Have You Met Thelma Sanders?

Greetings Friends and Welcome to "Foodie Friday" @ JoyouslyLivingLife.

I am glad you stopped by!

To visit all the other wonderful lovers of food visit DesignsByGollum to see this weeks participants.

I am pleased to introduce you to Thelma Sanders. She is a beauty, yes?

She is a lovely creamy squash we grow in our garden.

An heirloom variety that is mild and sweet.

This is how I fix her for dinner.

Cut in half and scoop out the seeds.

Put on to melt a stick of butter then add to this some brown sugar.

Let it bubble a little.

Then drizzle it over Thelmas wedges.

Bake on a foil lined cookie sheet uncovered for about 40 minutes.

Devour the lovely brown and gooey squash. I served it this week with Pasta Premavera.

I wish for each of you a wonderful weekend!

~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

Garnets & Rubies In Jars

Hello Friends~ ~ ~

My thanks to Michael at Designs By Gollum for hosting this Foodie Friday. Click the link to see the list of others who have joined in the fun.

Our garden is prolific with vegetables this year and we have been busy canning. Yesterday we pickled beets for the pantry. Here they are after a good washing and scrubbing.

We cooked and sliced them and put them in jars. As I was filling my second jar I poured the boiling juice down the outside of the jar and onto my hand. Ouch! Very bad burn. This is exactly why I keep a bottle of Lavender Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil by the sink at all times. Nothing sooths and repairs a burn better. I put a few drops on my poor burned 3 middle fingers. A few minutes later I put a few more drops on. I might have done this 6 or 7 times during the day. The pain lessened quickly, within minutes. The burn did not blister but my fingers did feel thick and my the morning it was as if it never happened. Hey, I'm typing!

I must stress that you must use Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. Many of the oils you purchase at the health food stores have been cut with chemicals to stretch them so that they can sell them at lesser prices. Concerning essential oils, you really do get what you pay for. Even though the bottle will say 100% pure they can say that with as little as 5% pure oil in the bottle. Young Living Essential Oils are totally pure and of the highest quality. Please believe me when I say do not use inferior oils. I have been sharing these oils for 12 years now and have seen amazing results.

You may be thinking, I've got a medicine chest full of drugs for these occurances. I would like to share with you how to go the Natural route. Going Green in every aspect of our lives is big right now and good thing too. How about thinking about Going Green with your health care? I did 12 years ago and I haven't looked back. I have no drugs in my house, not even an aspirin. For every occurance that happens I have an essential oil that will deal with it naturally. Giving the body what it needs to repair itself. If this makes sense to you Please consider learning more about going green for your health. Visit my website ~ http://www.2feelgood.com/ ~ and see how you can begin living a more natural lifestyle.

The recipe I use for my Pickled Beets comes from the Mennonite Community Cookbook by Mary Emma Showalter. It's a cooking bible in this area of the country. Filled with many Pennsylvania Dutch recipes.

Don't they look like garnets & rubies in the jars?

So pretty!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone~ ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

Beautiful Breezy Day

Greetings Friends~ ~ ~
This morning Babaje and I went for a walk around the grounds to take a few pictures to show you.
He really dislikes being held, can you tell? Look at that face! He is happy with all 4 feet on the ground.


This is where we started at the steps to the back deck.





These pink Echinacea flowers fell over into the grass during the heavy rains we had last night.

I just love Day Lilies and we have many different types.

This golden yellow one is stunning and really lights up the shaded area.

Can you see the sparrow nest? There are 6 eggs in it.

We put out 22 bird houses this early spring and have lots of baby birds around.

There is a wren family living in this one.

This is the stream that runs through the woods by the house.

We ended our tour there.

Thanks for joining Babaje and I for a morning walk.

Make it a wonderful weekend.

~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

Berry Good Time of Year

Greetings Friends~ ~ ~

We are eating lots of these lately.

The berries are so big and sweet this year.

I love them best with lots of whipped cream!

As I was preparing the berries I had some help. Spirit the cat has a stool of his own in the kitchen because if he didn't he would be on the counter assisting. From his stool he is high enough that he can see what's going on without having his nose in the berries.

I also had to share a picture of sweet Babaje, who is the outside cat. He patrols the grounds and guards the place. He is fierce and loyal, the Best Friend.

My thanks to Designs by Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday. To see more lovely pictures and possibly some recipes please visit Miss. Michael for the links.

Make it a wonderful weekend~ ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~ ~

Celebrating The 4th.

Hello Friends~ ~ ~

We are planning to celebrate with a few friends this weekend. I set the newly painted table in the screened porch with a cloth I made from just 2 yards of fabric. It is loosly woven so I just threw it in the washer and dryer and it frayed around the edges very nicely. Very casual look. If you remember this is the table that I was given. It was in terrible shape so I gave it a coat of white paint or 3 after the coat of KILZ and here it is!

The china is Onida purchased years ago and I just love the french scripting and the olives.

We seldom drink anything but filtered water in our house so I would love to share with you my recipe to Kick It Up a bit. This recipe gives the water a wonderful taste AND you are doing something very good for your body if you use Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils in the recipe. To purchase these Essential Oils go to my website, in the margin at the right, and contact me. I would be happy to send them right out to you.

Please Use Only GLASS Bottles to mix up these flavored waters. The essential oils will dissolve petro chemicals in the plastic just like they do in your body. That's why these oils are so great for you. They assist your body to move out the petro chemicals that have accumulated in your cells and on the receptor sites. These essential oils clean up the body so that it can again come to balance and work in perfection. Sorry, but I am a teacher at heart and have been for many years. I love helping people to understand the power of these essential oils and how they can take back their health. It's absolutely wonderful to have a business that I love where I can help people too. Off my soap box. Here is the recipe I use.

Fill a 1 liter glass bottle with pure filtered water.

(I use my empty NingXia Red Energy Juice bottles because they are glass)

Leave room in the neck of the bottle to shake.

Add 6 drops of Young Living Citrus Fresh essential oil.

Shake the bottle for 1 minute to totally emulsify the oil and water.

Pour over ice and enjoy. Garnish with fresh fruit.

Here are some more recipes we like.

3 drops each of Orange Essential oil and Grapefruit Essential oil

3 drops of Lemon and 3 drops of Orange

3 drops of Tangerine and 3 drops of Lemon

1 drop of Young Living Peppermint Essential oil.

Our Peppermint oil is so pure that all you need is 1 drop.

Mix up a few different bottles and put them out for folks to drink. We love them and hope you do too.

I, along with many others, am participating in Tablescape Thursday today. Our host is the lovely Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ AND

Because I am sharing a recipe I am participating in Foodie Friday at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ hosted by the lovely & talented Michael Lee, author. You may have seen her books featured at Barnes & Noble, I did.

How is this for a 4th. of July Apron? It is red & white and it's the one I will be wearing. I sewed it from a pattern I designed and am semi pleased with the results. I will be making adjustments to the design.

Have a Happy 4th.

~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

A French Country Lunch

Happy Summer to Everyone~ ~ ~ I would like to share a tablescape and a recipe with you today. The dishes were found this weekend while flea marketing.

I had the good luck to find these sweet little dishes with a violet garland. I claimed all 4 for only $10! No way was I going to let them get away. I have been looking for a covered butter dish and this one was perfect. On the front and back are a chicken and rooster in pink.

The sugar peas and flowers are from our garden.

This is the simple recipe I used to prepare the sugar peas.

Peel and cut into large chunks a few red potatoes, cook in water till tender.

Drain and set aside.

In a large saute pan put a lump of butter (3-4 T) to melt and add your sugar peas.

Tossing constantly for 3-4 minutes over med. high till done.

Add Thyme, Chervil, Salt & Paper to taste.

Add the potato chunks to the sugar peas and toss, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.

I serve this simple with crusty bread and butter.

Many Thanks to Susan @

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

and Gollum @

http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

for hosting these wonderful events. To find the links to everyone who participated this week visit these lovely ladies at their homes above.

Enjoy the weekend~ ~ ~Ahrisha

A Helping Hand

Greetings Friends~ ~ ~

I am so glad the rain has stopped so that we can get into the garden and pick the bounty there. Right now we are picking hull peas and sugar peas. In another 2 days I will be picking string beans. The first two rows on the left are hull peas then sugar peas.

I planted 5 different types of lettuce this year plus spinach and we have been eating some wonderful salads. I planted a lettuce called "mascara" and as you can see here it is almost gone. We liked it very much. We had a week of weather in the 90's a few weeks ago so the radishes went to seed and we got nothing but seeds for next year.

Isn't it amazing how a seed can go from this~ ~ ~

~ ~to this!

I am very glad for these helping hands of my Mothers to clean all the peas. We sit outside at the picnic table and chat while we clean peas. I think it's an Amish saying that goes like this. . .Many hands make light work. Enjoy your day~ ~ ~Ahrisha

Love Love Pies

Good Morning Folks~ ~ ~

Pies are one of my favorite foods. How about you?

Today I am sharing one of my favorite recipes. I usually have the ingredents in the kitchen so I don't have to make a special trip to the store when the sweet tooth strikes! Unlike banana bread please use firm yellow bananas for this pie.

I also have to share with you the great find I came across last weekend at a local flea market.

See the lovely pink plates in the picture? These are only 3 of the 5 I purchased for $1.50 for all!

Can you believe it, I almost jumped up and down right there in front of her. Love a bargain.

How about you?
BANANA PECAN CREAM PIE

Crust:

1 C. Flour

1/2 C Softened Butter

1 C. finely chopped Pecans

Mix together and pat into a 10" Deep Dish Pie Plate.

Bake @350* for 25-30 minutes~ ~Cool

Filling:

1 pkg. softened cream cheese (8oz.)

1 C Confectioners suger

2 8 0z. tubs Cool Whip~ ~USE ONLY 1/2 of 1 tub now.

Mix these 3 and spread into crust.

Layer on 4 ripe bananas, Sliced.

Mix Together:

1 small pkg. instant Vanilla or Coconut pudding

1 1/3 C. Milk

Let stand for 1 minute to thicken in bowl then pour over bananas.

Be sure to cover them so they do not brown.

Pile on remaining Cool Whip.

Enjoy!

Be Sure to stop by for a visit at Gollum's House to see the links for everyone who participated in this weeks Foodie Friday.

and Thanks to Dear Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday.

http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

Have a Wonderful Fathers Day Weekend

~ ~Ahrisha~ ~