A Trip Down Gingerbread Lane...

We LOVED LOVED LOVED our Gingerbread House--it was only a couple of miles from our home in Wisconsin...and did I mention we LOVE it there!  (in case those who have followed my blog in the past couldn't have guessed:)  

Well, then...WE love it SO much, that we actually tried to somewhat replicate that Gingerbread House-ISH atmosphere in our house in Wisconsin!

In my trip down Memory Lane today, I found a post where I alluded to the fact that someday when we move and have a new home that I would dedicate a room to The Gingerbread House!  Well, by golly, today the plan has come into place...I can see it now!  And my new Gingerbread House will be....(drum roll please......) in OUR BONUS ROOM!  Of course, it's perfect!  C'est Magnifique!!  Nothing short of pure BRILLIANCE!!!  For you see, when I think of The Gingerbread House, I think of very rustic country cozy---and that usually implies a lot of very cozy STUFF!  But, you see, part of my other vision was to have a serene meditative zen-like zone, with not much clutter!  And you have NO idea how many VAN loads we took to Goodwill and the dump, before we moved from Wisconsin.  We also got rid of a LOT of furniture.  And then, when we were getting ready to move from the house we rented in SC for eight months, we got rid of several more van loads, plus more furniture and a patio set!  And then, once we got into our new home, we got rid of a few more van loads, plus MORE furniture!  And now, I'm talking about adding in more STUFF?????    Well, this is the beauty of my plan (also one a foresaw in my earlier post:)---I envisioned having ONE room, just one room that would be in honor of or in the likeness of our beautiful Gingerbread House--a room, where we can just shut the door, or visit---anytime we want cozy--kind of like our many visits to The Gingerbread House.  And that room my friends, will be, the bonus room--it makes perfect sense!  This is our play room, our guest room (currently our storage room...it's a LOT worse since we brought John's car home--we have a long ways to go; had to clean the garage which had many unpacked boxes yet:)--and this room will be my one rustic country cozy Gingerbread House room!  This will take a LONG time before I am able to start on this project--there is barely walking room at the moment with all the boxes (perhaps we need to just run a few more loads to Goodwill:D).  When we can afford it, we will be having our attic insulated--so that we can actually safely store stuff up there --- right now it can get up to 130 degrees or more (can't imagine how that is impacting our energy bills:/)--but, all in good time.

Oh, and as a side note---when Little Angel and I were on our recent date night, we also thought it would be great fun to decorate their four foot Barbie House, which resides in the bonus, soon to be Gingerbread House Room--also in the Likeness of a Mini Gingerbread House!  Cute?  or CUTE!!




Ok, so the wheels are REALLY turning now!  I'm picturing a bench, like they have in the real Gingerbread House!  Quilts, arts and crafts, country plaid curtains......just a cozy hangout!

 Stay tuned....

 (psssst, but please be patient, my vision WILL come to fruition, but this one may take awhile:)

Recent Visitors

Date Nights...

Time sure does go by too quickly, especially when you get caught up in Life's Stuff; and we really have had our share...but we're done with getting caught up, and we are truly living in the beauty of each moment!  Little Miss Angel has been requesting date nights---one-on-one time with each parent----of course!!!  She MORE than deserves that, they both do!  Well, she had her first one a week or two ago with daddy, and they had a splendid time.  And tonight, it was our turn.  I asked her what she wanted to do--the sky was pretty much the limit--and do you know what she chose?  A night remininscent of the first (and sadly the last) time she and I had a date night---this was back in the fall of 2009.  I took her on a shopping spree to pick out some fall clothing--Target has adorable clothing for children, and a snack bar area; so that is where she wanted to go---to have pizza at Target again....because the first time we did that together meant THAT much to her!  Make sure you grab those one-on-one moments with your children; it means so much to them!

 Of course our beautiful Little Fairy Girl was not to be left out---so while one parent went on a date with one child, at the same time, the other parent went on a date with the other child; and then we swapped the next time around.  

Beautiful Date Nights were had by all!

My, how quickly our beautiful princesses have grown!

I Offer Up My Sincerest Apologies...

Hey There, it's me....over there on the left (other left Mom!).  I'm writing to my MANY MANY MANY Blog Fans (ok, it's a bit of a stretch here, I get it--but I know every once in awhile at least one or two of you read my posts, or maybe you did:)  Heck, I admit, I've been boring myself!  But I got ahead of myself here:)

Today, I took a trip down memory lane, read through some of my posts from 2008 and 2009 and 2010...and I think my posts were a lot more fun back then!  But, believe it or not, there is both a rhyme AND a reason for my many recent posts that have been more on the, shall we say "meditative" "Angelish" "New Age Ish" "Hippyish" side....the reason you may ask?  Or maybe you really don't want to know:)  I've been trying to stay "focused" and peaceful as I was very recently certified as an Usui Reiki 1 Practitioner.   Over the next month, I will be doing classwork to be certified as a Master level Kundalini/Practical Reiki Practitioner.  And in the middle of October, I will be flying back to Wisconsin, with a "sister" friend of mine (meeting me, she will be flying from the other side of the country)---we will be sharing a hotel room, and a rental car together (sounds funny, considering I spent over 40 years living there:).  And together we will be receiving our Level 2 Usui Reiki Attunements (certifications), at Holy Hill!  That will be an incredible weekend for us!  We will also be quite busy that weekend with training and related activities, not even sure I'll have time to see my parents...:O 

Anyway, this is just an explanation for all the recent posts.  I've decided to stop boring everyone and myself and get back to my regularly scheduled programming:)  Thank you kindly for your patience through my brief period of, OMMMMMMMMism:D

p.s. I'm not even going to begin to explain Reiki...if anybody is curious, it really is much better that you just look it up.  I recognize this will be a stretch for some, and that is OK!  

Namaste:)

Wedding Details

Angel: "Fairy Girl, will you stand up in my wedding?" 

Fairy Girl: "what does that mean?" 

Angel, "you dress pretty and stand next to me."

Fairy Girl: "why would I want to stand next to you?"

Corn and Black Bean Salad

8 ServingsPrep: 15 min. + chilling

Ingredients

• 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 
  DRESSING:
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl,
• whisk the dressing ingredients; pour over corn mixture and toss to
• coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Stir before
• serving. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 8 servings.
• 
  

Nutrition Facts: 2/3 cup equals 142 calories, 4 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 326 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber,

Cheese Tortellini with Tomatoes and Corn

Ingredients

• 1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1 package (16 ounces) frozen corn, thawed or 3-1/3 cups fresh corn
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• fresh garlic
• fresh bell pepper
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 teaspoons  Olive Oil
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, cook tortellini according to package directions, adding the corn during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse in cold water.
• In a large serving bowl, combine tortellini mixture and remaining ingredients; toss to coat. Yield: 4 servings.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

 

Cake:

2 tsp flour

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs.

1. preheat oven to 375  degrees

2. prepare 15x10 or 9x13 pan with greese and flour

3.  Add two cups flour.  combine flour with next 4 ingredients in a large bowl:  whisk well.  Combine water, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/4 cu cocoa in small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat; pour into flour mixture.  Beat with a mixer at medium speed til well blended.  Add buttermilk, 1 tsp vanilla, and eggs; beat well.  Pour batter into prepared pan: bake at 375 degrees for 17 minutes (for 10x15 or 22 min for 9x13) (or til toothpick comes out clean).  Place on wire rack.

Icing: 

6 tbsp butter

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 tsp vanilla extract

1.  To prepare icing, combine 6 tbsp butter, milk, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a medium suacepan: bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, and gradually stir in powdered sugar, pecans, and t tsp. vanilla.  Spread over cake (while still hot).  Cool completely on wire rack.

A Day of Firsts

One of my friends on Facebook posted this today:

Wants to know when was the last time you did something for the first time? Seems like a lot of people get stuck in a rut and forget that there are "first time" experiences out there to enjoy. We aren't guaranteed that tomorrow will come; each day we live is a gift. Live your life as if today is your last and experience something new EVERY DAY!!!

Ok, I honestly wasn't going to respond to this, as there probably haven't been many recent firsts--but, true to the Law of Attraction, my day of firsts hit, today:

We went kayaking tonight--a VERY spontaneous decision when a new friend of mine, who owns a kayaking outfitter on Hilton Head called me and invited us to go out with a group he had going, to watch the Tuesday night fireworks on the island.  There are MANY firsts in this short little statement.

1. First time my girls have gone kayaking!  We tried once, about 3 years ago, on one of those sudden out of the blue gorgeous 80 degree days that hit after a long hard winter in WI in April--we knew it would get cold soon again, so we *tried* to take the girls kayaking!  Ok, it was actually canoing, on a gorgeous marshy lake, where you rent the canoes from a bar---it turned out our canoe had a hole in it and water was quickly seeping in.  We also *learned* that just because the air temp is 80 degrees doesn't mean the water temp is--actually, the water temp was just above freezing---considering the odds of falling out of a canoe, esp. one sinking from the start, into nearly frozen waters--we didn't think it would take long for hypothermia to set in---and like I said, this was THREE years ago, which puts my girls at ages 4 and 2.  Needless to say, we got our money back and skipped the canoe outing.

2.  Tonight was the first time I kayaked after dark.

3.  Tonight was the first time I kayaked in South Carolina.

4.  Tonight was the first time I kayaked and docked in a bed of oyster shells to watch fireworks!

Today was also the first time my girls HELD an alligator!

And today was the first time I held an alligator as well--all by myself:O  

And....today was the first time an alligator ever PEEEED on me:O

when's the last time you had a first? :)

THE END

 

A Funny--revisited

me: "Roger, is she dead?"  Roger: "nahhhh, she's just meditating."  :O

(from my "working" days: a 'coworker,' literally fell asleep at her desk, slumped forward over her chair, with her hair, head and hands hanging down to the floor!  This went on for the longest time!  Let's just say, people from other departments came to witness this :O)    in comes my boss Dave, to me: "are you going to wake her up?"  me, "no, YOU'RE her manager:)"

Quinoa and Black Beans

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and parsley.

Mexican Pierogi Casserole

Box of Frozen Pierogis

chopped bell pepper

chopped black olives

can of diced tomatoes

corn

can of chili beans

can of enchilada sauce

assemble in baking dish, with pierogis at the bottom (no need to precook these)

bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes

top with cheese and sour cream if desired

A Family Portrait

 

circa 2008: Little Angel, age 4

Meet "Daddy"

 

When you do things from your soul,
you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

Rumi ♥

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Karina's Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas Recipe

Shown is family style, rolled into a baking dish. For company I prefer to nestle these babies into individual gratin dishes. It makes for a prettier presentation. I often vary the recipe (shocking, I know!) by adding a schmear of cream cheese down the middle of the corn tortilla. The chile sauce can be mild or hot. However you like it, Darling. Both ways are tasty.

Quickie Green Chile Sauce:

1 cup light vegetable broth
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water
1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles- hot or mild
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin or chili powder, hot or mild, to taste

For the filling:

1 15-oz can organic black beans, rinsed, drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 big juicy lime
2 heaping cups cooked sweet potatoes, smashed a bit, but still chunky [I cube mine, then soften just a little]
1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or curry, mild or spicy, as you prefer
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

To Assemble:

2-4 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil, as needed
8 white corn tortillas
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or vegan cheese, if desired


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Choose a baking dish that would hold 8 enchiladas.

Make your Quickie Green Chile Sauce by combining the broth, dissolved arrowroot, green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer until thickened. Taste test. Set aside.

In the meantime, using a mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans with minced garlic and lime juice. Toss to coat the beans and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the lightly smashed sweet potatoes with the chopped green chiles; add the spices. Season with sea salt and pepper.


Pour about 1/4 cup of the Quickie Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

Grab a skillet and heat a dash of oil. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them - one at a time - as you stuff each one.

How do I stuff thee?

Lay the first hot tortilla in the sauced baking dish; wet it with the sauce.

Spoon 1/8 of the sweet potato mixture down the center.

Top with 1/8 of the black beans.

Wrap and roll the tortilla to the end of the baking dish.

Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce.

If you like, top with a sprinkle of shredded Monterey Jack cheese or vegan cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are piping hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Serve with a crisp salad of baby greens and herbs spiked with oranges, strawberries, watermelon or halved grapes. 

Cook time: 25 min

Yield: 4 servings

Polenta with Black Bean Salsa

16 oz roll of refrigerated polenta (usually found in the healthfood/organic section of produce)

grapeseed oil (or high heat oil of choice)

1- 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup (I used a small premade jar) of chunky salsa

1 bell pepper chopped

1 small onion chopped

2 TBSP of fresh chopped parsley

1/2 cup shredded Pepper Jack Cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Ground Black Pepper

Preparation:

Cut polenta into 1/2" slices.  Pan fry in oil til golden brown and crisp, season to taste with black pepper or your choice of seasonings.  As polenta cooks, remove to paper towels on plate and drain.

In another pan, saute onions and bell pepper.  After a few minutes, add in black beans, salsa and cheeses and warm mixture up.

Serve fried polenta rounds, topped with Black Bean Salsa, and top with fresh parsley. 

Our Family is Building...

 

Our newest member is the A Chakra bowl---since they are important members of our family we've decided to name them...please meet Angel.  

 6th  Ajna (Third Eye) Center  of  intuition, insight, devotion to spiritual knowledge, wisdom and psychic abilities.  Governs pituitary, nose, ears & eyes.   Color:  Indigo

the gentle rains came and my favorite color emerged from our new little garden

 

Burnt orange, if you must know;)

Playdate With the Butterflies Today

Little Angel's Fairy Garden is Sprouting

Potluck Potato Casserole

1.5 cups sour cream

1.1/4 cups shredded cheddar

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp minced fresh onion

5 tsp melted butter

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp red pepper

1 (30) oz package frozen hash browns, thawed

1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup

cooking spray

1 cup coarsely crushed cornflakes

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.  Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl, spread evenly into a 13x9 baking dish coated with spray.  Sprinkle cornflakes over mixture.

3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until bubbly.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley.  Yield 10 servings.

**I switch off ingredients--I use Cream of Celery or Cream of Onion soup; I thrown in southwest seasoning blends to kick it up; I've thrown in Ranch dressing when low our out of sourcream.

Happy Independence Day 2011!

My neighbors put on a spectacular neighborhood party, followed by a spectacular fireworks display!  We probably won't make it down to Hilton Head to watch the various fireworks from the beach---Highway 278 was an absolute gridlock yesterday, going onto the island, and I'm picturing it to be 20 times worse coming off the island following the fireworks tomorrow; doesn't seem worth it.  But our neighbors put on a spectacular show in our own front yard, wouldn't you say?  (ok, I admit, half of Georgia, including our bordering town of Savannah is under severe drought right now, with forest fires 200 miles away, that when the wind blows just right, made us think the fire was in our own woods!)  So, we moved our cars down the road, and we had our hose out and ready!  But,  all was well, they did avoid the rockets, afterall:)  A great night, with great neighbors--we LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE, did I mention that we LOVE South Carolina!