Good morning! I’m yawning and stretching and yawning some more this dark Monday morning, wrapped securely in a quilt as I eat a Christmas orange. It’s been a good weekend filled with hustling and bustling and getting some much needed rest. After not taking any vacation time this year, I now have two trips, back to back, with only one day in between to prepare. Yipes!
As a result my house is dotted with stacks and piles and lists, one set with boots, sweaters and scarves for Europe, the other with sundresses, sandals and sunscreen for Australia. Then there’s the other lists, the ones filled with things to do for work: articles and posts to be written, interviews to be done, projects to be completed, all by Thursday. Again I say, YIPES! 🙂
All this madness WILL be worth it though. I’m going to see people I love, experience things I’ve never experienced, eat things I’ve never tried before. I’m excited and grateful.
In the meantime there is regular life to be lived and in between scrubbing floors, washing dishes, and sorting laundry, I had such fun this weekend cooking up a couple different curries to last me the week: Green Chili Cilantro Chicken and Chicken with Spinach and Tomatoes. Mmm.
I also got to see the progress of my homemade Vanilla Extract. My friend Darren made me a Vanilla Extract Making Kit for my birthday – complete with a bottle of vodka and 6 vanilla beans that we sliced in half and slid into the vodka. It’s coming along beautifully, the liquid getting darker and darker as the vanilla infusion works its magic.
Tomorrow I’m excited to be participating in a Blog Challenge with my friend Cailin from A White Picket Fence. We are going to be writing and sharing photos about warm holiday destinations such as Jamaica, Mexico and Fiji.
If you could go to any warm place for your next holiday, where would you go?
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Ingredients:
1 bottle good vodka 6 vanilla beans
Directions:
Lay vanilla beans on cutting board and careful split each one in two, leaving 1/2″ at one end intact for easy removal.
Open vodka bottle and insert vanilla beans, split ends first.
Seal tightly and store in cool, dark place for 6+ weeks.
Hello, luvs! A storm is raging outside, lulling me to sleep as I fight to stay awake. It is almost midnight – my usual and most unfortunate bedtime this week – and I can’t wait to hunker down under a cozy quilt and sleep, sleep, sleep.
It’s been raining something fierce all week, shutting down power and phone lines, thoroughly drenching everything in sight. I may be hankering for some sunshine, but the moss and ferns are flourishing!
What are you up to this weekend? I’m sticking close to home, bustling about doing laundry, finishing up writing assignments, wrapping Christmas pressies, and packing to leave for Europe next Friday. Two of my brothers live there – one in Germany, the other in Amsterdam – and they sent my parents and I plane tickets to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve with them!! We couldn’t believe it. Those crazy, lovely fellows. I can’t wait to see them! So I’m looking forward to my last weekend at home, spending it in my new striped pajamas, playing music as I clean, tidy and plan.
I’ve been eating super healthy lately and am hankering for something good yet decadent for breakfast tomorrow morning. What is your favorite breakfast to spoil yourself with?
I really love hiking in stormy weather. I like how the rain makes everything clean and glossy – leaves, rocks, branches. It’s especially beautiful here in the Pacific Northwest with the ocean, mountains and woods as stunning backdrops for blustery winds and steady downpours.
The Nooksack River that wends through Whatcom County, Washington is one of my favorite places to amble on a rainy day. Every bend provides a stunning view of thick forests, frothy rapids, and unexpected delights like these towers of river rocks.
There’s something so peaceful about a river. I like finding a damp seat on a big rock right near the water, watching it tumble past in a steady cadence that would lull me right to sleep if I was tucked in a sleeping bag in a nearby tent.
There’s something mysterious and mesmerizing about the fog rolling in over the mountains, filling up the river bed and snaking its way through the trees.
On such days I like to return home to dry pajamas, wool socks and hot, comforting food like this 5-vegetable curry. Made with diced potatoes, carrots, green beans, zucchini, and petite corn, this dish requires a lot of chopping but is well worth the effort. I like to make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for quick lunches. I don’t care for much heat in my curry. I’d rather savor the delectable tangle of coriander, turmeric and 5-spice heightened with lime juice and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro.
What is your favorite thing to eat after a trek in the rain?
Vegetable Curry
Ingredients:
2-3 large Yukon gold potatoes, diced 3-4 carrots, diced 2 cups corn 2 large handfuls green beans, diced 2 small zucchini, diced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it hot) 2 tsp ground coriander 2 tsp 5-spice 3 bay leaves 1/2 jalapeno, minced (more if you like it hot) 2-3 cups chicken broth 1-2 tsp salt lime juice cilantro
Directions:
Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add spices and bay leaves and stir.
Add carrots and cook 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add potatoes and cook 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add green beans and cook 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add zucchini and cook 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add jalapeno, chicken broth, salt to taste. Bring to boil and simmer uncovered 8-10 minutes until vegetables are soft.
Just before serving stir in lime juice and garnish with cilantro. Serve alone or over rice.
I knew it was going to be a good night at Cooking Club when my friend Darren brought me a steaming cup of Peppermint Hot Chocolate before dinner. What a scrumptious way to warm up before our feasting began!
I was too sick to make it to my British Night birthday dinner last week, but my lovely friends did a repeat for me and it was marvelous.
While the others cooked and bustled in the kitchen, I served up a few nibbles to tide us over: dilled green beans, Kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts.
Cameron unwrapped the cheesecloth-bound, salt-cured pork he made and sliced it into delectable little morsels of salty goodness. It went perfectly with Don’s mild Swiss cheese slices and glasses of red wine.
Soon the British portion of our feast was piping hot and ready to be eaten. We dug into Cameron’s herbed mashed potatoes…
…Robin’s peppery mashed turnips…
…Jen’s Toad-in-the-Hole, and drenched everything in beef gravy. Mmm, comfort food at its finest.
We ended the meal with a bowl of roasted chestnuts which we peeled and devoured as we visited happily around the dining table. It was a fabulous birthday dinner.
What is comfort food to you?
I’m delighted to have a new article up at The Travel Belles today! Click here to see pictures and read about a boat ride around a Croatian island. I’d love to hear what you think!
Jen’s Toad in the Hole – click here for the recipe.
Robin’s Mashed Turnips
Ingredients:
turnips, peeled and diced butter milk salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place turnips in pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer until tender. Drain.
Add butter, milk, salt and lots of pepper. Mix until smooth.
Cameron’s Salt-Cured Pork Loin
Ingredients:
salt (several cups) water pork loin, cut into 2-3 inch strips Cognac salt cheesecloth
Directions:
Add salt to water and stir until dissolved. Keep adding until it won’t dissolve anymore.
Add meat to salt water and make sure it’s covered. Let sit 24 hours.
Remove meat from water and pat dry. Dip in cognac, salt, wrap tightly in cheesecloth, and hang in cool, dry place for 3-5 weeks. (Can also be smoked lightly before wrapping in cheesecloth)
Warning: These are my first attempts at video, so please bear with the occasional bobbles and shakes.
These videos were taken in Xcaret, an eco-park outside Cancun, Mexico. This beautiful place is dedicated to preserving and sharing Mexican history and culture through archaeological finds, lush gardens, and performances portraying Mayan dances and traditions.
My favorite event of the day was when five men in brilliantly colored traditional garb came bowing and dancing into the dusty arena.
Aren’t their headdresses fabulous?! As their dance came to an end, they took turns clambering up a towering pole with no ropes, harnesses or nets to keep them from plummeting to the ground.
If that wasn’t enough, one chap stood on top of the pole as it began to spin, playing an instrument as his companions did this:
Needless to say, I was agog. I am scared spitless of heights, and can imagine few more terrifying prospects than leaping headfirst from a lofty perch held only by a rope lashed around my waist. Yipes!
They went on to amaze us even further by their intricate dance steps and this little number:
Heavens!
Those fellows deserved every clap, whoop and holler they got. It was a jolly treat from my hosts at Royal Holiday and I loved every minute of it. If you’d like to see more video from my trip to Cancun and Xcaret, click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
So what scares you? Heights? Small spaces? Sharks?
