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The world is a little shitty right now.

Eugenia

The world felt a little shitty this week with so much going on and so little I could do about it. My sore back continues which meant no sanity walks for me, my cat was diagnosed with feline lymphoma and tumours on both his kidneys and liver, which brought so much sadness to our family, my aging mother-in-law debilitated with pain and alone in hospital was told that she would not be returning home, my friend whose husband is rapidly deteriorating with pancreatic cancer fears he may not see his daughters again, COVID continues to wreak havoc on people’s lives with an increasing number of deaths, hospital admissions and devastating impacts on people’s mental health and well being, the ravage of earthquakes and loss in Haiti, and last but not least the horrific turn of events in Afghanistan and scenes at Kabul airport where thousands of Afghans trying desperately to flee from the scourge of the Taliban, push, shove, climb and scurry in desperation onto overcrowded US military rescue planes, some clinging to the sides of the planes as they moved down the runway. The disturbing pictures of some Afghans stowed away in the undercarriage plunging to their death as the planes took flight were scenes reminiscent of Americans plunging to the ground as they were trying to escape the September 11 attacks by the Taliban on the World Trade Centre twin towers in New York in 2001. In twenty years it felt like we had gone full circle and the scenes at Kabul airport will be etched in our minds in the same way as those indelible moments we witnessed as the planes flew into the World Trade Centre. What a bitch of a week it has been. No wonder we are feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment and struggling to find hope in a hopeless world.



Chaos at Kabul airport 📸 tribuneindia.com 🇮🇳


As Anne Frank once said “I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains” and it is in that beauty that we must find hope.


I recently finished watching The White Lotus, on Binge, a six part American TV series which tracks the goings on of a group of pampered guests, each with plenty of emotional baggage, holidaying at an upmarket tropical resort in Hawaii, along with the exploits of various employees including the quirky and deceitful resort manager Armond. A great escape for people who enjoy satirical comedy.


The ABC’s new drama series, The Newsreader, depicts a typical commercial newsroom in the 80’s with the news director playing staff off against each other with the promise of a career in the newsroom's sexiest role.


Holding on to the pure joy of cooking during this dire time I made this gluten free Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Muffin recipe by popular nutritionist Steph Geddes, a great accompaniment to a cup of chicken broth for a mid morning snack. You can find the recipe here.



Pumpkin, spinach and feta muffins


Whilst lockdown restrictions do not afford us the luxury of coming together as a community, a photo I received by text of the Spoonville Community proudly displayed under a tree in Erskineville Oval brought a much needed smile to lighten my mood, in an otherwise week of glum news.


Spoonville, Erskineville Oval, Sydney


At the local fruit shop, I found the most delicious Estelita strawberries. The caramel-like aroma, the ruby red colour grabbing attention like fruit bowl jewels, the crunch and juiciness as I bit into them, and the flavour a perfect blend of sweetness and acidity was reminiscent of strawberries picked from a patch in my own backyard. It’s the small things….


Until next time may your days be both serendipitous and enjoyable.


Eugenia




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Sour Cherry & Turkish Delight Rocky Road

Deliciously Decadent

This is one of those recipes that

is ridiculously easy - more of

an assembly job, than actual

cooking. But it is also one that is

somehow more than the sum of

its parts - really just a collection

of delicious things bathed in

chocolate. But with tart sour

cherries, roasted pistachios and

gloriously pink Turkish delight,

what could go wrong? A word

of warning though - cut it into

small pieces, it is rather rich.

 

Ingredients:

360g good quality dark

chocolate, roughly chopped

100g marshmallows, cut in half

200g Turkish Delight, chopped

roughly

100g dried sour cherries

75g roasted pistachios

15g freeze-dried raspberries

(optional)

Method:

Line an 18cm round tin (or

similar) with baking paper,

leaving plenty of overhang to

allow you to easily remove the

rocky road from the tin when set.

 

 

Method:

Melt chocolate in a heat-proof

bowl set over a saucepan of

simmering water. Remove from

heat and allow to cool slightly.

Place marshmallows, Turkish

Delight, sour cherries, and

pistachios in a large bowl,

tossing to combine. Pour over

melted chocolate and stir gently

until all ingredients are coated in

chocolate.

Spoon into prepared tin,

squashing down and smoothing

lightly with the back of a spoon.

refrigerate until set (at least 3

hours).

Slice into portions with a hot

sharp knife and serve with tea or

coffee. I like to wrap individual

wedges in cellophane and ribbon

to give away as gifts. Rocky Road

will keep in the fridge for up to 2

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