My Latest Children’s Portrait Painting in Oil

Oil Portrait 11″ x 14″ Oil on Board

My latest oil painting is finished! I cannot begin to express what a joy it was capturing this darling babe in oils. He is absolutely radiant with happiness and love 🙂

The painting is currently drying on the easel which takes about 2 weeks. My studio is awash in this beautiful love.

Dear Tonya, thank you for the opportunity to create this beautiful heirloom for you and your family. It was truly an honor.

DM for Commissioned Oil Painting inquiries.

In love and light💕

Live Beautifully

&

Be well

Love,

Jayashrii (Juliane)

(Jayashrii is my Sanskrit name given by my teacher during Diksha in India)

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Food, Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty, Style, Videos

Spring Garden Tour Featuring Wild Edibles

Tired of shelling out big bucks for wheat grass & dandelion greens? Join our Spring Garden tour featuring organic Wild Edibles, the most delicious nourishing food Mother Nature has to offer. It's almost too easy! And SO fun!

Question of the Day:

Do you prefer blending or juicing?

Which greens are you incorporating into your green drinks these days?

All Love,

Juliane

Thank you for watching 🙂

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Food

First Spring Harvest ~ Crisp, Cool Radishes!

The secret?

Store your radishes in a mason jar of cold water in the fridge where they'll last for weeks!

Crisp

Vibrant

Fresh

As beautiful to the tastebuds as they are to behold.

A delicious refrigerator snack ~ healthy, refreshing & cold!

Thank you my sweet Jim.

What are your gardening plans this year?

Food, Style

Time for Herbs to Head Indoors for the Winter!

Though the leaves on the tall oaks have thinned considerably, our window panes remain candy boxes of red, orange and gold. That time of year again. Halloween days away. When we shut off the outdoor spigots for fear of frost and burst pipes. And we've waited til the last possible minute to lug in the remains of the garden, the salvageable herbs that can be brought in for the winter and then taken back out again next spring!

What a thrill it is to invite these summer friends back inside! Fragrant, bountiful greenery at a time when the rest of nature is going into hibernation. We spray off mossy pots and turn them on end to lift our new housemates to sunny heights! Each morning they quiver with joy as I mist them all over. (Thanks for the suggestion Pamela!)

And I am beside myself… adding fresh mint to my honey tea, oregano to my egg salad sandwiches, sage browned butter over gnocchi (recipe coming soon)… It feels like Christmas to me! I suppose it's the sudden population of frangrant greenery that brings me back. A lovely prelude to the holidays!

Peppermint loves his new digs in the Dining Room!

Rosemary thinks her new room-mate, Peppermint, is kinda cute!

Oregano and Sage are particularly fond of their daily spray bottle mistings.

One happy family! (L to R) Rosemary #2 in the breakfast room alongside roomies Spearmint, Sage & Oregano!

Style

the weekend

sweet breezes 'gainst

bare feet

swathes of sunshine

some strawberries

between infinite spectrums of greens

no plans

coconut-peach yogurt pops

& panaches

as the sun

moves 'cross the

sky

behind th' leaves of

tall oaks

Recipe for Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches coming soon…

Do you like to have lazy plan-less weekends too?

Food

Garden Soups ~ Cream of Turnip & Minted Sweet Pea

Cream of Turnip Soup

I've been feeling rather badly that I've barely showcased our bountiful garden this season. Already it has given us so much! Therefore, in honor of the Spring garden turning it's reign over to the Summer garden, today's feature is soup! Two as a matter of fact:

Cream of Turnip, a mild, slightly sweet soup similar to cream of potato- perfect for rainy days and/or ultra air-conditioned environments. And Minted Sweet Pea, a velvety, refreshing soup, delicious hot or cold!

Turnips from Gardner Jim

Cream of Turnip Soup (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small cleaned, chopped leeks (white & light green parts only)
1 clove garlic, chopped
sea salt
4 cups peeled, chunked turnips (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 cups less-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
chopped fresh chives (for garnish)
fleur de sel & truffle oil (optional for finishing)

Method

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks, sprinkle with salt, and sauté stirring occasionally until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add turnips; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to steady simmer and cook until turnips are very tender, about 10 minutes.
Puree the soup in batches: place 1 cup of soup in blender, place the lid on top, and puree on low speed. With the blender still running, open the venthole in the lid and slowly add more soup until the blender is three-quarters full. Pour the soup into a large bowl and repeat until all the soup is pureed.
Return turnip purée to pot and cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in the cream; incorporating 1/4 cup will just smooth out the edges. The more you add, the thicker and more luxurious the soup will become. Check seasoning and add salt to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped chives. If desired, finish with a drizzle of truffle oil and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Enjoy!

Minted Sweet Pea Soup

Minted Sweet Pea Soup (Serves 6)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks chopped (white and light green parts only)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cups organic, low-sodium chicken stock
5 cups freshly shelled peas or 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen peas
2/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
2 teaspoons course sea salt (or kosher)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/2 cup freshly chopped chives for garnish

Method

Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is tender but not browned.
Add stock, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the peas are tender. (Frozen peas will only take 3 min.) Remove from the heat, and add the mint, salt, and pepper.
Puree the soup in batches: place 1 cup of soup in blender, place lid on top, and puree on low speed. With the blender still running, open the venthole in lid and slowly add more soup til the blender is three-quarters full. Pour the soup into a large bowl and repeat until all the soup is pureed.
Add the soup back to the pot and gently reheat. (Also lovely served chilled or at room temperature as well!) Remove from heat and whisk in creme fraiche to incorporate. Stir in chives leaving a few for garnish. Enjoy!

Gardner Jim's beautiful sweet peas, freshly shelled

Style

A Gardening Affair

The first day of spring (March 20th) is only two weeks away!

(Surely Old Man Winter must be looking forward to a good loooooong rest following the blockbuster of snow, ice and below freezing temperatures he produced for us this year.)

Miraculously, the ground has finally thawed and the soil is now workable…the equivalent of a personalized invitation to my nature loving husband to go outside and get dirty preparing our two small gardens…tilling, removing moss and rocks, carefully creating neat rows and planting our spring veggies: Rainbow Chard, Peas, Spinach, Radishes, Russian Fingerling & Yukon Potatoes, Beets, Turnips and a few herbs.

The fruits of our gardens will be available in 8 or more weeks (depending on the weather). At which point we arrive to my part in the equation. And while, yes, a simple drizzle of olive oil and sea salt are often best with these fresh jewels of the earth, I'll be sure to share a couple of my favorite recipes honoring my sweet gardener.

Do you have any gardening plans this year? I'd love to hear about them!

A caddy-corner view of the freshly tilled and planted gardens through the sweet pea trellises.

Food

Easy Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce

Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce…

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

You transform even the homeliest of mealy winter tomatoes into something sweet and divine. You make quick, practical use of the bushels of summer garden tomatoes we can't possibly eat at once. I can freeze you to eat any time of year. And you're so easy to make I couldn't mess you up if I tried!

Feel free to experiment with this one. Add some carrot, onion or pepper chunks. Use all dried herbs or finely minced fresh. I never make it the same way twice. Regardless, you'll find the roasting intensifies the sweet flavor of the tomatoes as they caramelize. This recipe tastes fabulous with my Eggplant Parmigiana Meatballs.

DIRECTIONS

25 Roma (or whatever you have) Tomatoes Halved, Quartered if Larger

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Medium Head of Garlic, Cloves Separated but Un-peeled (or Substitute Dried)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano Finely Minced (or Basil , Thyme…)

Preheat oven to 375. Toss everything on 1 or 2 large rimmed baking sheets (so they fit in a single layer). Turn the tomatoes halved side up. Roast between 1 & 1 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on them towards the end as once the juices start to evaporate they can begin to burn. However, you do want them to brown and caramelize a bit to develop that amazing sweetness and depth of flavor. Allow to cool enough to safely handle. Push the garlic cloves out of their skins, discarding skins. Process in a heavy-duty blender or food processor until slightly chunky or smoother if you prefer.

Freeze in ziplock baggies for up to 6 months. (For easy storage, lay the baggies flat on a cookie sheet in the freezer so they can stack on top of one another. This sauce works great on bruschetta, with pasta, as a base for a delicious tomato soup (recipe coming soon) and anything else your imagination can come up with. Enjoy!

Email me if you'd like this recipe Veganized, Raw-Veganized, Dairy-freed or Gluten-freed:)

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