Something Sweet: LAVENDER HONEY COOKIES – ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Something Sweet and Flowers you can Eat!

photo & cookies: d. king
photo & cookies: d. king

What can I say about Lavender?….a lot actually.  I have a few lavender plants on my deck which smell heavenly and I’ve been cutting the leaves (some of the flowers too) and drying them out, grinding them in my spice grinder and adding them to granola, ice cream, sugar, and using them to make lavender pepper (great for soups, pork roasts and potatoes). Lavender is one of the herbs used in Herbs de Provence.  I recently made lavender rosemary roasted potatoes which tasted delicious.

Lavender sprinkles with fruit, granola, almond milk & a bit of shaved chocolate
Lavender sprinkles with fruit, granola, almond milk & a bit of shaved chocolate

Hey, on another note you can make little sachets and add them to your lingerie drawer (I hope you have one of those) and put some in with your cashmere too which works to help keep the moths away and smells a whole lot nicer than moth balls.  I think you’ll agree.  And on yet another note, Lavender has been thought for centuries to enflame passions as an aphrodisiac….so what are you waiting for?  Hurry up and make these cookies! Then double your passion by putting ice cream in the middle to create the most delicious ice cream cookie sandwiches (maybe even better than the oreo cookie ones I used to love as a kid).

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RECIPE:

– Yields 12 cookies-

4 TABLESPOONS OF UNSALTED BUTTER

1 CUP + 2 TABLESPOONS OF ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

¼ TEASPOON OF BAKING POWDER

¼ TEASPOON OF SALT

1 TABLESPOON OF LAVENDER

⅓ HEAPING CUP OF SLIVERED ALMONDS

2 EGGS

½ CUP SUGAR

1 TABLESPOON OF HONEY

1 TEASPOON OF VANILLA EXTRACT

  1. Place a large piece of parchment paper on your counter and set aside.
  2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix and set aside.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar together.
  4. Beat in the eggs into creamed butter and sugar, one at a time.
  5. Beat in vanilla, honey, slivered almonds, and lavender into the creamed butter and sugar.
  6. Combine wet and dry ingredients
  7. Place dough on the parchment paper and roll into a log shape (about 2 ½ inch diameter works).
  8. Put in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
  9. Remove from freezer and unfold the parchment paper, cut the log into cookie shapes about ¼ inch thick.
  10. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 375 or until edges are just starting to turn golden brown.
  11. Allow the cookies to cool and then make ice cream sandwiches (I recommend plain vanilla ice cream!) Blow everyone away with your genius.

    Love at first bite
    Love at first bite

FLOWER POWER – Enjoy these cookies with a nice cup of Hibiscus tea – another edible flower that is also good for you.

My new cookie board on Pinterest with a dozen kitchen tested goodies to get you going: https://www.pinterest.com/intrigueimports/just-cookies/

 Source (for recipe): ImpatientFoodie.com

Feel-good Friday: water, wine, waterfalls

Impressionistic Photography?

Because I’m not a painter this is the best I could come up with to make somewhat of an impression – this week.  It seems that unintentionally I was on a little bit of a theme.

I've always loved Water lilies.
I’ve always loved Water lilies.
Waterfall Selfie
Wall Waterfall Selfie

The difference between writers and readers is similar to the difference between expressionism and impressionism. Writers want to express themselves and readers want to be impressed.” – Claire Amberkitefestival5I want both!

Mast Reflections
Mast Reflections

20150607_104309
20150617_114002Yes, No?  It doesn’t matter – it’s just nice to capture images in general.  AND it’s Friday so nothing else really matters now except for more wine & wine water.  Enjoy your weekend.

Health MATTERS: blocking Negativity

negative1Have you noticed how spending time with certain people can leave you feeling drained? 

Life throws you some curveballs sometimes.  An illness, a death of a dear friend or family member and you need a sympathetic ear.  A friend who will just listen.  But then there are people who just thrive on complaining about every negative thing in their lives….and it never seems to end.  Once in a while I can understand, but not an endless stream. I came across the following on another blog –http://thenursesshift.com/ (experience greater health, balance and abundance through holistic health choices, enhanced nutrition and a dash of Metaphysics.)

I am sure that most people can think of someone who they would rather avoid than bathe in their negativity. They may not even be very negative, but you just find that after being with them, you feel drained. What about those day’s where you are just feeling off or in a bad mood? You could have just created this mood yourself, or you could have picked it up from the person you just had coffee with. What many people aren’t aware of is that they are picking up energies from other people and these energies are not always the kind you would want. Eventually, these unwanted energies will cause diseases.negative2

Some people are extremely sensitive to other people’s moods and energies. These people are called Empaths. Empaths feel other people’s anxiety, stress and tensions very deeply. By the way, DOGS are considered to be empaths which makes sense if you think about it – they are always watching your facial expressions and sensitive to everything. EVERYTHING is energy (even if you can’t see it) and just like a leech can attach to your leg in water (YUK), someone’s negative energy can attach to you, which is even nastier. As much as I would like to completely avoid negative energy, this is not always possible. In my work, I am in several different hospitals on a weekly basis, so I am often dealing with people who have illnesses and mental health issues, and because of this I have had to learn to protect myself.

I’ll give you an example of an experience that I had this week where someone came to me who had just been diagnosed with Cancer, and was scheduled for surgery and radiation. She was very emotional and needed someone to talk to. I discussed her situation with her and at the end of the conversation gave her a hug. Then I went about my day and almost immediately, I started to feel very drained and off. I recognized that I wasn’t feeling myself at all, but silly me, I didn’t make the connection.

That evening I was completely exhausted and went to bed really early. In fact, I actually thought I was coming down with something. I woke up at 2 am with extreme anxiety (which is something I never get). As I lay in bed tossing and turning, I started to put 2 and 2 together, and realized that this energy I was feeling WAS NOT MINE. I immediately got up, smudged (see Smudging below) myself with sage and felt better. This was a great lesson and reminder to me, not to let my guard down. I thought to myself – what did I do back when I had no idea about energy, and what do other people do who don’t realize that they need to protect themselves? The amazing news is that YOU can protect yourself from picking up the nasty energies that have no place in your life – read on…

Here are 8 simple, yet powerful ways for you to protect yourself:

1) Crystals and stones – there are many different crystals for protection. I like Black Tourmaline, Labradorite, and Hematite. I don’t leave home without mine. They should be worn on the left side of the body. Try holding different stones and see how they make you feel.

2) Smudging – originating from the Native American tradition, this is a powerful cleansing method. With an intention to remove negative energy from the body, cleanse the body with the smoke from the herbs. Sage is the most common herb used. Sweetgrass and cedar are used as well.

3) Salt bath – taking a bath in salt is very cleansing to your aura. Regular table salt or sea salts can be used. You can also add in essential oils, I like lavender, cedarwood, and neroli.

4) Affirmations – repeat to yourself 3 times: I am surrounded by protection, no negative energies can touch me, and I repel all unwanted energies. I do this at the start of my day and anytime I am in a situation with tension.

5) Surrounding yourself with a shield – I like to imagine a shield of gold light around me, other colours can be used as well. I do this several times a day. Be sure that you visualize the colour coming beneath your feet (up your soles) and sealing up.

6) Meditation – connect to your breath and get into the present moment.

7) Practice Yoga – yoga balances out the chakras and can move around stagnant energy.

8) Energy Healing – energy healers can remove all the unwanted energy, cleanse and balance the chakras, and aura. If you are dealing with very strong energies, I would recommend seeing an energy healer.

I hope you give these a try and see what works best for you. When I use these techniques I feel more in control, especially where my emotions are concerned. Protecting yourself will allow you to move through your day with more ease and energy. In the long term, keeping your energies balanced will greatly improve your health and prevent disease.

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”

― Nikola Tesla via http://thenursesshift.com/

 

 

Lineup for Fall/Winter 2014-15

labourdayAlways 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.dog-blog1For 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.

blogIn the meantime here’s a look at what 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).