by Krista | Dec 21, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
“What is Christmas?
It is tenderness for the past,
courage for the present,
hope for the future.
It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal,
and that every path may lead to peace.”
Agnes M. Pahro
Happiest of Christmases to you, dear ones!
After a short but treasured trip to the ocean, I am back home cleaning house, baking goodies, and plotting special things for the holidays. I’ve got games to play, beloved stories to read, and some Aussie twists on old favorite recipes.
What are you looking forward to most about your holiday?
I’ll be taking a break to celebrate with my dear Aussie folks, and will be back in the New Year with heaps of recipes, stories, and pictures to share with you.
In the meantime I wish you a truly peaceful and happy holiday.
Much love.
XO
by Krista | Dec 17, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
Hi lovelies!
It is roasting hot here in our part of Australia, and it’s hard to believe that it’s nearly Christmas when I’m watering my gardens and getting sunburned.
I do miss the snow and pine trees of my childhood, but I’m learning to love the uniqueness of a warm Christmas.
Last night my friend Jackie took me to Carols in the Park – a wonderful local tradition that I absolutely loved. Carting a picnic basket and lawn chairs we joined hundreds of others at Leslie Park in Warwick, finding a spot on the grass where we could see the stage. We sipped coffee and nibbled on crackers topped with Camembert and Jackie’s homemade quince paste, visiting happily as we watched the performers bustle around getting ready for their turn on stage.
As night fell and the sweltering heat of the day was replaced by cool evening breezes, we listened to local talent strut their stuff and belt out Christmas carols, joining in whenever the mood took us. How I loved hearing hundreds of voices raised in a jaunty version of Jingle Bells as little kids waved glo sticks and danced madly in the grass. It was a great evening and truly put me in the Christmas spirit.
After a wild month of doctor visits and tests, deadlines and end of term busyness, Bear and I are heading to the coast for a much-needed break.
We are so excited to see our dear friend Elizabeth for good visits, jaunts to foodie shops, and a nighttime tour of Brisbane Christmas Lights.
We will also get to recreate one of our very first dates at Main Beach, Queensland with brunch at Milan on Main (I’ve been dreaming of their smoked trout crepes with balsamic reduction for two years!). I’m really looking forward to a leisurely meal with my man and time in the sun, walking barefoot in the sand and letting those warm ocean wave crash over me.
In preparation for leaving I’ve been doing a bit of Christmas preparation so I don’t have to stress about it when I’m back home.
I made cranberry white chocolate scones (recipe later this week!) and some lovely pickled heirloom beets. My favorite thing thus far is cherry-infused vodka for Christmas toasts or just a cheery evening tipple.
The color is so gorgeous and I can’t wait to use the boozy fruit in something scrumptious like a dark chocolate cherry tart. 🙂
What is your favorite Christmas treat?
Cherry-Infused Vodka
Ingredients:
1 bottle good quality vodka
1-2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
1 Tbsp raw or granulated sugar
Directions:
- Sterilize one mason jar or other bottle.
- Fill with fresh cherries.
- Sprinkle sugar over cherries.
- Pour vodka over cherries and sugar.
- Seal and shake gently to dissolve sugar.
- Let rest in cool, dark place 3-5 days, shaking once a day to make sure sugar dissolves completely.
- Strain and use fruit over ice cream or another dessert.
- Store cherry-infused vodka in freezer until ready to use.
by Krista | Dec 10, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
“The world is quiet here.”
Lemony Snicket
It’s a beautifully peaceful Monday morning on our Australian goat farm. The skies are dark and heavy with clouds and there’s nary a breath of wind, only a few bold birds singing while the rest of the world is silent.
I love quiet days like this. Days of napping and horizon-watching, endless cups of coffee and tea, old movies and good books.
It was just such a weekend and my heart is full with the joy of it. My strength restored, my creativity revived.
I’m so grateful for this quiet weekend. It healed wounds reopened last week and gave me time to calm fluttering anxious thoughts and get my soul peaceful again. It is so good to not be flattened by those painful situations life hurls at us, but only pummeled a bit.
It’s even better to stand up tall after the fact and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that in spite of dark moments, life is an incredible gift to be treasured and delighted in.
“If we sit with an increasing stillness of the body,
and attune our mind to the sky or to the ocean or to the myriad stars at night,
or any other indicators of vastness,
the mind gradually stills and the heart is filled with quiet joy.”
R. Ravindra
On such days I like simple foods. Easy, healthful things that don’t require much time or effort or ingenuity but still taste marvelous.
Like roasted asparagus, roasted potatoes, and roasted radishes.
There is something so comforting and nourishing about such simple fare. The crispy bits, caramelized and salty, melting on the tongue with an intensity of flavor that can’t be found in boiling or sauteing. I can happily eat whole plates of these roasted veggies with a bit of delicious cheese or a hunk of sourdough olive bread.
Today I’m roasting peaches and nectarines for a coconut crumble, and cannot wait to eat it for breakfast with a big dollop of plain Greek yogurt.
I’ve been reading more these days, finding inestimable comfort, wisdom and creativity in the experiences of others.
I love how different we all are. How uniquely even similar experiences affect, inspire and shape us.
I read a lot of your blogs and really love doing so, but it occurred to me this weekend that perhaps some of you are writing and I don’t know about it. If you DO have a blog, I’d love it if you could share the address with me (and each other!) in the comments. I love getting to know you through comments and emails, but it would be great to read about your blog world too. 🙂
Now I must get up out of my comfy green chair and pickle some heirloom beets, get those peaches and nectarines in the oven, and fold the pile of laundry that’s been sitting utterly neglected since Friday. 🙂
What is nourishing your soul this weekend?
by Krista | Dec 7, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
It’s a sleepy sort of day at my house after a rather hectic week. I am so excited that the weekend is nearly here.
I have chicken divan bubbling in the crockpot and am reminiscing about a freezing but gorgeous walk I took in Amsterdam one stormy December.
The ice storm was fierce and left glorious ice sculptures in its wake. Strolling through the ice-coated neighborhoods made me feel like I had been dropped into a Dutch Fairyland.
Snow was piled everywhere, big puffy chunks falling off wrought iron gates, over-loaded tree branches and telephone poles.
Vondel Park was exquisitely beautiful. Normally filled with the sounds of bicycle bells, running feet, and the shrieks of playing children, it was almost silent under the heavy weight of snow. I absolutely loved the colored lights dangling between the snow-covered trees.
I was delighted by the Dutch kids making sliding runs out of the steepest hills they could find: the numerous little bridges crossing frozen streams and lakes. It reminded me of my childhood on the prairies of Alberta, Canada. We too could make a sliding run out of anything in that flat country.
Stopping for rum-spiked hot chocolate was the best on that frosty day. I clambered up slippery steps to a tower overlooking the park and sighed happily as I sipped my boozy drink and looked out over the wintry wonderland.
Heading back to town I passed one of my favorite cafes and smiled to see that in spite of the snow, ice and biting winds, someone had thought it a good idea to sip their coffee at one of the sidewalk tables.
Back in civilization the signs of Christmas popped up outside front doors and on the stoops of brightly lit shops.
I liked this fat little Christmas tree standing so cheerily by the bright orange door, and the sprouting pussy willows made me smile. It didn’t feel like Spring, but it was lovely to think about it.
I returned home with red cheeks, snow-covered boots and a very happy heart.
Where is your favorite snowy place?
by Krista | Dec 5, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
It is well and truly summer now in Australia and how I love it!!! Yes, it’s been outrageously hot the last few days, but it always cools off beautifully in the evening, and mornings are absolute sunshiny perfection.
Yesterday I spent a wonderful afternoon in my veggie garden, basking in sunshine and gathering my first harvest of baby heirloom beets, radishes and swedes.
I was never much of a gardener, but now it seems part of me, awakening that earthy side that loves going barefoot and wearing sundresses whenever possible.
After a slow start my tomatoes are producing and I’m so happy!!! To me nothing quite says summer like ripe tomatoes still warm from the sun. I’ve been eating them like mad in salads with eggs and of course with big chunks of buffalo mozzarella.
As I prepare for Christmas I’ve been having fun altering beloved recipes to suit the piping hot climate I live in now.
Instead of fresh from the oven pies I make white chocolate cranberry tarts. Instead of lovely roasts and stews, I’m sticking to splendid sandwiches layered with delicious meats and slathered with caramelized onion spread. Rather than steaming cups of hot apple cider, I’ve been making apple cider popsicles spiced with cinnamon, cloves and star anise. They are so good!!
Have you ever spent Christmas in a hot place? What cold foods would make you feel holiday-ish?
Spiced Apple Cider Popsicles
Ingredients:
8 cups apple juice (fresh is best, but bottled works fine too)
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4-6 cloves
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in crockpot or in saucepan over low heat.
- Simmer on low for 1-2 hours until juice has absorbed the taste of the spices and the house smells heavenly.
- Remove from heat and cool.
- When cool, pour into popsicle (ice block) molds and freeze 3-4 hours until solid.
- Remove from molds and bite, suck and lick your way through the appley goodness.
by Krista | Dec 3, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
I love Mondays. I think they may be my favorite day of the week. After the fun and rest and project-accomplishing of the weekend, it’s my day to hunker down, cozy in and plan my week.
I especially love Mondays on the farm. The animals seem to know I need some downtime and they oblige by snoozing contentedly in the morning sunshine. I turn off everything – music, TV, noisy kettle – and bask in the silence.
Since I’ve been learning to live slowly, I’ve embraced these quiet Monday mornings as time to reflect and write, think and dream. I let the laundry and dishes wait until after lunch. I move back my writing deadlines until mid-afternoon. And I quiet my restless heart and whirring thoughts.
On such mornings I like to have something special for breakfast. Something a little beyond eggs and toast or a bowl of cereal.
Currently my favorite comforting breakfast is wholemeal pancakes topped with Greek yogurt and Rhubarb Ginger Sauce.
The sauce idea came to me as I examined (with chagrin!) a couple of scrawny rhubarb stalks that had prematurely wilted in the searing heat. With the ends dried out only the middle was worth anything. There wasn’t enough for jam or crisp or pie, but I thought a sauce of some sort would be perfect.
I thought a bit more and somehow ginger seemed like the right addition. So I chopped rhubarb and fresh ginger, covered them with water and simmered them until the rhubarb disintegrated into feathery little wisps. Then I added raw sugar and honey (use whatever sweetener you like), tasting to make sure it was just right. I simmered it until the sugar dissolved then set everything aside to cool. Once cooled I whizzed it up in the blender until it was smooth and pink with no ginger chunks to make your lips pucker when you bite into one.
I poured it over the aforementioned pancakes and Greek yogurt and both Bear and I were so smitten that we nearly ate the entire jar in one day. Mmm. 🙂 Since then I’ve been making it weekly, buying up bunches of rhubarb at the market and cheering on my one little rhubarb plant that survived the animal raids. 🙂
What is your favorite thing to put on pancakes?
PS – the winner of the Brave Girls Club Giveaway is Bethany Miller from the blog Good Global Citizen. Congratulations, Bethany!! 🙂
