Here I am, sitting
in the polka dotted armchair, feet propped up on the red leather couch,
freezing my American toes off. Usually,
June would mean swimming pools, air conditioning, and making plans for the 4th
of July. Well, they have a 4th of July
in Australia, they just don't celebrate our independence. June in Australia means frosty breath,
jumpers (sweaters), and footy (Aussie Rules Football).
Yesterday, SG and I
did our usual playdoughing/puzzling/singing/dancing at playgroup. Afterwards she was off to waitress at her
swank little French restaurant and I was off to the library. Having no internet at the place we're house
sitting makes for lots of library time.
I picked up a few rhubarb recipes.
(Big Ian the farmer brought us a bunch to church a few weeks ago.) I chatted with Mom about the current sand
volleyball match Jar was playing in and chatted with Mark about how much he
loves being an uncle.
I ran into my
favorite 94 year old and her two friends on my way out of the library. We chatted about how cool it is that Marj is
turning 90 next month, and how young my mom looked when she came to visit. I had my guitar on my back, so we talked
about that and also about why I was wearing one leg warmer. Everyone seems to think I've turned an ankle
or broken a leg. It's not a bandage;
it's just that I hadn't finished knitting my other leg warmer. Might as well have one warm leg.
The grocery store
was buzzing with people, and I didn't understand why until I was talking with a
couple from church I ran into near the checkout. The Queen's Birthday! Oh, of course, everyone's out shopping
because of the Queen's birthday.
Right. Got it. Just like Memorial Day Weekend. Have a little winter BBQ, maybe wear a
tiara. (Actually I think they make tea
and eat tea cakes.)
When I got home, I
was a little tornado of productivity. I
don’t know what caused such a flurry of get er done, but I love when it
happens. I stewed the rhubarb, turned
the kilo of carrots into carrot soup, did some laundry, made some coffee (the
ultimate productivity booster), and sang through The
Show Goes On a few times (yes, the Lupe Fiasco one), complete with
kitchen dance moves.
The Matthews had us
over for tea (dinner). And there were
parsnips. Let me tell you, before coming
to Australia, I thought I had tried a lot of different foods. Brussels sprouts can't make me shake in my
boots. Now that I've lived here a year,
I've decided I was definitely missing out on some great foods, pumpkin and
parsnips being two. We had roasted
veggies, steamed veggies, and a beef casserole (stew). SO GOOD.
We finished up the night with a rollicking game of Rummikub.
Still feeling the
effects of the afternoon's cup of coffee, I stayed up making horchata and
knitting (and watching Miss Congeniality 2)
before turning in around midnight.
This morning danced
out of bed and finished my other leg warmer.
Here's a picture of the finished product. The flower is just from a sun dress I have at
home. It's on a safety pin, so I use it
on my cardigans or in my hair or now, on my leg warmers.
During breakfast we
had a small kitchen fire. Ok, it wasn't
the whole kitchen, just the toaster. I
suggested SG try toasting her peanut butter banana toast by holding the toaster
sideways. (I'd seen it on
Pinterest) I think there must be an
important part of that process that involves timing. Next thing I knew, SG was saying FIRE FIRE
FIRE and I was saying GIVE ME THE TOASTER and trying to remember what not to do
in an electrical fire. She unplugged the
toaster and all was well, except the bottom of the toast, which was decidedly
scorched.
After breakfast, I
finished making the horchata. Part of
the fun of drinking horchata (Mexican cinnamon rice milk) is that it's cold and
you're hot and it's usually accompanied by Mexican food. As this morning was frigid and there's no
tacos in sight, the horchata was a bit of a flop.
Leg warmers,
parsnips and Mexican rice milk, just the usual life in Australia,
Little Miss Sunshine
Carrot Soup from The Thrifty Cook by
Jacki Passmore (love this book!)
1 kg carrots (2.2
lbs)
2 med brown onions
1-2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 cups chicken
stock
Salt and pepper to
taste
Directions: Read all
directions before beginning
Peel and thickly
slice carrots.
Peel and chop onion.
Sautee onions until
lightly colored.
Add carrots and
garlic.
Stir over high heat
for 2 min. to give carrots a roasted taste.
Add stock, salt and
pepper.
Simmer until carrots
are very tender. (20+ min)
Puree in a blender.
Optional: Serve with
a sprinkle of cumin, lemon pepper, kaffir lime leaves or shredded lemon
myrtle.
Stewed Rhubarb from Allrecipes.com
10 cups rhubarb
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Place
the rhubarb in a large pot and fill with enough water so that it is almost
covered.
Bring to a boil,
then simmer over medium heat until starting to fall apart, about 20 minutes.
Stir occasionally.
Remove from the heat
and stir in the sugar and cinnamon until sugar has dissolved.
Serve hot or cold
over vanilla yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, ice cream, or whatever the heck you
want.
No comments:
Post a Comment