my oasis

Open windows letting in fresh air and sunlight

Flowing lace curtains

Sun catchers and wind chimes

Ruffled bed sheets

Vases of fresh flowers

Teacups 

Old paperback books 

Muffled voices and laughter in the distance

Photos of loved ones

Twinkling fairy lights

Knit blankets

Vintage perfume bottles

Your favourite childhood doll(s) on a shelf

A cat purring happily

Pressed flowers between journal pages

sit in the sunlight. try to go outside and let the sun wash over your skin at least once a day. open the curtains to let the light in. let the sun whisper secrets to you.

drink water. flowers need water to thrive, and so do you. keep water by your side and sip periodically throughout the day. we are born from water, we are filled with it- water is an important part of you.

stay rooted. regard the present moment for what it is: your own.

use fertilizer. fertilizer comes in all different forms. some of us need help being fertilized, so do what helps you grow and seek the help you need. 

love the earth. the earth gives life to all of us. walk barefoot in the grass. plant flowers. recycle. reduce your footprint.

remember that rot is a part of life. without rot and decay, the soil would not be fertile and things could not grow. if you are struggling, keep growing.

love your petals. they are yours. dress yourself in what makes you happy- look the way you like to look. if you can’t garb your physical self the way you want to, decorate your inner space with things that bring you joy: music, mantras, poems, books, films, anything that you can hold in your heart.

remember you are always growing. sometimes the person you are at present isn’t the person you want to be: you may be growing crookedly, you may have lost a leaf or a petal, you may be transplanted to a place that is inhospitable. remember that all of life is a process. you are never the same tomorrow as you were yesterday. you are constantly regenerating and growing. change is a gift.

I’ve seen lavender syrup and lilac sugar trend so here’s a recipe using one of my favorite flowers/weeds, the dandelion. They grow easily, remind me of childhood innocence and hope, greens can be used in salad, and can even flavor honey with them. Recipe for vegan “dandelion honey” aka dandelion syrup. Tastes great in teas.

Dandelion Syrup

Ingredients:

Dandelion flowers (about 60)

1-1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar (or 1/4 cup honey)

1/2 lemon, juice and zest

Instructions:

Harvest dandelions! Note: You can harvest in advance of making this syrup. Put blooms in an air-tight freezer bag in the freezer until you’re ready to get started.

Snip off blossoms from the green base into a container. Then rinse the flowers and pat dry. (You can skip this step to retain more of the pollen which is good for the immune system. If you are concerned about bugs though, inspect closely or they will also be strained out later.)

Add flower heads and water to a pot. Bring to a boil, and let it boil for 30 seconds to a minute.

Then remove the pan from the heat and steep over night (or at least 8 hours).

The next morning, strain the liquid into another pot or bowl. You can strain over a cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer, squeezing out as much water as you can.

Return the strained liquid to the pot and discard the flowers. Add the sugar, lemon zest, and juice to the pot and simmer for one hour.

Let the syrup cool. Note: The syrup won’t thicken until it has cooled. Once it has cooled, taste it with a spoon. Adjust to taste with sugar and lemon juice.

That’s it!

Transfer to a sterile class jar or container and leave to cool completely. It can keep in the fridge for up to a month.

Hello there folks we’re back!! I’m so sorry this is so late but we’ve been… having a few weeks. Regardless, here it is, part two to the Bread Baking for Beginners series, as part of @homesteadchronicles​ ‘s QuaranTEAM project! (see Part One: Tips and Tricks here!). Admittedly this is probably the last for now because I’m out of yeast and can’t get more. WhoopsTM. I’ll hopefully do some desert recipes though. For now, we’ve got a super easy recipe for homemade sandwich bread! I like this recipe because it’s a little less fluffy, which might sound less good, but it’s better when you’re cutting slices for sandwiches. When it’s sliced, this bread very closely resembles the texture of the sandwich bread I normally buy, slightly close textured but still with that bread elasticity, and it’s even got the soft crust to go with it! And best of all - other than yeast and maybe flour, you’re bound to have all the ingredients at home already!

Since we are out of everything right now and stores are wiped out, I had to use a cup of whole wheat flour when making it and taking photos, so the color is a bit darker. The texture and method will be very close, so just ignore this fact, I just wanted you to be aware when yours doesn’t look quiet right. Now, this gets long since I’m including a ton of pictures, so it’s under the cut, but… enjoy! 

I know it’s hard right now with the virus, but I figured I’d put out a little recipe for a picnic (in your backyard!)

Pressed Italian Sandwiches

My Italian grandma used to make these for my pappy and I when I was little and we would go on picnics! I hope you all enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 large loaf of focaccia

1 pound of sliced chicken breast

1/2 pound of sliced salami

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (optional)

1/4 cup sliced olives

16 oz fresh mozzarella

Pesto (I know many of you or your kids may be allergic to pesto, so I’ll post at the end a nut free version of pesto my grandma used to make for me!)

Peppercini (optional)

Instructions:

Cut the loaves in half, then spread the pesto on both halves.

On the bottom half, layer chicken breast and salami

Mix sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and peppercinis in a bowl then spread over meat

Top all over with mozzarella thoroughly

Put the sandwich together, wrap tightly in plastic wrap

Place the wrapped sandwiches onto a baking sheet, place another on top, then place heavy books or weights on top to press the sandwiches, then place in the refrigerator for 12 hours

Once 12 hours have passed, take out and slice into squares, then wrap in wax paper and tie with twine

Voila!

Nut free pesto recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups of fresh basil

40 grams of grated Parmesan cheese

40 ml of olive oil

Pinch of salt

3 cloves of garlic

Squeeze of lemon juice

Instructions

Tear or cut up the basil into small shreds

Put the peeled garlic cloves in a pestle and mortar with salt and S M A S H until you have a paste

Add the basil leaves in batches, crushing until all the leaves are combined in the paste

Add the grated cheese and mix

Now pour over a little olive oil

Continue adding until you have a sauce-y texture you like

Add a bit of lemon juice!

Ingredients

1 loaf of Italian bread

1/2 cup unsalted butter melted

1.5 teaspoon garlic powder (see note)

1.5 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the bread lengthwise and place both parts face up on the sheet.

Brush both pieces with melted butter. Sprinkle with garlic powder.

Cover with a piece of aluminum foil and place in the oven.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Uncover bread. Top with cheese.

Place bread back in the oven for 2 to 4 more minutes, to melt the cheese. (see note)

Remove from the oven and place on a cutting board. Let cool for few minutes.

Slice and serve.

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/3 cup melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper cups and lightly spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl mash the bananas and greek yogurt until completely smooth. Stir in the melted butter until smooth.

Add the sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, salt and flour and stir until the batter is thick and combined. Fold in the chocolate chips then scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling a little more than 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack and enjoy

Cherry season is here! We picked the first cherries of summer and I made a honey clafoutis ^w^ (or cobbler!)

Clafoutis is a classic french cake, though ours is apparently different from the “classic” clafoutis. But I like this one more 😋 my version is Gluten Free and Lactose Free!

🍯🍒Honey & Cherry Clafoutis Recipe 🍒🍯

2 eggs

120g sugar of your choice

2 or 3 tbsp of raw honey

120g of baking gluten free flour (Schar’s one is good!)

A pinch of salt

40g of melted margarine (or butter if you can)

10cl of almond milk

Cherries (around 30 or as many as you like!)

Preheat your oven at 180°C. Rub margarine on a cake dish.

Chop an onion, red yellow orange and green bell peppers, and a yellow squash. Toss in olive oil with a ton of creole seasoning and Italian seasoning (to taste; you can add more at the end) and roast at 425F for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir in a can of fire roasted tomatoes and 2-3 cloves of minced garlic and return to oven for 5 minutes.

Cook cheese ravioli in a large pot according to package directions.

Drain ravioli and return to pot and mix in the roasted vegetables and a jar of pesto and more creole seasoning if needed. When it’s salty enough it is seasoned enough.