Cornbread (vegetarian, fat free, clean eating, high fiber)

Yummy served with chili!

preheat oven to 425*F

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup whole grain medium grind corn meal (bob's red mill)
• 1 tbsp flax seed meal
• 2 tbsp sugar (or honey or sweetener of choice)
• 1 cup of soy milk
• 3/4 cup of water ( or you can just do 1 3/4 cups of soy milk)
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda

1. lightly grease pan (you can use something like this):

2. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour into pan.
4. bake for about 25 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean from the center.

The Medici Boy

Astor + Blue Editions is proud to release perhaps the most passionate work of master storyteller, John L’Heureux, in The Medici Boy [ISBN:  978-1-938231-50-6 (Hard Cover); ISBN: 978-1-938231-48-3 (E-book); US $25.95; Historical / Literary Fiction; 346 Pages, April, 2014].

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1i8UhyW

Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/1kkIpLL

Astor+Blue:  http://bit.ly/1dIUz2I

Reader’s guide (great for book clubs):  http://astorandblue.com/bonus-stuff/

I was lucky enough to be given a chance to review the novel "The Medici Boy" by John L'Heureux.  As soon as I read the first page of "The Medici Boy" I was transported to a different time and place. I felt like I was right there in the 15th-century, in Renaissance Florence, learning so much about that time in our history.  I was with the great sculptor Donatello in his bottegas (workshops) in Florence and Padua, in awe of his immense talent and sharing his passions.  Learning life was like in that era.  The book was filled with details regarding the thriving mercantile economy, the treacherous social lives of prostitutes and homosexuals, the brutality of the bubonic plague, and, of course, the making of glorious, unparalleled works of art such as Donatello's David:

I love that we take this journey through the eyes of Luca Mattei, a devoted assistant.  Luca suffered a rough early life, until at age twenty, he becomes an apprentice/assistant to Donatello.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written novel and it prompted me to do further research on the things I learned.  I wanted to know more about the historical times that I was reading about.  

The author, John L’Heureux, is an award-winning poet, novelist, and short story writer.  He has taught at Georgetown University, Tufts, Harvard, and for over 35 years in the English Department of Stanford University where he was Lane Professor of Humanities. L’Heureux has written more than twenty books of fiction, short fiction and poetry. John L’Heureux was awarded a Guggenheim Grant to do research for The Medici Boy, his new novel. He is retired and lives in Palo Alto with his wife Joan.

Gratitude Sunday

Sunday's heart felt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

Here are some things I am grateful for this week:

1. Today I am feeling grateful for my kids, for how cute they are, for how sweet they are, for how very special they are.  They make me smile every day, like in this pic, where Princess Snifflefritz feels like her fingers are cold so she is trying to put them in her little pockets to warm up.  She looks so cute in the rain jacket she insisted on wearing and her baggy jeans. 

2. I am grateful for sweet babies that love to play outside and that the weather is finally starting to get warm enough for them. 

3. I am grateful for the deck they like to sit on and catch some sun, even if they do it wearing mittens, and a jacket.

4. I am grateful for impromtu musical numbers on the sunny deck!

5. I am grateful for how much Princess Magpie adores her little brother, and how excited she is every single time she sees him.

6. I am grateful for this sweet baby boy who makes me smile every day.

7. I am grateful for every single new thing he learns and for each time he takes an interest in the world around him.

 8. I am grateful for Princess Belle and how much she adores each and every one of her younger siblings.  She is a great big sister.

9. I am grateful for the middle girls and how much they depend on and enjoy each other.  They really have a special bond.

10. For finding a diet that makes me feel better.  Here's hoping I continue to get healthier and healthier.