by Krista | Dec 12, 2011 | Bootstrap Monday
Rain bucketed down Wednesday morning as my friend Barbara (from Winos and Foodies) and I sipped coffee and nibbled delicious pain au chocolat from the wonderful French patisserie Chouquette in Brisbane.
Both of us are early risers, so we had a few hours to kill before our big day out at Natasha’s Annual Christmas Degustation Trek with Taste Trekkers and Natasha Mirosch. We were so excited, eager to join other food-loving adventurers for a tour of Russian, Greek, and Italian shops in Brisbane.
Bryan, Barbara’s husband, weathered the downpour to drop us off, and we dashed from puddle to puddle until arriving safely in the dry and cheerful home of Taste Trekker owner Sally Lynch.
Sally is even more jolly and hilarious than her website conveys, and we felt utterly welcomed. She chatted a mile a minute as she whipped up one delicious dish after another for our post-shopping lunch. The downpour kept us from enjoying her beautiful riverside backyard, but we contented ourselves with the view from her covered porch.
Soon everyone arrived and after pasting nametags on our bosoms we boarded our bus and headed to our first stop, the Greek shop Samios.
Established in 1934, Samios is a charming hodgepodge of traditional Greek offerings like Baklava and feta cheese mingled with unusual ingredients from around Europe. The owner regaled us with jokes and stories as we were served thick Greek coffee and platter after platter of dolmades and various Greek cheeses. While I listened, an older gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and wondered what was happening. We got to chatting and I found out that he was from Slovakia and had relatives in Canada in the same town as my relatives. Things like that make me smile.
Then it was time to shop and I perused the shelves happily, filling my basket with a parcel of sumac, some liquid smoke, a jar of grape molasses, and a tender wedge of baklava.
Our next stop was Pennisi Cuisine, a warehouse-style shop which specializes in Italian foods but also carries delectables from all over the world. I was thrilled to pieces to find ingredients for Mexican food – something I’ve been craving since I left the US in July – a bag of my favorite Canadian cookies Dare Maple Leaf, and a couple bags of spices for a mere $2 a bag.
Our final destination was the Ruski Way Deli, small, relatively new shop full of Eastern European delicacies like Napoleon cakes, Russian chocolates, and anti-oxidant super food berries from Siberia. The owners went all out creating a special Russian tea for us on a table laden with all sorts of lovely things: bread rounds topped with plump Russian caviar, eggplant puree, and thinly sliced sausage, and an array of cakes. I lived in Russia for a few months many years ago and have loved the food ever since. I was so excited to find homemade sauerkraut and pelmeni, especially when the owner told me how to turn the sauerkraut into a delicious Russian salad.
Bags laden we boarded our bus one last time, talking animatedly about our purchases and what we were going to do with them once we got home.
We arrived back at Sally’s in time for a tea tasting with the oh-so-knowledgeable May King of MayKing Tea. She shared an iced version made from an herbal mixture that tasted like real tea. Suitably refreshed we wandered into Sally’s basement that she had turned into a Greek Taverna when the weather rendered outside dining impossible.
There we were given a Clovely Estate wine tasting by the lovely Renee who taught us about different grapes and Australian wines. A bit later we were given a beer tasting by the inspiring Matt Kirkegaard who introduced us to a Belgian bblond ale La Chouffee. I can’t wait to serve it with the smoked salmon and chive tart he recommended.
At long last we sat down at long tables in Sally’s Greek Taverna and tucked into her incredible lunch.
Here is only part of her scrumptious menu:
Pork Belly Apple Fennel Salad
Smoked Trout Soba Noodle Salad
Banana Flower Salad with Shredded Chicken
Roasted Veg with Creamy Feta and Roquette Dressing
Black Rice with Mango and Coconut Milk with Palm Sugar
We visited animatedly about food and travels and the latest must-have kitchen gadgets, chit-chatted about our jobs and families and homes. Long after the event was over we lingered, until someone glanced at the clock and suddenly there was a flurry of bag-grabbing and leftover-packing and contact info exchanging before, one by one, we disappeared into the rain.
It was a fantastic day, a wonderful experience learning about so many different foods and cultures and getting to meet such lovely people.
If you’re ever in Brisbane, be sure to check out Taste Trekkers for a delectable and inspiring day out.
by Krista | Dec 7, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
September mornings in the old town part of Vogogna, Italy are wonderfully dark and quiet.
The darkness is not from lack of sunlight, but from the inevitable shade created when tall, stone buildings rub shoulders with each other, towering over the narrow cobbled streets that keep them from knocking heads with the buildings across the way.
It’s a lovely kind of darkness, soft and gentle. The thick stone walls of the aged homes muffle any sounds from within, and the streets are still save for the occasional workmen whistling as he passes.
I loved those mornings spent in a wonderful old house where I was staying with some amazing women writers – Margo, Katy, Kate, and Kathy. I loved waking up before everyone else, wrapping a pashmina snuggly around my shoulders and walking barefoot down steep stone steps worn smooth from generations of barefoot wanderers like me.
One morning a few of us decided to gather outside in the newly discovered courtyard out back for breakfast and brainstorming.
The courtyard had been hiding behind a lace covered doorway in the kitchen, and there were gasps of delight when we creaked open the door and found it there just waiting to be occupied by the chatter of women and the smell of a hot breakfast.
I’m at my best first thing in the morning, so I took on breakfast duty and was soon bustling about brewing coffee, cracking eggs, and sauteing spinach with sun-dried tomatoes over the big gas stove.
Minutes later all was ready and we took our seats on cheery red striped cushions and tucked in. Mmm, it felt so good to wrap chilled fingers around steaming mugs of coffee, and the piping hot fried eggs on savory spinach nests warmed our insides and fortified our brains.
It was a leisurely meal with frequent stops to exclaim at this cheery pot of flowers or that wonderfully weathered window shutter. We waved at our Italian neighbors who were amused by our cluster of foreign ladies chatting happily over breakfast in a back alley.
It is nearly impossible not to get inspired in such a delightful hideaway, and as soon as breakfast was over we pushed our plates aside and hauled out notepads, pens, and other accoutrements. We talked and listened, learning much from each other’s areas of expertise. The little courtyard was filled with the sounds of scratching pens and flipping pages as we filled line after line with ideas for stories, books, and articles. We cheered each other on as we wrestled through fears and doubts, and hurrahed when solutions were reached and decisions made.
As writers, so much of our work is done in solitude, quiet hours spent gathering and organizing information and sifting through words to find just the right ones for each job. As much as we love it, such a life can be isolating and lonely, and it was immeasurably comforting to spend the morning together commiserating, challenging, and inspiring each other.
All too soon it was over. Pens capped, notebooks closed, computers turned off.
We stretched and sighed, laughed and stood up to clear the table.
After all the brain work it was time for a walk.
What do you do to inspire yourself in your work?
by Krista | Dec 5, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
Mornin’ luvs! It is crazily chilly, windy, and dark in Queensland, Australia this week. Brrr! I heard that this is the coldest start to summery they’ve had in 51 years and I don’t doubt it. Shiver!
Today I’m packing up my little suitcase, making sure I have sweater, pashmina and umbrella to keep me warm as I head to Brisbane for a few days to visit my lovely friend Barbara (from Winos and Foodies) and her hubby Bryan. We are going to attend the annual Taste Trekkers Christmas Tour and I am SO excited!! I’ve never been on something like this and am really looking forward to learning about Russian, Greek and Italian Christmas traditions and foods, meet some other food lovers, and dig into a delicious meal made by the Taste Trekker herself, Sally. 🙂
I promise to take heaps of pictures and tell you all about it. 🙂
What Christmas traditions are you most interested in?
xo
by Krista | Dec 3, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
Hi luvs! Is your weekend off to a good start?
Mine’s been a bit rough, but things are getting better today. 🙂 Turns out my issues with mold and Ecoli I had in Washington weren’t fully resolved and have resurrected with a vengeance. Docs have me on four meds now and hopefully I will start feeling better soon.
In the meantime I’m counting up some good things in my life: like my friend Ann bringing her Christmas turkey over for a visit. 🙂 And this little green frog who watched me contentedly while I swept the porch. And two baby goslings toddling about the goose pen.
If you have to be sick, rural Queensland has got to be one of the most beautiful places to do it in. 🙂
Bear took me for a drive the other day and pulled into The Mill Outlook for a cuppa. Just getting out of the car presented a feast for the eyes.
I love the flowering bushes and trees they have here. Such wonderful blossoms in vivid purple, fuschia and red.
We thought it was just a pretty spot for a coffee shop, but it turns out The Mill Outlook is much more than that. Next door to the Settler’s Cafe is a rural center and hobby farm filled with all sorts of farmyard critters waiting to be adopted and taken to a new home.
I love the fluffy white chickens who look like they’re wearing Russian fur hats on their heads, and the adorable nearly featherless fellow who trotted around as if he looked like a million dollars.
We couldn’t pass up a few additions to the farmyard so we got a couple of ducklings and a male and female Belgian.
Then it was time to get out of the hot sun and sit down with a cold drink. My favorite Aussie cold drink is an iced coffee – lusciously creamy and decadent, not too sweet but with plenty of strong coffee flavor. Mmm. I know it’s not the most ideal thing to have when you’re sick, but sometimes you just need a little treat to make life special.
It was such a nice surprise to discover this place. A truly lovely spot along the highway to pull in for a break, sit in the shade and enjoy the view, the chickens, and the occasional baby goat who may wander up for a scratch.
After I got home, I stared at a huge bowl full of ripe, juicy plums – a gift from my friend Ann – and wondered what on earth to do with them. Then I remembered a German dish I had tried years before, a cold fruit soup, and decided that was the ticket.
I wanted it to be a little Christmasy so I added spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, and a little creamy so I stirred in some plain Greek yogurt. The result was deeelectable! Creamy, spicy, and fruity, and I can’t begin to describe how good the house smelled while it was cooking.
I’ve been sipping this concoction all week, figuring the yogurt was the perfect thing to combat the antibiotics I’m taking. 🙂 Now THIS is what I call good sick food. 🙂
What’s your favorite thing to eat when you’re sick?
Chilled Spiced Plum Soup
Ingredients:
6 cups halved VERY ripe plums
water to cover
1/2 tsp each of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom
2 Tbsp honey or real maple syrup
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Directions:
- Place plums in soup pot and cover with water.
- Add spices and honey and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes or until plums have broken down.
- Remove from heat and let cool 30 minutes.
- Puree entire contents and pour into serving bowl.
- Stir in yogurt and chill until ready to serve.
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?
Bags laden we boarded our bus one last time, talking animatedly about our purchases and what we were going to do with them once we got home.
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