mortiz044

Just two more sleeps until we start our journey south to our son and DIL's place for christmas.  We have been busy readying the place for our house-sitters.  Mowing, gardening, mustering, cleaning, washing.......wash, rinse, repeat.... We have had a few friends drop in for christmas drinks and I found inspiration on Instagram for this lovely antipasto christmas wreath.  The wreath is made from rosemary and I also tucked in some tarragon for a little more green.  I filled the wreath with salami, cheese, cocktail onions (red and white) and also some stuffed baby capsicum. As we are not going to be here for christmas I didn't really feel like erecting our christmas tree this year and I found this blossom tree in the "cheap" shop that has filled the gap nicely.  I hung a couple of baubles from it and a bit of tinsel at the base and..... voilá.....I give you the christmas tree! Julatten Ladies Christmas Lunch was a huge success this year with almost fifty ladies in a...

I had some beetroots and broccoli in the the fridge that needed using and I stumbled across this recipe.  It was so easy and a lovely flavour combination.  We had crumbed steak with this salad but it would be just as nice with any other protein. BEETROOT, BROCCOLI AND TOASTED SEED SALAD INGREDIENTS: 200g Broccoli, stems cut in half lengthways 80g mixed seeds (e.g. sunflower, pumpkin, sesame) 1 tablespoon soy sauce 250g cooked beets, cut into wedges Small bunch fresh chives, snipped For the dressing: 2 tablespoons olive oil Juice of ½ - 1 lemon, to taste Salt, Pepper Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and set aside. Steam or boil the broccoli for 3-4 minutes until just tender but with a little bite. While the broccoli is cooking, toast the seeds by tipping them into a small frying pan.  Add soy sauce and cook over medium heat, tossing regularly to coat all over for about 3 minutes.   Arrange the cooked broccoli and beet wedges on your prettiest plate, drizzle...

The festive season has definitely come our way with numerous parties to attend.  It started last week with the yoga ladies Christmas lunch at Niramaya Resort in Port Douglas. This is always a lovely lunch where approximately 60 yoga ladies from Julatten, Mossman and Port Douglas meet with their yogis to thank them for the time they give to teach us ladies (and some gentleman) the beautiful form of yoga.  I have been attending yoga classes for ten years now and I can see the beneficial effects that it has on me.  I certainly notice the difference when I miss classes. Eggplant Parmigiana The barramundi main The lunch itself was a little disappointing.  My first course was eggplant parmigiana, tasty but a very small helping and the main was barramundi with about four spinach leaves and a rather delicious sauce but once again, the size!  It was smaller than the palm of my hand.  But having said that it was lovely to catch up with friends, old and new. The next ...

No, Cooktown Crossing is not at Cooktown (as I thought for a long time!).  It is a causeway crossing on the Mitchell River and it used to be the old road that took you to Cooktown.  It is a lovely camping spot.  We decided to go camping for a couple of reasons even though we had so much else on our plate.  Number one reason was to make sure that the wiring of the camper to our new vehicle  was working properly and number two reason was to try out our kayaking skills on still water.   Cooktown Crossing is only about an hour north west of us.  You head towards Cooktown and once you are past Mt Carbine you look for the sign on the left that says Karma Waters/Konaparinga.  From here it is only a short distance to the crossing.  We didn't get away until after lunch on Wednesday and made it there in plenty of time to set up camp and assemble the inflatable kayak. There are a number of lovely camping spots along the river and being mid-week we thoug...

Since Philip came home nine days ago we have.... Driven to Cairns to pick up his new Bicycle (an early birthday present from me) Handed over our old Toyota to its new owner Attended a house warming/birthday party Spent a night at Sea Temple Port Douglas Enjoyed a yoga lunch at Niramaya Resort in Port Douglas Camped at Cooktown Crossing for a couple of nights And tonight we are going to a friends place for Christmas drinks and nibbles Is it any wonder we feel tired?  New Years resolution.....SLOW DOWN! I have taken quite a few photos over the past nine days but today I want to tell you about Sea Temple. Here goes... As you know, Philip recently flew south to help our son and daughter-in-law with a few jobs while son is recovering from an accident.  For a thank-you, Marco and Susie organised a night for us at Sea Temple Port Douglas.  It is a place that I have had a yearning to stay at after we had a yoga Christmas lunch there a few years ago. We arrived early, you know, be...

It's been quite a hectic week with Philip being away but thankfully he is home now so it takes the pressure off somewhat.  It's all been about keeping the garden adequately watered lately.  Where is the rain?  We have not had a single storm so far and that is very unusual for this time of the year.  The whole month of November we only recorded a measly 20mm and that was over three falls.  Today as I look out the window it once again looks promising.  Who knows. The garden is at it's best at this time of the year with lots of flowers blossoming.  Can you guess my favourite flower colour...... Yep. Pinks, purples, mauves and shades in between just make my heart sing.  And of course there is nothing nicer than a bowl of flowers sitting in front of you while you eat your meal..... and I am thoroughly enjoying a glass full of Jamie Olivers Chocolate Porridge for breakfast.  I am not a lover of milk and this recipe has no dairy apart from the spoon...