The Bluebird Patch

"A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness." Elsa Schiaparelli        Stuffed quail with fennel, golden raisins and hazelnut wild rice mix topped with a port-cranberry sauce.   Roasted brussels sprouts with chestnuts and smoked bacon chunks.

10 steps to avoiding holiday burnout The holidays are stressful to just about everybody — and despite what it sounds like, that’s not a generalization. A Harris Interactive “holiday stress index” survey found that 90 percent of Americans feel anxiety this time of year. The funny thing is, the holidays don’t have to be stressful, and you can begin approaching the season with more excitement and less dread right now. Let us count the ways... 1. ESTABLISH GUIDELINES Many of us add obligations — parties, gift exchanges, “signature” baked goods — to our holiday routines without realizing we’re overloading our plates. List all your holiday activities, everything from the kids’ nativity play to the neighborhood cookie party, and then cross off anything that doesn’t give you and your family true joy. Do the same with your Christmas card list, crossing off those you only hear from in December (or less). Then it again for the people you buy gifts for, and the dishes and baked go...

 "All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast." - John Gunther    In a world where everything evolves at the speed of light a   poached  egg with Italian  prosciutto is  just what my soul needs  to  tackle the world. Who says achieving happiness   can be complicated.   Sometimes life greatest happiness lies in slowing  down, relaxing, and enjoying the journey. 

"The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star." ~ Anthelme Brillat-Savarin What is it about this holiday that gives you the warm fuzzies? For me is the smell of freshly cut sage, the sound bacon hitting a hot pan, kiddos watching the Macy’s parade, dogs sitting in the middle of the kitchen watching me cook every step, talking and laughing loudly, and reminiscing about times past. Yes, is that time of the year. Thanksgiving, a day filled with family traditions and oh yes, food.  Thanksgiving is always been one of my favorite holidays. There’s nothing I enjoy more than to prepare a festive meal for my family. This year it looks like is just the kids, hub and me so I decided to simplify this year’s menu and not burden myself with tons of food. I came up with a very easy yet elegant menu that will take no more than 90 minutes to cook. Here it goes: Thanksgiving 2010 Menu • Roasted Buttern...

“Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.” Socrates  Last week I went to a local thrift store to look at old recipe books. I needed some inspiration for my upcoming thanksgiving dinner. I usually get my ideas from cable shows like Food Network or the Cooking Channel but this time I wanted to try something that for once has never been posted on the Internet.  Goodwill's, thrift stores, and antique stores are loaded with "orphan" books that are left behind by their owners. These "pre-Internet" era books will fade into obscurity unless someone rediscover their lost wisdom. Book rescue is now becoming a common practice. Organizations like Book Rescue   rescue books from the landfill, and get them to teachers and children in need. I've yet to find an organization that rescue old kitchen recipe books. Maybe we can start a trend here... Many modern foraging foodies fail to educate themselves about historical foo...

 Photo by Atlanta Zoo   Lun Lun, a 13-year-old female giant panda at Zoo Atlanta, has given birth to her third cub spreading a wave of happiness all over the city. The panda is a symbol of peace, happiness and personal growth in China. In Feng Shui, Pandas encourage a kind of Darling- Happiness chi. There is an ancient Chinese saying, 'Blow the Panda a kiss every day and you will have a day of happiness and Good Luck!'   A wild panda normally lives for about 20 years, while a panda that has been bred generally lives for about 30 years. The birth is a significant achievement for global efforts to save a critically endangered species, zoo officials said. Fewer than 1,600 giant pandas are estimated to remain in the wild. There are approximately 280 individuals living in zoological institutions, only 11 of which reside in the U.S. It's a boy!!! http://www.zooatlanta.org/ http://twitter.com/zooatl http://www.zooatlanta.org/1212/panda_cam

Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and  precious it is. Maxim Gorky   This past Halloween weekend we opted to head to West Georgia. I won a 2-night stay at a Georgia State Park & Lodge and decided to make reservations at George T. Bagby State a 700-acre state park located in southwestern Georgia on the shore of Lake Walter F. George. The park offers a 60 room lodge, conference center, restaurant, cottages, and features the 18 hole Meadow Links Golf Course, as well as a marina and boat ramp.   This was our first time visiting west Georgia so we were very excited to finally being able to see what this region has to offer. They allowed us to stay at the only pet-friendly cabin at the park. From the outside the cabin looked old and dark but I was pleasantly surprised to find the interior was quite charming and cozy. Each cabin comes with two rooms with double beds, a full equipped kitchen, ...