The Healer’s Healing Garden in SpainA Photo of a Garden Reminiscent of the Healing Garden in Spain
I just saw a beautiful garden photo on Facebook and it reminded me of friends of my daughter in Spain who have the most Beautiful Garden! The husband used to be a brick mason and now he is in the Healing Arts. He practices Craniosacral therapy and also massage techniques to help with physical and emotional health. His wife is a lovely calm woman too. She seems to be a healer in vibration. I have been to their garden several times and have enjoyed the garden immensely when Anushka was a baby and later with Mikaela, her younger sister. The husband is always gardening when he is not working. He has no outside help. He does all the work and in my opinion the garden looks like Monet’s garden outside of Paris, Giverny. One can even see a factory from the garden but when you are in this lovely garden you are entranced by its beauty and the industry in the background disappears. The wife has brought me tea and/or cafe con leches and an assortment of homemade goodies while I waited with the baby in the garden. The lady of the house is also an artist and when one is inside their beautiful eclectic home, unless you pinch yourself you might think you were in Santa Fe, New Mexico rather than northern Spain!
Being in this healing paradise for an hour or two at a time with one of my grand babies I always feel an urge to paint! If the grand baby was awake I would drink in the moment and enjoy watching the child look with wide eyes at nature around her. When one of the babies was napping I would sometimes take out colored pencils and draw what I was experiencing visually. But many times I sat with a huge smile fixed on my face drinking in the magnificence of nature directed by man.
These luscious moments of life where we are truly in the moment are treasures that we can draw on through our lives.
I am thankful for beauty where I find it; in people in experiences in tragedy in beauty and ultimately in love.
Here’s to having experiences that we look back on as ahhhh moments!
Bye for now,
Francesca
Painting that Francesca painted from thoughts of Spain www.francescafilanc.com
Fran, I’d rather just come over and have a good girl talk visit.
We talk about deep things — things that matter to us, our children, grandchildren, gardening, and spiritual things, about where we have come from, the sad times and the happy ones. How as we get older, we are each more content in our own skin. That is a gift of growing older. Not worrying so much what others think, but appreciating our own gifts, accepting the struggles and being more present in the present moment. After all, it is all any of us have. There is that saying, The past is gone, the future is yet to be and where I am is in the present.
Author arranging flowers
A friend related to me the other day about the book The Artist’s Way. I read the book years ago. This friend reminded me about how an artist should take an outing once a week by herself – An Artist’s Date With Herself. Whatever it is that turns her on. Going to an outdoor market, going antiquing, going browsing down a tree-lined street in the city. In this way we open ourselves up to the beauty in life and how we fit ourselves into it. When we age gracefully in a spiritual sense we are coming more into our own of who we really are and what gifts we give and have given to the world. Some of us are just coming into our own as we mature in years.
As Leanne and I talked I prepared leek vegetable soup, green salad from my garden and locally caught sea bass from the Del Mar Farmer’s Market bathed in lemon juice and cooked in a skillet.
Recipes
Lemon Lime-water with Sprigs of Mint
Fill two glasses with ice, add fresh slices of lime and lemon, squeeze juice of one slice of lemon and lime over the ice. Rim the glass with lemon and lime, add water. Garnish with sprigs of mint.
Vegetable Leek Soup
Slice four large fresh leeks into one-inch sections. Rinse several times in water to remove sand. Using your fingers peel back all layers of sliced leeks to remove any remaining sand. In a heavy cast-iron skillet saute four chopped cloves of garlic in 1 tablespoon Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. Add to this one large chopped onion and leeks. Cook until color is translucent. Transfer to a soup pot. Dissolve 3 tablespoons Rapunzel Vegetable Broth concentrate in hot water. Add about a quart of water or enough to cover vegetables that have just been sautéed along with the vegetable broth. Dice one to two Roma tomatoes and add to soup. Add pepper and salt to taste along with Garam Masala seasoning, Turmeric, a dash of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. (I also added mint, ¼ cup cilantro, chives, oregano and basil fresh from my garden). Simmer for half an hour to forty-five minutes. Spoon into bowls and top with a little grated Parmesan cheese and toasted sunflower seeds.
Salad
Salad
Fresh greens from the garden
Chopped mint, cilantro and basil
1-2 sliced Roma tomatoes
Dressing
in a jar add two whole cloves garlic,
1/2 cup best organic olive oil,
to that add 1/3 cup good quality fruit
vinegar or vinegar with a little jam mixed in for flavor.
(I used fig and currant vinegar.)
Salt and Pepper to taste.
For people not sensitive to garlic, chop up
two cloves garlic and add to dressing. Shake well.
Rim the salad bowl with garlic; pour about 1/4 to 2/3 cup salad dressing in bottom of bowl. To this add your greens, tomatoes, top with toasted sunflower seeds, and feta cheese. Toss just before serving.
Sea Bass
Sea Bass
Sauté in coconut oil 1-2 cloves garlic, add to this the sea bass washed in the juice of two lemons. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté with chives from the garden, leeks, one sliced tomato, and lemons. I cooked the fish with some finely chopped lemon on top. Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the fish. Sauté one side and about half way through turn it over to finish cooking. Serve on plates with Gloria’s Pico de Gallo and tomatillo salsa artfully spooned over the top of the fish and then sprinkle with fresh cilantro and sunflower seeds. (See my March 8th 2012 blog for the recipes)
We walked in the garden to collect the vegetables for the salad. We picked flowers for her birthday bouquet. It had rained yesterday morning so as we wandered through the garden and the air smelled fresh and the plants and flowers that we picked had little droplets of water caressing each leaf and petal.
We sipped lemon lime-water with sprigs of mint and feasted at the beautiful table. The food was delicious.
Here’s to having deep conversations speaking of the art of living a fulfilling life over delicious food in art filled environments.
Last weekend I had an impromptu party for some cousins who were visiting from England.
Easy steps to entertain a crowd for breakfast.
Please check out blog post March 21st, 2012. Being that I keep a clean table cloth with centerpiece ready for any occasion I just popped the pretty Trader Joes plants that I have had since St Paddy’s day in my kitchen window where they get plenty of light, back on the dining table. :)
I invited everyone a couple of days before the event.
Menu Ramos fizz Black beans with Quinoa scramble eggs with Gloria’s Pico de Gallo and Tomatillo Salsa (See blog post March 8, 2012) Bacon & locally made Irish pork sausage (I bought sausage from my local farmer’s market in Del Mar California open Sat. 1:30-4:00 pm) Bought: cinnamon coffee cake Toast made from English muffins and whole grain bread.
Locally smoked salmon from a local market.
Strong organic coffee from Jimbos
I heard from a local cousin that our mutual English cousins were visiting on their way to Costa Rica for a big jungle adventure. I asked my cousin if they would all like to come for an early breakfast. Early breakfast was a necessity because I had plans later in the day.
It worked great for them because they were going to our world famous San Diego Zoo after coming to my house.
I made out my menu the day before the event, and went to the market for the few items I needed to buy. As you know from some of my previous blogs I make black beans with quinoa, salsa and Pico de Gallo recipes every week. Easy delectable meal for company was prepared. It’s what I eat for breakfast every day.
I cooked the bacon crisp the night before and just popped it in the oven in the morning to rewarm from the refrig. I also prepared coffee in coffee maker ready to turn on first thing when I woke up the next morning. I set the table the day before the event. The sausages were already cooked. All one had to do is fry them in the pan, add a little coconut oil if need be and turn them until brown. I served the slab of locally smoked salmon cold. I cut the store bought cinnamon coffee cake and put it on a decorative plate.
As soon as I knew the party was going to happen a fun idea popped into my head. I got excited about the idea of serving the first alcoholic beverage I ever had in a restaurant. I was 19 years old and we were out to brunch in La Jolla, California and my father ordered me one. Lucky for me, I was not carded. I felt so grown up drinking the Ramos Fizz!
I made the drink on Friday night to test it out. I felt that it was not as delicious as I remembered it. Perhaps the thrill of the memory was more delicious than the actual drink? This is the recipe a la Francie. My concoction is less work for a crowd and you have lime aid on hand for the non-drinkers. For the traditional recipe, see Ramos Fizz History.
Recipe for Ramos Fizz a la Francie Combine water with frozen lime aid in blender with ice Blend until slushy to this add 2 ounces dry gin (or more!) Add 1-ounce half and half Blend well in blender before serving
Henry C. Ramos created the Ramos Fizz in 1888, in his bar in New Orleans; it was originally called a “New Orleans Fizz.” Back before prohibition this drink was very popular, and because labor rates were so cheap, the Ramos brothers would hire a couple dozen “shaker boys” to whip up these drinks during fair time. The drink was so popular that it was still difficult for them to keep up with the orders. Over time a fast drink replaced the idea of a quality drink and the Ramos Gin Fizz slowly faded away.
The breakfast was so delicious and fun! It was a cold rainy night and early morning. I had a fire in the fireplace going when people arrived. After breakfast the rain stopped and we went out to see the children’s garden and vegetable garden. The weather that day frankly reminded me of Ireland or England more than Southern California.
If you try this some weekend you might find that you enjoy entertaining in the daytime as the Europeans do. There is more time to visit and really enjoy one another or play a game in the garden.
Gloria is originally from Mexico. After a knee replacement last May, I felt my speedy recovery was due in part to these two delicious condiments. I lost 14 pounds that I have, so far, successfully kept off. One of the changes in my diet is what I eat for breakfast every day. As a morning girl with type O blood, I am typically hungry when I wake up and my body craves protein. In the past I would eat a protein bar or cereal for breakfast before going to the gym. After working out I was ravenous again! I have tested my new breakfast with great success :) I stay full and satisfied all day, many times no stopping for lunch if I am wrapped up in my painting, gardening or playing the guitar. Not that I am saying that is a good idea. If I am busy painting or gardening for instance I might forget to eat lunch.
Fran’s breakfast:
Ingredients 2 egg whites cooked 1 T black beans and quinoa Generous helping of Gloria’s Pico de Gallo and Tomatillo Salsa 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (Farmer’s Market oranges) Coffee black or with half and half or tea
I love these two condiments on everything from breakfast, fish, meat, soups and stews. My dear friend Loretta posted on my Facebook page: “Hi Francie……Tomatillo is great on everything…”
The Pico de Gallo and Tomatillo salsa last nicely in the refrigerator for a week. If you want them hotter just add more jalapeños (Gloria formulated these recipes “Para esta gringa!”). Heat will vary depending on the individual chilies. They grow in my garden year round.
Gloria’s Pico de Gallo
Ingredients: 6 large tomatoes knife chopped into ½” cubes 1 onion chopped fine (it is ok to use Cuisinart for onion) remove and set aside. 1 large bunch or 2 small bunches cilantro (chop in Cuisinart 10 seconds) along with 1 or 2 jalapeños Mix all ingredients together Add salt to taste
Gloria’s Tomatillos Salsa
Gloria’s Tomatillo Salsa
Ingredients: Peel the Tomatillos Bring 18 tomatillos and 2 jalapeños to a boil and simmer for five minutes Grind in blender with a little cold water plus 1 clove garlic and ½ bunch Cilantro Add salt to taste
Have fun experimenting with putting them in or on all your food. :)
A couple of days ago I went to our organic local market, Jimbos, to stock up on vegetables for the week. In my zeal, marketing without a list, and thinking about …oops it’s February already, (what about those New Years Resolutions I kind of made; eating lots of vegetables, losing a few pounds, and getting into better shape.)
(Badly needed for lifting big canvases around the art studio.)
Vegetable Soup
I arrived home late; the vegetables had somehow multiplied in the car as I drove home.
My kitchen counter was covered! Exhausted, stuffing them in the refrigerator and thinking what in tarnation am I going to cook that will taste good and that I will enjoy eating for the next decade! I will have to invite an army over to eat or, freeze the food and will that even taste good?
My sister, Wendy Woolf, became a vegetarian a few years ago. She is an amazing cook and always knows the right spice to add here and there to make the food even delectable to “a meat and potatoes person.” Check out Eat Well on Girls Gone Child.
The End Results!
The next day I was ready to tackle the veggies…Oh my they had quadrupled in my refrig! I cooked all afternoon and I had a ton of food! I called and texted my sister several times to see if she and her husband could come to dinner. No answer, so asked two other couples who were unavailable and ended up eating the seven course meal on a TV tray while watching Antique Roadshow on KPBS.
Menu:
Vegetable soup
Black beans with quinoa
Collard greens with bragg
Steamed white rice in rice cooker
Sautéed onions with mushrooms and garlic
Baked sweet potatoes with skins on
Chile rellenos using poblano chilies
Rice pudding “Pete” style
