Monday, June 28, 2010

APPLES ...DELICIOUS AND HEALTHY WAYS TO ENJOY APPLES

APPLES . DELICIOUS AND  HEALTHY WAYS WITH APPLES.

The old saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"  is told to us at an early age. Like eat a carrot every day and you will have great eye sight.....look at the rabbits. No matter what, an apple a day is healthy and a great snack. At night it is the ideal fruit to snack on. Apples are great raw, grated, sliced, steamed, baked, made into fruit salad, apple pie, with granola and in so many dishes. Here are a few ideas for summer.

APPLE CIDER.......................... COLD WITH ICE CUBES.
 Prepare a large jug of apple cider without gas and add ice cubes, some chopped mint and a lemon slice. Chill and serve in tall glasses with a few ice cubes.

Take Apple juice and cook up on the stove in a pot with a little cinnamon, {the stick works well} a little honey and mint leaves. Add a bag of Green Tea or Lemon Fortune Delight {Sunrider} Let it come to the boil. Cool well and serve with chopped ice.

WATERMELON, GREEN GRAPES, MELON AND APPLE CIDER VINEGAR.
 Make a large fruit salad of sliced grapes{no pips} cut up watermelon, balls of melon and a  few chopped mint leaves. Add a can of apple cider juice and refrigerate. Serve cold .....delicious and cooling after a meal or as a starter.

  BAKED APPLES.    SEE THE BLOG OF    29th March 2009  the Passover  page and see the Baked Apples


STEWED APPLES.
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An all time favorite.  Take 8 Golden Delicious apples, peel and cube them  Place them in steamer with two cloves.  Steam them until soft and add a little honey and a dash of cinnamon.. Refrigerate and serve cold with yogurt or ice cream.

FRIED APPLE RINGS.

            These are a novel way to serve a desert with a ball of ice cream or custard. For parave , serve with Caramel Soya pudding or soya ice cream.

Core six apples, the Golden Delicious type. Slice carefully into rings and place in a dish with one tablespoon  brown sugar and two teaspoons of brandy. Cover and leave overnight.  Make a mixture of flour and apple juice and coat the apple slices with this Fry in butter and serve hot with the ice cream or custard on the side You must serve immediately, or leave in a dish in the oven.   Looks so different and your guests will love them.

APPLE SALAD, KOLRABI AND GREEN GRAPES.

 Peel and cube three Granny Smith apples,  peel and cube two Kolrabis, and  cut up one large cup of green grapes.  Remove pips and cut in half. Make a bed of lettuce and layer all these items on it. Grate  feta over it all and serve with a dressing of lemon, olive oil, crushed mint leaves and grated cucumber. . I use pomegranate pips when I have them as it is added color and taste.   Ideal summer salad..

  And lastly , when everyone is watching the Mondial, make a large platter of cut up apples and serve with nothing else.   This works wonders instead of heavy calorific snacks.

HAVE FUN............................RELAX AND MAKE SUMMER A PLEASURE .


LOVE AND LIGHT

RONA


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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

KEEP COOL AND HAVE A COOL ATTITUDE TO LIFE


 SUMMERTIME AND MAKING IT ALL COOLER

Here we are at the end of a year of learning, studies and hard work. I wish all of you Good Luck in new places, among new faces and different cultures and periods of adjustments

 Keeping cool means more than a splash of cold water, an icy drink or a dive into a pool....it is an attitude to life and the daily challenges that we face. Keep in mind the fact that all of us have to adjust our ways, be considerate of others and understand that we all handle crisis, events and life altering situations in totally different ways. Our priorities are based on who we are, what we want out of life, how much will we give unconditionally and more than anything, is how we handle our egos

What you do for your fellow man, for a tired neighbor, a grand child, a friend suffering from loss,  friends fighting illness, post operative stress, grieving for loved ones and even losing the skills that make life easier.......................................is your way of keeping your cool and being there when needed. I see old folks who stop driving and lose their sense of where they are. Tired people, who need daily plans made for them, require invites that assures them they are not forgotten.
 Make the extra cookies, a quiche, a few plants in a pot, a bunch of flowers and maybe a new cologne or hand lotion. What one person takes for granted is a thrill for some one else .I once gave a friend some lavender and geranium soaps, that were beautifully wrapped and looked as lovely as the fragrance they had. . Her face was a sight I will never forget. She thanked me by saying,  " No one has given me fragrant soaps for years........................."

 Let each day have time for reflection, to write a lovely note, to walk over to the neighbour, to pick a rose,  to meditate and realize how lucky you are. When you visit old parents, wipe their glasses for them, check if the kettle is clear, tidy the cutlery drawer and all in all make the effort to do things that they cannot do,or have forgotten how ... 

I am taking off time to spend with loving family, my children, grand children and my sister, her husband and close friends this summer. I plan to have a great summer....................cool because no situations will get me down. Pleasant because gossip in not part of my life.
I am planting a garden of positive thinking, lots of dream time to breathe and smile at the joys that make a beautiful world.

Enjoy who you are, the loved ones near you and those far away. Smile during the day. Make time to meditate and listen to music, read a book and plant flowers and herbs. Walk on the beach, in a forest, a garden and in the  circles of your mind...............do not forget to chat to the dog

Look at old letters, cards and celebrate what a good life you have had. Share an old movie, a new CD and face life with confidence and knowing that the best is yet to be.

HAPPY SUMMER ,PEACE AND A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL OF US.

LOVE AND LIGHT 

RONA  












       



 

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Friday, June 11, 2010

SUMMER FAMILY MEALS

SUMMER FAMILY MEALS.

Summer demands a lot of fresh salads, fruits, smoothies and light meals. We need to shop very carefully and make sure the refrigerator has cold water, loads of vegetables and fruits, ices , milk,yogurts, cheese and dried fruits.

Plan to enjoy the outdoors and family time. Buy three times a week and plan the meals two days at a time. You can skip making heavy quiches, casseroles and heavy pastas, lasagnas and pastry foods. Go for easy egg dishes, quick smoothies, granolas, cereals,  corn, cheeses, dried fruits and  fruits in season.

We all love breads and crackers, but check the oil and salt content. Go for simple crackers, rye and rice products that are easy to digest.  Kids love spreads for quick sandwiches. Try avocadoes with tomatoes and grated apples. Another mix is grated kohlrabi, carrots and techina paste. Humus with cucumbers and olives is a never fail..

CRANBERRY SALAD.

Soak 1/2 cup of cranberries in balsamic vinegar overnight. Sauté 1/4 cup of flaked almonds and 1/4 cup of pecans in a littler olive oil for two to three minutes. Arrange.
 a large platter of mixed leaves, lettuce, thinly cut spinach {about four cups of the greens} and   a thinly sliced red onion. Mix the nuts and cranberries in and add 3/4 cup of grated feta over the salad. Serve with warmed whole-wheat bread and a minted butter..
You can serve cottage cheese instead of feta and sprinkle sunflower seeds on top. Enjoy.

GREEK SALAD AS A LARGE FAMILY MEAL.

Boil an egg per person,    black and green olives,  sliced tomatoes, cooked green beans, thinly sliced red onions,  sliced cucumbers, red and yellow peppers sliced thinly, cut up radishes lots of washed and dried lettuce and  finely chopped parsley. I cook a potato per person and some corn as well. Well by now it is salad for family and less Greek. But this is how to serve it. Take the largest tray or plate and arrange the lettuce and greens on the platter. Then in groups, arrange the eggs, olives , sliced potatoes, corn, etc............when people and children choose, they see what they want and go for that. If you add tuna, let it be on one side. This gives everyone; vegetarians  and fussy eaters a choice. On the side have two dressings. One can be sweeter and the other simply vinaigrette. I make a dressing of techina, olive oil, lemon juice and honey.. I grate feta cheese over the lettuce as well.  Have a few French loaves, good breads and butter.........you need nothing else.........

ROASTED SALAD.

Do this a day ahead. Warm the oven medium to hot. Wash three red and three yellow peppers, three zucchinis, three sweet potatoes, two garlic cut in half{sprinkle olive oil over them} two onions, cut in half, three tomatoes, {prick the tomatoes with a toothpick} sliced egg plant.  Cut the vegetables into strips and   slices.   Sprinkle olive oil and herb salt over all. Bake.   While this is happening, prepare instant cous cous. Saute chopped parsley, a few pine nuts and  a grated carrot.


Mix this into the ready couscous. Remove the baked vegetables and  arrange them on the bed of couscous with a light grating of cashew nuts over the top. Serve hot with a jar of yogurt on the side. This can be mixed with chopped dates in it. Lovely meal, looks colorful and tastes divine.

Make a happy table. Checked cloths in red or black with bright serviettes to make a contrast. Have jugs of fresh lemon, and pomegranate juice as well.



LOVE AND LIGHT FOR A GOOD WEEK AND HAPPY FAMILIES THAT ARE ENDING TERMS OF HARD SCHEDULES AND SCHOOL WORK................. HAPPY HOLIDAYS        RONA


Tuesday, June 8, 2010

SUMMER TIME........WHAT TO DO.

SUMMER TIME......................HOLIDAYS AND WHAT SHALL WE DO?

I hear people asking each other "what are you doing in the summer?' 
Where are you going and what will you do with the kids?

Lets be real.   ATTITUDE IS ALTITUDE................you can plan and with very little effort, have a great and unforgettable summer.
 Firstly work out what alternatives you have. If your budget, or family commitments, rules out travelling abroad or far a way..................make home a pleasure. Most people have hectic times during the year. You can use summer to hang out, bond with your kids, skip chores and  set times for everything.  GO WITH THE FLOW................
 Pick up the week end papers, city guides issues, local show lists and places to visit.
 Look at the kids and their friends. What do they like doing?   Computers? Graphics? Music? Cricket? Soccer or Rugby? Tennis , swimming and martial arts?  Make a plan to have five or six kids, at each home once a week and invite a teacher to instruct them . The hostess for the day provides lunch and drinks,. It will be stimulating and inexpensive.
 If the girls like hairdressing, bead work, knitting and learning to sew, make a class for them to do it a home. I ran a teenage course to learn cosmetics, beauty and being a lovely woman. Today I know it worked. Some of the girls are lovely Mothers and beautiful women. Cooking and baking can be taught by all of you. After all you create homes and make meals daily.

Look at the nearby places of entertainment and plan some events. You can make a group that go out once a week at night and once a week for a tour during the day. They can visit factories, printers of magazines and news papers, ice cream and food plants, clothing and design centers and of course learn how to make jewellery, do repairs for cars, bicycles and even a paint course and ways to mend household breakages. All these are skills that will always be useful.

For thrills find out the price to go out on a boat, do a parachute flight, go on a mountain or desert tour and of course the Nature hikes and camping all over the country.

Invite family to spend time together. These can be tours to a new place, family travels in the country or even a train ride to another city, museum and a meal together. Going places, visiting new  areas ,finding your way in a city you have never been to,. is a form of growth and learning. Plan a great beach visit for an evening, with lamps and a real fire with a poike full for great food.

 At home you can make photo albums, create toy boxes for little kids, tidy up and do house painting, plan new corners for studies and friends.

Take time to help less fortunate people. Visit an elderly person at a retirement home and read to them, do their shopping or simply be kind. Help with babysitting and offer to walks the dog or help  an elderly neighbors with their shopping and chores..
If you have grand parents or elderly folks in the family, make an effort to really chat to them. They are worth a thousand words.........................

The idea that we trade everything for cash is ridiculous.. When we were kids we did a bob a job.....just a shilling for any chore. It was symbolic and the cash went to the scout movement. But we learned  to be kind, decent and willing to  help another human being. 

I will send a local list next week..................where to go and what to do. Please remember that holidays can be fun if you make them organized, exciting and have a level of real enthusiasm........Enjoy what you can  create to be happy.  Love and light  RONA