exciting thursday night plans include: listening to music and making homemade bit-o-honey candies for a work potluck (i'm bringing dessert). here's the recipe in case you want to make your own (so easy):
bit-o-honey
1 cup honey
1 cup chunky peanut butter
2 cups dry powdered milk
melt honey and pb in microwave. add milk & knead well. roll on wax paper. cut in strips and roll into small pillow shapes. wrap in wax paper to store. yum!
9/30/2004 04:39:00 PMthe joy of sox
9/30/2004 02:29:00 PMmore all natural beauty care ideas that i'm gonna try one of these days (from martha stewart, i think):
oatmeal/almond face scrub
4 tablespoons oatmeal flakes
4 tablespoons finely ground almonds (blend on low in blender, but not too much or you'll make almond butter)
4 tablespoons lemon zest (about two lemons)
2 tablespoons water
mix and massage gently into face using cicular motions for 2-3 minutes. rinse with warm water.
honey mask
1 cup honey
1/2 cup almond or light olive oil
blend and massage into face for 2-3 min. leave on for 20 min. rinse with warm water.
9/24/2004 03:20:00 PMthis morning i was up at an absurdly early hour on a saturday morning for a special work project and as i was unloading my car with materials at 8:30 am the air was moist; my hair curled around my face, absorbing the sprinkling rain, the sky was a bright grey with fog and mist drifting in the distance. the air smelled fresh and the slight odor of burning wood was in the air as homes cranked up their fireplaces. i had a sudden wish i was crawling out of sleep-warmed tent in the woods and i'm not what you'd call a camping girl. it was just that beautiful.
9/18/2004 04:45:00 PMnatural beauty care from the mischievous fruit brigade strikes back 2003 zine:
strawberry face cleanser - take six whole strawberries and clean 'em. plop in blender with two tablespoons of almond oil and three tablespoons of witchazel and blend. pour into a jar and store in fridge (don't eat!). apply to face, gently scrub and rinse well. use within two days.
lemon toner - take the strained juice of one lemon and mix with one-half to one cup water (depending on desired strength). apply to clean face with cotton ball/pad.
apple mask - steam a cored and peeled apple. mash and mix with a small amount of milk and honey. apply to clean skin for 15 minutes. rinse well and splash with cool water.
9/18/2004 03:10:00 PMmy new favorite place - the richard hugo house's ZAPP (zine archive and publishing project) library. i heart zines.
btw, the fried rice was so good. here is a basic breakdown of what i did: i steamed brown rice. in a wok with a bit of oil i cooked the marinated tofu. i added some frozen mixed veggies, the cooked rice, two eggs that i sort of scrambled in the center of the pan, some oyster flavored sauce, soy sauce, plenty of garlic chili sauce, and a small can of bamboo hearts. stirring frequently saute until you think it is ready. the result? spicy, hot and delicious. this is a dish that is even better the next day and the day after that. i've heard it freezes well but i didn't try that.
9/18/2004 02:10:00 PMi've been marinating tofu today to make some killer fried rice. you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a decent fried rice recipe. the dish seems rather simple, at least the kind i'd like to make, but i found all manner of recipes with varying degrees of complexity. i've never made it myself before so i wanted to research it first...i think by combining several different recipes i've got something that works...
9/05/2004 07:43:00 PMlast week a friend of mine had some fries with rosemary mayonnaise. i sampled a few and the fries were good, sure, but that rosemary-mayo was delicious! i hunted down a few recipes online that i plan to try and thought i'd share them:
this looks the easiest, i'll probably start with this one:
Rosemary Mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise or low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Mix mayonnaise, rosemary and lemon juice in small bowl. Season generously with pepper.
not so sure i want to make my own mayo, but you might want to experiment with this one:
Rosemary Mayonnaise (Adapted from 1967 Joy of Cooking)
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 tsp. ground mustard
2 to 3 tsp. snipped rosemary
1 tsp. salt
dash of cayenne
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup salad oil
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 cup salad oil, divided
Preparation:
Add egg, mustard, rosemary, salt, cayenne, sugar and 1/4 cup salad oil to a blender, mixing until thoroughly combined. With blender running, add 1/2 cup salad oil and then lemon juice until thoroughly blended. Slowly add second 1/2 cup and emulsify until thick. Use as a sandwich spread with cold lamb, roast beef, chicken or for salmon or chicken salad.
a slight variation on the theme:
Orange-Rosemary Mayonnaise
The author says: "In this easily made mayonnaise, the thick orange syrup imparts a beautiful flavor and fresh rosemary infuses its aromatic scent. Let rest refrigerated at least 1 hour before serving for the flavors to come out." --Sheila Lukins
Ingredients
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried
Salt, to taste
Instructions
Place the orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan, until the juice is reduced to a thick syrup, 10 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1-1/2 tablespoons. Combine the mayonnaise and sour cream in a small bowl. Add the orange syrup, rosemary, and salt and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
Yield: about 1/2 cup
and then while searching i found this recipe for shrimp that i'm planning to try soon:
Rosemary Steamed Shrimp
Ingredients:
12 oz. of beer
3 to 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Seasoned salt
Black pepper
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. raw, deveined shrimp, in the shells
Cocktail Sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
1 to 3 tsp. creamed horseradish
1 to 2 Tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
dashes of salt, pepper, cayenne
snipped rosemary, to taste
Preparation:
Place beer, rosemary, several dashes of seasoned salt and pepper in the bottom of a steamer. Bring to a boil. Steam the shrimp 3 to 5 minutes until pink and cooked through. For cocktail sauce: Mix all ingredients together.
9/05/2004 07:30:00 PM