Frijole Friday

 Ever since I became a frijolera this is the way I keep my beans. Sometimes the healing that you need comes in a jar and i almost always have some ready to go out the door if needed. Upon leaving I say "if you would like more frijoles bring the jar back ",and that's how the reciprocity works.

My husband's Abuelo used to call me frijole because it's how he pronounced Holly. Such an endearment that I miss as much as his flowery tortillas.

Frijole's Frijole - The Crockpot Method 

. Put four cups dried pinto beans into the crock pot

. Fill the Crock-Pot with water leaving an inch at the top

. Set the crock pot for high and let it do the cooking

. I add salt along the way as I stir the beans so there is no definite amount, just taste as you go along

* Sometimes more water needs to be added as you go along, keep an eye on the beans don't let them burn, they're ready when the consistency is soft and palatable enjoy!

P.S. don't forget to put them in a glass jar ! Feliz Dia de Independencia 🇲🇽

Que Pasa Calabaza

Pumpkins in December? Yes, I finally got around to taking them off of the porch and into the kitchen. In October for Halloween I purchased these table top pumpkins for $2.98 each at H.E.B. To the tune of Jazzy Christmas tunes playing in the background I cut these orange beauties in half. These pumpkins are so full of flesh and had three seeds sprouting already. I promptly put the sprouts into  soil pots to see what develops later. The rest of the seeds I coated in coconut oil, sprinkled with cinnamon and a bit of sugar to roast with the pumpkin halves.

I recently purchased a glass pie dish, in which I can make my own crust instead of buying graham cracker ones. I made an almond flour crust from WholesomeYum's recipe, and the Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe I used can be found at All Recipes.Com. We will  enjoy this dessert after {L}'s Winter Band concert tonight and before we hang up our stockings!

💕 Season's Greetings from my Holiday Kitchen to yours 💕

On The Table

Day 1 - December Reflections

I made scones for the first time today, hence the the not so uniform shape. They turned out pretty tasty though, all the kids liked them. I tweaked  Ocean Spray's Cranberry Scones recipe a bit by using left over cranberry relish  from  Thanksgiving  instead of the dried cranberries and orange zest the recipe called for. I'll be experimenting in the kitchen more as the holiday season progresses so stay tuned for food flips or flops!

Gospel Flat Farmstand

 On our way out of downtown Bolinas I almost missed my opportunity to pull over and check out Gospel Flat Farm. I pulled over as much as I could off the side of the road and took a looksy. A bunch of  aromatic just picked basil and a bouquet of papery pink flowers were my purchase. Writing down my items and total in a notebook and then depositing my balance into the box, we were good to go. This was not the only establishment that had pay on the honor system . Imagine store fronts with doors wide open and nobody in sight, you peruse the merchandise and then put your payment in the box for your items. The Honor System still exsist here and it's a really awesome feeling to know that the golden rule of your word is your honor is humbling indeed.

Jardin Sol y Luna

 Just a little photo tour of what's growing on around here. We plan on  staying home and doing our own little thing for Easter Sunday.  Saturday has the whisper of adventure near the sea, San Francisco is calling my name.........time for a little day tripping.

Have a great weekend!

From The Land of Sweets

" I thought maybe

 we could make gingerbread houses

 and eat cookie dough...." 

~ ELF ~

~ MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE ~

 From All of Us at Casa Sol Y Luna

Up The Hill We Go

It's Christmas Tree time! Taking a trip up to Apple Hill, Camino, C.A. to cut down a tree was the order of the day. and as the saying goes the best laid plans don't always go that way. Randomness ensued that day.

 If you spy the "Forest Hill Bridge" on your way to Apple Hill you then realize you were supposed to

 take interstate 50 not 80 from Sacramento. Little bit of California Gold for ya this is the tallest bridge in California. So we took the scenic route.

 Coloma had a cute historic town with an awesome camping resort filled with cabins and tepees. Past this was also the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park. and if we were not already on mission to another destination we would of got out and explored.

 What a long scenic drive but we finally made it!  High Hill Ranch  #1 was where we spent most of our day. We perused the arts and crafts booths, photo oped with props. Pony rides were near the beautiful pond were you can fish if you wish. Dogs are allowed at this ranch, but we left Chico at home. After enjoying the scenery it was time to get warmed up and have treats. 

 Woodsong Herbs intoxicating aromas invite you to take a look at all they have to offer. The lavender sachets pulled me in. I purchased a few goods here that will be at the end of the post. I'm a small business supporter today, and it feels great.

 Besides being works of art these soaps smelled so good, we took a while sniffing most of them. I got excited with these booths and am inspired to do my own homespun goods. The atmosphere and down to earth vibe has me wanting to move to Placerville.

 After pleasing our sense of smell it was time to taste! The Fudge Factory Farm # 40 was the next stop. We had hot chocolate and a treat in mind. So many choices. I love the fact that my son photobombed us.

 Fudge is the name of the game here. It was pretty busy so we had to look and move along unless we were ordering. The staff was friendly, shout out to the young man that assisted me, you rock kid! We walked out with hot coco's, chocolate milk, and this caramel apple. Next order of business was to cut down a Christmas tree as promised. And that turned into a dilemma.

 

 I spotted this bug on the walk up to the Christmas Tree farm and had to shoot it. This was just too perfect for my hippie heart. Once we walked further we realized a big Closed sign. This being Apple Hill with many tree farms I was disappointed that all but three were still open for the season. And at a start off rate of 76.00 dollars for a tree forget about it! Our day at Apple Hill ended and back down the Hill we went.

 At the end of the day we ended up getting a tree. Foodmaxx grocery store had the perfect tree sitting right in front when we pulled up. A 6-7 foot Noble Fir for $38.00 score! Our tree smells so good. Time to pull out the lights and ornaments.

Here's the gifts we purchased for our home from our trip. this adventure was a little crazy but was well worth the day spent out in nature with the family. I hope family togetherness is part of your upcoming week. The closer it gets to Christmas the more hectic it gets at Casa Sol Y Luna ( well for me that is).

A Slice Of Pumpkin Goodness

Now that Halloween has came and gone I have pumpkins that went un-carved laying around which is great fall decor and an awesome food source. Since November arrived the weather has swiftly shifted to cold and chilly. Time to use the oven again and make some soul warming food. 

First pick a medium sized pumpkin and split it. Scoop the seeds out and set them aside so you can make Sweet or Savory Seeds. I put the pumpkin on a baking sheet for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees in the oven. Let the pumpkins cool and slice off the rind. Chop pumpkin into pieces to blend in the blender. It was really thick  so I added a little milk.

This pumpkin produced 4 1/2  16 oz mason jars of puree. I plan on using this yield this week so into the fridge it went. You could also freeze it for further use. Perusing pinterest for recipes is on my to do list (wink).

 I made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread for a rainy day after school snack and coffee accompaniment. Even though I folded in the chips they still sank to the bottom, but I had no complaints. As I write this the last slice was just devoured. What soul food are you making now that the wheel has turned?

Feliz Dia de los Muertos

This beautiful cover was in a special addition of the Sacramento News & Review. A lot of celebrations around my city, but we stayed inside. This arte is on my fridge and brings about vibrancy of the life cycles each time I pass by it.

 Artist John S. Huerta

As I taste the sweetness and sip my coffee out pours honor, love, and respect. The heart pulses and burns brighter as you are forever held by eternal fire.

August Break 2015 Photo A Day

Day 4 : Numbers

Day 3 : Skin

Day 2 : Air

Day 1 : Breakfast

A few photos from my escape to Santa Cruz, C.A. last week.

Corner View ~ Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time a women sat on her back porch drinking coffee and soaking up early morning sun. She peered across her vast landscape and dreamt of a garden. A garden which would bring her great serenity and nourishment. The plot seemed desolate and void of growth as if the only blooming would occur inside the daydream.

Actions speak louder than words and images the mind creates. February brought with it Spring in Northern California, no time to waste, the work needed to produce the daydream must commence.  When the hard work to create is done you must have heavy doses of patience.

What was an "Once upon a time" thought over warm coffee and early morning pondering, became the stuff my dreams are made of. I finally got my little white picket fence too! As of this morning my tomato plants have tiny green orbs and I can't wait to take that first juicy bite  ripe off the vine.

Corner View is a global collective where bloggers share their view on a pre-arranged theme. Hosted by Francesca. 

Sweet & Savory Seeds

 It's pumpkin season! My favorite part of carving Halloween pumpkins isn't carving and getting all gooey, it's the bounty  of seeds.

 The four medium size pumpkins we carved gave us about six cups of pumpkin seeds. Instead of the traditional salted roast, I wanted to try something different. So of course I went to Pinterest to see what other's cook up, and get the scoop on how to.

After looking through a billion recipes I finally stopped being picky and used these recipes.

Sweet Seed recipe  @ undressedskeleton

Savory Seed recipe @ europeancutie

The sweet seeds were hands down the kids favorite and the jar was empty pretty quick. Rosemary on the savory seeds smelled so amazing when roasted but did make for odd tasting seeds. You never know until you do! Have fun discovering fall food.

Summer Body Transformer 30 Day Challenge Intro

Summer has been in full swing with all it's blazing glory, and you know what that means right? Welcome to the season of less clothes and more exposed skin. I like to stay fit and healthy in general but it's been awhile since I've really worked out hard. In May I strained some muscles in my left shoulder and back that left me un-able to use weights for almost two months. I'm ready to get back in action and build some sexy muscles that I can flaunt at the beach and water park, seriously I have muscle tone envy of some body's I've seen.

A new 30 day challenge started yesterday called Summer Body Transformer 30 Day Challenge. The workout videos are available each day on YouTube. I've have day  2 under my belt already . I hope that by blogging my progress and some of my meal recipes I will stick with this.  Accountability is key for me to stay strong and motivated. So who is down to get fit with me? 30 days will come and go pretty fast but believe me you will definitely have something to show for it!

So here it is that "here in the now" before pic, complete with mommy stretchmarks and tubal ligation scar that looks like a second belly button. If your doing the challenge I suggest you take a before pic so you can see all your hard work and progress. Here's to gaining muscle tone and getting in healthy sexy shape.

Here's what I ate yesterday. I'm an Octo-Lavo Pescatarian Vegetarian, if that makes any sense.

. Morning coffee - 8 oz

. Water - 16 oz

. Breakfast        

                

STRAWBERRY BANANA KALE SMOOTHIE

Recipe : blend together 1 cup almond milk, 1 cup strawberries, 1 leaf kale, and 1 frozen banana

CALORIES= 259  CARBS= 58  FAT= 4  PROTEIN=4

. Slimming Ginger mango Water - 16 oz
. Snack - 1 tbsp MaraNatha Almond Butter

. Lunch - Pasta Salad 1 1/2 cups
. Water - 16 oz

. Snack - Lemonade Monster Rehab

. Dinner - Green salad with veggies , chopped "Gadein" beefless tips, and Honey Mustard dressing
. Water- 16 oz

 Some days I eat more than others . It has been 100 degree days lately so I eat light.

 If your looking for a new workout challenge are wanting to get fit I hope you give it a try. Let me know so we can do this together! Have a happy healthy rest of the week.