“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” 

A touch of cold in the Autumn night... 

The doors we open and close each 

day decide the lives we live.

Flora Whittemore

My door is wide open for the weekend!

Have a happy weekend sweet friends!

Summer Fruit Punch
2 cups diced stone fruit, (apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines)

• 2 cups apricot juice
• 2 cups sparkling wine
• 1 cup seltzer

1. Combine diced fruit, apricot juice, sparkling wine and seltzer. Divide among 4 ice-filled glasses. Non-alcoholic version: Substitute sparkling cider for the wine.

Severin Rosen, Still Life with Strawberries, (c. 1848-1870)

Summer Cold Strawberry Soup

1 1/2 c. water

3/4 c. red wine

1/2 c. sugar

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick

2 qt. strawberries, hulled and pureed, reserve a few for garnish

1 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. sour cream

Combine water, wine, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon stick in a 5-quart saucepan.  Boil, uncovered, about 17 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add strawberry puree and continue boiling, stirring frequently.  Discard cinnamon stick and cool cooked mixture.  Whip cream and stir in sour cream.  Fold into strawberry mixture.  Refrigerate several hours.  When ready to serve, garnish with reserved whole strawberries.  This recipe makes about 8 cups.

Beach Sand

by Raymond A. Foss

Maybe it is the memories

the change of pace that brings us there

the sense of vacation

maybe the smell of the place

the sights of the gulls, the dunes, the grasses

but oh it is the feel of it, 

the crunch and slide of it

the feeling of beach sand

so different from dirt, soil, loam

no, not earthy, moist, rich, 

but oh so granular and gritty

even when wet,

moveable paper spreading under toes

sliding beneath the soles

smoothing my skin

clearing my mind

unburdening me of the rest

drawing me to the tactile, the feel

of beach sand.

• Barbados Breeze
• 1/4 cup rum
• 2 tablespoons orange curacao
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup club soda
• Orange slice
• maraschino cherry

Mix rum, orange curacao, lime juice and sugar in tall glass; stir to dissolve sugar. Mix in club soda. Fill with ice. Garnish with orange slice and cherry and serve.

Because it’s summer and the memories 
are just waiting to happen.

From every mountain side let freedom ring!

Happy Independence Day!

Sweet Pea and Fresh Mint Couscous

• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous 
• 1/2 cup frozen petite green peas 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in couscous. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.
• Place peas in mesh strainer. Rinse under warm water; drain well. Add peas and mint to couscous. Toss well with a fork.

Tomato and Onion Salad

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• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar 
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 
• 4 large tomatoes, thinly sliced 
• 1 medium-size sweet onion, thinly sliced 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 
• Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Arrange tomato and onion slices in rows in a serving dish. Sprinkle with chopped basil, and drizzle evenly with marinade. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Grilled Delmonico Steaks  

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
• 3 tablespoons steak seasoning
• 3 tablespoons steak sauce (e.g. A-1)
• 4 (10 ounce) Delmonico (rib-eye) steaks

Combine the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, rosemary, steak seasoning, and steak sauce in the container of a food processor or blender. Process until well blended. 
Prick steaks on both sides with a fork, and place in a shallow container with a lid. Pour marinade over steaks, cover, and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight. 
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, or light charcoal, and wait until coals are completely white. Soaked wood chips may be added to the coals when ready for a smoky flavor, if you like. 
Remove steaks from marinade, and discard the marinade. Lightly oil the grilling surface, and place steaks on the grill. Cover, and grill steaks for about 10 minutes on each side, or to your desired degree of doneness. 

Coleslaw with Fennel

1 small firm green cabbage, 2 bulbs fennel, stalks discarded, fronds set aside, 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon anise seeds, toasted, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup plain strained Greek-style yogurt, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill pepper, to taste.

1. Remove any tough outer leaves from the cabbage. Quarter it and cut away the core. Slice the wedges thinly and transfer to a large bowl.

2. Halve the fennel bulbs lengthwise. Cut away the core. Slice the fennel thinly and add to the cabbage. Chop the fronds finely and add to the vegetables with the scallions. Toss well.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice, vinegar, anise seeds, sugar, and salt. Pour over the cabbage mixture and toss again. At this point, refrigerate the slaw, if you like, for 1 day.

4. With tongs, transfer the slaw to another bowl, leaving behind all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sour cream, and dill. Add to the cabbage and toss to combine. Add pepper, taste for seasoning, and add more salt, if you like. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Who kept the faith and fought the fight;

The glory theirs, the duty ours.

A beautiful day is waiting for you.

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.  
~Albert Schweitzer

"'The tea is coming! 

She may want a martini, but make her drink tea." 

- Alice Taylor, To School Through the Fields

Radish Dip

6 radishes, quartered

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 – 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

Mince radishes and garlic in a food processor.

Combine cream cheese and minced radishes and garlic; mix thoroughly.

Chill before serving.

Ham and Sweet Potato Salad

2 cups diced, cooked ham, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups diced, cooked sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup diced celery, cut in 1/4 inch dice
1 cup apple, cut in 1/4 inch dice
1 cup fresh orange sections
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)1 cup mayonnaise.

1. Gently combine all the ingredients, adding the sweet potatoes last to avoid smashing them.
2. Chill and serve in large lettuce leaves.
3. If you wish serve additional mayonnaise.

Let this Easter make you hope and believe in love.

Today. Now. Forever.

Spring Fruit Compote

½ cup orange juice or Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)

2 Tblsp orange marmalade

½ cup quartered dried apricots

Grated rind and sectioned fruit of 1 navel orange

1 fresh pineapple peeled, cored, cubed

4 pints fresh berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries

Combine orange juice, marmalade, apricots, orange rind and sections, and pineapple up to 24 hours in advance. Up to 1 hour before serving time, rinse berries. Slice or halve strawberries and blackberries. Leave blueberries and raspberries whole. Toss berries as gently as possible with marinated fruit. Garnish with vanilla yogurt if desired.

Sunday Spirit

She let go.
Without a thought or a word,
she let go. She let go of the fear.
She let go of the judgments. She
let go of the confluence of
opinions swarming around her
head. She let go of the committee
of indecision within her. She let
go of all the ‘right’ reasons.
Wholly and completely, without
hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice.
She didn’t read a book on how to
let go. She didn’t search the
scriptures. She just let go. She let
go of all the memories that held
her back. She let go of all the
anxiety that kept her from moving
forward. She let go of the
planning and all of the
calculations about how to
do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go. She
didn’t journal about it. She didn’t
write the projected date in her
Day-Timer. She made no public
announcement and put no ad in
the paper. She didn’t check the
weather report or read her daily
horoscope. She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she
should let go. She didn’t call her
friends to discuss the matter. She
didn’t do a five-step Spiritual
Mind Treatment. She didn’t call
the prayer line. She didn’t utter
one word. She just let go.

No one was around when it
happened. There was no
applause or congratulations. No
one thanked her or praised her.
No one noticed a thing. Like a
leaf falling from a tree, she just
let go. There was no effort. There
was no struggle. It wasn’t good
and it wasn’t bad. It was what it
was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let
it all be. A small smile came over
her face. A light breeze blew
through her. And the sun and the
moon shone forevermore.

Reverend Safire Rose