memorial day red poppies

MEMORIAL DAY.

 Today we sit back and remember the heroes who fell in the line of duty. To those of you  anywhere on the Globe, who are remembering some one they loved, cherished and admired, we send you Love and light

Memorial Day has been a special time for remembering since 1868  when it was declared an official day of Remembrance in the United States of America.

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 Moina Michael  wrote her poem of remembrance.

''  IN FLANDERS FIELDS'

WE CHERISH TOO, THE POPPY RED,

THAT GROWS ON FIELDS WHERE VALOR LED,

IT SEEMS TO SIGNAL TO THE SKIES,

THAT BLOOD OF HEROES, NEVER DIES..

Moina Michael started a custom that people wear a red poppy on this day and it has become a symbol  of  remembering the fallen heroes throughout the world..

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 A HEADSTONE IN IRELAND CAPTURES THE FEELING FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS A SAD NOTE THIS DAY.............................

DEATH LEAVES A HEARTACHE,

NO ONE CAN HEAL,

LOVE LEAVES A MEMORY, NO ONE CAN STEAL,

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THINKING OF YOU ALL AND MAY THIS DAY BE ONE OF SHARING

LET GOOD MEMORIES FILL YOUR HEART

 MAKE TIME TO BE KIND AND CARING

LOVE AND LIGHT

RONA.

sandwiches, family eating. last minute meals

SANDWICHES TO FEED THE FAMILY................EASY, TASTY AND NOURISHING.

We all have moments that there is a mob for the early evening meal, or a crowd after a day at the pool or beach, and they are famished.

Create sandwiches that are prepared a day ahead. Knowing the week end is here, shop on Wednesday for good vegetables, cheeses, tofu and eggs. Grill some eggplants, sweet red and yellow peppers and bake some garlic  cloves and onions. Boil a dozen of eggs and some potatoes.

Sweet  red and yellow peppers. Bake these and rinse with cold water. Peel off the skins. Cut into strips. Place in a dish with vegetable salt, pepper, some of the garlic cloves and olive oil.

Egg[plant. Grill in the oven and when ready, cut in half and scoop out the eggplant. Mix in a blender with olive oil, salt and pepper. You can add garlic.

Boiled eggs. Boil the eggs and keep ready to mash. You can use mayonnaise, chopped .

parsley, a few pieces of mint, chopped onions and even some olive oil and herbs.

Potatoes can be sliced and spread a little mustard  on them for sandwich fillings.

Tofu. This can be prepared any style and kept ready in slices or grated for sandwiches.

Olives, green and black, Pickled cucumbers, sun dried tomatoes, pesto sauce, mustard and  mushrooms can be used for fillings Don't forget.hummous, techina, cottage cheese, sliced cheese and Marmite and peanut butter.

You can create a buffet. Place all the rolls , breads, pitot  crackers into little baskets , or on a large tray.

 Have butter, hummous, techina, cottage and any other spreads  in individual bowls, with a spreading knife or spoon in each. Prevents double dipping and spoilage.

Arrange all the baked foods, cut up tomatoes, cucumbers, sun dried tomatoes,  washed lettuce,parsley and herbs on another tray. Have knives and spoons to serve them.

Have small trays or plates, serviettes and jugs of cool drinks ready.

People love help yourself meals and you can relax too. Remember dessert for  last minute meals must be easy and re usable. If you have cake and cookies, great. If not, buy an assortment of all the ice creams that are in fashion. Choose all varieties that suit kids, people on milk free diets {soya}  glace ices and  wicked chocolate one for our chocolate lovers. Take a large tray and fill it with ice . Arrange the ices on this and sprinkle with petals.  What ever is not used , goes back in the freezer for next time.

End the evening off with a warm drink and a cookie ....enjoy Milo,Ovaltine or prepare a large flask of hot chocolate drink

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 Have a good week and I  hope the  end of term tests, graduations and  parties all go off  well.   Enjoy, enjoy it all

  Love and light,              Rona

smell the flowers, be real , make a good life.

 SMELL THE FLOWERS.

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Every day some one advises you to stop and smell the flowers ....have you done this  today?

Being aware is a level of consciousness, It is the inner self that is sensitive enough to understand others and be tolerant of where they are at this moment. We are all guilty of intolerance and  misunderstanding those close to us Often we share guilt for our actions and behavior in these situations. We need to have empathy, patience and kindness in our souls.

So try to think this through and be the one who can make the supreme effort to stop and smell the roses, look at them and in those moments, try to understand a little more.

I recently went to the Arboretum in Dallas. We did not have to stop and smell the flowers. Thousands of the most exquisite tulips, flowers of every description and color shared their beauty with us. The people walking around, old folks, kids, babies in prams, swinging youngsters, all enjoyed the beauty and miracle of the blooms.  Thank heavens for people who take care of beauty, who lovingly plant and plan gardens for the world to enjoy.

Take a few pots and fill them with blooms in season, with tomatoes, peppers and herbs, like mint, geranium, rosemary, parsley and fennel. You will love picking them for salads and cooking.  Little bulbs of onions grow easily and it is fun to pick some green onions for a tang in  your omelets, salad greens and cooked foods.

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I was lucky enough to visit the Desert Gardens in Phoenix, Arizona, a while ago and there the cacti, desert aloes, succulents and rock plants were a feast of beauty. We can travel through the desert and see sand, or we can look and find exquisite wonders of nature , who survive on very little water and come into bloom in spite of winds, dryness and desert conditions. The delicacy of blooms always amazes me and I also find a magic, how the spikes and thistles do their bit by protecting the little flowers.

 Nature balances beauty and takes care of it all. Look at roses. The beauty of a rose, the softness of petals...................and then the thorns that are on the stems . We are given rose petals to thrill our senses and thorns to protect them.

So with the way you live, what you do every day,  where you go, what you eat and who you spend quality time with, makes you who you are.

Always be real. Be yourself. Do not judge others. You never know what you would do in their  situations.  Be kind and remember, everyone out there is having to cope with a battle of their own and a war within, you cannot see.

Little things mean a lot,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,do lots of little things that matter. Make each day the best you can.

Love and light Rona

NON ALCOHOLIC DRINKS...........USE SANE AND SENSIBLE IDEAS FOR HEALTHY DRINKS

NON ALCOHOLIC DRINKS.......................MAKE A SANE AND SENSIBLE CHOICE............................................

I   glanced at a magazine last week and it was an entire magazine telling you what you could drink in summer. Every one is laced with vodka and jazzed up with alcohol, liquors and more vodka.

 Catch a wake up...........................if you are parents ,do not let this be the style or trend in your home. If you are a teenager, be brave enough to say I prefer non alcoholic drinks. That is cool....not to be as fool.

I believe drinking as a social trend is dangerous and totally misunderstood by young people. When an adult drinks a Scotch and takes a brandy.................he knows how and when to drink it.

Youngsters just have no education in this field, have too much money to waste and think it makes them one of the guys..................................what a waste of good body organs and not to discuss what you   show in weakness and a lack of self respect..

FUN...AND SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE.

HERE ARE SOME COOL, TASTY AND EASY TO PREPARE DRINKS FOR SUMMER.

Firstly you need a few jugs, good clean and tall glasses, straws and lots of ice cubes.

ICED TEA....a long time favorite. I make this with tea bags ,some Sunrider Stevia, the natural sweetener, lemon and mint leaves, Serve with crushed ice.

FORTUNE DELIGHT LEMON  is a good and easy choice. Just add a bag to a few glasses of water. The taste and quality  make this  a good choice.

FRUIT PUNCH.

1 liter fruit juice and 500grms of diced fruit you like. Add l liter soda or lemonade. Mix and chill.

CRANBERRY AND PEACHES.

 Make a large jug of cranberry juice and add GRATED  peaches or pears and some lemon. Serve cold with lots of crushed ice cubes.

GRAPE JUICE.

 This is healthy and delicious. I chill it well and add ice cubes and a few fresh , seeded grapes in the glass.

LEMON JUICE, MINT AND  APPLE JUICE..    Mix one bottle of apple juice,  two tablespoons of lemon juice, and chopped mint. You can add a few chopped raisins as well, Serve in a tall glass with ice cubes that are frozen with extra mint leaves in them. Looks good..

TOMATO JUICE.

Chill the juice and add salt , pepper and a little basil. Grate two cucumbers in this with a little red onion. Chill and serve. For a soup in a cup or glass, you can blend in some Buttermilk or yogurt. Makes a cool soup. As a soup, serve with a spoon of yogurt and chopped parsley or mint.

YOGURT AND CUCUMBER.

Blend two cucumbers and three jars of yogurt. Add salt and pepper and   a few drops  of  soya sauce. Mix well..

GREEN TEA........  A SANE AND SENSIBLE RONA CHOICE.

Take two bags of Green Tea, 5 cloves, 2 small sticks of cinnamon, a few mint leaves and slices of lemon. You can use a few geranium leaves.

Add four cups of water and a few slices of oranges and sliced kumquats. I add a little honey or Stevia.

 Boil this all and let simmer for two to three minutes.  Serve hot or cool it and serve with ice. It is terrific.

Look at the blog of 17^th September 2008 for great Borscht, Beetroot drink. The blog of  8^th August 2008 has some good  COLD SOUPS.. 

ICED COFFEE,

Lastly the cool drink for summer is iced coffee. You can make it as calorific as you like.  It is good to serve with ice cream or frothy milk. Simply  use one  of those gadgets that makes it all look  whipped up and stylish  in a tall glass with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Have a SOBER and a cool summer.

 Love and light

 RONA

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.

TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE 24/7 JOBS, HOLIDAYS AND  FESTIVALS INCLUDED

DOING THE IMPOSSIBLE, THE NECESSARY,

HANDLING ANY ISSUE, UNEXPECTED GUESTS,

NEW PUPPIES, HAMSTERS AND  WHITE MICE,

COOKING WHEN YOU WOULD RATHER READ A BOOK,

MENDING WHEN YOU PREFER  A MOVIE,

 SMILING WHEN THE NEWS IS TOUGH,

 EATING AT THE STEAK HOUSE AND YOU ARE VEGETARIAN,

GOING TO A BASEBALL GAME  WITH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SCREAMING,

HIDING THE CHOCOLATE CAKE  FOR TONIGHT  AND FINDING IT HALF EATEN,

OPENING THE DOOR TO GUESTS WHO NEED A PLACE TO STAY,

CLEARING UP THE DOG'S MESS,

ELIMINATING ALL THE LEFT OVERS THEY SAID THEY WOULD EAT,

 WONDERING WHY YOUR  SON WHO IS A COMPUTER  WIZARD, CANNOT CHANGE A TOILET ROLL,

WHY YOUR KID DOES NOT KNOW WHERE A TORCH IS, OR BIN PACKETS HIDE?

  FEEL LUCKY THAT YOU ARE THE UNIQUE CREATION CALLED A MOM.

EMBRACE THE DAY AND BE HAPPY THAT AT THIS MOMENT YOU ARE SMILING AND LET THE SUN ALWAYS FILL YOUR LIFE

I WISH YOU HEALTH,

ENERGY AND PATIENCE,

UNDERSTANDING AND EMPATHY.

TOLERANCE AND A SENSE OF HUMOUR.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.

LOVE AND LIGHT .....................RONA....

SHAVUOTH...EASY DISHES AND NEW IDEAS.

SHAVUOTH.

Shavuoth is a holiday that celebrates the  harvest season. Shavuoth, being seven weeks since Passover.It

is the anniversary of the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelite people  at Mount Sinai.

We celebrate the first fruits of the season and eat fresh foods and dairy meals .

Plan your holiday with happy arrangements of flowers, leaves, fruits and  leaves. Use bright colors and make the table look like a tribute to the   land of milk and honey.

Cheeses.

Choose some  good cottage cheese, cream cheese and you can mix these to make  tasty dips and fillings for a quiche, blintzes or pancakes.

CHEESE PLATTER, CRACKERS AND BREADS.

Choose a large tray and  cover it with wax paper and fresh grape leaves or flower leaves.Place a few uncut cheeses on it, cubed cheddar cheese with a toothpick in each and some cheese balls.

I make the cheese balls with crushed nuts, a few spices and cream cheese. Grate some yellow cheese and add .Roll into balls and cover with zatar, sesame and sunflower seeds.

UNCUT CHEESES. Here you can choose  from Emek , Gilboa, Roquefort,  Rolls of Goats cheese and some Camembert and Emental. . I use cubes of Cheddar and sliced Mozzarella. Arrnage a few knives on the tray. Use Bulgari cubes, with a little zatar on it and olive oil. Feta is good on a salad. I grill Halumi, cut into strips and coat this with crushed pecan nuts. Use these on a green salad.

Place the cheese with some  washed dried fruit, figs, apricots and dates. I add a few flowers and grapes to the tray.

 Place crackers and breads nearby. You can have a techina spread in a bowl, pesto and some olive pate. People love creating their own nash plate. Olives and pickled cucumbers finish the picture.  This is a great starter for everyone.

 You can serve apple cider juice with mint leaves or some cold tomato juice. Cold grape juice , mixed with ice cubes, is great  for every one. Wines go well with this meal and a glass of cold cava with a few pomegranate pips and mint leaves make a good drink.

For  a quick quiche, simply  use crushed crackers mixed with a little olive oil and herbs.  Mix and spread into a baking pan. Place in fridge for an hour. Then fill with a mixture of eggs, cream cheese , a grated onion, apple and  a few herbs and  diced broccoli, cauliflower, zucchinis or cooked sweet potato. Bake and serve hot with a good green .

EASY CHEESE CAKE.

 I Packet of Marie Petit Beulah Biscuits.

100 grams butter.

1 packet Instant Lemon or Vanilla Pudding..

250 grams cream cheese.

250ml yogurt.

250 ml cream .

 Melt butter and crushed bixcuits. Press into a dish.

Beat the cream until it is thick and add the yogurt and cream cheese. Add the pudding. Mix and pour into the base. Refrigerate for two hours. Serve with  ice cream  or hot Nutella chocolate sauce.

I find that it is good with a  few slices of grilled mango, orange or peach and pear slices on the side. Sprinkle with icing sugar and voila , it looks great.

BAKED BANANAS..

Take 6 bananas and cut them into halves, lengthways. Arrange them in a large baking dish and sprinkle with orange juice, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle dots of butter all over and bake in a medium oven for fifteen minutes. Cover the bananas with chopped marshmallows and bake  for five minutes more..

Serve with ice cream, vanilla yogurt or a soya caramel pudding................

  DESSERT FOR EVERYONE..................

Take a large  deep dish or baking tray. Cover with foil   Fill with chunks of ice cubes ,petals and leaves of flowers. Arrange all the individual and mini ice creams on top. Use a variety of all kinds and the kids and  adults will love to choose their favourites. I arrange grapes, peaches and fruits in season between all the ices. Easy, do it last minute . Have fun.

Remember, planning and preparation ahead, makes entertaining easier.

LOVE AND LIGHT

RONA..