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Today I decided to get off my butt and make something. I think most people who know me know that I am happiest when I am in the Lab creating something. Anything!

I’ve noticed that here in the midwest my skin tends to dry out more than I am used to and I require the use of a more intense lotion. But I really dislike thick, heavy, greasy creams and won’t suffer through them even if they work beautifully.

All of my creations are formulated and handmade from the ground up. I start with an idea of what kind of product I want and what I want it to do. Then I will move into formulation and create my product based on the individual oils and other ingredients that accomplish my goal. When it comes to scent, I first look for essential oils that do a particular job and then create a blend that smells a certain way based on the type of product, its color, the season, how the product is supposed to make you feel, etc.

I’m sure that this recipe is not mine because I cannot remember creating it and my formulations are either much larger or smaller for testing. I have personally used it many times and really wish I could remember where I got it and when I wrote it down. If anyone has come across it, please let me know so that I can give proper credit.

This whipped butter is extremely easy to make and does not incorporate water so there is no need for a preservative if you are not making it for clients. You will want to add an antioxidant though, to keep the oils from turning rancid. This is the purpose of the vitamin E so don’t leave it out unless you are going to substitute another antioxidant!

Also, I know there will be some people out there reading who will feel a bit cheated that I didn’t specify the butters and oils to use. It’s really okay! This is where your own creativity comes into play. You might say, I only have shea butter, can I use that? Or, I only have 1.5 ounces of aloe butter but I have 2.5 of cocoa butter, is that okay? YES! Use one butter and one oil, use a mixture of different ones, it’s all up to you. There are many people out there who purchase bases from suppliers, stir in a scent and repackage it, but I like to have control over every aspect of my products from scent to texture to benefits. Use a therapeutic essential oil blend as a scent to help with eczema. Use aloe butter to help with sunburn. Use lavender to calm you or grapefruit to energize after a morning shower. Use rosehip seed oil for mature skin, olive for sensitive skin or if it’s what you have on hand. Safflower, peanut, wheat germ, sweet almond, it’s all up to you!

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My kids would live on breakfast foods if I let them. I have never seen two people more in love with pancakes, waffles and cold cereal and willing to eat them three times a day forever. That being the case, there is a dire need to keep these things in the house in order to maintain a happy household. Short story, I can cook but I don’t like to. I would rather do almost anything other than cook. And I would go through a fortune in ready made mixes, so I make it a point to trudge through an hour once a week to keep the young ‘uns at peace. The secret is to make a bunch, freeze them, and have them heat them in the microwave or toaster when they want them. Everyone’s happy!

4 cups all-purpose flour
8 Tbs sugar
8 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups milk
1 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla

Heat your pan or griddle to medium low heat. This is essential! Don’t try to cook this recipe too fast or they will be burned on the outside and runny in the middle.
Combine all of the dry ingredients and mix together. Next, add in the liquids and eggs. At this point, I thoroughly mix until smooth although some people advise to mix just until moistened. Use whichever method you prefer, lumps just irritate me. I then pour the mix onto the griddle by scant 1/3 cup because it makes pancakes the perfect size to store in my bread bag. When bubbles form on top, turn over and cook until golden.

This recipe will make about 30 nice and fluffy pancakes. If you don’t mind flat pancakes, thin the mixture with about 1/2 cup of milk and you will have a few more.

I use a particular method to freeze them so that I don’t have to put wax paper in between the pancakes in the bag. I first allow the pancakes to cool to room temperature on my cooling racks. Obviously the first ones done will also be the first ones cooled. When 6 are cooled I place them on a cookie sheet and into the freezer for about 10 minutes. Then I remove them, place them in the bread bag and put another 6 in to freeze. Keep repeating until all are done. This method allows the pancakes to freeze but not stick to the cookie sheet or each other in the bag. It’s pretty frustrating to reach in for a pancake and have it break in half because it’s stuck to the one beneath it.

So there ya have it. Happy Monday!

We love tomatoes at this house. No, seriously. I don’t think that you quite get me when I say we love tomatoes. Take a lookie loo.

The Great Tomato Garden of 2008

The Great Tomato Garden of 2008

There at least 27 plants that I can remember, of 3 different varieties. We had Roma, Cherry and Beefstake. Yum. And they were all started from seeds I might add, for those who know that I have a brown thumb. Unfortunately, we ended up moving from that house about two months or so after this picture was taken. Issues. Another post maybe.

We ended up with about 50% of the harvest, not being able to get back to get the rest. I’m sure the owner had to give some away! I planted so many because I wanted to take a crack at canning homemade salsa and tomato sauce. LOVED how they turned out, HATED dealing with the darn tomatoes! Blanching, peeling, coring 47 pounds OMG. June Cleaver had to be a drinker. Now, we don’t have a garden. And I’m okay with that because if I ever get the urge to do that again, assume I am a podperson and shoot me in the head.

But I really do love a certain taste and texture to my tomato sauce. Well, necessity being the mother of invention and all, I have come up with a new way to make ‘homemade’ sauce. Still involves canning, which I don’t mind a bit, but the prep is nominal. By the by, no laughing.

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Need a quick side dish for a 4th of July BBQ? I made this dish in about 10 minutes and it is delish!

1 box garden rotini pasta
1/2 block colby jack cheese, cubed
1/2 bag sliced pepperoni, cut into quarters
1/4 - 1/3 cup parmesan reggianno
3 - 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
10 - 15 large olives, diced
2 - 3 green onions, minced
1/4 - 1/3 cup Italian dressing
Any other goodies you want to throw in: broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, spices, etc.

First, cook the pasta until al dente, about 9-11 miutes. While the pasta is boiling, cut up the rest of the ingredients and place in a large bowl. Reserve the dressing for last.

Cut up the goodies

Cut up the goodies

Drain your pasta and thoroughly rinse with cold water. You definitely do not want to skip this step because it stops the pasta from cooking and keeps it firm.

Drain and rinse

Drain and rinse

Carefully mix the pasta with your other ingredients. Don’t be too rough so that the pasta doesn’t fall apart. Finally, lightly toss with the Italian Dressing. If you have time, chill for 2 -4 hours so that the flavors develop. If not, enjoy!

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

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Here in this little town in Wisconsin the weather has been almost unbearably hot. We had two days in a row with heat advisories and the days would have been well spent at the beach. Unfortunately, I’m not a lake kinda gal. There’s just something about stagnant water with green things floating on top that just doesn’t give me the welcome mat. Maybe I have been spoiled by the ocean, with the beautiful waves crashing on the shore and the constant renewal.

I suppose I’m just a little weird when it comes to the ocean as well. While living in California I loved going to the beach and swimming in the ocean. But when we lived in Hawaii, the only time I felt comfortable in the water was when we would go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. This picture isn’t of Hanauma Bay but gives an idea of the beauty of the area.

hawaii

To beat the heat I’ve made up a couple of yummies that I would like to share. The first one is a Strawberry Lemonade recipe that I found on the ‘net. The only changes I made were omitting the sugar because I used a tub of sweetened, sliced strawberries that I got for way cheap awhile ago. I like my lemonade quite tart and this was delicious.

The other yummy was homemade ice cream sandwiches. This one is really easy and flexible.

icecreamsand12

I found the recipe awhile ago, not sure where, and it called for refrigerated cookie dough. Since I make my own instead, I decided to use that. In either case, you want a fairly soft cookie. I made them double sized, put a couple of scoops of vanilla fudge swirl ice cream in between and froze them for about 20 minutes. They turned out really well but next time I will make the cookies a tad smaller because it’s just entirely too much to finish in one sitting!

icecreamsand2

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people say that it is much more difficult to make hot process (HP) liquid soap than to make cold process (CP) bar soap. Respectfully, I completely disagree! There are so many things you can screw up when making bar soap and not enough opportunity to fix those mistakes. I can tell you from experience, having made both types for awhile now, there is nothing to be afraid of when it comes to liquid soap. The most common mistakes can be fixed quickly and easily and it is a much more leisurely process. This tutorial will walk you through it. Fair warning, this post is very long and heavy on the images. more…

While I was perusing Google’s many results for budgets, I came across a really awesome site that I wish I had found sooner. I have found many great ideas and when I find one that works for me, I will definitely pass the link along. As I will do now. more…

pervert

1 1/2 tsp Southern Comfort® peach liqueur
1 1/2 tsp Crown Royal® Canadian whisky
2 tsp grenadine syrup
1 tsp pineapple juice

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