Friday's Photos - Beyond Gorgeous!

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Desireé Ashworth owns and designed this unbelievably gorgeous home in Provo, UT. As far as I'm concerned it's nothing short of perfection! She also has a blog - Décor de Provence - pop over and check it out.
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Once again the photographer behind these images is Ashlee Raubach (love, love, love her work). I just couldn't resist featuring her skills with a camera one more time.

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Happy Friday!! :)

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Solar Chic

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I'm over the moon or should I say "sun" for this solar lantern . The Soji Modern solar lantern ($40) turns itself on at dusk to cast a golden glow at night. It’s equipped with two high-powered amber LED lights, solar panel, AAA rechargeable battery, and stainless steel hardware. It’s 9-inches round, and available in pure white, pearl motif (white with white floral pattern) and mineral motif (white with grey floral pattern). Fabulous!!

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Time For Some Herbal Tea

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Interesting Fact- Herbal tea is not really a tea at all. It's an herbal infusion, also called a tisane but who is going to say, "Time for a cup of herbal infusion." I'll have a cup of herbal tea, thank you.

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Herbal infusion is the brewing of a medicinal herbs in water. Plants produce a wide range of chemicals in the normal course of their metabolic activities. These chemicals serve different functions for the plant. Some of these chemicals are beneficial to humans. When herbal tea is being brewed, it is these chemicals in the herbs that are released into water.

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I love the way herbal tea smells and tastes - and of course I'll take all the health benefits I can get. As long as it's organic and fair trade. ;) Below are a few of my favorite teas from Mountain Rose Herbs.

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Dream Tea
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This infusion blend is based on an ancient formula said to evoke powerful and colourful dreams. It is especially blended for the dreamer, stimulating vivid and easily recalled dreams. A light, minty yet, rich flavor. Very enjoyable after a rich or large dinner. Contains: Organic Peppermint, organic Mugwort, organic Damiana leaf, organic Chamomile flower, organic Gotu Kola leaf, organic Rosemary, organic Rose petals and a pinch of organic Stevia.

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Firefly Chai
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A warm, piquant, and delightful herbal Chai made form 100% certified organic materials. A great alternative for those who are seeking a caffeine free Chai and one with a slightly smoother flavor. An exotic beverage that is sure to tickle your taste buds while leaving a semi-sweet linger to the palate!Contains: Organic Ginger root, organic Cinnamon, organic Cloves, organic Cardamom, organic Nutmeg, organic Red Rooibos, and organic Vanilla bean.

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Peace Tea
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This is a gentle and calming nervine blend; a chance for reflection while providing an opportunity to imagine a peaceful world. Takes the stress out of life for a while. A wonderful infusion drink for meditation and quiet moments. Contains: Organic Chamomile flowers, organic Spearmint, organic Passionflower herb, organic Rose petals, organic Lavender flowers and organic Cinnamon bark.

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Now - it's time for some tea!!

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(Photos Courtesy Of Jupiter Images)

Over the Weekend - Curried Chicken Wraps

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Hope everyone had a great weekend! Our Saturday was spent shopping for my 12 year old daughter's 6th grade camp. She left this morning and will be gone for 5 days -the longest she's ever been away from us. You've never seen a girl more excited though, and I'm so happy for her!

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I did a lot of cooking and cleaning on Sunday. I'm in the process of re-organizing and re-decorating my kitchen -- just to freshen it up a bit. I also made one of my daughter favorite dishes - Curried Chicken Wraps - to take in her sack lunch to camp (see recipe below).

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Curried Chicken Wraps
(Courtesy of Ina Garten)

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Ingredients

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3 split (1 1/2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good mayonnaise
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chutney (recommended: Major Gray's)
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup medium-diced celery (2 large stalks)
1/4 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup whole roasted, salted cashews, chopped (we skip this)
6 tortillas

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Directions

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in pieces.

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For the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, wine, chutney, curry powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth.
Combine the chicken with enough dressing to moisten well. Add the celery, scallions, and raisins, and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Add the cashews to the chicken.

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Fill the center of each tortilla with the chicken mixture. Fold the 2 sides of the tortilla over the filling so that the sides overlap. Roll the tortilla from bottom to top, and cut in half diagonally.
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(Photos Copyrighted To Sabina DeShazo)

Friday's Photo's - Ashlee Raubach's Photography

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Beautiful photos by Ashlee Raubach.

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Happy Friday!!! :)

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Twist - Pass It On & Happy Earth Day!

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A Few Small/Big Changes in Honor of Earth Day

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* A sponge is a sponge, right? Not quite. Typically polyurethane sponges don't biodegrade. Twist is trying to change all that with their sponges made from natural ingredients that biodegrade in just 7 weeks! Look for them at Whole Foods and other Earth conscience stores.

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* Break the paper towel habit! They have a lifespan of approximately one use and their done. Wouldn't it be better if they could be reusable and still biodegradable? Designed to work over and over instead of once? Twist has a sponge cloth that you will love.

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Visit Earth Day 2010 to find more ways to support our planet, our home!!

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So Excited - Reverie Daydream!

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I woke up last Sunday to a wonderful email from Melissa over at "Reverie Daydream" telling me I had won her giveaway - yay! I won a beautiful boxed set of French Patisserie cards, handmade in watercolor, by Portland Oregon artist Linda Daily and they arrived today!!

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I have been following Melissa's blog for some time now - she is in my favs list. If you get a chance pop over to Reverie Daydream and check out her blog and also check out her boutique filled with work by artisans and small business people from all over the globe. Oh, and by the way she has a handmade organic cake business and is a certified yoga teacher (talk about amazing). You will love her site!!

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P.S. Thanks so much Melissa!! The cards are just lovely!! ♥

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Grain and Pesto Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

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This recipe was created with flexibility in mind, and is a great way to use up leftover ingredients. Adjust the quantity of the ingredients depending on what you have, the flavors you like, and the number you're serving. My kids love this and it's easy to whip up in a pinch.

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Grain and Pesto Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

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Ingredients

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Cooked grains (brown rice, farro, or wheat berries)
Salt and pepper
Vinegar
Halved cherry tomatoes (you can use sun dried if you prefer or something else that's seasonal)

Grated Parmesan
Basil, shredded
Pesto (recipe below)

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Directions

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Stir prepared pesto into cooked grains (brown rice, farro, or wheat berries). Season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Toss in halved cherry tomatoes, grated Parmesan, and some shredded basil.

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Pesto Recipe

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Ingredients

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1/2 clove garlic
1/4 cup nuts
2 cups herbs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cheese
Salt and pepper

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Directions

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In a food processor, finely chop 1/2 clove garlic. Add 1/4 cup nuts and grind. Add 2 cups herbs and process with 1/4 cup olive oil. Add 1/2 cup cheese (if using) and process to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

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(From Body+Soul, January/February 2010)

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Khalil Quote - Forget Not

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"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. "

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Khalil Gibran ~

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(Above Photos Courtesy of Jupiter Images)

Friday's Photos - Perfect Little Kitchen

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These pictures are courtesy of one of my fav blogs "the little things". All info on paint, decor, etc. can be found on the link to the website - if your interested.

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Enjoy and Happy Friday!!

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(Photos Courtesy of Jen Johner @ "the little things")

Fresh Herbs and How To Store Them

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One of the biggest ways to make a difference when you're cooking is to use fresh herbs instead of dried. Fresh herbs give your recipes a completely different, fresh quality. Most grocery stores carry good supplies of fresh herbs, but you need to know what to do with those herbs when you get them home. Your guests and family won't know what you're doing, but they will notice the difference in your cooking.

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Different herbs demand different storage techniques.

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Basil, Parsley, and Cilantro

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A fresh bunch of basil can be treated like a bouquet of flowers: Just trim the ends, place in a glass with an inch or so of water, and place on the counter at room temperature. (The leaves will turn black if refrigerated). The basil will remain fresh for anywhere from a few days to a week. You can also try this with similar long-stemmed herbs like parsley and cilantro.

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Chives, Thyme, and Rosemary

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Other herbs, like chives, thyme, and rosemary, require a slightly different approach. Wrap them loosely in plastic wrap and place them in the warmest part of the refrigerator; one of the compartments in the door works perfectly. Do not wrap the herbs tightly or the trapped moisture may cause them to mold prematurely; I like to add a crumpled paper towel to the bag as a safeguard. Do not rinse the herbs until just before using.

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How to Dry Fresh Herbs

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If you have more fresh herbs than you can use, dry them. Place the leaves on a plate (chopped if using basil or parsley; whole if using thyme or rosemary) and set aside in a cool, dry place for several days. Then store them in a resealable container in the refrigerator.
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When to Pitch Fresh Herbs

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Fresh herbs are no longer fit to use and should be discarded when the leaves turn dark or brittle, or the stems begin to show traces of mold.

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Back to the City - To the Greenest Museum In the World

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After having had so much fun at the De Young Museum a few weeks back, we thought we would head back to the City for a few more days of R&R during Spring Break and Easter. We booked a hotel on Fisherman's Wharf, with a heated swimming pool (which the kids loved) and headed back to Golden Gate Park, right across the way from the De Young, to The California Academy of the Sciences.

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Newly opened, in 2008, the building is itself an attraction, and with 10 years of labor and at an expense of $500 million dollars, it should be. The Academy is now the largest public Platinum-rated (the highest rating possible for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building in the world. Amazing!! It contains multiple venues, including the aquarium, the planetarium, the natural history museum and the 4-story rainforest. In addition, there's a 3D theater, a lecture hall, a Naturalist Center, two restaurants, an adjacent garden and aviary, and a living roof terrace (which reminded me of Teletubbie land).

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I fell in love with the huge open Piazza, located smack in the middle, with doors leading in any direction you needed to go. We snacked and rested in the Piazza and ate at the Academy Cafe' - a modern, kid friendly restaurant that served a variety of cuisine made fresh, with healthy, seasonal and organic ingredients.

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FYI -the cafe offers delicious and healthy foods using sustainable ingredients. From the raw organic sugar used in the baked goods, to the sustainably farmed local vegetables prepared daily, to the organic, fair trade coffee, every effort is made to support local producers and promote environmentally responsible farming. Even the packaging and utensils are compostable and/or recyclable. Once again - amazing!!

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We had a wonderful time and spent over 5 hours roaming around happily, and the next day we even managed to wake up before the Easter Bunny arrived. ;)

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More Eco Info About The Building:

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Produces 50 percent less wastewater than previously
Recycles rainwater for irrigation
Uses 60,000 photovoltaic cells
Supports a green roof with an area of 2.5 acres (1.0 ha)
Uses natural lighting in 90 percent of occupied spaces
Was constructed of over 20,000 cubic yards (15,000 m3) of recycled concrete
Construction includes 11 million pounds (5,000 t) of recycled steel
Wall insulation made from scraps of recycled denim

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(Above Photos Are Copyrighted to Sabina DeShazo)

P.S. King Tut Was Amazing!

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I thought I'd better write a quick blog on our trip to see the King Tut Exhibit. As it says in the title, it was amazing!! I wish I could have taken photos inside the exhibit but cameras were strictly forbidden - cell phones too - and they weren't messing around when it came to this topic. Attending this event really was something I've been looking forward to since I first missed it in the mid 70's, when I was just a freshman in high school. I swore that if I ever got another chance I wouldn't miss it. The subject matter of Ancient Egypt is one I am well familiar with - as are the Tut Treasures. Seeing them up close and personal in all their exquisite beauty left me beyond thrilled and the fact that we had VIP tickets wasn't such a bad thing either.

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