Welcome back to another instalment in the Kitchen Witch Wednesday series.
A few weeks ago, I asked what you considered to be a kitchen witch. This was prompted by an article I read which pointed out that having recipes on your blog doesn't make you a kitchen witch (Source). Personally, I believe it does make you a kitchen witch simply because your making magic in your kitchen with basic ingredients, it's not easy and not everyone can cook. Heck some people can burn water, ask me how I know.
I made it my mission to seek out some ideas about kitchen witchin, and have discovered that just about everyone agrees, each witch forges his/her own path when it comes to this tradition. According to Scott Cunningham's Wicca in the Kitchen,
We must eat to live. Similarly, we must take control of our lives to be truly happy. The tools for doing just this are in your cupboards, in your refrigerator, and on your kitchen table. Turn the page, and discover the magic that awaits!
You can add in some hoodoo, to hex someone, to keep your partner, to drive away someone. You can heal with food, bring people together. Food and 'breaking bread' together makes for some powerful magic. There is a reason some cliches have stayed around, especially say for Valentine's Day, what do we know of it here in America?? Good Food, lots of chocolate, wine & roses = Your partner being willing to try all kinds of tricks best left for the more limber. We are taught as young women that "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" * at least that's what my Grandmere said* In just about every commercial now they equate food with sex & love.
I believe that when this was started it was a way for us to share OUR version of Kitchen Witchery, for everyone has their own personal brand of what makes them happy. I may not share all the hoodoo/witchy tricks I have in the kitchen that others may perform, but then again aren't you supposed to keep some of your spells to yourself???
Anyhoo, my intention when doing my kitchen witchin is to share as much fun crafts, recipes, altar pictures, homemaking as possible. It is my hope that these are the things you wish to see. If there are other things you wish to see and view please share in the comment box and I will endeavour to share what I can.
I did like her ideas on how to learn your kitchen better, getting down and dirty with the herbs sounds like fun. Sometimes I just throw herbs into the pot just to see what comes out. As my Grandmere says "It's not the food that comes out the pot, it's the love that goes in, that's what makes a good meal"
What do you think my loves, am I right or was the article correct?? What does a kitchen Witch mean to you?? And go...
3 1/2 oz coarse oats, nuts (peanuts are a good choice), dried fruits, seeds (sunflower seeds)
Garden Wire
Old tennis ball or similar, sliced in 1/2 & with a small round hole cut out of the top. Resealed by wrapping a length of wire around the ball and twisting the wire ends together, securely.
Garden String
Directions:
Put the lard in a saucepan & melt it gently over low heat, mix the dry ingredients together seperately
Add handfuls of the dry food to the melted lard and mix them toether. The dry ingreidients should be well-coated in the lard.
Insert wire which is a little longer than the mold into the center of the mold. Pack mix in around the wire.
Leave the seed mix in the molds to cool completely, then remove the molds, attach string to the wire and hang up high.
Remember if you start feeding birds that they will believe you will continue, so don't do it if you don't plan on continuing to feed them throughout the year. Hang high enough that squirrels and rodents can't get to it but the birds can. There are bird feeders available that sense when the weight is too heavy for a bird and will drop the squirrel.
You can also try any of the awesome ones on Pinterest (so many different ideas). This is a great way to start off spring, helping out
**Please note this isn't my recipe, I have had it in my collection for a few years and the journal I had it in was damaged so I don't have who the recipe came from. If you know please leave it in the comments and I will add the attribution. **
Welcome back to another week of Kitchen Witch Wednesday, Make sure to stop my our host blog. Mom's a Witch to see her post for today.
I was a youtube vlogger before I became a blogger. I found a great community on there that shared so many great things & gave great advice while motivating each other on our chosen paths.
One of the many great friendships I formed on there was with MsSophiaDawn (she's no longer on YT & she took her videos down). Sophia was a Southern woman who loved to explore her faith, her magic & her garden, & boy could she craft up a storm. She shared this little recipe with us and I have been using it ever since.
Ingredients:
1 cup boiling water
1 large glass dish
Parchment paper (as much as you want)
Newspaper
1 Tablespoon Saltpeter (vester)**** EXTREMELY FLAMMABALE ***** Use with caution
(optional) Essential Oils
Directions:
In glass bowl pour boiling water, add in the tablespoon saltpeter. Mix well allow to dissolve, then allow to cool. ( at this point you may add essential oils if you want). Note 1 tbsp of vester to 1 cup water, if you need more, make sure it matches this way)
Put paper in the cool water and let it soak well
Hang to dry about 1 hour. (away from open flame) ******DO NOT PUT IN OVER******
Welcome back to Kitchen Witchin Wednesdays. this week I'm sharing with you the tool I use to keep my hair clean. I have locs and I can't use the regular (I mean I guess I could but I don't like to) shampoos and cleaners for my hair. I don't always have the time or the funds to purchase the super expensive ones i love either, so I have gone back to basics with my most basic of hair supplies. And you probably have them in your kitchen already.
Doing hair rinses helps to promote scalp health & help to prevent further damage that is done by UV rays, pollution & our hair products. Since the scalp is maintained by blood vessel that supply it with protein & other nutrients, the best recipes will work on the scalp itself.
When I was younger I learnt that if you had light colored hair( blonde) that using lemon juice on your hair will bring out your highlights. I have since learnt that it's great for helping eliminate the extra oil from your scalp as well.
@deziner02 via SXC.hu
Highlight Rinse Recipe:
1 lemon with 1/4 cup water in a glass jar, shake well.
Use:
After shampooing, rinse your hair with this recipe then allow to stand in your hair for five mins. Rinse out with cool water.
Beer rinse for body & shine
Of course the most rumored & well known rinse of course is the beer rinse. To add body & shine to your hair, you can use a flat or stale beer to rinse your hair once a month. The smell won't last long so don't worry about smelling like a brewery at work ( you could also do it on say a friday night or the weekend so by monday the smell will be gone). The beer will add B vitamins & natural sugar to your hair which is what gives it the added shine. Ehow, has a great how to guide for making your own beer rinse & explains the science a little more.
Split End Prevention (do this 2-3 times a week)
Olive oil, use a few teaspoon of oil on your hair ends to seal them & leave on overnight. You can rinse out in the morning if you need to.
Use coconut oil on the scalp to help with hair growth & to help release hair so it won't tangle & will be less likely to split as well.
Sub Damage Prevention
Apply Sesame oil to help protect the hair. The sun can cause serious damage to the hair, especially during the summer months when we are running from ocean/pool to parties or a BBQ without covering out head. The sun can dry out hair making it prone to being brittle & breakage. Use the oil before going out, by massaging a few teaspoons (based on hair length, longer means a few more, shorter means a little).
Hair rinses:
Make hair rinse much like making herbal tea. Pout boiling water over a teaspoon of the herbs, steep for 10 mins, then strain. Massage into scalp as evenly as possible, allow hair to air dry. (You don't have to rinse the hair out) Use the rinse AFTER shampooing!!
Sage Rinse: helps to reduce oil buildup & promotes healthy hair. Use this rinse after shampooing for 3 weeks. Birch Leaf Rinse: Helps to promote a healthy scalp & is believed to help prevent hair loss. It also softens the hair & adds shine. don't use on blonde or gray hair, it will darken the color, Chamomile Rinse: Using the flowers, this rinse soothes & heals the scalp & gives hair a healthy shine, Can also be used to lighten blonde hair. Linden Flower Rinse: Best for dried out hair, especially for hair taxed by repeated dying or bleaching and is now brittle. Promotes scalp health & circulation. Use for six weeks for best results.
Deep Clean (Purifying Cleanser)
For a deep clean of my hair I use a apple cider vinegar rinse, the recipe I found here:
Can I say I was much like Chesca, shocked at how much gunk was still in my hair even though I washed it only a few days before. What she didn't say and what I learnt later is that you should wash your hair after doing the treatment. Since this treatment strips your hair you should only do it a few times a year. Chesca suggests twice a year, when i first learnt about it I did it every three months, by time I did it that last time my locs weren't in such a deep need, because of the next 'shampoo'.
Even if you don't have locs this is like using a clarifying shampoo on your hair, it cleans out the buildup of product that takes place over time. Once I really learnt about loc maintenance for myself I started doing apple cider vinegar rinse every time I washed my hair. And that's a simple recipe as well.
You simply need apple cider vinegar & baking soda.
Directions:
Many people I know will coat their locs or hair with the baking soda allow it dry a little (first make a paste with water)
then fill a bucket or tub with the hottest water you can stand, then pour in about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of cider vinegar (base this on the length & thickness of your hair, for longer hair go for more)
then starting with the ends of your hair dip then in the mix and continue adding more of your hair, the baking soda will pop & fizzle, once it stops add more of your hair, keep going until you feel all the baking soda is gone and no more reaction is taking place, make sure to get the front & back of your head as well.
Rinse, with plain water, then shampoo/ or co wash as necessary (co-washing is using conditioner to wash your hair instead of shampoo, some claim it prevents the stripping of hair & helps with growth.)
Information gathered from many sources, including my own experience. The herbal rinses recipes & information from the Complete Natural Healing group 7, card 15
So there you have it. These are some of the recipes in my arsenal for healthy hair. Have you done any of these before?? Have a favorite recipe?? Share in the comments.
It's Valentine's Day for many, that means, candy, flowers & doing all the sexy tricks they save for special days. There are many ways to get into the mood if you have a partner, & I'm going to be sharing a few of my favorites here with you.
For the Kitchen Witches among us, how about charming your food?? Here are some Charmed Honey Recipes.
Kris Bradley shares a really great recipe in her book " Mrs.B's guide to Household Witchery" for a great little love dusting powder. She says to brush it on your hands or clothing before meeting up with your lover for some alone time. I would say dust lightly.
Ingredients:
4 parts dried apple peel, & red rose petals
2 parts cocoa powder
1 part cinnamon
When I moved into my new home, for my bedroom I created a charmed wooden plague, that encourages love. It's made from oak (hard wood, enduring,) It's a Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Symbol, many people make them into quilts I loved wood burning so I made this. I bless it each year, with full moon water & hang it where i can see it to remind myself & my partner that we are in this together. I added in colors to correspond with the intent as well.
If your flying solo today, but want a partner, please remember the Golden Rule, even if your not Wiccan, it's not polite ( and it will backfire I promise you that) to manipulate others. When casting spells for love, don't mention one particular person, that's taking away their free will. Do however ask the universe/cosmos/Goddess to send the one(s) for you. Try out my updated version of the Practical Magic Party Post (True Love, Amas Veritas). There are several ideas on how to a spell to draw your love one near.
If your not looking for love, but want some loving for the night You can make Desire Dust and spread it around your room along with all the candles. Taken from Marian Singer's Magick for the Wild Woman this dust actually smells pretty awesome ( u never made the one to attract a woman, so I can't speak to that ones effectiveness, but if you try it let me know please). As a floor dusting I used baking soda instead of baby powder, but a body dusting I used the baby powder, it's mainly down to personal preference at this point.
To attract a man: a pinch of ginger powder, jasmine oil, and or lavender oil
To attract a woman: vetivert violet, or patchouli.
Mix well allow to dry, shift to get rid of clumps. As your creating the dust, focus on your intent, you can chant a charm over it as well.
When I feel the need for some new ideas I love to look into Silver's Spells for Love by Silver Ravenwolf, I have had a lot of success using her spells & ideas and I sugget y'all check 'em out. I have of course improved them to suit me, & you can do the same.
This is a part of the Kitchen Witch Wednesday Blog party, I'm posting on Thursday sorry. but I promise these recipes are worth it. Happy Valentine's Day my loves
Welcome back to another fun week of kitchen witchin, did you like the recipes from last week??? Your probably wondering why I didn't put this under Sacred Pampering Ritual, & it's because we are going to be making this for SPR day. So to use it you gotta have it first right?!?! So here we go:
Your skin renews itself each day and completely renews itself with 30 to 40 days, depending on age. At about 35 your skin cell renewal slows down. To help it along we can use masks, there are two kinds: relaxing & stimulating. Relaxing mask are used to moisturise the skin & help to 'refresh' the complexion. Stimulating masks are used to promote blood flow & smooth & firm the skin.
General Rules:
Before applying a mask make sure to cleanse skin with a facial toner that has lemon balm or use witch hazel.
Start at your chin and move upwards to the forehead. Apply tot he nose moving out to the cheeks. Make sure to leave space around the eyes, eyebrows & mouth.Lastly do your neck moving upwards to the chin.
Use warm water or a warm rag to remove the mask.
Use distilled water when making your masks. If you must use tap water, boil it and allow to cool or use a filtration system.
Much of the ingredients for great dace masks come from the kitchen, like honey, oatmeal, whole wheat flour, rose water, milk, & strawberries. I'm sure if you look hard enough you have many of the ingredients to make some kind of face mask, heck even just an egg acts as a great face mask for toning & tightening your skin. So making masks won't be expensive!!!
Ingredients:
Honey: relaxes the skin, it is also antibacterial which helps to disinfect the skin. It also renews the skin & helps promote healing.
Whole wheat flour protects & renews skin. It contains vitamin E, an antioxidants that binds toxins, promotes cell respiration & slows the ageing process. The whole wheat grittiness will help remove dead skin cells, which will help promote skin renewal.
Masks:
Strawberry mask:
4/5 very ripe, medium sized strawberries
2 tsp heavy cream
1 tsp honey
Directions:
Carefully rinse strawberries in lukewarm water and dry with a clean cloth or towel. In a small bowl, mash the fruit with a fork. Add cream & honey & mix well. Keep away from the eyes when applied to the face. leave on for 20- 30 minutes. Contraindications: People with sensitive/ sunburned skin.
Whole Wheat Flour Mask:
1 qt water
4 tsp dried or 8 tsp fresh rose petals
peels from 1-2 organic oranges
6 tbsp milk
2 tbsp rose water
2 tsp honey
4 tbsp whole wheat flour
Boil the water & remove from the heat. Add the rose petals & orange peels, cover & allow to steep until luke warm. In a separate pan, heat the milk, floral water & honey. Remove from heat, add the flour and whisk into a thick paste. Apply the warm paste to face & neck, leave on for 15 mins . Wash off the mask with the fragrant rose-orange water. Pat dry & apply moisturizer.
Rose Oil & Honey Mask for Mature Skin:
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp almond oil
5 drops rose oil
Mix ingredients together, then apply to face relax for 15 mins. Then rinse with warm water. Pat face & neck dry.
I hope this helps my loves, especially now that the weather is so harsh outside and drying to the skin.
Welcome back to another week of Kitchen Witch Wednesday this week I'm sharing a different kind of craft from your kitchen, today we are making toothpaste:
I have many different books on spas on healthy eating, healthy facials and tons of books for recipes on soaps and scrubs, and none of them, absolutely none of them discuss teeth, they talk about your head, your feet, your whole body in between & yet teeth get lost in the mix. I have sensitive teeth, some of it due to drinking soda, & some of it is just how my teeth have been since I was little. As I have grown and changed and evolved in my green lifestyle the one thing no matter what else I backslide on I never ever backslide on my toothpaste, I switched to Toms of Maine over eight years ago and I haven't looked back since, I once was out overnight without toothpaste and didn't want to not brush so I used a friends' (insert name brand, Lol I don't want to be sued so just think of one of the popular brands and you have it) toothpaste, I bitterly regretted it, the next morning my mouth ached and my gums felt like they were on fire and I ended up with two sores in the side of my cheeks, yeah next time I will go without brushing to save myself the hassle.
I know that Toms of Maine has since been purchased by the company that gave me mouth sores (lol yeah now you know who it is). And I feel some kind of way about that, I mean as far as I have seen they haven't changed anything beyond the packaging, but who is to know really. So I went looking for alternatives, many of them are ridiculously expensive, so I decided why not make it myself?? Here are the recipes I have found that work for me:
Making you own toothpaste is actually simple your going to need the following:
whisk (use silicone not metal) & bowl (use glass) & funnel (if placing in a tube), measuring spoons (non metal)
Ingredients:
Cosmetic Clay is gently abrasive & is great for plague removal. It also contains minerals that will help rebuild teeth enamel.
Vegetable glycerin is for consistency & acts a base to dilute the essential oils into. It has a sweet taste so little ones will like the taste of the toothpaste
Myrrh tincture works on gum inflammation. You can find it in your local food store or make your own if your into making your tinctures. it is both anti-inflammatory, & an astringent. Great for those suffering from periodontal disease.
Essential Oils: orange/peppermint/spearmint: to freshen the breath. clove is for pain relief as it's a mils anaesthetic great for sensitive teeth and can be used to combat pain caused by cold, sweet or hot foods & drinks.
Recipes:
For sensitive teeth:
1/4 cup cosmetic clay
1/4 cup vegetable glycerin
20 drops tincture of myrrh
4 drops of orange & clove essential oils
Whisk until ingredients are smooth, place in jar or tube. Store in a cool dark place and use within six months.
For Periodontal Disease:
1/4 cup white cosmetic clay
1/8 cup baking soda & finely ground sea salt
1/2 cup vegetable glycerin
20 drops tincture of myrrh
8 drops tea tree & thyme essential oils
Again whisk ingredients until ingredients are smooth. Place in jar or tube & store in dark place, Use within six months.
Mouthwash for Fresh breath:
Add 1/2 tsp tincture of myrrh & 1 drop each of tea-tree & peppermint oils, to 1 cup of warm water. Each time you brush gargle with this solution afterward.
A quick tip if you are short on toothpaste you can brush with fine ground salt & apple juice. The salt tightens the gums & the juice gently whitens. make sure to rinse thoroughly.
Coconut Oil Toothpaste:
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
This will make enough to brush properly.
Oil Pulling is an ayurvedic method of helping to clean teeth and balance the enzymes in your mouth. Doing this daily before brushing teeth will help with breath & teeth health.
The method is quite simple, before eating or drinking anything in the morning: take 1=2 teaspoons of raw organic sesame oil and simply 'pull' through your mouth trying your best to rub against your teeth as much as possible. Do this for 20 mins, I do it while showering and starting my morning routine. When the oil looks milky white it's time to spit it out, do not swallow if you can help it. Make sure to brush after, Recipe and idea are from an ayurvedic teacher I had years ago, but you can also get an idea here.
Many years ago when I first became obsessed with making my own soap I stumbled on BrambleBerry. and I have been in love ever since. They stock a variety of essential oils that are excellent and smell amazing, their synthetics line is good as well, however for our purpose you will need the true essential oils, especially since the Body Shop has seemed to stop stocking real essential oils like they once did. But one of the best places for organic supplies of course will be Mountain Rose Herbs. You can of course go local as well to get as many of these as you can.
Information & recipes, derived or received from Group 7, card 2 natural beauty in the Complete Guide to Natural Healing. And my own research,
Good Teeth health to you and yours!! happy experimenting
It's another week of Kitchen Witchin Wednesdays, make sure to swing by Emberlyn's Blog.
One can't think of fall without thinking about changing leaves and pumpkins, We know to make pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin pie, but what else do we use pumpkins for?? Other than decorations. Don't gimmie those looks O_o. Anywoo in Jamaica we put pumpkin in our soups to help thicken them up, you can make roast pumpkin and all kinds of things. One of my newest recipes, comes from a Kindle freebie and I can't wait to get more pumpkin to try out all the recipes. Here's my fave so far:
Pumpkin Potato Skins:
Serves 6 (or several dinners/lunch for two )
Prep Time: 10 mis
cooking Time: 1 hour for the potatoes, 15 mins to reheat.
Ingredients:
7 large baking potatoes
1 cup cooked cubed pumpkin
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp salk (optional)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup grated Swiss of Cheddar cheese
chopped chives , to garnish
Directions:
preheat oven to 425F. Place potatoes in the over right on the rack. bake for 1 hour or until cooked.
Remove form oven slice in half. Wear protective gear, remove the 'pulp' of the potato, set skins aside
Stir the cooked pumpkin, butter salt, pepper, baking powder, nutmeg, & both creams together in a mixing bowl with the pulp, whisk together until light and fluffy.
Spoon bake into the skins, bake in the potato skins. Top with cheese.
bake at 400F for 15 mins.
Garnish with chopped chives.
Recipe from Nicole LEsperance's Easy Pumpkin Recipes Cookbook. If you like the recipe you should see the rest of the book. I'm loving it!!
Part of the KWW Blog Party
Share some of your recipes or your favourite pumpkin dish, down below. Or link to it please.
May all your kitchen disasters be a fun story and your souffle never fall.
Happy Witchin in the Kitchen
potato image courtesy of Bing, no infringement intended. Copyright belongs to the owner of the image.
Ahhh my loves it's a Bewitching Time, and Bewitching Home Blog Party by The Witch of Howling Creek. For this awesome Party I must thank her for hosting. It's sure to be an awesome treat. For me Samhain isn't Samhain unless the home is decorated as well. Lots of food and candy too. I'm going to share two of my projects that I am working on to have in my home this Halloween.
First project up:
Samhain Wall Hanging
Items needed:
Scissors, 1/2 yd Halloween themed fabric, 1/2 yd fusible interfacing, 2 yds black ribbon, three buttons, iron & board, tape measure, white glue, fusible webbing
Directions: Cut interfacing and orange fabrin into 18" square. Iron together,. cut two pieces of Halloween print fabric and two pieces of fusicble webbing into 9" square. Iron webbin onto fabric. Position print squares onto orance squares. Xut three black ribbons to create hooks for hangers. Affix with white glue along with Halloween themed buttons.
For this project I have my old danish cookie tins, that I'm going to wrap. Place the tin lid on the self adhesive black craft foam. Trace around the outside of lid with pen.
With the scissors, cut out the black foam circle. cut a pieve of black satin at the same time.
Apply the black satin circle to the adhesive side of the black foam circle.
Next cut out the top of the witch's hat: cut a half circle of black foam and satin & apply the satin to adhesive foam. Form into a cone. Use hot glue gun to rin a small bead of glue along inside seam to secure cone sides together.
Now affix the cone to the hat base,
Then add the ribbon along the base. Using the hot glue gun to help secure it. Now toss in candy and leave on a table!!
Viola!!!! You have a pretty witch hat candy holder, you can also line the inner tin with some light parchment to protect the candy.
My Kitchen Altar, decorated for Samhain:
I have scented pine cone, two ear of Indian multicolored corn, a leaf plate that I made, two harvest pillars. A bowl for offerings, and my room scent diffuser. It's on my kitchen wall & looks out over the whole kitchen!!!
Well that's it my loves, Happy Halloween and Happy Decorating!!! Images and idea taken from Great Gift under 30 mins, Card 45 & 84.
This is a part of the Kitchen Witch Wednesday blog party. Haven't had a chance to look into it yet??? Check it out here. It's a chance to share recipes, whether they be food, or non edible recipes, if it's made in the kitchen, it's something you should share. Please join with us. This weeks share is one of my fave fall recipes, this actually a re-post, so if you have seen it before, yes I know but i lurrrve this recipe and make it often in the fall. It just hits the right spot. Lentil Stew:
I talk about this recipe all the time. Its one of the first things I blogged about. Actually it was my first post. This is an easy amazing meal to have and it can be stored in the freezer and taken out to eat fairly easily.Here are the recipes which can be found in Tosca Reno'sThe Eat Clean Diet Cookbook(The Moroccan chicken can be found on page 150 and Lentil stew is page 159) Lentil stew stats per servings:
calories 40
calories from fat: 28
protein: 11g
dietary fiber: 13g
sodium: 164mg
carbs: 42g
sugars: 4g
Please note: this meal makes 6 servings, takes 10mins to prep, and 1 hr to cook Ingredients: 1 cup/ 240 ml puy lentils 1 lagre onion 4 cloves garlic 1 tbsp/15 ml avocado or EVOO 2 ribs celery diced 4 bay leaves 2 large carrots chopped 1/2 cup/125 ml wheat berries or wild rice 1 tbsp/15ml brown rice miso 1/2 tsp/2.5 ml dried thyme sea salt and pepper low sodium chicken stock/ or veg stock or plain water Watch the Video to see how it's all put together.
Well it's another fabulous week of Kitchin Witchin, part of teh KWW Blog Party. I know...I know, I haven't done one of these in a while. I'm slowly getting back to way things need to be, you know more than just book reviews & challenge information.
Here are some awesome ways to use herbs in the kitchen these are all from The Complete Book of Herbs by Leslie Bremness.
To make potpourri simply combine the ingredients in a bowl, you can add essential oils that match the ingredients, you should set it aside for a cool dark place for six weeks for it to "cure". Place in clear glass bowls or bowls that match the theme of the potpourri.
from Bing.com
Kitchen Potpourri: to help cleanse the scents of cooking.
4 pts lemon verbena
2 pts mints
2 pts bay leaves
1 pt tansy leaves & flowers
1 pt lovage
a few crushed cloves & orris root
This actually smells amazing, mine looks a little worse for wear, so I didn't take a pic of mine.
Drain Cleaner: I used this just two days ago, the drain no longer smells and it drains beautifully.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Scented baking soda (I made mine with lemon essential oil)
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
2 cups boiling water or hottest water
Pour the baking soda & salt down the drain leave for five minutes. Add the vinegar and cover with a wet rag, let it sit for about 10 minutes. Pour the boiling water down the drain. Your drain should smell amazing and work like a charm.
Well that's my list of cleaning supplies for the week. Have fun my loves and I will see you again next week, why yes, I will be posting as regular as possible again.
Thanks for coming back and reading & share your KWW links in the posts.
I'm no world class chef, but I love to throw down in kitchen, I'm pretty adaptable when learning new things. For years I refused to eat Salmon, not even sure why now, I just know my mother couldn't get me to eat salmon at all. Once I decided to clean eat, i still avoided this fish, recently i tried a blackened salmon dish that was to die for. there are hundreds of really great salmon recipes out there, some of them pretty elaborate. Last night I just wanted a quick meal. I had a small slice of salmon thawed so i decided to use that. Here's my dinner recipe:
Ingredients:
Salmon
black pepper,
onion powder
garlic powder
2 tsp olive oil *just enough to coat the pan bottom to keep the fish from sticking*
Directions:
heat olive oil in pan,
season salmon on the pink side alone
once pan is heat place salmon skin side up in the pan, and sear the salmon. flip over and allow to cook through
I served mine with a small salad with Italian dressing, light dusting of soy Parmesan cheese on the salad. *since I'm lactose intolerant*
Hope you enjoy as much as I did.
Be Blessed
Yeah baby, it's that time again. With summer coming in like a roaring lion (yeah Lions are associated with the Sun, I mean the Goddess Sekhmet almost burned the world to a crisp, her breathe created the desert). One of the things we all love is the chance to get out, to be in the sun and have some serious fun,. the longer days mean more time to play, hang out and just relax with out friends. One those good days we can sometimes forget to protect ourselves, or the sunscreen we have doesn't quiet cut the mustard and we end up with sunburns. (yes even blacks get sunburned)
Sunburn can be caused by even intermittent exposure, going in and out of the home for short periods without renewing you sunscreen leaves the skin exposed. With this heat the temptation is to strip down to as little as possible while going out, which of course leaves more skin exposed, most people don't remember to do every part of their body and can end up with sunburn in the most interesting places. I have lupus (I have talked about this a ton of times) and I am extremely sensitive to the sun, I try to limit exposure as much as possible and even have purchased clothing with sunscreen in it. Yeah you read that right. I'm going to share some of my tips and tricks to avoid harming your skin while still having fun in the sun.
What is a sunburn??
First degree sunburn is marked by extremely red skin with some swelling. On those of us with darker complexions it can be felt by the tingling and the feeling of burning, since it would be harder to notice the redness at first.
Second degree sunburn has all the symptoms of 1with the addition of blisters on the epidermis (top layer of the skin). SEE A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY
Third degree sunburn is so severe that blister scars go deep into the dermis, and will remain even after the blisters "heal".
SEE A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY
How to prevent sunburn:
duh...sunscreen is your best friend, for most you have to renew every 1/2 to 1 hour after first application, if you are doing sports and sweating this may need to be increased. And if you are swimming each time you leave the water and remain on land it must be renewed. there are several kinds out there I will let you choose your favorite brand, but the higher the number the better the coverage. MAKE SURE TO DO ALL OF YOUR SKIN!! A good trick is to lift your hands, if your shirt rides up then put some on the skin exposed, I like to do a whole bunch of bending and twisting just to make sure that if my clothing moves then even that skin is protected. Don't forget your feet!!!
Head coverings and sleeves... Whhhhaaattt? In this heat?? Yes my darlings, even in this heat, when not in the water, it's best to wear a hat to help shade your face and neck as well as a light cotton (something breathable) shirt or dress to help limit the amount of skin exposed. As I said before there are companies out there that are now making clothing with sunblock built in, simply google and you can find one near you, they are a little expensive since the technology is new, but they are well worth it.
For women: make-up. yes make-up helps to give an added layer between your skin and the sun, most foundations now come with sunscreen built in, so if you do a moisturizer with sunscreen then a tinter moisturizer or light foundation you should be pretty set. FOR EVERYONE including kids: DON'T FORGET LIP BALM WITH SUNSCREEN, almost all companies make there newer lip balms with sunscreen (Burt's bees makes an awesome one), apply often especially after eating.
Even though we need the sun to create vitamin D, it's best to limit the amount of time you are exposed to direct heat of the sun, during 11-3 is when the sun is at it's most powerful, it would be best to do any gardening or outdoor activities before or after these hours.
Remember that water acts as a powerful magnifier and reflector, so it may not seem like it, but the water can actually help increase your chances of getting burned. Sort of how the sun reflecting off snow increases brightness, the sun reflecting off the water actually helps to magnify it;s strength. which increases your chances of being burned. Limit the amount of time you are handing out by the pool. make sure to reapply sunscreen often when near large bodies of water. (info gathered here, as well as from information from school)
How to Treat: Aloe and Cucumbers are now your best friends:
Apply a cooling compress made with tea tree oil or witch hazel and vinegar with aloe vera.
Make your own aloe vera juice. Break a leaf from the plant, squeeze the leaf until the juice runs out into your container or spray bottle. use a sterile cloth and apply to the burns; change frequently. (it feels better if you store in the fridge).
To treat the burning, itching and pain, use distilled cider vinegar. Use a cloth in undiluted vinegar and apply to the parts most affected. this will help prevent swelling and the formation of blisters.
All above remedies must avoid the eye areas especially, use chilled cucumber slices to help relieve the pain, you can also use it on the rest of the skin as it fights inflammation and will help reduce the pain.
To prevent peeling, use lavender water on skin that is sunburned and spray often to keep skin hydrated.
Apply diluted St. john's wort oil to the affected skin, or 3 drops of lavender oil in sweet almond oil (or carrier oil of choice, just not olive) and massage into affected area.
Homeopathic remedies: CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR FIRST: belladonna, cantharis and causticum have proven to be effective in helping with the symptoms of sunburn, should be taken in pill form.
Recipes:
Make your own sunscreen:
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 tbsp jojoba oil
1 tbsp walnut or almond oil
1 tbsp shea butter
2 tbsp cocoa butter
1 tsp beeswax
1 tsp soya-lecithin liquid
2 tbsp aloe vera gell
2 tbsp rose or lavender water
1/2 tsp borax powder
20 drops carrot seed essential oil
fragrance oil (avoid citrus oils as they can increase chances of sunburn, so no bergamont, ornage, lemon or lime)
Melt the first four unrefined oils, butters and beeswax in a double boiler (or i used a pot of boiling water and a glass bowl that sat on top comfortably). Add lecithin, stir well, remove from heat.
In another sauce pan, heat the aloe vera, the rose water and stir in the borax until dissolved, Remove from heat.
Allow to cool until they are warm to the touch and close to the same temp, set the second container into some ice and slowly drizzle in the oils, while beating with a whisk. A cream should quickly form.
Add essential oil and fragrance (fragrance is optional) and blend well.
Store in the fridge in a clean airtight jar.
Information gathered from:
My mom and grandmere's home remedies, as well as: The complete guide to natural healing cards group 10 card 8, group 7 card 4, and group 8 card 28.
Make sure to seek a doctor's attention for blisters, and sunburn that seems severe. Protect yourself and your loved ones, and of course stay hydrated. Check back each week as I share more information on Pampering yourself this summer.
