by Krista | Jun 21, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
“Why do we love the sea?
It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.”
-Robert Henri-
Hi my lovelies! xo
It’s been a doozy of a day. My car broke down this morning (busted radiator), and my camera broke this afternoon, and my poor ankle is black and blue and hurts like blazes, and my ex-landlord doesn’t want to give me my damage deposit back because I “caused much trouble” by reporting the bad man to the police. Ayiyi.
On the bright side of things, I DID get my passport renewed on time (hooray!), I got my ticket to Amsterdam for only $337 (yahoo!), a detective friend at the Sheriff’s office is helping to resolve this situation with the naughty landlord (thank you!!), and I got to spend time with dear, dear friends at cooking club.
Isn’t life so very crazy sometimes?
All things considered, I decided today is the PERFECT time to whisk us all away on a vicarious jaunt to the beach.
I’ve saved a chair for you next to me, so let’s lean back, prop our feet up, close our eyes, and let the crashing waves and hot summer sun soothe our rumpled spirits and restore our strength.
“All shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of thing shall be well.”
Julian of Norwich
Greece
Bosnia
Montenegro
Italy
Cancun
“I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.” WA White
by Krista | Jun 13, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
by Krista | Jun 7, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
by Krista | May 16, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
There is something so magical about tramping through the snow in Germany at twilight.
The world seems quieter and everything takes on an ethereal glow.
My family had just met at a local shopping mall in Boblingen for coffee, cookies and a visit, happy to be out of the house after being snowed in for several days. Not eager to drive home through slushy streets filled with Christmas shoppers, my brother Ryan, his girlfriend Melissa and me decided to walk.
We had such a jolly time laughing and talking as we trudged and slid our way through deep drifts and uncleared roads. We linked arms on the slippery parts and waved cheerily at Germans staring at us as we skidded our way through their neighborhood.
Somehow we managed to get good and lost and decided to sneakily follow a random German through a maze of alleys and neighborhoods to see if they could lead us to familiar surroundings. Much to our delight – they did!! The lights of my brother Evan’s house glowed warmly as we stamped up the steps and entered blessed warmth.
The house smelled perfectly heavenly for Mums had been hard at work making us a Danish feast. We sat down to plates laden with frikkadeller (meatballs made with pork and beef), egurkesalat (tangy cucumber salad), red cabbage stewed with brown sugar and currant jelly, and boiled potatoes slathered with rich gravy.
It was delicious!! The perfect hearty fare to warm a body up after a cold, snowy trek. I promise to share all the recipes with you in my cookbook. (Click here to read about this exciting new project!)
After dinner was eaten and dishes done, we sat down for rousing games of Spades, groaning with disgust and cheering wildly as the situation warranted. 🙂
What is your favorite warming dinner on a cold winter night?
PS — If you signed for the Rambling Tart newsletter and did not receive a confirmation email, be sure to check your spam or junk folder. 🙂
by Krista | May 10, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
It was the morning of New Year’s Eve 2010, a few hours before my brother Ryan was going to propose to his girlfriend Melissa. My parents and I had been assigned the task of keeping Melissa occupied so he could run madly about Amsterdam getting everything put together.
So we ate a scrumptiously hearty breakfast, Dad pretended he couldn’t wait to see another museum, and we bundled up and trooped out to explore the Zaanse Schans windmills.
It was wickedly cold but we didn’t mind because we actually got to see canals frozen right over!! It was like we’d stepped into a scene out of Hans Brinker.
The first windmill was built along the Zaan River in 1597. Over the next several hundred years over a thousand more would grace its banks. During the 19th century 400 were in operation at one time. Nowadays windmills have given way to more modern operating methods, but they still form an important role in the history and tourism of the Netherlands.
The Zanse Schans is a marvelous place for a day trip. Much like an open-air museum, it features 8 working windmills used to grind mustard seeds, saw wood, and press oil out of seeds. They’ve been moved here from different parts of the country and can be toured for minimal cost.
Other beautiful old buildings have been brought in to form a quaint village full of winsome cottages, arched bridges and tidy gardens. If it weren’t for all the people trooping by, I’d love to live in one of these!!
You can tour museums that teach about Dutch clock-making, baking, arts and crafts, and what it was like to shop for groceries hundreds of years ago. There are also numerous charming shops where you can taste Dutch chocolate and cheese or sip a piping hot cup of cocoa. My Dad happily frequented these spots.
Are you a fan of open air museums? What is your favorite one to visit?
Helpful Information:
- The Zaanse Schans is open daily throughout the year from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- There is no entrance fee, however some of the attractions charge an admission fee.
- During the winter months some of the attractions are only opened in the weekends.
Zaans Museum
Schansend 7, 1509 AW Zaandam
Tel: +31 (0)75 681 00 00
Fax: +31 (0)75 617 69 80
E-mail: info@zaanseschans-museum.nl
website: http://www.zaanseschans.nl/
by Krista | May 2, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
It was a sunshiny morning in Australia when I decided to go for a walk. All my dear Aussie friends were at work so it was just me and the dogs: Whombat and Fletcher.
I donned my favorite polka-dot rubber boots and off we went to explore the countryside and see what we could see.
Birds were singing madly as I nibbled some grapes I found growing higgledy-piggledy along the fence. I grinned at the profusion of wildflowers everywhere I looked. They clustered around fence posts, dotted the grass, and blossomed in great purple swaths through the fields.
Eventually our walk led me back to “my garden.” If you haven’t already, I’d love you to read the story of how this garden came to be. You can read all about the kindness of my dear Aussie friends here: An Australian Herb Garden.
I’d been letting it run wild the first couple of weeks what with all the rain and flooding, so I had to battle spiders that had taken up residence in my absence. I must’ve been quite the sight flailing my broom around at the spider webs and hollering loudly when I felt something brush my hair or land on my arm. Yipes!!
At last the garden was spider-free and I puttered at my leisure, finding out what was growing (everything) and what needed weeding (everything). So I started with picking big bowls of sorrel leaves, nasturtium blossoms, and mint.
I’d never cooked with sorrel in my life, didn’t even know what it was until I got to Oz. My only association with it was from the old movie “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” when Millie gets her new husband to stop the wagon for her to pick sorrel for their dinner.
So I asked my friends Ann and Janyne for ideas. They had plenty! Salads, sandwiches, and, my favorite idea of all, sorrel pesto.
I hauled out the food processor and washed, dried, chopped and pureed my way to a bowl of sorrel pesto. Mmm, mmm!! Lemony and light with just a hint of earthy greenness, it works beautifully tossed with pasta or spread on a toasted sandwich with tomato and creamy goat cheese.
Have you ever cooked with sorrel before?
Sorrel Pesto
2 big handfuls fresh sorrel
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/3 cup good olive oil
Directions:
- Rinse sorrel well then pat dry.
- Remove ribs and chop coarsely.
- In food processor combine sorrel with remaining ingredients and puree until it reaches desired consistency. (I like mine coarse rather than smooth like paste)
- Keeps for 2 weeks in fridge.
