A Sweet & Sassy Toast to Isabel* – A Real Book Buddy Beauty
Posted on November 7, 2009 in the Real Beauty category
Can you believe I have another farewell post for my Real Beauty book? I do – and as sad as I am to have to write these posts, I’m happy to share a special lady with you.
A couple years ago, we moved to the beach and I volunteered to deliver books to people. That’s how I met Isabel* – and she changed my life.
Isobel was beautiful because she was…Adventurous & Brave. She was one of the first female foreign correspondents during the war. She also founded and ran her own media firm in California for many years – I know she paved the way for many women in Media – and having a Journalism degree myself, she was an inspiration to me.
I enjoyed our time together – it was only for a few years, but I grew to care for her. Even though I brought books to Isobel, I got so much out of our visits. She amazed and amused me with her stories of the war, of her childhood and her career. And we always enjoyed a little cocktail during our chats.
It seemed she was never backed down from a new experience. Even when she moved to a new retirement community in her 90’s, she continued to look for fun. She played Bingo, attended the ice cream socials & movie nights, and attempted to start a newsletter. She didn’t become complacent and hide in her room – she kept active and alert – always on the lookout for a little fun.
I know she was part of the reason I was so excited move to Australia. And as sad as I was to leave her, I was proud to go on an international adventure like Isabel.
Thank you, Isabel – for all the fun and lovely chats (and the yummy cocktails). Thank you for your stories and for sharing your life with me. Thank you for inspiring me to be more adventurous – I think of you during my travels and hope you know you touched my life.
Cheers, darling – I raise my glass to you!
*named changed to protect the innocent
A Global Voice for Women – Sydney Fundraising Luncheon for Soroptimist International
Posted on September 10, 2009 in the Bleeding Heart Kristin, Kristin Kares category
I’m pleased and proud to be part of this organisation – Soroptimist International (siswp.org) — a Global Voice for Women. Soroptimist International is a world wide organisation for women working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women.
The Sydney Chapter is holding a luncheon in October. Please consider attending – if you can’t come and want to make a donation, contact me at Kristin@SassySEO.com.
Here are the details:
Soroptimist International Sydney – A Global Voice for Women
Invites you to our:
Fundraising Luncheon
To Aid Poverty in Africa & Trafficked Women in Sydney
1:00 pm Sunday, 11th October
Mary Mackillop Place,
Mount Street, North Sydney
Guest Speaker: Edison Yongai
Edison Yongai is an accomplished African Australian writer. His work draws on his experiences living and working as a journalist in Sierra Leone. The first journalist to be imprisoned by the government, Edison spent time in solitary confinement. His home and manuscripts were burned in the guerrilla invasion of Freetown in 1999. In
2001 he arrived in Australia as a refugee. He was recently interviewed by Andrew Denton on the ABC TV programme “Enough Rope”.
Cost: $60 per head
Includes: Champagne & savouries plus buffet luncheon,
Wine, soft drink, mystery prizes
All proceeds to:
Project SIerra: A Family & A Future
Helping disadvantaged women & children in Sierra Leone
face their futures with confidence.
http://projectsierra.org/
Further information and bookings:
Norma Boston ph/fax: 9958 7040
Email: nboston@bigpond.net.au
RSVP with payment by Monday, 29th September
Please mention you heard about it from me. I’d love to see you there. It will be a grand day and the other members of Soroptimist are fabulous.
Thanks for your consideration!
Cheers,
kristin
One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato…and some Baked Cauliflower Casserole (it’s Vegan, too)
Posted on July 26, 2009 in the Kristin's Kooking category
I can’t believe I haven’t shared shared THIS yummy creation with you, my 3 readers, before now!
I’m sure you’ve been wondering around, pondering why your life is missing something…in a haze, in a daze, in a box, with a fox…but I digress.
SO – once and for all, here is the ground-breaking (get it? because it has potatoes?!) recipe:
Boil 5 potatos (small-medium), once they are boiling, add 1/2 bag of frozen cauliflower. Bring to a boil again and cook until potatoes & cauliflower are soft.
Cook the bacon (I love Vegie Delights Bacon Style Rashers). I use about 6+ slices – depends on how much fakin’ bacon you like. Let sit on a paper towel & get crispy.
Add soy milk and butter (both vegan) to potatoes & cauliflower and mix – a hand mixer is one of the best tools to have in the kitchen.
Put potato/cauliflower mixture in oven-safe pan.
Layer cheese (I love, love, love Cheezly Mozzerella), fakin’ bacon and spring/green onions.
Bake until cheese melts – it really melts!
Serve to happy hubbie!
(I add mushrooms to mine since I add mushrooms to almost anything!)
If you are hosting a sport party or poker night for your darling partner, you can serve this along with these awesome nachos and sweet & sassy wedges.
Of course, everyone will know the difference, but it will still be yummy and if you serve enough beer, no one will complain.
Who wants to come over for poker?
Mucho Gusto Kristina Maria (that’s me) Margarita Pie!
Posted on July 26, 2009 in the Kristin's Kooking category
I’m sure you get the feeling all I do is eat…well, you are right. I love to eat…and cook…and eat my own cooking…
So my latest concoction is a delicious Kristina Maria (that’s me) Margarita Pie – I made it Vegan free without any booze.
I first got the inspiration here: Weight Watchers Margarita Pie. I love Weight Watchers & attribute my healthy and fancy cooking skills to them.
Here’s the scoop:
Put a bag of pretzyls in the Magic Bullet.
Once pretzyls have been mashed, add sugar (I use Organic Raw Sugar)
Add 2 TBS of butter ( I use vegan butter, but you can use whatever your heart desires).
I added about a cup of Margarita Mix (you can use Sweet & Sour Mix or limeade or lemon/lime juice with a bit of sugar. Blend until the mixture is a little wet.
Put in pie pan, smooth with fork or fingers (I like to play with my food) and bake at 375 (or 200 in Oz) for about 5 – 7 minutes. After it cooks, put in fridge for about 10 – 15 minutes.
While that is cooking, put a carton of soy vanilla ice cream – I love So Good – (as an aside THANKS FOR PUTTING SO GOOD IN THE OZ MARKETS!) – where was I…..
Oh, put a carton of So Good Vanilla ice cream in the Magic Bullet (I have the blender attachment and it rocks) and add about a cup of Margarita Mix – blend to taste.
Put blender in freezer or fridge to chill while crust is cooling.
Once crust is cool, add blended yummy mixture and freeze until hard.
As I got to this last step, I realized that I just made Key Lime Pie…typical kooky Kristin – but since I used Margarita Mix, it’s Kristina Margarita Pie – that’s my story, thank you very much.
NOW – and here’s where it gets REALLY exciting – you can add tequila and triple sec/curacao to the ice cream if you truly want a buzz.
I tried it yesterday and it was very nice – it was different, unusual…(my latest love is Aus Kath & Kim. I wonder if Kath would serve this pie to her “hunk of spunk”. Regardless, Kristina Maria Margarita Pie will make you feel like a hundred bucks.
Ole!
Delicious & Delectable Pad Thai – oh so sweet & sassy!
Posted on July 12, 2009 in the Kristin's Kooking category
I know, I know – you are all jealous of my motivation and krazy kooking talents…but don’t fret! I’m still the lazy, krackerjack kueen of the kitchen – and here’s one for the road…
Pad Thai
Stir fry veggies in olive oil:
broccoli
cabbage
carrots
spring onions, etc.
Cook noodles – I like mung bean starch noodles from the Asian section of the market or somen noodles.
Sauce:
Mix Tahini Sauce with honey, lime, garlic and soy sauce – you can use Peanut Butter instead of Tahini, if you please.
Mix veg with noodles and sauce – serve to your hearthrob (or in my case, HeartRob) and call it a night.
Goodnight Sweetheart, well it’s time to go….
Sweet & Sassy Veggie Udon from Scratch – Udonly Delicious…
Posted on July 12, 2009 in the Kristin's Kooking category
Yes, there’s more!
I really don’t know how I had so much energy but I kept going and going and going…I think this was one of the weekend’s highlights.
Veggie Udon
Inspired by Homemade Chinese Soups(an awesome site!), I added a little bit of Kristin Krazy to make this masterpiece.
Stir fry the following for about 10 minutes in olive oil:
carrot
radish
celery
onion
parsely
rosemary
garlic
seaweed
Soak dried shitake mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes.
Drain veggies/spices (put to side for another recipe like my Famous Veggie Soup).
Add soy sauce & oyster sauce to the broth along with the shitake mushrooms AND their broth.
Add Udon noodles to the broth and mushrooms – once noodles are cooked, serve and enjoy.
Horray!
Kristin’s Universal Famous Veggie Soup
Posted on July 12, 2009 in the Kristin's Kooking category
Okay – so maybe it’s not Universally Famous, but it sure is wicked white hot yummy and healthy!
I try to keep a pot of this in the fridge every week for easy lunches – the secret is using taco spice – it keeps my Mexican Food withdrawals at bay!
Soak red lentils overnight.
Add to 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Once boiling add any kind of veggies you like:
Punkin
Peas
Carrots
Corn
Green Beans
Zucchini
Spring Onions
Eggplant
Cabbage
Kale – Whatever!
Add Tomato Sauce, Taco Spice, Garlic and Italian Spices to the water and simmer for 45 minutes.
You can add couscous or noodles if that tickles your fancy.
This is one of my secrets of losing 7kg this year. It’s cleansing, delicious and easy (a pattern in my kooking, I know!).
Yum, yum, yum!
Something Sweet & Sassy Salmon & Seaweed Appe-teasers
Posted on July 12, 2009 in the Kristin's Kooking category
Can you see I’m on a roll?!!!
So then I decided to clean out the cupboards and I found some canned salmon that I was going to eat for lunch when I started “The Great Australian Diet” but never did.
I created a super easy recipe that is surprisingly yummy (to me – my hubba hubbie was not so krazy about it).
Canned Salmon
Seaweed Rice Crackers
Sheets of Seaweed torn in pieces the size of the crackers – I found in the Asian section of the market
Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese - I like the Herbs & Chives flavour
On each cracker, put a piece of seaweed, dollop of cream cheese and salmon.
Serve to your Sweetest & Sassiest friends!
And still more to come….
Pesto Madness – it’s pesto, it’s madness!
Posted on July 12, 2009 in the Kristin's Kooking category
Welcome back to Kristin Krazy Kooking Adventures, Part 2!
After the delicious Sassy & Sweet Potato Wedges, I decided to try a new recipe:
Pesto Madness! It’s vegan, it’s delicious, and it’s so very simple…
Basil – cut up in very small pieces
Olive Oil
Garlic
Pine Nuts
Lemon Juice
Dash of Pepper
Blend ingredients in the handy dandy Magic Bullet until smooth.
Add to your favourite dishes like my Very Vegan Lasagne.
But wait, there’s more…..we’ll be back after these important messages….
Sassy & Sweet Potato Wedges – so easy, so yummy!
Posted on July 12, 2009 in the Kristin's Kooking category
Batten down the hatches, Kristin is on a Krazy KooKing esKapade!
I don’t know what has gotten into me (maybe the extra energy from being on holiday), but I’ve whipped up a frenzy in the Kitchen.
I started with these little dittys:
Sassy & Sweet Potato Wedges:
Cut up sweet potatoes (with or without skins) into wedge sized pieces – I like them a little thin so they bake up a little Krispy.
In a baggie, add olive oil, salt, spices (I use Italian spices – basil, thyme, sage, oregano – cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.
Add potatoes to bag and shake a tail feather so the wedges get marinated with the spicy goodness.
Put on baking sheet and bake at 450 (USA), or 250 (AUS) for about 30 minutes or so – be sure to flip with spatula every 10 minutes to bake all sides.
Serve with mustard, tomato sauce, spicy mayo or whatever condiment you desire.
Practice safe condimenting!
Stay tuned for the rest of my Kooking madness……
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