by Krista | Jan 11, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
If you could travel somewhere you have never been, where would you go?
Would you head to the canals of Amsterdam, the souks of the Middle East, or perhaps take a train through Australia’s bush country?
If I could go anywhere this year, I would go to Spain.
(Creative Commons photo courtesy of Pixdaus)
In all my trips to Europe I have never been to this fascinating country. I was a nanny in Portugal and explored France with my family, but I never made it across either of their borders into Spain. Up until recently this omission didn’t trouble me greatly.
But then three things happened:
(Creative Commons photo of Lanzarote Island courtesy of Green Fudge)
One: I found a few riveting novels set in Spain at the library that drew me in to the world of fierce mountain clans and stunning cities.
Two: I watched Anthony Bourdain’s enticing foodie trek through the wilds of Spain and ever since have been hungry for the delectable dishes he featured.
Three: I met my two English friends Katy and Kate. Kate and Katy both speak Spanish and have lived and traveled in Spain numerous times. Their stories, photos, and hilarious adventures stirred up an unquenchable desire to experience this country they both love so much.
I don’t know if I’ll get the chance this year, but it sure is fun to dream.
(Creative Commons photo of Cuenca Casa Colgadas courtesy of Famous Wonders)
How about you? Where would you go?
For more travel inspiration and global dreaming, click here to join the discussion at the Travel Belles delightful and informative Across the Cafe Table.
by Krista | Dec 19, 2011 | Bootstrap Monday
Storm clouds are brewing and chooks are clucking contentedly outside the door as my dog Fletcher snoozes on the rug.
I just finished watering my gardens and am pleased as punch to see the melons flowering, rainbow chard flourishing in brilliant colors, little bell peppers and tomatoes making their appearance, and cheery snapdragons blooming faithfully day after day.
Nine baby chicks joined the family yesterday and they are fuzzy and tipsy and cute as can be. The last batch are rowdy teenagers now and we’ll introduce them to the chook yard today or tomorrow. The new goats are out of quarantine so the herd has swelled to 16!! I love looking out my windows and seeing them grazing in the backyard, mowing down the weeds as effectively as a lawnmower. Bear has taken to calling me “Heidi the Goat Girl” since for some reason the goats have taken a fancy to me and come at a gallop when I call them.
It’s been such a lovely week of surprises. 🙂 My friend Elizabeth spent a couple of days on the farm and we had such a good time sewing and cooking together, talking a mile a minute. My Mum and Dad sent me the best Christmas parcel full of Danish and Canadian and Bjorn treats to make me smile and laugh, my own copy of our favorite Christmas book “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”, and beautiful decorations for my Christmas tree. Then my friends Joe and Shirley had us over for a splendid Aussie BBQ and surprised me with coffee from Tim Hortons in Canada. And Shirley showed me a gorgeous lily that smells like chocolate! Such happy little surprises. 🙂
A lot has happened this week and I have heaps of things to share with you.
Firstly, I’m so honored to be interviewed by the fabulous ladies at Well Designed Journeys about my travels and some favorite food destinations. Click here to read it and please leave a comment there and let me know what your answers would be!
Second, I’m very excited to have my Christmas in Australia article up at The Travel Belles. Click here to read how the holidays are celebrated where there’s not a lick of snow in sight. I’d love to hear how you would celebrate Christmas in an environment completely the opposite of what you’re familiar with.
Third, I’m very proud to host a guest post by my dear friend and true kindred spirit, Breanne from A Vintage Box. I met Breanne and her splendid husband Jared for the first time on a chilly day in Vancouver, Canada, after months of reading each other’s blogs. We were instant “bosom friends” as our beloved Anne of Green Gables would say, and have stayed in contact ever since. (Click here to read about our adventure there.) Tomorrow she will be writing about one of their most delightful holiday party traditions, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
Fourth (I told you there are heaps!!), the very first Rambling Tart Newsletter will be coming out this week. I had every intention of sending you one every month since last spring, but as you know my whole world went topsy-turvy (click here to read more) and I never had the chance. But now that I’m settled down again, I’m getting back on track. 🙂 If you would like to receive it, please click here to sign up. I promise to never spam you and hope the Rambling Tart Newsletter will inspire you with ideas for building a beautiful life.
Phew! Now I wish you could join me for a cup of tea and a slice of Plum Tart with a soft, nutty crust slathered in rich cream. After using up most of my plums in Spiced Chilled Plum Soup, I used the rest in this oh-so-homey tart. I love it any time of day, but it’s awfully nice for breakfast with coffee or tea. I tidied up the back porch and now it is perfect for sitting and visiting while eating a slice of tart and watching the antics of the local wildlife. I saw my first kangaroo hopping by the other day!
What is your favorite homey dessert?
Plum Tart with Nutty Crust
Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup almond meal (finely ground almonds)
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, diced
1 egg yolk
2 pounds ripe plums, pitted and quartered lengthwise
heavy cream
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Combine all ingredients except plums and cream until mixture forms a dough. (Will be rather wet)
- Press 3/4 of the mixture into an even layer along bottom and sides of 9″ tart pan with removable bottom.
- Arrange plums, skin side down in whatever pattern you desire.
- Drop small spoonfuls of remaining dough across plums (like you would for a cobbler).
- Bake for 40-50 minutes until crust is lightly browned and plum juices are bubbling.
- Remove from oven and cool 10-15 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature drizzled with heavy cream.
by Krista | Oct 12, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
When Margo at The Travel Belles asked us to share about our favorite museum for this month’s Across the Cafe Table, I was stymied! I love museums, from the quirky to the sublime, but I wracked my brain to think of my absolute favorite.
I thought of the Museum of Bread Culture in Ulm, Germany – a place that sounded as dull as can be at first glance, but turned out to be a 5-story trip through history chock full of interesting displays and fascinating tidbits of how bread was used to win wars, control entire populations, and bring life to those on the brink of death.
I considered the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, a fantastic place filled with the most beautiful vistas of animals in their natural habitats, and the Museum Willet-Holthuysen in Amsterdam. How I love this wonderful old canal house with its charming gardens and cozy old kitchen.
But at last I settled on the Dutch Resistance Museum in the Netherlands.
Amsterdam has a wealth of museums, including the famous Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, but this one is my favorite.
It is the sort of place you want to linger in, reading story after story of the heroic and selfless actions of Dutch civilians during the Nazi Occupation of World War II.
I read incredulously of the ingenuity of the Resistance workers as they devised brilliant ways of smuggling ration cards, food, and forged papers to those in need. I cried as I read the heart-rending stories of those who suffered terribly or lost their lives in their efforts to rescue Jews and others hunted by the Nazis.
The museum has an extensive and fascinating collection of items from WWII, including original clothing, documents, and furniture that give the stories even greater impact. I loved reading snippets from old letters and diaries and learning about the man who cooked the books of the Dutch government in order to finance the Resistance movement right under the noses of the Gestapo. I was transfixed by hundreds of photos and hearing the voices of survivors telling their stories.
Mostly I was inspired and challenged to look at my time in history and find ways to protect and care for those in need.
For more information on the Dutch Resistance Museum click here.
Note: call ahead for exact ticket cost since changes are not always reflected on website.
For more information about beloved museums around the world, click here.
What is your favorite museum?
by Krista | Sep 23, 2011 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, luvs!
It’s a beautifully sunny day in Amsterdam as I bustle about washing clothes, sorting toiletries, and getting last minute errands done before flying back to Italy tomorrow morning.
I will be there for the next two weeks with my dear friend and editor Margo from The Travel Belles and my fellow writers and adventurers Kathy from Food Lover’s Odyssey, Kate from Tales of A Brit Abroad and Katy from Starry-Eyed Travels. I’m so excited to finally get to meet them face to face and experience beautiful Italy together.
We’ll be learning all about the Piedmont area, exploring a rice farm, trying local dishes and recreating them in the kitchen, and challenging and inspiring each other in our writing and publishing pursuits.
I can’t wait!
I’ll be taking notes and pictures and will tell you all about it in the days ahead. 🙂
I hope you have a wonderful weekend, dear ones! Now I must get back to packing. 🙂
xo
by Krista | Oct 6, 2010 | Compatriot Wednesday
It was a bright and briskly cold October day in Amsterdam as my brother Ryan, his girlfriend Melissa, my friend Amy and I donned warm sweaters and woolly scarves and headed out for lunch and a stroll.
The streets of Amsterdam are endlessly fascinating to me. I love the tall, narrow canal houses with their gabled tops and pert little windows, the cobbled streets lined with elegant pastry shops, haute couture, and bicycles everywhere.
Ry and Melissa led us to one of their favorite spots perched on the edge of a canal. We found seats outside in a sunny patch and ordered foamy coffee to warm our fingers and tummies. I think it’s splendid when my coffee arrives with a little extra something like these teensy chocolate chip cookies.
We had such fun soaking up that rare Autumn sunshine, chatting happily about our travel adventures and plotting how we would spend that day. We were off to visit Corrie ten Boom’s house, a place I’d read about over and over as a child through her book The Hiding Place. (This week I wrote an article on it for The Travel Belles. Click here to read more about this amazing woman and her family who rescued Jews in Holland during WWII.)
At last our food arrived and ooeee, was it ever good!!! We shared steaming Dutch pea soup – amazing!! – and I had a fantastic toasted sandwich: thick fresh grainy bread topped with a thick slab of tender smoked turkey breast, fresh tomatoes and gooey circles of melted brie. It was heavenly.
It was such a beautiful start to our day: dear friends, delicious food, and the anticipation of a new adventure.
What is your favorite lunch on a cold day?
This is my contribution to Wanderfood Wednesday. Click here to view more foods from around the world.
(Creative Commons photo courtesy of Pixdaus)
(Creative Commons photo of Lanzarote Island courtesy of Green Fudge)
