Life as a Dill

Soapmaking

Concocting homemade bar soap has been a hobby of mine since my undergraduate days in college.  At that time I had a streak of making my own bath products, including bar soaps, body scrubs, lotion bars, herb-infused hair rinses, and fizzy bath bombs.  Bar soap was always a favorite!

For the past several years goat’s milk has been my liquid of choice, which results in a creamy, moisturizing bar.  Branched out to coconut milk in this latest batch and had smashing results.  Other milks such as almond or hemp would likely work just as well. 

Utilizing the cold-process soap method does come with a risk—handling caustic lye.  Should you take the soapmaking plunge, keep a bottle of white vinegar handy in case of accidents, and always use goggles and rubber gloves when handling this substance.  Take it from the girl who foolishly spilled concentrated nitric acid on her sandaled feet in college chemistry lab, and has some small scars to prove it!

A few years ago a 3-pound wooden mold and cutter from Creekside Soaps came into my life.  Love these and would highly recommend them to anyone interested in making their own bars.

Making your own soap is very gratifying, which I am reminded of each day after sudsing up with a bar in the shower.  This soap can also be used as an ingredient in homemade laundry soap, and makes a thoughtful gift :)

Megan’s Milk Soap

Equipment:
Protective mask and gloves
2 Plastic stirring spoons
Candy thermometer
Electric hand blender
Spatula
Large bowl
Pitcher
Soap mold, lined with freezer paper
1-2 cookie racks

Ingredients:
12 ounces partially-frozen coconut or goat’s milk (freeze half ahead of time in ice cube tray)
4 2/3 ounces lye
12 ounces olive oil
12 ounces coconut oil
8 ounces palm oil
1-2 oz. essential oil of choice (or, infuse oils with fresh herbs as I did for this batch)

Melt the olive, coconut, and palm oils together in a pot over low heat.  Remove pot from heat, and place in a cold water bath to bring the temperature down to 100 degrees.

Wearing goggles and gloves, place frozen and liquid milk into large bowl and slowly add lye. Stir until the mixture is smooth and without lumps. An exothermic reaction will result, bringing the temperature of the milk up and melting the frozen milk. Cool mixture to around 100 degrees, if it is above that level.

Next, slowly add the milk mixture to the oils, using a hand blender to combine until "tracing" occurs–- when drips from the blender leave a noticeable path in the concoction.  This usually takes no longer than 5 minutes (without the hand-blender, it can take all day-- I know!)

If desired, add essential oils or additives such as cinnamon, turmeric, cocoa powder, ground oatmeal, poppyseeds, or dried herbs using a plastic spoon or spatula.  This will also remove bubbles. 

Pour the mixture into prepared soap mold, cover, and leave alone for 24 hours.  Then remove soap from mold, cut, and cure on cookie racks for 3-4 weeks.

Finally, pat yourself on the back and enjoy your homemade goodness!

~Linking up at Tatertots and Jello, Serenity Now, Under the Table and Dreaming, The Shabby Nest, Skip to my Lou~

Zucchini Nutella Muffins

Substituted white whole wheat flour and decreased the butter in this yummy-looking recipe found on Pinterest.  Can you really lose if using Nutella?

Zucchini Nutella Muffins

Ingredients:
1 ½ c white whole wheat flour
½ t salt
½ t baking soda
1 t baking powder
½ t cinnamon
½ stick butter, softened
¼ c applesauce
¾ c sugar
1 extra large egg
1 c grated zucchini
zest of one lemon
~½ cup Nutella
 

Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and applesauce together until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg.  Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in thirds until just combined, then stir in the zucchini and lemon zest.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full, and dollop 1 teaspoon of Nutella on top of each scoop.  Swirl with a toothpick.  Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Muffins are done with a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Summer Vacay

Had a dreamy time on our short little summer vacation which included stops in Newport, RI; Cape Cod; and Boston. We didn’t have a plan, just drifted from one place to the next. Even left home on a whim, throwing a few things together before taking off the following morning.

We struck the small-town lottery on Cape Cod, spinning the roulette wheel to end up in the idyllic town of Chatham. Amazing beaches + fresh seafood + quaint little shops + abundant hydrangeas = perfect lazy beach town. We all want to move there.

After strolling around Newport and cruising along the seashore, we serendipitously stumbled upon a kite festival at Brenton Point. This place was amazingly beautiful, with the rocky coast and sailboats peppering the ocean.

Denver even took Finnian out for a little stroll:

That evening, we shared a fresh lobster roll and homemade clam chowder, purchased right next to the beautiful ocean in Chatham.

Finnian’s toes then met the ocean:

"Brrrrrrrr!"

Getting down to business with the bucket and shovel, on the “elbow” of Cape Cod in beautiful Chatham:

Strolling around the Cape Cod Inflatable Park, a crazy place we happened upon. We actually found it the night before, but about 15 minutes before they closed. Finnian cried when we drove away, shouting, “play!” over and over again. :(

Saying “hi” to and petting the ocean creatures at the New England Aquarium in Boston Harbor:

More photos of our excursion can be found in my Flickr stream here. Still relishing in our family outing, which we can easily repeat in a weekend since everything is relatively close by :)

Zoo

After our original plan was cancelled…and then reinstated…and then cancelled again (at the next-to-last minute!) we hopped off the roller coaster and made a trek to Paramus, NJ to the Bergen County Zoological Park. This zoo was a recommendation from a friend and a very good recommendation indeed! We all had free admission since Denver is active duty. The zoo was a great size for Finnian, who was very excited to see the “animals” and ride the “choo choo train”. Going to Paramus also gave us a chance to hop by the too-far-away-from-home Trader Joe’s on the way home.

It was a nice 33rd birthday :)

4th of July

Enjoyed the annual 4th of July West Point Band concert at Trophy Point yesterday, along with thousands of other folks in the Hudson Valley.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  Finnian was quite the trooper, staying up well past bedtime to observe the fireworks.  He ran out of energy soon before the explosives commenced, snuggling up on me as I lay on my back snapping photos.  It isn’t easy taking 2-second exposures with a toddler on your belly!  Of course I didn’t mind, welcoming the opportunity to cuddle my busy little man, who stared in quiet amazement at the sky.

Summer Quinoa Salad

Enjoyed this improvised, last-minute salad during a picnic yesterday using only items that I had available in my kitchen.  The result?  A delightful, protein-rich meal that I’m documenting here for future use!

Summer Quinoa Salad

Salad:
1 c dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 carrot, thinly sliced
3 radishes, thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado
1 handful arugula
Handful of toasted chopped pecans
2 T chopped parsley

Lemon Vinaigrette:
Juice of one large lemon
¼ c olive oil
Salt and pepper

Cook quinoa; cool to room temperature.  Prepare vinaigrette by whisking ingredients together.  Throw avocado pieces into the vinaigrette to coat, then mix into the remaining ingredients. 

Canvas Knitting and Crochet Needle Holder

Got a sewing machine as an early birthday present for myself last Friday!  Quickly made introductions, got acquainted, and tackled my first project this weekend: a canvas knitting & crochet needle holder.  Now, this thing isn’t perfect by any means and I’ll probably be laughing at the stitchwork once I hit my groove with the machine, but it is very functional!

Gotta peruse Pinterest for some more easy things to make… :)

First haircut

Finnian's locks have gotten, ummm, a bit wild.  Mommy has been reluctant to cut his cherished little curls, while daddy has been longing to give him a buzz cut for months.  Mommy bent today, although she did compromise :)

Rustic Strawberry Shortcake

This is an old family recipe that has been enjoyed time and time again.  The shortcake soaks up sugared strawberry juice like it is going out of style.  Excuse me while I go back for seconds...

Rustic Strawberry Shortcake

2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 stick butter
3/4 c milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Lightly grease an 8X8X2 pan.  Mix dry ingredients, then cut in butter using a pastry blender.  Make well in center and pour in milk.  Mix quickly with a fork just until moist.  Press lightly into the pan, and bake 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

Cool, then serve with with sugared strawberries and whipped cream.

Gone Campin'

Visited good old Round Pond with friends and progeny this past weekend.  Munched on lots of tasty grub, took in lots of fresh air, and relished in a slower-paced existence for a couple of days.  Can I go back please?

Loved how these backlit photos of our busy little ones turned out on our second and last night.  More photos can be found here :)