Books of 2012

The following are the books I read during the 2012 year.  This year, I finally met my goal of reading at least one book per month.  I actually enjoyed all the books I read this year.  If I had to choose one book, then I'd recommend The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller.  I enjoyed the simple story and how it was told.  I would also recommend The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber, although I found the beginning of the book a bit hard to get into.  I found the historical aspect of the book interesting, despite feeling that there were other issues that could have been expanded and explored.  Lastly, I really enjoyed the magical elements of Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiwan, even if some of the issues seemed to hit close to home.

1.  The Other Side of Air by Jeanne Braselton
2.  Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan
3.  The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
4.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
6.  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
7.  The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
8.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahme-Smith 
9.  Killing Ruth by Christina Scwhartz
10.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett
11.  Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
12.  The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber
13.  The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
14.  Lost Men by Brian Leung
15.  Sad Monsters by Frank Lesser

What books did you enjoy this past year?

Merry Monkey Christmas

Have a Merry Christmas.  I don't usually put out holiday decorations, but I do appreciate it.  While at the mall a couple of days ago, I saw several stuffed sock monkey ornaments on display.  I thought the monkeys were super cute and just wanted a picture.  Aren't the monkeys kinda cute?

I hope that you have a wonderful and peaceful Christmas day.  I also came across a blog yesterday, in which the blogger had a sock monkey Christmas tree last year.  Check out her pictures and the cute sock monkeys on her tree:  http://tobifairley.com/blog/2011/ay-magazine-tobis-tips-7/

 

Happy Holiday!

Lime Buttermilk Pound Cake



My lovely mom (yes, my lovely mom) sent me a bagful of key limes.  Since I had some time on my hand (can you believe that I even finished a sock monkey yesterday), I wanted to bake, and I wanted to use the limes that I just got.  So, I made a pound cake.  I adapted the following recipe from another recipe I found online.  The glaze recipe is my own.

The cake is soft and the crumb is tender but holds up well.  I love the citrus flavor and the lime glaze really adds more citrus flavor to the cake.

Lime Buttermilk Pound Cake

 

3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 Tablespoon of lime juice

Zest of one lime
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

 

Preheat oven to 350F.
1.  Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or a bundt cake.
2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in lime juice and zest.
4.  Beat in the eggs one at a time until well-combined.
5.  In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine buttermilk and vegetable oil. Working in two or three additions, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, ending with a final addition of dry ingredients. Stir only until no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan.
6.  Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Unmold the cake and pour lime glaze over the cake while the cake is still warm.

Lime Glaze

3 Tablespoon of lime juice
1 C powdered sugar

Mix the two together.  If the glaze is too thick add in a teaspoon more of lime juice or water.

Enjoy!

The lemon buttermilk pound cake recipe can be found at this website:  http://bakingbites.com/2010/04/lemon-buttermilk-pound-cake/

Asian Indian Inspired Mixed Vegetables

I have a hard time eating more vegetables during the winter time.  Lets face it, fresh vegetables are hard to come by and, when it's super cold outside, I want some thing hardy that will stick to my gut.  Unfortunately, the easier option is to increase my consumption of bread and cheese.  Yet, I haven't totally given up and most recently I've found a way to eat more vegetables.

 

About a week ago I was at the mall and got dinner at  fast food Asian Indian restaurant.  The mixed vegetables looked interesting but appetizing enough for me to try.  It was a good thing I tried the mixed vegetable dish because it was quite yummy.  I looked at the vegetables in the dish and decided that I could make it at home, especially since I already had most of the vegetables at home. I also felt that this dish was a great way for me eat more vegetables during the winter.

 

The following is my interpretation of the mixed vegetable dish I had.  I feel as if it's missing something, but it's still pretty yummy.  The following recipe isn't exact and more could be added or omitted, but it's really yummy.

 

Asian Indian Inspired Mixed Vegetables

 

2 to 3 roma frozen tomatoes

1 onion, roughly diced

2 medium potatoes, roughly diced 

1 carrot, roughly diced

1/2 C of frozen peas (or about a cup of frozen peas and carrots)

1/2 C of frozen beans

2 teaspoon of garam masala*

1 teaspoon of turmeric

2 pieces of preserved lemon rind (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

 

1.  In a saucepan, over medium heat, put in the tomatoes.  Let the tomatoes cook down for about five minutes.  Cover the pan with a lid.

2.  Add the onions and potatoes.  Cook for about another ten minutes.  Remember to stir and cover the pan with the lid.

3.  Add the carrots, frozen peas, and beans.  Add the garam masala, lemon rind, salt and pepper.  Stir and cover the pan with the lid.

4.  Cook for about another ten minutes, or when potatoes are soft and frozen vegetables are cooked, but not overly cooked through.

5. Serve the mixed vegetables with rice or naan bread.

 

*Garam Masala is an Asian Indian spice that one can buy or concoct.  The following is a quick and easy recipe for garam masala:   http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-garam-masala/ 

 

Go Love Your Loved Ones

I know today is Friday and I would love to post something for Friday's Quote, but considering today's tragedy that occurred at a Connecticut elementary school, I'd rather just remind everyone to go and love your loved ones.  I thank the heavens that my parents are still alive.  I love my siblings (yes, even the difficult ones), and I really do love my close friends.

 

Tonight, thank your lucky stars and please keep this community in your prayers.  I hope everyone stays safe. 

Lantern

[Stone lantern found in a Japanese garden.]

Making Soap

With the heavy snowstorm from over the weekend, the roads in the Twin Cities are still trying to clear much of the snow from the roads.  Of course, the roads have been crazy and scary, and make me just want to be home.  Anyhow, I won't go on and on about the weather and the horrible driving conditions.  I will, however, write about what I made this weekend - soap.

Uncut block of homemade soap with lavender buds mixed in.

Yes, I made soap.  Specifically, I made cold processed soap bars using all natural ingredients.  Before embarking on the process, I read a lot of articles and watched a lot of YouTube videos.  Despite the initial scary aspect of working with lye for the first time, the process was pretty simple.  I won't go into all of the details of how I made my soap because there are so many useful blogs and videos already on the web that are way more useful and informative, and I'll list them down below.

Buttermilk honey oat soap, hand cut into little bars.

 

I made two bars of soap.  The first one I made has vegetable oils and lavender buds.  It has a faint lavender scent and a creamy ivory color.  Even though I think the soap is unisex, it has a very feminine look to it.  The second soap I made also has vegetable oils, but uses buttermilk, honey, and oats.  The soap is turning a lovely tan color.  Once more, I think the soap is unisex but it does have a masculine look to it.  Of course, I'm very excited to try out both of these new bars of soap, but the bars of soap need to be cured first (basically sit around for some time); thus, I should be able to use this soap in about four weeks.

 

Do you have a favorite soap?  Have you purchased or made handmade soap?

 

If you would love to try making your own soap, check out the following blogs and videos: 

http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/the-farmyard/soap-making/simple-milk-soap-recipe/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR6ttCSrLJI
http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-make-cold-pressed-soap.html
http://www.lovinsoap.com/2011/06/cold-process-soap/

First Real Snowstorm

This photo was taken around 4:00 p.m. today.

I was going to write about making soap, but I'll save that blog post for another day.  Considering the weather outside, I wanted to post a picture of the snow.

 

This year we've had some snow here and there, but today was the first real snowstorm of the year.  The Twin Cities is supposed to get at least eight-inches of snow today.  I feel as if I've already gotten at least a foot of snow.

 

The snow started falling during the night and so far, as of the late afternoon today, it hasn't stopped.  As much as I dislike the snow, I am a bit glad to be getting some snow.  This year, I feel as if our winter started really late and it has been really warm too.  I don't look forward to digging my car out of the snow (seriously, people you need to get your stuff out of my garage so I can actually park my car in it, AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE).  As for the rest of the day (since I made another batch of soap this morning), I'm going to clean, clean, clean. 

 

I hope you have a safe day.  Take care.

Friday's Quote: Andre Gide

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."---Andre Gide

In the last several years of my life, I have not been wanting to discover new oceans.  I had been content in staying on the shores of where I have been.  Of course, I recognize that some times in life, regardless of my wants, I may have to discover new oceans.

So, with each passing day, I am building my courage to lose sight of the shoreline and to look towards the ocean.  It may be a time of new adventure and to discover new oceans.  I just need to have faith and courage to believe that no matter what happens, I will be happy in the long run.

How about you, how you losing sight of the shore to discover new oceans?

Waiting with a Rock

More Natural Cleansers

My goal of finding a more natural facial moisturizer has set me off on a road towards finding and/or making more natural cleansers to use on my body.  I may have stated this before, but I'm really not a super feminine "fru fru" type of gal.  I love wash and go hair, I like wearing jeans and t-shirts, and I love my sandals.  Thus, it's no surprise that when it comes to body products (e.g. shampoo, soap, etc.,), I love going with the basics and products that don't require a lot of my time to use.  I don't like spending a lot money on that type of stuff either and I'm often not interested in trying new products.  Furthermore, I've become very smell sensitive with each passing year, and I find that perfumed/scented products, even if lightly perfumed/scented, can bring out my allergies.

 

With the oil cleaning routine I've started to implement, assuming it goes well, I don't intend on looking back at purchasing or trying out any more cleansers from the store.  I've started looking into using/making other natural products for moisturizing and bathing.  For example, I've read that almond oil makes a great moisturizer (so does olive oil and apricot seed oil) and almond oil may feel a lot lighter (especially compared to olive oil) on the skin.  Of course, I'll blog about it when I get my almond oil.  I've also finally started learning a lot more about castile soap (yes, it's also another blog post waiting to happen) and making my own castile soap (also, another blog post waiting to happen).  I actually hope to make castile bar soaps this weekend and share the process with you.

 

Do you use organic and/or natural products to moisturize/bathe with?

Oil Cleansing

As a teen, I had normal skin with a slight oily T-zone.  I broke out every now and then (like I do now), but my face was pretty clear.  Now, my skin is mostly dry, especially during the winters.  Of course, the dry winters here isn't the sole reason for my facial dryness and I recognize that aging is a contributing factor.  Unfortunately, I somewhat ignored the state of my skin for the last two years, but seeing that this year my skin wasn't getting any better, I began looking for new ways to moisturize my face.

 

I use to wash my face with water and facial cleansers from the store.  However, in the last several years, especially during the winter time, I have found the water/soap routine really dried out my skin.   Lately, I've just washed my face with water, which I don't think actually gets rid of dirt. 

 

So, in my search for a new and more natural moisturizer, I came across some information/bloggers who use oil to clean their skin.  I found it quite intriguing and decided to give it a go.

 

I went to my co-op store and found castor oil and apricot kernel oil.  I used regular extra virgin olive oil too.   I found an empty and clean bottle, and mixed together an equal amount of all three oils (1/3 castor oil, 1/3 apricot oil, and 1/3 extra virgin olive oil).  Once the oils have been mixed, I poured a little oil into my palm (about a tablespoon) and rubbed the oil over my face and neck.  I kept it on for about 2-5 minutes.  Then I dipped a washcloth into hot water, wring out the water, and use the towel to wipe off the oil.  It feels luxurious.  Right now my skin feels so soft.  I don't think I even need to moisturize.  I'll let you know how this all turns out, whether it makes my skin looks supple, and if it causes me to break out.  Right now I'm loving how my skin feels.

 

Please check out these blogs for more information about oil cleansing and the different types of oil for facial cleansing:  http://www.crunchybetty.com/nitty-gritty-on-the-oil-cleansing-method and http://aishawood.blogspot.com/2008/04/ocm-oil-cleansing-method.html

 

Here's another perspective on oil cleansing:  http://www.alreadypretty.com/2012/02/my-thoughts-on-oil-cleansing.html

Triple Berry Jam

A couple of months ago, I finally got around to making a triple berry jam.  I love triple berry jam.  It was my first time making triple berry jam, but I think it turned out great.

 

In my jam, I used equal amounts of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.  The strawberries and raspberries were picked from my garden.  Throughout the summer, I slowly picked and froze the strawberries and raspberries until I had enough for at least a cup's worth of each berry.  I really opted to not eat the fresh fruit just so that I could make this jam (of course, I did sample a few berries here and there).  The blueberries were ordered from a farm in Michigan and frozen until I had time to make this jam.  Like my blueberry jam (see my post on July 23, 2011), I wanted a low sugar jam and I used lemons for added pectin.

 

Low Sugar Triple Berry Jam

 

2 Cups of Strawberries

2 Cups of Blueberries

2 Cups of Raspberries

2 Lemons, juiced and zested

3 Cups of Sugar

 

1. Put strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, lemon juice and zest in a large pan.  Cook over medium heat.  Stir constantly and bring to a rolling boil.  Turn the heat down.

 

2. Add the sugar and stir until incorporated.  Turn up heat to medium and continue to stir constantly.  Stir until jam comes to desired consistency (e.g. how soft or firm you want the jam).  Turn off the heat.

 

3. Let jam cool for a minute or two, can the jam, and hot water bath the jam.