Struan Farm

Weekend Dessert

I've said "relatively healthy" menus, right? Made this free form "Apple Pie Tray Bake" from the current issue of Dish magazine over the weekend:

We don't eat desserts during the week, but on weekends I do like to experiment and bake. John hasn't complained too much either way.

This recipe uses two sheets of frozen puff (flaky) pastry. Six Braeburn apples are peeled, cored and sliced then combined with light muscovado sugar, cinnamon, ginger, all spice and a bit of flour. Once the parcel is sealed it is brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with raw sugar, then baked until golden brown. Seriously easy, people!

 

Sign for the Garden Cottage

Yes, yet another funky Karen upcycling project. We are almost done with the renovation of the Garden Cottage at Struan Farm, formerly Maurie's Workshop. As you will recall, this will be a second bedroom available to farmstay guests booking the Homestead.

The new windows are in, ceiling painted, tiles in, outside LED lights installed and chandeliers hung (okay, not the little glass dangley bits just yet, need the new bed to be delivered first to avoid disaster).

The carpet gets installed this week, followed by the drapes and rods a week later. I've got a call in to arrange delivery of the new bed. The refurbished loveseat is looking good and standing by. Once all this is done I'll work on art and the other furnishings, aka "the little touches." The outside will get a fresh coat of paint once it's warm enough to do so.

But of course we've needed a sign! I came across an idea on Pinterest: using an old tray and blackboard paint. I found an old silver plate tray at an op shop for $5 (with apologies to the Tuakau Bowling Club, this was some sort of anniversary plate that someone gave away to the Salvation Army). Then hit Spotlight to buy a mix of fake flowers to cut and form a ring around the edge.

And so here we are, thus far. I used metal primer paint in the centre before putting on a coat of the blackboard paint. Then cut off the stems of the flowers, that I've hot glued around the edge (my first attempt ever using a hot glue gun). May need a ribbon around the inside edge to cover the stems and glue, not sure about that as yet.

 

Next I'll practice printing "The Garden Cottage," or find a friend with better printing than mine to print it on there in a chalkboard type permanent pen. It won't be kept outside all the time, rather hung up right before guests arrive. So hopefully it will last awhile.

Watch this space for the reveal of The Garden Cottage!

Winter Comfort Food

I've been trying to keep it easy and (relatively) healthy these days. In cold weather there's something comforting about hot, homemade soup. This past week I tried out a "Spiced Roast Parsnip and Kumara Soup with Parsnip & Sumac Chips" from the July issue of NZ House & Garden magazine. It was definitely a success, although I think John could have just eaten the chips without the soup!

For dessert I made my old standby, "Baked Pears Elegante." This is a recipe I found on the internet; it's simple and good, takes less time than poaching pears. A mixture of red wine, sugar, thinly sliced lemon, cinnamon stick and cloves is poured on top of pears (halved, peeled and cored) which are then baked. The baked pears are served with a few spoonfuls of the aromatic sauce and a dollop of lightly whipped cream (this is where the "relatively" healthy comes in).

Lunch Date in Marakopa

John and I travelled over to Marakopa to meet friends for lunch this past weekend at their "bach" on the west coast. There were a number of interesting routes for us to choose from, with varying degrees of windy, gravel roads and scenic views.

We opted to go down Mangaotaki Road, past our friends at Hairy Feet Waitomo and Waitanguru Falls. At a certain point we came across this sign (it was on both ends of this stretch of road), where the road turned to gravel and got a little wild and wooly:

 

We made our way through bush and past scenic vistas, out to Kiritehere, where the sealed road then paralleled the coast up to Marakopa.

 

 

 

After lunch our friends took us out for a ride along the beach in their quad bike before the tide came in; they have an improvised seat on wheels that was fun to ride in. As you can see, it's a black sand beach, with interesting rock formations.

And as we started to ride back given the incoming tide, I caught sight of a young seal perched on one of the rocks. Apparently not a common sight, so this was an added bonus to the day (just wished I'd had my long lens with me!).

So while John and I don't get away from Struan Farm together all that much, we do manage to have fun adventures when we do!

Sculpture in Nature

I came across these interesting fungi on a fallen log in the tawa grove at Struan Farm. They look quite sculptural and velvety, don't they? The undulating shapes are beautiful, at least I think so....