I saw Figs at Trader Joe's and wanted to give them a try. We don't eat them that much in this country, they're more popular in the Mediterranean, although California is a big producer of them. I made this recipe a few times and discovered that figs are a very perishable fruit, growing mold very quickly!  If you're looking for an exotic recipe with a flavor you don't have very often, give these a try. The recipe originally called for 4.5 TB of honey but I cut that in half to save calories.

Ingredients
Directions

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Lay the sliced figs cut side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle 1½ TB of the honey over the figs. Broil the figs for 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the goat cheese, Greek yogurt, remaining honey and other sweeteners in a medium bowl until completely smooth.
4. When the figs are done, purée them in a food processor or blender until smooth.
5. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for 6 hours of overnight.

Recipe source: snixykitchen

Makes 6 popsicles
147 cal, 12g protein, 16g sugar
(without the honey if will only be 11g of natural sugar from the figs and yogurt)
 

I've always liked  nectarines better than peaches. Did you know that nectarines are just peaches with a recessive bald gene that make them fuzzless? lol  If you don't have buttermilk (like myself), you can make it by mixing 1 cup of milk with 1 TB of lemon juice or white vinegar. This recipe uses my favorite ginger liqueur -  Domaine de Canton. If you don't have it, you could try mixing roasted nectarine with fresh basil. This recipe takes quite a bit of prep work, it's not as easy as my other popsicle recipes, but it's worth the effort. Roasting the fruit brings out a richer, sweeter flavor.These were more orange looking in person, although they look red in my photo.



Recipe source: foodandwine

I'm back from Bali and got a chance to go to the movies today to see Hector and the Search for Happiness. This book turned movie was on my summer reading list and was such a cute simple book! It's written like a cute children's book not naming country names and simplifying complex issues. It was a best seller in France then translated to English. It about a psychiatrist named Hector who was tired of his job and decided to take a trip around the world to understand what made people happy and to discover if there was a secret of happiness. Here were my favorite lessons he learned in no particular order:

Happiness come from others: friendship, mutual love, caring about other people's happiness or unhappiness, feeling useful to others.

Observation: People are kinder to a child who smiles (very important).

Lesson no.1: Making comparisons can spoil your happiness.

Lesson no. 3: Many people see happiness only in their future.

Lesson no.22: Women care more than men about making others happy.

Lesson no.4: Many people think that happiness comes from having more power or more money,

Lesson no. 6: Happiness is a long walk in beautiful, unfamiliar mountains.

Lesson no. 11: Happiness is having a home and a garden of your own.

Lesson no. 13: Happiness is feeling useful to others.

Lesson no. 16: Happiness is knowing how to celebrate.

Lesson no. 19: The sun and the sea make everybody happy.

Here's the trailer:

Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Italian author Margaret Mazzantini, the movie (released in 2012) stars Penélope Cruz and Emile Hirsch who both gave powerful performances. 

There's a big twist at the end that I won't spoil for you. The movie has a  few twists and turns that I never saw coming and it really makes you think. It's the story of an Italian grad student who travels to Sarajevo (when it was still part of Yugoslavia) for her doctoral thesis. There she meets an Italian photographer whom she later marries and then discovers she is infertile. Without giving too much away their story line continues with several trips back to Sarajevo during the backdrop of the 1990s Balkan wars which you can read more about it here. 

I vacationed in Croatia and Slovenia 6 years ago and they're beautiful countries! Did you know that Rome doesn't have the only Colosseum, the Croatian city of Pula has one and many other Roman ruins. Dubrovnik, the walled city on the Adriatic Sea is now a popular cruise ship destination. Every major city I visited that was next to the sea had crystal clear blue waters so anyone could jump off the pier and swim. Croatia is very close to Venice, you can take a bus or a 2 hour ferry ride. But as I drove through the countryside there were still signs up warning of landmines. Because I had visited this country and was familiar with their history, and  this movie piqued my interest.

I made the most delicious apricot popsicles so I thought I should try it in my oatmeal. I cooked the apricot along with my oatmeal because doing so brings out the natural sweetness of the fruit. When it was done it was as sweet as candy!

Ingredients:

½ cup rolled oats 

1 cup unsweetened almond milk or water

1 apricot

1 ts Yacon Syrup

1 ts chia seeds

¼ tsp vanilla extract

pistachios (optional)

dash of cardamom 

Directions:

1. Bring milk to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and add oatmeal, vanilla,  chia seeds and diced apricot.
3. Cook for 15 minutes.
4. Transfer to a bowl and mix in yacon syrup and cardamom.
5. Top with pistachios if desired.