Far for lunch (well - just 91kms!)

St Albans is not THAT far from where we live, but from suburban Sydney it seems another world away.  Google maps tells me its 91.2 km away and the time estimated to get there is 1 hour 44 minutes.  It took us just on 2 hours on Sunday (it was quicker getting home) because I didn’t consult Google maps before we left (having been there maybe 5 0r 6 times before) and we have some new freeways that don’t appear in my street directory (ie we took a few wrong turns getting out of Sydney) and it’s some years since we were last at the Settlers Arms for lunch.  I should have just let C decide the route - he knows the way to Riverside Oaks well!  He enjoyed his first long drive since his recent eye surgery.  Four weeks without driving got to him!

The Settlers Arms is one of my favourite places.  It is a atmospheric convict built sandstone inn, dating back to 1836, it’s in a remote and unspoiled valley reached by crossing the Hawkesbury River by vehicular ferry,

it’s almost a given to spot at least one kangaroo in the MacDonald valley (I saw several), the birdlife is amazing - and the garden setting is quite lovely.  I took my mom there when she visited us - it’s a lovely place to take overseas visitors.

MissN still has an injured hand (torn ligaments which she hurt while playing goalkeeper) so no soccer yet.  Thus we were “free” from soccer commitments and could take a long drive for lunch.  The food is good quality pub food - not very innovative but fresh, tasty and so much nicer for being eaten in the sun.  I had a beer too - something I seldom drink.  Cascade Light, if you are interested…

Working clockwise, C had a chicken pie, I had a smoked salmon and potato salad and MissN had a spicy sweet potato soup.  It was a bit TOO spicy for her, and she is used to spicy food.  (I won’t share that both C and MissN had dessert!) So I thought I would share MY sweet potato soup recipe, photo below taken when I made it a week or two ago.

Roast Sweet Potato and Red Capsicum Soup with Rocket Pesto

Peel and dice 2 sweet potatoes,  deseed and dice 2 red capsicum (sweet/bell/red peppers), peel and quarter 2 red/Spanish onions and peel a few cloves of garlic (choose large cloves).  Toss all the vegetables in olive oil and place in a roasting dish.  Roast for about 20 minutes.

Tip all the vegies into a pot.  Pour some boiling water into the roasting dish to deglaze it, and add it to the vegies.  Cover the vegies with water and add some stock concentrate if you like (I use Plantaforce - Vecon is also good) and bring the soup to a boil.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Blend the soup.

Serve with a dollop of pesto.  I made rocket and walnut pesto, as rocket is a cheaper option in winter, and walnuts were on special too (I stocked up for my brownie cake!)

Pesto (from The Harvest Pantry by Barbara Beckett - a great recipe book I use for a lot of my basics)

2 cups basil (or rocket) leaves

half cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons pine nuts (or walnuts)

1 teaspoon salt, optional

6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino cheese (I omit this if I don’t have any)

about 2 tablespoons hot water

Put all the ingredients except for the cheese into a food processor (I use my hand-held Bamix) and blend.  Add the cheeses gradually.  Gradually add some water until is is a smooth thick paste.  Serves 6.

This will keep well in the fridge for some weeks or longer.  Make sure it is covered with a layer of oil.  Pesto originates in the Ligurian area of Italy where it was a way of preserving basil in the winter and adding some “fresh” greenery in winter when other greens are scarce. We had a magical 4 days in Liguria on our first trip to Italy in 1993 (C had been before but it was my first trip) when we stayed in Tellaro, visited Portofino, the Cinque Terra and ate at the wonderful Locanda Miranda.  Memories…

Our day on Sunday was special.  We laughed and talked, enjoyed great music in the car (a lot of Talking Heads), were refreshed, renewed and restored and nourished by food that was more than just physical.

Blessings…

Life wasn’t meant to be easy

It’s tough.  Health issues.  Relationship issues.  Emotional issues.  Financial stress.  Mortgage stress.  Fuel prices.  Rising prices.  Prices.  World food shortage.  Global warming.  The future.  Our kids. Their problems. Their future?

We were never promised an easy ride.    But I guess without trials and testing we don’t develop character, are never stretched to grow and learn and become more compassionate, more resilient, more loving human beings.  But that’s little comfort in the midst of hard times.

What can we do to get through the arduous times?  Live each day as a gift.  Each day IS a gift.   Talk, laugh, sing, dance, pray, enjoy the sunshine and the rain.   Nurture and value each other and ourselves.  Give thanks for our many blessings. Remember the hope we have.   Celebrate with each meal.

That sounds trite but the little pleasures do add up.  Real food.  Cooked with love.  Real coffee.  Music which lifts the spirits.  A fat sun-warmed purring cat. (Or dog or or child grandchild - but of course, children and dogs don’t purr!)  A hug and an encouraging word.  A meal eaten enjoyed outside in the sun, or the cool (whatever you need!)

I recently bought a 2kg bag of sweet potatoes and we have enjoyed a number of great dishes.  Some new, some family favourites.  I don’t recall where I got this recipe.  It’s a satisfying, healthy, honest, simple-to-make but complex-in-taste, delicious salad.  It’s a meal in itself but those of you who are meat-addicted could add some crumbled crisp bacon or a grilled minute steak or even some lamb kofte.

Sweet potato and chickpea (garbanzo) salad

Peel and cube a couple of sweet potatoes, toss with oil and put in a baking dish.

Drizzle with sweet chili sauce, then roast.

Toss (when cooled a bit) with a tin of drained chickpeas, some onion (either finely sliced red or spring onions or shallots) and baby spinach leaves or other dark leaves (rocket is good too).

Add the dressing of your choice. I use extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar with some chopped garlic.  The original recipe suggested a yoghurt dressing, but that would negate the taste of the caramelised sweet chili sauce, I thought!

Toasted pine nuts are a nice addition too!

More sweet potato recipes to come!

A song which has lifted my spirits this week is Love Came Down by Ben Cantelon.

Blessings - Meals on Wheels and Bach

I have been blogging in my head. Which is not very useful. A combination of procrastination and perfectionism (which is why I am a FLYbaby) has meant that these posts remain yet unpublished. I need to be more disciplined.

So.. let’s break the fast:

C delivers Meals on Wheels fortnightly (his company encourages their staff to do community service and allows them flexible working arrangements to facilitate this). But sometimes he can’t make it (a meeting he can’t miss, for example) and then I do it for him. He had cataract surgery last week and the week before and isn’t up to driving yet (plus his licence has expired and it’s doubtful he would pass the vision test at the moment so he can’t renew it yet) so I did his run this morning.

Meals on Wheels provides food from afar. The food isn’t what I would call ” good food” (the main courses are, of necessity, highly processed, and full of additives and preservatives) but it is a valuable service to those who receive the meals and is a blessing to them. When I first reluctantly began doing fill-in runs for C a couple of years ago, I was extremely uncomfortable delivering the meals. It took me way out of my comfort zone. I am not good with people I don’t know and find small talk difficult. Plus some of the situations the clients are in are sad and confronting. But it has become easier and even though I seldom set off eagerly, I am always blessed by doing a MOW run.

Today was chilly but sunny in Sydney. A glorious winter day. My run takes me close to or alongside three of the bays in Sydney Harbour (Five Dock Bay, Iron Cove and Hen and Chickens Bay). I was looking forward to a friend’s 50th birthday lunch later.

I flick between two radio channels when I am driving - 103.2 (contemporary Christian radio) and 2MBS.FM (Sydney’s fine music station).  Bach’s double violin concerto was on 2MBS - this version

with Itzhak Perlman and Isaac Stern was playing.  Perlman was, I think, my father’s favourite, though he loved Heifezt, Menuhin and Zukerman as well.  It was a special blessing.

It was food from afar - from my childhood, when we were forced to endure “Sunday music” (as we used to call classical music) which my father would play loudly on his B & O record player all Sunday.  But as adults we four siblings all love and are “fed” by violin music.  (Someone called the slow movement of Beethoven’s violin concerto was one of the highest cultural achievements of western civilization - and it has to be one of the most sublime things I can experience - listening to Zukerman play it.)  Beethoven I need to be alone or in a concert hall to enjoy.  Bach, on a sunny day in the car, was blissful.

A very good way to start my week.  I was blessed.

What’s been a special blessing for you recently?

For John and Maggy - soup and brownie cake

Hospitality is not one of my gifts. For various reasons related to my childhood and personality, I am not comfortable “entertaining” people in our home. But I am good at encouraging people, and I have been challenged to get out of my comfort zone with regard to extending hospitality to friends and to-be friends.

But - I can cook. I love cooking for my family and I do regard it as one of my gifts. If I could, I would bless John and Maggy Dobbs with some soup and my rich brownie flat cake.

I got this recipe from epicurious, one of my favourite recipe sources. It’s an intense flavoured soup (don’t leave out the anchovies and rosemary - they make the soup), but with a freshness and lightness that belies the fact this is a complete meal in a bowl. It conjures memories of a dinner in Monteriggioni on a cold night in ‘93 (even though I have no memory of what we ate that night).

Bean and Swiss Chard (silverbeet) Soup
from: Soup: A Way of Life | November 1998
Barbara Kafka

Clearly this is an Italian soup. Biete is Swiss chard, usually green, although I have a fondness for the drama and beefy taste of the red-stemmed kind.
Servings: Makes about 5 cups (1.25 litres); 4 first-course servings.

1/2 pound (225 g) Swiss chard (silverbeet) or kale, trimmed ( I remove the thick white stalks)
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus additional to taste
2 flat anchovy fillets
1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves or dried
1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil (I use much less)
2 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled (I mince them finely)
1 cup (225 g) cooked small white beans or drained and rinsed canned beans (chick peas are good too!)
4 cups (1 liter) chicken stock [or Garlic Broth for a meatless soup]
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup (60 g) small shell macaroni (I use Orgran rice and corn fusilli)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
In a medium saucepan, cook the chard with 1/2 cup (125 ml) water and the salt over medium heat until tender. Drain the chard, reserving any liquid that remains. Coarsely chop the chard. (I don’t bother cooking the chard - I just add it raw)

Very finely chop anchovies together with the rosemary.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the oil and garlic over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is pale gold. Stir in the anchovies and rosemary. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in the chard and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to thoroughly coat it with the oil. Stir in the beans. Cook for 3 minutes.

Stir in the reserved cooking liquid and the stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir in the macaroni. Boil for 6 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Pass Parmesan cheese at the table.

For dessert, I would serve rich brownie flat cake. I make this at least once a month. The recipe is apparently from Good Living in the Sydney Morning Herald. My friend Fiona gave it to me a couple of years ago, and it’s now the cake I bake most. It makes dessert when served with berries and cream or mascarpone.

Rich Brownie Flat Cake
125g butter
100g dark chocolate
3/4 cup sugar (I use castor - superfine to you North Americans)
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain flour (I use spelt or pharoah flour as I am wheat-free)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Melt butter and chocolate (I do this in the microwave). Cool.
Whisk sugar and eggs, stir into cooled chocolate mixture with the vanilla.
Stir in sieved flour and nuts.
Bake for 30 minutes in 170C (325-350F) oven in a 21cm lined round pan.

And I have been praying about a song for John and Maggy. I have been praying for them with most songs I have heard or sung the last week or so. But this is the one I offer them today. And tomorrow. And the next day. We sang it at “church” last night.  It’s one we sing often. This is a good version. I couldn’t find a Hillsong version on youtube, except a subtitled one. But this one should have you singing.

Love Wendy

John Robert Dobbs

John Dobbs was much of the inspiration for my starting this blog and he has been such an encouragement. He would not imagine how excited I was to be featured on his Hot Posts! His blogs have blessed, convicted and inspired me over the last 2 years or so and I have shared them with so many friends, both real life and internet. John has been a spiritual mentor and a support for me. I doubt he even realises this as he has an widespread internet ministry that is an amazing blessing to so many people. I have loved getting to know him better on Facebook, Twitter and over the last month or so on his live chats on Ustream at Big Poppa’s Coffeehouse and it’s been a delight to get to know his wife Maggy too on her rare appearances on Ustream. She is a darling. She sent me her white chocolate bread pudding recipe which I will feature on here soon.

Their 18 year old son John Robert was killed yesterday in an accident. More on it here. Al Sturgeon has written about it here. I cannot imagine their pain. John and Maggy are Katrina survivors (and you can read about that here). John’s mom and stepdad are both having treatment for cancer. How much more? Please pray for John and Maggy, that in the depths of their pain and despair that they will find comfort in God’s unceasing love.

Miss N walked in as I was reading my email this morning. She had heard and watched John on Ustream a couple of times over the past few weeks, and chatted briefly there too. She held me while I cried and I kissed her beautiful face and reminded her that God just gives us today and that we need to spend it well, and that there is nothing more important than family and love.

John and Maggy, know that people in Australia are praying for you. Love you both.

Zucchini fritters and Ephesus

When I was growing up in conservative South Africa in the 60’s and 70’s, Istanbul seemed the epitome of exotic and part of a world I would only glimpse from afar.  How small the world has grown now!  In 2006 we spent 10 weeks in Europe and a couple of days in Istanbul and one in Ephesus on our Mediterranean cruise.  I have friends who moved to Istanbul a few years ago.  Hi Steve and Karen!  And we have wonderful Turkish food here in Sydney (on Mother’s Day I chose to eat here).

The day we spent in Ephesus was especially memorable.  We had had an organised tour to Ephesus booked, but the wonderful librarian on board ship assured me we didn’t need one, so I cancelled it.  C found our “tour guide” for the day when Rashid, a taxi driver, kindly rushed to point out to C that he had left his ATM card in the machine in Kusadasi just after we had disembarked.  (Of course I could be cynical and say that his kindness was prompted by the incentive of business from us, but I don’t think it was).  Rashid was a great guide - and amused us by producing a fair dinkum Aussie accent that he had perfected by watching “The Castle” which his cousin in Melbourne had sent him on DVD.  We had bought one of those 5 Euro (or was it 8 Euro?  I know they don’t use Euro in Turkey and all the currency conversions got complicated)  guide books in Kusadasi and got Rashid to drive us to the top entrance to the ruins and meet us at the bottom gate a couple of hours later.  We could have spent all day there!  How special to be in the amphitheatre where the apostle Paul had probably preached and walk the street where the silversmiths who caused the riot (Acts 19) had had their stores. 

We were picked up at 1pm by our Rashid and we asked him to take us somewhere for lunch.  His family has a hotel in Selcuk (closest town to the ruins) so, of course, we went there where we had lunch on the rooftop balcony.  It has views of the St. John Basilica where the apostle John is buried (according to legend).  One of the ancient wonders of the world (or the one column of it which remains)  - the temple of Artemis was down the hill - and we had the place to ourselves!  John supposedly wrote “his” gospel on the hill you see below (which is where the St John Basilica is on the right behind the column).  

Ephesus was special - no wonder the apostle Paul spent 5 or 6 years there and John spent the last years of his life (apart from his exile on Patmos) there. Turkey is such a juxtaposition - the ancient ruins of the temple of Artemis dating back a couple of centuries BC, sixth century church ruins, Isa Bey mosque erected in 1375, fortress from the middle ages but begun in the fifth century - all on the one hill!

Of course, there is a carpet shop downstairs and we bought a rug which now graces our entrance hall.  So pleased we resisted the hard sell in Istanbul! They also treated N and me to bags made from old woven table tapestries.

Our lunch was memorable - a selection of vegetable dishes from their kitchen, among them a sublime eggplant and tomato dish, tabbouleh, cacik (Turkish tzatziki), and a wonderful yoghurt and samphire (type of seaweed)  dish.  C and N had lamb and chicken kebabs too - N still talks about her chicken kebab (which was only very recently surpassed by one at Sofra on Mother’s day) 

We love Turkish food.  I make the following zucchini fritters a couple of times a month, and serve them with a yoghurt sauce, and some extra salad (last night’s was radicchio and rocket).  Both these recipes are from Turquoise by Greg and Lucy Malouf, a stunning Turkish travel/cookbook I received for my 50th birthday recently.  Enjoy!

Zucchini fritters with dill

600g zucchini 
sea salt
1 small onion, grated
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
100g feta, crumbled
1/4 cup finely chopped dill
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons rice flour
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Grate the zucchini coarsely and put into a colander. Sprinkle lightly with salt and toss, then leave for 20 minutes to drain. Rinse the zucchini  briefly, then squeeze it to extract as much liquid as possible and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Mix the Zucchini with the onion, garlic, feta, herbs and eggs in a large bowl.  Sift on the flours, the season with pepper and stir to combine.

Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium until sizzling.  Drop small tablespoons of batter into the hot oil and flatten gently.  (I cook mine oil free in a Scanpan - I make mine very flat - like pikelets).  Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Drain on kitchen paper and serve piping hot. (Makes 16).  Serve with Cacik.

Cacik

1 clove garlic
sea salt
500g thick natural yoghurt
2 Lebanese cucumbers, seeded and grated (skin on)
1/3 cup finely chopped dill
1 teaspoon dried mint
squeeze of lemon juice

Crush the garlic with 1 teaspoon salt, then beat with the yoghurt, cucumber, and herbs in a large bowl.  Season with salt and lemon jice to taste.  Chill, covered, until ready to eat.

Love Wendy

The Comforter has come - sweet potato risotto

It’s distinctly wintry in south eastern Australia this week.  Snow fell in Orange (about 3 and a half hours away over the Blue Mountains) on Monday - rather early as it was still April.  Time for warming comfort food!  I made this  healthy but satisfying risotto last night.  Risotto is almost nursery food.  It’s sophisticated but there is something very satisfying about bowl and spoon food (which is the kind I mostly cook!)  Kerri asked me on Twitter for my risotto recipe.  So here it is -  it’s not really a recipe - more a method.

 

Saute 1 small chopped onion and 1 sliced leek in 1 TBS olive oil and 1 TBS butter.  Add 1 small sweet potato, quite finely diced (sweet potato needs a fair bit of cooking so it needs to be finely diced,  or you can precook it in the microwave) or butternut pumpkin.  Stir in 200g arborio rice and stir for a minute or so until all the grains are glistening.  

 

Have about 750ml of hot stock ready.  I used home made vege stock but I usually use Plantaforce (an organic vege concentrate).  Add about 2 cups and stir cook it on a medium heat, stirring frequently.  When the stock is almost absorbed, add more, about a cup at a time.  Keep taste-testing the rice to see when it’s done.  There should be a bit of a bite left in the grain - you don’t want mushy risotto.  You probably won’t need all the stock.  Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.  You may not need salt if your stock is salty (and most bought stocks have salt as a main ingredient - read the label!)

Stir in about 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve with extra Parmesan at the table.

Serves 4.

We can’t eat risotto morning, noon and night.  Or chocolate.  But we are promised a continual Comforter who will never leave us. 

“And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.”

John 14:16

What is your favourite comfort food?

Wendy

The best pick me up and Tiramisu

Tiramisu means “pick me up”.  It’s an Italian dessert, fairly recently invented but a classic all over the world already.  It’s ideal hangover food as it contains coffee, eggs and a shot of alcohol!  And the rich mascapone, which is really just condensed cream.  For years I have been making the traditional tiramisu. As a sublime dessert, of course, not for hangovers.  I love how one dish of tiramisu feeds hordes as it’s too rich for seconds.  Well, most people are replete after one serving.  In the interests of matrimonial harmony, no names of those who frequently have seconds, and thirds, will be mentioned on here!  

 

Last week on the rerun of the SBS Food Safari, individual servings were shown.  I made a healthier version of it yesterday, substituting ricotta cheese for the mascapone and it was DIVINE.   I used 2 eggs, about 4 TBS castor (superfine) sugar, 400g ricotta, about 100 ml espresso coffee, 12 Savioardi biscuits  and I used 15ml of brandy and 15ml of rum instead of liqueur.  Miss N had the last one for breakfast this morning and I do hope she didn’t smell of rum at her first day back at school after the two week break!  .  But - ricotta is good breakfast food.  Protein, and low fat and all that.  So - this isn’t TOO wicked.

And let me leave you with the best pick-me-up of all!

Wendy

Tagged - my first meme

and I was tagged by Brian

Here’s how this one works…
1. The rules are posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and ask them to read your blog.

What I was doing 10 years ago:

I was a full time mum, having resigned from my part-time position in university administration.  (I’m still a full time mum!)  My mom had recently visited from South Africa (her second and last visit) and Miss N was in preschool two days a week.  We were yet to get a computer at home…  Was there life before being “connected”?

Five things on my to do list for today (well, tomorrow - it’s almost 11pm):

1. long hot bath (soccer for Miss N is cancelled - grounds still too wet)
2. get organised (or get Miss N organised) for first day of term 2 on Monday 
3. see Moliere (I have free tickets)
4. Prepare for Significant Woman meeting on Mon night ( a couple of chapters to prepare)
5. Church at 6pm… Praise and Worship Night (I’m taking a friend)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Visit my family in South Africa.
2. Visit the children we sponsor in Africa (World Vision) and sponsor 1000 more
3. Buy C a yacht
4. Buy land on the south coast of NSW and set up a Christian holiday camp for kids from troubled homes

Three of my bad habits:

1. Procrastination
2. Being slow to answer emails and return calls (procrastination?)
3. Biting my nails

Five places I have lived:

1. Risidale, Johannesburg, South Africa
2. Fairvale, Johannesburg, South Africa
3. Russell Lea, Sydney, Australia
4. Summer Hill, Sydney, Australia
5. Breakfast Point, Sydney, Australia

Five jobs I have had:

1. High school teacher (English and history)
2. Administrative assistant (at 2 different universities)
3. University Admissions Officer
4. Research Grants Officer
5. Church Secretary

Five People I Want to Know More About:

1. Tess

2. Jodi

3. Glenn

4. Bobby C

5. Kelley

Jenolan Caves, LOTR and raw fish

Two LOTR devotees (C has read LOTR 19 times, N is on her 3rd reading) and I had a wonderful visit to the caves of Moria Jenolan Caves yesterday.  We left too late to get to do the cave visit of our choice (it was fully booked) but we really did appreciate the one we did instead.  Miss N had made herself a Gollum t-shirt (by printing this Gollum image onto photo transfer paper and ironing it onto a t shirt) and she wore it and looked uber-cool.

I enjoyed my family’s LOTR commentary all the way there (over 3 hours - lots of traffic through Rivendell the Blue Mountains) and during lunch in Blackheath, when both C and I had fish cos that’s what Gollum eats (not really, I just fancied the sound of the fishcakes but sadly they didn’t resemble Thai ones at all!  I guess we are spoiled by the quality of the food here in Sydney.)

I love the mountains.  I love the bush.  We don’t get there often enough and it’s just 30 minutes on the freeway till we cross the Nepean River at Penrith, leave the greater Sydney region and begin to ascend the Blue Mountains’ “heights”.  For the record, my bird list yesterday (and I didn’t even get to use my bino’s) includes a wedge tailed eagle, yellow tailed black cockatoos, king parrots, a brown falcon, nankeen kestrel, yellow thornbills, satin bowerbird and a lyrebird!  Lots of insectivorous bats too (no, they aren’t birds lol).  And a dead wombat at the side of the road.

Even though Lucas Cave was a subsitute choice, it was amazing.  We coped with the people who talked through all the commentary (I guess they thought as they didn’t speak English they could talk loudly in their own languages), the little boy who peed in a plastic bag to avoid polluting the cave (we kept our distance from his mother and the bag for the rest of the tour!), and the selfish parents who brought babies (yes, there were 2) on a 90 minute cave tour.  The poor babes cried all the way.

A bridge in the cave gave C and N an opportunity to re-enact the LOTR scene from the bridge of Khazad-dum in Moria. C was the Balrog and Miss N was Gandalf (without her Gandalf cloak).

I am awestruck about the age of the caves.  I cannot reconcile a young earth with caves dated this old, and can’t understand why God would create an earth with caves that date this old if they were created recently.  God created the heavens and the earth.  In heaven I hope to learn how.  Here on earth I am content to enjoy His creation and praise Him for placing us on a tiny planet in the midst of an infinite universe.  Song coming…. 

And let me share with you a recipe for “raw” fish (cos that’s what Gollum eats) that C and I used to make often. It’s from the Vogue Australia Wine and Food Cookbook - Home Truths what foodies cook for themselves published in 1988.  The lime juice “cooks” the fish and it tastes wonderful - fresh and clean.

Ceviche (serves 8 people)

16 small whiting fillets

juice of 6-8 limes

1 cup very finely sliced baby white onions

2-3 fresh red chillies, chopped

salt and white pepper

1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro)

lime slices for serving

Remove the skin from the whiting fillets and cut the flesh into 4 to 6 pieces.  Place in one layer in a glass or ceramic dish.  Pour the lime juice over the fish and scatter the onion and chillies on top of the fish.  Place in the refrigerator and after 2 hours, season with salt and pepper.  Leave for another 2 hours or overnight.  The fish will be white and have a cooked appearance.