VeeV Acai Spirit: 3 Delicious Cocktails

Here is a spirit with an exotic appeal- Veev Acai spirit made with antioxidant-rich acai berries straight from the Brazilian rainforest. Blended with acerola cherry and prickly pear, the nutrients in this liqueur are 100% natural. And it tastes great! Though it's not for sale in the Green Country yet, I was able to try a sample. I opened the bottle and bravely took a whiff, expecting an unpleasant burning sensation- but to my surprise it didn't smell like alcohol at all. It had a fragrant, tropical aroma with out being sweet and tasted unlike anything I have experienced before. You can use VeeV just like you'd use vodka- on the rocks,...

Read more »

Avocado Tree: Day 57

I have foliage! Well, it's at least going to be foliage. After two months of faithful watering, this little bugger has done as promised. And only a couple weeks off schedule. See that little green bit poking out the top? Some day that will be a big, strong fruit-bearing tree. At least in my dreams. If I get one full leaf out of it I will count this as a success! And check out this pig tail it's growing! It gets longer and longer ever day. I may have to get a bigger bowl. Here are the links to my other posts with more details into growing your own avocado tree: (Trying to) Grow an Avocado Tree Avocado Tree: Day ...

Read more »

What I'm Reading: A Thousand Days in Tuscany

At times, I wish I could be transported somewhere far away. Somewhere where the simplest observances of daily life become noticeable and interesting again. Typically, this requires visiting a culture different from my own- that's where travel literature comes in to play. With in moments of opening the pages you can be picking grapes in the hills of Tuscany or climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris. A Thousand Days in Tuscany by Marlena De Blasi, my latest travel lit find, is one that not only satisfies my desire for travel but also my love of food. In the novel, De Blasi chronicles the seasons of her life with her Italian husband after...

Read more »

Travel Lust Fulfilled: Palo Verde Boat Tour, Costa Rica

Seeing animals in the wild, whether it's a bunny in the backyard or a monkey in the jungle, is one of my favorite things. That's why the Palo Verde boat tour on the Tempisque River in Guanacasta, Costa Rica was my favorite part of the trip (see the rest of it here). All the girls put on their big, floppy sun hats and we climb into the covered (thankfully) boat. Less ten feet from the dock, we come to a stop and our vision is directed to the branches of a large tree. There, lying lazily, is a group of howler monkeys. Our tour guide informs us they wont move for much but be careful not to make them mad- you might end up needing a shower! Howler...

Read more »

Livesay Orchards: Delicious, Seasonal Produce

,After last weekend's Porter Peach Festival, we were itching to bring home some delicious Porter peaches of our own. Though the bushels of peaches sold at the festival auction were tempting, we decided to follow a hunch and the trail of cars that followed the road-side signs to Livesay Orchards. And I'm so glad we did. We arrived at the largest peach orchard in the state to a crowd of people clamoring to grab a peck of Porter peaches to call their own. There were racks and tables full of beautiful, fragrant peaches, each labeled a different variety. I had no idea there were so many! We asked an employee to help us decide which...

Read more »

Porter Peach Festival

The peach has a short window in which to find that perfectly ripe, sweet and juicy specimen. So it's no wonder that the Porter Peach Festival in Porter, Oklahoma was crawling with visitors even with temperatures soaring into the 100s.  For the past few years I have been itching to go to the festival, held the second weekend in July a short drive from Tulsa, and this past weekend I got to try all the peach goodies I could find. We arrived on Main Street, Porter shortly after the parade had finished to find a charming street lined up and down with amusement rides, artists, vendors, and lots and lots of food, including all of your fair favorites....

Read more »

Dining Out: Bamboo Thai Bistro

After working up an appetite whiffing golf balls at LaFortune park, D and I decided to try the Thai restaurant on the corner- Bamboo Thai Bistro. With its plain facade and strip mall local I learned not to judge a book by its cover. Things are not always as they seem! Though its name professes it to be a bistro, I was shocked to find that it actually looked like a bistro inside. The interior was freshly decorated and the modern, crisp white china added to the sophisticated look. Most importantly- the food was affordable and fantastic. We had just found a diamond in the rough! I had a hankering for Thai food last week when...

Read more »

Travel Lust Fulfilled: Costa Rica

I've kept you in the lurch for a while on my Costa Rican vacation. Let me tell you- it was wonderful! At the end of a lot of vacations, you're ready to come home and resume normal life- not this one. I don't think I've worn a watch since I've been back! We traveled to the Guanacasta region on Pacific coast for a wedding and stayed at the beautiful, all inclusive Villa Cascada. The accommodations were fabulous- great food, awesome pool and they were very helpful in planning excursions. I highly recommend it for your destination wedding or family get-together. A short walk from the villa was a beautiful, black sand beach with a...

Read more »

Bedrest Boredom: Finding a Cure

So, I had my appendix out last Friday. Luckily I caught it very early- that's the beauty of working with doctors! Aside from getting the IV put in, the bed rest has been the worst part- and it's at least for a whole week! Normally, I look forward to time at home and wish I had more of it. Time to clean, cook, organize, and put together my long overdue scrapbooks. But when you're forced to stay home and you're not quite in tip top shape, all that time at home is lost on you. Whenever I think about doing something, I find I don't have the desire or energy to do so. If it can't be done from the couch, it's not going to happen. So, for anyone else...

Read more »

Avocado Tree: Day 36

I realize I have been apologizing for my absence a lot lately... will you forgive me? Between my Costa Rican getaway, shopping for a friend's wedding dress and D's family reunion I haven't had much time to be inspired. And then I had to have my appendix out. There is nothing fun about a week of bed rest! The avocado is alive! Turns out I have a green thumb- at least chartreuse at this point. Despite leaving it with my mother over vacation, it sprouted a root! And all within the 6 weeks that the website promised. I'm still lacking any foliage on the top side. I'm trying to be patient and not peel of the seed's skin- it's very...

Read more »