“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy” – Tagore
“When you do something for your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” – Rumi
“To get the full measure of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” – Mark Twain
One of my very favorite activities——cooking and baking—–creating good stuff for others to enjoy! Just read research information which supports keeping your hands busy. Anything that has you concentrating and creating with your hands apparently improves your thinking and attitude. Baking certainly does that for me. To see the results of time spent creating is always a moment of Joy! I have wanted to share more pictures of foods tested for the menu at the Retreat/Spa. My home oven has been out. What I am going to do is share with you some of the dishes in the works. Hope these are teasers for your palate. My base for cooking is whole foods, some plant based, organic meats, milk and eggs, and cheeses. You may have noticed I had been using the “in-home” time we have had to complete certification in a variety of nutrition courses. Learned more than I knew about what is good for my body.
I finally did something I have wanted to do for years. I bought a grain grinder (actually 3 until I found the one I liked) to grind my own flour. That led to getting the book from the world know whole grain bread baker, which led to learning how to make bread from whole grains! I have made bread most of my life and love the process and the result. I had so much to learn about whole grain baking. So, there will be varieties of bread to eat and sample just for the fun or joy of it!
There will be a breakfast menu, lunch and dinner. There will be snacks for those have a meeting and perhaps teas for those who would enjoy a late afternoon pick-me-up. There are so many possibilities! However, I will not abandon the decadent dessert! One bite can’t hurt, can it? I am getting better at including my “wants” within my daily foods without doing damage to my self-image!!! Here we go:
Fennel & Apple Salad Crostini with Artichoke
Avocado Breakfast Tacos and mint pesto
Corn, tomato and Mozzarella Salad Red Pepper Feta Frittata
Baguette slices with cashew & caper spread Sweet & Sour Pork
Chicken and dumplings Grilled Lemon chicken
Seafood & Sausage Paella Coconut Rice
Spiced Vegetable Pilaf with Cashews Custards of many flavors
Dessert Sauces with varieties of cakes Omelets
Crostini with apple slice, Brie and Thyme Individual Apple Crisp
Caraway, Currant, and Almond Scones Mushroom-Leek Quiche
Apricot-Hazelnut Flourless Cakes Strawberry Jam Flowers
Orange & Honey Custard Tartlets Apple Rose Scones
Fresh Strawberry Cake Italian Crème Cake
Double chocolate flourless cake Gingersnaps
Amazing Chockful Chocolate Chip Cookies Angel food from scratch
Upside down Pecan-Peach cake Sour Cream Pound Cake