He Has Risen Indeed! Easter Throwback:1988

(Sisterhood of the Easter Bonnet Brigade sans Sister #4 who was in utero during this photo)

My dear friends, HE IS RISEN!! HE HAS RISEN INDEED!!

It has been awhile, but I just wanted to send you, Southern Eastertide Joy! For LOVE which became flesh has conquered death--the victory of life has been won! Praise be Jesus! Alleluia!

So whip out those Easter bonnets, proclaim Alleluia from the Mountain tops (or cornfields--depending on where you live), savor the goodness of the Lord and know your life has been redeemed by Someone so much greater than we know.

Happy Easter!

He Has RISEN INDEED!

Alleluia!

Chipotle, Bo Derek, Princess Buttercup and me!

Hi Friends,

Thought I had you fooled, didn't ya'?

Well I've been a bit under the weather with that terrible cough going around.

No RSV for me...All Praise & Glory to God! But for those who do have it, be assured of my prayers for an immediate healing. Amen? AMEN!

Okay, so now I can continue catching you up on life.

In December, my dear dear dear friend Rachel got married!

In fact, here's a picture of Rachel, my friend Andrew and myself eating at my favorite chain restaurant of all time...Chipotle.

You can't really see too well, but for those who haven't seen me in awhile, my hair got really long.

Like so long I kept slamming it in the door, windows,and lowering it down towers--don't worry Mom,in case you were wondering, no strange men were allowed to climb up my hair, only the normal ones.

But I digress.

Anyways...

About 3 years ago I set out with the intent to grow my hair so long that one day I could run on the beach and get my 'hairs did' like this....

 (photo from here)

Can't you see the resemblance?

I know, I know,  Bo & I could totally pass for twins--I get that all the time!

But it wasn't just Bo Derek hair I was aspiring my locks towards.

I always wanted Princess Buttercup hair, so I continued to persevere and grow it out to look like this...

(Photo courtesy of HERE)

But then, as all good women do, I changed my mind ...

and
this
is
what
happend...
8 inches later that is...

Happy Monday!

She's back!

Brace yourselves Friends. 

It is true! I am back. 

 (I just can't contain the excitement.)

After a 6+month hiatus, I'm back, alive n' kickin' and ready for the exciting blessings God has in-store this year.

Lots to share. Lots of exciting things on the horizon.

( End of November marked a move further from work, but closer to friends.)

So keep posted and may 2013 bring an abundance of peace, blessings, love and fun!

 

 Ciao for now :)

The Recipe (3 days after I said I would post it)

Hi Friends,

Rachel the Vita Bella here to send you this yummy and delicious recipe for you to enjoy. I think the first time I had this was at a restaurant with my two older sisters during a trip to Chicago. Sister #1 was going to school up in the Windy City and Sister #2 and myself decided to go up and visit her for a weekend of sister fun...including getting hit on by about 4 Chicago Bears Football players...swooonn!

Anyways, following my pastalicious experience, on a trip to Italy when I used to work as a Group Tour escort, I  ordered it again but this time it included a few extra ingredients. And well from there I decided to combine the best of both worlds and make this pasta my own. I hope you enjoy it...

Pasta a la Vita Bella

(feeds 2)

 Featuring:

1 cup of Ham- (you can use bacon, proscuitto, pork sausage, whatever, but for this time I used ham)

1 Cup of thinly sliced Red onion (you whatever color onion you have, although I prefer the red in this recipe)

1 cup of sliced mushrooms (if you used cannned be sure to drain them)

1/2 cup of frozen peas ( you can use more-I actually am not a fan of peas, but love them in this recipe)

4 oz (or half a carton) Heavy Whipping cream (you can use milk and a little bit of flour if you don't have HWC)

1/2 bag of Fettucinne (I use brown rice fet. but any will do)

Parmesan Cheese

Salt 

Pepper

Olive Oil

 1. Boil a pot of water for your pasta-and salt the water

2. Heat up your frying pan to medium/high heat. Once it's hot add 2 TBSP of EVOO

 3. Slice up your pig & onion....pretty

 4. Once the oil is heated, add the pig, onion and mushrooms. Give the pan a toss like your on Iron Chef so the ingredients evenly cover the pan--don't forget to wink at the camera too!

5. In the meantime, because they say a watched pot never boils and a picture would only add ages along to that theory... imagine your water is boiling add the pasta and give it a quick stir, so the goods don't stick to the pot

 Once the pig, onion and mushrooms are cooked

6. Add the Cream and Peas. Give it a stir and let it bubble a little.

 7. As soon as it bubbles, turn off the heat and add a sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese.

8. With 30 seconds left, kick your soux chef out of the kitchen and take over! Drain the pasta, put it in pretty bowls, add the sauce and garnish with lovely basil leave.

9. Smile at Alton Brown, claim the title of Iron Chef and enjoy Pasta A La Vita Bella!

the end.

The Southern Sabbath: Garage Sale Edition...

(My vivacious hair gets credit from the Holy Spirit. This is what happens when you open your windows after Mass and BLARE some good Praise & Worship Music and drive home..Seriously...try it.)

Some of my earliest memories with my Grandma are the times we would go garage-sailing. Now let me say this, if there could ever be a professional garage saler, it's my Grandma. Although she is 4'7", this tiny little Mexican woman drives a hard bargain and has taught my sisters and I at a young age to scope the goods in a matter of seconds, bargain for a great deal and never be afraid to walk-away empty handed.

Enter in now my Momma (Grandma's daughter, of course). She's great and has a creative genius beyond no end. Seriously. Her creative juices are always flowing from the stories she tells to the food she makes, the styles she wears to the color she paints her walls, the music she creates or listens to through the vision she sees when she finds a 'good' piece that she restores back to beauty, Momma knows what's up, and I'm thankful for the creativity I grew up with that strikes at my inmost being (sounds heavy? keep reading).

So needless to say, when you put these two together, magic happens folks! For the past month or so, I've been in a funk. And for those of you who know when I'm in a funk...it's just not fun. Last weekend I was blessed to retreat back in the Midwest spiritually guided by a dear friend of mine. Corn fields, wide open spaces, delicious food, beauty, thought provoking conversation and silence. And follow that up by a visit with family and KABOOM...I became human again. Seriously. I think before then I was a glob of sorts, but from my little Midwest revival, I remembered something about me...something that was stirring in my heart from all the beauty I experienced that brought my senses and being back into life...I NEED TO CREATE. It's in my blood. The beauty of creating brings me to life, like DYNOOOMIIIIIITE (please note I am shaking my hips and snappin' my fingers like JJ on Good Times).

So this weekend I decided to venture and scope out some sales in the area and let's say I found some serious loot at a bargain which allowed my creative juices to flow freely...

 <--- 2 mirrors ($5 for both) , 1 top of a black cast iron latern with hideous orange plastic inserts (I should have taken a picture of itself-FREE), 1 ceiling lantern ($3), 1 coffee table ($2), 1 sofa table ($5)

Finished Products.

I still need to paint the frame of the mirror.I also have a feeling the blue on the iron lantern won't last too long, but I just wanted to try and see what it would look like...

 I spray painted the frame on this a flat white and did the glass with chalkboard paint. Now I just need to to get chalk and have fun!

 I cut all the wires and light fixtures out of this, removed the bottom and put a candle underneath it. I'm not done with this, It needs painting, but the creative opportunities for this piece are endless!













So that was my weekend. Well almost...
 I did make this today...

but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the recipe.

So for today, I pray you had a blessed weekend and pray your upcoming week is filled with an abundance of blessings and joy.  Let's say a prayer I can wake up early so I can get back to working-out. Amen. AMEN!!

It's Sunday!

Good Sabbath Friends!

Well it's that time of the week again... Here are 7 random tidbits for your enjoyment:

-1-

So...when I moved to the good ol' South one of the items on my 'to-do' list is to read more. Let me explain. I read. And in college I probably read more books on Catholicism, Apologetics and Spirituality that probably could have somewhat sufficed for a degree. And cookbooks. My favorite. But everything else...well I've wanted to 'love to read' but unfortunately I have probably over 50 books that I have bought and read the first chapter and then not finished. So because I have lived without having cable/tv channels before, I decided to live without cable/satellite/basic tv channels ( i still watch dvd's and some of my shows online) and read instead. And you know what...sister has been finishing books. With the chaos of the past month/month and a half, I've been dying to find some spare time to finish Julia Child's My Life In France. For those of you  who have seen the movie 'Julie & Julia' this is the book that a lot of the Julia Child movie parts were based on. Anyways, not to be dorky, but I can totally understand the line Julie Powell says, when she wants 'to be a bridesmaid in Julia Childs wedding." Creepy, I know. But the lady had a deep hunger for passion and beauty and well, that just makes me smile.  And now, I have also increased a desire in starting to learn how to cook French Cuisine. Bon Appetit!

-2-

Speaking of French Cuisine, my first accomplishment Julia Child's Beurre Blanc served with steamed artichokes. I made this for an early Momma's day dinner when my Momma and B came for a visit.

Click HERE for the recipe.

-3-

I'm a sucker for sweet/simple/fun lovey dovey acoustic songs that sweet men write about the ladies they love. From simple lyrics to poetic anthems...I. LOVE. THEM.

This song makes me happy. I hope it makes you happy too!

 -4-

I love the Body of Christ. In fact, God never ceases to amaze me with the beautiful Faith community of friends and family that He has given to me on this earth to lift each other up throughout our lives. 

So Body of Christ, will you do me the great honor and pray for a very special intention of mine? If you wouldn't mind it, I would be so very appreciative if you would lift this intention to the heart of Christ. Thanks in advance for your prayers!

-5-

I miss my family and friends. I know I write this almost every post, and I PRAISE GOD for the gift of a job and peace in knowing this is where I am supposed to be, but when you've experience the said community in #4, it's hard not to miss the beautiful people you love so dearly.

-6-
So I was asked by two people within the past week for this recipe so I'm going to post it on here. This is an AMAZING dip, that's super good (in moderation).  Honestly, not to brag, but this dip is the bees knees and if you're looking to bring an appetizer to share, you will be certain to bring a pleaser with this dip.
Rachel's Sausage Dip

1-1lb chub of Hot Italian Sausage (I either use Bob Evans or will use the really good stuff from the Italian Sausage makers that my Mom brings to me from Chicago)

2-boxes of cream cheese (I typically use the 1/3 fat cream cheese aka Neufchâtel)

1- 10oz can of Rotel-Diced Tomatoes and Chiles with juice

Tortilla Chips for Dipping

Directions: Brown sausage. Once sausage is completely cooked. Drain fat. Add the cream cheese, over low-medium heat. Once the cream cheese is softened add the can of Rotel. Continue to stir until everything is blended and it begins to slightly bubble. Immediately take off heat, and place into a bowl or warmer and serve!

-7-

 The world is a much better place when wearing a dress (see I'm smiling because it's my favorite and I'm heading back to the Midwest for a retreat on Tuesday).

Have a BEAUTIFUL week!

Back On The Air...

Hi Friends,

It's been almost 2 months since my last post, but I have good reasons including: computer going kaaaput,work,  having to buy another computer, being incredibly indecisive on buying computer,work,  Easter, Holy Week, work, Friend Visit, Mommy & Bob Visit, work, gardening, work, trying to learn French cooking, exploring G-Vegas, work, and work.

But don't you worry, I have pictures to show and stories to tell, but I'll leave you with this quote, which makes my (at times) melodramatic heart smile:

'Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it's done right. Even a pancake.'
-Julia Child