Something Different

Jonathan's done a couple paintings with slightly new concepts.

They are so unique, they draw you into a beautiful place.

"Misty Mountain" 40x60

"Through the Frost" 20x30

And then this one, which has a different flair:

"Organic" 30x40

He's Been Working Away!

I have to brag!!  A couple  weeks ago, Jonathan and I went to some frame shops, and found a good deal on a lot of custom frames.  We had a blast.  Never would I have thought that I'd get so excited about a frame.

Here is one of them!

 This one is 11x14 oil on canvas. And the frame looks SO good on it!

And here is a little 8x10 oil on canvas.




Linking with "A Southern Daydreamer" and their "Outdoor Wednesday party", and with "No Minimalist Here's" "Open House Thursday"

Another Healthy Meal

Well, forget just the snack foods, how about a real meal!

Salmon:

High in Omega 3 fatty acids, it reduces inflammation in your arteries, and digestive system.
It reduces your chances of colon cancer, prostate and kidney cancer, etc...
It improves your skin, makes your eyes, hair and nails more healthy and shiny.
It will help reduce cholesterol, and will strengthen your veins and cardiac muscles.
It will also help reduce blood pressure, there for reducing your chances of an heart attack.
It increases your brain efficiency, improves your memory, and keeps you  wide awake during long working hours.

It is said that fish eaters are more intelligent than meat eaters! ( is this possible?!)

SO.....  I made my own Salmon dinner last night!

I got my two Salmon fillets, grilled them in my cast iron skillet with a little sauce:

The sauce is a mixture of: Soy Sauce, Honey, Honey Mustard,  Mustard Seed, Vinegar, and Pepper.....

Here they are cooking away!

Some delicious Salmon, and cheesy Broccoli and Rice... Not too bad!

Enjoy.


Linking to "Between Naps on the Porch", for "Tablescape Thursdays"

Dinner is Served!

Thanks to my new friend Shelia (my moms' name is Sheila..Ha! Fun! ), I have decided to brave up, and share the dirty (it was hubby's turn to do the dishes, I went on strike *joking*,,, and sadly, that's easily seen), bright, retro details of my kitchen, and link to her Heart of the Home party.

But, instead of focusing on my kitchen, I figure I will distract my wonderful friends with my cooking "skills" (what skills I can muster). So, with no further ado........ 


Be distracted!

I decided to do a mix and match dinner.... noodles... Italian, spicy sausage.... squash, zucchini, and tomatoes.... some spices.... YUM!

*cough* here's my kitchen.... moving on!

Sausage balls roasting in my mini cast-iron skillet!

Yummy cherry tomatos...

My kitchen again....

How about a homemade loaf of bread?!  It's a delicious, easy recipee from my amazing cook of an aunt!

Mix it together and PRESTO!!!  And easy, healthy, wholesome dinner!

And how about my handy little kitchen aid?!  Fits my retro style just perfect!


Thanks for visiting, and Bon Appetite!

Taking a Stroll

Taking an evening stroll through my little neighborhood... Why don't you come enjoy some spring with me?

The Sunset is always brighter here.

The flowers so much sweeter

Even the moon shows off the blooms

Bright brick becomes the background!

This night looks so inviting.

Am I Going Healthy?!

What a wonderful Thursday! Yes, here in Tennessee we've hit another cold, winterish streak, but just just knowing warmer weather on its way helps me to keep the cheerfulness flowing.

Today, hubby and I have been in meetings, meetings, meetings.. And it was great! It's so thrilling to meet new people, to begin developing new relationships (me being a people person, I feel alive)!

Yesterday, however, I got in touch with my homemaker/cooking side, and went on a "snack around" food tangent. Since Jonathan always seem to be looking for food to consume, I thought I would cook some satisfying snacks that would keep him until next meal.

1st:  Banana, Nut, Wholegrain Muffins! These are healthy, and will hold you a nice little while!

Quick to put together...

Smells SSOOO good in that oven!

And Delicious cooked! These will be perfect for quick breakfasts, or before lunch snacks.

I also have (for reasons I have yet to discover), started making my own bread. I actually started as soon as I got married. We don't eat a whole lot of breads, unless it's a Bruchette lunch, or a slice to accent a dinner. So, my Aunt Wendy gave me a DELICIOUS, easy recipe for homemade bread. I thought today I would share it with you!

This is the recipe book she gave me as a wedding gift, all hand written by her, it's the best gift she could have ever gotten me! Especially since I live by this book when it comes to cooking.

Here's what you will need:

Bread Flour, Flax Seed, Salt, Canola Oil, Active Dry Yeast, Water, Sugar, and that's it!

Step 1: In a bowl mix 2 cups of warm water, with a 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Active Dry Yeast. Mix it, then cover with a towel and let it "bubble" for 10 mins.

(It will look something like this)

Step 2: Mix 5-6 cups of bread flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of Flax seed, and 1/4 Cup of Canola oil. Knead your bread for 5 minutes.

( I love kneading by hand... but I had to show off my fancy Kitchenaid, so I tried it yesterday, and sadly, it did an excellent job! It did so good, I had to fire my hands! hehe)

(Ain't it pretty folks?!)

Step 3: After Kneading, put a little oil in the bottom of your bowl and place the dough back in, cover and let it rise 1 hour.

Step 4: After 1 hour, punch the dough down and divide into two loafs, place them in the two greased loaf pans, cover and let rise 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350.

Step 5: cook!!  It takes between 30-45 minutes to cook, and PRESTO!!!  Yummy, warm bread!

Banana nut muffins, warm bread,... then I made some blueberry muffins. And my all time favorite lunch drink:

The Fruit Smoothie!!!



I freeze my strawberries and my blueberries, put them in the blender with fresh bananas, some pineapples, and pineapple juice, and THAT'S IT!!! It's absolutely delicious too!

I start my morning with my favorite Lemon Water (I cannot make myself enjoy water plain, so I have learned that lemon water is the key to keeping me properly hydrated).

And here we have a healthy feast!

Now, I never saw myself as a health food kind of a person. But last night I stayed up late researching the health benefits of certain foods. And here's what I found:

Lemon Water is:
1. Good for the stomach- it relieves many digestive problems.
2. It can help your skins appearance- It acts as an anti-aging remedy
3. It is good for your gum line, and aids in relief from bad breath
4. Helps cure throat infections
5. It paves the way for weight loss.
6. Controls high blood pressure-- due to it's potassium content. And reduces mental stress and depression.

(It is a good source of citric acid, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.)

7. It is effective is dissolving uric acid, often the cause of pain and inflammation in joints, and other poisons in the body.

WOW!!! And I drink this stuff EVERYDAY!!!  The more I research the happier I got, check out what people have to say about my fruit smoothies!

Making smoothies every morning as a part of a daily routine is perhaps the best expenditure of your time and money you can make. They give you more fiber than juice does.

Smoothies ensure you are properly hydrated at the beginning of the day.
Provide you with the full spectrum if nature's available vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants.
They give you natural fiber to ensure excellent digestion
Provide you with the scientifically proven best "brain fuel" in the form of fructose.
Empowers your immune system to protect you from illness.
They're in fact much more effective than any multivitamins!

And perhaps you already know that BLUEBERRIES:

Are packed with antioxidants, (which fights the aging of skin)
Prevent the degeneration of eyesight and macular degeneration.
Increase brain function, memory, and fights Alzheimer's Disease.
Strengthens cardiac muscles, and fights heart disease.
Increases your immunity.
They keep you fresh, active, fit, sharp, close to nature and in a good mood! They are effective anti-depressants.

The deeper color of blue, the more rich they are in anti-oxidants!

There's SO much more!  I have a list of 150 of the healthiest foods, ALL good, it's SO fascinating.

So ladies and gents.... with the results of my reseach, I believe I am more than happy to "Go Healthy!"

What do you think?




Today I am happy to link with "Between Naps on the Porch" and her lovely "Tablescape Party", and "Funky Junk Interiors"