shoppe.
I added a new design pattern to this narrow wooden spatula, so people can choose between it and the original scroll design. It was so fun and as my wood-burning tool glided steadily across the wood, I felt my stress melt away.
Bear brought home two boxes of sumptuously ripe white nectarines and we’ve been happily eating our way through them. But there’s no way we could eat them all in time, so yesterday I pitted and sliced them into a pan bubbling with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and made gallons of spiced nectarines that can be frozen and used for pies, crisps, and cobblers.
Today I made gluten-free cobbler. Cobbler dough is so easy to make with gluten-free flour since the wetness of the dough makes it easy to mix up and scatter in dollops over the spiced nectarines. Although traditionally the butter is cut into the cobbler dough like you would for scones or pie dough, I didn’t have the energy for this step and worked it in melted instead. I’m happy to report it works just dandy and saves a whole lot of fuss and bother. The cobbler smells so good and I can’t wait to have it with dinner tonight topped with coconut cream. Mmm.
What are your favorite moments from your weekend?
Gluten-free Nectarine Cobbler
(9” by 13” pan)
Ingredients:
12-15 fresh nectarines, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup dark brown sugar or real maple syrup
2 cups gluten-free flour mix (I like a mix of buckwheat, potato starch, and coconut flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup to 1 cup milk (coconut, lactose-free, regular, they all work)
1 Tbsp raw sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 F (200 C).
- In large frying pan melt butter. Add nectarines, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Stir to mix and simmer over medium heat until fruit is tender and syrup thickens and begins to caramelize.
- Pour into 9” by 13” pan and set aside.
- In medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- In small bowl whisk together vanilla, melted butter, and milk until slightly frothy. Pour over flour mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough.
- Break off Tbsp-size pieces of dough and scatter evenly over nectarines.
- Sprinkle raw sugar over topping to give a sparkly crunch.
- Bake 25 minutes until topping is golden brown.
- Serve warm or cold with ice cream, whipped cream, or coconut cream.
by Krista | Mar 7, 2014 | Autumn
It is definitely Autumn here in Queensland, the ground carpeted with crunchy leaves and drifts of white feathers from our molting Muscovy ducks.
The cool weather plants are flourishing – hollyhocks, marigolds, calendula – and although the herbs are trying to flower and go to sleep for the winter, I nip the blossoms so they keep producing for a while longer. I want to have fresh basil, mint, and parsley for as long as possible.
We have a new rooster on our farm, and he’s a laid back, totally chill fellow named Adolf. He doesn’t do anything quickly, just moseys around, taking his time, except for the other day when he got a white plastic bag caught on one of his spurs and ran around like a lunatic trying to escape from this bag that was chasing him. I was doubled over laughing, trying to catch him so I could free him from his scary pursuer, but he was having none of it. Finally a gust of wind took the bag away and Adolf returned to his ambling ways as if nothing had happened.
I’ve spent time each morning sipping cinnamon espresso and nibbling pieces of maple shortbread as I make lists and dream dreams, sketching out diagrams for new gardens and a bigger pond, a flourishing orchard and a productive vineyard.
I also plan the foods I’m craving.
This week it was stew, a hearty, beefy, savory stew rich with ham, spiced with smoked paprika, and laced with dark port wine. After our first tastes Bear and I looked at each with wide eyes, declaring it, hands down, the best stew I’ve ever made. Just what we need as the nights turn cool and we get cozy over episodes of Murdoch, Psych, or Person of Interest.
What favorite foods best suit the weather you’re having in your part of the world? xo
Port Wine Beef Stew
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp bacon fat or olive oil
2 onions, peeled, cored and diced
1 head garlic, peeled, trimmed and sliced
3/4 cup diced ham or bacon
3-4 cups cubed stew meat
2-3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup port wine
4-5 carrots, trimmed, peeled and sliced
5 potatoes, cubed
small handful fresh parsley, chopped
small handful fresh thyme, leaves removed from stalk
3-4 cups beef stock
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
- Heat bacon fat or olive oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and fry 3-5 minutes until they begin to caramelize. Add ham and stir.
- While ham cooks, place stew meat, flour, paprika, sea salt and pepper in large bowl and toss gently to coat.
- Add stew meat to frying pan and fry until outsides are beautifully browned.
- Scrape everything into slow cooker and deglaze the pan with port wine. Scrape wine and pan bits into slow cooker.
- Add carrots, potatoes, parsley and thyme and stir to combine.
- Pour over enough stock to barely cover, add Worcestershire sauce, stir gently to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours until vegetables are cooked and meat is tender.
- Serve with fresh bread or a green salad.
by Krista | Mar 3, 2014 | Autumn
Autumn arrived a few days ago with a noticeable nip in the air and I’m loving every second of it.
It’s so lovely to go to bed at night and actually want to cuddle under the feather quilt, to wake up in the morning and get cozy in warm flannels before that first cup of hot coffee.
The days are still deliciously warm but no longer sweltering, and it is blissful.
In addition to the arrival of Autumn, there are three things making me smile today:
One: Making Things With Bear
Bear is one of the cleverest chaps I know, and bit by bit he’s teaching me all sorts of skills from simple wood-working to using power tools. I’ve got my own toolbox that we’ve been filling with tools and I get quite a kick out of having my own hammer, wrench set, and power drill.
One of our latest projects was making a medieval stool. Bear designed it and we cut out the pieces and put it all together with wooden dowels. There’s not a single nail in use, but it’s sturdy as can be.
This weekend I finished putting my own stamp on it, wood-burning Viking runes and my own fanciful designs around the top. It delights me no end. Soon I’ll put on a coat of clear, matte varnish to protect the artwork and make sure it doesn’t fade.
Two: Quiet Breakfasts
I’ve been treating myself to leisurely breakfasts each morning before tackling my to-do list. It is exquisitely wonderful to sit quietly in the sunshine, luxuriating in the silence before the cacophony of the barnyard begins.
I linger over ripe, juicy nectarines and an extra large mug of coffee spiced with cinnamon and sweetened with real maple syrup, reading my latest books from the library or getting caught up on journal entries. It’s so helpful in calming my spirit and starting the day off peacefully.
Three: Exploring the Woods
Every season brings new discoveries in our wooded acres at the back of our property. My most exciting find this Autumn has been a flourishing gumbi gumbi tree (aka gumby gumby). Used in bush medicine by Aboriginals and Torres Strait Island people for over 50,000 years, modern researchers have begun using it as an effective treatment for certain types of cancer (source). A friend of mine put me in contact with a local man who grows and uses this amazing plant, and I’m excited to learn from him in the near future.
How about you? What is making you smile today? xo
It was gorgeous, with leaves in glossy russet, pale green, and sunny yellow carpeting paths and fields. The wind rushed through the poplars making the leaves shimmy and whisper. It was so cooling and refreshing I just stood there, eyes closed, letting it whisk away the week of suffocating heat and humidity.
I wandered slowly, stopping every few feet to sigh happily at one beautiful Autumn vignette after another.
Or sage gum leaves etched against blackened bark?
Or a carpet of leaves under a stormy sky?
What about an aging poplar leaf…
…or a starry orange flower…
…or a lap full of colored leaves?
Then, as I walked and looked and sighed, the gentlest of rains began to fall, cool and luscious, misty and wonderful. A walk in the rain. The cherry on top of a magical morning.
