If you were to look at the main picture above, could you hazard a guess as to where my travels took me to this past month? Would you believe it if I told you this was in the county of Dorset in England? I had to pinch myself to believe it as I first caught a glimpse of the stunningly blue waters and the formation of the natural limestone arch. This could easily have been somewhere in the Caribbean.
Hello blogger buddies and friends. It was an extra long hiatus from the blogging world for me, do pardon my absence. Our 3 week long vacation found us in England for 10 days and Switzerland for the rest of the time. Our trip to England this time was extra special as we celebrated my mother’s 90th birthday. My mother and family live in England, so it was great to have all the cousins and family together under one roof. Switzerland was just magical – I had often dreamed of going there and was absolutely tickled when that dream became reality. However, I’ll leave Switzerland for another post.
Ahh springtime! Re-connecting with the earth is affirming, renewing and promising. Waking up to a new growing season, the garden is bursting with possibilities, there’s plans to be made for the new season, salvaging some of the more delicate shrubs that might need attention, trimming and clipping dead wood, fertilizing, mulching, and general clean up of the beds is first on my list of priorities. Each year, I try to add a few new perennials to the already established flower beds. I love sharing and dividing what I have and receiving the same from friends. Here are some collages of what has already bloomed and some current bloomers. If you’ve been following Safari of the Mind, you will know that about 4 years ago, we downsized and moved to the city. Space is a premium here, but I continue to work on the flower beds both in the back and front to get it to look the way I want it to, it’s a work in progress for sure.
A roast leg of lamb with all the trimmings for our Easter lunch did not go to waste 2 weeks ago. I decided to reuse the leftovers to make Bert’s favorite Indian dish, Rogan Josh. It is a spicy, and succulent slow-cooked lamb curry. Indulgent, and flavorful, with a spiciness that transforms into a rich and thickened sauce, this lamb curry would be a great dish to entertain with; I know I’ve had rave reviews from guests and have passed on this recipe many times over. The recipe is taken from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking cookbook. Madhur Jaffrey is one of the world’s leading authorities on Indian cuisine. Born in Delhi, she gained distinction as an actress in England and hosted the popular BBC television series on which the book is based.
Remember my last post when I made those yummy chocolate mousse cups with the liquid from a can of chickpeas? Well, I saved the chickpeas and made these vegan, gluten-free and healthy chickpea blondies. You might think I’m switching to a vegan or gluten-free diet? No I’m not, I’m just trying to make some healthy desserts to satisfy my sweet tooth without the loaded calories. I think I can safely say, I succeeded. They are fudgy, chocolatey and oh so moist.
Yeah, three cheers for me!! I was just notified that Safari of the Mind turned 3 a couple weeks ago. Wow, how did that happen so quickly? I’m pretty chuffed with myself as I did not think it would last this long. I can still remember the very first post on the site. We had just returned from a 3 week trip to Brazil, I had taken a ton of pictures like every tourist does, together with some notes on the various places visited. So the light bulb went on, maybe I could start a blog? I wanted one of the categories on the blog to feature travel, the other gardening, and probably the most popular one today is, cooking! So how did it all come about? Why a blog? Why those 3 different categories?
Nothing quite like a sweet potato to bring some wonderful flavors to your palette. The regular potato makes us shudder at the thought of all those carbs. But not so with the humble sweet potato. This root has a slightly lower carb rate than the regular potato. Sweet potatoes contain almost twice as much fiber than the regular potato. Did you also know that sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of potassium? A medium sweet potato has at least 28% more potassium than a banana.
sit back, relax and enjoy!
With me, Hurtling towards 50 - 3 independent kids - 4 mad cats - 1 hard working Hubby and a Thermomix - a new chapter starts - see me at @emptynestfultum on Twitter too
Healthy recipes for the modern day Coeliac
Discovering balance on my plate, my yoga mat, and the classroom
Gluten Free Food - Good for Anyone!
Delicious recipes with step-by-step pictures
My own online memory book about traveling, living, and whatever happens with me and my German boyfriend
A garden diary from the eastern tip of the Isle of Wight
My week to week gardening diary
Cooking with imagination
The 'Half Blood' Princess Project
Growing and harvesting a bounty of blessings in my potager.
Healthy Recipes
Budget interior design, DIY and making a first house a home.
Crazy about food
Goan Recipes, Goan Food, Goan Cuisine
Simple Recipes made with Love
