by Krista | Nov 20, 2015 | Spring
It is wicked hot today. Sweltering. Stifling. Please-can’t-I-live-in-a-swimming-pool hot. I have parked in front of a fan for the duration because somehow hot air that moves is better than hot air that doesn’t. Phew.
Thankfully we had warning of this heatwave, and I’ve been preparing so I wouldn’t have to cook when the house already feels like an oven.
I’ve been filling the fridge with herbal teas, and the freezer with homemade popsicles. The chilled cherry cranberry soup I made earlier makes beautiful popsicles when frozen. Creamy, tart, and not too sweet.
But we cannot live on popsicles alone, so I made a bunch of veggie dishes that could be chilled and eaten cold as we sit melting in front of the fan.
Breakfasts start with smoothies followed by cold boiled eggs and sauteed asparagus, silverbeet, and tomatoes from the garden.
Lunches are an assortment of chilled veggies – boiled carrots with dill, steamed broccoli with lemon pepper, capsicums and yellow cherry tomatoes – with sharp cheddar and sliced apples.
By the time dinner rolls around, we’re so hot we can’t hardly think of eating, so chilled soup really hits the spot. We started with gazpacho, beautifully savory with tomato, cucumber, red capsicum, celery, and dill. I also like creamy carrot soup with ginger or curry or dill.
Tonight we’re having chilled roasted beet soup with horseradish cream. I love root veggie soups made with roasted veggies – turnips, parsnips, Swedes, rutabagas, etc. They’re nourishing, comforting, and, when cold, a great way to get lots of vitamins and minerals in your body when you really don’t want to eat much.
For the beet soup I roasted a big pan of beets my friend Tracy gave me, and a lot of garlic until the beetroot was tender and the garlic soft and caramelized. It smelled amazing.
Pureed with chicken stock and dill it became thick and marvelously rich, especially when topped with cold Greek yogurt mixed with grated horseradish. Just the thing to nourish us in the midst of a heatwave.
What do you like to eat on a blazing hot day? xo
by Krista | Nov 18, 2015 | Spring
“The greatest and most powerful revolutions often start very quietly,
hidden in the shadows.
Remember that.”
Richelle Mead
I needed quiet time this week. Time to grieve the horrors in the world, to be thankful all my loves are safe, to find my courage again.
It’s a sobering thing to be reminded how little control we have. To know we can’t always protect each other, can’t always help each other.
But we must keep trying.
I’ve felt a lot of fear this week. Fear for my friends and family in Europe, fear of unreasonable people who delight in murder and pain, fear for refugees facing backlash for obscene deeds done by others.
I’ve felt anger too. Anger with those who use this scary time to generate more fear, who pressure us to abandon love and compassion and stop helping those in need.
But I’ve also felt joy and pride as I see so many step out of their fear and choose love.
It makes me cry to see my friends collecting food and clothing for refugees who’ve lost everything, organizing support for newly landed immigrants, looking for ways to help, cheer, comfort, and heal.
The first group of Syrian refugees is arriving in our area shortly, and I’m so proud of the government agencies who stuck with their pledge to give them a new home and help them start over in spite of huge pressure not to. I can only imagine how scary this is for them, starting over completely, afraid of how they’ll be received, wondering what this new life of theirs is going to look like. I hope we can make them feel welcome and wanted.
As I look at these good things I can’t help but think that this is how we quietly, steadily change the world: loving our families, loving our neighbors, cheering on everyone who walks in love.
Wishing you peace and courage. xo
by Krista | Nov 12, 2015 | Spring
Wandering our farm today I saw orange everywhere: orange tomatoes, orange nasturtiums, and these stunning orange grevillea blossoms. Orange carrots and bright green chard with orange spines, unfurling orange calendula flowers and clusters of feverfew blossoms with bright orange centers. It’s all rather cheerful and I like it.
It’s been a deliciously quiet day hanging out with my hubs.
We did painting and drawing and snacked on pears, apples, and potato chips.
We finished a new book and watched Hawaii Five-0 and slurped homemade potato soup from big mugs.
I spent the afternoon in my gardens pulling weeds from the blueberry pots, transplanting rose geraniums, silverbeet, and mustard greens, harvesting more garlic, and eating tiny, sweet Alpine strawberries.
I divided parsley plants and mulched the butternut squash and bell peppers and found a whole colony of rogue tomato plants growing among the beans.
I watered for a couple of hours, giving everything a good soaking as the sun went down.
It was so lovely out there, quiet save for the gentle fall of water and the distant rumble of thunder. I love being home.
Yesterday I had a hankering for cold fruit soup, so I made a fusion of Hungarian and Canadian flavors in a chilled cherry cranberry soup.
Fruit soup is simply stewed fruit mixed with spices, brandy, sugar syrup, and sour and/or heavy cream, then chilled until ready to serve.
In my version I skipped the sugar syrup and, instead of brandy, used spirit-soaked cranberries that I had left over from when I made cranberry liqueur a few months ago. I simmered the cranberries with Morello cherries and star anise, cooled the concoction, then blended it with cold sour cream and whipped cream and popped it in the fridge to chill.
Mmm, so good. Not too sweet yet full of fruit flavor with a gentle bite from the sour cream. Such a delicious treat on a hot Spring day.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend. xo
Chilled Cherry Cranberry Soup
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup brandy or spirits
1 jar Morello cherries in syrup (reserve a few cherries to garnish each serving)
1 star anise
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whipping cream
Directions:
1. Place fresh cranberries in sterilized jar, cover with brandy or spirits, seal, and store in cool, dark place at least 1 week, preferably a month.
2. Strain cranberries, save liquid for drinking later.
3. Place cranberries, cherries and syrup, and star anise in medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Remove and discard star anise. Let mixture cool.
5. When cool, pour fruit mixture into blender and add sour cream and whipping cream. Blitz until smooth.
6. Chill until ready to serve, adding a few reserved cherries to each bowl.
by Krista | Nov 12, 2015 | Spring
Coffee can be prepared in several variations. Sugar and creamer are most commonly mixed with this bitter brew. Although some may prefer their coffee black and bitter, others would opt to have a sugar cube or two to appeal to their taste.
Yet coffee drinkers around the world have their own particular blends that is unique to their geographical location. Many of these concoctions are as strange and unimaginable from the ones coffee drinkers are accustomed to. From cat droppings to burning hot charcoal, find out more of these out of this world coffee mixes that seemed too bizarre to be true.
cappuccino in Chiang Mai, Thailand by Takeaway
Kopi Luwak
Also known as Civet Coffee, Indonesia’s famous brew is one of the rarest and the most expensive in the world with the tag price of US$50 per cup to US$700 per kilogram. This coffee is made from the droppings of a cat species found in the country called the luwak (asian palm civet). Not for the faint hearted and those with upset stomach, the coffee is made by the luwaks consuming the coffee beans. And since the beans can’t be fully digested, it is eliminated along with the rest of the droppings.
Kopi Gu You (Coffee with Butter)
Butter has many cooking uses but mixing them with coffee is a surprise. This Singaporean brew uses butter to make coffee thicker and richer.
Coffee With Eggs
Have you ever tried egg coffee? Egg coffee is made by combining the whole egg – shells included with coffee. Other countries have their own version of egg coffee while the famous Vietnamese coffee blends egg with sweetened condensed milk.
Vietnamese coffee by Clarin
Black Ivory Coffee
Dubbed as the world’s most expensive coffee priced at a whopping $ 1,100 per kilogram, the black ivory coffee is taken from the dung of an elephant. Like the luwak, the elephant’s stomach cannot digest the coffee beans. Despite its ghastly origin, the coffee lacks bitterness and is super smooth.
Kopi Joss
How about some charcoal for your coffee? Made in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, this particular coffee is made using the Javanese style coffee and a piece of flaming hot charcoal. The charcoal is added to neutralize the coffee’s acidity which why this is good for those with upset stomach.
Jacu Bird Coffee
Like kopi luwak and the black ivory coffee, this specific brew comes from the droppings of the jacu bird in Brazil and is less bitter than ordinary coffee.
Cheese and Coffee
Cheese can now be paired with coffee. This coffee creation dunks cheese into hot coffee before being consumed it when it’s soft. Hispanics use Gouda or Edam while the Swedes use Kaffeost or Leipäjuusto.
Coffee with a pinch of Salt
A favorite in the countries of Siberia, Turkey, Hungary and Ethiopia, a pinch of salt cuts down the coffee’s bitterness.
Coffee and Citrus
Sau Paulo, Brazil has café com limão (espresso with lime) while Italy has espresso with lemon peel or juice. The citrus in the coffee blend serves as a great remedy to migraine and sweetens up badly roasted coffee.
Café Guadalajarense by Takeaway
Coffee and Peppercorn
Moroccans love their coffee with a kick so they put in peppercorns to the mix. Aside from peppercorns they also use cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom pods, cloves and other
Whether coffee is made from animal droppings or mixed with condiments, nothing satisfies the taste buds of an avid coffee drinker than a good cup of coffee.
Sophie White is a foodie blogger based in Australia. She is passionate about all things food related and is an accomplished home cook herself. With a tongue for all dishes local and international, she leads the online marketing campaign for the Australian coffee brand Coffee Galleria.
Disclosure: this post presented in partnership with sponsor New Local Media PTY LTD.
by Krista | Nov 11, 2015 | Spring
“I was born to find goblins in their caves
And chase moonlight
To see shadows and seek hidden rivers
To hear the rain fall on dry leaves
And chat a bit with death across foggy nights.”
James Kavanaugh
I woke up early this morning needing to be outside. I needed cool breezes on my skin, dew on my bare feet, the gentle warmth of the sunrise on my face.
I walked through the grass, utterly delighted that after months of little but sun-baked earth we actually have grass, real grass, long, vivid green, and lush grass coated in morning dew. After a drought or a long winter, is there anything more soul-nourishing than strolling through dew-covered grass?
I took my sleep-addled self into my gardens, feeling the stress of unwanted dreams dissolve in the luscious, golden light of sunrise as it slipped and shimmered its way onto leaves and blossoms.
There’s something about quieting one’s soul in nature that dissolves anxiety and returns us to peace. It grounds me, centers me, helps me breathe deeply again. And it renews my excitement about life. Helps me take my rumpled feelings by the hand and step forward with courage and resolve.
I did that this morning, buoyed by light and scent and beauty.
Bear and I had a lovely time running errands. We stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies at the farmer’s markets – massive stalks of rhubarb, new crop Red Delicious Apples, and ridiculously juicy pears – and found treasures at the thrift store. We popped in to the nursery and found rosella and eggplant seedlings, just what I needed to complete my garden.
Bear treated us to fresh-baked cinnamon pastries and coffee at the bakery, and got a bag of bread rolls that will be lovely accompaniment to a big pot of potato soup for dinner. Such a lovely thing to do in the middle of the week.
Now we are home again, thoroughly enjoying an overcast sky and deliciously cool breezes. It’s quiet and peaceful, just the sort of afternoon for baking and cooking and reorganizing the house. I never want to clean house when it’s hot, but give me a cool, blustery day, and I’ll happily scrub, tidy, and organize.
So now I bid you farewell, and head off to the Granny Flat to pull out my boxes of Christmas decorations and start festooning our house with anything glittery, shimmery, and sparkly I can find. xo
by Krista | Nov 9, 2015 | Spring
It’s a quiet, cozy sort of night, one cool enough that we actually have to close the windows and cuddle into flannels to keep warm. Such a marvelous change after the humidity and heat of the last week or so.
I love evenings like this when we can have comfort food – hamburgers topped with port wine jelly – visit over a sip or five of Malbec, and look through the Christmas issues of favorite magazines for inspiration.
I need these moments of peaceful comfort to catch my breath and bring my soul back to rest. Especially when I’m going through a scary phase of healing.
Healing is a beautiful word, a word that gives me hope and restores my courage, but it’s not an easy thing. For me, healing means going deeper, past the loose soil of things I’ve already worked through, and into the dark, heavy clay that only breaks up with much resolve and determination. It’s worth it, but it’s difficult and scary.
Going deeper means nightmares. Always. I’m never in any doubt as to when my body is ready to enter another phase of healing, for it heralds such moments with vivid nightmares that don’t end until I wake screaming or crying or both. I’m thankful for my Bear who is attuned to such things and doesn’t mind being roused in the middle of the night. He just shakes me out of the awfulness, pulls me close, and reminds me I’m safe and loved and OK. Then teases me about being such a noisy roommate.
I don’t like nightmares. Not one bit. But I’ve learned a lot through them. Sometimes I can wake myself. Other times I’m able to change the story, to fight back, to not let the bad guys win. This time around I’m learning to remind myself I’m not alone. In the past I had to fight back by myself, and woke exhausted and sad. But now, somehow, I know there are people who’ve got my back. The nightmares are still awful, but they aren’t hopeless and now I know I’m not alone.
That made me smile this morning as Bear and I talked through the latest nightmare. I woke shaken yet comforted, filled with greater love for the true friends who are there to stand by me, even in my dreams.
I don’t know where nightmares come from or what prompts them or why, one day, they just disappear until the next time. But I do know that somehow they’ve helped me be stronger in real life. The truths I’ve learned in the darkness stay with me in the light: I can change the story, I can fight back, and I’m not alone.
What is something you’ve learned that helps you in dark times? xo
