Charcoal Soap

Activated charcoal has been used in recent years to detoxify your skin by drawing out impurities from beneath the surface.  Using charcoal soap doesn't harm your skin in any way, but it does provide a gentle, deep cleansing which is especially good for people with acne-prone skin types.  Activated charcoal is a safe and amazing ingredient, to learn more about it check out this site.  This soap also has tea tree oil and eucalyptus essential oil which create a wonderful scent together.

Lemongrass Soap

Things that are good for your body internally are often good for your body externally as well, which is why I like to use organic teas when making my soaps.  Teas have been used in various medicinal ways for centuries.  My great grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian who cared for sick people by wrapping them in clothes that had been soaked in herbal teas.  I'm told she "healed" many people that way.  Whether or not these practices work, you can't deny the smell of lemongrass tea is lovely - and so is this soap.  With lemongrass leaves throughout this soap, you get a gentle exfoliating effect while you bathe.  This is one of my favorites so far!  

Spearmint Soap

Sweet and fresh, this yummy soap will wake you up and put a smile on your face.  One sniff and you will want to eat it!  But don't.  It's soap after all.  Spearmint essential oils have numerous health benefits.  Like most essential oils, spearmint has anti-bacterial properties and blocks the growth of certain microbes, including Salmonella, E coli and MRSA.  Spearmint is also a mood-lifter.  So brighten your mood while you shower with this delicious smelling soap!

Citrus Soap

This refreshing soap has tiny pieces of orange peel throughout each bar to serve as an exfoliant to your skin.  It also contains grapefruit essential oil, which provides a soft, bright scent.  Citrus oil is a natural antiseptic when used in soap.  It's also antimicrobial and works to disinfect as it cleans.  Orange oil can help prevent inflammation, which makes this a good soap to use for shaving.

Java Soap

Anybody who knows me had to know it was just a matter of time before I found a way to incorporate coffee into my soaps.  I LOVE coffee, but until I started researching healthy, all-natureal ingredients for your skin, I did not know that coffee could be used externally.  Studies have shown that caffeine applied to your skin can actually kill the abnormal cells that cause skin cancer.  It can also help rosacea by constricting blood vessels that cause the skin to flush. 

Perhaps one of the best uses for this soap is for deodorizing your hands after cooking.  Coffee is said to be able to remove odors of garlic and onions from your hands, and the coffee grounds throughout the soap make it excellent scrubbing away dirt.  You'll want to keep a bar of this by your kitchen sink.  

Lavender Soap

I've had many people ask me when I'm going to make lavender soap.....lavender soap is now available!  It's a beautiful bar made with the finest oils for the ultimate skin-nourishing benefits.  Lavender essential oil gives this soap its soft lavender aroma.  Soaps made with lavender essential oils can aid in the healing of skin infections because of its antibacterial and antiseptic properties.  Lavender is said to promote relaxation and stress-relief, making this an excellent soap to use just before bedtime - especially for children.

Ginger/Beer Shampoo Soap

You're gonna love the lather and conditioning this shampoo soap provides!  Yes, it's really made with actual beer, brewed by my friend Laura and her husband in their home using all-natural ingredients. The ginger essential oil gives this shampoo bar a slightly spicy fragrance.  In addition to B vitamins, the proteins in the malt and hops are said to repair damaged hair and boost overall body.  Meanwhile, the maltose and sucrose in beer tighten the hair's cuticles for enhanced shine.  Your hair may actually seem thicker after using Ginger/Beer Shampoo Soap.  This shampoo soap is great for washing your body and lathering your skin for shaving.  So if you happen to be traveling, consider this all-in-one product that won't spill and can be packed in your carry-on luggage for the plane.

Basil Soap

Few smells are as fresh and earthy as basil, which is why I wanted to make a soap utilizing that wonderful aroma.  Basil is a calming herb that has been used in many cultures to treat acne, headaches and stress relief, as well as many other ailments.    

Chamomile Honey Soap

The beautiful thing about making soap is that I get to create my own recipes using ingredients that I enjoy.  This soothing and nourishing bar of chamomile honey soap will soften your skin as it cleans.  The subtle sweet smell is as delightful as a cup of tea.  Chamomile is a long standing medicinal herb that was used by the Egyptians in their beauty rituals.  It has healing properties, which includes toning the skin, is good for rashes, softens skin and acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial.  Honey is a natural moisturizing humectant with anti-microbial qualities.  Together these ingredients create a wonderful soap that is great for sensitive skin.

The China Study

There are very few books that I can say have truly changed my life, but The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II is definitely one that has.  In this book Dr. Campbell explores the relationship between food and disease, specifically cancer, heart disease and diabetes.  The western world is plagued by these health crises and the problem is not getting better, it's getting worse.  After reading this book, I made huge changes in my own diet - I became a vegetarian, drastically reduced the amount of dairy in my diet, started eating more organic foods and started making more food from scratch.  I'm a long way from where I want to be, but this book started me on a journey to healthier eating that has paid off for my family.  My husband's cholesterol dropped 35 points after we made these dietary changes!  My blood pressure came down and I started feeling much better.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to live a healthier life.  It's a bit scientific, but hang in there, as you read it you will be amazed at the findings of The China Study.

Oatmeal Goat's Milk Soap

Made with a variety of nourishing botanical oils and rich goat's milk, this bar of fragrance-free soap cleanses and exfoliates with organic oats.  It's an excellent soap for those with sensitive skin.  

Planting Onions

We eat onions in some form almost every single day at our house, so this year we are planting plenty. It's the first thing to go into the ground in the Spring and hopefully we will have some left to store in the fall. Notice Dora and Bentley supervising the job.

Cocoa Butter Shave Soap

I remember watching my dad shave when I was a little girl.  He used Old Spice shave soap in a mug, lathered it up with a brush and slapped it on his face.  So making this shave soap brought back memories.  This soap is made with cocoa butter and bentonite clay.  Cocoa butter's excellent moisturizing qualities makes it exceptionally beneficial for dry skin. It also contains vitamins and minerals that nourish your skin while you shave.  Bentonite clay creates a rich lather and has the added benefit of being a natural detoxifier. Bentonite clay binds with and removes toxins from your body, 

and it's extremely eco-friendly.

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/026110_soap_natural_clay.html#ixzz1p80gbuFR

Almond Goat's Milk Soap

Today's project:  Almond Goat's Milk Soap.  This very soothing, creamy soap is gentle and conditioning for sensitive skin.  It has no artificial ingredients or coloring.  Ingredients include:

Organic Coconut Oil:  moisturizing, soothing, effective for acne treatment and prevention, natural antimicrobial, reduces oil in skin (leading to fewer clogged pores), anti-aging properties which can prevent wrinkles from forming and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil:  hypoallergenic, moisturizes and nourishes, contains high levels of antioxidants, renews and repairs free radical damage in skin, helps reverse damage and wrinkles caused by sun exposure, pollution, smoke and unhealthy diet, stimulates regrowth of skin cells, cleanses and softens skin.

Organic Almond Oil:  high in antioxidants, anti-aging, helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines, high in vitamin E, moisturizing, helps reduce acne.

Shea Butter:  treats dry skin, relieves swelling, healing properties, protects from UV rays, fights stretch marks, gentle on sensitive skin, anti-aging, easily absorbed, does not clog pores, good for eczema and dermatitis.


Organic Goat's Milk:  contains alpha-hydroxy acids which help remove dead skin cells, making skin younger looking, high in vitamin A, repairs damaged skin tissue, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, contains selenium which prevents sun damage.

Almonds:  natural exfoliant.


Other ingredients:  sodium hydroxide, distilled water.  No artificial colors or fragrances.

Peppermint Tea Soap

Today's project:  Peppermint Tea Soap.  This refreshing herbal soap smells good enough to eat!  Ingredients include:

Organic Coconut Oil:  moisturizing, soothing, effective for acne treatment and prevention, natural antimicrobial, reduces oil in skin (leading to fewer clogged pores), anti-aging properties which can prevent wrinkles from forming and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil:  hypoallergenic, moisturizes and nourishes, contains high levels of antioxidants, renews and repairs free radical damage in skin, helps reverse damage and wrinkles caused by sun exposure, pollution, smoke and unhealthy diet, stimulates regrowth of skin cells, cleanses and softens skin.

Organic Grapeseed Oil:  high in antioxidants, lessens allergic reactions on skin, may help fight eczema or psoriasis, penetrates quickly, protects skin's natural collagen.

Shea Butter:  treats dry skin, relieves swelling, healing properties, protects from UV rays, fights stretch marks, gentle on sensitive skin, anti-aging, easily absorbed, does not clog pores, good for eczema and dermatitis.

Organic Peppermint Tea, Peppermint Leaves and Peppermint Essential Oil:  analgesic properties, stimulating and refreshing.

Other ingredients:  sodium hydroxide, distilled water.  No artificial colors.

Soap Making - Eucalyptus Soap

I confess, sometimes I get a little absorbed in my projects. Some call it obsession, I prefer to call it ambition.  I've been very ambitious about this one.  After immersing myself in the study of soap-making for a couple months (reading books, researching recipes and ingredients, watching videos, testing recipes, etc), I finally made my first batch to sell yesterday.  My house smells wonderful!  This is the old-fashioned cold-process soap made from all organic, vegan ingredients.  I'm in the process of making other kinds of soaps and I can't wait to make them available!  They have to cure for about six weeks.  I'll post photos and descriptions of my soaps as I make them.

I plan to start selling my soaps on Etsy in a couple months, but if you are interested in purchasing some let me know.  I am taking orders now at an introductory price of $5/bar.  All soap will be tested (on family and friends) before I sell them.

Here's what I used (and why I used it) in my first batch of soap:

Organic Coconut Oil:  moisturizing, soothing, effective for acne treatment and prevention, natural antimicrobial, reduces oil in skin (leading to fewer clogged pores), anti-aging properties which can prevent wrinkles from forming and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil:  hypoallergenic, moisturizes and nourishes, contains high levels of antioxidants, renews and repairs free radical damage in skin, helps reverse damage and wrinkles caused by sun exposure, pollution, smoke and unhealthy diet, stimulates regrowth of skin cells, cleanses and softens skin.

Organic Grapeseed Oil:  high in antioxidants, lessens allergic reactions on skin, may help fight eczema or psoriasis, penetrates quickly, protects skin's natural collagen.

Shea Butter:  treats dry skin, relieves swelling, healing properties, protects from UV rays, fights stretch marks, gentle on sensitive skin, anti-aging, easily absorbed, does not clog pores, good for eczema and dermatitis.

Vitamin E Oil:  naturally inhibits skin disorders, keeps skin moist, fights melanin deposits, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-aging.

Other ingredients:  sodium hydroxide, distilled water, organic eucalyptus essential oil, natural colorant.

Why am I making soap?  Well, just Google "chemicals in soap" and you'll see.  What we put on our skin is as important as what we put in our body.  We do, after all absorb this stuff.  I want to be as healthy as I can, and this is one more step towards that goal.  Plus, it's fun!

Seeds in the Windows

As I begin planting my seeds for the garden, virtually every horizontal surface in my house is becoming covered in seed trays.  So far I have tomato, cilantro, peppers and broccoli in my windows, but that list will grow quickly in the next few weeks.  Bentley now has to share his favorite "watch-for-dad" window with Silvery Fir Tree and Jaune Flamme tomato seeds.  I bought all my seeds this year from Seed Savers Exchange because they are all about preserving garden heritage by collecting and distributing thousands of samples of rare garden seeds to gardeners.

Garlic is up!!!!

There are few things more exciting to the gardener than the first signs of life in the garden after a long dormant winter.  I planted 48 cloves of garlic in November and they're just starting to shoot up!  I vow to never buy garlic again!  This is the first time I have actually planted garlic so it's puts a big smile on my face to see these green beauties amidst the otherwise dull soil that's waiting patiently to be filled with seeds and plants in the next few weeks.  Hard to believe in just a few short months my garden will be lush with life.  I promise to blog faithfully this year about the progress and obstacles I face as I 'play in the dirt'.

Book Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for book club and I loved it.  The book chronicles a year in the lives of a family as they choose to become locavores (eating only food that is grown locally).  The book made me angry as it revealed information about the food industry in America.  I was inspired to make changes in my own life as a result.  I will definitely strive to eat more local food and food that is in season as much as possible.  Since I already garden, can, freeze, dehydrate, etc. this will not be a huge change for me.  But when I do go to the grocery store from now on, I will be much more careful about the choices I make.

My favorite chapter in the book was the one about turkey sex.  It's not often I laugh out loud while reading, but I was in stitches when I read this!

If you are in a book club and are looking for a book that can inspire lots of conversation and thought, I highly recommend Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Cabbage & Noodles

My friends in Pennsylvania are familiar with this combination, but I'm betting most of my friends in the south have never considered such a dish.  I never did until I moved up here.  I believe the first time I had  Haluska was at a wedding.  It's a Hungarian dish which seems to be very popular in this area.  I decided to make a healthier version last night, and it turned out pretty good.  It's super easy and takes only a few ingredients. 

Cabbage & Noodles

2Tbsp. olive oil

1 head of Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

two large handfuls of old-fashioned noodles

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt & pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions, meanwhile heat oil in a deep skillet, add cabbage and cook until soft.  Add onions and garlic, cook one minute more.  Add noodles and season with salt & pepper.  I like lots of fresh ground black pepper in this dish.  

I served it hot last night and ate cold leftovers today.  It's actually pretty good cold!  

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

While making these caprese appetizers for a party, I discovered something wonderful.  First of all,

the appetizers themselves are really good, and easy to make.  You just cut grape or cherry tomatoes in half, top with a piece of basil leaf and a ball of mozzarella then skewer all with a toothpick. 

As if that's not good enough, the kicker is when you drizzle these yummies with a balsamic vinegar reduction.  You just bring balsamic vinegar to a simmer for ten minutes. That's it.  You now have a thick, dark, syrupy sauce to enhance your food. Easy! As Emeril would say….BAM!  

So now I have a new addiction, and for once it's a healthy one!  I've been putting balsamic vinegar reduction on my salads, baked potatoes, grilled mushrooms, roasted veggies, you name it!

Here are some of the health benefits of balsamic vinegar (see source below):  

Weight loss:  "According to Nutrition Data, balsamic vinegar is a source of calcium, iron, manganese and potassium, which improve the body's functioning and weight loss abilities."  

Heart disease and cancer:  "Balsamic vinegar contains polyphenols, antioxidants that can protect the body from heart disease and cancer."

Antioxidents:  "The grapes that are used to make balsamic vinegar also contain antioxidants that fight against cell damage, improve the body's immune system and make blood platelets more flexible, thus preventing heart or circulation problems."  

Digestion:  "The vinegar boosts the activity of pepsin, an enzyme that breaks protein down into smaller amino acids that can be more easily absorbed by the body. Pepsin helps to improve the body's metabolism as well." 

Diabetes:  "Balsamic vinegar can also improve insulin sensitivity for diabetics, allowing for an easier regulation of blood sugar and reducing unpleasant side effects from diabetes."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/87969-balsamic-vinegar-health-benefits/#ixzz1nsxwfY2Z

I love hot stuff!

I love hot stuff!  I'm usually the one able to enjoy food that is too spicy for weaker people.  So when I discovered these chipotle peppers in adobo sauce I thought I found something wonderful.  This thick, dark red adobo sauce looks so succulent with these beautiful chipotle peppers, and the smell is heavenly.  Such a smokey, spicy flavor - how could I go wrong?

However......

I realized what a whimp I am after first putting a can of this in my tortilla soup.  The soup was so hot I felt like a fire-breathing dragon when I took one bite.  I ended up freezing that soup and taking it to my dad in NC because he loves hot stuff and seems to be immune to the discomfort most people encounter from it.  (I think years of eating super hot foods killed the heat receptors in his mouth.)

A few months went by and I thought I'd try again.  I was making cornbread and wanted to spice it up.  I added two spoonfuls of this "fire in a can" to an entire batch of cornbread.  This time it was hot, but tolerable.  But this left me with a dilemma....what to do with the remainder of the can.  Well, if the cornbread wasn't too bad, I should be able to add the remainder of this small can of peppers to an entire pot of Mexican rice and not inflict hellfire and brimstone on my taste buds, right?

Oh contrare Pierre......it was incredibly, incredibly HOT.  So lesson learned here is:  when using La Costena chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, be VERY sparing and sample as you cook.

It's a good thing chickens don't have sensitivity to hot food.  They love it!