Living It With Lisa

Here we were enjoying our tasting menu at DEANES Restaurant in Belfast.  While soaking in the ambiance, a young couple was seated at the table next to us.  We had already made the decision to add a cheese course to our menu after glancing two tables over as a gentleman made his selections for his cheese course.  Who knew what we were about to witness one table over!

I noticed that this couple had been served two courses because of course I wanted to see what else came out of the kitchen!  Out of the corner of my eye I saw the young man get up and thought he was going to the restroom.  All of the sudden Vic is nodding his head in their direction and nodding ‘yes’ at the same time.  I glanced over and Thomas was on his knees in front of Leah’s chair asking her to marry him.  She was gasping and in shock, obviously not expecting a proposal.

By the time I gathered my wits about me, I grabbed my camera out of my purse.  Now cut to Mr. Toughguy … he is holding back  the tears and his face is red.  Yes, Vic is a big teddybear and was trying hard not to be emotional.

Thomas was about to get off up after placing a ring on Leah’s finger.  I told him to hold it, I needed to get a picture!  Phoey I should have checked the photo… he really was on his knee!  There was a round of applause from a few staff and diners.

At little more on the happy couple.  Leah Hawksford and Thomas Heavyside are from Liverpool England!  Kudos to Thomas for wisking Leah away to Belfast and totally surprising her with I might add was a fabulous ring that Leah kept looking at, as it sparkled in the lights only to be dimmed by the sparkle in Thomas eyes as he watched Leah with pure joy.

Lean and Thomas …May your life together sparkle a little more everyday.

I saw this in a store in Belfast and felt it appropriate to share in honor of you both…

Irish Wedding Blessing

We arrived in Ireland safe and sound and were met by Michael with the Bentley at 9am and whisked off to The Merchant Hotel. The Building, which was the Head Quarters of The Ulster Bank, was completed in 1860.  The Merchant Hotel Belfast is an intimate  5 star hotel, situated in the historical Cathedral Quarter of Belfast’s city centre which has been recently re-purposed.  The Cathedral Centre was dead 10 years ago.  Not so anymore.  The Vault below the hotel is now a night club and the area is alive with businesses.  We checked in, took a quick cat nap and then off to our private tour of Belfast.

Now that may seem decadent but we have found is that if we don’t get a quick private tour we will end up leaving a city and without seeing an important part and we would rather not be in a large group going slower than we want to.  This way we get the cliff notes and then spend the rest of our time exploring the parts the really intrigue us on our first visit… just in case we don’t get back to visit anytime soon.

It was amazing to see the Murals of Belfast that were scattered around town depicting the religious and political struggle that was resident only 10 years ago.  It was different to see picture of contemporary people who had died fighting for what they believed in.  We are so used to those pictures being hundreds of years ago.

On our tour , we decided to travel 20 minutes to see Carrickfergus Castle.  Which was very interesting even in the rain.  It always amazes me the ingenuity of people hundreds of years ago.  It reminds me that we were in horse and carriage 100 years ago … that is only 3 generations … my grandmother!  WOW!

If Ireland isn’t on your Vision Board … it’s a must see.

You’re rushing down the aisle at the grocery store, checking things off your shopping list, when you spot an attractive bag of frozen strawberries that would be perfect for the next morning’s breakfast smoothie. The label says “Canada A.” You toss the bag into the cart, thinking that you’ve just scored yourself some yummy local berries frozen at the peak of freshness.

Take a closer look, and it turns out the strawberries are far from being close to home ….

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Here’s good food news: The more you munch on healthy eats, the less you need to worry about Friday night’s fat burger and fries. Who says? Harvard. Its medical school has found that women who routinely nibble nutritious foods slash their risk of dying from the usual culprits, including heart disease and cancer. To up your odds of living a long and healthy life—despite occasional blowouts at T.G.I. Friday’s—make sure you regularly include these seven nutritional powerhouses in your diet. “They’re the cream of the healthy-foods crop,” says Elizabeth Somer, R.D., author of Age-Proof Your Body.

Click here for more information

What we do today, right now,
will have an accumulated effect
on all of our tomorrows.

ALEXANDRA STODDARD

I came across this poem recently.  Many of us can relate to the experience of waking up and searching for our own voice and belief in ourselves when the going is tough.

THE JOURNEY

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting their bad advice—
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the
old tug at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations—
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do–
determined to save
the only life that you could save.

– Mary Oliver

Blueberries are considered a superfood and featured on Healthcastle this month. Good for EVERYONE in their diet. Including Diabetics and those looking for low glycemic foods.  Read on…. Highlighting this month’s food of the month was pretty easy work. Blueberries, our choice for August, are truly nutritional superstars.  They are also tasty and easily found in markets and stores across North America, with multiple varieties to choose from.  The fruit can range in size from tiny pea-sized balls to those as big as marbles and can be any color from blue to maroon to dark purple.  Blueberries can be tart and a little crunchy when unripe; as the berries ripen the flesh softens and the fruit sweetens.

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Tomato Sauce Decorative Art Poster Print by Lauren Hamilton

Have you ever opened a can of tomato sauce, tomatoes or tomato paste and the recipe didn’t use all the can? Well don’t waste it … Save it … and NOT in the refrigerator. You may not find it and use it before you end up throwing it away.

Take what’s left and pour it into ice cube trays, cover and freeze. Once it is frozen, place the individual cubes in a zip top bag and label it. Now you will have little cubes on hand to pop into future dishes.

When I have 1-2 tablespoons left of tomato paste, I have also taken a snack size plastic bags and place the leftovers inside and freeze.  I also put all those little bags in one place in the freezer so that I can find them easily when needed.

Now that is being a Conscious Cook!