February 27, 2013

I Made It! Happy First Blogiversary to Me!!!

I cannot believe it has been a year since I started my blog PonderWonders.  Yes, it's PonderWonders blogiversary month!  I have to say it has been quite an exciting and inspiring journey for me. I've been blessed in ways I didn't see coming.  One of them being making lots of special friends from all over the globe.  It was a year of soul searching and honoring my soul discovering the wonders of self-love and acceptance!  I look forward to even a better year!

In celebration, I'd like to share 
PonderWonders top 10 most viewed posts:


 9)  Spring FotoShoot...Wear its Not About the Clothes!!  

 8)  POMS #11 - Who Wears Short Shorts? I Wear Short Shorts!!  

 7)  "Getting My Sexyy On!!!" with Pole Dancing!!!  
(Oops! never followed up with the pictures....I promise I will very soon)

 6)  I Am Who I Am & I Am Proud of My Size!  

 5)  25 Things Fat People Shouldn't Do...Watch Me! 

 4)  POMS Week 9: I Swallowed My Big Fat Legs!!!  

 3)  Message from a Daughter to her Mother on Father's Day! 

 2)  POMS! Ultimate-Bestest Angle! Lettin' it All Hang Out!  


 And the #1 most viewed post thus far is......
(I love my G-Kidz!!!)

Thank you all for making my first year a superduperdee Fantabulous one!!!

Hope y'all enjoy the reading....

Tootles!

 

February 26, 2013

Recipe of the Week: Ajiaco...A Stew Cuban-Country Style!!!

Hola!  For this weeks recipe I want to share a traditional Cuban stew....Ajiaco.  It consists of various meats and an array of root vegetables.  This dish brings back memories of my childhood.  Memories of my Mother in the kitchen and the aroma of deliciousness roaming in the air.  My mom made it the best!  Ajiaco is one of my favorite stews or soups.  I prepared the stew once many years ago and enjoyed it very much.  These days I try to stay away from meat but I wanted to share it with y'all nonetheless.  I found the recipe at Miami Culinary Tours.
Image Source
Meats:
½ chicken
1 pound mince
1 pound pork meat
1 pound pork loin
8 liters of water


Vegetables:
2 corncobs
½ pound of yellow malanga
1 pound yucca root
1 pound sweet potato
½  pound white malanga
2 sour oranges
1 pumpkin

Sofrito:
2 tablespoons of oil or spread butter
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 pepper
1 cup of tomato purèe
2 tablespoons oregano
3 teaspoons salt
7 bay leafs
3 egg whites

Ajiaco Preparation
In a large casserole put together the chicken, water and bay leafs until it is boiling.  When it has softened, take out the chicken and chop it in cubes. 
Prepare dough made of mince, egg white, tomato and salt, place it in a saucepan where you wil have later the Ajiaco.
Add carefully the chicken stock and let it cook on medium flame until it boils slightly.  Then lower the flame to the minimum and let it cook for 1 to 2 hours approximately.  While you start preparing the stock, begin making the sofrito (by adding chopped pork pieces, chicken and spices), the meals should be peeled and chopped into medium size cubes, some may be added according to the texture and consistency in a saucepan with vegetables stock and pork loin.
Once the stock is ready, strain it and put it on the flame again to add the sofrito and meals already cooked.  Leave it  for at least 20-30 minutes.

A delicious bonus if served with warm Cuban bread!

D e l i c i o s o !

Tootles!

February 25, 2013

Soul Food Monday! - An Inspirational Link-Up #22

Man is the soul that uses the body as an instrument of self-expression.
Hola Readers! Hope this morning everyone is having a great rise along with a BIG appetite for life where ever in the world you may find yourself today. A life filled with excitement and prosperity!   Acknowledging first that we are more than just a body is a good start to healthy wholeness.  Let's take time to feed the soul.  We feed our bodies with healthy foods to get enough energy and nutrients for optimal growth and development.  We feed and stimulate the mind with books, movies, plays and games for personal and creative development.  The same principal applies to feeding the soul.  It is just as important to feed the body as it is to feed the soul!  After all, the soul is the core of who we are!  It is who we are.  My own experiences of honoring my soul has helped me make this connection with my very soul.  And my life is so much richer in so many ways I could not have even imagined.  This is why I refuse to believe that we are just here to work, eat, sleep and die.  Yes, these are inevitable experiences we live as human beings, but we are spiritual beings as well.  So join me every Monday with a different food for the soul.  

It has been my experience in life that through my darkest moments, faith has been my constant and sole comfort that all will be alright....that all is alright.  Faith has seen me through hell and back and it could do the same for you.  Take the leap...

This week's feed on.....Faith
This is my G-kid Brenden a/k/a Chumbi.  A true example of faith.
Wishing everyone a magical Monday and a week full of love, laughter and excitement!

Please keep coming back for more Soul Food Monday!
Where you can feed your soul and start your week with a great and positive outlook!
And ultimately brighten someone else's week by sharing your inspiration!

What is your inspiration this week?
Follow your heart! Grab the button, link-up and share!

Ponderwonders



Tootles!
 

February 22, 2013

Friends, Outfits and Inspiration!

I love motivating others to honor their soul by loving and accepting themselves just as they are. 
 I love helping others see and feel pretty and comfortable in their own unique way. I find it inspiring to inspire.  
To me these are more than just pictures, these are captured moments of 
inspiring self-love and acceptance.  These are
Friends, Outfits and Inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing with me...

my Friends, Outfits and Inspiration!

Tootles!

February 20, 2013

Whimsically Pretty ♥

Hola Readers, Familia, Amigas & Amigos and the occasional Peek-A-Boo-ers!  I sure hope your Wednesday is as whimsically pretty as mine!  I'm hoping y'all are doing superduperdee well where ever in the Universe you may find your beautiful self today!

Let me tell you a little about Whimsically Pretty.  Whimsically Pretty is the name I came up with to describe the essence of my being.  The essence of the world in me through my pictures.  I confess I am not at all a professional photographer.  No way Josè!  I am far from it.  I just truly enjoy taking pictures!  I consider myself more like a photo-taker! I carry my camera with me ALL OF THE TIME!  And if I like, I click!  I love the way the click of the camera ignites my my soul with love and joy.  Love for the world as I see it with my soul.  Louis Armstrong said it best when he sang "What a Wonderful World".  And truly it is!  It's up to you to see it.  I see it everywhere! ♥

So expect to see more of the colors in my world with....


I hope y'all enjoyed Whimsically Pretty...

Tootles!

February 19, 2013

Recipe of the Week: Garden Vegetable Salad Stacker!


Hola!  Today I am keeping it short and simple with a unique recipe I found over at Kraft.  I love sandwiches but sometimes I can do without the bread being it is my weakness and I tend to have too much of it.  So when I found this bread-less sandwich my taste buds were intrigued.  I also LOVE basil making this recipe even more so a winner in my book!  

Image Source

What you'll need:
2 large tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices
6 oz KRAFT Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, cut into 6 slices
1/3 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing, divided
1 large red onion, cut into 6 slices
1 seedless cucumber, cut into 12 slices
6 fresh basil leaves

Putting it all together:
Place 6 tomato slices on platter; top each with 1 cheese slice and drizzle with half the dressing.
Top each stack with 1 onion slice, 2 cucumber slices and second tomato slice.
Drizzle with remaining dressing; top with basil

And there you have it a one of a kind superdeeduperdee awesome sandwich stacker!  I'm sure you can get creative and give this stacker a kick by perhaps substituting the mozzarella cheese with Monterrey Jack Cheese or even super sharp cheddar....mmmhhmmm!   If you try the recipe, please do come back and share the experience.  I'd love to hear from you!

.D e l i c i o s o !
Tootles!

February 18, 2013

Soul Food Monday! - An Inspirational Link-Up #21

Man is the soul that uses the body as an instrument of self-expression.
Hola Readers! Hope this morning everyone is having a great rise along with a BIG appetite for life where ever in the world you may find yourself today. A life filled with excitement and prosperity!   Acknowledging first that we are more than just a body is a good start to healthy wholeness.  Let's take time to feed the soul.  We feed our bodies with healthy foods to get enough energy and nutrients for optimal growth and development.  We feed and stimulate the mind with books, movies, plays and games for personal and creative development.  The same principal applies to feeding the soul.  It is just as important to feed the body as it is to feed the soul!  After all, the soul is the core of who we are!  It is who we are.  My own experiences of honoring my soul has helped me make this connection with my very soul.  And my life is so much richer in so many ways I could not have even imagined.  This is why I refuse to believe that we are just here to work, eat, sleep and die.  Yes, these are inevitable experiences we live as human beings, but we are spiritual beings as well.  So join me every Monday with a different food for the soul.
This week's feed on......Standards
This week I'd like to try something new.  I'd like to share my readers' comments, thoughts of inspiration. To me it is very rewarding and enriching when I receive comments or thoughts from my readers.  It is inspiring to me.  So this week I will be sharing a personal thought I received from one of my readers.  She is not a blogger, just a soul who from time to time pops in to express herself.  Her name is Neysi.

Standards...by who's should I live?
By the one which states my material possessions do not meet their criteria? 
My house, my car, even my clothes are up for judgement just because of what you think you see. 
But what about what you're NOT seeing. 
What about the peace, the love, the joy in my heart? 
What about the sincerity of my embraces and the many times my calmness helped to fill you with understanding? 
What value does true kindness and concern hold for you? 
Standards???
I will take God's over man's any day. 
For God doesn't ask us to boast of our belongings but to give to those in need. 
He doesn't judge me by what I have, but by who I am. 
Why can't people do the same? 
How lost we live in this world that makes us think we HAVE to have this or that, possessions are a must. 
Have yours while you are here. 
I'll keep mine where they belong, already stored in heaven. 
The ones who truly know and love me accept me with what I have and love me anyway. 
That's peace of mind and heart for what one truly possess.
Poetry...reality...just being me.

Wishing everyone a magical Monday and a week full of love, laughter and excitement!

Please keep coming back for more Soul Food Monday!
Where you can feed your soul and start your week with a great and positive outlook!
And ultimately brighten someone else's week by sharing your inspiration!

What is your inspiration this week?
Follow your heart! Grab the button, link-up and share!

Ponderwonders

Tootles!

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