A Maiden's Walk

The Dragon Fly

Down among the bulrushes

A little friend I made

He reminded me of times gone by

When all his kind did raid

And knights fought valiant: to free or die!

For maidens in distress (like I).

He's tamer now and t'is just as well

For though a maiden weep

I fear it will not break the spell

That's made the knight-hearts sleep

By Rachael Pengelly

What To Do With Apples

 Stewed Apples are a really great way to use those tart apples, including the ones with unsightly marks.  Just cut out the bad bits, throw them in a pot with some water, juice of a lemon, and cook.  Add some sugar (whichever kind you like... I used up some hardened old icing sugar that had been exposed to liquid at some point).  Don't overdo the sugar, you're not going to store this stuff.  You're going to eat it, and FAST.  (It'll keep in the fridge for plenty long enough for you to demolish in pies, with your cereal, and straight from the jar!)

Here's one tasty little number: spoon your stewed apple over some left over white rice in a dainty bowl;  dollop some plain Greek yogurt on top.  Dust the yogurt with ground ginger, and crunchy golden sugar.  Oh yes, it IS as good as it looks!

We Drew Aside

The gap created by the (unfortunate) removal of one chestnut tree from the line forms the impression that these two have drawn aside from the others for a private chat.

Another Way to Show Off Your Mussels

Flour in butter in your pan

A good couple of tablespoons of Curry Powder

A few squirts of Tomato Paste
Then slowly mix in your Can of Coconut Cream

Now put your Mussels into it!

Spoon over your Organic Trade Aid Rice

Coconut Curried Mussels

One Way to Show Off Your Mussels

  

Way no. 1 calls for Green Tea with Lemongrass, Tarragon, Lemon, Garlic, Red Onion and Chives.  (If you have Lemongrass Pure Essential Oil from DoTERRA it would beat this hands down.  I sadly didn't have any to hand when this was taken last summer.)

Changing up an Unwanted Leftover

Ever had a meal that was nice the first time, but you just didn't feel like having it again for a while?  I felt this way about my left over can of spicy red capsicum, tomatoe and brown rice.  It was a warm, heavy dish the first time round, and after it sat in the fridge for a few days, I knew it was going to end up wasted if I didn't do something to make it appealing again.

It needed a new edge, so I sauteed a whack of garlic in butter, then added the leftovers...

Now I needed something to lighten and freshen the dish overall, and give it a new colour.   After ladling the 'soup' into my serving bowl, I laid a bed of fresh, grated beetroot on top, then a few heaped teaspoons of Matakana Market's beetroot and orange chutney in the middle, then some good thick curls of fresh red onion (Mangawhai garage sell these).  The result was very palatable.

A Walk on the Beach

Here's a craft inspired by the beauty of God's creation.  I've decoupaged a tin can, made a 'holder' by balling up some chicken wire inside the can to hold the branch, then filled it with sand. Bunny tails are beautiful reminders of your walks on Northland NZ's east coast beaches.