“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” 
Maya Angelou

This quote cheered me so much today. 🙂 The past month has been a doozy, one gutting situation after another. It’s been rough but liberating, a healing letting go of toxic people, memories, experiences, and an embracing of true friendship, love, and a beautiful life.
Mums brought me these. 🙂 Aren’t they lovely?!

My friend Marie has been an inspiration. She wrote me the other day: “If I’m gonna feel lousy, I might as well enjoy it as much as I can!” I love her for that. 🙂 I love watching how others practice making a beautiful life right in the midst of pain, rejection and other sufferings. It takes such courage to peer through the gloom and find something shiny and bright to hold onto until the fog lifts and sunshine streams in. My friend T listens to Michael Buble and Louis Armstrong to brighten her day, M gardens and goes for long walks, C and T write, write, write, then dance like mad, R takes glorious pictures of everyday things, and S sings at the tops of her lungs. 🙂

Today I’m delighting in very little things. My “treasure” from my trip to Slovenia, a hand-crafted necklace the color of Lake Bled that I got in a lovely little market we stumbled across. I promised Passage Paradis that I would post it. 🙂

One creamy daffodil that outlasted all the others.

Flowering lavender and hibiscus tea.

And an Artichoke Sun-Dried Tomato Tart I got to share with dear friends last night. 🙂 I used my gluten-free tart crust but halved the sugar and added garlic, onion and rosemary. The filling was artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted green chilies in a creamy, garlicky coconut milk base. It paired beautifully with a chilled Nell chardonnay from Australia.

This weekend I get to visit my dear friends, Trish and Todd for three days of yakking, old movie watching, and utter relaxation. I can’t wait!
What beautiful “little thing” do you have to cheer you, dear ones! 🙂
Gluten-Free Artichoke Sun-Dried Tomato Tart

Tart Shell Ingredients:

1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp chopped rosemary

Directions for Tart Shell:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
  2. Mix everything together and press into 9″ tart pan with removable bottom. 
  3. Par-bake for ten minutes while you prepare filling. 

Ingredients for Filling:

1/2 cup coconut milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 small jar roasted, marinated bell peppers
1 small jar sun-dried tomatoes, cut into 1/4 slices
1 small can roasted mild green chilies
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Directions for Tart:

  1. Combine all ingredients and stir until coated with coconut/egg mixture. 
  2. Pour into par-baked crust and bake for 30-40 minutes until browned. 
  3. Serve hot or cold.