Running On Empty

Seriously. I don't know what's overcome me. I can't stand; I mean STAND the local shopping mall. I hadn't been in over a month; but the banks are there; so when banking business pops up - I gotta go.

From the minute I walked in the mall, I noticed my strides become wider and faster; my head down (just didn't want to look at anyone); walked to the photo station in Big W; needed to 'waste' 20 mins till my photos were ready and in that time I was 'lost'. Normally I don't have a problem strolling casually through the aisles; but today - today was different. I felt like a fool. I had absolutely no mission, no business, no desire to be surrounded by plastic, by loads of chocolate; by tonnes of clothes made in Bangladesh or China. By unfriendly people with stressed faces pushing trolley load fulls almost knocking me over with glares as if to say 'get outta my way fool'.

Thank goodness the photos were ready. Off I stride to the banks. Phew - running on empty I was relieved to see no people in line.

You rude bank teller. Why do you always treat me like I'm about to rip off my aunt's measly savings?

I should explain I'm my aunt's financial manager as appointed by the NSW Trustee and Guardianship. She's been in a nursing home for more than four years with a stroke that's left her totally incapacitated and living in 24/7 high dependent care.  Poor thing. It's awful. As her next of kin, albeit living in another state, I elected to take on all her affairs and I swore on oath to do everything in her best interest.

I hold my hand on my heart and say 'I sure have' - even dipped into my own pocket on numerous occasion to cover expenses. I choose to. I don't want your thanks. Just helping whenever I can. So when I present my authority papers, my license, her deeming account statement (I know the drill), why do your shackles go up and I stand there feeling like a crook about to raid some poor helpless little old lady's money. Your tone rises a few notches so that people behind can hear you say quite emphatically while you shake your head 'NO. We do NOT keep Power of Eternity info on our computers'.

Here we go again. Usually it's -

• her account is in NSW! Stay here please while we call the branch.
• are these papers the real document?? Stay here please while we call the department.
• who are you? what is this? I've never seen such a document. What's a financial manager - you mean Power of Eternity don't you? (Actually no I don't). Stay here please (presumably you've gone to call the police or security!!!)

All my stuff is on their stupid computer; I'm a signatory to everything; but no; they have to do a song and dance before checking the computer. Making assumptions. Wasting my time. Again. And the time of people who are waiting in line. You're lucky man. I could've embarrassed you. Sometimes tellers apologize for the delay. You didn't. I suppose that you quietly (tone considerably dropped a few notches) ate 'humble pie' after doing all your background checking on this potential crim standing before you, says it all. Your disingenuous "have a good day" almost tipped me over the edge.

I figure I'm here. I'll go to Myers - check out the specials. Walking past the 'Review' brand I almost broke down and cried. My beautiful child is in Norway - last time I was in this very spot, she was trying on a couple of Review dresses. This brand was made for my Nicka. She looks beautiful - every single time. So sucked in Mama buys her another one - having a dozen or so already just isn't enough. I miss her. I miss you my little Boo Boo.

Having no purpose here, I decide to check out the kitchen gadgets. Nice looking muffin tray. The car park can't come soon enough.  Walking there, I can't believe how many people are overweight. My god. All these young girls - carrying waaaayyyyy too much. It's frightening. Isn't this generation going to look after my lot in our old age!  Ohh- too depressing.

Looking forward to a coffee and my fresh bread roll when I get home. So unlike me to not have a cappucino - as a daughter to migrants, I've been having cappucino's in town since I can remember. I'm just not myself.

Getting home I'm greeted with a surprise - my ridiculously busy Hubby is home. Just like in the old days - he's in the garage. Putting on the new rego plates. 'Wanna spin' - finally I take a deep breath and smile. Okay - but I'm starved - gimme 5 mins.

An hour ago I was hating my time in the shopping mall, feeling like a criminal, teary in Myers and saddened by overweight souls.

Hubby toots. I negotiate my way into the passenger seat. Wrapping my scarf over my head, I feel okay. Not numb like before, not exactly happy, but free and with total trust in my man, we zoom up the highway.

**** the shopping mall.

and just like that......fall

In just a few weeks we went from 80° to frosty morning grass and snow on the mountains. Flannel sheets on the bed make it almost impossible to wake up in the morning, and we are greeted by our frozen breath as we step outside and head for school. There is woodsmoke in the air, and soup on the stove.



I am so excited that soup season is finally here! I love the smell of warm soup floating

Widower Maker Halloween Green Smoothie Recipe

Hola Amigos! Boy do I have a story to tell you! and it all has to do with this particular smoothie! It started on Sept.27 the day of my Wedding Anniversary. The hubs and I had planned a rare and I mean RARE date night. We were going to have a romantic evening at a Haunted Forrest near by and then grab a bite to eat at our favorite restaurant. Since I love the food there, I wanted to have the works, from appetizers to dessert, so there was no point on having a big lunch if I was going to indulge later.

I decided to make a green smoothie. I checked in my fridge for the usual green suspects, apple, grapes, melon, a starfruit and one that I bought to make something different but...hmmm...why not use it for the smoothie... a Kiwi!
Everything was going smooth as usual, at the end I decided to trade the apple for the starfruit, since they are similar in consistency and taste! Love them! Have you had them?

Time for the flavor taste and photos and that's when everything started to go down!
Flavor excellent, consistency great, appearance awesome...but why was I  feeling like It was hard to catch my breath? Ignore it, it's nothing, take pictures before light goes away. Throat itches, it's  nothing, snap more pics. Lips tingling....darn it! I can't seem to be able  focus and take a decent picture and I'm having a hard time breathing for real now!

Called hubs and he thought it could be an allergic reaction...but to what? "Use the pen in the cabinet and call me if you still feeling sick or call an ambulance" he said.
To make a long story short...it took me about 5 hours to have all the symptoms go away. It was an allergic reaction. and I just had not not even a 1/4 cup of the smoothie since I needed more for pics. But why? and to what? I've never had food allergies, I'm only highly allergic to Latex.

I decided to go online a do a little research and there I found it...Latex Fruit Syndrome!!! OMG!!! According to the American Latex Allergy Association " The association between latex sensitivity and food allergies is often referred as Latex Fruit Syndrome" .Some plants contain natural rubber latex to protect them from fungi and other micro organisms. The site gives a list ranking on these fruits and vegetables from High to Low/Undetermined. And guess what was among High : Kiwi!!!!

To torture myself even more I checked the symptoms of Latex Anaphylaxis that I already knew due to my condition., and they were all there: Itchy throat, tightness of throat, difficulty breathing, swelling and dizziness among others.
Yup my friends...and that was only with  3 sips...so don't you think the perfect name to this smoothie is Widower Maker? LOL...I was close...never thought for a minute something healthy could have the potential to kill me.

Other than that...it is good! Just don't add kiwi if you are allergic to Latex like me. My Latex allergy is as bad as people with peanuts allergy. The few times that I've been hospitalized there is a big sign at my door reading "Latex Allergy" just to give you an idea how close this smoothie was to really be a Dead End for me and making my Hubs a widower on the day of our Anniversary!

Thanks for listening to my 'interesting" story and sorry it was such a long post but I thought if there was a person with Latex allergies among my readers they should be aware of the fruit fact too!....It can't get any spookier than that for a Halloween Drink huh?? Hugs and remember that everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Widower Maker Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Cup of White Grape Juice

1 Starfruit

1 Cup Honeydew Melon

1 Kiwi

Directions:

Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth! Decorate with slices of starfruit and enjoy.

Prep Time 5 minutes                                                                 Serves 2 (6 oz glasses)                     

Sharing my almost Dead End Smoothie at these Fa-BOO-lous Parties:

Dear Creatives, Flamingo Toes, I Should be Mopping the Floors, Frugal Foodie Mama,Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Coastal Charm, Between Naps on the Porch, Carrie This Home, A Pinch of Joy, PandP Kitchen, Jembellish, A Southern Fairytale, Setting for Four, Titi Crafty, Huckleberry Love, VMG 206, The Gunny Sack, Ladybug Blessings, Home Stories A to Z, Chef in Training, Our Table for Seven, Nap-Time Creations, Mandy's Recipe Box, The Everyday Home, The Well Crafted Home, Smart School House, My Sweet Mission, Lady Behind the Curtain, Thank You Honey, All She Cooks, Ducks 'n a Row, Sweet Haute, A Handful of Everything, The Mandatory Mooch, Saving 4 Six, The Crafty Blogstalker, Maid in a Day, Simply Dream and Create, Craftionary, The Girl Creative, Tidy Mom, Home Maid Simple, Love and Laundry, Todays Creative Blog, Practically Functional, My Turn (for Us), Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, Sara Howe, Townsend House, Cooking with Curls, Living Better Together, Shaken Together, The Pin Junkie, 504 Main, Cheerios and Lattes, Six Sisters Stuff, It's Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Classy Clutter, What's Cookign with Ruthie, Angels Homestead, Suburbs Mama, Twigg Studios, Life on Lakeshore Drive, I Should be Mopping the Floors, The Chicken Chick, Under the Table and Dreaming, The Velvet Moon Baker, WOM, With a Blast, Cherished Bliss, Housewives of Riverton, Recipes for my Boys, SNAP, Creative Geekery, My Romantic Home, A Simple Five, Kneaded Creations, Just us Four, The Answer is Chocolate, Becoming Martha, 4 Little Fergusons, Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Frugal Foodie Mama, My Mixing Spoon, Will Cook for Smiles, Bowdabra, Lemon Paper Designs, On Nom Ally

Mallorca

I realized I never posted the rest of my photos from Mallorca. Honesty I didn't take very many (I was on vacation, right!?) and I definitely didn't eat enough dessert. I did eat croissants for breakfast though. Every day. That's what I call a vacation.

By the way. Some of these photos are taken with my phone. I'll definitely be using it a lot more for travel photography.

Sweet Corn, Zucchini & Haloumi Fritters

These fritters are fabulous. I already had the Sweet Capsicum Relish in my cooking repetoire from years ago. The Balsamic Syrup too. But the fritters are a newbie and one that has absolutely struck a 10/10 chord with everyone who's tasted them. I suspect the relish and the syrup go a long way toward that 'zing' flavour which makes them unbelievably moorish and yummy.
.

The picture above is where the idea for the recipe came about. 

My girls and I took a three day trip to Daylesford a few months back. We had the most marvellous time. Issy staked out the cafe we would go to for our final meal.  The "sweet corn and haloumi fritters served with capsicum and sweet chilli relish" sent her nuts. Reading the window menu we all agreed to dine at this place; although Nicka had a different meal.

Daylesford is cold! The girls and I froze our 'tooshies off' - but it was worth it. 

We were all very happy with our meals. So much so that I decided to recreate the dish - well sort of. I liked the fritters but I wanted more veggie and less flour. In with some zucchini. My experimentation was a triumph. I was ecstatic with the results. I think I made about four batches in the week to follow. My usual 'meat-eating' hubby even gave a huge thumbs up. Most unlike him. It was then I realised, wow, this is a winner.

As I scratched my head wondering which recipe to focus on for the next column - I burst out laughing as I realised - I was eating it! In she goes. My editor emails back with 'oooohhhhs and aaaahhhh's'. I think she approves. Hope you do too.

Here's the link to my: Sweet Corn, Zucchini & Haloumi Fritters, Sweet Capsicum Relish and Balsamic Syrup.

PS: I should add the lovely Brydie at cityhippyfarmgirl posted about her corn and ricotta fritter recipe. Upon reading her post I realised that my very own fritter recipe had totally slipped my mind. Timely reminder. Thanks Brydie. Phew.

Pumpkin Brownies Halloween Recipe

Hola Amigos! If you follow me on FB you know I got a little help from my friends to get me through what I call a seasonal blogger dilemma. For a while I was seriously considering going into hibernation, closing shop, sort of speak through the Fall and then wake up and join the living on Winter time..odd I know, but here is why:  I couldn't figure out what to blog about because we all know this is Pumpkin Season and I Hate Pumpkins, with Passion!!!

Pumpkins, Squash, Gourds, Sweet Potatoes, Yams...you name it! If it's orange and it's not a carrot I don't like it!. Believe me, I've tried, very hard, but a single bite won't go down my throat.
I don't cook them, I don't know how to cook them and never been interested in them until this Fall, when the entire bloggy community is going head over hills over pumpkins and since now I'm blogging...well what to do!

I got a lot of good suggestions. This was among them, recipe and all courtesy of Paula D. Wilson, one of my FB readers. She promised me I would not be able to taste the pumpkin in these brownies and I thought.....what do I have to lose!

Well, Shut The Front Door!!!! They are amazing! and No Pumpkin Flavor!!! To the point that my little one who can't stand pumpkins either ate the first one and then I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, but nothing...he loved them!

They are soft, fudgy and so chocolaty! I followed the recipe to the T...well there are only 2 ingredients as you probably know. Just added some chocolate chips and M&M's as I do with all my brownies! Oh My!!!
Just grab the milk and keep them coming!

Decorate them with seasonal candy, more fudge, caramel, peanuts or marshmallows!!! They are good!

I want to thank Paula for her help and for sharing her recipe with me and let me try some pumpkin without really tasting it!!! how great is that?

Thank you for visiting the blog today! Every Thursday on FB I'm having a Thankful Thursday as a way of thanking my readers and fellow bloggers for their support. If you are a small blog, you are just starting as a blogger, you are an artist, you are a reader with a great recipe, Comment on this post leaving me a link to your blog,  contact me and send me your recipe and I will try it and post it here on my blog giving you the credit you deserve. You don't need to be a blogger to do this, just email me or PM me on FB or G+.

Have a great day and keep in mind friends...everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love and a little help from your friends!

 Besitos,

Lizy

Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients:

1 Box Brownies (18 -20oz) I used Ghirardelli's Ultimate Brownie Mix

1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin Puree

M&M's candy (optional)

Chocolate Chips (optional)

Seasonal Candy (optional)

Directions:

Mix together Brownie Mix (no eggs, no oil, no water) Just the powder with the Pumpkin Puree. It's going to be a thick mix. Pour it into a 13x9 baking dish and bake for 18-24 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

Let it cool, cut in squares and decorate the brownies any way you like it. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 3 minutes                                                                  Baking Time 18-24 Minutes                          

Bringing a sweet treat with a trick to these Fa-BOO-lous parties:

Planned in Pencil, Tatertots and Jello, Not Your Ordinary Recipes, SerenityYou, Classy Clutter, Fox Hollow Cottage, Cheerios and Lattes, Too Much Time, Twigg Studios, Life on Lakeshore Drive, WCFS, Your Homebased Mom, Mommifried, The Thriftiness Miss, Under the Table and Dreaming, Dear Creatives, Flamingo Toes, I Should be Mopping the Floors, Frugal Foodie Mama, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Coastal Charm, Between Naps on the Porch, Carrie This Home, A Pinch of Joy, PandP Kitchen, Jembelish, A Southern Fairytale, Setting for Four, Titi Crafty, Huckleberry Love, VMG 206, The Gunny Sack, Ladybug Blessings, Home Stories A to Z, Chef in Training, Our Table for Seven, Nap-Time Creations, Mandy's Recipe Box, The Everyday Home, The Well Crafted Home, Smart School House, My Sweet Mission, Lady Behind the Curtain, Thank You Honey, All She Cooks, Ducks 'n a Row, Delish, Sweet Haute, A Handful of Everything, The Mandatory Mooch, Saving 4 Six, The Crafty Blogstalker, Maid in a Day, Simply Dream and Create, The Best Blog Recipes, Craftionary, Tidy Mom, The Girl Creative, Home Maid Simple, Love and Laundry, Todays Crative Blog, Practically Functional, My Turn (for Us), Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, Sara Howe, Townsend House, Cooking with Curls, Living Better Together, Shaken Together, The Pin Junkie, 504 Main, Six Sisters Stuff, It's Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Angels Homestead, Suburbs Mama, WOM, Housewives of Riverton,SNAP, Cassidy's Cooking, Classy Clutter

eating well

Let's talk about food.

The internet drives me crazy 9 days out of 10. One day is it praising the health benefits of "_____", the next day it's telling you how that very same "_____" will make you die a slow and painful death.
And then we panic because "_____" was our new favorite health food.



You want to know what I think? I think people worry too much. We have so much information and

Just Do It

Am I right in thinking that  things done spontaneously or quickly thrown together often turn out the best? No planning, no stress, no anticipation, no pressure. Just do it.

A call from a friend living in the Kerry Valley. I'll be over at our Numinbah Valley farm today. Okay I reply. Next thing I know I'm baking Spinach and Feta Muffins and Carrot and Sultana Muffins (was in a muffin mood). A fold up table, some of my pretty high tea cups and off to our Numinbah farm I go.

A call to other neighbours; yes they're in and would love to come over.

What a pleasant afternoon filled with conversation and laughs. And more laughs. I'm smiling just thinking about it as I type. I'm also thinking I should do things more impulsively. It really takes away the stress and what will be will be. Had a wonderful time.

Also road-tested Spinach and Feta Muffins. I used this recipe as the base but replaced the beetroot with silverbeet. (Why do I call silverbeet "spinach") - just can't help it.

When I made the recipe last week it was unbelievably tasty. Thought I better give it another go to see if I fluked it. Nope. It's an absolute winner. So much so the ladies wanted the recipe there and then.

Looks like I have my October recipe for the paper. It's a beauty.

Hats off to good times, good friends, no stress and amazing muffins.