Ahh…Grilled Avocados So Yummy!

I love grilled avocados. I’ve been eating a lot of them lately. The smoky flavor is so rich and delicious. I view this buttery green fruit as a superfood. And is perfect for my vegetarian diet.

Avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins C,K, folate, and B6. Half an avocado has 160 calories, 15 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fat, and only 2 grams saturated fat. One globe contains more than one-third daily value of vitamin C, and more than half the day’s requirements of vitamin K.

Here’s a simple recipe that I love.

Grilled Avocado With Salsa

3 avocados, halved

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

1 lime, cut into wedges

Salt & pepper to taste

Greek yogurt & Salsa

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.

Half avocados then salt and pepper. Whisk together the lime juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Brush each avocado half with the lime juice marinade.

Place each prepared avocado half, flesh side down, over the hot grill. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until grill marks appear and the avocado is warm, but not overly mushy. Don’t flip!

Remove the avocado halves from the grill and fill the hole with salsa (I like mine to be room temp) and top with yogurt.

Squeeze a wedge of lime over the avocado halves and a little cilantro.

Enjoy!

~type you soon~

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I've Never Seen A Red Door I Didn't Love

I have no idea what it is about red doors, but I love them. They are so warm and welcoming.

Here is a picture of the first home we built. I painted the door red and loved the way it turned out.

In Feng Shui, a red front door means “welcome.”

 In early American tradition, it also meant welcome. In fact, if a home had a red front door, tired travelers who might be traveling by horse and buggy would know the home was a place where they would be welcomed to stop and spend the night or rest. I believe this is also true in England.

 Can you imagine!

Churches red doors symbolize the blood of Christ, which is our entry into salvation. They also remind us of the blood of the martyrs, the seeds of the church.

In Ireland, front doors are painted red to ward-off ghosts and evil spirits.

In Scotland a red front door means mortgage-free. Homeowners would paint their front door red to signify that they had paid off their mortgage.

~type you soon~

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~Veggie Lentil Taco “Meat”~

I love this lentil taco “meat”. It’s so flavorful and filling.

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 large bell pepper, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 ribs of celery, sliced
1-1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
dash cayenne
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp lime juice

Heat 1/4 cup water in a large skillet. Sauté onion for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. If the pan starts to dry up and the contents start sticking, add a tablespoon or two more of water. Add in the lentils, carrots, celery, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, bay leaf, and cayenne, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the mixture starts drying out, add 1/4 cup water or broth.

Remove from heat and carefully drain off any extra liquid (a little bit of liquid is fine, excessive liquid is not desirable). Remove bay leaf and stir in tomato paste and lime juice. Transfer to food processor or blender and pulse a few times, until a crumbly texture is achieved--do not puree. Serve warm.

Since it’s been so hot here, this Peach Sangria Sorbet is the perfect way to cool down.

Peach Sangria Sorbet

2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup peach schnapps
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
2 sprigs of mint
1 large peach, peeled and sliced

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove the mint sprigs. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour through a strainer into a medium bowl. Chill completely.

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instruction. Sorbet will be very soft. Spoon into a medium bowl and let firm up in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

~type you soon~

 

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~A Mysterious Finding On My Property~

A few months ago we bought 160 acres. I’ve been hiking the property, checking things out. This is what I discovered last night. Anyone know what it is? I’m hoping there are some archeologists out there who can tell me a little about it.

I believe it’s Native America simply because there is a mortar hole on top of the rock (it is rather hard to see but it is pretty deep). It is also between the oak trees—good for acorns, and is near a river—good for fishing. It does look like the ceiling is slightly black, a fire possibly?  Not too black though. I’m curious as to why someone would take all that time to carve out the rock. Was it a shelter for winter? Two adults can sit in it but it seems like a lot of effort for only a person or two. The little rock wall is interesting too. I do know there were lots of miners on the property…perhaps the rocks were from them—making a little area to take a break. Maybe the miners were the ones who carved it out. Any thoughts?

The kids and I are going to do some digging around and see what we can find. I’ll let you know.

Mortar hole (it doens't look deep in the pic but it is)

~type you soon~

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~Beat the Heat~

It has been bouncing between 106 and 108 for the last several days. I am so ready for a cool down. Right now I am, Too Hot To Handle!

Other than swimming here’s how I’ve been beating the heat!

I’ve been wearing my hair up everyday!

I am eating a ton of Mango & Peach Salsa. It’s so refreshing and light.

1 peach, chopped

1 mango, chopped

3 plum tomatoes chopped

1 chopped & seeded jalapeno pepper

1 clove of garlic minced

1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 or 3 tsp. fresh chives, chopped

3 or 4 tsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1 or 2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp. black pepper

I have been drinking so much water. I’ve been varying what I add to it. Mint, strawberries, lemons, limes and cucumber –anything to change up the flavor. I know it's good for me but I'm so tired of drinking it!

~type you soon~

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~Up All Night~

Don’t you love books that make you up stay up all night? I DO!!!!!  I didn’t go to bed until a little after 2am.  And when I work up at 6am my Kindle was beside my head urging me to pick up where I left off. I turned it on and read until 7am and then felt guilty for lying in bed so long. I haven’t done that in a very long time.  I’m talking years!

Upon waking, I fired up my computer—ready for a day of work— and to my horror it wouldn’t connect to the internet. I feared I had the virus everyone was talking about.  After 30 minutes of trying to figure out what was going on I finally called my service provider. Tech support went through a few different things and they were as stumped as I when they couldn’t get it to work. As a last resort I was told to unplug my router to “power cycle it”. This would reset everything.

When I went to unplug the router I felt like a fool. It WASN’T plugged in to begin with. I then vaguely remembered my Kindle almost dying at approximately 1am. As tech support talked me through what I was supposed to do, I had a flashback of the moment when the dull chime, the sound that lets me know my Kindle battery is about to go dead, ripped though my reading induced haze. Of course I was in the middle of a love scene, of course the heroine was a virgin, of course this was the first time she would be making love, and of course it would be an absolute tragedy if anything were to disrupt my reading during this pivotal moment.

In my panic I rolled swiftly, hanging half off the bed as I groped around in the dark feeling for the power outlet. Trying not to wake my hubby, I blindly ripped the cords from the wall freeing up a much needed socket. Using the light of my Kindle I line up the prongs and plugged in its power cord. Disaster avoided. I was quite please with myself and my reward was another hour of reading.

Feeling like a moron I tell tech support that the “power cycle” worked. I wasn’t going to tell him the truth. Could you imagine…

I am almost finished with my book, 91% as you can see, and I want nothing more than to go back to bed and see how it all ends. But with my pathetic start to the day I figure the book will wait until tonight.

~type you soon~

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America's 236th birthday!

Today isn’t just about fireworks, barbeques, and red, white, & blue. It’s also about the men and women that have lost their lives fighting for our freedom & those still fighting, so that we can live in the country our forefathers established for all of us. It’s about the people responsible for creating the Declaration of Independence so that America would stand tall and strong.

Happy Birthday to a great country! I feel blessed to be an American!

Fourth of July, Childe Hassam, 1916

~type you soon~

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The Colors of Independence

Welcome July and Happy Monday, everyone! Can you believe it's almost July 4th? What are you plans for this Independence Day holiday? Just for fun here are some Red, White, and Blue inspirations.

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