Slow Living Month 5

May..... it came and went so fast and finally, better late than never, I am linking up at Slow Living Essentials. It is good to look back on achievements, however small, that make life meaningful and enjoyable...

NOURISH: 

My daughter made a delicious orange cake in celebration of her Opa's birthday. 

We agreed it was her best ever orange cake.

 With cooler weather we have enjoyed various soups such as chicken noodle soup and spicy red lentil and tomato soup. The favourite has been a new butternut  soup recipe. 

My eldest says tastes better every time I make it .

 Here is the recipe:

1 onion chopped
4 garlic cloves
 4cm ginger 
1 chili 
45 my Thai Red Curry Paste
 15ml cumin 
Fry above ingredients together. 
Add 1.2 kg butternut and 750ml veg stock. Simmer until done, then blitz until smooth. 
Add 30 ml fish sauce, 1 can coconut milk and 1/2 cup of peanut butter. 
Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
Garnish with your choice of fresh chili  coriander, chopped peanuts or a swirl of Bulgarian yogurt.

PREPARE: 

I pickled some of the abundant chili harvest which I popped straight into the freezer as is for later use. I also froze granadilla pulp in hopes of making grannadilla butter soon,  or perhaps a granadilla cake.

REDUCE: 
I have been systematically un-subscribing from various emails that clutter my inbox and choosing to keep only those that serve me.

Hubby did a wonderful job of sanding down our outside table and benches, so much so that friends have asked if it is new!

GREEN:

Citrus peels have been scattered in the veg garden to deter the cat from going in there...
not too successful but worth a shot.

We were blessed with boxes of biodegradable pods from Espresso Ethical Coffee Company and the use of my neighbours Nespresso machine. The coffee grinds have been scattered in the garden and it is good to know the capsules have been made from renewable materials too. 

The two younger kids each bought themselves these colourful recycled coca cola can storage boxes. They were very fortunate to get them at a dramatically reduced price.

GROW: 

We have enjoyed tomatoes, granadillas, chillies, pepperdews, lettuce, peas, herbs , spring onions, green peppers, spinach and celery.

I planted broad bean seeds saved from my neighbour's crop from last season. Peas, carrots went into the soil as well as ranunculus bulbs that should bring some colour to the garden in the spring. These were a free gift from the nursery for this month.

CREATE:

 My ever creative daughter made these cute fairy wands and more miniature felt creations for an order.

Her craft club girls practised creativity by decorating cookies.

I made another scarf as a gift for a dear friend's birthday.

Two more quick and easy scarves were made as gifts for friends.
 I so enjoy knitting when the temperatures drop.

It was fun to put together this box of shells that have been collected over time. Some from long ago Dar es Salaam days, some from South African shores . It it so sweet to see my little nephew enjoying his Aunty's  shell collection.

I finally spent time "decorating" the garden with last December's birthday gifts.... cute labels and hanging hearts and more....yes, I can procrastinate terribly!

DISCOVER: 
Mmmm....not much to add here.

ENHANCE:

My youngest and I enjoyed a morning in the arboretum with the nature club on our first ever geocache. 

Despite the geocache  not being found, it was a fun experience.

ENJOY: 

We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with hubby's parents and Dutch cousin visiting our home for a braai. We were thankful that the weather was good to us that day.
Two girlfriends and I enjoyed a fish nibble foot treatment and pedicure as a Mother's Day treat. Lots of laughs and giggles as we enjoyed the experience.
Friend and family birthdays were celebrated.
Autumn beach walks and pine cone hunting in the forest nourished souls.

We spent a wonderful family morning out, exploring Montebello and Rhodes Memorial.

Thanks Christine for the great opportunity to link up and share.

A bit of Irish fun

Last month we learned a little about Ireland. I was interested to find out about St Patrick as St Patrick's day was coming up and we didn't know much about it.

We read the story, "St Patrick, the Greatest Missionary of All Time". I was thankful to have received it as a free download from Living Books Curriculum.

We used Enchanted Learning  to find a map and information on the Irish flag. From there we browsed a few sites and learned about the Blarney Stone, how St Patrick's Day is celebrated , leprechauns, shamrocks and other fun facts. Fun was had trying to pronounce a few words in Gaelic, the Irish language.

We found some Irish quotes and sayings, my favourite being,

 " A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything". 

I couldn't agree more!

We enjoyed trying out some Irish cuisine.

 The first being Boxty, in Irish meaning "poor-house bread"....

 ....a traditional Irish potato pancake. 

The kids really enjoyed these!

 Here is the recipe we used:

Ingredients:

1 cup raw grated potato

1 cup mashed potato

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs

quarter cup milk

Method:

1) Place raw grated potatoes in a clean cloth and twist to remove excess moisture

2) Mix flour, salt and baking powder together and combine with all other ingredients to make a batter

3) Drop spoonfuls of batter into a hot, oiled pan and fry on either side until browned

4) Enjoy warm, with or without sugar.

My youngest enjoyed preparing an Irish Beef Stew for family dinner one evening.

We adapted the recipe we found on line at Simply Recipes. It required the addition of red wine and beer. I was a little wary that it may not be so good as I really don't enjoy the taste of beer at all! I was wrong, it was absolutely delicious and perhaps the best stew I have ever eaten! We certainly will make it again. 

Another recipe from Simply Recipes, was an Irish Soda Bread. 

My youngest, once again being the cook, proudly served this delicious bread to the family. 

On St Patrick's Day, we had a neighbourhood celebration for the fun of it. The kids dressed in green and there was green food to be enjoyed! Right from green pasta, broccoli covered in cheese to green treats and sweets! 

We so enjoyed learning about Ireland. 

I shall end with this beautiful Irish blessing....