Recipe-Lentil Soup , a source of folate

Preparing carrots with my vegetable peeler

What a wonderful day, full of sunshine.

This morning I was reading in Body and Soul magazine, September issue.  I continuosly like to learn about new ways to keep one’s health and immunity level high.

How To Fight Fall Allergies:

A new study from the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology shows that” B vitamins may help keep allergic reactions in check and ease the severity of symptoms”.

Researchers found that higher levels of folate had fewer allergy symptoms and a lower risk of asthma and wheezing.

Good Sources of Folate:

Broccoli, Asparagus, oranges, kidney beans, collard greens, black-eyed peas, spinach, avocado, and lentils.

 

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Canola oil or Olive oil

3 carrots,  cleaned and diced or sliced in coin sizes

2 stalks celery, sliced or diced ( I like chunky soup so I slice.)

1  14 1/2  ounce  can diced tomatoes ( unsalted or salted depends on preference)

3/4 cups dry lentils ( soaked, rinsed and drained)

1 Quart of vegetable stock or chicken broth

4-6   cups of  water ( depends if want thick or thin soup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste

1/2 teaspoon paprika

 

Directions: 

1.  In large stockpot, saute carrots and celery for 10 minutes.

2. Add vegetable stock (I used Organic from my local grocery store (or Chicken broth) , lentils, salt and pepper.

Let mixture come to a boil, cook for 30 minutes, covered until lentils soften and vegetables are fork tender.  Then reduce to simmer and cook, simmering for additional 30 mi utes

3.  Add can of diced tomatoes,some of the water, (depends on how thick or thin you want the soup ) paprika., for second 30 minutes of cook 

4.  Sprinkle  with parsley or Parmesean cheese to garnish before serving or instead can add a liitle bit of fresh lemon juice.

Addendum December26, 2011

I have been preparing this Lentil soup for some time now.

You can add the herbs of your choice to spice up the flavor of this soup; substitute Cumin, 1 tea-spoon and curry powder 1 teaspoon and omit the Paprika.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and recipe

September is Ovarian Cancer awareness month and for the second year in a row, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are hosting the O foods contest to raise awareness of this important health issue.

  One:                                                                                                        

   Post a recipe to  your blog that starts or ends with  the letter O (e.g. oatmeal, orange, okra, olive, potato, tomato, onion) .  Include this entire text box in the post and send your post url along with a photo 100 x 100 to o foods [at]gmail [dot] com by 1159 pm Italy time on Monday, September 28th, 2009.

Two: Or if not into recipes , post this entire text box into your blog to help spread the word and send your post url to O foods [at] gmail[dot] com. ,same deadline as above.

 La Vita E Bella’s Recipe entry for O foods:

Recipe:            OLIVE FOCACCIA

Prep: 30 minutes        Rise: 1 1/2 hours

Bake:  20 minutes        Cool : 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups warm water (105 degrees to 115 defrees F. )

       1 pkg active dry yeast

        4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

        1 tsp. sugar

    4 1/4 to 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

   1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1 tsp dried oregano, crushed

2 tsp. coarse sea salt or Kosher salt

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced

1 recipe Fresh Grape Chutney ( recipe)

Directions:

 

1.  In a small bowl combine warm water, yeast, 3 Tablespoons of the olive oil, and the sugar.  Let stand about 5 minutes until bubbly.  In a large bowl combine 4 cups of the flour, the rosemary, oregano, and 1 teaspoon of the salt.   Add olives and yeast mixture to the flour mixture.  Stir until a dough forms.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough (5 to 8 minutes total).  Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once.  Cover, let rise in a warm place until double ( 1 to 1 1/2 hours ).

2.  Turn dough onto a lightly oiled  15 x 10 x 1 -inch  baking pan.  Press dough to fit pan.  Brush dough with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Sprinkle with remaining sea salt.  Cover and let rise 30 minutes. lo

3.  Meanwhile, prepare Fresh Grape Chutney.

4.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.

Remove to wire rack; cool at least 20 minutes.  Cut into squares.

Serve with Fresh Grape Chutney if desired.  Makes 24 servings.

Each Serving:

105 Calories, 3 gram  Fat, (0 g. sat. fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 197 mg sodium, 16 gram carbo, 1 gram fiber, 2 g protein, Daily Values: 6 % Iron.

Fresh Grape Chutney

Start to Finish: 10 minutes

4 cups red seedless grapes ( about 1 1/4 lb.)

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 tsp snipped fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1.  Place grapes in food processor bowl; process with 3 or 4 on-off turns until coarsely chopped; set aside. In  a large skillet melt butter; add onion and cook until  just tender.  Add rosemary and oregano .  Cook for one minute.  Add chopped grapes and vinegar;  cook 1 to 2 minutes more until heated through.  Transfer to serving bowl.  Serve using slotted spoon.  Makes 24 ( 2 tablespoon ) servings.  Each serving: 24 cal, 1 g fat  (o g sat fat), 1 mg chol, 4 mg sodium, 5 g carbo, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein.   In

 Both recipes from: Better Homes and Gardens November 2005 issue

I love the taste of Focaccia Bread and I saved a copy of this  recipe into one of my recipe folders  before I started using a computer.  There are many in my collection according to category I set-up, Dinners, Desserts, Holidays.

A word on Ovarian Cancer:

 

While on a mini vacation in the Lancaster are in August, we stayed at a B& B.  While eating breakfast, you have a chance to meet other travelers.    One woman  and her husband shared this.  She had just completed her rounds of chemotherapy for Ovarian ccancer.  Her story, whas that it was not diagnosed the first time that she went to the E.R.  S he first noticed gaining weight even though she was eating any more food than usual; she had retired as a teacher in June 2008, this  syptoms started in January 2009.  She noticed that she didn’t feel quite right and had some abd pain.  The E.R. , I recall did not find anything.  She went to her Gastro intestinal Dr., and he ordered diagnostic tests.  The G I Dr. is the one that found the cancer.  I said,” it in a way makes sense for him to find it”, because your ovaries and Female organs are in the same area as your intestines.   A word of advice that we all may have heard before.  Get a second opinion, if your syptoms do not go away and/ or you know that something is not feeeling right with your body. 

This lady said that all of the ovarian cancer cells and intestinal cells were gone after several rounds of chemotherapy.  She had lost all of her hair and was wearing a cute beige cap because she said she wasn’t comfortable with her look.  She said she appreciates each new day,even the everday

* Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.
* The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose, but include bloating, pelvic and/or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency).
* There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.
* In spite of this, patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.
* When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.

And remember, you can also always donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at our page through FirstGiving!
Please help spread the word about ovarian cancer.
Together we can make enough noise to kill this silent killer.

 

The photo below is not mine……sorry Iva of Lucullian Delight , I don’t know how to delete it under the edit section.

 

 

 

Wizard of Oz screening day on Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Countrywide, today, there will be a celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Wizard of Oz movie with screenings in select theaters in each state across the country.

The web site  for ticket ordering information : www.ncm.com/fathom   or http://wimgo.com

At the beginning of the movie, there will be a commentary by Turner Classic Movies, Robert Osborne, classic film historian.

The Movie called, “To Oz, The Making of a Classic,  will include behind the scenes footage, rare musical outakes, and interviews.

What is your favorite scene in the movie, favorite song, or favorite line by an actor?

 

My favorite line by Judy  Garland portrayed as Dorothy is ” There’s no place like home” as she clicks her Ruby red heels together, and “Toto, Wer’re not in Knsas anymore”.

 

Mine i

Ruby Tuesday

a ruby-hued NYC street corner

Hello everyone , it’s that time of the week again, Ruby Tuesday …. look through all your photos for a red theme photo to share with the rest of the world.

Today, I’ll focus on NYC.  We went there last week.  While traveling by train, and subway and on foot, I keep a keen eye out for Ruby themed  images.  My husband would look at me with a look, you’re stopping for more photos, you’ll have enough to get you through the end of this year!  He He He.  Happy with that notion.

Happy First day of Fall and the movie , Julie and Julia

Well, It’s the first day of Fall. Is everone ready to embrace the cooler weather? I prefer another week or two of warmer weather and wearing my short sleeve clothing and capris. Yesterday evening was a little chilly.

Anyone a fan of the movie Julie and Julia? We finally saw the movie last evening.
Some of my favorite scenes:

When Julia child enrolled in a French master cooking class and at home practising slicing onions fast- her husband came home to both smell and see a huge pile of sliced onions on her chopping board that he had to leave the room.
At the next cooking class, it is shown that she is the fastest slicing onions.

What funny moments can you recall?

I can also relate to the scene where she prepares the beef bourguignon , sets the timer for 2 hours, falls asleep and the dish burns in the oven; the cat smells it first. Just last week, I was roasting vegatebles in the oven, rested on the couch and I, too fell asleep. The carots were burned, but the sliced potatoes, and zuchhini were edible.

Meryl Streep did a wonderful performance as Julia Child. I recall watching Julia child’s cooking show-The French Chef with my grandmother during the summers and Meryl performed a very good likeness of Julia’s voice as I remember it. During the movie, I had great delight listening closely for the resemblance to Julia’s voice.

Watery Wednesday September 16, 2009

View of Lower Manhattan from the ferry

A view of Lady Liberty from the ferry, Grace and Pat

 

It’s September 16, and It’s my birthday.
My husband surprised me with breakfast in bed. Blueberry pancakes, delicious, fruit consisting of bananas and strawberries and a muffin with ginger tea.
Yesterday, we went to New York City to see the MET ( Metropolitan Museum of Art) and afterward walked through part of Central Park to get to 58th street (40 minutes) to get to one of Lidia’s restaurants, Felidia.
Have been on vacation all week and for Watery Wednesday, here are photos of the ferry ride to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Happy Watery Wednesday!

Ruby Tuesday

Main hall of old railroad terminal, a plethora of red

Many red decoratives in old railroad terminal

Yesterday, we took a day trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
Ellis Island is where immigrants first came between the years of 1892 and 1924, save for a later post.
This place called the CRR of N.J in Liberty State park, Jersey City, New Jersey and it it where you purchase your tickets for the ferry boat ride to both places.
I’ll save my photos of the Statue of Liberty for Watery Wednesday.
Happy Ruby Tuesday everyone!!!!! We’re off for a day in NYC!!!!

By the Boab Tree-“Sing and I will hear you…

BY THE BOAB TREE – LYRICS:

Sing and I will hear you
No matter where you are
A song to light the darkest night
And guide me from afar

And I will never be alone
Now I know you’re somewhere
You’re everywhere to me
You’re the colour in the sky
A reason to believe
And when the rain falls down
You tell a story
And I will hear you
Always near you
By the boab tree

Lay your arms around me
Like the falling rain
Let the feeling drown me
And life begins again

And I will never be afraid
Now I know you’re somewhere
You’re everywhere to me
The warming of the sun upon
The earth beneath my feet
And when the rain falls down
You tell a story
And I will hear you
Always near you
By the boab tree

Oh you are somewhere
You’re everywhere to me
You’re the colour in the sky
And you’re the earth beneath my feet
And when the rain falls down
You tell a story
And I will hear you
Always near you
By the boab tree

By The Boab Tree is a song from the end credits of the movie Australia with Nicole Kidman & Hugh Jackman from 2008. The movie is directed by Baz Luhrmann. The song is chanted by Angela Little also known as Ophelia of the Spirits.

 

Your comments are appreciated:

Welcome, and thank-you  very much for stopping by.

This is such a beautiful song.   Please take a few minutes an drop me a line and tell me what you think.

090909 and Watery Wednesday.

On the Dolphin watch boat from Captiva Island, Florida

 

Sunset from Captiva Island

Today’s Date is 09 09 09.

What does this mean in Numerology?

Ruby Tuesday

a Luscious lobster dinner here in Freeport Maine

We vacationed in Maine. On one of the days, we took a drive to Freeport, Maine to do some shopping in the L.L. Bean store. Afterwords, we came here for a lobster dinner, that we had read about in one of our travel books.

Under the blue awning is where the people are selecting their fresh lobster and placing their order. To the right of the red building, is the outdoor eating area with picnic tables. It is casual style dining. There was also Ice cream and desserts sold via a walk- up window. As we were eating, I was looking at the dark clouds in the sky, and just as we were almost finished , it started to rain, and we had to make a dash for the car.