by Krista | Oct 22, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, luvs! I’m sitting cozy in my big, plaid armchair sipping cinnamon tea and nibbling on crisp, Cameo apple slices. It’s a good way to start a new day.
My eyes feel like dried up salty peas from all the crying I’ve done the last few days. It’s been one of those weeks when painful bits from my past came rushing back in to torment me all over again, trying to tear me down, crush my spirit and make me think I don’t matter much after all. I admit it knocked me down for a while and I felt wretchedly sad, lonely, and unlovable, but then I took a (shaky) deep breath, wiped my tears away and started thinking on good, true things:
- I am not alone.
- I am dearly loved.
- I do matter.
Life is truly beastly sometimes, and thankfully we’re allowed to be a bit of a puddle, to have our weeps and fears and shaky moments, and to withdraw for a while to get that badly needed sleep or just sit quietly with a cup of tea. Then, when we’re ready, we can be brave again, strong enough to see that we really are OK, that life has glorious moments even in the midst of pain, loss, and fear.
I had planned to write a different sort of post for you this morning, but my blogging friend Heather inspired me with her oh-so-real post yesterday. Every day she gathers beauty from around the web to share with her readers, real beauty. But when life handed her pain and heartache she had to share that too, real life. Her words (and courage!) reminded me of my commitment to myself to always be real here.
I was sitting at my desk yesterday when a Mumford & Sons song came on. How I loved these lines:
“And there will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.”
Mumford & Sons
I don’t know what your life is like today, whether things are beautiful, free and happy, or if you too are feeling attacked on all sides. But I hope for patience, courage and peace for you, that you’ll experience love that dismisses your fears, and strength to keep going forward with grace in your heart and, if you’re a bit crazy like me, flowers in your hair.
by Krista | Oct 21, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
So today I’m thinking about things that have made me happy in the last week. 🙂 Like driving home from visiting my folks and catching a glimpse of their neighbors garden. I had to stop right there in the middle of the road and take a picture. Isn’t it a lovely tangle of beauty?
Having my god daughters, Jayda and Koda over for a sleepover was so much fun! Koda did my make-up, Jayda draped my collection of scarves everywhere to create her very own restaurant and I made them a blanket tent to sleep in. And of course we took lots of crazy pictures. 🙂
I was also happy with these delicious mini-turkey burgers. Ground turkey had seemed like a healthy option at the grocery store but I didn’t really know what to do with once I got it home. I thought a while and finally decided on turkey burgers. I added a whole grated onion, lots of sage and ground pepper, a bit of salt and fried them up in olive oil. They are scrumptious little numbers, especially topped with a nice hot mustard and served with mashed potatoes.
What are some things that have made you happy this week?
Turkey Sage Burgers
Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, grated
1 Tbsp powdered sage
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
olive oil
mustard for dipping
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients except olive oil. Form into round, flat patties.
- Heat olive oil in sauce pan over medium-high heat. Cook until browned on both sides and cooked through.
- Serve warm with good mustard.
by Krista | Oct 20, 2010 | Compatriot Wednesday
Right after work on Monday I zipped up my jacket and headed into the woods for a hike. Ohhh, it felt SO good to wend my way through the cedars, breathing deeply of the fresh cold air, feeling strength in my limbs after sitting at my computer all day. Loved it!
Then I hustled back home to whip up the dough for Gluten-Free Cheesy Dill Scones to bring to CEC (Culinary Experimentation Club) for Squash Soup Night. I was a wee bit nervous as I’ve never made completely gluten-free scones before, but they worked out beautifully! I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour then added Aged Irish Cheddar, Grated Parmesan, and lots of butter. To save myself time cutting in the butter, I simply grated it like cheese and mixed it into the flour with a fork. I didn’t have any cream for the scones, so I mixed plain Greek yogurt with chicken broth and it worked just dandy. I drove into town, popped them in the oven and oh my – were they ever good! Just as good or better than the regular ones. Hooray!
The scones went splendidly with the three homemade soups that featured various squashes.
Darren made creamy pumpkin soup with fresh pumpkin puree he made himself. It was SO much better than canned, with great texture and pumpkin flavor.
Robin and Cameron made a spicy creamy squash soup that we ended up mixing with…
Kat’s beautiful lentil squash vegetable soup.
We ended the evening with Hot Apple Cider blended with our very own homemade Hard Apple Cider. A marvelously warming drink on a cold night.
Over the next few weeks I’ll introduce you to my cooking buddies. Today I present Robin, Kat and Jenny. 🙂
Darren’s Pumpkin Soup
Click here to view the recipe at AllRecipes.com
Krista’s Gluten-Free Cheesy Dill Scones
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 stick cold butter, grated
3 large eggs
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp dried dill weed
2 cups aged Irish cheddar (or sharp cheddar)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In medium bowl mix dry ingredients. Add butter and toss to separate.
- In small bowl mix remaining ingredients. Add to dry ingredients and stir until incorporated.
- Form 1/3 cup size balls of dough and place on baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until tops start to brown.
by Krista | Oct 19, 2010 | Gulliver Tuesday
Today I was chatting with my brother Ryan as we hashed out plans for our family trip to Germany and Holland this Christmas. My smile got bigger and bigger as he cited things he’s put on the schedule already: Christmas concert, Christmas markets, road trip through Belgium. I can’t wait!!! 🙂
Such discussions and dreamings sent my memory back to a gorgeous road trip I took through Germany a couple of years ago with my sister-in-law Kendra and friend Amy. Armed with passports, an exceedingly large bag of candy, and a rather finicky GPS system, we drove all over Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, stopping wherever our fancies took us. Will you join me as we vicariously meander through mountain meadows, gaze up at stony peaks and look in wonder at hidden lakes?
These places reminded me so much of driving through the Rocky Mountains in Canada. Well, minus the castle. 🙂 Do you like road trips? What is the most beautiful scenery you’ve experienced on one?
by Krista | Oct 18, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Mornin’ dear ones! 🙂 How was your weekend? Were you relaxing your heart out or dashing about doing fun things? I did a bit of both and it was just what I needed.
I was able to take that new trail in the woods when Mums and I went hiking at Berthusen Park. It was gorgeous!! The forest is old growth and wonderfully dark and cool. Back in 1883 Hans Berthusen single-handedly cleared 100 acres of dense forest for farmland, but kept 20 acres of it as virgin timber so he would remember what the land originally looked like. In 1944 he left it to the City of Lynden so future generations could also remember. I love that.
We’ve had perfect fall weather all weekend with brilliant sunshine and gently breezes sending crisp leaves skittering over the pavement and tumbling across the lawn. Saturday was spent in town running errands and stocking up on groceries. It was one of those months where nearly all my basics were depleted and needed to be replenished. I confess grocery shopping is one of my favorite chores. It’s so fun to wander the aisles and choose delectable things to concoct even more delectable things. 🙂
A while back I picked up an enormous slab of Belgian bittersweet chocolate at Trader Joe’s, and yesterday I used half of it to make these decadent pots de creme with Southern Comfort. Oh my. Best eaten in small portions, these desserts are outrageously rich and delicious, and keep the house smelling heavenly for hours. I made mine with coconut milk and sweetened them with agave so I feel utterly guilt-free indulging. 🙂
Speaking of agave, a couple of months ago, BetterBody Foods & Nutrition sent me a sample of Xagave to try and I keep forgetting to tell you about it. 🙂 Sweeter than sugar with a very low glycemic index, agave has been my non-sugar sweetener for a while now. I love that the Xagave brand is completely organic and that they sell a cookbook full of ideas for using agave in every day cooking. I use it in everything from sweetening my tea and whipping cream to tossing with fruit for pies and tarts and substituting for sugar in much of my baking. For more information on agave in general and the Xagave brand, visit their website here: http://www.xagave.com/
What are some ways that you make your cooking healthier?
PS – My new article on Cancun is up at The Travel Belles today! Click here if you’d like to see it. 🙂
Southern Comfort Pots de Creme
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
7 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, cut in pieces
1 cup coconut milk
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp Xagave (more if you like your dessert sweet)
2 Tbsp Southern Comfort (or rum)
Pinch of black salt (or any other kind :-))
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add chocolate and coconut milk to saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
- Set aside.
- Beat together eggs, agave, Southern Comfort and salt. Pour into chocolate mixture stirring constantly.
- Pour into ramekins, custard cups or any small oven-proof vessel.
- Place in baking pan and pour boiling water to within 1/2 inch of the tops of ramekins. Bake 20 minutes.
- Cool a few minutes, then cover and refrigerate.
