Family & Friends

Majestic Magenta

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Hmmm… I started with the title Pretty and Pink…, then thought maybe Radiant Red…!

But really I think Majestic Magenta describes the colour at the end…

A while ago we were in Melbourne for a few days to spend time with our son and his family.  This meant that I was able to visit my sister, Sonnie.  Sonnie is an amazing cook, and had just finished making a batch of her late husband’s grandmother’s pickled red cabbage, a jar of which, she had kindly set aside for us, I was so excited and very grateful.

Since then I’ve started receiving a regular delivery of fresh, mostly Gippsland grown, vegetables, and the fun thing with the vegie (Farm) box is that each week is different.  With produce that we don’t normally use, and being one who hates waste, I’ve just had to get a little creative.

What’s inside the Farm Box?
Fresh produce from the Farm Box Co.
Beautiful fresh red cabbage

After receiving red cabbage in my mystery veg box, I instantly knew what to do – I would make Grandma Martin’s Pickled Red Cabbage.  I often prepare braised red cabbage, but this time it was definitely going to be a batch of Grandma Martin’s Pickled Red Cabbage, and with my beautiful sister’s permission, I can now share the recipe with you. Continue reading →

In the Garden – April 2021

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April saw the leaves turning and beginning to fall, carpets forming and palletes changing.  I just love Autumn, the vivid colours, the crisp air, the falling leaves…

The yellow carpet of elm – peeking through to another garden room…
The Front Garden in Autumn – couldn’t resist the splash of red from the leaves of the

 

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Olivia & Christopher’s Dream – Setting the Scene

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Recently we enjoyed one of the most amazing weekends ever!

Our son, Christopher, married the love of his life, Olivia, at the beautiful Wandin Park Estate on the outskirts of Melbourne.

While everyone held their breath, hoping that there wouldn’t be another COVID outbreak resulting in yet another lock-down here in Victoria, as each day passed, we knew that finally their special day was to be.

Olivia and Christopher had planned and organised everything for their wedding.  Much time was spent working on all the details as well as creating and making the decorations, creating those special touches that would make this day uniquely their day.  Olivia dried rose petals to be used as confetti and made the cones for guests to help themselves. She made the most beautiful dream catchers to be hung throughout the venue, and the little string ball lights to be placed on the tables and barrels.  Christopher worked on ensuring that everything would go to plan, with timelines, spreadsheets, and a little surprise for Olivia (but that’s for the final post in this series…)

Catching dreams
Rose petal confetti
Rose petal confetti
Catching dreams
Balls of light

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Cook or Cure!

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After an amazing Christmas break with our family, we returned home feeling relaxed, refreshed and looking forward to an additional mini break at home.

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Unfortunately that feeling vanished very soon!  Gary discovered that I hadn’t closed the freezer door properly prior to our departure and everything had begun to defrost!

First job, stock take, make a list of everything that could be salvaged, dispose of what couldn’t, and then work out what to do with a freezer full of meat, seafood and poultry!

Idea’s began to form as I worked through it all, most would have to be cooked and then could be re-frozen.  I realised that I could also, smoke and cure a little as well.

I had duck marylands, I would do Confit Duck and then freeze ready for use.  There was one duck breast, it would be cured, airdried and then sliced/diced and frozen.

Here, I have carefully packaged each piece and labeled it ready for freezing.
Confit duck served with a salad of rocket, orange and walnuts, and chips.
Air Cured Duck Breat
Air Cured Duck Breat

 

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A Beautiful Farewell…

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As we all scattered to our respective homes after our beautiful mother had passed, it was time to begin planning the farewell.

We are from a tiny community in Victoria, called Navarre (and yes, I still call Navarre home, so that is how I may refer to it in this post) and funerals are not just where family grieves the loss of a loved one, but it is where the community joins the family to grieve the loss of a friend and valued member of the community. So with that in mind, we knew that there would be a large number of people wanting to come and pay their respects. However, these were not normal times, things were changing fast given the world wide crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we had been restricted to a graveside service with no more than 100 people in attendance. Continue reading →