Tangerine Soap

I made this batch a few weeks ago.  This is the second batch of soap I've made, but this is my first attempt at what I call "real" soap.  Soap with nice oils (like coconut and olive), soap with a nice smell (tangerine & peru balsam).

Soap I couldn't wait to use in the shower...but I had to!  It cures for a month.  But that month is over...and we're using our own handmade soap.

I love that.

A Simple Christmas : For the Cook

A Simple Christmas may seem a little bit of an oxymoron for the cook!

But I enjoy cooking and baking (a lot), so it wouldn't seem like Christmas to me if I didn't do a fair amount of baking.  It's kind of sad that most of the people I know (with a couple of exceptions) claim "they don't like to cook."

But for those that do....here is my favorite cookie recipe.  I've been making these since I was a teenager, and they are good:

Iced Butter Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (the real stuff, not imitation)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Cream the butter and sugar together until creamy and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, blend well. Add the flour. The dough should come together in a big ball or mass of dough.

Place in plastic wrap (I shape it into a thick frisbee shape) and chill at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Roll out half of dough at a time, use favorite cookie cutters to make shapes, place on un-greased baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees about 10 to 12 minutes or until just turning golden around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool completely before icing.

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablspoons water
food coloring (optional)

Mix together in a bowl.  Ice cookies!  This makes a sort-of off-white icing color.  You can add a few drops of food coloring to make different colors, if you like.  I just make the off-white color, I like it.  I've considered getting some natural food coloring (India Tree makes little kits just like the conventional ones), but haven't gotten around to it.

Depending on the size cookie cutter you use, you can get anywhere from 4 to 6 dozen cookies from one batch. I made two batches and got about 12 dozen.

If you have a cook on your gift list, here are a few ideas :

Top : Psalm Cutting Board, from ExquisiteInks

Middle : Personalized Labels, from LittlebeaneBoutique
Gourmet salt sampler, from Craig's Market
Rustic Craft Designs' Wood Butter
MidTown Olive Press' Infused Olive Oils

Bottom : Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food
Komo Grain Mill
Earth to Table, Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm

And if you are interested in fermented foods and priobiotics, Cultures for Health is a great resource.

What are your favorite cooking tools and supplies?

A Simple Christmas : Natural Gifts

We lean toward the un-slick, the natural, the low-tech.  Give me a good wood cutting board and a sharp knife over another kitchen gadget any day.  I actually saw a "cupcake maker" in a store the other day.  I thought "I have one of those...it's called an oven."  I've never understood why people buy rice steamers, bread machines, sandwich makers....cupcake makers:)  My stove/oven do all of those things.

Not being a "gadget" gal, I love natural things.  I like using them, wearing them, smelling them, and decorating with them.  And the bonus?  Most of these are from small businesses, so you're supporting small, local, sustainable business.

Row 1:  Cherry wood salt cellar & spoon; Handthrown ceramic coffee mug
Row 2:  Organic wool felt dryer balls; Organic soap sampler pack; Linen photo album
Row 3:  Organic natural wood baby rattle; Organic Body Care Recipes book; DIY Moss Terrarium Kit

Pumpkin Pooch

A note from Shepherd :  (This post was written by Shepherd, our sweet senior dog.)

Flickr mosaic : Pumpkins

1. Pumpkins for Sale, 2. Potsdamer plats pumpkins, 3. Pumpkins are Tasty, 4. Autumn Leaves, 5. Autumn Leaf, 6. Pumpkin Patch, 7. Pumpkins, 8. Pumpkin Patch, 9. Waxen Wan, 10. Pumpkins, 11. Pumpkin barrow, 12. Pumpkin, 13. ~Happy First Day of Fall~

Did you know pumpkin is good for dogs?  Especially for their digestion?  Especially if you're an older dog like me and don't have the 'cast iron' stomach you used to have?

My mom and dad discovered pumpkin is good for my stomach, ...and it's delicious!  And easy on the canine stomach.  I love a couple of spoonfuls instead of milk, which sadly, I don't seem to tolerate well anymore.  So they've stocked up on cans of pureed pumpkin, just for me.  Isn't that sweet?

I say, bring on the pumpkin.

Tea Love : Hot Tea

I love tea...hot tea.  I am not a coffee drinker at all, so we have hot tea every morning with our breakfast.  Our favorite brand of tea is PG Tips, a English tea.  It's a great basic black tea with a lot of flavor.  Earl Grey is another fave...great for afternoon tea.

Here's a shot of my Tea board over on Pinterest :

Tea Board

There are several Ravelry groups that are tea-based.  I'm in the Cuppa Tea group myself.

Now, I think I'll go have a cup of tea.

Are you a tea drinker?

The Best Way to Clean Your Skin

The oil cleansing method.  Yep, and I have oily skin.  I've been cleaning my face this way for almost a year and my skin hasn't looked this good in years.  It's simple, it's easy and it's natural.  I know it sounds funny if you haven't tried it.  I mean, wouldn't it just make your skin greasy and oilier?  But no, it doesn't.

I've found several articles and websites that give good information about it and explain the science better than I could:

This website gives a good explanation of how it works and how to use the method.

Crunchy Betty gives a good overview of the whole topic.

And at Keeper of the Home, Stephanie explains how she does it in a video.

My recipe for my oil cleanser is:

Organic Caster Oil

Organic Sweet Almond Oil

Organic Essential Oils in favorite scents

I use a little 4 ounce bottle, and I fill it 1/3 full with the caster oil, 2/3 full with sweet almond oil and then add my essentials oil to suit me.  My current favorite is about 10 drops of tangerine, 4 or 5 drops of clary sage and 1 drop of lemongrass.    Very clean and fresh smell!

I order most of my oils from Mountain Rose.  I love their products, and they have a lot of tips on using essential oils as well.  If you follow them on Pinterest, they are always adding tips, recipes, and ideas.

Have you tried the oil cleansing method?  Does it work for you?