Pot Roast and DIY deodorant!

I love the days when I can just teach a class and spend the rest of the day getting squirrely in the kitchen!

I'm a part-time fitness instructor so that leaves quite a bit of empty space in my work week. Of course some recipes I try will be no-brainers (ex. I got the Pot Roast recipe from my mom and the back of the Onion Soup mix package).

As long as I have a recipe to start off with, I can usually come up with a few personal touches using my sense of smell as a matchmaker. Its almost like trying on clothes, sometimes you just know when things go together and when they don't. Or you can do what I do and subject your spouse/significant other to the trial-and-error process (so far, hubby hasn't made the "WTF IS THIS?" face yet so I'm happy!).

To start with, we needed to christen our new slow cooker and what with the plethora of slow cooker recipes requiring ingredients I don't have yet, I decided to treat hubby to some comfort food and made a good old fashioned Pot Roast:



("before cooking" photo)

Ingredients: (Serves 8)
1 tbsp. EVOO  (I only use EVOO since Canola, corn and other vegetable oils are highly processed)
3-4 lb. boneless beef pot roast  (hubby got the leanest round eye available)
1 small bag baby carrots  (or if you enjoy chopping, slice up 4 whole carrots)
6 small russet (red) potatoes  (or 4 medium regular potatoes) cut into 1 in. pieces
1 package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix  (both envelopes are used)
3/4 cup water  (I went a tad overboard with the water since I didn't want the veggies to dry out but that can always be drained afterward)

1. Rub the thawed meat with McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning.

2. Brown every side of the roast on medium heat in a large pan (or pot) with the dash of EVOO. Should take about 6 minutes per side. Splash a LITTLE Worcestershire sauce if you're feeling fancy!

3. Arrange the chopped veggies in the slow cooker in a nest, placing the browned roast on top.

4. Combine both envelopes of Lipton Onion Soup Mix with the water and pour over roast and vegetables. (My mom likes to add a dash of Worcestershire sauce and red wine to enhance flavor, but I didn't do that here)

5. If you want a nice thick gravy, mix 2 tbsp all purpose flour into 1/4 cup water and add to slow cooker.

6. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hrs or HIGH for 4-6 hrs (I started at noon so I chose the latter)

And now we wait...and also experiment with the DIY deodorant recipe I've been dying to try!
Weird train of thought, I know, but just roll with it.

I'm trying out just a basic recipe I found here <http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Stick-Deodorant> and I'm psyched to use coconut oil for the first time! If you'd rather not keep your deodorant in the fridge to keep it from melting, you could substitute the coconut oil with beeswax! It will keep longer and stay solid at room temperature, but its a bit too pricey for my taste. I saved an empty deodorant dispenser from my last stick and washed it out, so I'll be reusing it today!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (55 g) baking soda (odor eliminator)
• 1/4 cup (32 g) cornstarch (moisture absorption)
• 10 drops tea tree oil (antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial agent *we keep about 8 different essential oils in the cupboard, but this one is the most important)
• 2+ tbsp (30 g) coconut oil, melted (emulsifying agent: blends it all together)
• You can also add another essential oil for a favorable fragrance and/or a tsp of sweet almond oil or Vitamin E for razor burn. Other EO's you can add are rose, eucalyptus, sandalwood and chamomile.
• * I'm adding a few drops of lavender because its my favorite scent and it soothes the skin.
• 

1. Mix the baking soda, corn starch and tea tree oil in a small bowl

2. Add melted coconut oil (and any other skin soothers or EO's) to the mixture until smooth

3. In the old deodorant stick container, twist the dispenser until its at the bottom of the container before pressing in the mixture with a spatula.

4. Mixture will be gooey at first but will harden/set after a few days (I'm putting mine in the refrigerator)

5. Use like store bought deodorant but with a lighter hand as it will be much softer than store bought.

My primary reasons for making my own toiletries, cleaning products, cosmetics and remedies are as follows:

- Its economical and eco-friendly
- I know what's going into my body (and more importantly, what isn't)
- It uses safe ingredients thus eliminating the need for animal testing in the process
- Self-sufficiency comes with its own intrinsic benefits of independence and freedom

Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? - 1 Corinthians 6:19

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands - Proverbs 31:13

New Kitchenware...Smells Like Opportunity!

My in-laws have generously donated a rice cooker, a bread maker and a crock pot to complement our humble abode. I am so excited because there's several things I've been really eager to make (2 of which are home made bread and all those beautiful slow cooker recipes I've been seeing all over Pinterest). My husband will be the one using the rice cooker, as I am a die-hard pasta fan.

Since he is a clean eater and I need my food to taste good enough to qualify as a hearty last meal, our compromises are somewhat limited by time, money and cooking ability. Thankfully, its 2014 and we no longer have to rely solely on our mothers'/grandmothers' recipe box (though the love that's put into carrying on such tradition makes food taste even better in my opinion!).

To start with, I've never used (nor even heard of) a bread maker. I thought you covered yourself in flour, mixed the dough in a bowl, kneaded, let it sit, kneaded some more and baked it. If I'd known a machine did all the heavy work, I'd have asked for one years ago.

I have to wait until pay day to attempt this recipe http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Bread-Recipe/  when I have some time and money to devote to it.

I always feel like "Eye of the Tiger" should be blaring in the background as I put on my mother's apron and glare challengingly at the ingredients as though they were my opponent.


The slow cooker will most likely get the most use, since I'm lazy and now I have a day job so I won't have much time to devote to experimental cooking. Since there are ten zillion freezer/slow cooker recipes, I intend to narrow down the ones I like.

So far, in my kitchen, I've managed to use my mother's recipes for the following:

Big Pot Chili Stew


Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (we use the leanest we can find) browned and drained of excess fat
     (season with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of cumin as its browning)
1 Vidalia onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
3 jalapenos chopped and de-seeded
1 can of each - red beans, black beans and northern beans)
4 cans diced tomatoes (we like the ones with green chilis)
(salsa optional)
Season with salt, pepper, cumin, (very easy on the chili powder as its rather strong), coriander (liberal amount), adding water and/or beef broth to desired thickness
Cook over medium heat until chopped veggies are tender, stirring occasionally

*I'm a "taste as I go" kind of person but I also need precise measurements if I can't taste it so do this at your own discretion
** My mom made this any time it was cold, or if we got sick because its got TONS of immunity boosters in the vegetables and the seasonings. The spicier you make it, the more it clears the sinuses.
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Turkey/Chicken Pot Pie


Ingredients/Directions:

1 Butterball turkey breast - roast at 325 F for 45-60 min. until turkey flakes under a fork
 ***(My grocer didn't have it that day, so I just bought a package of Tyson boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins and cooked them through in a pan with EVOO and Montreal chicken seasoning.)

2. roll out a Pillsbury pie crust in an 8 x 8 casserole dish (there should be 2 in a package) and set a large pot on the stove at medium heat

3. Chop 1 large onion and 3 celery stalks (keep the leaves as a garnish if you're wearing your fancy pants!) and sautee in a splash of EVOO until tender (I did it in the pot I would mix the pie filling to minimize clean up).

4. Tear turkey breast into bite sized pieces, minding any inedible tissue like bones, ligaments or fat (Another reason I prefer boneless/skinless cuts because finding bones gives me the willies. I cut my chicken tenderloins with scissors.) and add to sauteed veggies.

5. Add 1 cup of frozen mixed vegetables (we buy the peas, carrots, green bean variety for simplicity).

6. Add 1-2 cans Campbell's cream of chicken soup and chicken stock to desired thickness
**My mom likes to add a splash of white wine because we're flavor enthusiasts.

7. Stir on medium high heat for a few minutes until all vegetables are tender and desired thickness is achieved. If its too watery, just add a bit of flour to thicken it up. If too thick, add water/chicken stock. If you added the wine, cook until you can't smell the alcohol anymore.

8. Turn off the stove and empty the contents into the pie crust in the casserole dish. Roll on the top crust and slit a few times in the middle. Bake at 375 F until crust is golden and filling is bubbling.

**The pie crust can be used for sweet and savory pies. In my opinion, it tastes incredible either way!

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Speaking of sweet pies...

My husband's favorite is the classic
Apple Pie


Ingredients:
3-5 sliced, peeled apples (this should make a slightly raised mound)
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 a stick of butter, sliced all over the apples
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.

In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal. 

**you can cut shapes into your pie crust or you can do what I did and make a lattice pattern by cutting the top pie crust into strips! Up to you!

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/perfect-apple-pie/1fc2b60f-0a4f-441e-ad93-8bbd00fe5334

Whew! That's all for now, but I'll update you on the bread maker once I actually have time to use it.
Happy Cooking!