Getting Clean ...and a Recipe!

A few weeks ago I came across the One Green Generation blog while they were going through a detox cleanse. I followed along until they finished and it seemed like such a great experience for them! I bought the book and have been working my way through it. It sounds like a cool deal to me so I told hubster about it and it's a go with him too. I want to finish the book and then we'll get started. The total cleanse is for 21 days + a week long elimination process that is done before the cleanse is actually started. I think I'll do the whole thing, but I told my husband he can at least try for the 7 day cleanse and if he feels up to it he can continue with me. I'm pretty excited about it and if anyone is interested I can do daily posts like they did on OGG. The book says keeping a journal is a good idea anyway.

Anyhoo, on to the recipe! This is another "bath and body" recipe in my quest to make myself and my environment cleaner and greener! This time it's for a powdered deodorant. I used to use just straight baking soda but found that it really made me itch so I went back to the stick deodorant/antiperspirant. I was reading recently that the soda by itself is too strong and that it should be cut with corn starch so I thought I'd give it another go. I tried this recipe and have been using it for over a week and really like it. I even got hubby on board! I'm pretty sure the recipe came from the OGG blog too, I just cut mine down so it would fit in my 4 oz. jars.

Powdered Deodorant

1/4 cup Baking Soda ( I use Bob's Red Mill "Aluminum Free" Baking Soda)
1/4 cup Cornstarch (I'm wondering if arrowroot would work too?)
2 drops Tea Tree essential oil (I use NOW brand)
1 Bay Leaf

Mix the soda and starch together. Add the 2 drops of tea tree oil and stir with a toothpick (or whatever you have on hand. I used a bobby pin since I was mixing this up in my bathroom!). Pour into a small jar or other container with a tight fitting lid. Stick one bay leaf in there and close up the jar. Shake to mix it all up. I let mine set overnight but I don't know if that's absolutely necessary. I'm sure you can just use it right away. To use, I take a cotton ball and use it like a powder puff to apply enough powder to cover my underarm area. It doesn't take much!

Now, this doesn't prevent wetness; although, the starch does absorb a little. I swear I have had no odor and my husband says he hasn't either! Cool! The real test will be this summer when even the store bought stuff doesn't help me out.

Next up is homemade laundry detergent! There are about a bazillion recipes on the web for laundry soaps. I'm trying a powdered one and I'll let you know how it works!

In sewing news, the time is coming when I'll finally be able to unveil what those crazy Pattens by Figgy's ladies have been up to with their book! I can't wait!

Recipe Thursday: Spring Fling Cake!

This is the best cake. Ever. Seriously. It's light, moist, easy, and oh-so-delish. I just made this for Easter Dinner but made another for dinner tonight since my husband's aunt is going to be in town. When I realized it was Thursday I thought I would post it for my most neglected Recipe Thursday. Sorry about that y'all!

Spring Fling Cake

Cake

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix

4 Eggs

1 11oz. can Mandarin Oranges (don't drain)

1/2 Cup Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Prepare 3 round cake pans by greasing well. Beat all ingredients on Medium-High for 2 minutes. It's kinda cool because the oranges get beat to hell and you hardly even know they are in there after it's baked! Pour batter into pans and bake for 15-20 minutes. Check to make sure they are done with a toothoick. Transfer cakes to a coolong rack and cool completely.

Icing

3oz. Package Vanilla Instant Pudding

20oz. Can Crushed Pinapple (do not drain)

9oz. Container Cool Whip

Mix the Pudding and Pineapple well and then fold in Cool Whip. Place one cake on a plate and spread with about 1/4 of the Icing. Place another cake on top and ice. Repeat with the last cake. Use the remaining Icing to cover the sides. Be sure to keep this refridgerated!

For the cake I made today I used a 9"x13" baking dish instead of my round cake pans. To do this I just buttered and floured my pan and baked it for 30 minutes. I turned it out on to a cooling rack and then once it was cool transferred it to one of those rectangular Tupperware covered cake thingies. I had plenty of Icing to frost the top and sides. I also used a 20oz. can of madarin oranges instead and counted out 8 for the decoration. I poured the rest into the cake batter. Yummy!

Enjoy!

Recipe Thursday: Face and Body Sugar Scrub

Er...I guess I should say Recipe Friday. Oh well, better late than never! Although, I believe this is about 3 WEEKS late!! Maybe more, I quit counting.

Anyhoo, this is a wonderful scrub that you can even use on your face! It's really simple to make and leave the skin silky soft. You can make this using organic or regular sugar, whatever you have on hand. I'm using regular for this batch since I just didn't have the cash for the "good" stuff! :-D

Face and Body Sugar Scrub

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup White Sugar

Sweet Almond Oil (or any other light vegetable oil. Olive oil is particularly wonderful for moisturizing the skin and grapeseed is excellent.)

Essential Oil of your choice (I'm using orange and vanilla essential oils this time. Other good choices are lavender, lemon, lemongrass, ginger, rosemary, geranium, jasmine, rose, etc. Pretty much whatever you like and can use.)

Gather your ingredients.

Mix up the sugars in a large bowl and start adding the oil slowly, stirring every so often until the mixture becomes kind of think and paste-y.

It should end up looking like this.

Now, you begin adding your essential oils. Just a little at a time until you get the fragrance you want. I found that about 1/2 teaspoon each of the vanilla and orange was plenty.

It's always nice to have a test sniffer handy!

When everything is just right, you can start loading up your container. I'm recycling a container here but you can use canning jars or even baby food jars, whatever. That could make a really cute little gift! I'm thinking bridal and baby showers, gift baskets, etc. This makes a pretty good amount and my jar is not big enough to hold it all so you might be sure to have an extra container on hand just in case.

Ta Da! Now you have some lovely scrubby goodness.

To use: Scoop up a palm full and rub all over skin. Use a little more on dry areas like feet, hand elbows. If you use on face rub gently. Rinse well. Also, be careful in the shower, it can make the floor slick! You may notice the oil separates, just shake your container well before opening and using.

Enjoy!

Recipe Thursday: Granny's Super Sweet Taters

Happy New Year's Eve! I probably won't be posting New Year's Day since the hubster has a gig tonite and we'll be zombies tomorrow. I can't believe this year is at it's end already! It went waaay too fast but I'm glad 'cause 2009 just sucked, am I right?! And now we can start saying twenty-ten, etc. instead of two-thousand and blah-blah. That always bothered me for some reason. I'm crazy, perhaps?

Anyhoo! I got my yellow undies made yesterday and I even did a review for Pattern Review! This is Kwik Sew 2100 and I like the pattern a lot. Their sizing is really off, which you can read about in my review, but these turned out great! I used a Nylon/Lycra and they sort have a slimming effect. Yay! I just realized yesterday that I make way more stuff than I review. I should really do more reviews this next year! It would be cool to have a record of everything I make throughout the year. I've noticed many other sewing bloggers doing a kind of wrap-up of their sewing projects and I honestly haven't got a clue how many items I've made over the last 12 months!

Okay, on to the recipe! You will most definitely need something with slimming action when you eat these sweet potatoes! They are so wonderful and it's the only way I make mine. I got the recipe from my Mother-in-Law several years ago and it's the one I think her mother used. I'm sorry I don't have a picture! I made these for Christmas Eve but totally spaced the picture taking/Recipe Thursday stuff. You'll just have to trust me on this one! We always reserve this dish for special holidays. This would be perfect to serve tomorrow!

Granny's Super Sweet Taters

6-8 Sweet Potatoes or Yams (whichever you use, try to find the smallest ones, they tend to be better)
1 pound Brown Sugar
1 pint Heavy Cream
1/4 tsp Nutmeg (optional)
9"x13" Baking Dish, sprayed with cooking spay or buttered

The night before you make the dish, mix cream and brown sugar in a covered container or big jar, refrigerate. (If you want to use nutmeg you can stir it in with the cream and brown sugar or wait and sprinkle it over the potatoes before baking. It's not part of the original recipe, just something I added on my own so please don't think it's necessary. These are just as delicious without it!) Stir the mixture every so often, maybe each time you get in the fridge. Boil the potatoes in a large pot, skin on, for about 30-45 minutes or until soft. Drain and let cool. This makes peeling the taters super easy! Okay, now you can peel 'em. Cut into quarters and place them in your baking dish, preferably in a single layer. You can do this the day before if you need the time! Right before you want to bake your taters get out your cream mixture and stir well, pour over the potatoes. Heat oven to 350 degrees then pop in the taters. Bake covered (I just use foil) for approx. 1 hour and be sure to spoon the sauce over the potatoes every 20 minutes or so. What comes out is a bubbly, caramel-y treat like no other! No marshmallows needed here!

As always, if you have questions please email me. I'd love to hear if you try the recipe!

Recipe Thursday: Brrrrrownies! Ah yeeeah!

Okay, this is a super easy Brownie recipe! So easy it should be illegal 'cause yer gonna want to make it every day. I found this recipe on the web but have adapted it a bit to suit my taste. I also use organic ingredients whenever I possibly can. It makes the brownies healthy that way! I keep telling myself that anyway.

Easy Peasy Brownies

1/2 cup Butter (it's best to use real butter)
3/4 cup Brown Sugar (I use dark brown but I'm sure light will work fine too)
3/4 cup White Sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa
1/4 tsp Salt
1 TBSP Vanilla (yes, a tablespoon)
A sprinkleydoo of Cinnamon or about 1/4 tsp (trust me)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare an 8" square baking dish with butter or cooking spray or line the bottom with parchment paper, set aside for now. Melt the butter in a large-ish saucepan. Remove from heat and let it stand for a couple of minutes. Dump everything else in the saucepan and mix well. Pour batter into the prepared pan and pop 'em in the oven for about 20 minutes. Test with a toothpick for done-ness. If the toothpick comes out gooey, bake for a few minutes more.

Now, you're supposed to let these cool before you can cut them but who has time for that?! We're dealing with brownies, people! We cut/scoop and eat hot. They aren't pretty but really, who cares.... If you want them to look nice just wait an hour or so.

You can also add chocolate chips, nuts, or whatever suits your fancy! The recipe can easily be doubled if you need more choco-goodness.

Enjoy!

Thursday is now the Official Recipe Day!

Last Thursday I posted a couple of shampoo recipes and I think I'm going to keep it up! I love to cook and make up my own bath and body stuff so I'll post some sort of recipe every Thursday. It could be brownies or it could be body scrub. You just never know with me!

First things first though, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who gave in to Fabric.com, that evil temptress! Second, I really need to thank the UPS man for bringing all that fabric I ordered from Chez Ami early yesterday! My husband would just die! Now it's all safely hidden in the bins in my garage. Of course he's used to my fabricaholic tendencies after 15+ years. If you sew for children then you really need to head over there. They have some of their fabrics clearanced for $2.50 a yard. You have to buy it in two yard lots but it is sooo worth it. The fabric is excellent quality and washes beautifully. I've made my son several things and they all still look great after several washings. Anyhoo, I'm sort of ashamed to say I bought *gasp* 42 yards. Yes, you read that correctly. I know, awful right? I plan to use it for at least 5 people so it'll go fast. Some good friends of ours have a 2 year old daughter and I want to make her a whole bunch of stuff. Her daddy lost his job a couple months ago and I know they don't have the money to buy her a bunch of Winter clothing. So, I'm arming myself with my Ottobre mags and will get down and dirty as soon as I get some of this fabric washed.

Okay, on to the recipe!

This is another shampoo that we love and is easy to make. It's my daughter's new favorite and really does smell fresh. My little guy and my big guy like it too. Bonus!

Minty Fresh Shampoo

1/4 cup Distilled Water
1/4 cup Liquid Castile Soap (I use the unscented stuff from Dr. Bronner's)
2 tsp Jojoba Oil
1/8 tsp Peppermint Oil
1/8 tsp Tea Tree Oil
Bottle

Pour water and soap into bottle and then add your oils. Swish around to mix. Shake well before use in the shower. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Rinse well.

This is a good one for this time of year with cold and flu season upon us (well, in the Northern Hemisphere anyway). The tea tree has excellent cleaning properties and is an analgesic, decongestant, and expectorant. The peppermint is also good for sinus congestion and is a pain reliever. So the next time you have a cold or a headache, hop in the shower armed with this shampoo!

Tomorrow, I want to unveil my version of the Hot Patterns Uptown/Downtown dress! See you all then.