The Beautiful Full Moon

The other night we had dinner guests over.  

While having a cocktail outside, we were all mesmerized by the true beauty of nature.  

Nothing really compares to the sensation of seeing an amazing full moon at dusk or the setting of a gorgeous sun in a painted desert sky.

I just wanted to share this picture with you all.  

Fresh Fruit Trifle - A Summertime Favorite!

Bottom Layer - Up:
Strawberries
Chopped Angel Food Cake
Layer of Filling (See Recipe Below)
Clementine Sections
Blueberries
Blackberries
Layer of Cool Whip
Sliced Kiwi and Fresh Mint Leaves  

Filling Instructions:
1 Small Container of Whipped Cream Cheese
1 Container of Cool Whip (I use Lite)
2 Small Cans of Crushed Pineapple, Drained
1/2 Small Bag of Fresh Moistened Coconut

Simple Lobster Salad

Lobster Salad:  A delicate, Simple Salad for Easy Entertaining.

Combine fresh shelled lobster meat with enough light mayo to coat.  Sprinkle with White Pepper, Fresh Dill, Dried Tarragon Leaves, and Lemon Juice.

Keeping a supply of easy to prepare seafood items in the freezer makes impromptu entertaining a snap!

I usually have on hand frozen items like:  Lobster, Crab, Mussels, and Calamari.

The possibilities are endless for quick appetizers.

Examples:
Steamed Mussels in White Wine
Baked Florentine Mussells
Jalapeno- Lemon Calamari Fritters
Lobster Thermidor
Hot Crab Dip
Mini Crab Cakes

Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc

Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc is a new find for me.

I was recently introduced to it's long, crisp, citrus finish.  It blends flavors of melon, citrus, and a slight floral undertone of jasmine.

It is a wonderful complement to seafood and lighter fare.  I recently paired it with a light seafood pasta.

It blends fruit from several California regions and retails for about $11.

Hope you like it as much as I did. 

Easy Amazing Stuffed Peppers

Most recipes include a filler like rice, bread crumbs, or oatmeal.  I prefer to make mine without any filler.

1 lb. ground buffalo
(You can use ground beef or turkey)                         
1/2 c. chopped red onion  
1/2 c. chopped Vidalia onion
4 cloves chopped fresh garlic
1/3 c. loosely packed chopped fresh basil
2 Tb. dried oregano
2 Tb. dried basil
1 Tb. Italian seasoning
1 Tb. dried shallots
1 Tb. dried leeks

1 Lg. Jar of favorite marinara sauce (I like Rao's Homemade)
1 small can tomato paste
Little Olive Oil
6 Green Bell Peppers
6 slices mozzarella cheese

Cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil until tender.  Add the ground buffalo and simmer until cooked thoroughly. Add all of the herbs and spices.  Finally add the tomato paste and marinara. 

Cut off the tops of the Green Bell Peppers and clean out the inside of all membranes and seeds.  Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture and put in the oven on 350 degrees for approximately 35 minutes.

Top each pepper with a slice of Mozzarella and turn oven to broil just long enough to melt and slightly brown the cheese.

Serve with your favorite salad and enjoy!

Fresh Gazpacho

 

First - You will need to make a choice of the two options below:

Option One:
4 Cups Fresh Pico De Gallo (Recommended if you can find fresh Pico in the produce section)

-OR-

Option Two:
3 Cups (Skinned, Seeded, and Chopped Roma Tomatoes)
*If you go this route you will need to double the amounts of onion, green bell pepper, and cilantro

(Tomato Preparation for Option Two - )

• Core the Roma Tomatoes by cutting a circle around the stem end and removing it.
• Cut a criss-cross “X” on the opposite end of the core (top side) of the tomato.
• Blanch in boiling water until the skin starts to peel back a little, immediately plunge into an ice bath to hold until you've completed blanching all the tomatoes.
• Peel, remove seeds, and dice tomatoes.

AFTER choosing and implementing one of the two options above, follow the remaining recipe below:

Combine all below ingredients to the above choice:

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
1 medium banana pepper, diced
1 yellow chili pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 whole English cucumber (Long seedless kind) chopped
3 cloves fresh minced garlic
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro
1/3 cup fresh chopped basil

• Coat the above mixed ingredients with olive oil (like dressing a salad - about 1/3 cup)
• Add about 1/2 cup red wine vinegar (add more to taste- if needed)
• Season with a dash of white pepper (about 1 tsp) and fine grain sea salt (about 2 tsp)
• Add a few shakes of hot sauce
• Add 4 or 5 cans (5.5 ounce) Campbell's Tomato Juice (use more or less to your liking of thick/thinness)

Refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours.
To serve:  top each bowl with a few cooked, cold medium size shrimp.

This is an amazing, refreshing soup...just perfect for the summer.

AND...it is so very healthy, lots of fresh veggies just full of antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients! 

Shrink your Stomach in Three Days!

The Wrong Way:

Don’t Eat.
Battle the Flu.
Get really drunk and the smell of food will nauseate you for days.
Do a thousand sit-ups every hour for 3 days.

The Right Way:

What to do? –A partial 3 day protein fast.
A partial fast means that you only eat one meal a day that includes lean protein and a handful of green veggies.

Drink tons of water.

Take a few supplements.  I recommend the following:

AM –
(1) Emergen-C Lite Lemon-Lime Vitamin C Pack

PM –
(2) Renew Life CleanseMORE Capsules
(2) Garden of Life Primal Defense ULTRA Capsules      

A light cleansing of the colon will reduce belly bloat almost instantly.

Sample Day:

Fluids:
Water with Fresh Lemon (Upon Rising)
Water throughout the day to flush the system (with fresh lemon and lime)
Un-sweet Tea (Black, Green, White…Hot or Cold)
Black Coffee
Chicken Broth 

 







Dinner:
4-6 ounces of Lean Protein (Think fish, shellfish, poultry, eggs…)
(No sauces, dressings, etc. – Plain with only herbs or spices and Lemon or Lime Squeeze)

1-2 cups of Green Veggies:
Choose a green veggie like:  Fresh Wilted Leafy Greens, Steamed Broccoli, Boiled Cabbage, Steamed Asparagus…


Ease back into a lean-protein diet with plenty of fresh, low-GI veggies and steer clear of bad carbs.  Opt only for good carbs like: Quinoa, Brown Rice, Legumes, and Oatmeal.

An occasional mini-fast (whether a juice fast, water fast, or other type) gives your body the chance to clean house and recoup from the tolls of a not-so-perfect diet.  Some of the loss will be water weight and some will be from cleansing the intestines…yet it will re-set your body to be a more efficient, fat-burning machine.

**Always consult with your family physician or nutritionist before embarking on any new health regimen or adding any new supplements to your program. 

Within the Quiet -by TR Hughes

To look at the world with truly open eyes
Seeing the beauty amid the torridness
That is the gift

To love in the presence of affliction
In spite
Of the waste

And because of the struggle

To love
To love thyself as well as your lover
Not
In spite of the failures
But because of the triumph

For the struggle
To overcome
Rise up
Beyond what has tarnished our skin

To love for the simplicity of seeing beyond what is evident
Into what is hidden
Beneath the façade
Under the rubbish and plight of finding oneself

In the course of the tainted day

Lemon Infusion

I made a vodka infusion a while back.  It is quite easy to do and wanted to share it with you. 

I am very fortunate to have a few citrus trees in my yard and I keep finding things to do with the fruit. 

After several pitchers of lemonade and using lemons on practically everything....I decided to make the infusion. 

It is exactly as you see it here. 

Just slice the lemons and add the vodka. 

In a few weeks you have a very lemony flavored vodka to use as you like.

Enjoy.