CT SOAP and CANDLES

Simple Black Bean Tacos

2012-01-21T14:51:00.001-08:00

The other night my husband was making Chicken Tacos for the family. Since I don't eat meat I decided to come up with my own concoction . So here is a quick yet yummy meal. I had two days of left overs too.

1 yellow,green & red pepper
1 Large Jalepeno
1 Large Onion
1 Can Black Beans
1 tsp cumin, garlic and onion
any kind of tortillas you like

To a sauce pan add beans,garlic,onion & cumin. Also add the Jalepeno slices. Heat through until a little mushy. Set aside
In the oven grease a cookie sheet with a small amount of Olive Oil. Spread the peppers and onions in a layer. Roast on 400 until carmalized.
Heat your tortillas add bean mixture and top with pepper mixture

You could get fancy with this with vegan sour cream, Lettuce, Tomato, Salsa and any other typical taco toppings.

Vegan Apple Caramel Cheesecake

2012-01-21T13:35:00.000-08:00

Caramel Sauce with Apples
2 Apples ( I used Honeycrisp) sliced paper thin
2 TBS Brown Sugar
2 TbS Vegan Butter
Filling
2 Containers Tofutti creamcheese
3/4 cup Vegan Sugar
1/4 Cup Apple Juice & 2 TBS
2 TBS Confectioner Sugar
2 TBS Cornstarch
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Saute Apples with butter when soft add brown sugar to make soft. Set aside
Mix all filling add half mixure then add half the apples. Top with rest of filling. When cooled top with rest of apples and chill for 4 hours.

Vegan Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry sauce

2012-01-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

I made this yesterday and it was great. My husband who is not a vegan loved it.

2 Packages of Vegan Creamcheese( I use Tofutti)
3/4 Cup raw Sugar
1/4 Cup Lemon juice
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Lemon extract
2 TBS Confection Sugar
2 TBS Cornstartch
2 TBS Orange Juice
1 Vegan Graham Crust

Sauce
1 Pint Blueberries
2 TBS Raw Sugar

Preheat oven 350

Blend all ingredients and pour in crust. Bake 40 min. Let cool and then chill it for at least 4 hours.

In a saucepan add pint of bluberries and about 1 -2 TBS of Sugar boil down to make sauce. Cool and pour in container. Top piece of cheesecake with about 2 TBS of sauce.

YUM

I LOVE DAYLILIES

2011-03-25T06:28:00.001-07:00

Well since its Spring I feel its time to talk about flowers. If you know anything about me I love flowers. I really love wildflowers. I also love Daylilies. Most of you probably hear Daylily and you think of the typical yellow one. Well I am here to tell you there are so many beautiful Daylilies out there. I happen to love a nursery that called Gilberth Wild. They have the most beautiful flowers. They ship to your area when its time for you to plant. Here are a few pics of some of my Daylilies.

Julie's Spaghetti Sauce

2011-03-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

2 large cans Crushed Tomatoes
1 large can Tomato Sauce
20 Basil Leaves torn
5 Garlic Cloves minced
2 medium onions
1/4 cup good red wine
1 TBS or less Crushed Red Pepper
2 TBS fresh chopped Oregano or you can use dry Mediterranean Oregano
1/4 cup or more of Fresh Italian Parsley- makes the sauce so pretty
1 TBS Organic Raw Sugar

Saute Onions in Olive Oil until soft add Garlic, Next add the red wine and reduce, add everything except basil and simmer for at least half hour, just before your ready to remove from heat add in the basil.

Serve with your favorite pasta, salad & garlic bread

Greens and Grits

2011-03-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

I am sure many of you find eating Collards for breakfast quite odd. Once you try greens for breakfast I swear you will crave them. I am more of a savory breakfast person anyway. While pancakes and waffles are good, they make me sleepy. So here I am eating Collards with Garlic and Grits with a little Gomasio . So here is my simple and healthy breakfast recipe.

Collards- What your gonna need......

1 Bunch with Vein taken out, chopped and washed ( drain but make sure you leave the leaves a little moist)
2 Large cloves of Garlic ( minced)
1 tsp Olive Oil
Splash of Balsamic

What you gonna do......

Saute Garlic and oil until fragrant
Add Collards and Cover
2 Min later add Vinegar, stir
your done

Grits- What your gonna need.......

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup Bobs Red Mill Grits
Sprinkle Gomasio or just use salt

What your gonna do......
Cook all this according to the cereal directions on side of bag

This great breakfast will give me energy to go to the gym and clean my yard from winter.
SPRING IS HERE

Cleaning Livers

2011-03-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

So I finished my Candida cleanse and I felt great, dropped nine pounds and decided to move onto the Liver Cleanse. This cleanse requires a similar diet but you take morning pills and evening pills. I was doing good but got a cold and feel off the wagon bad. I made the mistake of using Splenda which reacts in your body the same way sugar does. The cravings came back and my coffee could not get sweet enough. On a positive note I jumped on the scale today and did not gain back any of the nine pounds I lost, so that good. However no I have my cravings back for sugar. Today I made up my mind to start the Liver Cleanse again. I have a goal. I want to be a hot mama again. I want to feel less insecure. So this morning I had my brown rice cake and raw Almond Butter. I also had a Grapefruit which was yummy. For lunch i might have a bunch of raw veggies and Hummus. I love Christina Cooks recipe for Lemon Lime Hummus. I love her. I miss her shows on my network.

Julie's Vegan Burritos Gluten Free

2011-02-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

I am on my seventh day of my Candida cleanse and loving it. Last night my husband made Chicken Tacos for the kids and himself. Normally this is a night that I am excluded from as far as the meal. Since I dont eat Chicken or Dairy. I managed to figure out how to make my dinner Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and still taste good. So here go the recipe I will call Julie's Vegan Burritos.

What your gonna need.....

1 PKG Food For Life Brand Brown Rice Tortillas( found in stop & shop health food freezer section)
1/2 Cup Vegan Refried Beans
1 -2 TBS Vegan Sour Cream ( I use Tofutti)
Daiya Cheese ( to your liking )
Shredded Lettuce,Scallions, Tomato
Salsa( If not homemade by a good brand and I like mine HOT)
A little Lime Wedge

What your gonna do......

Warm beans & Warm Tortilla , Start with beans and and add rest of ingredients. Squeeze the lime juice on top ,roll up and that's it. This was so filling and I did not have to feel like I was missing out on Taco night. Best of all is what all Wheat, Dairy, Gluten & Animal Free!!! ENJOY

Tabouli Julie

2011-02-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

So what is Tabouli anyways? Well its a Mediterranean dish made with either Buckwheat or Bulgar. and veggies. Its a cold or room temperature salad. I absolutely love Tabouli and its really good for you. Bulgar or Buckwheat is a whole grain and as we know grains are extremely healthful. The veggies are all fresh and the dressing is so clean tasting. Best of all its only 122 calories for a cup. This recipe is 100% Vegan. So here we go...............

What you're gonna need...

1 Cup Bulgar or Buckwheat
1 Cup Water
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
2 Tbs Mint leaves, finely minced( trust me it will taste good with this)
3/4 Cup of Flat Leafed Parsley,stems removed and finally minced
1 Cup of Chopped Tomato
1/2 English Cucumber, chopped
6 Scallions, Finely chopped
3 Tbs Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tsp Salt( I use sea salt)

What your gonna do.....

Soak Bulgar with Water for an hour. In the meantime get all the veggies & herbs cut up in a big bowl. Set aside. Mix Olive oil , Lemon and Salt together. Set Aside. When Bulgar has soaked for an hour add Bulgar to veggies. Mix in dressing. Refrigerate for 30 minutes so that flavors can blend.

The sun seems a little different

2011-02-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

Maybe its all in my head but the sun seems different today. Yes, its still frigid out there. I know its coming though.The suns seems brighter today. Trish at the gym was talking about Florida. She bought a condo there. She loves it and made me miss it really bad. I miss the colors of Florida.
Anyway I am four days into my cleanse and it has gotten easier. I wont lie and say I dont want a Green Tea Frappachino from Starbucks. I still have cravings for sugar. I do feel good today. I am more awake and have energy. I usually take a nap or want to take a nap everyday but I have been good. So I am happy. I am already down 5 pounds. YEAH! So the loss makes the torture worth it. You might be wondering what I have been eating so here is what I ate today.

Breakfast: Brown Rice, Soy Milk( unsweetened) Cinnamon- you just heat all this up and eat it like you would Oatmeal

Lunch- Brown Rice Veggie Sushi- Tamari Gluten Free

Dinner- I am having Tempeh and Zucchini

Snack- 1 TBS of Raw Almond Butter and Celery sticks

Looks boring I know but its only a month of really hard restrictions. I will then add Berries and stuff back. I believe you need fruits. The strongest animals are vegetarians. I wanna be strong too .

Going sugarfree for the next month

2011-02-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

I think I might have Candida overgrowth. Well I will know more in 5 days but I know I have a sugar addiction. I start my day off with coffee, sugar and amaretto creamer. I have an overload of sugar before the day begins. Lately I have had some female issues that they are doing cultures on. I went to the health food store and got Candigone. Its a candida cleanse. The diet it so strict but I am going to do it for a month to start. Oh sugar how I will miss you. I know tommorow I will get flu like systems. Did you know sugar is an opiate. I was shocked to learn that. I am looking forward to the results though. I will blog on this journey, meal ideas and such.

My crazy good lunch ( Vegetarian)

2011-01-31T12:15:00.000-08:00

Greek Salad in a Pita

What your gonna need.....
2 cups of mixed salad
6 Grape Tomatoes ( chopped)
Red Onion ( to liking)
English Cucumber ( about 1/3 cup chopped)
1/4 cup crumbled Feta
Balsamic ( 2 tsp)
Calamata Olive Pitted ( 4 chopped)

What your gonna do.....

Mix all together in a bowl. Cut pita to make two pockets. Add whole mixture splitting between two pockets. YUMMY!

Kale, Chick Peas & Spaghetti ( Vegan)

2011-01-31T12:09:00.001-08:00

This is a simple meal that is satisfying too. Its 100% Vegan .

What your gonna need....
Kale 1/2 head ( chopped)
1/2 Cup Chick Peas
1/4 Box Spaghetti
2 Large Garlic Cloves ( minced)
2 tsp. Olive Oil
Galaxy Brand Vegan Parm cheese

What your gonna do.........

Take a huge saute pan and add oil. Next add your Garlic until fragrant. This takes about 30 seconds. Add the Kale and saute for a few minutes. Cook Pasta until Al Dente. Add Chick Peas. When pasta is done add to Kale. Top with grated Vegan Parm. Thats it. YUMMY

Is it Spring yet?

2011-01-26T11:28:00.000-08:00

I know its not Spring but how I wish it was. We have yet another 8 inches of snow on its way. Holy Moly it's enough already. I am such an outdoor girl and winter just kills me. I try to enjoy the positive parts of Winter. I like when the kids have snow days and are stuck home. Greg says I have Munchhausen but I don't haha. I don't make my kids sick to take care of them. I just love them and hate being here all alone. I am thinking about making some new bath bombs today. I am making one too look like the planet Earth. I was thinking about a rainbow one too. I am freezing right this second so a bath sound better then anything right now. So bathtub here I come. ahhhhhhhhhhhhh scolding hot water. I love it.

Sick to my stomache

2011-01-21T16:37:00.001-08:00

So I am reading the front of MSN and its says mystery behind bird deaths solved. Turns out these birds were poisoned because there are too many. What does that mean? It made me so sad. Who the hell is anyone took take a life. In fact 300 lives. Animals were here before humans. They deserve to live too. Without an ecosystem we are gone. So for all you disgusting humans out there stop destroying nature!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stop having a zillion kids, buying plastic water bottles and being greedy. There are too many humans. Do we go around poisoning them? MY husband would say yeah due to Chem trails. Anyways that's my vent. I am sad.

Whats up!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

So its Thursday and I am making some new soap creations. Well actually I am being lazy after my weightlifting class. I like it but its so freaken hard. I have been doing well with my diet and exercise . Its been hard making the Vegan transition. Well I dont miss meat at all but as far as calories and carbs its been a little rough. Anyways enough of that talk.

So I am doing well with my lip balm sales lately. People love my lip balm. I like it too. I made a
good recipe. I like the Vanilla one right now. Most people like the Lavender & Blood orange because its a strange mix. I need to pour some more in a few.

As far as life the kids are good. Jordan(JJ) likes high school better then middle school. He is so cute. Ashley was up late doing envelope stuffing for hospice. She volunteers there for school hours. I dont know how she does it. She amazes me! As for Greg he has a show this weekend for the Hartford shooting benefit. To raise money for the families. As for me I have been trying to work on me, my body, diet & my mind.

Well I am off to make Coconut & Vanilla, Soap & Coconut & Lime.

Long time no post

2010-08-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

Its Tuesday and I did not do my Sandy Hook Farmers Market today. The bathrooms are far and being a women today would not have been good;). However I did make some cupcake bath bombs which came out cute. This pic does not do them justice. Although i could use some frosting schooling.They smell yummy. I used Vanilla Frosting fragrance, pink color and mixed Jojoba beads for sprinkles. I burned out one mixer so in the middle of it had to go get another one. I might make some more later , now that I got it down. I wanna make a orange scent one. Its funny how summer makes you crave juicy things.

This past weekend Greg played at the Rock Fest in Woodbury. It was cool. It could have been great but the owner was charging $35 a day to be there, $10 for burgers and $10 to park. That is crazy amount of money so needless to say it was dead. I bought a shell hemp anklet from the one vendor set up there. One because I can copy the design and two because I felt horrible because they made nothing all weekend. It was $250 a spot. I can relate to that.
I am making Portabella Mushrooms for dinner with sweet potato fries(kinda). Its late but Greg was stuck at work, so I wait. He is taking off tomorrow and we might go to the beach. I loved going to the beach when we lived in Florida. I have been here five years and have never went to the CT beaches. Truthfully have no desire. I like blue water and seashells. I wont go in water I cant see what I am swimming in haha. I sure do miss the beaches down south. We used to go and hang out . Jordan would play in the sand for hours. I love a good ocean breeze. Hopefully Aruba will be like that in October.
I have been doing really good at my markets this year. I am glad people love my stuff. My lip balm is the big thing this year. I just made some 100% natural lip balm using essential oils. I made a Lavender & Blood Orange, Vanilla, Spearmint & Pink Grapefruit. I have some other oils I wanna try to. I also got some Cinnamon Bark oil so I can make cinnamon toothpicks like we did in the 80's . I may even sell them in rolled aluminum foil haha. 5 for .25 . I also made some Salt Scrubs & Dry Oil Body Mist.

What have I been up too

2010-07-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Well first off my markets have started. I missed the first week at my local one. Bummer. They said is was gonna rain and it drizzled barely. So that was a waste. However I did do the Newtown one. That is a cool one. The first week. The second week was torrential down pour. The girl would not allow me to move my car up to get my stuff in and it got soaked and labels, tissue paper and stuff ruined. I should have spoke up but you know me. So needless to say I lost more money then I needed to. So hopefully Saturday will be better. I am trying to figure out if I enjoy this anymore. Its alot of work and I always feel like crap after.
I made a few batches of soap this week. I did Oatmeal, Passion Flower, 2 Mens soaps & Mojito. My birthday was Saturday. I got some kitchen stuff and a book. Yes, I am practical. I wish I like jewelry and stuff. We went out for Mexican. The Mariachi band always wants to play for us and I hate that. Why ? I am shy I don't like the whole restaurant watching us. Arghhh. So Greg said we are good and they left. Other then that nothing else is going on.

My Coconut Rice Recipe

2010-06-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is a Vegan recipe. Not so low in fat or calories but if your having company, its great.

I made this last night it came out awesome.

1 Cup Arborio Rice
2 TBS Earth Balance ( vegan "butter")
2 TBS Olive OIl
1/2 Cup Chopped Shallots
1 1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
1 1/2 Cup Vegetable Stock

3 cups total liquid to be added in 1 cup at a time

Toasted Coconut( you can do this in a dry skillet but be careful not to burn) & Toasted Sliced Almonds( brown in skillet) - probably 1/4 cup each

Saute Shallots in Earth balance & Oil for 3 min, Add Rice( uncooked) , cook stirring for 2 min, Add 1 Cup broth, cook until water absorbed, add 1 cup Coconut Milk, cook until water absorbed, add 1/2 cup remaining coconut milk and broth, cook until absorbed

now that rice is done add 1/4 cup mixture of Toasted Coconut and Almond to rice and mix in

The rest of mixture add on top

Thats it!

Litchfield Farmers Market

2010-06-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

So today we went to the Litchfield farmers market. This is the one I have wanted to sell my stuff at for a long time, but they don't let two soapers. I dont get it we are totally different soapers. i do Vegan she does Goats milk.Anyways I love that market, such cool stuff. We bought some carrots and Collards, both organic. I bought them home and look at who started eating the Collards. Crazy Kitty. Now I am going to play outside by the pool, maybe do the Polar bear plunge.

Its market time again

2010-06-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here emailing farmers markets trying to branch out a little. I always run in to markets not wanting more then one soaper. I am a different kind of soaper though. Kinda crazy since they have more then one farm carrying the same veggies. I should be making some soaps but I am kinda tired from babysitting Dakota yesterday plus I went to gym today. I still need to make my Mojito soap, Passion flower and my mens line. Plus I need to do my essential oil body oils. Maybe I need coffee.
I am also making a Vegan peach pie right now. It smells so juicy in here. Other then that nothing else going on.

The sun is finally shining

2010-06-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

I never realized how dependent I am on the sunshine. The sun has been gone for a week and after about 4 days I found myself crying. So today has been beautiful and the sun is back. I feel alive. We went to get my baby nephew and his mom from airport today. He is the cutest. We were in the car fro over 4 hours ughhhh. I came home and planted my Wave Petunias in my wheelbarrow. They are beautiful. We also planted our Mammoth Sunflowers.
I made two batches of soap on Sunday. I made Pikake and Plumeria. I love the Plumeria. I need to still make my Mojito soap and Passion flower soap. I start the farmers market on July 10. Thats about all that going on.

What Have I Been Up To....

2010-05-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

MY NEPHEW DAKOTA

Its been awhile since I have blogged so I figured I should update. I made some Vegan Salves yesterday for my fair tommorow at Taft. I used Candedilla Wax instead of Beeswax. Although I love the smell of beeswax I figured making Vegan products will set me apart. I also made a bunch of batches of soap. I did Patchouli Honey, Lime & Lemon Poppyseed, Lavender Coconut, Thai Coconut, Silk Haiku( I need to think of another name for that one) and a few more. I am gonna make more once mothers day is over.

Greg sent me Chocolate Covered Strawberries for mothers day or should I say sent the kids haha. I dont care I like when everyone enjoys them. Ashley sent me yellow and pink roses. We also went out today and bought a Topsy Turvy and a pink Knock Out Rose.

I planted a bunch of seeds this past week too. I did green yellow, orange and red peppers, lemon, mammoth, lime, and regular basil, cilantro, sunflowers, beans, and parsley.

On Friday we had my yummy one year old nephew over. I want to eat that boy up.

My day

2010-04-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

OK. So I unwrapped my Lavender Coconut soap today. It smells good. I dont really smell the coconut but Lavender is so overpowering. I taste the Lavender in my mouth and I smell it in the house. A little much. A few days and it will fade a bit.
I did not make soap today. I went shopping for clothes, hair diffuser ( for my crazy curly hair) and other stuff. We are going to PA this weekend for our anniversary. Of course, its gonna rain. arghhh. I got some new hair stuff made with Argan oil. Check out Derm Organic. It suppossed to be good. I hear oils are good for hair, so we will give it a go. This damn Well Water has destroyed my hair.

Lavender & Coconut

2010-04-14T17:22:00.001-07:00

These are called " Bleeding Hearts"

Some of the Spring Flowers - amazing color

Today I made a big batch of Lavender & Coconut soap. I cant wait to see it tommorow. I wish I could get this whole swirl thing down. I wish I could fly to AU so Sharon my soap making buddy( Platypus Dreams) could help me haha. She is so talented. I also went to the gym & cleaned all day. We are going to the Poconos this weekend for our 15 year anniversary. I did not want to leave my soap mess around even though I am in the midst of making my summer line. Monday I will pull it all back out. I am watching my fave movie right now " The Notebook" until 9 when American Idol comes on. Oh, I think I am allergic to soapmaking. My arms are all red again. I thought it was from the pine trees but it got worse in the last two days. It comes and goes. Maybe it the lye. I would never give it up though. I am not as careful as I should be. Word to self. Practice safety. I know better! My spring flowers are all up. I am just waiting for my Lilacs. A scent that can never be duplicated.

One Love Patchouli Soap

2010-04-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

Ughhh looks like a crayon

HAHA I just made a soap using every oxide color I had. I watched a you tube video about doing this and it looked so easy. Well it was not first off my soap traced real quick. I dont know if it was the Coconut Milk I added or the Patchouli oil. either way it was a mess. I plopped every color into my mold and attempted a swirl. I guess 24 hours will tell. My house smells like Patchouli galore, I even taste it. I am sure Greg ( my husband) will say something. There are just some oils that are so strong and this is one. I guess I will stick to only two or three colors until I get this down. I have a few more soaps I wanna make this week. I think I am going to make Pink Grapefruit, Patchouli Honey, Oatmeal, Lavender & Oatmeal. Greg is taking me to the Poconos in PA this weekend for out 15 year anniversary. We might visit the Amish country too. I would love to see the crafts and stuff there.

Making Soap Rolls

2010-04-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

Lavender Soap Roll

Its sunday and sunny. I have been trying to make soap all week but time gets away from me. I like to have all my chores done so I can concentrate and enjoy making soap. If it rushed I dont get what I need emotionally out of crafting. So its late but I finally made some soap rolls I have been wanting to try for a while. I did Lavender ones. They are neat. I made a Coconut Lime one with mint but I should have put dried Mint not fresh. I threw them all away.