Saturday, April 25, 2009

 
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SALAD DRESSINGS, EASY AND QUICK

SANE AND SENSIBLE SALAD DRESSINGS …


Let us start the summer with easy dressings that you and the kids can create in five minutes. Start with basic ingredients that you constantly have in the kitchen and refrigerator.
Olive oil…cold pressed is the best.
Apple cider vinegar.
Balsamic vinegar
Fresh lemons, in preference to lemon preserved juices.
Techina, hummous, sweet red peppers, pickled cucumbers and olives are great to have as extra dressings.
Herbs….mint, basilica, parsley, oregano, dill, chives, rosemary, lemon balm and marjoram.
I keep mustard seeds, vegetable salts, peppercorns, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, black cumin seeds, coriander, curry, turmeric and bay leaves with my favorite spices.
Keep some nuts, pecans, walnuts, peanuts, pine nuts, sesame seeds ( the roasted ones are great) sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and poppy seeds.
,I sweeten with honey, molasses, brown sugar, cranberries, dates coconut and the date spreads.
Garlic, onions, green onions, chives and parsley are a must.
Keep some empty bottles handy for storage of dressings.

BASIC IDEAS.

CLASSIC DRESSING.

3 Tablespoons olive oil.
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
1 teaspoon vegetable salt.
1 crushed clove of garlic.
Ground fresh pepper.
Mix all and use for green salads, tomato sslads or with steamed vegetables.

VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
I love this with fresh salads, steamed or grilled vegetables.
I cup olive oil.
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar.
1/4 cup lemon juice.
1 teaspoon salt, dry mustard, dry onions, and a dash of paprika
2-3 chooped green olives, 2 diced pickled cucumbers, some parsley and black pepper. Mix all and keep in a bottle in the fridge.

MUSTARD AND POPPYSEED, HONEY DRESSING.
One teaspoon of poppy seeds, 2 teaspoons of Dijon or prepared mustard,
Two teaspoons o honey. Mix all with half a cup of olive oil and a teaspoon of dried parsley. And some lemon juice. Mix well and use on fresh spinach, chopped cooked potatoes, cooked rice or quinoa. Add chopped walnuts and serve.


HERB DRESSING.
This is great with a green salad or with asparagus, tomatoes and peppers.
I mix two teaspoons of parsley, a little thyme, oregano and mustard seeds. Mix with olive oil and lemon juice.

CURRY DRESSING.
I use this on hot, baked cubed potatoes, or with artichoke hearts, cooked zucchini or cooked rice.

Make a French Dressing and add 1 teaspoon of curry and one teaspoon of coconut and a few tablespoons of chooped raisins and dates. Mix well and serve with the vegetables. It is also great with boiled eggs .

You can make a few bottles of onions, garlic, peppers and olives in vinegars, oils and have them on dispay and ready to use. Enjoy the creativity.They are great to give as a gift as well.

Have a fun week and I hope the spice of life and joy of salads with the dressings will "light" up your meals.

Love and light RONA.

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Thursday, April 16, 2009

 
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HOLIDAY INVITATIONS, CREATE HAPPINESS. DONT BE ALONE

HOLIDAY SEASON. ENTERTAINING, INVITES , LONELINESS, CARING

I find it amazing that so many people do not put the full value on Holiday Seasons. We hear of how many people went abroad and found a place to be,simply not at home. I fail to understand what we want from life. We strive to buy a home, a car, to furnish the house with the best we can buy. We have pop up toasters, micros, coffee makers and every gadget designed to make life easier and more pleasant. And what do we do? We place the best dishes in the kitchen, decorate the place and eventually we decorate the fridge. with a bunch of" order in "magnets, deliveries of food concoctions and more.
Some years back I gave a talk on the Hostess……and I always find I change it annually,because the way we live changes and the priorities we think we need,are according to trend and style... We are so busy finding perfection, that we forget the value of a piece of toast and an omelets, a cup of tea with a scone, a cheese sandwich or a simple salad . You can enjoy this as much as the most lavish creation. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to set the table and buy a few foods that make for happy meals.

I love to eat out, go out and enjoy the ambience of new places, interesting faces and fun menus. But I feel that we should realize how lucky we really are. People who do not have homes, kitchens and the chance to live and eat well, would love the environments we take for granted.

Make each day special. Take pride in what you do in your home, to make it warm and full of care and love. Enjoy doing little things that spell out who you are. Find a chance to have friends for simple meals and enjoy the fact that they need just that. A happy hostess is better than a fancy meal.

Many people dread week ends and holiday seasons. They are alone, lonely and feel uncared for and unappreciated. We would all love the invitations to pour in and then we can choose the best ones. Hello? Wake up and realize that the best that happens is what you create.
Do not feel that everything is a bother, or too much to deal with. If you want the flowers to bloom, you have to prepare the soil and plant the seeds. The planning is the work and the doing just follows. Be ready to enjoy the task and it is all easier.

Rosh Hashanah, Passover, Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving or Chanukah are all work. But these holidays are memories for a life time. We always remember how and where we celebrated and shared the fun together at these magical times. You do not have to go over board to make them scintillating and great. You need effort, imagination, small gifts, easy menus and all the odd bits that make it all flow.

Sit down with the family and arrange the festivities. Who to invite, what to do, which foods to serve, what are the tasks each one will share..........
Have enough chairs and places for the guests to sit on. Plan the crockery and cutlery, glasses and serving dishes. People like to be eco friendly, so think about what you use or throw.
Do not be put off by the work. If you have the right attitude, it is fun and a joy. We are so lucky to have the facilities for sharing our homes with family and friends.
Plan carefully, work ahead and leave time to have a nap, a bath and relax, before the guests come.

Be happy with what you can do, We do not have to be perfectionists or place impossible tasks on your agenda. JUST BE YOU.. Do it all with a smile and have a great week of Festivals
Happy Easter and wonderful togetherness. LOVE AND LIGHT RONA

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

 
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Monday, April 13, 2009

SUMMER EASY EATING AND DETOX THE BODY

SUMMER EATING…SIMPLE HEALTHY MEALS.


When Easter and Passover are over, we are in the first stage of summer If you have long days, hot weather and energy sapping weather, eat and drink correctly to make life easier.

DETOX THE SYSTEM.

I like the idea of clearing the system and having a day a week of light eating.
The fasts and extreme fads of no food, concoctions and trendy ways to detox, do not suit everyone
Make it simple.
When you wake up, have a glass of water, with a squeeze of lemon in it and a dash of honey.
If you are often constipated, have a few dried fruits, soaked in boiled water overnight. Cook a pot of compote and that will be a great start to the day.
You need to eat in order for the bowels to be active.
Bran and roughage are excellent, only if you eat small amounts and drink sufficiently.
Often people are blocking themselves, instead of cleansing the body.

You need to eat slowly and masticate the foods well. Do not drink with meals, rather an hour before and one or two hours afterwards. Our habits of coffees and teas after a meal are fun, but not really good for the body

Try to eat regular meals and very little at the night meal. Snack in between. These can be an apple, a yogurt at the office, a snack bar at the movie or a bottle of water in the car.
The nosh does not have to be tea, coffee or cakes and cookies. A chocolate square can be enough and make you feel good.

Have many fresh vegetables and fruits in season. Enjoy a pot of steamed vegetables once a day. Soups can be hot or cold in summer and enjoy these with a salad and a slice of whole wheat bread. Use olive oil on the bread instead of butter.
Find the low fat cheeses and cottage cheeses for additions to the salad. These are great on rice crackers and are even fun heated. Kids who have asthma and allergies, can often feel better with rice crackers , than bread with wheat.
Do not indulge in sugary drinks , cookies and salty snacks.

Seniors need to eat less at night. A cold soup served in a bowl like yogurts with granolas and cut up fruits are great. You can blend yogurts or buttermilk with cucumbers and tomatoes, peppers and herbs like parsley, dill and basil. Add a slice of bread and cheese,and that is an easily digested meal.

When you have a protein meal, like meat, fish, cheeses and eggs, you do not need fruit afterwards. Skip the carbs with it too. A salad will work just fine.

Drink less liquor and find the pleasure of grape juice served cold. Apple juice and fruit juices are good. These are not nectars that are laced with sugars. Use fresh lemons, mint leaves and make NANA the lovely cold tea for summer. Just use a good blend of tea, mint leaves, and lemon in boiling water. Drink hot or have it cold all day. I add a little honey when I make it.

Instead of ice creams that are commercially created with unknown additives, I freeze a simple yogurt and make fruit smoothies and shakes. Fresh cold milk with a great brownie or crunchy, is a super snack.



THE SKIN AND BODY.
Winter is behind you and you need to exfoliate the skin too. Just use good soap and water to rub off the dead skin and dry flaky bits of winter on your body.
There are lots of masks and foams for this job too. You can use a gentle sponge with Dead sea salt and this will leave the skin feeling fresh.

CLOTHES.
When you buy new garments, look for labels that are eco friendly, easy to wash and made from good cottons and natural fibers. Today you can find bamboo and corn fibers too.

BED LINENS.
You are better off sleeping in cotton, and not synthetics. Some people sweat profusely and synthetics feel awful and full of odors. Towels are better if they are a good quality and washed in hot water.

SHOES AND SNEAKERS.
This is the time to unlace all shoes and let them air out in the sun. Give them all a wash and cleaning, polish and tidy up for the season. Kids need to have the sizes checked as they grow all the time. Small shoes cause problems. Also clean the school bags and lunch boxes.

HAVE A FUN START TO SUMMER. LOVE AND LIGHT RONA
 
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Sunday, April 5, 2009

 
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THE BIG PICTURE, VALUE OF A DAY

THE BIG PICTURE.

We all live a very busy life these days. Sometimes we are tired too early in the day. Others do not sleep at the end of a day. Some people look half asleep most of the day. But in fact, we are all human beings with different natures, attitudes and needs.

When you look at each day, find out what makes it good. Is it the family, your car, the work place, the end of the day, a. good friend? Perhaps a great book, the music you hear while you wind your way through traffic?

I feel my own attitude is what determines how my day will be. When I wake up and need to move into the day, it is me, who will create the blue print for the next 24 hours.

I need to take a few deep breaths and find my diary. With a pen and paper I sort out the lists. I find it easier to jot them down and leave my mind clear for lovely thoughts and time to think during the hours ahead. I sort the page into TO DO and BUY and PAY, REPAIR AND FETCH……………then the times I have appointments, where to go and phone numbers I need that day. I always make my list in columns and write large and clearly.

If the day has serious demands, I know I need to have some time for Meditation and quiet moments to ease the stresses the day could cause. A good cup of tea and a small snack, is calming and restores the body balance. Energy is restored and you can carry on.

Be positive in all you do and plan to spend time with people who are cheerful and bright. Even if we all have problems, there are ways to handle them Some people want to share a cup of coffee, and not listen to all the issues you have in your basket. Their own might be fuller and if listening could solve them all….it would be great. But in fact we need each other to be there to share and enjoy the time we can, away from insoluble problems

You are a reflection of your inner self. A weary dressing gown and slippers, never looks anything but weary. The same with a house coat or apron. It is inscribed with tiredness and exhaustion. Rather get up and get dressed, dab on a little make up and lipstick. Look how you would like to feel. Care to make an effort. The time involved in looking a mess or lovely, is a few minutes. Go for the LOVELY look.

Remember that when family comes home, the ambience, fragrance and warmth of the home, is what makes a heavy day, beautiful.

Skip the horrors of TV, put on good music. Forget about the fancy dessert, just be a smiling person that’ is lovely to be with at dinner.

Find time to speak to each child and once a week go out with hubby, to give him a chance to talk. It does not have to be a whole evening; an hour or two is magic. Show the people around you, that other people matter. They benefit from a little attention and caring time. Put your arm around the one you love and make place for dreams.

LOVE AND LIGHT FOR A WONDERFUL WEEK. RONA

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Saturday, April 4, 2009

cakes for passover, childrens cake, pesach

CAKES FOR THE PASSOVER WEEK.

TART PASTRY.

200 grams butter.
1 packet matzo meal
1 cup brown and white sugar mixed.
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon wine.

Mix all and press into a pastry dish. Place in the freezer for an hour.

Filling.
1 regular container 5% white cheese
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
1/4 cup sugar.
Mix the above ingredients and fill the pie dish. Bake in a medium oven for 20 minutes, until brown. You can serve with a chocolate grated over this or with ice cream, on the side.

QUICK AND EASY VANILLA PUDDING.

Take a packet of vanilla pudding and mix as directed. Fill the pie base.
Cut up strawberries, berries and some orange rind. Cover with whipped cream and serve…….

COCONUT BASE.

I use one cup of desiccated coconut and mix it with 150 grams of butter and a teaspoon of grated lemon or orange peel.
Place in the freezer for an hour.

Fillings. !. Cream and fresh fruits, with some granadilla pips.
2. A layer of apricot jam and cut up pears, apricot jelly and decorate with a little coconut.
3. Fruit jelly with sliced peaches in it.
4. Ice cream mixed with 2 tablespoons Halva and 1 tablespoon of chocolate spread
5. Bake with a filling of pureed apples and slices of apple, a dash of cinnamon and a few chopped almonds.

FRESH FRUIT SALAD.

Fresh fruit salad is always welcome at the end of a festive meal. Simply cut up all the fruits in season. Add half a cup of orange juice and some granadilla pips. I marinate some pine kernels in a little wine overnight. I add these and they look good and taste fabulous.

Present the fruit in a different way. I use tall long glasses. Put a strawberry in the bottom, a small meringue, then the fruit and end off with a blob of ice cream or cream. If it is Parave, you can simply fill with fruit and strawberries and a meringue on the top.


CHILDRENS CHOCOLATE MATZO SLICES.

Let the kids do this.
10 slices matzo. Soak in a shallow dish of milk, with a little vanilla added to it. Lay the matzo slices in a pie dish. Now beat two cups of cream and nutella chocolate spread.
Cover the matzo with it. Then another matzo layer, chocolate and chopped nuts or strawberries. Matzo…… and create layers until it is done.
Refrigerate and cut into slices. Decorate with chocolate nibbles. The kids love doing this.

ENJOY THE PASSOVER.

LOVE AND LIGHT

RONA