Happiness is a Table that "Gives"

"A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness." Elsa Schiaparelli
 

 

 

 Stuffed quail with fennel, golden raisins and hazelnut wild rice mix topped with a port-cranberry sauce.

  Roasted brussels sprouts with chestnuts and smoked bacon chunks.

Happiness and cheer: Monthly's guide to the holidays

10 steps to avoiding holiday burnout

The holidays are stressful to just about everybody — and despite what it sounds like, that’s not a generalization. A Harris Interactive “holiday stress index” survey found that 90 percent of Americans feel anxiety this time of year. The funny thing is, the holidays don’t have to be stressful, and you can begin approaching the season with more excitement and less dread right now. Let us count the ways...

1. ESTABLISH GUIDELINES

Many of us add obligations — parties, gift exchanges, “signature” baked goods — to our holiday routines without realizing we’re overloading our plates. List all your holiday activities, everything from the kids’ nativity play to the neighborhood cookie party, and then cross off anything that doesn’t give you and your family true joy. Do the same with your Christmas card list, crossing off those you only hear from in December (or less). Then it again for the people you buy gifts for, and the dishes and baked goods you typically make. Drop everything you do out of obligation or because it’s “tradition.”

2. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP

If the kids ask for five types of Christmas cookies, there’s no reason they shouldn’t help you bake them. Enlist the assistance of family, friends and co-workers to lighten your load wherever you can.

3. WATCH THE HOLIDAY SNACKING

When we’re stressed, we reach for comfort food, and there’s nothing more comforting than a plate of Christmas cookies or a loaf of your neighbor’s awesome pumpkin bread. But all those extra calories can translate into a New Year’s Eve outfit that might not fit. Plus, the sugar rush and crash that follows a holiday binge can wreak havoc on your mood and metabolism. So keep the snacks (relatively) healthy and indulge in holiday treats sparingly.

4. DRINK AND BE MERRY, BUT NOT LIKE A CRAZY PERSON

Mulled wine, seasonal microbrews, champagne toasts — many view the holidays as a time to imbibe with loved ones and co-workers. And while celebrating is fine, overindulging in alcohol can quickly add to your stress — think of the extra calories, hangovers, sapped energy and halted productivity. So stay hydrated (with water) and save the toasts for truly special occasions.

5. FIND TIME TO EXERCISE, SOMEHOW

If you don’t think you have time to exercise during the busy holiday season, think outside the box. Instead of driving around to look at the lights, find a twinkling neighborhood and get out and walk. When you head to the stores, park as far away as you can from the entrance. Exercise is an awesome form of stress relief, so when you’re feeling overwhelmed, dust off that membership card and hit the gym.

6. MAKE A BUDGET AND STICK TO IT

Overspending is a huge, huge source of holiday stress, so make a budget as early as you can, before the emotions of the season overtake your better judgment. Be sure to include easily overlooked expenses, such as baking supplies and shipping costs. And once you set the holiday budget, stick to it. Own it. Don’t apologize for it. Treat it like it’s your best friend in December, and it will repay that kindness in January.

7. LOCATE YOUR JOY

The holidays can hold magic for all of us, but sometimes while we’re making our family’s holiday dreams come true we set aside our own. Don’t. Take the long way home and look at Christmas lights. Go caroling. (No, really!) Make a cup of cocoa and sit and look at the Christmas tree after the kids are in bed. Catch afavorite holiday special on TV. Do something every day, or at least every week, that brings back happy memories and helps define the holidays for you.

8. FIND TIME FOR A LONG WINTER'S NAP

Put down the half-written holiday cards and turn off the light! You need shut-eye more than you need to wrap one more gift, so do your mind, body and soul a favor and get a reasonable amount of rest each night.

9. GIVE BACK

If you find yourself suffering from woe-is-me-itis, stop thinking about your problems and focus on others. Sign up to ring the Salvation Army bell. Take a needy child’s name from an angel tree and find a great gift. Visit an assisted-living facility in town and ask to be introduced to someone who doesn’t have family nearby and might like a friend. You will be amazed how much better you feel after taking a break from your worries. (Need advice on where to volunteer your time? A list of local charities begins on page 86.)

10. BE SMARTER THAN YOUR STRESSORS

Remember those 90 percent of Americans who get stressed out during the holidays? Well, 77 percent said that holiday family gatherings were the cause of their increased anxiety. If you know your mother-in-law is going to make her annual comment about your baking abilities, and you know that comment is going to send your blood pressure through the roof, then head it off at the pass. Know your triggers and come up with a game plan for how to avoid (or at least defuse) them.



 






Article by Robyn Passante for Hilton Head Monthly

Breakfast, Eggs, and Happiness

 "All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."

- John Gunther

  

In a world where everything evolves at the speed of light a  

poached  egg with Italian  prosciutto is  just what my soul needs

 to  tackle the world. Who says achieving happiness  can be

complicated.  Sometimes life greatest happiness lies in slowing 

down, relaxing, and enjoying the journey. 

Need some inspiration for the holidays? Here's an easy yet elegant alternative menu for Thanksgiving you are going to love

"The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star." ~

Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

What is it about this holiday that gives you the warm fuzzies? For me is the smell of freshly cut sage, the sound bacon hitting a hot pan, kiddos watching the Macy’s parade, dogs sitting in the middle of the kitchen watching me cook every step, talking and laughing loudly, and reminiscing about times past.

Yes, is that time of the year. Thanksgiving, a day filled with family traditions and oh yes, food. 

Thanksgiving is always been one of my favorite holidays. There’s nothing I enjoy more than to prepare a festive meal for my family. This year it looks like is just the kids, hub and me so I decided to simplify this year’s menu and not burden myself with tons of food. I came up with a very easy yet elegant menu that will take no more than 90 minutes to cook. Here it goes:

Thanksgiving 2010 Menu

• Roasted Butternut Squash with Orange-Ginger Lobster (you can prepare the soup the day before and the sautee lobster before serving)

• Roasted Marinated Quail with Cranberry-Port sauce.

• Basmati and wild rice with porcini mushroom, white raisins, fennel, and hazelnut  Tip: Add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the chicken stock.

• Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Chestnuts and county ham

• Dates with goat cheese, chives, and prosciutto (Appetizer) (this can also be prepared a day ahead)

• Baked Apple Mac and Cheese for the kids. (Add  brie, gruyere, and your choice of cheddar cheese to roux, then incorporate seasoned diced apples)

  

• Corn Spoon Bread with sun dried tomatoes. 

• Dessert: Crunch top apple pie and homemade whipped cream (this version adds applesauce to the apple mix)

• Red velvet and cream cheese brownies (for the kids)

What do you think? In reality all you have to cook if the quail, brussels sprouts and mac and cheese on thanksgiving day. The spoon bread is super easy and it really does not take that long to cook. So as you can easy a little planning can make your Thanksgiving dinner downright heavenly. Are you up to the challange? Lets us know what you are doing. Would love to start gathering ideas for next year.

 

Update:  Don't miss the post from our 2010 Thanksgiving http://www.thebluebirdpatch.com/2010/11/happiness-is-table-that.html

Turquoise is the color of my happiness.

It seems that these days there's a trend to assign a color for everything. Pink is the color of choice for breast cancer awareness, yellow is used for suicide awareness and deployed troops,  red is for HIV,  navy blue  is for sex trafficking and slavery awareness and most recently purple is now the color of choice for anti-gay bullying.

But what is the color of happiness? Many believe it depends on where you are in the world. Others believe is yellow, the color of joy and sunshine. However, for me "turquoise" will always be the color of happiness. Besides, can you imagine a world without this beautiful shade of color? I can't...

The colour of the turquoise makes us feel happy and cheerful, for in it the light blue of the sky and the stimulating green of the sea are combined. Indeed it is such an inimitable colour that we have coined a term specifically for it in our languages: turquoise. Anyone choosing a turquoise is sure to enjoy a piece of Heaven ... on Earth.

Turquoise recharges our spirits during times of mental stress and tiredness, alleviating feelings of loneliness. You only have to focus on the color turquoise, whether on a wall or clothing and you feel instant calm and gentle invigoration, ready to face the world again!

Beautiful guest bedroom decorated in turquoise colors

I die!! These are available at Macy's. 

Need to add them to my wish list ;)

Turquoise cruiser. Fab don't you think!

This is a great example of how you can use turquoise as a color accent. 

 Turquoise can make your home look very formal and regal, 

or can be used to create a cozy, laid back atmosphere.

Positive and Negative Traits of Turquoise

Positive keywords include communication, clarity of thought, balance and harmony, idealism, calmness, creativity, compassion, healing and self-sufficiency.

Negative keywords include boastfulness, secrecy, unreliability and reticence, fence-sitting, aloofness, deception and off-handedness.

The Color Turquoise Represents

Communication: Turquoise represents open communication from and between the heart and the spoken word. It relates to the electronic age and the world of computers, and communication on a large scale.

Emotional Control: Being the mid color between the extremes of red and violet, turquoise is the color of balance, for the emotions, thoughts and speech.

Self-Sufficiency: Turquoise has the ability to tune into its own needs and find the way to success.

Effects of the Color Turquoise

Clarity of Thought: Turquoise enhances the ability to focus and concentrate, assisting with clear thinking and decision-making, and the development of good organizational skills.

Calming: Turquoise is calming yet invigorating, restoring depleted energies.

Non-emotional: A negative effect of turquoise is that it can cause people to be too aloof and to hide their emotional reactions.

Variations of the Color Turquoise

Aqua: Closer to green than blue, aqua is refreshing and uplifting. It is creative and light-hearted, yet strong and individual.

Aquamarine: Enhancing creativity and inspiration, the color aquamarine calms and balances the mind and the emotions.

Teal: A more sophisticated version of turquoise, teal signifies trustworthiness and reliability. It promotes spiritual advancement and commitment.

2/20/2011 - Update: If you enjoyed this post then you might want to check out another similiar post "Spread a Little Happiness by Using Turquoise Accents in Your Home"

Happiness in a Vintage Cookery Book - Atlanta Cooks For Company 1968

“Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.”

Socrates 

Last week I went to a local thrift store to look at old recipe books. I needed some inspiration for my upcoming thanksgiving dinner. I usually get my ideas from cable shows like Food Network or the Cooking Channel but this time I wanted to try something that for once has never been posted on the Internet. 

Goodwill's, thrift stores, and antique stores are loaded with "orphan" books that are left behind by their owners. These "pre-Internet" era books will fade into obscurity unless someone rediscover their lost wisdom.

Book rescue is now becoming a common practice. Organizations like Book Rescue  rescue books from the landfill, and get them to teachers and children in need. I've yet to find an organization that rescue old kitchen recipe books. Maybe we can start a trend here...

Many modern foraging foodies fail to educate themselves about historical foods. We need to realized that old cookery books give a delicious insight into history including the types of  food available as well as how language has changed.

Atlanta chef Richard Blais is the exception. He is notorious for posting on twitter pictures of the books he is reading.

Photo by Richard Blais

Repertoire de la Cuisine  a basic reference to over 6,000 classic recipes. The style of Le Répertoire is highly unusual in that the recipes provided are little more than aides-mémoires and assume a great deal of background knowledge.

The book does not make any allowances for the novice cook: no quantities are given (a chef is expected to be able to estimate these for himself) and frequent use is made of terms of art which are opaque to those without the necessary background.

Several editions are in circulation, such as the Canterbury Press (Westminster, Maryland) translation of 1961, or the Barron's Educational Series edition of 1976.

So what did I find you might be asking at this point. Is the Atlanta Cooks For Company 1968 edition. This is a recipe book created by The Junior Associates of the Atlanta Music Club.  The proceeds from the sale of the book were used for charitable purposes.

Mrs. Armond Carroll directed the Atlanta Music Club's
 concert course for six difficult years in the World War I era.
Her success is attested to by the fact that great artists
 who came to the city annually were "impressed with the fact
 that local audiences" were as "discriminating in their musical
 tastes as the most artistic centers of Europe."



The Atlanta Music Club was created in 1915 by a group of ladies who realized that the music muse in Atlanta was being neglected. Besides bringing artist to Atlanta, the Music Club has encouraged many musical venues within the city.

In 1940, the Atlanta Music Club formed  the Choral Guild, and in 1945, the club founded the Atlanta Symphony which has grown to be a very important part of Atlanta's musical life. The Atlanta Music Club launched a new group in 1963, the Junior Associates of the Atlanta Music Club, to give younger members of the Atlanta Music Club an opportunity to excel in projects related to the club.

The recipes on the book are quite intriguing. I will try to post some of the recipes every week so you can try them at home.  Here's one recipe from the Brunch section to get you started. 



EGGS A LA ATLANTA

served in a Nest of Toated Croutons

COCA-COLA GRILLED CANADIAN BACON

FRESH PEACH SLICES AND BLUBERRIES

PECAN MUFFINS

WINES:

PINK CHAMPAGNE-American

LANCER'S CRACKLING ROSE-Portugese

Eggs A La Atlanta                                Yield: 4 Servings

• 4 Poached Eggs
• 2 Cups Buttered Toasted Croutons
• 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, Grated
• 1 Cup Brandied Cream Sauce

1. Poach eggs and replace in a nest of toasted croutons. Top with grated cheddar cheese and brandied cream sauce.
2. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and a sprig of parsley.

Brandied Cream Sauce                         Yield: 1 Cup

• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1/4 Cup Evaporated Milk, Heated
• 1/4 Cup of Chicken Stock, Heated
• 2 Tablespoons Brandy
• Salt

1. Melt butter and stir in flour until bubbly.
2. Gradually add heated evaporated milk and chicken broth, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.
3. Add brandy and season to taste.

Recipe by Mrs. McNeill Stokes

COCA-COLA GRILLED CANADIAN BACON

• 8 Slices Canadian Bacon
• 1/2 Cup Coca-Cola

1. Add coca-cola to Canadian Bacon in skillet and cook until done.
2. if desired, serve with coca-cola syrup developed through cooking.

Recipe by Mrs. Harry G. Halsten, Jr.

PECAN MUFFINS                                          Yield: 12 Medium Muffins

• 2 cups Flour, Sifted
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar, Granulated
• 2 Eggs, Well Beaten
• 1 Cup of Milk
• 1/4 Cup Butter, Melted
• 1/2 Cup Pecans, Chopped

1. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin tin.
2. Mix and sift dry ingredients together.
3. Mix egg and milk together. Add to dry ingredients.
4. Stir in melted butter and chopped pecans.
5. Fill muffin tins three forths full and bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Recipe by Mrs. Charles C. Ford

Ready to start cooking up happiness?. Ready, get set, let's go!!!

Atlanta Music Club http://www.atlantamusicclub.org/

Google Pushes for New Law on Orphan Books

New Report: 3 Million Orphan Books In Europe

U.S. Born Panda Spreads Happiness at Zoo Atlanta

 Photo by Atlanta Zoo

 

Lun Lun, a 13-year-old female giant panda at Zoo Atlanta, has given birth to her third cub spreading a wave of happiness all over the city.

The panda is a symbol of peace, happiness and personal growth in China. In Feng Shui, Pandas encourage a kind of Darling- Happiness chi. There is an ancient Chinese saying, 'Blow the Panda a kiss every day and you will have a day of happiness and Good Luck!'
 
A wild panda normally lives for about 20 years, while a panda that has been bred generally lives for about 30 years.

The birth is a significant achievement for global efforts to save a critically endangered species, zoo officials said. Fewer than 1,600 giant pandas are estimated to remain in the wild. There are approximately 280 individuals living in zoological institutions, only 11 of which reside in the U.S.

It's a boy!!!

http://www.zooatlanta.org/
http://twitter.com/zooatl
http://www.zooatlanta.org/1212/panda_cam

Family Gateway at Fort Gaines, GA

Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your

hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and 

precious it is. Maxim Gorky

 
This past Halloween weekend we opted to head to West Georgia. I won a 2-night stay at a Georgia State Park & Lodge and decided to make reservations at George T. Bagby State a 700-acre state park located in southwestern Georgia on the shore of Lake Walter F. George. The park offers a 60 room lodge, conference center, restaurant, cottages, and features the 18 hole Meadow Links Golf Course, as well as a marina and boat ramp.
 

This was our first time visiting west Georgia so we were very excited to finally being able to see what this region has to offer. They allowed us to stay at the only pet-friendly cabin at the park. From the outside the cabin looked old and dark but I was pleasantly surprised to find the interior was quite charming and cozy. Each cabin comes with two rooms with double beds, a full equipped kitchen, and a very nice porch with 2 white rocking chairs.

The sun porch was my kids favorite part of the cabin. It overlooks the lake and the view is quite spectacular.

Fort Gaines is one of the oldest surviving towns in the state of Georgia, and the only frontier fort in Georgia that has survived as an incorporated municipality.  This small rural community was founded in 1814. Its history is rich, its natural resources bountiful, its citizens friendly. Short winters and balmy summers, the acres of rich timberland that surround it, and its proximity to Lake Walter F. George have made Fort Gaines a haven for hunting and fishing for many years. It took four years for the Georgia state government to acknowledge Fort Gaines and the Tallassee Territory it presided over as part of the state's domain, calling the area "a sterile and unprofitable land."At times this seemed a fair evaluation. At others, grossly unjust. Judge for yourself. The Log House was built by the Boy Scouts in the early 1930s and was Fort Gaines’ first community library. Today, it is used  for civic events. Frontier Village is a collection of authentic frontier structures,  is a part of an ambitious project to re-create Fort Gaines as it might have looked during the town’s earliest days, using only  original buildings. There are log houses, a syrup cooker and a  cane press.  The statue  facing the river commemorates Otis Micco, a Creek leader. In 1816, by order of General Andrew Jackson, Micco and his people abandoned their village here, and fled to Spanish Florida. The statue was carved by local artist Philip Andrews from a tree section measuring three feet around and 10-to-12 feet long. Much of the work was done with a chain saw. It is illuminated at night and makes an imposing sight from GA 37 far below. View of the river from the Frontier Village Fort Gaines Walking Tour  http://www.gastateparks.org/GeorgeTBagby http://www.fortgaines.com/

Don't forget to visit Kolomoki State Park if you are visiting Fort Gaines. Ths park is 32 minutes from George T. Bagsby park and is the oldest and largest Woodland Indian site in the southeastern U.S., occupied by American Indians from 350 to 750 A.D.

http://www.gastateparks.org/KolomokiMounds

http://www.getoutdoorsgeorgia.org/parks/index.asp?parkId=34