'If the bee is, as the French say, "the sentinel of the environment", then the fact that large numbers of bee colonies are perishing around the world is an alarming sign that we must ... attempt to reconnect with a nature that is rapidly disappearing.' Peter and I really enjoy sharing our garden with nature. We love it when birds and bees come to visit, so when scores of bees suddenly disappeared from our courtyard recently, we became quite concerned and wondered why this had happened. Our lavender bushes had finished flowering, so that might explain it, although we had never before noticed the departure of the bees altogether. Coincidentally, I had also (in hindsight, perhaps foolishly) sprayed some of our shrubs with a natural pyrethrum spray to bring them back to good health after a burst of scale and leaf yellowing. Curiously, I'd been doing this for a couple of years and it had never affected bee visitor numbers. And with the bees gone, we also noticed our strawberry patch isn't flourishing with the same vigour as last year. Perhaps it is just the season, or maybe the lack of bees pollinating the flowers. Whatever the cause, now I'm actively engaged in bringing bees back to my garden and I'm happy to report that they're visiting flowering bushes and plants outside in the front garden, so all may not be lost.
Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket kivanok, Froehliche weihnachten, Prejeme vam vesele vanoce a stastny Novy Rok, Zalig Kerstfeast, Buone Feste Natalizie, Kala Christouyenna, Nadolig Llawen, Feliz Navidad, God Jul, Joyeux noel.
The first time I tasted Florentines was in the late 1970s. The husband of a family friend kept a pile in his cookie jar and it was always such a treat when we visited. I'm not sure which bakery he bought them from, but they were they size of my hand and, with an assortment of dried fruits, nuts and rich chocolate coating, they were seriously good.
However, they were also rock solid and, as such, a bit hard to bite into. 'Tooth Crackers', I call them. I've eaten some other 'tooth cracker' biscuits over the years, regretting it instantly when I felt that certain crunch, knowing in my gut that the little nugget I just chomped into wasn't part of the biscuit! Ouch! This unplanned activity has kept my dentist, Dr Fang (true), happy for a time. Needless to say, I've been longing to experiment with my own version of Florentines that are kinder to the teeth. With temperatures hitting the 30s this week, Australia has had a taste of summer and the time is ripe to cool down with ice-cold, refreshing treats. I smiled when I saw my friend and fellow Canberra blogger Zoe's tweet with a picture of her kiddies cooling off under the sprinkler, as it reminded of some memorable water fights with family and friends, and also of one stinking hot December about four years ago when Peter and I rented a place just off ANZAC Parade. After walking home from the city in 30+ degrees every afternoon, we'd strip down to our underwear and (like a pair of children) hose each other off in the privacy of the park-like back garden. Talk about a great way to chill out!
'Why do we need more cherries?' Peter asked when I stopped to buy two large packs of plump cherries from sellers at the Capital Region Farmer's Markets on Saturday. After our recent weekend in Young for the Cherry Festival, you might think that I'd had enough of the fruit. Not so... despite de-stoning and preserving about four and a half kilos (and devouring another kilo or so fresh from the hand, I am still merrily playing with them in my kitchen.
For a deliciously fun, festive indulgence, try dipping some cherries or strawberries in melted chocolate. Chill them until ready to serve, and there you have it... little choc-cherry ballerinas waiting to dance on your taste buds. 'If some exquisite little goddess of gluttony were to exist, her name would surely be Vanilla, and she would be a delicate, slim creature in a dress sparkling with tiny perfumed crystals.'
My kitchen has been filled with the aroma of various fruit preserves lately due to something of a cooking frenzy! If you've been reading my recent posts, you'll know that I made some jam from bargain-priced Summer strawberries bought at the farmer's market. After a weekend in Young for the Cherry Festival, I've been busy preserving cherries for Winter pies and clafoutis. And when I saw mangoes selling at two for $2.50 at one of the independent grocers in the city, I knew what I had to do. And a girl has to do what a girl has to do, right?!
Is it just me, or are you also feeling more than a little overwhelmed at how quickly the last few weeks and months have flown past?! With three solid (enjoyable) weekends away from home recently for the Human Brochure event, Eat Drink Blog and the Cherry Festival, I am not as prepared for Christmas as I'd like to be. Although I've made a good start!
In my kitchen this month is an goodies for preserving and baking... and my kitchen bench is loaded (overflowing, in fact) with packets of yummy ingredients, an assortment of jars and lids, baking paper, my (new) funnel, pinking shears and a bundle of cloth remnants that I bought in an antique store in Young, NSW.
My father, the gentleman barber, who liked to be known as 'Andre the Great', grew several grapevines and fruit trees in our back garden, among them nectarines, apricots and peaches. The fruit was plump, succulent and full of flavour. The peaches, for instance, were the size of a tennis ball and, though dad pruned the trees diligently, sometimes we needed a ladder to reach the biggest and best specimens at the top of the tree.
Under one of the peach trees in the back corner near the fence was the compost heap, where lawn clippings and kitchen scraps were piled before being dug into the garden. And, for some reason, we had a small pet turtle that lived at the base of that tree. It was a long time ago now, and my parents and two of my older siblings are no longer around, so I can't really say why or how the turtle came to live in that spot, but it did. I can remember playing with it occasionally (when my siblings would allow it) and can still recall the smell it had and how I loved to run my little fingers over the etched outside shell. One day, apparently the turtle escaped the back yard when someone left the gate open. And that was that. |
Welcome...Üdvözölöm
Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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