Month: February 2015

FUN

Food:  Onion Pie

This delightful dish that’s very similar to quiche comes courtesy of our friend Ruth.  IMG_20150208_184532She brought it over for a Grammy party and everyone raved about how amazing it tasted so it was only right to ask her to share the recipe.  She said she didn’t have one (don’t you hate it when people say that?) but thankfully she wrote down the steps:

For the Pastry:

To make one 9” pie crust:

1 cup of *pastry flour (either whole wheat or white)

½ tsp. salt

1/3 cup butter

3 Tbsp. cold water

Directions:  Cut cold butter into small cubes.  Then with a knife cut cold butter into sifted flour/salt mix.  Add water until you have a workable dough.

Roll out and line pie plate.  Place in freezer until the filling is ready.  Doing this helps to make the crust flaky.

For Filling:

1 ½ cup finely chopped onions or combo of onion & mushrooms – sauté onions until caramelized.  Ruth sautés the onions and mushrooms separately.

½ cup of grated sharp cheese like Cheddar or Gruyère

½ cup milk

1 Tbsp. of **non-instant powdered mik

2 Eggs

¼ tsp. salt

1-2 Tbsp. fresh Thyme

2-3 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast

1 Tbsp. Oil (your choice – olive, avocado, coconut or grapeseed)

Directions:

Mix milk (both wet & dry), eggs, salt, thyme, nutritional yeast and oil in blender.

Layer onion (then mushroom if using), then cheese in pie plate.

Pour blended mixture over top.

Bake at 375F for 10 minutes then turn oven temperature to 350F.  Bake an additional 15-30 minutes until brown.  Check with a toothpick inserted in the middle to make sure it’s not too wet.

Enjoy!

*make sure it’s pastry flour & not all-purpose

**There are two basic kinds of powdered milks, instant and non-instant or “regular”.  They are processed a little differently so the end results are not the same.  The texture is also different. Some instant powdered milks look flaky but the non-instant is definitely “powdery”.  Non-instant milk is denser and more concentrated. Maybe not as easy to find as regular.

 

FUN

Have a heart!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!heart8

Fancy chocolate, heart-shaped pasta, red lipstick, and nostalgic candy are just a few of the Valentine’s Day things to make us happy.

Christian Louboutin
Christian Louboutin

496389_WM_S_VALENTINE_PASTA_17.6OZ___ Of course new shoes can make us happy any old time.  And it goes without saying that whatever makes us happy will put a smile on our face and lessen our stress – which is healthy.  At least that’s my excuse.  heart7heart5heart1valentine5valentines7valentines6

 

Have a LOVEly day.

FUN

beauty– lemon lights

DIY natural highlightslemon - CopyYears ago there was a spray-on hair lightener called sun-in which  to my surprise is still on the market.  It was used to brighten & lighten blonde to medium brown hair.  You used it by dampening your hair and combing through to evenly distribute the product.  For a sun-streaked look you sprayed on only the stands you wanted highlighted.  It was heat activated,  so you just relaxed and let the sun do the work for you or you could bring the hightlights out with a blow dryer.  It now comes in “lemon fresh” and “tropical breeze”.  Who knows what all of the ingredients are but for sure there was some lemon in the “lemon fresh”.

There was a lemon tree with tons of lemons outside the bungalow we rented in Palm Springs so I got the fresh idea of doing my own lemon lights.   I mixed ½ cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice with ¼ cup of conditioner and combed it through my damp hair.  Then I sat out by the pool for an hour and a half while my hair slowly turned to straw.  At first it was scary because it seemed possible that my hair would just break off but after washing and putting tons of moisturizing conditioner on it – voila! It turned out to be at least one shade lighter.  FullSizeRenderFor DIY natural highlights you just repeat until you get the lightest shade you want.  It works.  You just need a sunny day.

Have you done this or used any of the products that claim to lighten your hair?

 

 

 

STYLE

style – smart purse

Hey kids, here’s something new and useful that I noticed in a fashionable boutiqueblog

The Mighty Purse is the essential accessory!

It’s a little purse that has a hidden capacity *rechargeable battery.  The perfect fusion between fashion and technology. The mighty Purse contains a light weight battery that can fully re-charge any smart device. Then simply recharge via any USB port. It’s that brilliant and that simple! Charge On the Go!purse2

Made of high quality genuine leather. Different colours and finishes. Use as a clutch purse or inside your hand bag.

Because being selfieless is not a good thing.

 

It can recharge your smartphone up to 2 x per charge.  Supercharge me!

 

http://www.mighty-purse.com/

FUN

Food:  making mayo

This post came about after I was out looking to buy an ordinary sandwich condiment – known to compliment everything from tuna to egg salad sandwiches. 20150127_140851It was difficult to find a low-fat healthy mayonnaise. By now I’m way more careful about reading labels. You may have some idea that mayonnaise is not exactly a healthy condiment, but you may not be aware of just how high in fat and other harmful dietary elements it really is.  Every single mayo jar I came across including ½ the calories (in fact specifically half the calories) contained high fat.  Which made me question how many people actually pay attention to what they use in countless recipes.  I mean you can make a sandwich without mayonnaise but honestly the stuff really does add to the overall taste.  So if I can make my own mustard then I can certainly make my own mayonnaise.  It’s very easy and a whole bunch healthier. Have a look at two DIY recipes.

 1) Healthy Mayonnaise Recipe

Please note: it is very important that all the ingredients are at room temperature for this recipe. Having ingredients that are too hot or too cold can cause the mayo to separate or not emulsify. Any oils can be used for this, though I prefer coconut, olive, walnut or other healthy oils.

Ingredients

  • 4 egg yolks at room temperature
  • 1 TBSP lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tsp regular or Dijon mustard (or ½ tsp dried mustard)
  • Salt and pepper
  • ⅔ cup olive oil
  • ⅔ cup coconut oil (warm) or other healthy oil (macadamia works well)

Instructions

  1. Put egg yolks into blender or bowl and whisk/blend until smooth
  2. Add lemon juice or vinegar, mustard and spices and blend until mixed
  3. SLOWLY add oil while blending or whisking at low speed, starting with olive oil. Start with a drop at a time until it starts to emulsify and then keep adding slowly until all oil is incorporated.
  4. Store in fridge up to 1 week.

Author: Wellness Mama

This is a good store-bought veggie mayo - from health food stores.
This is a good organic store-bought veggie mayo – from health food stores.

2) Best Homemade Mayo

ingredients

    • 2 whole pastured eggs
    • 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
    • 3/4 tsp. salt
    • 2 tsp. prepared mustard
    • 2 cups light olive oil (not a vegetable blend)

instructions

  1. Blend eggs, vinegar, salt, and mustard in food processor. While machine is running, slowly add oil, VERY SLOWLY!! Continue until all of the oil has been added and the eggs and oil have formed an emulsion or Mayonnaise. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.

Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

NOTE: Be sure to use eggs from a healthy, trusted source.  Most people worry about raw eggs, but there is no need to worry if you purchase pastured (NOT pasteurized) eggs from a local farmer whose chickens freely roam, eat off of the land and are well-cared for.   There are MANY more cases of salmonella from processed, cooked foods than from using pastured, raw eggs.  Just a thought.

Adapted from Satisfying Eats Cookbook

Have you tried making mayo?

 

 

Art & Culture

ART/Culture – a day at the MUSEUM

 THE PALM Springs ART MUSEUMmuseum1

It’s always nice to visit the art galleries and museums in any city you happen to be visiting.  I really enjoyed the Palm Springs Art Museum, established in 1938.  The displays are culturally diverse, interesting, ethereal and thought provoking.  A feast for the eyes.

In the sculpture garden
In the sculpture garden

What began as a museum about the desert has evolved into an oasis for the arts, focusing on international Modern and Contemporary painting and sculpture by artists such as Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Duane Hanson, John Chamberlin, Anselm Keifer, and Anthony Gormley.

wood horse
wood horse

It includes works by historically significant west coast artists Sam Francis, Robert Arneson, Nathan Oliveira, Mark di Suvero, and Edward Ruscha, among others, as well as contemporary Native American artis

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mmmmmmmmmm
Karen LaMonte – Pianist’s Dress Impression

Additional areas of focus include Contemporary and Studio Art Glass by Dale Chihuly, Karen LaMonte, Howard Ben Tré, Lynda Benglis, and William Morris; Classic Western American Art by Thomas Moran, Charles Russell, Frederic Remington, Walter Ufer, and Agnes Pelton; Native American baskets; Mesoamerican artifacts; and Photography with special attention to natural, built, social, and leisure environments.

mmmmmmm
Yoshitoma Nara, “your dog” – fibreglass

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Warhol (brillo) & Lichtenstein
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Navajo – natural handspun wool & synthetic dyes
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Fritz Scholder – galloping indian on horse, acrylic on canvas
Paiute willow & glass beaded baskets
Paiute willow & glass beaded baskets

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Vladimira Klumpar, Sea Subject cast glass
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Ellsworth Kelly
Robb Putman - fabric, leather, plastic, cotton, mixed media
Robb Putman – fabric, leather, plastic, cotton, mixed media

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I’m really glad that they allow you to take photos – no flash.

Photos: d. king

Do you have a favourite museum?

 



FUN

health MATTERS: a walk in the PARK

What a great idea!  I think there should be more parks like this one with exercise equipment sprinkled throughout, nice water fountains and especially a Healing Garden.herb01herb11fragrant & healing GARDENherb10  (double click to enlarge) to know about all the benefits of these historical herbs. Many are readily available at your local supermarket.

 

 

When life throws you a bunch of lemons, make the most of them!

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herb3

this sign was a bit faded
Some signs are a bit faded

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Jojoba & Lavender oils are used in my new natural skincare line.  I’ll tell you about it soon.

LIVE WELL!
LIVE WELL!
I guess just the smell alone will make you feel happier
I guess the smell alone will lift your spirits to make you feel better.

 

Photos: d. king

 

Do you have a favourite herb?