Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Lotion Bars

So with all of the homemaking, washing, and super cold weather we've been having here in La Selva Beach, my hands have been completely tortured. But I'm not a huge hand lotion kind of gal, I'm not even good about moisturizing my face every day, it's just not something I do.


SO when I came across this lotion bar recipe I thought it would be a perfect solution for my poor hands.


And it is! Because the bar reacts to your body heat slowly, it doesn't just glop all over, which is exactly what I love about it. Also, it only has 3 ingredients; Beeswax, Shea Butter & Coconut Oil, simple to make and you can pour it into any kind of mold you desire.



The directions are pretty simple, only I would pour straight into the mold from the double boiler, don't bother transferring to a measuring cup or other instrument in order to pour into a mold, as the mixture cools rapidly. And, if you don't feel like making this yourself, I have some 1.5 oz bars available for purchase (just email me).


Lotion Bars
Makes 4-1.5 oz bars

2.25 oz Bees Wax (Best if you can buy from your local Bee Keeper or Apiary)
2 oz Shea Butter
2 oz Unrefined Coconut Oil
*Optional: 4-6 Drops Essential Oil

-Melt all ingredients in a double boiler over simmering water.
-Be sure to occasionally stir to help break everything down.
-Once all melted turn off heat & add Essential Oil*.
-Pour mixture into molds and let cool for about 30 mins.
-If needed, once cooled, place in freezer for 30 secs to help with release.


I used a silicone mold and a metal mini muffin pan to make these. The silicon mold bars popped out with no effort but the muffin pan needed to go into the freezer, then the bars just popped right out!



Kiwi Lemon Jam

Well, it's Kiwi season so of course I have a bunch of kiwi's to play with. My first recipe is non other than a jam recipe, of course!


I think I found this recipe through Punk Domestics, but it's on a blog called Vanilla Garlic (makes me think of Garlic Ice Cream-if you've never tried it, I'd suggest once is good enough) anyway, I'm having a lot of fun reading it so go check it out.



This Chef, Garrett McCord, is out of Sacramento so we share the same seasons and local produce which means I'll be trying out a bunch more of his recipes for sure. I loved the idea of this recipe, with the marraige of Lemon & Kiwi, but after making it, the only problem I had is with how overly sweet it turned out so next time I make it (and as detailed in the recipe below), I'll probably increase the fruit and cut out some sugar.


I also made a few other changes like letting the kiwi & lemon macerate together overnight and I added a little pectin to firm it up a bit. I'm very happy with the end result and I must say, it is a very esthetically pleasing jam as well, so great for gift giving!


Kiwi Lemon Jam
Makes ~42 oz

4 lbs Kiwi (Peeled & Sliced in rounds)
2 C Unrefined Sugar
1 Lemon (Washed, De-seeded and diced)
2 Tbsp Low-Sugar Pectin

-In a large bowl mix sliced Kiwi with 1 cup of Sugar, set aside.
-In a food processor, pulse diced Lemon & 1 cup Sugar for about 1 min, let sit for about an hr.
-Mix Kiwi & Lemon sugars together and let macerate in the refrigerator overnight.
-Place fruit in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil then lower to medium, add in Pectin and stir frequently until sugar is dissolved and fruit is mushy, about 15 mins.
-Ladle into sterilized jars and process for 10 mins. (or keep in refrigerator for up to 2 months) Water bath processed jam will keep in a cool dark place for about 1 year.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Anybody have any Applesauce??

Ok, so I've finally finished harvesting, cooking and processing all of my apples. In total, I believe I processed about 6 bushels of apples this season, that's almost 300 pounds! Wow, now that I look back, I can't believe how much I've done with them...


Let's see, Apple Pie Jam, Apple-Pearsuace, Apple Butter, Apple Rings, Orange-Apple Cranberry Sauce, Apple Muffins, Apple Pectin (more about that in another post) and of course Apple Pie and Applesauce! Plus all the ones Maiyo & I ate whole or in our oatmeal! What a bounty to be had from our trees, I'm sure thankful to Ana's parents for planting 8 apple trees on our property and glad we are finally putting all that awesomeness to good use. Before I meet Ana, he never harvested the trees and the beautiful fruit all went to the local deer, such a waste. And then I came onto the property and was so overwhelmed that it took me a good three years before I started harvesting the trees properly (I mean other than picking a few apples to snack on). I actually think my harvesting the trees last season helped them produce such a great bounty this season, so I'm hoping next season is even better!


This year also marks the first year that I actually started baking with applesauce (as a substitute for oil) and I'm loving it! So of course I had to make a ton of it to hopefully last me the rest of the year since now I'm using it up in breads and as a go to snack for Maiyo.


Growing up I hated applesauce, of course I had only ever tried store bought, yuck, and it wasn't until I moved into this house that I made an attempt to try it again. After trying a few different recipes, I found that I'm very particular about how my applesauce is made. I don't like cooking the cores with the apples as I feel it leaves a bitter taste, but I do leave the peels on, I feel that you must use a majority of sweet apples, I like to only add a little water so the apples don't get scorched on the bottom of the pan and I cook the sauce down to make it thicker. Sounds complicated, and it kinda is, but trust me, it's worth the effort!


So here's my applesauce recipe, the end result is a beautiful pure, perfect color, not overly sweet, thick applesauce.


Applesauce
Makes ~8 pints

10 lbs Sweet Organic Apples (Washed, Cored and Sliced*)
     -I use a mix of  Pipin, Red Delicious, Cameo, Pink Lady & Golden Delicious
2 C Water (I use filtered water)

-Wash, core & slice the apples then place in a stock pot.
-Add Water and cook on medium heat, occasionally stirring, until all apples are so tender they mush right up when you spoon them.
-Run apples through a food mill to discard all tough parts (peels, stems, seeds, etc.) *If you do not have a food mill, then peel the apples before you slice them & cook them, once they start to mush up, mash them with a masher.
-Ladel into prepared jars and process for 15 mins or into airtight containers in the refrigerator.
-Processed applesauce will last for 2 years, unprocessed jars will last in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.


Friday, January 4, 2013

Apple Pie Jam

Ok, I keep meaning to make applesauce, apple butter and apple pie, but I just can't get over this apple pie jam! It's pretty wonderful stuff in a cup and makes making personal sized pies/turnovers a cinch, so I'm making another, bigger batch.


I highly recommend this one because its fall in a jar, and I so love the fall.


Many changes I made are very personal, most of which is the cut down on sugar. I use low-sugar pectin because I like to preserve the flavor of the fruit and this holds even more true for this jam. The original recipe is here at Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Kitchen, but you can see the significant changes in my version, and definitely for the better!


Apple Pie Jam
Makes ~52 oz
(recipe can be doubled or tripled)


4 C Crisp Apples (bout 6 depending on size, Peeled & Diced)
~1/2 C Water
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp Low-Sugar Pectin
1 1/4 C Sugar (Divided)
1 C Brown Sugar

-Peel and dice the apples then pack firmly into a 2 cup measure.
-Add water in between all the apple pieces to fill to 2 cups, repeat (or use a 4 cup measure)
-Put the apples, water, lemon juice and spices in pot.
-Mix 1/4 C Sugar with Pectin and add to fruit, stirring until well combined.
-Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
-Add both remaining sugars, stir well and bring back up to a full rolling boil for EXACTLY one minute while constantly stirring.
-Then turn on low and ladle into sterilized jars, cover and process for 10 mins.
-Enjoy on toast, as a turnover or hand pie, mixed with yogurt & granola, in oatmeal or on your pancakes!

Sunday Baker Challenge


We'll as most of you know I had my son 16 months ago. I gained 40 pounds when I was pregnant with him and I've only been able to drop 1/2 the weight since then, not that I've really tried...


Well it's time to finally hunker down and get back into shape! I was 168 lbs when I got pregnant, a little on the high side even though I was super fit and at the end of a 23 race cyclocross season. I've always been on the big side, only once did I get 'really skinny' when I was running I got down to 135, but that was far too skinny for me. My ideal weight is around 145-150 but my goal this year is 155. That means at 184.8 this morning I have 30 pounds to loose!

To keep motivated with the training, I'm gonna try and take the Sunday Baker Challenge. Sunday Baker is a food blog I follow and get inspiration from, and I thought it'd be nice to have other ladies to motivate me. I'm terrible with journals, keeping track, and staying motivated, so lets see how this works.

I'm not on a diet or running any resolutions (I hate resolutions!) but I do want to race cyclocross next season so I need to get this weight down. Any encouragement and support is welcome!

Here's my before side & front shots:









Waist: 38 Hips: 43 Weight: 184.8

Today's first challenge: walk 30 mins & drink 8 glasses of water. No Problem!