The Sun Has Something To Share;

A message from the sun.

Always be light and brilliantly shine on all the people you encounter!

Halloween Fact

The reason why orange and black are primary colors for Halloween, are because orange represents the fall harvest and black represents the approaching darkness of winter.

ITALY'S BEST WINNING GARLIC BREAD!

Today I received an email with some tasty autumn recipes! One was the "sunset pumpkin soup" which I have written as "Sunrise Pumpkin Soup" on my last post.
The other recipe was called "Lost Garlic Bread". Now I don't know the recipe for lost garlic bread, because I didn't write that one down, but I sure do have a tasty and healthy recipe for "Winning Garlic Bread". One reason why it's a winning garlic bread, is that it's made with whole grains and is much better for your health, than refined white flour products are. It's also honestly delicious!!!!!
Ingredients;
Whole grain Italian bread, homemade or purchased from your local bakery
3 minced cloves of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs fresh minced parsley
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Pre heat oven to 375. Slice loaf of bread in half, length wise. Spread enough olive oil on both of the halves. Once you've spread the oil over the top of each half, sprinkle minced garlic and the rest of the ingredients evenly on top of the bread. If desired you can top with a bit of Parmesan cheese before popping it into the oven. Let garlic bread bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove, slice and serve immediately.
This is a scrumptious side for any of your Italian favorites!!!!!
By PhotoKitty

SUNRISE PUMPKIN SOUP!

Here's a tasty looking recipe that came to me on my email today. It was called "Sunset Pumpkin Soup" but it looks so delicious and tasty that I would want to have it over and over again. I'm calling it :
"Sunrise Pumpkin Soup!"
Ingredients;
2 Tbs butter ( I will substitute with 2 tbs olive oil, to keep the saturated fat out of the soup)
1/2 cup of shallots
7 carrots
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups veggie broth
2 cups of pumpkin puree
Salt and pepper

Melt butter (or heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add shallots and carrots. Season with salt and cover. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
Uncover the shallots and carrots, then turn the heat up to medium, and saute until vegetable brown. Add curry powder, then deglaze the carrot mixture with wine. Add vegetable broth
and bring to a boil.
Lower soup to a simmer and cover for 30 minutes, partly covered. Remove pan from heat and let cool slightly.
Scoop out the solids, along with some liquid and puree in the blender until very smooth.
Return the vegetable puree to the pan and add the pumpkin. Stir well and add salt and pepper if needed. Heat the soup and serve!

Halloween Fact

"Witch" comes from the word "wicca" which means "wise one". Witches were thought to be wise enough to tell the future.

Halloween Fact

On the evening before Halloween, people left food out on their door steps to keep hungry spirits from entering the house. Festival goers started dressing in ghost, goblin and witch costumes so the wondering spirits would leave them alone. To this day these are Halloween's most popular costumes.

Halloween Myths

It has always been believed that a witch keeps a special animal called a "familiar". A familiar is an animal shaped spirit who willingly serves their owner in different roles as well as bewitching people. The most well known of these spirit animals is a black cat, although less common animals were used, such as crows and ravens. Black cats were known to be shape shifters as were ravens.
People thought that witches could transform themselves into black cats by reciting a spell and then being able to travel about doing things unnoticed. This was obviously a myth.

Halloween Fact

Of all canned fruits and vegetables, pumpkin is the best for vitamin A. Just a 1/2 a cup of this autumn squash has more than 3 times the recommended daily requirement.

CANDY APPLES

This weekend me and the kids are going to attempt to make candy apples. I've never made them before, so I thought it would be a fun autumn activity to try this Sunday afternoon.
It looks as if I'll have to do most of the work myself. After reading the directions off of the candy apple kit, I realized that the syrup gets extremely hot and is best prepared by adults only. My kids won't mind not helping, they'll enjoy eating all the candy off the apples once they're ready, then tossing the apple out when all the candy's gone.

(ME IN THE TORTOLA A WHILE BACK)

Generosity brings joy; honesty brings peace.

Sunflowers

The sunflower is a source of beauty, food, and medicine. Because the oil from sunflowers is so prized, it's grown in large crops in Spain, Italy and Greece.
Sunflowers have great healing properties and are used in homeopathy, herbalism and aromatherapy.

In homeopathy it is used to revive people after illness, high fever and weakness.It's also used for indigestion, congestion and rheumatism of the knees.
In herbalism it's a great source of protein and has an abundance of nutrition. Taking the oil of the sunflower internally is good for tonifying the liver and spleen.

In aromatherapy it treats wounds and helps against inflammation.
Esoteric meaning; The joy of life
Sunflowers stand for joy. Since the sunflower resembles the sun, it enchants our imaginations. Joy comes when we open up to the light within and allow our own sun to shine.
Affirmation; When I let my sun shine I am JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feelings & Emotions

The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?

Whole Grain Pizza Swirls

My kids love junk food. This past month I've been putting together healthy, kid friendly snacks and meals, encouraging them to make better choices when they're hungry.
Fortunately it's working. They're eating much healthier and dropping the excess weight they had put on around their waist lines!
Whole grain pizza swirls are easy to make. Both kids and adults will think they're delicious too.
Ingredients;
1 loaf of frozen whole grain bread dough, thawed
3 tbs of jarred, or homemade marinara sauce
Extra virgin olive oil
Part skim, shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese

Place one frozen loaf of bread dough wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Once thawed, grease dough lightly with some olive oil and place in a large bowl. Cover bowl with a dish towel and let the dough rise( about 2 hours) at room temperature.
When dough has risen, pre heat oven to 450 and transfer to a floured surface. Roll out dough to a 10-inch square. Spread pasta sauce over dough. Sprinkle some shredded mozzarella cheese and grated Parmesan over sauce. Roll dough jelly-roll style to enclose filling.
Cut roll crosswise into 10 slices. Place slices, cut side down on a greased baking sheet; brush tops with oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan and mozzarella.
Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

HONEY

Honey was believed by ancient cultures to be the food of the gods. As a medicine, honey is an aid to both internal and external healing.
Used internally, It is very beneficial to digestion. It can calm asthma attacks and is also affective in the treatment of cramps. It's an energetic supplement for the heart. It's also added to cough mixtures. A mixture of honey and lemon is soothing for the throat.
Used externally, it is a natural antiseptic and helps soothe damaged tissue and restore skin growth. Honey has been used to treat boils and other external sores.
On an emotional level, honey can soothe frayed nerves. Honey is also a metaphor for the goodness of life and is said to be medicine for the soul.
A Vedic chant written more than 3,000 years ago asks that the entire earth obtain the qualities of honey.
Esoteric meaning;
Honey represents the natural sweetness that is part of our inner being. We cultivate sweetness in our lives by doing the things we love in our lives. Sweetness is as natural to our being as love is.
Affirmation; I open my soul to my own natural sweetness.

TABOULI

If anyone enjoys eating "tabouli", I've listed an easy recipe to follow below.
Ingredients;
1 cup dry bulgar
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 to 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
black pepper to taste
4 scallions, finely minced (whites and greens)
1 packed cup minced parsley
10 to 15 fresh mint leaves, minced
2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, diced
1 small cucumber, seeded and minced
Combine bulgar and boiling water into a large bowl. Cover and let stand until the bulgar is tender(30 minutes).
Add salt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and black pepper, and mix thoroughly. Cover tightly and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before serving.
30 minutes before serving add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve cold. Tabouli tastes delicious served with toasted whole grain pita wedges.

Sunshine Fizz Bath

Now that the days are slowly getting shorter, it's natural for many of us to experience seasonal sadness.
If you start to feel blue, treat yourself to a relaxing "Sunshine fizz bath". The recipe is listed below. It's sure to brighten your mood.

Ingredients;
1 tbs sea salt
1 tbs vitamin C powder
1 tbs baking soda
15 drops Aura Cacia bergamot essential oil
12 drops Aura Cacia eucalyptus essential oil

This recipe is from Aura Cacia pure aromatherapy. For more great aromatherapy recipes visit;
www.auracacia.com

talcuri

Here's a delicious Caribbean butternut squash recipe to try!

Ingredients;

Extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tbs turmeric

1 1/2 curry

1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup water

1 tbs cumin

1tsp sea salt

black pepper

Pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large pan. Saute chopped onions for 10 minutes or until soft. Add chopped garlic and continue to saute for another 5 minutes. Once the garlic and onions are done add the turmeric and curry, continue to mix into the vegetables until the aroma releases from the pan. Add butternut squash, salt and pepper to the pan. Stir together well and cover for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add water and recover. stir often while squash is cooking. Once the squash starts to soften and your able to mash it, add cumin.

cover and continue to cook on medium heat, while mashing, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan often during the whole cooking time. You may have to add more olive oil and salt to the squash.

When everything is soft and well mashed you can either serve with a side of brown basmati rice or whole grain toasted pita wedges.

Planting Garlic

If you plan on having garlic in your garden next year, autumn is the best time for planting cloves.
You will need to purchase your bulbs at a garden center. Once you've purchased your garlic, Pick an area in the garden and prepare the soil for planting by pitchforking, hoeing and removing weeds.
Separate each garlic bulb into individual cloves. Plant 4" to 6" apart and 1" to 2" deep.
Water well and cover the area you've just finished planting with raked leaves, to keep the soil warm through the winter.
When the weather starts to warm up, remove the leaves that were covering the garlic, so the sun can warm the soil. You may even see some shoots already growing when you rake away the leaves.
Harvest when leaves turn brown in the summer. Cure bulbs in a hot, dry, airy place for up to two weeks after harvesting.

A day spent judging another is a painful day. A day spent judging yourself is a painful day.

You don't have to believe your judgments; they're simply an old habit.

Roasted Beets

Beets are a great autumn root vegetable. They're loaded with antioxidants and vitamin C. Roasted beets are very easy to prepare and they go well with most anything.
Here's an easy recipe to make on those cool fall evenings.
Ingredients;
4 to 5 large beets, washed and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbs parsley
1/2 tbs sage
1/2 tbs winter savory
Pre heat oven to 435. Place all ingredients into a large bowl and toss together. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake uncovered until the beets are soft and well roasted, turning often while cooking.

The Harvest Moon

The harvest moon is high in the sky tonight and it's big, beautiful and bright. I think this is by far the prettiest full moon of the year.

Beautiful Birthday Package From Olivia!!!!

The other day I was bursting with excitment after fetching my mail at the post office. Olivia had sent me a birthday package from France!
Inside my package was a gorgeous hand embroidered towel Olivia made herself with my name spelled out so pretty and the butterflies created very dainty. It's too beautiful to ever use, so I'll just display this lovely piece of artwork for all to admire instead.



Next were some very nice scenic post cards of South France displaying some of my favorite blooms, sunflowers and lavender. I can only imagine the sweet scent of lavender in the air, while taking a morning stroll in the French countryside.

Olivia also Sent me a book called "Nimes." There are many great architectural pictures in this book , including the history of Nimes.
Since it's cold and dreary here tonight, I plan on curling up by the fireplace and reading my new book from Olivia, wishing that I too was there enjoying the sights and wonder of South France.
Thank you so much Olivia for the very beautiful birthday gift!!!!!!! I love it!!!!!!!