Easter , Chocolate, Hot Cross Buns and a Precious Gift - What does it mean to You ?

I remember the first time I saw this painting by Salvador Dali I was blown away. It is titled Christ of Saint John of the Cross and I think it is amazing. My husband showed me this picture a long time ago and I could not believe this was someone's dream, it is amazing. Salvador Dali had a dream and he painted what he dreamt, which is pretty extraordinary when you think about it.

I wanted to write today about what Easter means to me and why I love celebrating it. I really don't need to write much more as the image says it all and that is pretty awesome. Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate and hot cross buns (gluten free) and the Royal Easter Show and getting together and sharing a meal. I really do love all that but I never want any of those things to overshadow the true meaning of why we celebrate it and the immense gift that was given to us that day he died for us.

How many of you will be popping some delicious chocolate in your mouth or munching down some buttered hot cross buns? How many of you will be going to the Easter show and enjoying the hustle and bustle of the crowd and the smells of the Easter show (animals, food, more animals hahaha). How many will be purchasing all their food ready to make a delicious feast on Easter day? Me too, I will be doing most of these things except not going to the show this year but I still love reading about it and hearing people's fun stories of their day at the show. How many of you will be getting to a church service and actually thinking about why we are celebrating Easter? Whether it is Good Friday or Easter Sunday it is all a celebration of a wonderful selfless gift that is undeserved by all of us but that is the beauty, isn't it? This wonderful gift of salvation and eternal life.

Easter to me is the most beautiful gift of love and I hope you all get to share this wonderful gift wherever you are in the world and yes enjoy a little chocky as well. Enjoy the show, the food and getting together with family and friends and eating some hot cross buns and by the way my second attempt turned out pretty good for gluten free hot cross buns (photo is below), and I look forward to making them for Easter this week. So enjoy all the fun things about Easter, including the public holidays but try if you can to remember why we celebrate it in the first place and if you have never read the story, it's a pretty awesome read and you can find it in Luke 23: 26-56 and Luke 24:1-49 NIV.

                                                          Happy Easter Everyone

Disaster, Fiasco, Surrender and Success (Cooking/Relationships it's all the Same Thing)

One of the best things about writing a cookbook is creating new recipes and boy oh boy what a buzz it is when they turn out, on the other hand when you have a pot full of disaster and the recipe has not gone to plan it feels pretty ordinary. This week I had two cooking disasters
(both new recipes I had never cooked before) and two successes
(one new recipe I recently devised, today in fact, and one I had created a little while ago.

The first recipe disaster was coconut cream custard, the thought was good but the outcome was bad, very very bad (think coconut-flavoured scrambled eggs, yuck). The second disaster was gluten free hot cross buns. Now Easter is looming and I thought I would try to devise a gluten free hot cross bun recipe that reminded me of the hot cross buns I miss so much. That distinct smell of spices and fruit that leaves you salivating when you walk past any bakery in the lead up to Easter. I tried my hand at replicating that wonderful memory of delicious hot cross buns and well, shall we say it didn't go quite to plan. The aroma was there
(tick) and the colour was there (tick) and that is about all that was there, as when I put one to my mouth and took a bite it was like biting in to a nerf ball and the taste wasn't quite there either. My husband walked into the kitchen quite excited at the thought of hot cross buns as the smell had permeated throughout the entire house but when I picked one up and bounced it off the bench he said he would pass and promptly left the kitchen. I thought maybe I could use the bouncy hot cross buns as stress balls or paper weights but common sense prevailed and they ended up in the bin and not on Pinterest hahahaha. I would usually feel quite bad when I have a cooking disaster but this time I didn't feel as bad and had a bit of a laugh and that was pretty good considering the cooking disasters were one day straight after the other. It was good I decided to see the funny side of this as I am sure there will be plenty more cooking disasters in the lead up to the book.

The two cooking successes were very good timing as there was one before the disaster and one after so it softened the blow so to speak. The first success was my roast pumpkin and carrot soup, and let me tell you it is divine. I really look forward to putting this recipe in the cookbook as I am sure many people will enjoy it and it has no cream in it yet tastes lovely and creamy so it's good for the waistline. The second success is a citrus and strawberry slice and it is really lovely and my husband is very happy indeed (not a nerf ball in sight hahaha). I must remember to write the recipe down as it will be a crowd pleaser for sure.

I mentioned cooking and relationships being similar and I will tell you why. Because both need good ingredients, both take lots of hard work, both need love and nurturing and both can leave you either full of love and happiness or anger and sadness. I have had experiences this week with both cooking and relationships pulling at the heart strings and also bringing me joy and I guess that's life and we wouldn't have it any other way. If you are a parent you will definitely know about your heartstrings being pulled but you will also know the amazing feeling of great love and joy you feel when you look at your child no matter how old they are.

With great pain comes great pleasure and so it goes and who wants to put a plain bit of gluten free bread in their mouth when they can bite a slice of citrus strawberry slice and have your taste buds doing a dance? In other words, life would be pretty dull and bland without spice and citrus and amazing produce to cook with and it would be dull in life without taking a chance and putting ourselves out there to experience love, which leaves us open for great pain but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Where did my village go? and Lisa's Veggie, Chickpea and Kidney bean Ratatouille

They say it takes a village to raise a child but what happens when the child grows up and becomes an adult? Does it imply the adult does not need love, nurturing, kindness, direction, respect, company and a big hug? It has been on my mind for a while now as it had occurred to me that there are many lonely people out there, especially elderly people. I even have experienced this for myself in the past five years due to great loss (a church family, a best friend, a lovely uncle) just to name a few things and believe me there are more. But I was curious as to why the care and love seems to stop or not be there when we "grow up" as much as when we are young, where does our village go?

I suppose we are meant to know how everything is meant to work when we are all grown up but sometimes that is not the case and we get it wrong even as adults. The funny thing in life is there are no rule books and you have to wing it at times and do your best and sometimes the results are not what we hoped for but that's life and that is learning and that is how we gain experience and supposedly grow "knowledgable." You know that old saying a baby has to crawl before they can walk and they will fall down lots trying to do so but they do get back up and I suppose that applies to us adults as well "we keep getting back up and trying."

There is a day once a year called "R U O.K Day" but I think it needs to be more than once a year that we ask our friends and family are they o.k. I make it a point every time I send an email or text I ask the person "how are you?" because sometimes that is all a person needs (someone to care).

So I guess the bottom line is no matter how old we are we still need love, nurturing, kindness, direction, respect, company and a big hug. I feel blessed there are still some wonderful people in my life who love and care for me beautifully and I hope I do that for them in return. Let's not forget our gorgeous four legged friends who love us unconditionally and seem to know when we need that extra special snuggle or lick.

Today, I will share with you a recipe I love and that has been a staple in our home for many years. This is one of my favourite vegetarian recipes and a great meal to freeze so you can have a healthy quick meal. We like to have a few meat free dinners a week and this is a healthy and satisfying meal that is sure to please everyone (even men and children hahaha). Now I make this without fresh garlic and onion as they can sometimes affect my stomach so I use garlic infused olive oil and chives but you can use a clove of garlic and some onion or a shallot (also known as enshallot) if you like.

Lisa's Veggie, Chickpea and Kidney bean Ratatouille 

Ingredients:

1 large Eggplant washed, dried and cut in to  2 cm cubes (approx.)
2 Zucchini washed and dried and cut in half length ways and then sliced (half moons)
1 Green capsicum washed, dried, and cut in to 2 cm cubes/squares
1 Red capsicum washed, dried, and cut in to 2 cm cubes/squares
1 medium sweet potato peeled and cut in to 2 cm cubes
1 piece of pumpkin (250 gm) peeled and cut up in to 2 cm cubes
1 bunch of chives washed, dried and chopped
5 Tablespoons of garlic infused olive oil (approx.) you may need more due to the eggplant soaking it all up.
2 Teaspoons of chicken stock powder. you may need to add more later on but it's best to add a little at first and then add extra at the end as you can't take out the stock once it is added and it may be to salty.
1 Birdseye Chilli, washed dried and chopped finely
3 x 400 gram Tins of diced tomato's
1 x 400 gram Tin of chickpeas
1 x 400 gram Tin of kidney beans
5 fresh basil leaves  washed, dried and chopped
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Method:

In a large frypan (I use a family/Banquet sized electric fry pan) put the garlic infused olive oil and when it is hot add the chilli and chives and saute for a minute or two.

Add all the chopped veggies and cook until slightly soft and there are some slightly caramelised bits on the veggies (this adds a wonderful flavour).

Add the tinned tomatoes, chicken stock powder, ground black pepper and basil leaves and cook for approx. 30 minutes or until sweet potato and pumpkin are soft. You should be able to put a skewer in and it should come out easily.

At this stage you should taste and see if it is salty enough and needs any more chicken stock powder. If so, add half a teaspoon at a time and keep adding until you are happy with the taste and saltiness. Remember to stir in-between adding the stock powder so it is distributed evenly.

Add chickpeas and kidney beans and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.

If you want it a little hotter (chilli heat) then you can add a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper and some dried chillies.

Serve with brown rice or if you are not gluten free it goes wonderfully well with couscous.

© Lisa Maree van der Draay 2015. Except as provided by the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced, communicated to the public without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Enjoy

What's Your Thang? and Pear and Cinnamon Tart

When I was a little girl (no Que Sera Sera I promise hahaha), seriously when I was little I wanted to be a singer and a drummer (I know it's odd for a girl) but I seriously wanted so badly to be a drummer. I loved the power and the rhythm drummers had and I really wanted to be one, I also loved girls having a bit of muscle and girl drummers had "guns". I remember when I was young I would walk past our local music shop daily and stare into the window at a set of Pearl Drums and they were beautiful. They were exactly the same drums Peter Chris from the band Kiss used so that was pretty awesome, I also wanted to marry Paul Stanley (lead singer of Kiss) but that is for another post hahaha.

I remember thinking 'I wonder if there will ever be any famous girl drummers?' and then bands like The Runaways, Heart, The Go Go's and The Bangles made me realise girls can rock as good as the boys and boy did they rock. I remember watching Sheila E perform with Prince, thinking this girl has amazing rhythm and more recently listening to Hole (I love love love the songs Celebrity Skin and Malibu) and being so happy that girls are still making an impact in the music scene. Now I haven't added bands such as Bananarama, TLC, Destiny's Child, Salt 'n 'Pepper, The Pointer Sisters and many others. Not because I don't like them, not at all as I was a huge fan of all of them but I wanted to write about the female musicians/bands that inspired me. Don't worry, I was a huge Kim Carnes fan and sang Betty Davis Eyes into my hair brush just like every other 14 year old girl but this is just about actual bands.

Well, I didn't end up being a drummer and my singing is saved for church or the shower or my husband (awe yep all mushy). I do still love listening to music although my taste has changed over the years but every now and then it's nice to pop on some of the old classics from my youth. But I am glad I now am doing what I love, which is cooking and writing and sharing this passion with the people I love and care about and knowing it won't be too long before my first cook book will be ready is a real blast, it's amazing really.

So never give up on your dreams and sometimes your dreams take a different road but it's still a great journey and as long as you end up happy and giving something back to the world, then I think you're a pretty lucky person.

What's Your Life Worth?

This week I didn't think I would be able to write. The immense sadness I feel knowing that two men who have repented and rehabilitated will be shot by firing squad sickens me to the core. I am physically repulsed and have cried many tears this week for both of these men. I prayed very hard for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran and so when the news was announced yesterday they were being transferred to the island of Nusakambangan, I felt physically ill and cried very hard for these two men. I felt the pain inside and can only imagine how their families and friends are feeling right now.

It has been a privilege to watch these men rehabilitate and grow and want to help people and to know they truly are sorry for their actions. Many people in life will do the wrong thing and many will not repent or say sorry but these men are truly sorry. I am not saying what they did should be excused, not at all, but I do not believe anyone has the right to take another person’s life. I believe if someone is truly sorry for what they have done and show they are sorry, they should be given another chance.

I have decided to not take life for granted and to be eternally grateful for the life I have been given everyday now. My husband and I went for a walk this morning before he went to work and it was lovely being outside and appreciating nature, creation and life; something these men may never have the chance to do again. This has really shaken me to the core and I will be grateful every day, even if the day is not so good I will be grateful for it.

You know, we all have gripes and grumbles about daily life and that is normal but if you put it all into perspective we are a pretty lucky bunch as I would say most if not all of us have a roof over our head and food in our bellies and we may be even lucky enough to have someone to love and have someone loving us back. It's funny but the old saying "The best things in life are free" is really true and we should never take it for granted. I won't minimise anyone’s sadness or pain or hard times as I know from personal experience they do happen but I am learning I have a choice how long I stay in that "bad place" and today I choose life and happiness.

So the next time you’re having a crappy day, can I just ask you to think of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran as they would give anything to live, not travel to Europe or buy a house or own a flashy car, no they just want to live. So let's not take this precious life for granted and be thankful every day for the life we are given and hopefully by doing that we will put some good back into the world and it will be a pretty damn fine place to live.

I will end my post with this quote because I think it is pretty apt for what is happening right now.

John 8:7 New International Version (NIV)

7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”