by Krista | Aug 20, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, dear ones! After a cold, cloudy day bits of sunshine are streaming through the clouds, brightening my world beautifully. 🙂 How are you?
I’m a happy camper because today is the BEST I’ve felt in three weeks!! HOORAY! Isn’t hope a lovely thing? It’s given me courage to press on another day with a big beamy smile.
Earlier this week my brother Dana took us all on a gorgeous Sunday drive. He’s one of those crazy, amazing fellows who runs and will be entering the Bellingham Bay Marathon in September. So he thought it would be fun to drive the course and see what madness he was getting himself into. It was very fun!!
The course wends along beautiful Bellingham Bay, starting at the Lummi Indian Reservation and curving along the waterfront. If I was a runner (no sirree!!) this is just where I’d love to run.
It was the perfect day for a drive, dry and hot as blazes. Warm inland winds mingled with cool sea breezes as the sun beat down on us, glistening on the gently lapping waves. The view was a bit hazy with smoke from the terrible fires burning in Canada, but we could still see Mount Baker and Lummi Island. I do so love Washington. 🙂
The heat inspired me to try another Virgin Bellini (I have to skip the alcohol for a bit while I get better, but substitute prosecco or sparkling wine for the seltzer water if you want the real deal). This time I blended ripe cherries and fresh lime juice with the seltzer water. Oh my! So fruity, zesty and delicious. The perfect cooling and refreshing drink on a piping hot summer afternoon.
What is your favorite hot weather drink?
I hope you have a beautiful weekend, dear folks! I’ll see you bright and early Monday morning. 🙂
This is my contribution to Myscha’s Happy Hour Friday. Click here to view other scrumptious summer drink ideas.
Virgin Cherry Lime Bellini
Ingredients:
1 cup cherries, pitted
Juice of one lime
1 cup chilled cup seltzer water (if you don’t want it virgin, add prosecco or sparkling white wine instead)
Directions:
- Puree cherries and lime juice with a bit of seltzer water until smooth.
- Pour into glass, add remaining seltzer water, stir and garnish with lime slice. Serve cold.
by Krista | Aug 11, 2010 | Bits 'n' Bobs
I love my creek very much. I love laying in bed with my window open, hearing it trickle under the blackberry bushes overhanging its banks.
Every time I go to the creek I see something new and beautiful. The other day it was towering stalks soaring up through the morning glories with these ethereal pink blossoms dangling from the tops. Do any of you know what they are?
Today I was delighted to discover the blackberry bushes covered in plump, ripe berries. I popped a few in my mouth, delighting in the sweet juices warmed by the sun.
It’s been dark and rainy here the last few days, and since I’ve been unwell, the crockpot has become my new best friend.
My latest favorite dish is Ginger Lime Shredded Pork over whole grain basmati rice. I made a marinade of carrots, ginger, garlic, Hoisin Sauce, Soy Sauce and red wine and basted a lovely pork roast with it. I slow-cooked the roast about 6 hours, turning it every 30 minutes to let those delicious flavors sink into the meat. Then I cranked up the heat a bit, added a cup of diced green beans and some lime juice and cooked it for another hour until the meat was falling apart and the green beans were cooked but still pleasantly crunchy. Oh boy – did my house ever smell good!!
What is your favorite crock pot recipe?
Ginger Lime Shredded Pork
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
5 medium carrots, sliced in rounds
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, minced
1 4″ piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup red wine
1/4 hoisin sauce
1 pork roast
1 cup green beans, diced
3 limes, juiced
pepper and salt to taste
Whole grain Basmati rice, prepared
Directions:
- Set crock pot on low and add first 8 ingredients, stir until mixed.
- Add pork roast and baste.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, basting with sauce every 30 minutes.
- Add green beans and lime juice, turn crock pot on high and cook for 1 more hour.
- Remove pork roast and let cool slightly, then shred.
- Serve with sauce over rice.
by Krista | Jul 9, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
It is blisteringly, gloriously hot in Washington at long last. As I swelter oh-so-happily I am most definitely in the mood for cold foods and colder drinks.
Last night I mixed up 1 part chilled Riesling with 1 part seltzer water and the juice of one lime for a marvelously refreshing drink that cooled me off beautifully while the sun set over the trees.
How has your week been, dear ones? Have you been working on any projects that are delighting or baffling you?
I had a rather serious relapse from my car accident, and it’s been a painful few weeks for me. Thankfully things are getting better now and it makes me smile that the sunshine arrived just as I started getting back to my old self. Such a splendid gift!
While recovering I spent many an hour in the grass on the creek bank, reading, thinking, napping, writing. I love that dear spot.
This weekend I hope to put my house back in order. Dishes, vacuuming and such are NOT a priority when I feel wretched, and it will be marvelous to see things gleaming and tidy again.
Last night I had no idea what to make for dinner, especially as I perused the contents of my fridge and pantry: mint leaves, English peas, apricots, red leaf lettuce, goat cheese, coconut-almond pancake sauce, etc.
On a whim I decided to throw it all together in a rather random salad. I’m so glad I did. Mmm, mmm – delicious!! I heated the coconut-almond sauce to make it the consistency of dressing, and drizzled it over everything else. It gave a lovely tropical twist to the salad and the sweetness was marvelous with the creamy goat cheese.
I’ve caught myself reading a lot more travel blogs lately, sighing happily over gorgeous pictures, dreaming about jetting off to the beaches of Greece or a tropical isle in the South Pacific or a beach house on the Gold Coast of Australia. I’m sensing a theme here.
In the meantime I’ve been looking at places I might visit within a couple of hours of home.
I’d love/hate to walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge in British Columbia. Yipes! I’m such a scaredy cat of heights, and wobbly heights are practically the devil! Sure looks beautiful though.
A sunny day ferry-hopping to the San Juan Islands sounds jolly.
And a picnic lunch and a bit of hiking around Mt. Baker would be wonderful.
What is your favorite inexpensive thing to do during the summer? I hope you have a gorgeous weekend and I will see you bright and early Monday morning! 🙂
This post is my contribution to Happy Hour Friday.
Coconut Almond Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup ground almonds
Directions:
- Combine honey, agave, butter and coconut milk in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Stir in ground almonds.
- serve warm or let cool and use as a spread.
Lime Wine Cooler
(serves 1)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chilled Riesling
1/2 cup chilled seltzer water
Juice of one lime and a few strips of zest
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients, pour into glasses and serve immediately.
by Krista | Jun 28, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning, dear ones!
I’m happily writing you today from an astonishingly tidy house. It was the scene of much mayhem this weekend as I decided the time had come to rearrange everything and make my apartment more conducive to hospitality and creativity. As you can imagine, such a venture resulted in utter disarray and chaos before order was restored, but it was worth it!!
Mums came over and helped me with the heavy bits and we got it set up just right. Then I parked myself among the stacks of papers, piles of boxes and mounds of who-knows-what-all to have a think. I’ve been stressed and overwhelmed lately, and it was time to settle down, be still, and work out a plan.
Gorgeous flowers on Mum’s table.
It was so good for me. Taking those hours to think through my life, goals, hopes, frustrations, talents, weaknesses, knowledge, ignorance, fears, bravery. I still have some things to sort through, I think I always will, but today I feel purposeful instead of harried, focused rather than distracted, peaceful not flustered.
I have a plan, it’s a good plan, and, as a dear friend always tells me, “if you change your mind tomorrow, that will be good too.” Yes it will. 🙂
I did a lot of cooking this weekend, some complicated, new recipes and other simple, stand-by dishes like Chiffonade Lime Brussels Sprouts. I first made it several years ago when I was trying to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into my diet, and it quickly became a favorite.
I was used to eating Brussels Sprouts whole, so I thought this Chiffonade version would be an interesting change. Chiffonade refers to stacking leafy herbs or greens, rolling them tightly, then slicing the roll thinly into little strips. Since Brussels Sprouts are naturally tightly layered, it is quick work to cut them in half then into small strips. I love how some of the strips get caramelized in the butter and lime – mmm. It’s not a pretty dish, but is healthy, fortifying and tasty.
What is one thing you do to stay stress-free and organized, my friends?
This is my contribution to Chaya’s Meatless Mondays. Pop over and discover other vegetarian dishes.
Chiffonade Lime Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
2 cups Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and washed
3-4 Tbsp butter
2 limes, juiced
Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Cut each sprout in half, then cut in narrow strips.
- Melt butter in saucepan and add sprout strips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring often, until sprouts begin to brown. Stir in lime juice and remove from heat. Serve warm.
by Krista | May 19, 2010 | Compatriot Wednesday
Monday was one of those ghastly days where everything seemed to go wrong. I was exhausted and on the verge of tears as I worked feverishly to fix one mess after another when suddenly, like a burst of sunshine after days of fog, everything righted itself and all was well. Phew.
Just in time too, for it was Deep Fried Game Hen night at CEC, my cooking club, and I so didn’t want to miss that! My brain was mush by this point so I sent a plea over Twitter for recommendations for gluten-free desserts. @saffronberry recommended financiers, @Valerie_78 suggested my favorite Nanaimo Bars, and @DuchessinBK urged me to try mini pavlovas with cream and berries. Although they all sounded divine, a quick scan of the contents of my cupboard and fridge decided it for me: the pavlovas. Duchess was lovely enough to type the recipe out for me (thank you!!) and after reading it through I figured I could tweak it a bit to suit my ingredients: limes and mangoes. Oooee, I could hardly wait to give it a whirl. 🙂
I arrived at CEC with arms full, oh so ready for a glass of Petite Sirah to calm my frazzled nerves. Selwyn started us off with a dazzling array of fabulous cheeses: Stilton with Dried Cranberries, Hot Wasabi Aged Cheddar and Smoked Gouda with bacon. Mmm, mmm!!
This was followed by a lovely mixed green salad topped with Toby’s delicious Reduced Balsamic Dressing.
We could smell the main course before we saw it, heavenly scents of deep fried game hen and grilled veggies wafting in through the screen door.
At last Cameron brought in the first batch of hens, slicing through the salty, crispy skin to reveal a spiced pear stuffing inside. Amazing!!!
Deb and Darren grilled asparagus, squash and sweet peppers, and they were the perfect smoky accompaniment to the sprightly salad and savory chicken.
Alas, I cannot share the chicken recipe with you for it involves a “Secret Family Recipe” of spices, but if you can come up with your own concoction of spices, simply rub it all over the chicken before frying to give the skin an out of this world flavor.
We ended the evening with my Lime Pavlovas topped with vanilla cream, fresh mangoes and blackberries. I gotta say those meringues were fantastic. Duchess knows what she’s talking about!!! I adored the addition of lime zest and the mangoes went beautifully with the citrus.
What is the best food you’ve eaten this week, dear ones? 🙂
Before I forget!! I got my RSS feed and email subscription sorted out. If you’d like to receive blog updates, feel free to sign up. 🙂
Today is my first day of participation in WanderFood Wednesday! 🙂 It’s a place for travel writers to share photos, stories, recipes, book reviews and any other food-related topics with other foodies (and non-foodies!).
Toby’s Reduced Balsamic Dressing
3-4 teaspoons reduced balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Hawaiian sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, peeled, green germ removed, and minced
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
7 ounces (210 g) mixed salad greens (8 cups, loosely packed), such as escarole, oak-leaf, and romaine, rinsed, patted dry, and torn into bite-size pieces
Directions:
- Place the vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, and garlic in a medium-size bowl and whisk together until blended. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking constantly, until the dressing is emulsified.
- Add the greens and toss well until they are coated with the dressing. Season with pepper to taste and serve the salad immediately.
Lime Pavlovas with Mangoes and Blackberries
(Adapted from @DuchessinBK)
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbs vanilla
fresh berries
2 tbs orange zest (optional)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 230 degrees, and cover a cookie sheet with parchment.
- Start whipping whites, when just broken and slightly frothy, add tartar – whip it in well.
- Slowly, painfully slowly, add sugar while whipping (scrape down sides gently with rubber spatula)
- When soft peaks form, add 1 tbs of vanilla. Keep whipping until firm peaks form but be careful not to over-whip.
- Very carefully fold in orange zest
- Spoon onto cookie sheet. Depending on size, you’ll get 12+ per sheet. You’ll probably need two sheets.
- Bake for 1 hr. If its humid, 1 hr 20-30 minutes. (By the way, if its super humid, don’t even bother, the whites won’t whip up enough.)
- When finished, they should be completely white, give a hollow noise when you tap them, and still just slightly gooey inside.
- Let them cool completely.
- Meanwhile whip cream with 1 tbs of vanilla.
- Add a dollop of whipped cream to each meringue and add fruit on top.
