Newtons law

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" - Newtons 3rd law of motion

What are you doing this weekend? Meeting friends? Cleaning the home? Working? Relaxing?

Whatever you are up to, have a wonderful time doing it! 

Pumpkin Orzo

Fall, Fall Fall! How I love this season... Changing leaves, crisp air, football, pumpkins, and food made to warm your soul. In my eyes, Fall is the absolute best season, and why I want to always live where all four seasons  take their turn on Earth's stage. 
As the seasons change, we are reminded to respect the Earth's power, and appreciate the time we have in the present; they are a constant reminder that all life is fleeting, and no matter how hard you may be holding onto something, at some point you will have to let go and evolve along with the World. 


Yes, Summer has warmed away, but Fall came blowing in with some wonderful gifts. One of my personal favorites is pumpkins, and all Fall I will be searching for the best pumpkin recipes I can find. Get ready for a great food adventure, pumpkin style!  

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Orzo

Ingredient List:

• 1 1/4 cup of chicken broth (I will substitute this with veggie broth, but you may have to add a little salt in later if you are a vegetarian like me!) 
• 3/4 cup of canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (remember to cut skin off first)
• 1/2 of teaspoon of each salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup orzo 

Paula's Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken broth, pumpkin, butter, honey, balsamic vinegar, ginger, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-heat, then add the orzo. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring frequently, until the orzo is tender, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
* I have not made this, but will be making it over the weekend for myself and John. Knowing me, I will want to play with some spices because pumpkin pairs so well with other flavors! if you have any ideas of what to add, let me know and I will be your guinea pig. 

Thank you Paula Deen, I love you and knew you had a healthy recipe in you! 

Come In Go Away Doormat

How great are these "come in, go away" doormats! Made out of recycled material, you cannot go wrong for your front and back porch... I mean, a little humor never hurt anyone. 

Energy Responsibility

Are you responsible for the energy you are providing? 

Have you ever been around a person who was so horribly mean and negative, that you find yourself becoming just as aggressively negative as form of defense... rebuttaling the energy that is surrounding you? Now, that person who is in a bad mood not only dispensed their negativity to you, but also has more bad energy coming their way that you are now giving off.

It is a horrible cycle, and makes me think about our own ability of self control.  Do you take responsibility for the energy you put into the Universe? I know sometimes it is easy to to let these cycles happen, but always remember what you put out in this World will come back to you...for, ever action has a reaction in response. I promise you it is much easier to love then it is to hate.

Are you ready to take responsibility? I know I am. 

So Good Soda Bread

One of my short-term goals is to make my own bread. I have decided to start with the non-yeast breads, and work my way up to the challenging stuff! The only bread that came to mind for me was soda bread, and what a recipe I found! It is Ina Garten's and she makes her bread with currants. I only had golden raisins, but they worked as a wonderful substitute. Honestly, this was the best soda bread I have ever had! Soft, salty-sweat, and that buttermilky goodness puts it over the top.  Here is the recipe for you to enjoy as well.

Martha's Swiss Chard with Raisins and Pine Nuts

                                                                  Recipe Here 

It is the first weekend of Fall! What will you be doing to celebrate? I know I will be cooking, eating and relaxing. Martha Stewart (my bff) has some great Fall recipes on her website, and I absolutely want to try them all...starting with her sauteed swiss chard! Swiss chard is now in season (late summer/early fall) and a very yummy green to add into your diet.

Enjoy your greens and your weekend! 

Achy Day

I woke up this morning with aches deep in my bones... but I had a feeling they were coming...my body always lets me know ahead of time. It is trained like an officers canine. Sniffing out problems and sounding an alarm in my brain before any major consequence occurs. I still cannot tell if it is the weather, or the worrying that gets my body in a tizzy. Can it be both? Maybe...probably... most likely...

Now is my time for treatment. So what do I do?

Juice: (mother natures medicine)

Kale, carrots (including the greens from the carrot tops), and an apple -all organic-

Eat:

Brown rice, and a cup of herbal tea to finish

Relax:

1/2 hour meditation, and maybe a little book reading if time allows


Right now it may seem far away, but I know tomorrow will be another day, and I believe in my body, my spirit and soul... life will take care in it's infinite way. 

I Like You

Dogs sniff butts as a way to get to know each other... sounds pretty easy compared to all the talking and listening we humans have to do!

Wouldn't this make a great present for a friend? I think so too. Here is the link if you have a hankeren for a fun gift!

Butternut Squash Lasagne

Does this butternut squash lasagne not look amazing? I cannot wait to create this beautiful dish for my next get-together.

Click here for the recipe and make a lasagne along with me! 

Have a sleepful weekend!

(Remember Anne Geddes! What cute pictures)

What are you up to this weekend? Hopefully, you will be able to find some relaxation time... how do you recharge your body, calm your mind and comfort your heart?

I like to take a least a half hour and relax with my love, my puppy, or a good book... and those three go in different order depending on m mood!

Love

"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do...but how much love we put in that action."

 - Mother Theresa

Living in a Material World

   My sister and I had a great conversation a few days ago about the problems with materialism...sounds kinda obvious, boring, and not about you? That is what I was thinking before we got-to-talkin.
    Our convo was stemmed from the craziness that came on the launch day of Missoni for Target.  Around the United States, stores were swarmed, rackes emptied, and one Target website went down for the count. All of this for what? Target version of fashion?
    Don't get me wrong... I still love Target and I do like Missoni as well...Fashion on the cheap is what I do - but our addiction to labels has taken hold like a California wildfire! Is it just because the shirt says a brand name on the back that you had to have it? If target created similar products and did not have missoni's name on them, I can almost garuntee there would still be plenty of items to go around.

So what the heck? Who are we impressing and what are we proving?

As I was talking to my sister, I happened to look down at the sparkling navy flats I bought today for way to much, just because I wanted to own shoes from that specific designer... I could almost feel the burn of a scarlet letter on my chest...

Jules #1: Why did you buy them?

Jules #2: Because I wanted to be cool...part of the in crowd that knows about things and looks the part.

Jules #1: What happened to my earth friendly, consumer-conscious mind, when I was buying these?

Jules#2: Who the hell knows...but when I am asked about my shoes, I will have a happy answer to give.

As much as I hate admitting it, I know that I am more a part of the problem than I would like to be. John jokes about my expensive taste, and I have never denied that I like nice things... but there is a time and a place... limitations and worthy indulgences. My blue shoes? I justified them by their comfort and practicality... great, but now what? There needs to be actions and consequences to shopping... Here comes into play my new plan!

From now on, for every one item I buy, I will throw another item in the donation pile. If there is nothing that I want to let go of, then I must have enough already, and do not need to make a new purchase. I am going to hold me accountable, what about you? 

Clementine Candles

Have you ever seen a clementine used as a candle? Well, I had not until about ten minutes ago.  A clementine, olive oil, and matches are all you need to make these little beauties. Check it out here and make them for extra "table shine" at your next get-together! 

5 Best Things To Do For Your Relationships

What are you up to this weekend? If you find a moment for a little extra reading, I suggest you check out this article from Oprah.

Always a nice reminder to treat your relationships with love, care and patience.

Amelia Earhart

Some great thoughts from an extrodanary person and a brillant woman:

"Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn't be done"


"The more one does, and sees, and feels, the more one is able to do, and the more genuine may be one's appreciation of fundemantal things like home, love and understanding companionship"


"The most effective way of doing it, is doing it"


" Women, like men, should try to do the impossible, and when they fail, their failure should be a challenge for others"



Thanks Amelia... You rock!

Freezer Style

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle; freezing liquids in muffin tins and ice-cube trays can be one way we implement the three R's! Good Ol' Martha Stewart  has placed this thought into my brain, and I cannot wait to start saving up my liquid scraps! She suggests :

• saving egg whites (when recipes only call for the yolk) individually in ice-cube trays. To use, thaw and cook right when they reach room temperature
• Low-alcohol wine (12% and less) will freeze best. Pour remaining wine in muffin tins for  half cup servings. these little wine cubes can come in handy when making sauces or braising
• Stocks can also be saved in muffin tins for casseroles or potpies
• Freezing citrus juice in ice-cube trays is an easy way to have your home-made vinaigrette ingredients handy. Each ice-cube yields around two tablespoons of liquid

 Together, we can start a freezing movement!

(Thank you Martha Stewart Magazine 1/2011 addition for the idea, and homemadesimple.com for the great photo!) 

Hug Salt and Pepper Shakers

These adorable salt and pepper shakers are a perfect house warming gift! They bring to the table salt, pepper, and the reminder to share love. And sitting with your loved ones at a table filled with wonderful food is absolutely worth hugging for!  

The Best in Chips

I found the best chips ever....and they are not made out of potatoes! Have you heard of Danielle Snacks? O Lordy, are they amazing! As a little gift to my love (who avoids food that is fried), I grabbed a bag of Danielle's walking out of a store...why? Because I noticed these chips were not cooked by traditional frying methods. They had a picture of baby coconuts on the front, and he loves coconut...what could go wrong here? Nothing at all! Honestly, I could snack on these all day, and you better believe I am adding them into my trail mix. When I looked at the ingredients list, there were three items listed...fresh coconut, sugar, salt...done. What a wonderful addition to my yummy-healthy-ohsogood snack collection.

Here Comes the Youth

If there are kids out there that are this talented already, than the up and coming generation is really going to be something worth waiting for! Connie Talbot went on Britains Got Talent when she was six. She did a wonderful job at the time, and is out of this world now! Check her out.