Lucky Food for the New Year!!

Wow...Holy Cow!!!

 

2012 is over... that is amazing!  2013 has started and so far so good..Last night was New Year's Eve and I got to spend it with some of my favorite people..Doug, Diane and Jack... We all saw the New Year in together..first east coast and then west coast (east coast represent!!)...yeah we are sooo old G... hehehhe.

MAY YOUR NEW YEAR BE DELICIOUS!!!

from Doug and June

Let us (Doug & June) take a moment to wish you all a delicious new year filled with love and chocolate & joy and bacon!!

It's New Year's so what are we eating???  Some wonderful gourmet concoction? Some time honoured treasured recipe???  Some incredible oyster/lobster/champagne delight??

Not even close..Neither of us are cooking this Holiday.. I think he's having chinese and I know I am having take out chinese food, but I did bake a yellow butter cake with vanilla buttercream frosting  (does that count???)

We all were up till the wee small hours of the morning...in fact I believe Doug still maybe unconscious.. (gotta love men).

So this blog today will focus on Traditional New Year's food)

January 1st offers an opportunity to forget the past and make a clean start for many of us. But instead of leaving everything up to fate, why not enjoy a meal to increase your good fortune?

Grapes
New Year's revelers in Spain consume twelve grapes at midnight—one grape for each stroke of the clock. This dates back to 1909, when grape growers in the Alicante region of Spain initiated the practice to take care of a grape surplus. The idea stuck, spreading to Portugal as well as former Spanish and Portuguese colonies such as Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru. Each grape represents a different month, so if for instance the third grape is a bit sour, March might be a rocky month. For most, the goal is to swallow all the grapes before the last stroke of midnight, but Peruvians insist on taking in a 13th grape for good measure.  (ok I can eat 12 grapes!! no problem)

Cooked Greens
Cooked greens, including cabbage, collards, kale, and chard, are consumed at New Year's in different countries for a simple reason — their green leaves look like folded money, and are thus symbolic of economic fortune. The Danish eat stewed kale sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, the Germans consume sauerkraut (cabbage) while in the southern United States, collards are the green of choice. It's widely believed that the more greens one eats the larger one's fortune next year.  (ok, I can eat greens...no problem)

{so far grapes and greens...awesome!}

Legumes
Legumes including beans, peas, and lentils are also symbolic of money. Their small, seedlike appearance resembles coins that swell when cooked so they are consumed with financial rewards in mind. In Italy, it's customary to eat cotechino con lenticchie or sausages and green lentils, just after midnight—a particularly propitious meal because pork has its own lucky associations. (In my Italian family...no green lentils). Germans also partner legumes and pork, usually lentil or split pea soup with sausage. In Brazil, the first meal of the New Year is usually lentil soup or lentils and rice.  In the Southern United States, it's traditional to eat black-eyed peas or cowpeas in a dish called hoppin' john. There are even those who believe in eating one pea for every day in the new year. This all traces back to the legend that during the Civil War, the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, ran out of food while under attack. The residents fortunately discovered black-eyed peas and the legume was thereafter considered lucky.
(ok, I like split pea soup and I like sausage.. no problem)

Pork
The custom of eating pork on New Year's is based on the idea that pigs symbolize progress. The animal pushes forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving. Roast suckling pig is served for New Year's in Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Austria—Austrians are also known to decorate the table with miniature pigs made of marzipan. Different pork dishes such as pig's feet are enjoyed in Sweden while Germans feast on roast pork and sausages. Pork is also consumed in Italy and the United States, where thanks to its rich fat content, it signifies wealth and prosperity. (pig's feet??? BIG problem)

Fish
Fish is a very logical choice for the New Year's table. According to Mark Kurlansky, author of Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, cod has been a popular feast food since the Middle Ages. (Cod changed the world...really....someone needs a hobby, Mark). He compares it to turkey on Thanksgiving. The reason? Long before refrigeration and modern transportation, cod could be preserved and transported allowing it to reach the Mediterranean and even as far as North Africa and the Caribbean. Kurlansky also believes the Catholic Church's policy against red meat consumption on religious holidays helped make cod, as well as other fish, commonplace at feasts. The Danish eat boiled cod, while in Italy, baccalà, or dried salt cod, is enjoyed (that's debatable..enjoyed might not be the right word...endured ..better word) from Christmas through New Year's. Herring, another frequently preserved fish, is consumed at midnight in Poland and Germany—Germans also enjoy carp and have been known to place a few fish scales in their wallets for good luck. The Swedish New Year feast is usually a smorgasbord with a variety of fish dishes such as seafood salad. In Japan, herring roe is consumed for fertility, shrimp for long life, and dried sardines for a good harvest (sardines were once used to fertilize rice fields).  (I eat shrimp, scallops, lobster, clams, haddock..no problem)

Cake
Cakes and other baked goods are commonly served from Christmas to New Year's around the world, with a special emphasis placed on round or ring-shaped items. Italy has chiacchiere, which are honey-drenched balls of pasta dough fried and dusted with powdered sugar (OMG..these are SOOOOO Good..you have to try them!!!). Poland, Hungary, and the Netherlands also eat donuts, and Holland has ollie bollen, puffy, donut-like pastries filled with apples, raisins, and currants.

In certain cultures, it's customary to hide a special trinket or coin inside the cake—the recipient will be lucky in the new year (if they don't choke to death). Mexico's rosca de reyes is a ring-shaped cake decorated with candied fruit and baked with one or more surprises inside. In Greece, a special round cake called vasilopita is baked with a coin hidden inside. At midnight or after the New Year's Day meal, the cake is cut, with the first piece going to St. Basil (does he eat much??) and the rest being distributed to guests in order of age. Sweden and Norway have similar rituals in which they hide a whole almond in rice pudding—whoever gets the nut is guaranteed great fortune in the new year.

Cakes aren't always round. In Scotland, where New Year's is called Hogmanay, there is a tradition called "first footing," in which the first person to enter a home after the new year determines what kind of year the residents will have. The "first footer" often brings symbolic gifts like coal to keep the house warm or baked goods such as shortbread, oat cakes, and a fruit caked called black bun, to make sure the household always has food.

(cake??? good)

What Not to Eat
In addition to the aforementioned lucky foods, there are also a few to avoid. Lobster, for instance, is a bad idea because they move backwards and could therefore lead to setbacks. Chicken is also discouraged because the bird scratches backwards, which could cause regret or dwelling on the past. Another theory warns against eating any winged fowl because good luck could fly away.
In Germany, it's customary to leave a little bit of each food on your plate past midnight to guarantee a stocked pantry in the New Year. Likewise in the Philippines, it's important to have food on the table at midnight.

Grapes

Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes

Hints of curry and soy sauce enliven this chicken and grape salad, turning a simple sandwich recipe into something really special. Plus, it takes just 15 minutes to prepare.

1/4 cup fat free mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
1 stalk celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup seedless red grapes cut in half
8 large romaine or Bibb lettuce leaves
8 slices Whole Grain Bread (my fav-Pepperidge Farm 15 Grain Bread)

Stir the mayonnaise, curry powder and soy sauce in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth. Add the chicken, celery and grapes and stir to coat. Top 4 bread slices with 1 lettuce leaf each. Divide the chicken mixture among the lettuce-topped bread slices. Top with the remaining lettuce leaves and bread slices.

(actually healthy!! so there!!)

Greens

Date and Gorgonzola Pinwheels over Greens

Sweet dates, creamy gorgonzola cheese and flavorful bacon rolled up and baked in golden puff pastry...served over greens, they're absolutely irresistible.

1 egg
1 teaspoon water
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
10 slices thick-cut bacon
1 package (17.3 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed
1 1/4 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 5 ounces)
Mixed salad greens

Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.
  Place the dates into a medium bowl. Add the vinegar and toss to coat. 
 Place the bacon onto a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until the bacon is cooked but not crisp, turning it over once after 20 minutes of baking time. Drain the bacon on paper towels.
 Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Brush the pastry sheet with the egg mixture. With the short side facing you, place 5 bacon strips crosswise onto the pastry sheet.
  Sprinkle with the half the Gorgonzola and top with half the date mixture. Starting at the short side, roll up like a jelly roll, brushing the pastry with the egg mixture as you roll. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet.
 Using a sharp knife, carefully cut each pastry roll crosswise into 10 slices. Place the slices, cut-side up, onto 2 baking sheets. Brush the slices with the egg mixture.
 Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.
Divide the salad greens among 5 bowls. Top each with 4 pastries. Drizzle with additional balsamic vinegar just before serving.

Legumes

Savory White Beans & Spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 packet Swanson® Flavor Boost™ Concentrated Vegetable Broth
1 package (about 6 ounces) fresh baby spinach (about 8 cups)
1 can (about 15 ounces) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup ditalini pasta, cooked and drained makes about 2 cups
                                   

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the red pepper, concentrated broth and spinach. Cover and cook until the spinach is wilted.  Add the beans, cheese and pasta and toss to coat.

You can add fresh garlic to the recipe but in either case I think it is excellent. It is easy to prepare and filling.

 


Pork

Pork Pozol
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 boneless pork loin, diced (about 1 pound)
1 large sweet onion, chopped (about 1 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups  Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 chipotle chile in adobe sauce, minced
1 can (about 14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (about 15 ounces) hominy whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until it's well browned, stirring often. Remove the pork from the saucepot with a slotted spoon.
Add the remaining oil to the saucepot and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic and cook until they're tender.
Stir the broth, cumin, chipotle pepper, tomatoes and hominy in the saucepot. Heat to a boil. Return the pork to the saucepot and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and tender. Garnish with the cilantro.


an alternative idea...This was delicious! I added a large can of red enchilada sauce and used a bone in pork roast instead of the pork cubes. I cooked it for approx 3 hrs until the meat could be shredded from the bone before adding the hominy. The shredded meat was then returned to the pot and the recipe was completed as written. A bit spicy but my family went wild!!


Fish

 

 

Broccoli Fish Bake

1 package (about 10 ounces) frozen broccoli spears, cooked and drained
4 fresh or thawed frozen firm white fish fillets (cod, haddock or halibut) (about 1 pound)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Place the broccoli into a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with the fish. Stir the soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour the soup mixture over the fish. Sprinkle with the cheese.  Stir the bread crumbs, butter and paprika in a small bowl. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over all. Bake at 450°F. for 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.


CakeEasy Tomato Soup Spice Cake

1 box (about 18 ounces) spice cake mix
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
Store-bought or homemade cream cheese frosting

Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour 2 (8 or 9-inch) round cake pans.  Combine the cake mix, soup, water and eggs in a large bowl and mix according to the package directions. Pour the batter into the pans.  Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely. Fill and frost with the cream cheese frosting.

Party Food: Hot dates

 

 

 

Hot Dates

 

 

Ingredients

• 16 dates, pitted
• 3 Cheddar cheese snack sticks, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
• 16 whole almonds
• 8 slices bacon, cut in 1/2

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Soak 1/6 toothpicks in water for about 15 minutes.
Slice open dates, and stuff each with a cube of Cheddar cheese and 1 almond. Wrap each date with a bacon slice, and secure with a toothpick.

Place wrapped dates on a baking sheet, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the oven, turning once, until bacon is evenly browned.

 

Party Food: Prosciutto Wrapped Figs And Blue Cheese

 

Italians DO eat better!!!

 

 

 

 

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs And Blue Cheese

 

Ingredients

• 8 Black Mission figs
• 1/2 cup blue cheese, cut into cubes
• 8 prosciutto (thinly sliced, cut in half lengthwise)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat grill. You will need medium to high heat for grilling. The key is to crisp the prosciutto quickly and leave the blue cheese just melted with the inner part of the fig cool in temperature.

Cut the figs in half and place a piece of blue cheese on each fig half. Wrap the prosciutto around each fig half, covering the cheese. The ends of the prosciutto should overlap.
Grill each piece until the prosciutto begins to color and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill, lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Serve warm.


another version:

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs with Blue Cheese and Honey

Ingredients
3 tablespoons Port or other sweet wine
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
9 ripe fresh figs cut in half lengthwise
12 thin slices Prosciutto
1 cup crumbled fresh blue cheese
2 tablespoons honey for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Pour the Port into a glass pie pan. Place all of the figs, cut side down into the Port and let marinate for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the pepper on a saucer. Dip the figs into the pepper and place them, cut side up on a baking sheet.
Cut 9 slices of the Prosciutto lengthwise in half. Loosely wrap each fig half with a strip of Prosciutto. Cut the remaining Prosciutto into thin strips and then cut the strips into 2 inch pieces. In a small pan, sauté the strips until they are crisp. Drain and reserve. Place blue cheese crumbles and fried Prosciutto strips on each fig.
Place the baking pan under the broiler and cook until the edges of the prosciutto are beginning to brown and the cheese is melting and bubbling. Remove from the oven and transfer the figs to a platter. Drizzle the honey over and serve.

May your new year be delicious!!! Doug and June

New Year's Recipes- Braciole, Rabe, Holiday Salad

 

 

Italians DO eat better!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Braciole

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/3 cup grated provolone
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce

Directions

Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.

Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.
 

Simple Tomato Sauce:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 4 to 6 basil leaves
• 2 dried bay leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
• Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.
• Yield: 6 cups
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

serve with:

some fresh cooked angel hair pasta

 

Sangiovese

Bright, fruity Italian red wine

 

side dishes:

 

 

 

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe

 

Ingredients

• 4 bunches (12 to 16 ounces each) broccoli rabe (rapini), stems trimmed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup raisins
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Directions

Working in batches, cook the broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 1 minute per bunch. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Strain the cooled broccoli rabe and set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Add the reserved cooking water, the raisins, and cook until the broccoli rabe is heated through and the stems are tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt, to taste. Just before serving, toss the mixture with the pine nuts

(I love pine nuts!!!!!)

Blanching in the boiling water takes all of the bitterness out of the rapini.

Very impressive and not too much work!

 

Holiday Salad..

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 oranges, peeled and segmented
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces goat cheese, cut crosswise into 6 slices
• 6 thin slices prosciutto
• 1 large head radicchio, rinsed, patted dry and torn into bite sized pieces
• 1 bunch arugula or watercress, rinsed, patted dry and cut int bite sized pieces
• 6 large leaves Bibb lettuce, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 head Belgian endive, stem removed and cut crosswise into thin shreds
• Pomegranate seeds, as garnish

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the pomegranate juice and orange zest, vinegar, shallots, salt, pepper and mustard and whisks thoroughly to combine. Add the oil in a steady stream and whisk until emulsified. Fold the segmented oranges and sliced onions into 1/4 cup of the dressing and toss to combine and set aside.

Wrap each slice of goat cheese in a slice of prosciutto. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the wrapped cheeses and sear on both sides. Remove from the heat.

In a large salad bowl, combine the greens. Add the marinated orange sections and onion slices, and toss gently with enough extra dressing to coat evenly. Divide among salad plates and top each with a seared goat cheese package and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. Spoon a little extra dressing over each salad and serve immediately.

One crucial ingredient is the pomegranate juice used in the salad dressing; it gives the salad its distinctive flavor. Do not substitute.

May your New Year be Delicious...Doug and June

Merry Christmas to all our friends from Doug and June!

IT"S CHRISTMAS!!

 

Merry Christmas to all our friends from Doug and June!

Sure hope Santa was good to you and if he wasn't that it was all worth it. Now its time to get ready for New Year's eve. Are you ready??? 2012 certainly had some challenges and the new year gives us the opportunity to reflect, contemplate, reevaluate and try again when we or life have fallen short. I love the saying... always shoot for the moon, cause even if you miss, you still fall into the stars. Its so important for us all to visualize all the good things we want and deserve. The Universe is a place of unending abundance. and each one of us deserve having our dreams come true. And your job is to believe...believe that all your needs are already being met. And the things most desired by your heart, will happen.. for the good of all concerned, diminishing no one. 

Let’s Start The New Year Right Lyrics

One minute to midnight
One minute to go
One minute to say good-bye
Before we say hello

Let's start the new year right
Twelve o'clock tonight
When they dim the light
Let's begin

Kissing the old year out
Kissing the new year in

Let's watch the old year die
With a fond good-bye
And our hopes as high
As a kite

How can our love go wrong if
We start the new year right?

Are you excited? You should be. The new year is a time of wonderous opportunity and unimaginable miracles. All we have to do is believe in love, cast fear aside and open ourselves up to receive our gifts.

New Year's resolutions... should be 1) attainable, 2) sincere, 3) love based. You might be asking yourself why it's important to set a new years resolution. We know "you fail to plan then you plan to fail". If you want to achieve more than you have in previous years then setting a plan is the first step. And visualizing all ready having what we want is the second. I offer you my top three resolutions that seem to always work to make life amazing. (We will count down since we love countdowns)

4. Be More Positive... It's almost the beginning of a new year and many of us had hard knocks last year. At times you may have given up and felt it really wasn't worth going on or you've questioned the reasons for what you've been doing and if it will ever get better. Despair and apathy are our worst enemies. Don't let them rob you of life. Sometimes, life knocks us down or we stumble along the path. It isn't easy to get up, but improving ones self-talk can help a lot. It's not important that you stumble or fall, but that you get up again! The first step to achieving anything is believing you can.

     Start off 2013 the right way, with the right attitude and positive self-talk. You willbe amazed at the miracles that manifest in your life, the differences you see in yourself and that others see in you too.

3. Improve Health...Improving your health can occur in a number of ways.  You may decide to quit bad habits such as smoking or drinking.  You can also get healthier by doing more exercise.  You might need to lose the phone number for all those take-away places you frequent, and learn to make home made versions, which are always healthier.  Not only will this help in your goal to get healthier, but it could help with your wallet and your waistline.  Be realistic about your health goals.  Remember good health and beauty are not a number on a scale.  It's about feeling wonderful, being happy and being able to do the things you want.  Life would be sad indeed if we couldn't indulge in fine chocolate, drink good wine, eat amazing and succulent foods.  The trick is moderation and balance in all things.

2. Love more...
I knows this sounds simple, but its not.  It's easy to love those, we know well and trust.  It's hard to incorporate love in every aspect of our lives.  First off, for those we already love... love unconditionally.  That means, "I love you right here, right now, and you never have to anything to earn my love".  In most cases it means there are times we need to separate the person from their behavior.  It doesn't mean we live with abusive situations (afterall, we need to love ourselves first).. it does mean, we don't jump to conclusions, we don't lose faith, we remember that we are all human and make mistakes sometimes.  And for everyone else, we come from a place of love not fear. You may feel helpless when you witness so much pain and suffering in the world. It is impossible to help everyone. However, you can start in small ways. Ask yourself, "Whom may I help today?" Let the planting of that seed flourish as you go about your daily life practicing random acts of kindness. It doesn't matter how small you consider that act of kindness to be. If you are doing it with intention, coming from a place of love within yourself, that is all that matters.  Someone once told me, one way to achieve happiness is to do two things a day to improve someone's life annonymously.  Be the angel in someone else's life.  Be the miracle.  The important part is to be annonymous.  Remove our ego from the situation. 

1. Meditate more...
Meditation is not just for gurus and monks.  It is for you and me. 
Meditation helps to deepen our compassion, and loving kindness to others, and ourselves. This guided meditation deepens the aspirations of peace, love and compassion and unfolds in expanding consciousness. When we experience inner peace, we can extend ourselves to others more readily.  Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, was once asked how to avert the global catastrophes of war and greed. His answer was simple, "Cultivate inner peace."

   What we would like to do here is take meditation back to basics and offer this simple form.  Your being is composed of both external and internal aspects. Yet you spend all of your time with the external. Meditation is a means for you to direct your attention to the opposite side, the internal.  We are so wrapped up in the outside world, we neglect what is within us. We are out of balance, "lopsided," and that puts us into an extreme situation. These instructions are for a simple, seated meditation that can help you to start developing a balance.

Before you begin this meditation, make the decision to sit down and devote the energy of your mind, body, and heart to resting within stillness.  Find a place where you will not be disturbed, i.e. a room where no one will come in, where the phone does not ring, where little or no noise can get in, etc.

It is very important that you are physically comfortable when practicing meditation. This will help prevent you from becoming distracted by bodily sensations that arise from physical discomfort. Take a minute to relax and establish a condition of ease in your body. Close your eyes and mouth, breathing normally through your nose. If it helps you to relax, take a few deep breaths.

This focus will be your breathing. Become aware of your breathing with each inhale and exhale. Once you are aware of your breathing, slowly begin to breathe into your abdomen. In other words, breathe using your diaphragm, not your lungs. The lungs expand downward instead of out during the inhale. If you do not know how to breathe with your diaphragm or it is uncomfortable, then breathe like you normally do. Just relax as best you can.

Continuously recall your mindfulness, your awareness to the inhale and exhale of your breath. If you find yourself distracted with thoughts, gently bring your attention back to the feeling of your breathing. With each breath, allow yourself to be in the present; it is only the present that exists. In the present is where you can discover deeper levels of your mind and being.

Now that you rest with your breathing, slowly turn your attention inwards and find the stillness in your mind. As you find the silence, be with it. Become the stillness.  If you find yourself distracted with thoughts, place your attention on your breathing again and withdraw from your thoughts.

If it becomes difficult to find the silence or rest with it, try repeating the word "om" (as in dome) in a natural repetition. Say the word silently within your mind. Feel the vibration of the word as you repeat it and immerse yourself in it.

Don't worry if you find yourself thinking a lot. This is normal. Over time, you will gain the ability to quiet yourself more and more. Like anything else, it just takes practice.   If you experience some physical discomfort during the meditation, make the necessary adjustments to bring yourself back to the comfort zone. The adjustments might be very subtle muscular, skeletal, or attitudinal shifts.

Try practicing this meditation once a day in the evening for about 15 to 20 minutes. Make it a special part of your daily routine. As you become accustomed to your practice, add a morning meditation for the same amount of time.

Meditation can be very profound and meaningful, for the effects of resting within silence will be felt in your daily life. It can be an excellent stress reducer. It gives you the opportunity to enjoy new meaning and appreciation. Meditation is one of life's paradoxes, for within silence is everything.

(ok I know there are more than 3.. don't be critical.. it's a June thing)

Oh and don't forget the most IMPORTANT Resolution!!!!

EAT MORE CHOCOLATE AND BACON!!!

yeah I know I will get back to recipes and smart ass comments next post....

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year, filled with love and laughter, peace and prosperity, health and happiness...

MAY YOUR NEW YEAR BE DELICIOUS!!!

 

from Doug and June

 

 

Happy Winter

Happy Winter

Today for all of us, my prayer is "Please, give us a respite from all the crises." In the wake of the senseless tragedy in Connecticut, we lose our peace. Our flight or fight button is jammed and we can barely put one foot in front of the other. So sit a while and I'll just put on the kettle.

The task of getting through the day with all our loved ones accounted for and a roof still over our heads drains our energy, depletes our sense of security and diminishes our capacity for happiness, leaving us feeling exhausted and vulnerable. Nearly everyday we're inundated with a new reason to be scared—if it's not the collapse of the world markets, or a terrorist alert, it's fears about bird flu, a tsunami in our backyard or Yellowstone National Park blowing up. As Dorothy Parker so succinctly put it, "What fresh hell is this?"

Which is why when challenging and unexpected Change occurs, Mother Providence hits the cosmic Pause button for a sacred time-out. We're stunned and we're meant to stop. I know this may be difficult for you, as it is for me, but think of what's going on now, today and tomorrow as a gift—a way to recalibrate the speed at which we're chasing after our days and clutching at the world's grains of sand. With any dramatic change in our circumstances, whether its good news or bad, there's information to assimilate, emotional wounds to lick, confusion to sort, closets to clear, brown boxes to pack, forms to fill out. There are new connections to make, wisdom to glean, truth to be revealed, forgiveness to be considered, mail to forward. But above all, there's gratitude to be offered for a safe deliverance from the Past before Spirit stamps our letters of transit to the Future.

Let's take a look at the word that saps our strength so quickly and so often:

SCARED

"What difference do it make if the thing you scared of is real or not?" the glorious writer Toni Morrison wonders aloud, surely for all of us. Women have always known how to comfort the fears of others; we just don't remember to use the same tender, loving tactics on ourselves. So the next time you feel a random panic attack starting, take a deep breath, and transpose the "a" and the "c" in the word "scared" and you'll not only discover another word, but a world of difference. You'll uncover the

SACRED

Doesn't that make you feel better already? It works for me,every time. I'd also be willing to bet that your sacred, like mine, is very close—the walls surrounding you or the floorboards supporting you, even if they need a good scrub.

The best definition I ever heard of fear is "False Evidence Appearing Real". When I'm anxious I notice that my fears seem to be speculative, future-tense marauders. Will there be enough? What will I do? How will I cope?

The best way I know to disarm fear is by keeping a Gratitude Journal, a polite daily thank-you note to the Universe—and a reminder to yourself of the very real blessings you have right now. In this moment. Small pauses that bring a smile or a sigh of relief during the day. We think it's the big moments that define our lives—the promotion, the new baby, the renovated kitchen, the wedding. But the narrative of our lives is written in the small, the simple and the common. The overlooked. The discarded. The reclaimed. Life is not made up of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years, but of moments. You must experience each one before you can appreciate it.

You also need to take time to visualize what it is your really need. The Universe is a place of unending blessings and abundance. As Children of the Divine, we deserve wonderous and beautiful things in our lives! All we need to do is visualize it. Take the time every day to concentrate on what you need. See yourself always having received this gift. It's there waiting for you... accept it!

Now Winter is arriving, a change of season that's more a sense memory than a date on the calendar. Finally, the balmy days have passed. Gradually familiar surroundings don a stark palate of just waiting to be frosted with snow. Sparkle and magic that dazzle with their beauty. Let December seduce you with her charms: peppermint sticks, creamy hot chocolate, picking out the perfect Christmas Tree, arranging holly wreaths and lighting our world with fairy lights , savory stews and Sunday roasts, the first fire of the season, making a snowman, candles and evergreens on the dining room table, pie making and the tremendous satisfaction of making do with whatever we've got, as we discover all we have is truly all we need, as long as we possess the soul knowledge of how blessed we truly are. Trust me, dearest friend, the world can't take this away…only you can turn the gift away.

Wishing you a month of comfort, unexpected blessings, personal miracles, and a prayer that you may know Deep Joy, Real Love, and Personal Peace.

Wishing you, my dear friends...Peace and Prosperity, Love and Laughter, Health and Happiness this Holiday season and an amazing 2013!!