Monday Mail Out: The Postcrossing Project.

[Postcards]

After much deliberation (Will I use it often enough? How much do I enjoy sending postcards to complete strangers and receiving the same? Is it going to cost me an absolute fortune?), I have finally created a Postcrossing account and mailed out my first postcard.

Postcrossing is a fascinating online project perfectly suited for those who love to send and receive mail the old fashioned way. Anyone of any age can take part and your participation in the project continues for as long as you want it to. 

[Requesting my first postcard recipient at Postcrossing]

The concept is fairly straight-forward: If you send a postcard you will get a postcard in return.

Part of the surprise is where a postcard will come from, since it is completely random.

Each card sent/received is registered and every member keeps statistics, so you can see who is getting what the whole world over.

You can use it as much (or as little) as you like, which is great for people on a budget.

It's ridiculously uncomplicated. I think it'd be an interesting way to teach children about the world and all the different people in it (for all those parents out there).

In fact, it is so uncomplicated that I don't know why it has taken me so long to join.

Written correspondence has been a hobby of mine for a long time, & Monday Mail Out is a weekly feature whereby I can share my love for the lost art of letter writing. I hope my experiences will encourage others to send out letters on Monday too, and have them rediscover the joy of sending and receiving mail. If you have a blog, feel free to join in.

Sunday Scrapbook #12: Golden Bay, NZ...

[Scrapbook page created March 2012]

In My Kitchen: March 2012...

You can tell autumn has come to the Flinders because in my kitchen there are pumpkins, and delicious, warming foods like this roasted pumpkin risotto:

Ingredients:

1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled & cut into 1" pieces

7 cups vegetable stock

1/2 brown onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 1/2 cups arborio (risotto) rice

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

30g butter

2 tspn dried parsley flakes

1/3 cup fresh chives, finely chopped

Olive oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200*C. Chop pumpkin, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes or until tender.

Bring stock to boil in a saucepan then reduce heat to a simmer.

Heat some oil in a large saucepan and sautee onion and garlic until tender. Add rice and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring consistently.

Add stock to rice one ladel at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until absorbed. Continue adding stock until rice is tender but still firm (will take around 30 minutes), stirring consistently.

Then stir in parmesan cheese, butter, parsley and chives. Gently stir in the roasted pumpkin.

Serve immediately (enough for 4).

Keep any remaining risotto in an air tight container in the fridge for up to three days. Leftovers can be used to make patties (crumbed and fried - great on the BBQ), or as filling for stuffed capsicums or zucchinis (corgettes).

What's been cooking in your kitchen this month?

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In My Kitchen is a monthly feature hosted by Fig Jam & Lime Cordial.

To take part, simply make a blog post and link back to Fig Jam & Lime Cordial.