Since we’re talking food on Facebook and I’m watching Food Network. I thought I’d share my veggies and orzo recipe. You can also make this with rice. It’s delicious and we make it like once a week. We vary the veggies depending on what’s in season and what we like!

Garden Veggies with Orzo

2 cups orzo

4 cups water

1 tsp salt

½ onion chopped and diced

1 orange pepper, chopped and diced

1 lb asparagus, diced into 1” pieces

1 tomato cleaned and diced into bite size pieces

Olive oil

Pepper, salt, garlic powder

Directions:

Make orzo according to directions on package. Mine normally as you cook 2 cups of orzo to 4 cups of water, with some salt to season the orzo. Drain. While the orzo is cooking, chop the veggies and put them in a skillet with about 3 tbsp of olive oil. Cook until all the veggies except the asparagus are soft. The asparagus will be bright green in color. Add to the orzo. Salt, pepper and about ½ tsp of garlic powder to taste. Serves 8.

Note: You can substitute rice for this dish instead of orzo if you’d like. Just follow the directions on making the rice. I will use chicken stock instead of water though to add extra flavour.

The holiday season has started. I’m actually trying to be in the holiday spirit as well. It’s not easy with everything I’m going through. But I’ve made myself a promise– 2011 is the year of little joys. This means honoring and enjoying the little things in life that make us happy and provide us smiles while hitting our emotions. I urge everyone to make this new year as the year of Little Joys. Why? Because it’s important to remember the little things in life that bring pleasure and to remember the first times in life. You know, the first time your child walked, the first time you realized you were in love, your first snow storm you can remember. Those first are things to celebrate. So the coming year is going to be the Little Joys Year– where you enjoy the little things that bring joy and emotion to your heart.

I prepare this holiday season with a heavy heart because things haven’t gone as I wanted them. But I’ve realized the past couple of days that it doesn’t mean I can’t make things better as I go. I can. I just have to believe in myself and those who love me to do so. I’ve been making some jewelry for those I love and I’ve been working hard on getting some other things finished as well. It’s not been easy trying to get things done with all the extra medication and tiredness I’ve been experiencing the past month. I’ve not said anything to those who know me, but I agree with my specialist– my lupus is active again. I should be getting my test results shortly– okay, right now, and yeah, we’re right. It means some prednisone time on top of other stuff, but I’m hoping I’ll be feeling better over the next month or so.

Right now, I’ve got my slow cooker pork veggie soup cooking. It’s fun, easy and colourful. It’s also good for you and really healthy as well. I’m debating on thickening it up once it’s done, but maybe I will. So how do you make this delicious treat?

Pork Loin and Veggie Slow Cooker Soup

1 pork loin, about 2lbs. diced if not frozen, or cut into chunks if frozen

1 box chicken stock

5 stalks of celery, deleaved, cleaned and diced into bite size pieces

10 baby carrots, diced

3 small white potatoes, diced and parboiled in boiling water for 10 minutes

1 small onion, peeled and diced

1 can diced tomatoes

2 ancient red peppers, deribbed, deseeded, and diced

1 tbsp chicken soup base

2 cups water

2 tbsp blueberry promengranate red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, diced finely

Mrs. Dash, Garlic powder, basil, Italian seasoning mix, and salt (amounts to taste)

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In slow cooker, layer all the veggies in first. Then mix thoroughly with the stock, soup base, red wine vinegar and seasonings. Add in the pork and cook on high for 4 hours. An hour before serving, add in the 2 cups of water and shred pork to bite size pieces if you’ve not done it in the beginning. Add more seasonings like salt and pepper to taste at the table.

So, today is Caribbean Day at work. Am I there? No, I’m on vacation! But I did send in some Jerk Chicken and Cooling Ranch Veggies to the party since it’s important to feed the masses. So, yes, because I enjoy sharing, I’ll share both recipes for you. More »

Yesterday was the true cross-quarter day for Lughnasadh. I spent the day mostly at work, then I came home and got some time in with my friends online. I also used the day to work some ritual spelling and managed to do a couple of tarot readings. What’s really nice, I was able to cook and spend some time walking with my dog outside, enjoying how lovely everything looks around here.

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As I sit here the day before Litha, I am contemplating the recipes that I’ll be making.  Some of them I’ll be doing as is, others I’ll be lightening up to fit into my new eating plan. What’s interesting to me is how I view Litha- a time to celebrate the light half of the year. It’s the summer solstice, the longest day of the year- where night is short. For me, it’s a celebration of astronomical significance and also a time to bring in the first harvests from springtime. Though I’ve had some harvests, these are my major things- potatoes, corn, peppers, etc. Luckily where I live has a year round growing time, but still I treasure this cycle when and where I can. More »

Today is Beltane, the day where pagans celebrate not just spring, but also the blossoming of things all throughout nature. It’s also the day of the bonfires to honour Brigid, the Celtic fire goddess. For my family, it means that we’ll have a meal that reminds us of this time- the pasturing of the lambs, the moving of the flocks to better regions to graze and also when we put out all of the fires and wait for the sacred fire on Tara to be relit and that flame to be brought to light all of the hearths. Most people don’t realize that the sacred trees of the druids are used to light that fire upon Tara hill, but they are. More importantly in my mind, is the thought that goes into our world today- what do we do that reminds us of the sacred divine to keep  it alive in our daily actions and thoughts. More »

Today I’m listening to an old favourite- “Jingle Bones” from the Disney Christmas album and giggling madly. Why? Because this album is from my childhood and I realized how much this album played in my psyche as I grew up. I’m a witch/druid/eclectic pagan who loves holidays and enjoys her family and friends in varying doses. (Too much and I so need solitude!) But more than that– Yule is approaching as is Mithra’s birthday and Christmas and my family will be here for the first year ever. This is the first year we’ll have been together since we were kids for the holidays. I’m excited, nervous and want everything to go according to plan– which amuses my male and my psychiatrist both. It’s even funnier to them both to know I’ve even programmed in the chaos and last minute changes that are bound to happen as well. More »

Today is Lammas and I’m taking a small moment to wish everyone a happy Harvest day. More importantly, I’m sharing my recipe for a barbecue sauce I created this morning. We’re having smoked pork that will become pulled pork and lots of fun foods.  Who knows, I might share a couple more recipes to enjoy this summer time. More »

Today I begin my vacation. This time of the year has always been special for me. More so because it’s a great time of the year to enjoy the bounty of the earth. Today is the time of the harvest, one of the major holidays for most pagans. It’s also a time celebrated by those who grow food. But what does it mean to celebrate Lughnassadh- the time of the harvest? More »