Love is in the Air (what it takes to stay together for 49 years)

This blog post has been a work in progress, I started it when I was on the west coast of Australia a few weeks back and made a couple of attempts at sending it to you. Once I returned home I saw the blog post and ss I hadn't completed it I thought I would scrap it but read it again recently and thought to share it with you all. I Hope you enjoy my ramblings, the recipes are lovely too especially as this weather warms up and while peas are still fresh its best to make the most of them.

Love is in the Air

(What it Takes to Stay Together 49 Years)

15th September

Love to you all from the west coast of Australia. I have just finished teaching two cooking classes in the northern suburbs of Perth and am heading back down to Warnbro to hang out with my parents. Before the weekend I spent two very relaxed days with them, one that happened to be their 49th wedding anniversary. They didn't fancy doing anything special but instead went off shopping to buy themselves a plant. While they were gone I set about creating a simple lunch for them from the food that was in their fridge. The three recipes are below and they work wonderfully together or as stand alone components of a meal.

As I am not with my parents as I write this blog post I cannot ask them personally what they feel it takes to stay together for forty nine years so I can only offer what I have seen in the 44 years I have known them. What really sprang forth on the day of their 49th anniversary is that they keep things simple. I had these grandiose ideas of where we could go to celebrate their anniversary and then they ended up deciding that they wanted to go out together to buy a plant. Even though I initially felt disappointed I actually realised it was exactly what they wanted to do and such a lovely thing- it was also wonderful to create a simple meal for them.

There mutual love of food also is a big one, they love to sit and eat together talking about the meal and how they could make it different, adding and omitting ingredients to improve it the next time they make it.

Laughter, I so love hearing my mum and dad having a good laugh together, they laugh at things i don't even find funny but as they share the same sense of humour it works for them. I ask them if they are like this when I am not around and they say they usually are.

Keeping things real, they have never pretended that things were ok when they weren't, they are in whatever is going on, through the good and the not so good times.

20th September

I am back with both my parents after spending three glorious days in the magical town of Denmark on the south coast of western Australia. My mum and I had a wonderfully restful and funfiled time together and we came home to my dad who looked radiant and was extremely chirpy. This morning while we were having a leisurely breakfast together I thought of the blog post I had started and asked them what they thought it was that has kept them together so long. They spoke at exactly the same time and my dad said that the secret was that they hadn't spoken to each other for forty nine years and my mum said that they had stayed together so long because my dad did everything she asked him to do. Neither statements are true and after a good belly laugh they said that one of the things was because they enjoyed laughing together. They also said that having the same values in life helped them stay together as did enjoying each others company.

29th September

I am back home in Northern NSW and miss my parents very much. When I think of our time together I know it was not all rosey but I also know that I laughed more than I have in a long time and since returning home have laughed heaps with Makrand. I know my parents 49 years spent together have not always been easy but nor have they seemed to be difficult and I am really learning to respect their love of simplicity. I am forever wanting the grand experience in life and often wonder what it would be like to be in a relationship with someone who is on the go all the time dragging me along with them and now since my time in the west I feel more surrendered to living a simple life with my beloved rather than wanting to go for the grander feel good experience.

I am completely inspired by my parents as it really is an incredible journey to be together so long. I wonder what it really takes to stay together so long and what other peoples experience is. Not just for couple relationships either. I have a girlfriend from primary school, this too is a life long relationship, what has kept us together I ask myself (another blog post possibly). If you have any experience or ideas please share in the comments of this blog post. Now to the three recipes.

Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Enough for 2

1/2 small butter nut pumpkin skin removed and chopped roughly into cubes

1 small sweet potato peeled and chopped roughly

3 carrots peeled and chopped into smaller pieces than the other veggies

1 small purple onion diced fine

1 clove garlic minced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon freshly grated tumeric

1 teaspoon of Australian herb salt

1 chilli (optional)

200 ml coconut milk

Place all the veggies including the onion, garlic, ginger and tumeric in a saucepan and pop 2 cups of water in also as well as the herb salt. Let boil and then bring to a simmer until veggies are soft. Once cooked through use a hand held blender stick to puree the soup and then add the coconut milk, heat a little but avoid bringing to the boil.

Millet Salad with Beans and Green Olives

Serves 2 to 6

1/2 cup millet

1 bunch parsley

few sprigs of mint

200g cooked beans- like white beans or chickpeas

100g of green olives sliced

juice 1 lime

salt to taste

splash of local olive oil

Cook the millet in boiling water for 10 to 20 minutes or until tender. Let cool. Finely chop the parsley and mint and mix with cooled millet. Also mix in the parsley, mint, beans, olives, lime juice and salt to taste.

Cauliflower and Pea salad

serves 2

1/2 small cauliflower

100g shelled peas

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

lettuce leaves

dressing of your choice (there are some good ones in Veet's Cuisine's Delicious Vegetarian Recipes)

Cut the cauliflower into florets place in a baking tray splash on some oil and sprinkle on the salt. Cook in a moderate oven for 20 minutes then add the cumin seeds. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile wash the lettuce and boil the peas. Let the cauliflower and peas cool down a little before assembling the salad.

Categories:Soups Salads

Tags:cauliflower millet peas pumpkins sweet potato