Cook Up With Vicki...No 2!!!

Recently Vicki and I have decided to each do a Cook Up from the latest Donna Hay magazine...this one being June/July 2009 issue

If anyone wants to join us...no rules...just cook up something from the latest magazine and blog about it... I have chosen

Pork with Caramelized Pears and Parsnip

Roasted Balsamic Beetroot

Brussel Sprouts in melted Butter with Parsley

Sticky Date Pudding

Vegies all set to go...
The beetroot was delicious...

Pear and Parsnip...

Pork atop the Pear and Parsnip...
What a flavoursome dish this was...

Brussel Sprouts...


I couldn't tell you the last time I had a pudding like this...
this one was made from Gluten Free flour and crikey was it good!!!
It's not too often one can find a gluten free pudding like this on a menu...
I have put the recipes up on my food blog...My Dolce Vita if anyone is interested...

Friendship Award!!!

Recently I received this very cute Award from Micki and then I was doubly lucky and received the same Award from Serena!!!

Thank You so much gals for thinking of me for this Award...

and now I would like to pass it on to all my Bloggy Friends...as you know me...I find it too hard to choose...so grab it and add it to your sidebar...you all deserve it...Dzintra♥

A Win...A Finish...And A New Read!!!

My luck is running with me...and I have scored another Giveaway Win over at Andrea's!!!

The prize is this Ella & Skysie Designs Table Runner Pattern...

just perfect to adorn the table...

along with a surprise tucked in...

Good ol' Cadbury Dairy Milk Rocky Road

and this very cute Octopus Bookmark!!!

...I HAVE JUST DRAWN THE NAME FROM THE BOWL WITH THE EVERY FRIENDLY CHARLIE BIRD AS MY ASSISTANT AND SHE DREW YOUR NAME...
Here's a pic of the ever friendly Charlie Bird that drew my name out..
Good on you Charlie Bird!!!
And Thank You so much Andrea...it was a pleasure entering your giveaway!!!

Going great guns here...another finish...a Cathy Penton needlecase
using gorgeous soft colours...old white linen on the front with stitchery...

olive green wool felt inside...

Needlecase opened up showing back and front...

all tied up with ribbon...

Just had to show this...a great find

I had recently purchased a Penguin version of Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence

and then was so thrilled to come by this...

The Provence Trilogy...

containing A Year in Provence...Toujours Provence...and Encore Provence!!!

Peter and his Wife bought a 200 year old farmhouse in the Luberon...

their year begins with a marathon lunch and continues with a host of gastronomic delights...

in Toujours Provence Peter again picks up knife, fork and glass and continues where A Year in Provence left off...

Sounds like I'm going to be transported to Provence and the pleasures of Provencal life!!!

Peter Mayle's idyllic portrait makes you almost taste the wonderful food and wine, feel the sun and balmy breezes...Sunday Express

Sounds pretty good to me!!!

A Lovely Weekend...and Christmas in July!!!

What a lovely weekend our home at the Coast is having...

To start it all off on Friday afternoon I received a package from Micki...

part of which is for JoJo's upcoming birthday...

and a little surprise tucked in with it...

this stunning bookmark!!! Wow, how gorgeous is this I thought...

the colours are so bright and vivid...

And a special note came with it...

All machine embroidered complete with Hugs!!!

Thank you so much Dear Micki!!!

I'm going to use this Bookmark in this book...The Time Traveler's Wife...recommended by Micki...

This book is consistently in the Top 100...

so recently thought I had better get it...

I've had a quick look into it and found upon opening the cover this very poignant piece of poetry...

LOVE AFTER LOVE

The time will come

when, with elation,

you will greet yourself arriving

at your own door, in your own mirror,

and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was yourself.

Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart

to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored

for another, who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,

peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit. Feast on your life.

~Derek Walcott~

This piece offers much to ponder about I think...

Not a day goes by when I don't pick up a book...if only to admire the cover...remember when I bought it...remember when I read it...

Last night we had our very own Christmas in July dinner here...

at JoJo's request!!!

We had a turkey in the freezer (due to overordering at Christmas time) and thought okay...let's do it!!!

Unbeknown to us...DH had a gift for us...

mine was this wonderful book...

Making Antique Quilts...

Antique quilts are the fabric of American crafting history, and their beauty has endured through the centuries...

The classic styles presented date from the pioneer days of the 1850's through wartime 1940's...

Text from the book...

A lovely lovely book...with lots of historical information and how to make your own quilts if you wish...

don't know if I'm up to that though!!!

For the American readers...

most of the quilts were photograped at the Escondido Historical Society,

Escondido, California...

Maybe this is near you Vicki...

It's off now for me to see if I can finish a little needlecase...

and get ready for the showdown tonight on Masterchef...

Julie or Poh!!!

Cup Cakes for Lidija...Gluten Free Of Course!!!

On Friday night...the night before we were travelling to see Lidija for her First Birthday...I thought I would make a Carrot Cake ~gluten free~ to take up as part of the celebrations...

A couple of weeks ago I bought these Paper Cups for Cup-Cakes, Muffins...Desserts...

and thought why not use them!!!

Pecan Nuts roasting...love the smell of nuts roasting...

Cream Cheese and Honey Frosting...

Add some sprinkles for the celebrations!!!

These really turned out a treat...they were so moist and yummy compared to a larger cake that I had made on another occasion!!!

Just perfect!!!

I have posted the recipe on My Dolce Vita if you want to take a look!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Little One!!!

Today marks the day of our dear little Granddaughter Lidija's 1st birthday!!!

Here is a little pic of her First Dawn...12 July 2008

taken by my very dear Friend Kerrie whom I grew up with...

Thank You so much mate!!!

Our very own Christmas in July Baby together with her gorgeous Mum!!!

A few posts ago I wrote about an orchid that my Sister had given to us at Christmas time 2008...this orchid is a piece of my dear Grandmother's orchid...

My Grandmother passed away 20 years ago and this orchid started flowering recently and hasn't stopped...whenever they were flowering she would take some to any occasion that was happening at the time ...and it is so special that this one is flowering for Lidija's First Birthday!!!

So for today I say...Happy First Birthday dear Lidija!!!

I cannot believe the first year has flown by so quickly!!!

GRANDPARENTS AND CHILDREN

Grandparents and grandchildren,
Together they create a chain of love Linking the past,

With the future.

The chain may lengthen,
But it will never part.
~Author Unknown~

Sparkly Winners Are Grinners...and a very special Irish Giveaway!!!

Sparkly Ric-Rac on my new Apron!!! Today my DH worked from home...quite a cool day here on the coast...this afternoon just as I was about to go and pick JoJo up he grabbed the key to the letterbox and came back with the mail...First suprise of the afternoon was this gorgeous hand made, water coloured bookmark of a sea horse...complete with sparkles... sent to me by Kath in England!!! This was completely unexpected...out of the blue and I was so thrilled!!! And to think that this Sparkly Seahorse was on Kath's blog only last week!!!

If you get a chance hop on over to Kath's blog and see some of her craft work from her railway cottage...and you'll see some of her fabric postcards...bookmarks of course...tales of Glastonbury Castle...and a great range of topics!!!

~Sparkly Seahorse~ all ready for my next read...

And from one fellow bookworm to another...Thank You Dear Kath!!!

We came back in, put Sparkly Seahorse onto the table and blow me down...in that short space of time a package had arrived onto the front verandah!!!

My Giveaway Win from Margaret...with a lovely photographed card...

'From our Seaside to yours', how cool is this I thought!!!

I had no idea what I had won...this was a complete surprise as I opened the package and saw this red fabric and wondered what is this...


A vintage style apron...wow!!!

I put it on...went up the hallway and thought as I admired it in the mirror...

grab the camera and take a pic!!!

Wonderful...this is great...I always wear an apron when cooking...

and am slowly adding them to my growing collection!!!




Under the apron was this bag...and what a wonderful size this is...

Margaret...this is fantastic...I'm a real apron and bag gal...I reckon you can never have too many of either!!!

Do check out Margaret's blog if you get a chance...Cosmos and Chrysanthemums and read what goes on in her part of the world...


Thank you so very very much girls...You both made my day!!!


And here's a cool Irish Giveaway from Micki, over in Ireland of course!!!

Giveaway includes an Irish Blessing dish towel...Irish Chain Quilt pattern...and other goodies!!

Micki is celebrating her Blogoversary and 10,000 hits so pop on over and say hi!!!



~Our Friends are the stars that glow in the darkness~

~What is life without friendship?

It is like the heavens without the stars, the sky without the sun~

From a Thousand Paths to friendship...David Baird

Enjoy the leadup to the weekend everybody...and have a great one...Dzintra Ingrid♥

Some Respite...and a Beach Walk for Two...!!!

A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to have our JoJo on Respite Care...for those unaware she is our Daughter that has a disability...so DH and I took this opportunity on a perfect coastal sunny Winter's Day...and headed off for a beachwalk...and we were a couple for a few hours!!!

This post is mostly purely visual...so sit back and come walk with us...

After walking 750m we crossed the grassy patch and upon entering the path way we came upon this wonderful sight...lovely little boats...Obviously a Club outing...they were going around, chatting with each other...and then continued on...

Seagulls on a log...not too many people on the beach...very peaceful...

What I call beachflowers!!!

Love the look of glistening water...

Came by this Sea Creature...a lovely purple shade...it appeared to be stuck in the sand...

so began our adventure with him...DH very gently picked it up...

put him into the ocean to wash the sand off...and voila here it is...What a gorgeous colour!!!

Hope you've enjoyed a look at our beach...a very peaceful place in Winter!!!

And just to finish off I found this very appropriate quote while flipping through a Homespum magazine...

This made me think of our situation...caring for JoJ0 and seeing life through her eyes...

It can be a hard and difficult road sometimes, but hey we wouldn't have it any other way!!!

She has made us see life in a different way, something we wouldn't of experienced otherwise I don't think...and we have learnt and are still learning so much...

~Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I -

I took the one less travelled by

And that has made all the difference~

Robert Frost 1874-1963