Love is all around

I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes...love is all around me...(The Troggs)

...for HG...What are you doing New Year's Eve.....

Love this TED talk.....on "breaking the taboos of interfaith dialogue"....

Les Misérables--Finale
...Take my hand
And lead me to salvation
Take my love
For love is everlasting
And remember
The truth that once was spoken:To love another person is to see the face of god....

..wishing you all a healthy New Year with your loved ones.........

McDougall's Sunbeam Tapioca Fruit Salad 

¾ c instant tapioca

1-1  qt 14 oz can pineapple juice

2       cans mandarin oranges, drained and juice retained

1-20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained and juice retained

3       T lemon juice

1 bag frozen cherries

Add tapioca, pineapple juice, retained juice from oranges and crushed pineapple into a large saucepan.

Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until comes to a boil and starts to thicken.

Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Pour into large bowl.

Stir in oranges and crushed pineapple.

Let cool.

Stir in frozen cherries, cover and refrigerate.

Serves 8

Joyeux Noël

Simple Blessings of Christmas and Giggle with the Goats

Wishing you a safe, happy and restful holiday season...with MUCH music in your life..Merry Christmas my darlings.....

...Hard Candy Christmas...My Holiday...

Caramel Corn...not vegan...not a healthy choice!! :-(

7 quarts plain popped popcorn

2 cups dry roasted peanuts

2 cups brown sugar

½ cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup margarine

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans.  You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans.  Add the peanuts to the popped corn.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.  Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend.  Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 mins while stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla.  The mixture will be light and foamy.  Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat.  Don’t worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.

Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 mins.  Line the counter top with waxed paper.  Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces.  Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Makes 28 servings.

Time

Vincent says…nobody has enough time for everything s/he wants to do; each of us has to prioritize and do what s/he wants most…that “pearl” falls right in line with the “simple truths” words of wisdom on “time.”

From Simple Truths ...

"If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,400—with no balance carried from day to day—what would you do? Well, you do have such a bank...time.

Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as "lost" whatever you have failed to use toward good purposes. It carries over no balances and allows no overdrafts. You can't hoard it, save it, store it, loan it or invest it. You can only use it—time.

Here are six terrific truths about time:

First: Nobody can manage time. But you can manage those things that take up your time.

Second: Time is expensive. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of our day is spent on those things or those people that only bring us two percent of our results.

Third: Time is perishable. It cannot be saved for later use.

Fourth: Time is measurable. Everybody has the same amount of time...pauper or king. It is not how much time you have; it is how much you use.

Fifth: Time is irreplaceable. We never make back time once it is gone.

Sixth: Time is a priority. You have enough time for anything in the world, so long as it ranks high enough among your priorities."

...counting my blessings.....sing it Bing!!

Donovan's Reef...a MUST see holiday favorite.....

McDougall's White Bean Salad

2-15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1-15 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

½ c green olives, sliced

1 c roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

½ English cucumber, diced

6 plum tomatoes – cored, seeded and diced

2 celery ribs, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced

⅓ c sherry vinegar

1 t Dijon mustard

¼ c finely chopped fresh parsley

1 T fresh thyme

2 t finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 t garlic powder

1 t paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Stir together the beans, artichokes, olives, peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, celery and green onions in a large bowl; set aside.

Whisk together the vinegar, Dijon mustard, parsley, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad, and stir until all ingredients are coated. Refrigerate at least one hour or overnight before serving.  Serves 8

Good to be back home

...good to be back home with family for the holidays.....missing you my girl and her love...speedy recovery.....and sending you visions of joyously, bright dream colors....Angel of Dreams....

Morning

Spending an hour each morning communing with nature…connecting…embracing a groundedness to begin a new day with an open heart filled with divine love... essential for peace and harmony.

This Story of the Day was timely…as usual. 

A morning vision in the divine secret garden, lounging in a white Adirondack chair…covered with a “memory throw”…drinking morning tea with sweet angels…breathing deep the sweetness of the magnolia and mimosa blossoms…smiling, hearing the children’s giggles as they climb the trees…hearing the good morning chirps of the Mr. and Mrs…feeling the cool breeze...HG kisses on a wrist…and ALL is right with the world!!

...Have you ever seen the rain.......sing it LOUD....

Bonjour...& happy birthday ma grande!!

Chili Sin Carne

Serves 8

2 cups dried beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained (we like to use a mixture or similar sized beans like kidney, black and pinto)

3/4 cups Textured Vegetable Protein, reconstituted in 1 cup boiling water…or if you can’t find that, add some frozen Burger Crumbles-veggie at the end)

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T each chili powder and ancho chili powder

½ t dried oregano

½ T cumin

½ T unsweetened cocoa

1 bay leaf

¼ c soy sauce

½ teaspoon sugar

3 cups water

½ crushed dried chili pepper

1 t salt

Pepper

1-6 oz can tomato paste

10 pkg frozen corn

1 can crushed pineapple w/ juice

1-2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped

Cook in crock pot on low for 4 hours OR pressure cook 15 lbs for 20-25 minutes (un-soaked beans)

Procrastination

PROCRASTINATION was grabbed by its ugly horns and was wrestled to the ground!! …VICTORY!! …So, now every night...determine what is the HARDEST thing to do the next day.

Each tasks affords a learning opportunity…and rejuvenating rest provides strength and clarity.

Giving thanks everyday for forward movement….As Brian Tracy suggests, tackle the HARDEST thing FIRST…it is the PRIORITY.

Can you take the challenge today to tackle your HARDEST thing FIRST and to feel the lightness of heart and inner strength that that opportunity brings when completion is realized….??

…“It is the job that is never started that takes longest to finish.” -  J.R.R. Tolkien

McDougall's Avocado Pasta Salad

•               13 oz box dried whole wheat or brown rice pasta (medium shells work well)

•               4 cloves fresh garlic, pressed

•               3 medium, ripe tomatoes, chopped

•               3 medium avocados, peeled and chopped

•               1 zucchini or cucumber, chopped

•               2 limes, juiced

•               ½ t fresh thyme

•               1 c sliced Kalamata olives

•               salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta al dente. When pasta is done rinse with cold water.

Combine all fresh ingredients in a large bowl and add salt and pepper. Add pasta and stir well.

Shared Happiness

Buddha once said, "Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle cannot be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

...some quiet time is needed to better share happiness....fit in Dhamma Siri??....

Adapted from Food.com New Zealand Corn Salad

12 oz pkg frozen peas

12 oz can whole kernel corn, drained

½ peeled diced cucumber

2 T chopped green onions

2 T white vinegar

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ t salt

1 dash black pepper

⅛ t dry mustard

⅛ t cayenne pepper

Thaw frozen peas and then combine with the corn, cucumber and onions in a large bowl.
Shake remaining ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and pour over the vegetables, tossing until all are coated.
Cover and chill.