deborah – Page 36 – MakeCookGrow.com

Where We Stay In Seminyak, Bali

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When I tell people we’re just back from a holiday in Bali the first comment people make is, “Lucky you” and the second is always, “Where did you stay?” About 1.4 million Australians travel to Bali every year and enjoy an enormous range of accommodation choices in many areas.

We keep returning to Kamuela Villas because they are close to the exciting chaos of Seminyak (wonderful restaurants, massages, lots of pampering, shops and cafes) but up a quiet street, calm and serene and very peaceful at night. The Manager and staff are so helpful and lovely!

The legendary Balinese hospitality begins when you’re collected from the airport in clean, cool 4WDs and transported to Kamuela reception, where you’ll enjoy a welcome drink before going to your villa.

Entrance to a one bedroom villa. These have less garden but each has a roof top terrace with great views and cool breezes. The villas are air conditioned except in the bathrooms which have fans.

Lush tropical gardens. Bali has world class restaurants and some days we have breakfast and one other meal and have a little picnic by the pool instead of a third, full spread. There’s a deli up the road with cheese, crackers, vegetables and fruit for in villa picnics.

The locked entrance gate means your villa is private and secure. The villas and pools are cleaned daily.

King sized beds with garden and pool views. All the rooms are light, airy and spacious with soaring ceilings and timber floors in the living areas and tiles in the bathrooms.

Order your breakfast and your preferred delivery time the night before and the lovely, smiling Balinese staff will arrive and set things out, ready for you to eat. We tried the English, French, American, Indonesian and Japanese breakfast choices and liked them all.

A variety of food can be ordered from the room menu ranging from snacks to three course meals.

The fruit in the front, left side, is a reptile fruit, with white flesh and a sweet, chewy texture.

We swim in the morning, in the afternoon and after dinner!

The tropics can be harsh on the buildings and a refurbishment program is planned.

Spacious bathrooms with showers and baths. Bottles of water provided….don’t drink the water in Bali!

Each two bedroom villa has a shared living space with sitting, dining and kitchen areas and two complete bedroom en suite units housed in three pavilions featuring these soaring ceilings. So beautiful.

Every time we stay we come home relaxed and blissed out, vowing to return as soon as possible. It is all so easy. Airfares are so low, Kamuela so accommodating and the staff so lovely. See it at www.kamuelavillas.com

Yesterday was Tiara Day, quite fitting following the Royal Wedding, but probably not very relevant for people in the suburbs with few commitments requiring a tiara. Apparently, Tiara Day is the same day as Queen Victoria’s birthday. I’m sure she had some gorgeous tiaras!

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5 Good Things To Do In Bali

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SWIM The balmy weather means you can swim during the day or night, at the beach or pool. Take two swimsuits as they can take a while to dry in the humidity and putting on a clammy, still damp swimsuit is a bit off putting!

2. EAT There’s a huge variety of cuisines available in Bali and the food is delicious. Experiment! I felt quite sad when a young boy staying where we were told me his family had hamburgers from a well known world-wide hamburger company delivered every night. Take the opportunity to talk to local people and ask them what’s popular or new.

3. ENJOY THE ARCHITECTURE The local style of architecture is so different from other countries and is ornate and beautiful. Craftsmen still carve and decorate wood and stone. Originally, strict rules dictated the order and arrangement of rooms in the houses but as properties have been divided due to inheritances, the size of land available has been diminished and the layout of rooms is less formalized.

Private home, set in lush gardens. So calm and peaceful and very beautiful.

A family temple. The Balinese are very spiritual and each family, larger family group and village has a temple.

4. BE PAMPERED So many opportunities for massages, facials, manicures and pedicures. So affordable compared to Australia.

I had an excellent facial from a male beautician. I’ve never had a male beautician before anywhere! No photos as I fell asleep almost immediately but my skin felt hydrated and soothed for days afterwards.

Reflexology is so relaxing. We went to a few places but my new favourite is Chill Reflexology in Seminyak. After a foot wash we were led into a cool, darkened room where we lay down, were given eye masks and ear phones and enjoyed the next hour listening not to dying whale music as I feared, but lovely soothing sounds. So restful, so relaxing.

Really good foot scrub and pedicure, too. Takes an hour with oils and creams massaged and rubbed on feet and legs, nails shaped, plenty of time between each application of polish. My local shop in suburban Perth follows a business model where they never say no to anyone who walks in, so even when I’ve made an appointment, the girl doing my nails might be flitting between three other people while I’m waiting and waiting and I’m there for so long.

Leaving Prina Spa, so pretty.

5. SHOPPING Most people like a memento of their holiday, especially when you have the time to shop without too many time constraints. I have always admired these roof “crowns” common on the peak of many Balinese buildings and was lucky enough to be taken by a friend to where they are made and was able to buy one.

Then I needed to buy a basket to carry it back to Australia!

Quickly discovered the drawstring basket was handy for carrying towels and books, too..

So many clothing, decorator, food, and souvenir shops everywhere and now, the ubiquitous tattoo shops! There’s antique furniture, rustic furniture and modern designs, clothing for everyone of every age, bags, shoes and masses of knick knacks!

A surprising discovery…a Catholic Church!

Did you watch the Royal wedding? Such a gorgeous dress, a lovely service and it looked like a beautiful day with the sun shining, but why did the bride’s mother seem to be alone?

Today is Quiche Lorraine Day, celebrating a shortcrust pastry filled with egg custard, cream, cheese, bacon or ham and sometimes added vegetables. Although we think of Quiche Lorraine as a French dish, it is actually thought to originate in Germany.

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5 Reasons You Should Have House Plants

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The Australian urban landscape is rapidly changing as more and more people move into high rise apartments without traditional front and back gardens. In fact, the number of people living in apartments seems to double every decade. There are good reasons to consider indoor plants.

1. Our houses are polluted by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These are released from plastics, synthetics, carpets, glue and paint. Indoor plants remove these VOCs from the air and produce oxygen, too.

2. Green plants project a healthy, calm environment. Plants make you feel well and in a small way, connected to nature.

You can also have fun selecting pots for your plants which can be ceramic, metal or plastic. There’s other ways of decorating your pots, too, such as wrapping them in hessian or cache pots but be sure there’s good drainage.

3. Plants have been shown to make positive changes to the brains electrical activity, muscle tension and heart activity.

4. Some plants, such as lavender, are thought to induce better sleep. Have two potted lavender plants, one by your bed and one resting outside and swap them regularly. It’s easy to bring pots of rosemary indoors, too, and enjoy the lovely smell.

5. Indoor plants are inexpensive and easy to maintain. Spray them occasionally to create humidity, don’t over water them and dust them regularly. Read their labels to find out how to feed them and enjoy!

This Sunday, 13th of May is Mother’s Day in many countries. Enjoy this special day however you like to celebrate. Happy Mother’s Day, Mum!

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Summer Fruit, Autumn Fruit, Fruit Jellies and Reading Materials

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The end of summer fruits, kiwi fruit and strawberries plus new season pears and apples.

Following a period of poor health I am trying to “repair” my gut and found lots of online references to gelatin. It is thought to improve the mucosal lining of the gut and stimulate the production of gastric juices aiding digestion. It is an easily digested protein.

There are so many recipes for fruit jellies, or gummy bears, online, but I wanted to use apples as I already had a bowl full. My resulting fruit jelly wasn’t such a pretty colour like those made from strawberries or mango, but it tasted very good.

I began by stewing four apples in very little water. When they were soft I drained them and pureed the pulp.

I put one and a half cups of pulp in a jug and stirred through two dessertspoons of gelatin dissolved in half a cup of water. Next time I will put the fruit through a sieve to make a smoother jelly, but I quite liked the chewiness of this lumpier jelly.

I poured the mix into a lightly oiled glass dish and left it to set in the fridge for a few hours before cutting it and tasting it. Intense apple flavour and very nice. Some online recipes include faux sugars which would certainly make it more like traditional gummy fruits but I didn’t add this and we still enjoyed the taste.

Lots of examples online show the jellies made in silicone moulds shaped like bears, hearts and even Lego figures which are also available online and in kitchenware shops.

I will make this again trying other winter fruits which are now appearing in the fruit shops. A thinner version, using less gelatin, would be like normal jelly/jello but the whole point is to digest the gelatin so I’ll stick with these proportions of fruit to gelatin.

We’re going away soon and have begun collecting books to read while we are on holidays. Our collections often overlap and we swap, but I don’t think that will happen this time. I also like to take some decorator magazines.

The last of the hydrangeas. I cut and potted lots of “sticks” when I was pruning to create new plants in spring.

The last of the roses. The bushes are getting “leggy” and will be pruned soon.

Today, the fourth of May, is Star Wars Day, so sit back and watch your favourite Star Wars DVD with your light saber close by and may the fourth ( ha ha) be with you!

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Perth Garden Festival 2018

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The Garden Festival didn’t start well for my mother. We’d just entered the event and were looking at award winning hanging basket displays when she was stung by a bee. My mother has a number of allergies and normally carries antihistamines, but she had a new handbag and hadn’t transferred her pill box. The St John’s Ambulance post administered pain relief and monitored her for some time and eventually we continued on our way.

The Perth Garden Festival has plants for sale, advice about everything to do with gardens, talks and demonstrations, food and wine, power tools, garden equipment and outdoors furniture and decorations. I was really inspired to grow tomatoes in big hanging baskets. That would be a surprise for the river rats who maraud in our garden at night.

Sat and watch one of the cooking demonstrations. Great presenters and delicious samples.

Local fish, local vegetables and even advice on how to grow the saffron which was one of the flavourings in this dish. Delicious samples and I’ve washed out the little plastic bowl to use as a paint pot.

Decorating ideas and lots of outdoor areas, perfect for our long summers.

Focus on water wise plantings.

I think this is Banksia victoriae, commonly known as Woolly Orange banksia. It is a native plant common in Western Australia and very striking.

Not sure the name of this yellow holly-leafed banksia, either, but they are relatively common throughout the south west of Western Australia and look so attractive in the bush and are popular with florists. Please let me know if I have wrongly identified the banksias!

Succulents are still very popular and well suited to our harsh climate.

Isn’t this an interesting bromeliad?

This once a year event is enjoyed by thousands of people. It is very inspiring. There’s such a range of plants, seeds, bulbs and tubers and everything you need to improve your soil, build and decorate an outdoor area and so much more information.

Anzac biscuits were created to be long lasting as they were sent by sea to our soldiers serving overseas during WW1 and became a staple. The smaller biscuits on the right are made to the original recipe and the larger biscuits on the left are a modern recipe including coconut. Both taste good!

Wednesday was ANZAC Day (Australian New Zealand Army Corps) when Australian and New Zealanders remember those involved in all wars, conflicts and peace keeping missions. We attend services and marches and for most people, it is a public holiday. A day of remembrance and reflection, often spent with friends and family. Many people make Anzac biscuits to eat at this time.

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A Window on Italy: The Corsini Collection: Masterpieces from Florence

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PERSIAN SIBYL

Artist unknown, after Giovan Francesco Barbieri, known as Guerano after 1648

The Corsini Collection, portraying 600 years of the family history, left the Corsini Palazzo, a magnificent Baroque palace to travel to Auckland, New Zealand and then Perth, Western Australia for the first time ever and is currently on display at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

PORTRAIT OF BIANCA CAPPELLO, MORGANATIC WIFE OF FRANCESCO DE’MEDICI

Alessandro Allori after 1579

Featuring artworks by Botticelli, Mantegna, Tintoretto, Pontormo and Caravaggio and many others, the collection is a snapshot of an eminent Florentine family history from a time when Florence was the centre of culture and the arts during the Renaissance.

Morganatic relates to or denotes a marriage in which the spouse of lower rank, or any children, have no claim to the possessions or title of the spouse of higher rank. No, I didn’t know, either!

HOLY FAMILY

Fra Bartolomeo 1511

The family agreed to the exhibition leaving the palazzo to travel to the antipodes as they felt they owed a debt to the allied forces of Australia and New Zealand who forced the German troops from their part of Italy in World War II. The family also benefits from curatorial research and restoration of some of the works prior to the exhibition.

PORTRAIT OF MAFFEO BARBERINI

Caravaggio 1597

As the Germans approached, the family drove the artworks to their country villa for safety. The collection was concealed behind a rapidly erected false wall with the portrait of Saint Andrea Corsini at the front. A German lieutenant, smelling the fresh plaster, shot into the wall. The bullet holes remain, unrestored, in the Saint’s forehead.

The collection included decorative objects and furnishings from the Corsini Palazzo, a hand written recipe book, kitchenalia and textiles plus designs for ceiling frescoes and the chapel dome.

The dining table is set just as it was for a banquet held at the palazzo in March 1857.

Recipe book “Recipes for Tidbits” written by Antonietta Corsini 1864-1881

PORTRAIT OF PRINCESS ELENA CORSINI Pietro Annigoni 1950

Princess Elena Corsini was responsible for saving the family collection from the German Armed Forces 1944. Traditionally the men were collecting these artworks, but during the twentieth and twenty first century it’s the females who are responsible for the collection. Both Countessas Livia Branca and Elisabetta Minutoli Tegrimi traveled to the opening of the exhibition.

PORTRAIT OF COUNTESS LUCREZIA MIARI FULCIS CORSINI

Luciano Guarnieri 1964

Today is Teach Your Children to Save Day intended to encourage children to develop the regular habit of saving money.

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Macarons, Melting Moments and Quick Dinner

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Family treats. These macarons were so delicious. The plain white box wasn’t quite as glamorous as Laduree’s pale green and gold one but the contents were very good and we really enjoyed all the flavours.

I’ve never tried making macarons but there’s many recipes online if you want to try making them yourself. Macarons have a crunchy exterior and a melt in your mouth interior and are made from almond flour, egg white, and sugar and filled with butter cream, ganache or fruit curd.

A macaroon is a different biscuit and is based on coconut, plus egg white and sugar but no flour. It often sits flat with a pointy top and can be dipped in chocolate.

I’ve been making this recipe for Custard Buttons for years. They are always popular and are quick and easy to make. Some people call them shortbread and when I’ve glued them together with icing they’ve been called Melting Moments.

Process 125gm room temperature butter with 1/3 cup of icing sugar (powdered sugar), 1/4 cup custard powder and one cup of plain flour.

Then roll the dough into walnut size balls and place on baking (parchment) paper.

Press a fork on top of each ball to make a pattern. Cook in a 150C (300F ) pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes. Leave to cool.

When the biscuits are ready they go slightly brown. They smell wonderful while cooking.

The biscuits are delicious with tea or coffee and keep well. I sometimes pack them in cellophane packets and put them in boxes as little gifts.

This is the quickest, easiest brunch or dinner. I sliced a leek very finely and when it was cooked, added baked beans. Meanwhile, I cooked two rashers of nitrate free bacon for each person, fried two eggs each and made two pieces of toast and served dinner within twenty minutes of starting the process. Bit different, but we loved it!

Today is Scrabble Day, so grab your triple scoring tiles and enjoy!

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Aravina Estate, Meelup Beach and Easter

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ARAVINA ESTATE

We enjoyed day trips while we were at Bunker Bay. Aravina Estate was recommended to me by a friend because she thought I’d like the garden.

I loved the garden! Set amongst bush land, vines, a lake and attractive buildings, the garden is gorgeous, even at the end of summer.

Also a small collection of cars and motoring memorabilia. To get to the cars and surfing exhibition, we passed through their shop, featuring gorgeous homewares, beautifully presented in a lovely space.

A very nostalgic wander around the Surfing Museum. This region is recognized world wide for its surf and beach lifestyle and is close to where I grew up. My husband found a picture of a surfer girl he said he knew in 1963!

Coffee out on the veranda. Tempting lunch menu but too soon after breakfast, so settled for coffee and the view of the lake and gardens. The wine we tasted was very good, too, and the staff were very helpful.

Finally, wandered back to the car park through the lush green garden. So glad we went there and will return.

MEELUP

Meelup Beach is a small, peaceful and protected bay and very popular for swimming, even early in the morning.

A group of artists sketching at the beach.

EASTER TREATS

Louis doesn’t eat chocolate but was very keen on eating his Easter Bunny.

This pretty wrapper for a block of chocolate is a gift from the very talented Mimi, from her blog A Tray of Bliss. This is one of four wrappers she has offered as downloads.

In a year when St Valentine’s Day ( I’m thinking chocolate ) and Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent ( a time to give a treats) fell on the same day, so too Easter Sunday and April Fool’s Day share the same date this year.

April Fool’s Day is commemorated by playing tricks on people, who are then the April Fools! There’s many conflicting theories about the origin of April Fools Day, but most agree the pranks should end at noon. The most widely accepted theory is it began in the 1500s when the Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian calendar, but some people forgot or didn’t know, so they celebrated the New Year at the beginning of April.

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Bunbury Regional Art Gallery PAINTING THE TOWN

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PAINTING THE TOWN

Bunbury Townscapes from the City of Bunbury Art Collection.

These artists’ impressions are an important representation of the development of Bunbury during the last 100 years.

All these paintings are watercolours except Ron Appleton’s St Mark’s Church, Picton, which is done in acrylics.

Frank (Charles) Norton 1916-1983

BUNBURY 25th FEBRUARY 1973

Bunbury is a regional city about two hours drive south of the capital city of Western Australia, Perth. I grew up in this region. On the way back from our break at Bunker Bay we visited the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery.

Ron Appleton (1908-1999)

ST MARK’S CHURCH, PICTON, 1968

Like many regional councils, in the 1940s, BRAG benefited from a collection of art works donated by WA philanthropist, Sir Claude Hotchin. More recently, twenty two works of art were donated by Alcoa of Australia.

Sam Wheeler (1875-1939)

BUNBURY HARBOUR, MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28th, 1903

The Gallery is housed in the old Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, a beautiful building in the centre of the city. The building still has traces of its former incarnation with a nun’s cell on display and the Chapel Gallery.

Leith Angelo (1904-2000)

UNTITLED

BRAGs has a collection of over 300 botanical water colours by Bunbury artist Rosetta Kelly (1916 – 1940). This is a significant record of the wildflowers of the south-west of the State. These art works are slowly being restored and exhibited.

Ivor Hunt(1903-1971)

THE SCHOONER

Today, Good Friday, marks the beginning of Easter for Christians. It commemorates the crucifixion of Christ and many people attend church services and traditionally eat fish. We also eat hot cross buns, the crosses reminding us of how Christ died.

Easter Sunday celebrates His resurrection and ascension into Heaven. We eat eggs to signify new life and more hot cross buns. My husband would like hot cross buns every day of the year. Lots of families spend Easter Sunday together.

Easter Monday is a holiday in Australia, a time for resting and reflecting and this year, enjoying the last of summer, although it is autumn, but still hot.

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Easter Planning

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Easter is celebrated in autumn in the southern hemisphere and the change in temperature is very welcome, except it hasn’t happened in WA, yet! It’s so very hot.

This is the first time I’ve made a layered cake and it was very easy but took a lot of time as I didn’t have two same sized cake tins. I made a double mix of butter cake and then divide it into four lots and added food dye.

I tried to make the dyed batter similar in colour to the speckled chocolate eggs used in the decoration. I used a very simple butter cream between the layers and to cover the cake then added the eggs.

This cake was delicious! And pretty.

Decorating boiled eggs. Bought a packet of coloured Sharpies and was keen to try them, so cut out two rabbit templates and lightly glued each one onto a hard boiled egg, dotted blue around the template and then peeled it off. Quick and easy decoration, once you’ve cut out the template!

Blue and white shrink wrap boiled eggs. I got these from EBay.

Hello Easter Bunny. He used to sit on my desk at school but now he’s on our dining table with the other Easter themed decorations. Louis, our dog, doesn’t eat chocolate so he has his own Easter Bunny ready in the cupboard for the day. Wonder how long it will last?

Other table decorations. Our other favourite part of Easter is hot cross buns. We’ll make them for Easter Sunday.

How do you celebrate Easter? What special things do you do and eat?

We have just had Know Your Neighbour Day in Australia. The theme this year has been ” The Importance of a Supportive Neighbourhood for Children and Young People” The idea is to focus on encouraging all Australians to support safe and welcoming communities for children.

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