Rain, Harvest Moon Salad & The Vintage Pearl

"Rain showers my spirit
and waters my soul."
~Terri Guillemets

I love days like this.

It is so moody and hypnotic with this drizzle of rain ~

splashes of blue fighting to stay noticed as the clouds keep rollin in

overtaking everything in its smokey path...

I wish u all could see it!

or, maybe some of you can and are

sitting under the same sky right now as I type

I'd like to think so.....

I'm reflecting on "change" this morning -

both on the seasons around me

and in the seasons of my own life.

I love watching the trees turn this time of year,

each leaf set free...one by one...

at it's appointed time....

I find myself pulling out sweaters...

cozy-ing up on the chaise lounge...

clutching soothing mugs of herbal tea....

hibernating....

discovering....

contemplating...

Life can just be so messy, can't it?

The questions get so loud that you can't hear yourself think...

But then you remind yourself of how blessed you truly are,

and the person you are becoming,

and of the process along the way...

priceless.

Such a beautiful thing when a soul begins to ripen...isn't it?

~~~~~~~~~

And with that Sweet Bellas,

I have a special treat to warm up your day.

Make that TWO special treats...

Treat #1:

Harvest Moon Salad with Cranberry Lime Vinaigrette

My recipe for a cozy salad that is layered with such texture & flavor, it just may make you bark at the moon!

2 cups of spring mix lettuce

1 small cooked chicken breast, shredded (turkey is a lovely substitute)

1 small cooked sweet potato, shredded (I microwaved mine before shredding!)

1 Hard Boiled Egg, peeled and sliced

2 Tbsp of diced purple onion

3 asparagus spears, lightly sauteed in olive oil

1 small gala apple, sliced

6 Feta Cheese Chunks, battered and fried in olive oil

(I used the large pieces from a container of crumbled feta, dipped in egg, then flour, then egg, then fried until golden on each side)

salt and pepper to taste

Assemble the first seven ingredients as shown, then make the vinaigrette (recipe below), and then fry the feta cheese so it will be warm and fresh and melt in your mouth.

Lastly, drizzle the vinaigrette on top and salt/pepper to taste.

Cranberry Lime Vinaigrette

3 tbsp of lime juice

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2-3 tbsp of whole cranberry sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of olive oil.

In a blender, add first 4 ingredients, blend for 4 to 5 seconds, take lid off and add 1 cup of olive oil while blending appx 10 seconds more, pour over salad.

Mangia!

Treat #2:

In Honor of "Birthday Week"

I am absolutely delighted

to share some spoils with YOU!

The Sweet Bellas of

The Vintage Pearl

have graciously offered a $25 gift certificate

to one of my lucky readers (*details below),

and I couldn't be more thrilled to

introduce their incredible gifts and talents to each of you.

I was privileged to place a very special order of birthday gifts for some very special bellas in my life recently,

and I cannot express to you enough how very pleased I was with

the customer service,

the ease of ordering,

the timely delivery,

and the quality of product.

If you are pondering a unique customizable gift for a very special person in your life

than look no further!

The Vintage Pearl

is just what you are looking for...

click this link above and visit their website today!

Here's how to win:

simply leave me a comment below, winner will be chosen at random

using random.org

deadline to enter is this Sunday, October 24th, Midnight EST

(winner will be announced in the next post, and will have 3 days to respond via email)