Category: COME HOME TO THE COUNTRY

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Picture it. Win it.

I love pictures of the country.

I forgot all about this photo. (Well, it was a while ago!) I can’t even remember exactly where it was but I snapped it, dreaming about living in the country and one day telling country stories.

Twenty-five years later I am living that dream, writing my small town stories on a small property in regional NSW. And I reckon this photos says “come home to the country”.

My next blog post will invite you to share what characterises small town life to you, with every comment going into a draw to win an autographed copy of Helene Young’s latest novel, Burning Lies. (You can even post a pic if you are better with a camera than a pen! I will tell you now.)

Like me, Helene chooses wonderful regional settings for her stories. With Burning Lies it is the Atherton Tablelands – a sprawling farming area to the west of Cairns, which the senior Captain for Australia’s largest regional airline says is inspiring, both on the ground and from the air. “The abundance of abandoned airfields from the war era, the scattered population, and vast tracks of undeveloped wilderness lends itself to a suspenseful, rich and compelling love story.”Burning Lies cover

So my friends – country and city – start thinking about that perfect small town (real or imaginary, as a picture or in words) and pop back here next week (19th) for your chance to win Burning Lies.

 

 

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Seasons of Change

Have I mentioned I love the seasons?

And that’s why they feature so prominently in my books (apart from the titles that is!)

You may have seen this first image featured on my website (the header images are random) or on my Facebook Page. To me, those autumn leaves say ‘Come home to the country’ like no other picture. Well, the other day on my morning walk I decided to take a mid-winter picture of the same touch of country.

Still amazing, bare branches tortured by cold, cold mornings, but still magnificent for a seasons lover like me.

I have a collection of my fave photos in my Bits and Bobs section.

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You don’t always want your pumpkin turned into a golden carriage!

Some might compare the Calingarry Crossing CWA ladies with fairy godmothers, especially now they are sharing their tips for making THE best ever pumpkin soup. Given the extra cold winter weather (did you see Tenterfield had minus seven this morning) this spiced honey pumpkin soup is the perfect winter warmer.

Preparing the pumpkin:

First, forget peeling pumpkins. This is soooooo easy you’ll never buy  tin or packet versions again.

You’ll need a really sharp knife (so be careful). Cut an access hole in the top of the pumpkin – keep ‘the lid’.

Using a spoon, scoop out all the seeds and soft middle. (Discard seeds – or you might like to separate the seeds for roasting and spicing up as a beer snack later on – and no, the beer snack is not one of the CWA ladies’ recipes!)

Once hollowed out, season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper, then drizzle some honey around inside – maybe 2-3 tablespoons.

Replace ‘the lid’ and put pumpkin on a baking tray in a moderate oven.  Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pumpkin. While pumpkin is cooking in the oven, prepare the soup base (below).

Once the pumpkin is cooked (basically you are looking for a soft outer skin and flesh) carefully spoon out the hot honey liquid inside the pumpkin into a big bowl. Then start scraping the flesh, adding it to the same bowl. NB. The pumpkin will start to collapse. (Once all flesh is removed, give the skin to the chooks. They love it!)

 

Soup base:

In a huge saucepan, sweat off diced onion, garlic and celery with herbs of choice (the CWA ladies recommend dried cumin always but will add whatever fresh they have on hand – rosemary, thyme, sage.) Salt and pepper to taste.

Deglaze the base of the saucepan with chicken (or vegetable) stock. Then chuck in any vegies you like (fresh – or those sad looking bits in the bottom of the crisper.) Add water and a 1/2 to a whole packet of dried soup mix. (Monitor water absorption while simmering on the stovetop. Add more water as needed.)

When the vegies in the soup base are soft, remove from heat and commence blending in a blender, combining equal portions of soup base and pumpkin flesh into a blender. (Be careful when blending hot liquid. Pulse it a few times first and hold the lid with your other hand).

The final blended result may be quite thick but this makes it perfect for portioning onto smaller containers. It freezers and reheats with milk (as thick or as thin as you like). The pure puree also makes a great base for pasta or pumpkin risotto (just add, spinach, chorizo and fetta cheese -yum!)

Keep the soup healthy – add nothing (lovely the way it is) or…

Spoil yourself – add sour cream, crispy bacon and a crouton to serve.