by Krista | Dec 14, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
Good morning, luvs! The storm clouds have rolled in again after a positively gorgeous couple of days. How I have loved wandering around the property, watching the goats and horses nibbling their way through the yard and trying to guess what sort of ducks are bobbing along the pond.
The other day I spotted this lime green pod and thought it looked so cool! Any ideas as to what it might be?
The sunshine has been wonderful, perfect for hanging laundry on the line, building new fences, and squelching the amorous advances of the goats.
The males have been getting mighty frisky the last few days, and since we don’t want pregnant mamas and their babies struggling to thrive in the cold winter months, we’re working hard to get the Bachelor’s Quarters ready so the menfolk are removed from temptation.
They’ve been enjoying their last few days of freedom with their girlfriends, basking in sunshine atop their favorite hill and wandering through the trees finding tasty weeds to munch on.
In addition to building fences, it’s also time for drenching the goats. When I first heard this term, I pictured us dunking animals in a large vat of something. Kind of like that dunking game at the fair where a brave soul perches on a diving board over a pool of water whilst eager customers take turns hurling balls at a target hoping to send him into the icy depths.
Alas, it’s nothing quite that exciting. Drenching is simply giving goats an oral dose of medicine to get rid of worms. They enjoy it about as much as I loved getting spoonfuls of cod liver oil as a kid.
It’s definitely a tw0-person job unless you have a docile patient like Bossy Boots, below. Bear holds the goats between his knees, one hand holding the horns and the other their chin. I’m stationed at the business end of each goat where I fill the syringe with the proper dosage, slip it in the side of their mouths where there’s no teeth to hamper my efforts, and empty the plunger. They sputter and fuss, but feel so much better afterwards.
Soon they’re off gallivanting again, exploring where they oughtn’t and having a marvelous time.
They make me grin.
Recently I used up the last of our kangaroo mince to make a delectably homey dish that’s so simple I hesitate calling it a recipe. I learned about it many years ago when I was a nanny in Portugal from the mom of the kids I was looking after.
It’s a “poor man’s roast” using ground beef, pork, or – if you have a lot of kangaroo on hand – kangaroo.
Simply mix the ground meat with lots of freshly ground black pepper, a bit of salt and a spoonful of minced garlic. Shape it into a loaf and place it in a foil-lined bread pan. Mix together cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix and more black pepper and pour the lot over the meat. Seal the foil and bake for a little over an hour.
The result is a savory meatloaf with its own gravy, perfect over rice or boiled potatoes.
It’s nothing fancy, just good, comfort food.
What chores have you been tackling this week?
Kangaroo Mince Roast
Ingredients:
1 pound kangaroo mince (or ground beef)
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp hot red chili flakes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Line bread pan with large piece of aluminum foil. Set aside.
- In medium bowl mix kangaroo mince with pepper, salt, garlic and chili flakes. Shape into loaf size and place in bread pan, leaving room along sides and ends.
- In separate bowl mix soup mixes and pepper together until well-blended. Pour over meat loaf.
- Fold foil over meat loaf and seal.
- Bake for 60-90 minutes until meat is cooked through.
- Slice meat and cover with gravy. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
by Krista | Nov 30, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
It’s a perfectly marvelous stormy day today, gusting winds, pouring rain, and it feels every bit like England in the fall.
So this afternoon I’m going to take you on a pictorial jaunt with me and my dear friend Katy through the streets of London.
It was late afternoon as we emerged from the Tube, wrapped our scarves more snugly around our necks, and wandered happily through the bustling throng.
Seeing this flower stall made me think of Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady and I was struck by how many of my favorite movies and books are set in this most wonderful city.
I love strolling with Katy. A prolific traveler, writer, and lover of life, she is a splendid walking partner, perfectly content with companionable silences or laughing hard as she regales me with tales of her adventures abroad and at home in England.
She chuckled at my incessant photo-taking and ooohing, knowing that she is every bit as bad as me in countries she didn’t grow up in.
After a gentle rain the sun emerged, casting a lovely, warm glow over the stately stone edifices around us.
I was utterly charmed by this street. It reminded me of the delightful Jean and Lionel from “As Time Goes By.”
And I couldn’t help grinning at all the lovely old pubs and cheery double-decker buses.
After much happy wandering we decided it was high time for a pot of tea and something decadent. We found a welcoming spot with one table left open just for us. We ordered piping hot tea to warm our fingers and pooled our last few pounds to purchase a stunning little strawberry tart to share.
Then we sat back and watched people, wrote in our journals, and felt like two of the luckiest girls in the world.
What is your favorite treat to have when you stop for a coffee or tea break?
by Krista | Nov 17, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
Good morning, luvs!
After my Bolognese friend Maddalena and I explored bombed out villas in a beautiful Italian park near Bologna, we emerged from the tree line to see this stunning view.
I could hardly believe it! The colors were so rich and glorious in the late Indian Summer sunshine, looking more like a painting than a real life scene. The sun was warm on our skin and we soaked it in little knowing that the next day summer would flee for good, replaced by bitterly cold winds and drenching rain.
We shared the trails of Parco della chiusa or Parco Talòn in Casalecchio with Italian couples strolling hand in hand, young moms visiting animatedly with their friends, and joggers huffing and puffing up the steep incline.
And it was steep! Instead of sticking to the gentle incline of the main trails, we took a deep breath and headed straight up the hillside, bent almost double to keep from sliding down the dusty pathway.
By the time we reached the top we were wheezing and gasping like the joggers we had seen earlier, laughing as we made our quivering legs take those final steps to the top.
The view was worth every shaky step and near tumble and we stood for a while enjoying it thoroughly as we filled our lungs with fresh air.
After a bit we continued on our way, the going much easier now that we were crossing the ridge line instead of laboring up steep paths.
It was my first time visiting Italy in the Fall and how I loved crunching through the leaves, finding bushes laden with ripe berries, and feeling beautifully warm after my chilly summer in Amsterdam.
We didn’t actually know where we were, so we just followed whatever trail took our fancy, assuming that one of them would take us home again. Along the way we found ivy covered walls and this wonderful old villa glowing warmly in the setting sun.
At the villa we picked up a couple of friends, two little kitties – a black and a gray – who gamboled after us, stopping often to roll in the dust-filled potholes and arch their bodies against our legs.
All too soon it was time to head home for dinner. We drove through the golden hills back to Maddalena’s house, and sat down to a perfect meal of fresh bread and homemade minestrone soup. It was nothing like the glutinous stuff I’ve had out of cans with soggy bits of pasta floating in a sea of overcooked vegetables. Nope, this was marvelous, a delicate vegetable soup drizzled with good quality olive oil and topped with freshly grated Parmesan.
Maddalena was surprised I wanted the recipe. To her it is simple country food, a hodgepodge of whatever leftover vegetables she might find in her fridge. But to me it was something special.
It was minestrone soup as it was meant to be. A delicious end to a wonderful day.
What is your favorite meal after a nice, long walk?
Real Italian Minestrone Soup
Maddalena and her aunts always use a pressure cooker to make minestrone soup. They add vegetable broth, salt and pepper and an assortment of chopped vegetables. While the combinations are endless, they do have certain traditions concerning the vegetables.
Ingredients:
hunk of Parmesan cheese
good quality olive oil
chopped vegetables (see below)
Vegetables that SHOULD be Included:
carrots
potatoes
beans (small dried)
green beans
celery
zucchini
spinach
Vegetables that CAN be included:
tomato
broccoli
Vegetables that MUST NOT be included:
fennel
aubergine (eggplant)
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to pressure cooker and cook for 15 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
- Ladle into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan.
by Krista | Nov 10, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
Good morning, luvs! After treating myself to homemade butterscotch pudding for breakfast, I’m getting all sorts of work done! Laundry, dishes, paying bills. Man, it feels good! 🙂
Last weekend bear and I drove out to visit our dear friends Shirley and Joe at their beautiful goat farm.
I love going out there, laughing at the antics of the baby goats as they wobble and leap on their spindly legs, gazing in awe at the oh-so-pregnant mamas waddle along with their enormous bellies.
Big Mama comin' through!
We always go for long walks, wandering through the pastures and out along the creek bottom before ending back at the house for something delectable Shirley has made. This weekend was no exception. She served us up a splendid lunch of pasta with broccoli, toasted pine nuts, sundried tomatoes and Parmesan, buttery garlic bread, chilled wine, and a marvy cream cake topped with fresh mangoes and strawberries.
One day soon I’ll show you pictures of the wildflower-filled creek banks and darling baby goats, but today I want to linger awhile among Shirley’s flower beds.
Fourth of July Rose
Whenever I visit, Shirley takes me on a tour of her many gardens, pointing out what’s blooming, explaining what would grow well at my place, and introducing me to Australian native plants I’ve never even heard of.
Her gardens are such a lovely hodgepodge of old and new flowers, hardy vegetables and gifts from friends overseas, all growing vigorously in this fabulous Queensland weather that seems to make everything flourish.
This week she sent me home with a gorgeous bouquet of spinach leaves and sweet pea blossoms, and a couple of gardening magazines to inspire me.
I am not a natural gardener like Shirley, Ann, my Mum, or my brother Ryan, but I’m learning as I go and get so excited as I see seeds become seedlings and then something I can actually eat or decorate with. Amazing. 🙂
Are you a gardener? Do you have a garden? What’s the one plant you MUST have?
Shirley’s Mango Cream Cake
Ingredients:
one sponge cake (lemon or vanilla)
1 small carton heavy whipping cream
sugar to taste
1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced into long strips
3-6 strawberries, halved
Directions:
- Bake sponge cake according to directions, cool and halve.
- Whip cream and sweeten to taste.
- Frost bottom layer of cake with half of cream.
- Place top layer on cream and frost with remaining cream.
- Decorate with mango and strawberries and serve immediately.
- (If making ahead of time, wait to add fruit until just before serving.)
by Krista | Nov 2, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
As promised yesterday, here is How I’m Really Doing. 🙂
Life has changed drastically for me in the last few months.
This spring I went into hiding when a stalker tried to assault me in my apartment, I lost my grandfather and a very dear friend, and got seriously ill from mold poisoning then nearly died from three rare strains of Ecoli. My job was terminated without notice, I fell and severely tore the muscles and ligaments in my right foot, and went through a devastating personal situation. And that was only the beginning.
I honestly don’t know how I made it through this year. If it wasn’t for dear friends who loved me through every wretched bit of it, I don’t know that I would’ve.
If ever there was a time to start over with a clean slate, this was it. So in July I sold nearly everything I own, packed up the rest, and moved to Amsterdam for three months where I could be safe and recuperate.
It was the best thing I could’ve done. I slept, I traveled, I wrote. I met up with dear old friends and dear new ones. I took thousands of pictures and went to counseling and watched movies. I ate and drank delicious things, went to physical therapy and was finally able to start walking again. I danced at my brothers wedding and had grand adventures with my family and friends in Italy during the wedding week. I cried, talked, and thought through things until they didn’t hurt so much and I could smile genuinely and laugh heartily. I got comfy in my own skin and grew stronger and braver.
photo by Rita Reimer
Mid-October I packed up again and moved to Australia. I have two 6-month visas that allow me to work for room and board, so I’m living on my friends’ farm in rural Queensland in a lovely little one-bedroom house with a small porch that overlooks the bush. I’m having the time of my life learning how to mend fences, inoculate goats, and pluck chickens. I’m in charge of collecting eggs and sorting them for eating and incubating and I love it. I can’t wait for my first batch of fluffy yellow chicks to arrive.
I have the dearest man in my life who loves me unconditionally and gives me so much happiness. We have been the best of friends for the past three years and now that I’m in Australia we finally get to have a real, in-person relationship, working together, going on real dates, and having long talks over coffee on the back porch. His kindness, honesty, and love have healed my very scared and broken heart, and I feel the luckiest girl in the world. Due to the nature of his job I won’t be posting his real name or pictures of him here, but you’ll know it’s him when I refer to “bear” – my nickname for him. 🙂
I have such deep peace and happiness in this place, like I’ve finally come home. My health is so much better, no doubt due to all this lovely fresh air and sunshine, raw milk and fresh eggs, and knowing I am safe and loved. My ankle still troubles me every morning and evening, but I keep doing the exercises I’m supposed to and hopefully one day soon I’ll get to wear heels again. 🙂
I am flat broke after all my travels, but so very happy. Slowly but surely I’m building up my accounts again, paying off bills, and living a very simple but beautiful life. It may sound crazy, but I’m actually enjoying the adventure of being poor. 🙂 In the past I would’ve panicked, but I’m getting better at being brave. I’ve been through enough to know that I will be OK, and that worrying only makes things worse.
I have so much fun stacking up my coins on the kitchen table and deciding how to spend each treasured penny. I’ve been scouring thrift stores and sale aisles for good deals and am cheering on my newly planted garden. 🙂 I learned how to butcher, pluck and preserve chickens this weekend and now have a freezer full of free-range chickens. Every morning I have fresh eggs from my chooks and raw milk for breakfast and they are delicious.
Bit by bit I’m getting to know my hometown and environs, finding my place in this new land. I miss my beloved Washington and especially my dear people there, but I’m very happy in Australia and so grateful for this chance to start over.
How are YOU really doing today?
by Krista | Oct 6, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
As I walked through the woods in Italy with my friend Maddalena, I could hardly believe my eyes at the thousands of wild Cyclamen carpeting the forest floor.
I loved their delicate blossoms pushing up through layers of sharp pine needles, looking so cheery and sprightly against the sea of brown leaves.
They are my happy thoughts as I rest today, taking naps, sipping coffee, and sitting quietly in the sunshine.
What is bringing you joy today?
