Always celebrated on the first Monday of September, Labour Day originally gave workers the chance to campaign for better working conditions or pay, but now the day is part of a long weekend for many. Yay!
And Remember, you CAN wear white after today – just not so bright a white.For those of you who read this blog (among other blogs) and especially for those of you who write blogs, you can appreciate the challenge of continually trying to come up with original content and keeping it brief. So I’ve decided to incorporate some old stuff into the mix which I hope you’ll find interesting, amusing and perhaps even useful. You can expect a few small changes from the daily lineup. I’m also open to suggestions if there is a category or subject of relevance you’d prefer to see. I’m constantly looking at ways to improve this blog and enjoy working on it immensely. I try not to plan too far in advance of what I’m going to write in order to keep things fresh. Thank you for checking in.
In the meantime here’s a look atwhat to expect from upcoming daily posts.
MONDAY:
Travel/Lifestyle – re-visiting the world’s wonders starting with “Z” for Zanzibar. I’ve recently come across many photos which invokes so many memories of great places I’ve visited and now I want to take you along for the journey. Or;
Art/Culture – featuring an artist, talking about all aspects to do with art and cultural events.
TUESDAY:
Fabulous Food – (for foodies) a recipe, restaurant or specialty food item. This week we discover African Breese Specialty Foods (specializing in South African delicacies).
WEDNESDAY:
style – fun with fashion, style with substance.
THURSDAY:
beauty biz – everything to do with beauty including makeup and skincare product reviews.
FRIDAY:
Feel-good Friday – an inspiring thought or image.
SATURDAY:
health MATTERS – health related news and healthy tidbits.
SUNDAY:
words – generally inspirational quotes but it can also be a poem, story or excerpt from a book.
Enjoy your last day of freedom before you go back to work or school (except here in British Columbia where the teachers are still on strike).
The two best combinations that strike a perfect BALANCE.
Summer, I will surely miss your warmth.
OTHER THINGSI WILL MISS are the long days, everyone is more friendly, the casualness of flip flops, all the neighbours I never get to see the rest of the year, sitting outside on any great deck in the city, picnics, sunsets, sunflowers, warm evenings, Drinking Rosé (yes, you can drink it after but it’s not the same), bumping into people you know while riding a bike, riding my scooter with a warm breeze and not having to wear a jacket (yes, I can ride it after but it’s not the same), camping in Oregon (yes, I mean it!), meeting for breakfast at the sailing club, sitting outside at the neighborhood bar/restaurant but mostly bar if truth be told around the corner where everyone knows your name (including the ones you don’t want to know) and especially not having to carry an umbrella. I’ll stop here.
Unfortunately the Lululemon Seawheeze half marathon (the company responsible for turning so many of us into clones) didn’t make the cut because I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped although the scenery around Stanley Park was breathtaking and I managed to cross the finish line arm in arm with my sister. That was special since I lost her in a crowd of 10,000 people within the first 10 minutes and met up with her again halfway through. And I’m thankful that I didn’t get trampled on when I stupidly turned around to pick up her water bottle which fell out of her fanny pack.
It’s too fast and too soon but we have something to look forward to. Come on, what’s the best thing about Fall besides all that beautiful foliage falling to the ground….the CLOTHES! So come on folks, Cheer up.
Have a great long weekend. Meet back here in SEPTEMBER….which means Monday.
Solong to Summer
I know that summer doesn’t officially end until September 21st….but it’s not the same.
Also known as Torta Caprese (named for the island of Capri from which this recipe originates).
If you like chocolate with almonds you will love this flourless recipe. It is simply delicious and fairly easy to make. You might ask, what is the difference between a torte and a cake? The answer is nothing because the word “torte” comes from the Italian word “torta” which means a round bread or cake. So it is in fact a cake. In Europe, most cakes are called tortes.
When comparing tortes and cakes, you will notice that the cake is lighter than the torte. Cakes are made with cake flour which makes them very light because of the gluten content of the flour. You’ll find that tortes are denser and richer therefore a smaller piece should be enough to satisfy.
Ingredients:
1 ¾ sticks (7/8 cup) unsalted butter
7 ounces (1 ¼ cups) blanched whole almonds
6 ounces (170kg) of the finest quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) you can find. I use Callebaut.
4 large eggs
1 cup fine coconut sugar (original recipe calls for granulated sugar)
Garnish with confectioners’ sugar (I sprinkle it over the cake with a fine sieve) and serve with whipped cream & berries. I like using raspberries because they have a sharpness which marries well with the sweetness (but it is not overly sweet) of the chocolate. They also add prettiness to the final presentation.
Preheat oven to 350F and butter a 10-inch cake pan. Line bottom of pan with a round of wax paper and butter paper.
Melt butter and cool. In a food processor finely grind together almonds and chocolate.
Separate the eggs – yolks from whites.
In a bowl with an electric mixer beat yolks with sugar until very thick and pale, then beat in almond mixture with butter.
In another bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites with a pinch of salt until they just hold stiff peaks and whisk one fourth into almond mixture. Fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly and spread batter evenly in pan.
Bake torte in middle of oven for about 50 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from side of pan and a tester comes out with moist crumbs remaining. Cool on rack 5 minutes and then invert onto another rack. Discard wax paper and cool torte completely. Invert onto a plate.
Try a lovely restaurant style presentation with a touch of mint & a chocolate wafer.
Torte may be made one day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
It’s a new portable two-in-one stick that delivers a punch of color to lips and (depending on which shade you choose) can also be worn on cheeks.
comes with a sharpener
What it does: This chunky fool-proof pencil glides on effortlessly and delivers a creamy matte finish (my favourite) to punch up your look instantly. It has a blend of emollients & shea butter which creates a rich creamy texture that allows for smooth application and comfortable wear. The enclosed sharpener ensures a precision application.
I lusted after dusty pink.
Who is Bobbi Brown?
A celebrated makeup artist, she became makeup artist to the stars by introducing a palette of wearable natural hues–and along the way became a star herself, with her name on a global brand. Acquired in 1995 by The Estée Lauder Companies, it is now sold in 60 countries and territories at select retailers. Katie Holmes is the first-ever celebrity face of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.
Available at Sephora & Holt Renfew Cost $26USD / $32CDN
Yesterday’s post got me reminiscing about cooking with wine which is something I do all the time on occasion. Sometimes I even put it in the food (yeah, we’ve all heard that one before).
Visiting wine country (where ever there is a country with a wine growing region to be found) is a fun experience and you learn (or at least taste) something new every time. One of the wine regions I really like to visit in Canada (besides the Okanagan in British Columbia) is Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. This recipe is from a cookbook bought at the Hillebrand Estates Winery which I made tons of tasty recipes from. It’s a guide to creating the perfect union between fine wine and superb food. Many people cook with the standby white for seafood and red for meat dishes but how many have tried sparkly?
Sparkling wine is wonderful to drink and this recipe is simple to prepare. The tiny bubbles add sophistication and a sense of celebration to any event. It is also a great ingredient in wine country cooking. The happy little bubbles work magic to transform sea scallops into the most delicate shellfish you will ever taste. This is Tony de Luca’s version of famous Mexican *ceviche.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sparkling wine
1 Tbsp. coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp. lightly toasted mustard seeds
2 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tsp. granulated sugar
pinch of cayennepepper
1 lb. (500g) fresh sea scallops
Add all the ingredients except the scallops to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the scallops and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Remove the scallops from the marinade. Discard the marinade and serve the scallops. Makes 6 servings. Enjoy!
Book Review: the book is organized by wine variety, from light and lively to full-bodied. Each chapter begins with a description of the wine, followed by seasonal menus complete with detailed ingredient lists, thorough explanations of techniques and easy-to-follow instructions. The author displays wit and wisdom from years of international culinary experience. The ART of fine dining in the comfort of your home.
WEALTH without work
PLEASURE without conscience
SCIENCE without humanity
KNOWLEDGE without character
POLITICS without principle
COMMERCE without morality
WORSHIP without sacrifice.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
Probiotics are showing up in foods, beverages, and supplements. What exactly are they, do they work, and are they safe for us to be consuming?
A Gut Feeling
What are probiotics?
There are very few people who have not heard about the “new” health miracles called probiotics. Probiotics are organisms such as bacteria or yeast that are believed to improve health and prevent colds or fight a cold once you already have one. Is your body able to handle this on its own or do you need to start including probiotics in your diet?
The idea of taking live bacteria or yeast may seem strange at first. After all, we take antibiotics to fight bacteria. But our bodies naturally teem with such organisms. The digestive system is home to more than 500 different types of bacteria. They help keep the intestines healthy and assist in digesting food. They are also believed to help the immune system.
Let’s start with the facts behind what probiotics are. The root of the word probioticcomes from the Greek word pro, meaning “promoting” and biotic, meaning “life.” There is some debate about how to define probiotics. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines probiotics as “live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” Yes, they are actually alive, and most of these microorganisms are bacteria. Most people think of antibiotics and antibacterial products when you mention bacteria. Both of those kill bacteria so why would you want to consume anything that has live bacteria in it? It’s all about balance.
How Do Probiotics Work?
Researchers believe that some digestive disorders happen when the balance of friendly bacteria in the intestines becomes disturbed. This can happen after an infection or after taking antibiotics. Intestinal problems can also arise when the lining of the intestines is damaged. Taking probiotics may help. “Probiotics can improve intestinal function and maintain the integrity of the lining of the intestines,” says Stefano Guandalini, MD, professor of pediatrics and gastroenterology at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Probiotics and the Immune System
There’s also evidence that probiotics help maintain a strong immune system. In societies with very good hygiene, we’ve seen a sharp increase in autoimmune and allergic diseases. That may be because the immune system isn’t being properly challenged by pathogenic organisms. Introducing friendly bacteria in the form of probiotics is believed to challenge the immune system in healthy ways.
Probiotics may seem new to the food and supplement industry, but they have been with us from our first breath. During a delivery through the birth canal, a newborn picks up bacteria from his/her mother. These good bacteria are not transmitted when a Cesarean section is performed and have been shown to be the reason why some infants born by Cesarean section have allergies, less than optimal immune systems, and lower levels of gut microflora.
Cautions About Probiotics
For the most part, taking probiotics is safe and causes few side effects. “People in cultures around the world have been eating yogurt, cheeses, and other foods containing live cultures for centuries,” says Martin Floch, MD, a professor of gastroenterology at Yale University, co-author of Probiotics: A Clinical Guide, and a consultant for the Dannon Company.
Still, probiotics may be dangerous for people with weakened immune systems or serious illnesses. One study found that patients with severe pancreatitis who were given probiotics had a higher risk of death. It’s always best to consult with your doctor before taking anything new in general, but especially for those that have weakened immune systems.
THE ULTIMATE PROBIOTIC!
Brad King’s Ultimate Probiotic – sold at health food stores & online.
BRAD KING’S ULTIMATE PROBIOTIC contains one of the most research-proven beneficial probiotic species – bifidobacterium – and the main intestinal microflora residing mostly in the colon. Ultimate Probiotic has been proven safe in over 30 years of studies and has been consumed in yogurt in Japan for over 20 years. It is also backed by over 15 years of controlled studies proving its efficacy and is the only probiotic available today to carry the highly proven shelf-stable BB536 strain of bifidobacterium. [VEGI CAPSULES]
Bake seasoned kale leaves to turn them into irresistible, good-for-you crispy snacks. Sriracha sauce adds a delicious bite. For a milder version, simply omit the chili sauce. – SERVINGS:6
2 bunches curly kale (20 ounces each), stems removed, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 teaspoons *Sriracha sauce, or more if desired
Coarse salt
COOK’S NOTE
To store, keep in a large zip-top plastic bag at room temperature, up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Wash and dry kale and divide between two rimmed baking sheets (kale will shrink as it cooks). In a small bowl, stir together oil and Sriracha and drizzle over kale; season with salt. Using your hands, tossto coat. Bake until kale is crisp and just beginning to brown at edges, about 35 minutes, tossing kale every 10 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
Opt for these irresistible snacks instead of potato chips and work more greens into your diet.
yes, this one – you’ve seen it!
*Sriracha is made from sun ripen chilies which are ground into a smooth paste along with garlic and packaged in a convenient squeeze bottle. It is excellent in soups, sauces, pastas, pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers, chowmein or on anything else to give it a delicious, spicy taste.
The following was taken from a chapter from the best selling “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle. The book is so amazing in making you awaken to your purpose in life. I read it a few years ago but just happened to pick it up again and it fell open to exactly this page so I decided to post it.
At some point in their lives, most people become aware that there is not only birth, growth, success, good health, pleasure and winning, but also loss, failure, sickness, old age, decay, pain and death. Conventionally these are labelled “good” and “bad”, order and disorder. The “meaning” of people’s lives is usually associated with what they term the “good”, but the good is continually threatened by collapse, breakdown, disorder, threatened by meaningless and the “bad”, when explanations fail and life ceases to make sense. Sooner or later disorder will erupt into everyone’s life no matter how many insurance policies he or she has. However, the eruption of disorder into a person’s life, and the resultant collapse of a mentally defined meaning, can become the opening into a higher order.
This is illustrated in the story of a wise man who won an expensive car in a lottery.
His family and friends were very happy for him and came to celebrate. “Isn’t it great!” they said. “You are so lucky.” The man smiled and said, “Maybe.” For a few weeks he enjoyed driving the car. Then one day a drunken driver crashed into his new car at an intersection and he ended up in the hospital, with multiple injuries. His family and friends came to see him and said, “That was really unfortunate.” Again the man smiled and said, “Maybe.” While he was still in the hospital, one night there was a landslide and his house fell into the sea. Again his friends came the next day and said, “Weren’t you lucky to have been here in hospital.” Again he said, “Maybe.”
The wise man’s “maybe” signifies a refusal to judge anything that happens. Instead of judging what is, he accepts it and so enters into conscious alignment for the mind to understand what place or purpose a seemingly random event has in the tapestry of the whole. But there are no random events, nor are there events or things that exist by and for themselves, in isolation. The atoms that make up your body were once forged inside stars, and the causes of even the smallest event are virtually infinite and connected with the whole in incomprehensible ways. If you wanted to trace back the cause of any event, you would have to go back all the way to the beginning of creation. The cosmos is not chaotic. The very word cosmos means order. But this is not an order the human mind can ever comprehend, although it can sometimes glimpse it.
Always celebrated on the first Monday of September, Labour Day originally gave workers the chance to campaign for better working conditions or pay, but now the day is part of a long weekend for many. Yay!
For those of you who read this blog (among other blogs) and especially for those of you who write blogs, you can appreciate the challenge of continually trying to come up with original content and keeping it brief. So I’ve decided to incorporate some old stuff into the mix which I hope you’ll find interesting, amusing and perhaps even useful. You can expect a few small changes from the daily lineup. I’m also open to suggestions if there is a category or subject of relevance you’d prefer to see. I’m constantly looking at ways to improve this blog and enjoy working on it immensely. I try not to plan too far in advance of what I’m going to write in order to keep things fresh. Thank you for checking in.
In the meantime here’s a look at what to expect from upcoming daily posts.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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