Taste of Yellow - Jacqui's Lemon Squash

In June, Barbara Harris finally lost her battle with Cancer .
This month's Monthly Mingle is devoted to Barbara.
For several years, Barbara set up a Blogging Event called a Taste of Yellow.
It was to raise awareness for Cancer Research linking in with LiveStrong Day
Bloggers were invited to submit recipes featuring yellow food.
Always an interesting event.

Jeanne from Cook Sister is hosting the Monthly Mingle this month
What a great Tribute to Barbara
My friend Jacqui was a very good friend of Barbara.
A Virtual friend whats more...they had known one another for years.
In fact, Jacqui introduced me to Barbara.
Jacqui doesn't have her own blog yet, so I am submitting her entry through So Simple.
I love the photo, it would do Barbara proud

It's a simple Lemon Squash, refreshing and perfect for a Hot Summers Day

Lemon Squash 
9 drops lemon juice 
3 tsp sugar syrup 
Soda water

To make the Sugar Syrup  
1 cup sugar 
1 cup water
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water.

Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved.
Allow to cool
This will keep for ages in the fridge

Mix lemon juice with sugar syrup in a highball glass,
 stir well and fill up with soda water.
Serve with drinking straw.
Multiply quantity by number of guests.

P.S.  I reckon a good slug of Vodka or Gin would be an added extra

A Taste Of Yellow - Tropical Fruit Crumble - Squash Soup With A Kick

A friend, Barbara Harris of Winos and Foodies, unfortunately lost her long battle with Cancer in June.

We met through a mutual friend Jacqui and discovered that we were both in love with Food.
Cooking it, eating it, sharing it with Family and Friends.
Unfortunately, Barbara moved away to warmer climes, but we kept up correspondence.
Don't you love the Internet.
We also kept up with our lives through our mutual love of Blogging
Barbara, over the last few years has run a blogging event called a "Taste Of Yellow" tied in with LiveStrong Day. Barbara was a Great admirer of Lance Armstrong.
She also loved Le Tour de France.
This was also her chance to help Fund raise and raise awareness for Cancer Research.
Getting together Bloggers, from all over the World, to post Yellow Food

We felt that a memorial to Barbara should be held.
I contacted Meeta of Whats for Lunch Honey
She runs another Blogging Event called Monthly Mingle and it's timing couldn't be better.

This time it is being hosted by Jeanne of Cook Sister
I thought I would share some yellow food with you
First a Tropical Fruit Crumble

This crumble topping idea, was given to me by my daughter Katie.
It is so simple, got lots of crunch and perfect to cover any fruit.
Why not move away from apple and bring a little touch of Summer into our cold wintery lives.
After all it is Summer somewhere.
As luck with have it, they had a special on Pineapple and also Mangoes at my supermarket.
I'm quite happy buying these fruits out of season, as we don't grow them in this country anyway.
Passion fruit or Papaya would be good in this Fruit Salad. they are outside of my Budget at the moment.
The bonus, is the combination of the coconut, in the crumble, with the pineapple
When topped with cream, you could almost be drinking a Pina Colada

To feed 4 people
You will need
1 pineapple, peeled and cubed
1 mango, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup water

For the Crumble ( this is enough for 8, freeze the bit you don't need)


1 cup plain flour 
3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar 
3/4 cup rolled oats 
3/4 cup coconut 
1 tbsp cinnamon (ground) 
2 tsp nutmeg (ground) 
2/3 cup butter (melted) 
2 tsp vanilla essence 

Add  all of the dry ingredients into a bowl
Melt the butter
Add
Mix together
Set aside

Place the prepared fruit into a gratin dish
Sprinkle brown sugar and orange zest over the top
Dot with butter
Pour over the orange juice and water

Into a 190C oven for about 25 minutes
A syrup will be formed
Remove from oven
Cool

Sprinkle Crumble over the top
Once again into 180C oven for 30 minutes

Serve with Whipped Cream, Creme Fraiche or maybe even Greek Yogurt

Staying on the Yellow theme...
I made a simple dinner last night

Rib Eye Steak, Squash and Brussels Sprouts
I roasted the vege
I really like the skin on the Buttercup Squash, (some call it Supermarket Squash)
It's nutty and the flesh is quite dry. I prefer it to Pumpkin

Cut the Squash into wedges
Just toss in Sea salt and Black pepper
Drizzle over some Olive oil

Into a 180C for about 40 minutes
Meanwhile prepare the Brussels Sprouts
Trim the ends and remove any damaged leaves
Blanch in boiling salted water, for about 2 minutes
Drain
Toss in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper

When the squash is almost cooked (after 40 minutes)
Throw in the Brussels Sprouts and roast for about another 20 minutes

I took the Steak out of the fridge earlier, to bring to room temperature
Seasoned with Sea salt and Black pepper
Drizzle over a little olive oil

Heat your pan till Smokin'
Add Steak
Cook about 3 minutes, first side
This should give a lovely crust
Turn and cook about just another 2 minutes
This should give you a nice med-rare steak
Remove and place on a plate
Add a little water (just a couple of tablespoons) to the hot pan, to deglaze it
Scrape up the brown bits and bring back to the boil
Pour over the steak and let rest for about 4 minutes
Slice and serve.
It was so yummy and enormously filling
Good meal, if you are avoiding Carbs.

So I had cooked too much squash, of course I made soup for lunch

2 Tablespoons  Olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 carrot grated
1 tablespoon shredded coconut
Sea Salt and Pepper
2 teaspoons Thai Curry paste
1 litre Chicken stock
Water
Left over Squash 
(About 1/4 medium squash cut into large cubes)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 heaped teaspoon brown sugar
Zest of 1 lime
Juice 1/2 medium lime

Gently saute onion in olive oil
Add carrot and coconut
Season with S & P
Add curry paste 
Saute another 3-4 minutes
Add chicken stock and top up with water to make sure all vege are well covered
Bring to boil then simmer about 25 minutes
Add squash,
Then Fish sauce and sugar and lime zest
Cook another 15 minutes
Add lime juice
Taste, check for seasoning and adjust if necessary

So Barbara if you are looking down, lots of yellow food for you
xxx Gilli

Announcing the July Monthly Mingle- A Taste of Yellow for Barbara Harris

I always loved cooking and like many, owned countless cookbooks.
Bought the Magazines.
Just loved spending time on the Kitchen.
Then we got Nigella, Jamie, Hugh, Gordon, Emeril, Bobby, Tyler, Ina et al taking over our screens.
To be able to watch Great Chefs and excellent Home Cooks prepare food, was an even greater inspiration. So I watched and I cooked.
Really want to share these recipes with friends, what better way but to start a food blogs and I did.
My friend Jacqui had a friend who was “kinda into blogging “ as well
“Why don’t we meet and have lunch”
This friend was Barbara Harris, the “kinda into blogging” of course, was the ultimate understatement.
She had already got her Hay Hay It’s Donna Event, up and running.
Very popular.
We got on like a house on fire and kept in regular contact.
Sadly for me, she and her husband Bryan decided to move back to Australia.
Queensland in fact.
A much warmer climate than Auckland
When she started the "Taste of Yellow" Event, I was only too happy to be part of an event, that highlighted the work being done by Cancer Research.
Barbara was a Cancer Survivor, and she was so impressed with Lance Armstrong and his battle,
so she scheduled the event around Livestrong Day.
Unfortunately, Barbara’s Cancer returned and she was about to embark on yet more treatment.
So she went through the agony and somehow continued to live an active life.
Meanwhile, contributing so much to Food Bloggers, from around the world.
She was warm and genuinely interested in everyone’s lives.
We are all very fortunate to have had her as a friend.

Two years ago, she ran the event, based around Le Tour de France,
A group of bloggers were given a pit stop town each, to research and make food from the region.
I was thrilled to be a part of this project,
This is the link to Barbara's Event, click here  to view

As it turns out Le Tour de France has just started. She loved it.
That in itself is like Karma…now we are about to celebrate Barbara’s life
 The Blogging Community is going to run a Taste of Yellow Event through Meeta’s Monthly Mingle 

Jeanne of Cook Sister is the host.
Go to Jeanne's blog Cook Sister
All the instructions of how to enter are in her announcement.

This will make a fabulous Tribute to a Wonderful Woman, who will be much missed by her Family, Friends and the Blogging World

Barbara if you are looking down…This is for you.

My friend Babara is running an event on her blog Winos and Foodies to celebrate LIVEstrong Day,  October 2nd 2010. Read her amazing story on her blog.

 My Heart, drawn by my beautiful Grandaughter Mia aged 8

'
It's  Cancer Awareness Day. For the last 4 years that Barbara's event has been around. Food Bloggers from all over have been  creating Blogs with "A Taste of Yellow". :People making food with a yellow theme and usually some wonderful photography. It has been a fun event  for a serious Cause.
This year luckily we have been blessed. No new cases of cancer amongst our family or close friends. That's fantastic. It is so hard on everyone, when a loved one is diagnosed with this ghastly disease. Barbara's story is an inspiration to us all.  Also my friend Ellen's daughter and fought and won her battle as well, have a look at her blog. BatMom
Its a fascinating account of her battle. I notice that she hasn't posted since June. She's well and now making the most of her life with her adored family and friends.

My contribution this year, is not food I have actually cooked. It is an account of our trip to the Game Fishing Club here in Rarotonga.

We have discovered this wonderful little Fish and Chip boat shop called The Flying Boat, with some of the best Fish and Chips. They up there in the Top 5.
It was a windy day but we were sheltered
The waves were crashing up against the reef, it was noisy and wild.

There was a bit of Drama.
Mia told Cleo, that her Beanie Babies
seen below

would be washed away in the waves.
Oh dear, no matter how many times you say sorry, it won't wash with a 3 year old.

So off to the car, complete with babies and the Fish and Chips.
You can just see her in the background, in the blue car.

In a way that was a bit of a bonus, we got to eat in peace.

Yellow food, at it's best.
Golden Crispy Fried Fish and Chips, Pineapple Fritter on the side
served with a straw coloured, crisp, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and some beautiful Frangipani with a "Touch of Yellow", to decorate our table.

Food fit for a King.