Traveling on The Ghan: Australia’s Transcontinental Railway
Last fall I spent a couple of months in Australia, and while I have had great intentions of sharing some photos from that trip, this has yet to happen. In the meantime though, I am excited about a piece I wrote for Roads & Kingdoms about taking The Ghan, a train that goes all the ay from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south, crossing through Australia’s Red Centre.
The Ghan is anything but fast. With an average speed of about 53 miles per hour, this is the definition of slow travel, but the train’s snail’s pace is perfect for taking in the desolate, unforgettable landscape outside the window: dusty red ground and dry desert foliage well adapted to the arid environment. We pass a pile of old timber, what looks to be a former cattle loading area. The pieces of wood are dark with age, left to bake under the Australian sun.
Read the whole article here. And check out some of my photos from the trip below.
Go Stuff Yourself with Semlor!
Happy Fat Tuesday – in my world, known as the Dfficial Day of Stuffing Yourself with Semlor. The iconic Swedish baked good served before Lent is one of my favorite things to make this time of year, and I have a whole article about semlor up on Paste this week in celebration. There’s also a great article on the topic on NPR’s The Salt by fellow food writer Anne Bramley which is definitely worth a read.
Here’s a little dirty secret for you: there’s a recipe for semlor in my book Fika, which is out on April 7 (yes, I have already started counting down). But if you can’t wait that long, and you really want to make some today, you can use this recipe.
Make These Orange Chili Chocolate Tarts
Pretty proud of this recipe I just did over on Foodie Underground. A vegan chocolate ganache filling, spiced up with chili and dried orange peel, and poured into a gluten-free almond crust.
And yes, you can make them in the form of hearts. If you’re into that kind of thing, or if you need a fun Valentine’s Day recipe that isn’t full of processed ingredients and tons of sugar.
Get the recipe: Orange Chili Chocolate Tarts
Recipe: Make Dried Citrus Peel
I’ve been turning all of my leftover orange and clementine peels lately into dried citrus peel. Perfect for baking with, adding to tea, etc. Basically anytime you want citrus zest and don’t have any fresh stuff.
It really is as simple as washing the peels, removing the pith, and drying out in the oven for a couple of hours. Just pop them in at 200°F (95°C) and wait until they are nice and dry. Get the full instructions on Foodie Underground.
The Beauty of Simple Coffee Brewing
The act of brewing morning coffee is a ritual — one that deserves our time. It’s that moment where even in the craziness that the morning can bring, we stop to do something manual. We open the bag of beans, we smell. We pour them into the grinder, we listen. We boil the water, and we pour, entranced by the magic of the chemical reaction that turns those ground beans into something drinkable. These are the small steps that pull us back down to earth in the midst of morning madness.
Read my full essay In Defense of Simple Coffee Brewing on The Kitchn.
Fika Featured in Saveur Magazine
Every year the food and cooking magazine Saveur does the Saveur 100 – essentially their list of 100 dishes, people, restaurants, ingredients that food lovers will take inspiration from. I am so honored that my upcoming book Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break got a mention. Spot #6 as dedicated to “Snacking Like a Swede,” and the Fika book not only got a mention, but one of the recipes was featured as well: Swedish Cinnamon and Cardamom Bread.
There are some other pretty cool things on the Saveur 100 list – like using burnt toast as an ice cream topping (?!) and sharpening Japanese knives with newspaper – so get your hands on a copy if you can.
A French Product To Make Biking in a Skirt Super Simple
We shouldn’t be intimidated to ride because we need special clothing or gear. Riding a bicycle should be simple.
Not all women like to ride in skirts or dresses, but for those that do, it’s always a bit of a hassle. Come on ladies: you’ve all been in a constantly-pulling-down-the-skirt-as-the-wind-blows-it-up situation. So I love the concept of this French product that’s being crowd funded which makes biking in a skirt super simple. As simple as popping this clip in your bag and then clipping your skirt to the seat.
They’ve got a couple days left to raise funds for the new product. You can learn more at Le Poupoupido.
Find Moments of Beauty
It was a long week. Yesterday we rallied, with millions around us.
There’s so much to say. So much to decide moving forward.
But what Paris reminded me of last night is that there is still beauty to be found in the world. Let’s keep searching for it.
Je Suis Charlie: Thoughts and Photos from Paris
“Silence is never the answer, and when we ask ourselves what we can do tomorrow and the next day and the next day, it’s to continue to speak out. It’s to continue to do what we do, live our lives without fear, but also do our best so that those around us don’t have to live in fear either. We do not meet hate with hate, we meet it with compassion. We work hard to build tolerance. We create that space where all people feel safe and can congregate. Where they feel welcome and at home.”
I wrote that in an essay for Sprudge on the recent days in Paris. I am finding that all I can do in the midst of this tragedy is write. And if this week has taught us anything it’s that we must fight with our pens.
Some Coffee Challenges for 2015
On this week’s The Kitchn coffee column I’m talking about five things I want to do with coffee this year. Other than just brew it that is.
On the docket is making some coffee kombucha (yes, really) and I’ve been mulling over experimenting with a coffee flavored homemade Nutella. Yum. Beyond food-related things, I also really want to try dyeing with coffee; yes, textiles and paper. Coffee-stained stationary, now that’s something I could write a letter on.
Check out the full list here. Anyone out there have any crazy coffee uses they love?
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