Couple of favorites!
….So back again and this time with some favorite products to actually mention{finally!}. So far from an overall perspective, my new favorite is Bubble & Bee, hands down. 
Not only do they have great customer service (I emailed them about their deodorants for a recommendation before buying and told her what my issues were with the others I’ve tried, since they have a few versions available, and by the end of the DAY heard back from Stephanie, the owner, herself!), but the products are awesome. I like it that the company was founded by someone with a strong chemistry background, who worked in a lab and knows a thing or two about chemicals. I can look at the labels and not have to guess if it’s natural or not, very simple ingredients that aren’t fancy but just work. She has a good blog you can sign up for with lots of good information. Shipping has been really quick too, I’ve had everything within 3 days of ordering, and the prices are decent. More than what you’d buy from Harris Teeter or CVS, but not as crazy high as some of the companies I’ve been looking in to. So excited that I have finally found a deodorant that I really like (I tried 7, yes, SEVEN of them to get to this point)! I never thought I’d use the term ‘excited’ in conjunction with ‘deodorant’, but there it was! With Bubble & Bee they recommended I try one of their deodorant creams, which I was very hesitant about because it totally reminded me of the Tussy my Moppy used to wear, but I have to say, I love it. Yes, love, a very strong word, but seriously, it’s that great! I ordered the sample size too in Jas-Mint originally($3.99 and so far has lasted me over two weeks and is not even half way gone). I just ordered more of them in the other ‘flavors’ to see which one is my favorite smell, before I order it in the regular size. I really like that they have true scents, verses such an herby smell. I also like my smells to coordinate, so will probably order some of the spray (to use as a body spray) and body buttas to match. The Geranium Lime has me very curious, as does the Lemon Clove and Lemongrass. The deodorant cream is great in that it is not sticky, wet or chalky…basically like a slightly firm lotion going on, and it smells great so YOU smell great (and it LASTS, even through workouts, and during the day you don’t feel like you have to refresh it every 4 hours!). It is a deodorant (not antiperspirants) so you will feel a little wetness if you sweat, but I’ve found that even that seems less than with the others I tried (it has baking soda and Arrowroot in the formula which I think helps with dryness). The peppermint in the Jas-Mint makes your armpits really cool for a while too! Whew, for what I thought would be an easy update for my 2012 refocus, finding just a deodorant took some serious trial and error!
I’ve also tried Bubble & Bee’s Peppermint & Tea Tree Shampoo, which was a little too rich for my hair (says for dry hair, which I guess mine isn’t as dry as I thought it was)…but it works great on my kids hair (guess since mine is longer or something it made it look a little greasy faster?). Ordered the Lemon and love it! Even using the vinegar like they recommend for conditioner, while odd at first, seems to be working great. After drying any vinegar smell is gone. My hair is super wavy as is, and for some reason it is curling better now (not so frizzy). The body butta is my favorite lotion so far out of all of the lotions I’ve tried (I bought unscented), and I have the Orange and Lavender shower gels and really like them! I ordered the face wash sampler and it’s ok too…will probably try a different one though when it runs out or keep it in my gym bag. I like more of a routine with specific products (day cream, face wash, eye cream, night cream, mud mask, etc….just funny like that!)…more than a wash and one lotion (and the lotion is a little thick for me during the day). Have a couple of options that I am still looking in to & might try for that though, so more to come. Oh yeah, I bought the Bubble & Bee Karma Apple lip balm for my kids and have secretly stashed one of them for me because it is so yummy…total butter on your lips and tastes like apples and brown sugar. I’m going to try Orange next because I do love Orange flavored things!
Here’s a link to a good blog about organic products that I have found and even ordered some new product samples they recommended, called Fig+Sage. They have their ‘best of 2011′ list now posted, which Bubble & Bee has a couple of call outs! I’m definitely on a little bit of a perfume mission next and ordered some samples of a couple they have listed on their site as favorites!
Still looking for a great toothpaste (have tried 4 kinds now and none of them is THE ONE), so if you have any recommendations let me know! Hoping Bubble & Bee will come out with one here soon since I’m liking them so much so far, LOL! I just bought a Living Social deal for 100% Pure products and ordered a few things from them (I have their Honey Almond body wash and lotion and really like it, so this time went specifically for mascara and some make-up!)…will let you know if that is any good soon. Hope this info might help you too!
Going ‘all natural’ is a little bit tricky!
Hey y’all, back again and still searching for natural products to use everyday. I thought this would be a quick change over for my 2012 Refocus, but really, I think it’s going to be more of a journey to get to the point where I find ‘the ONES’ that become part of our everyday routine. One thing I keep running across is that sometimes, even when products are in the ‘natural’ section of stores and say they are ‘natural’ or ‘organic’, they really aren’t! It’s a little misleading and tricky sometimes! Like I’ve said, I’m not die hard on everything being organic, but I would like for it to be at least all natural. I’m having to become label savvy to the extreme! Even products like Tom’s of Maine, which I’ve always assumed was a good, natural brand to use, has some less than desirable ingredients (sodium laurel sulfate in toothpaste and petroleum in deodorants). They may come from a natural source, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are good for you from what I’m reading….although since the other ingredients are still on the more natural side it’s probably a better alternative still compared to the main stream companies. Here is the link again from Organic Consumers for body care product companies that are truly organic, and an article from Dr. Bronner’s with numerous links to learn more about the ‘Coming Clean’ campaign (wanting more restrictions and guidelines for products to be advertised as natural or organic).
Here are a couple of good lists for reference from the Bubble & Bee Organic Bath & Body site (which by the way, I have just ordered more products from to try!). Here is her link to a chemical database, explaining what some chemicals are made of and reasons to avoid them, it’s pretty interesting, especially when you look at your shower gels, toothpastes, and most bathroom ‘personal’ products and see lots of them in there. Sodium Laurel Sulfate seems to be in about everything, so another article link on reasons to avoid. Also a larger list of chemicals to avoid with links to articles providing additional information.
I have to say, I hope I love the Bubble & Bee Organic products, because the customer service from this company has been outstanding! I emailed a question and before the day was up I had a reply from Stephanie herself, who I believe is one of the owners. I placed an order and within a day I got the notification of it shipping, even with part of it being custom made. I also like that you can make your own fragrances that can be used as deodorants, or body sprays (I’m getting a little tired already of the natural perfumes that only come in so many flavors and last about 15 minutes). Trying an Orange, Coconut, Hibiscus and was totally torn because there were a lot of options for scent combination possibilities! Also like that you can order a lot of the products in sample sizes to see if you like them before spending more money on the larger versions.
And as far as deodorants (my last post and currently the bane of my existence, LOL), I am still searching. I’ve ordered 2 more to try from Bubble & Bee and thankfully they have a deodorant guarantee/exchange policy! I’ve tried 5 kinds to date now, with only one of them so far I’m even using (bought this in the ‘Classic’ formula and it has a light herby scent, with a touch of baking soda smell though). I like it from a deodorant perspective (unlike the others, once it dries it lasts all day and you don’t feel like you need to refresh it after 4 hours), but am still searching for more of a stick vs. roll on because I’m just having a hard time getting used to the initial wetness and am missing some of the more perfumey, clean smells (my brand forever was powder fresh!). I tried the natural mineral salt deodorant like someone recommended on my last post, and think it was too strong for my skin….it burned like crazy! Once I find my new stand by I’ll let you know! I have some soaps and lotions I like a lot and will post those next time with my update!
Thought I’d throw this in here too…one other helpful link from the Organic Consumers guide on how to find Green Businesses and products in your area! Also a link I’ve used a lot to find local & farm fresh foods.
Have a great day…and as always, if you are using some natural or organic products you really like let me know so I can look in to them too (I love recommendations!)! 
My 2012 path to more all natural products…let’s talk deodorant
So, as promised, here I am with thoughts around some of the All Natural products I’m trying to start using more of this year (2012 Refocus, see post below!), starting with deodorants. Here is the jest of what I have read about why you should use all natural deodorants:
Nearly all commercial deodorants contain aluminum salts, because it effectively suppresses perspiration. Those aluminum salts can cause Aluminumtoxicity that has been linked to Cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease and other health issues. Most also contain parabens as a preservative and stabilizer. Like the aluminum, it absorbs easily in to the skin, and apparently can mimic estrogen and can build up over time. Basically it is not good for you either and can also cause some serious problems long term.
I am a Secret Powder Fresh solid girl, and honestly think I have used that for the 25 years I’ve been using deodorant (the white kind…I only buy the invisible if I’m going sleeveless, and don’t use that type all the time because I guess I have sensitive skin and it sometimes makes my underarms very dry). Main ingredient there is Aluminum zirconium trichlorohydrex GLY 16% (try saying that 10x fast!). So trying to go from that to an all natural or organic brand has been, well let’s say, an experience I’m trying to get used to. I didn’t realize that it’s the ‘bad stuff’ in deodorant that makes you dry, and there IS a difference between an antiperspirants (keeps you dry and smelling good) vs. a deodorant (just the smelling good). Basically, I’ve bought 3 types so far and have been trying them for almost 2 weeks now. So far, they either leave you sticky feeling, wet, or totally smelling a little too ‘earthy’ for me (in one case, but it’s my fault for not reading the ingredients close enough to notice that there is ylang-ylang and patchouli as major ingredients in it). With that one, I had flashbacks of being at Appalachian and walking through the grassy mall area on the first warm spring days after a long winter in Boone, where the scent of patchouli (and some other potent things!) about knocks you over! My husband jokes about my ‘inner hippie’ all the time, but it was a little much even for me.
Anyway, here are the 3 I’ve tried….I looked at this link that shows companies that are truly organic here and just sorted through some of the websites. Aubrey Organics and Miessence are listed there, Tom’s of Maine however is not, although supposedly it’s all natural (just not certified organic). My mission is to use more ‘all natural’ products, with organic just being a plus, so I bought these.
Aubrey Organics – E Plus High C, Natural Roll On Deodorant:
The positives: It’s 100% Natural Ingredients, and has a really fresh, clean smell. Of all of the deodorants, I like this smell the best, but I should note that it has Patchouli listed as an ingredient, although you don’t smell it in there. It’s not that expensive to order from the Aubrey Organics web page (but probably more than what you find at the store today when you factor in shipping, especially if you aren’t buying anything else). Once it does dry out it still smells nice and feels…….ok.
The not-so-positives: The wetness. I do not like feeling like I need to use my hairdryer to dry out my arm pits before I can finish getting dressed. I will say though that it does dry somewhat quickly, but if you get sweaty at all during the day you will need to refresh it (I don’t know about you but I don’t usually carry around deodorant in my purse). Again, I’m having to adjust my expectations around the antiperspirants part because you do smell good, but you really don’t feel super dry all day, even though it does have some powder in it. I ordered this online so not sure about the ease of purchase though on a regular basis…I need to check EarthFare or Healthy Home Market to see if they carry it.
Miessence – Tahitian Breeze Deodorant:
The positives: It’s from a certified organic company and does have organic ingredients in it. So far the Miessence site itself ‘looks’ good, and is one of the all organic companies recommended on the link above and has lots of products to choose from. I like how you can see all of the products used, and what they are, etc.
The not-so-positives: The smell! It does not smell like anything I want to smell like. It’s not even so much the patchouli (it doesn’t have that smell at first but it sure came out later), it just has a woodsy smell that is not fresh or clean in my opinion. It is also a roll-on type (like the Aubrey Organics) so you feel wet for a while. This is a company that is supported by sales representatives (I ordered directly from the Miessence site, but then was directed to the link above and assigned a rep who basically sent me an email telling me to order from there from here on out)….so from an ease of purchase perspective, you have to buy it online, and pay for shipping (and it came from Australia so count on a good 10-12 day delivery timeframe from purchase, although that might change now that I have a direct site, who knows!). It’s also more expensive because it is organic.
Tom’s of Maine - Long Lasting, Aluminum Free Fresh Apricot:
The positives: The apricot smell is really nice, very fruity. It’s also a solid instead of a roll on, so there is not that initial wetness. Tom’s of Maine uses no artificial colors, flavors, fragrance or preservatives and lists out every ingredient, it’s purpose and it’s source on its website, which I like. I also like that you can easily buy this at the grocery store (I got it at Harris Teeter) or Target.
The not-so-positives: You may not be wet feeling, but it is kind of sticky. You still have the sweat issue, and I’m thinking like the others you may have to re-apply if you are hot natured or in the summer time. Seems to have more ingredients with ‘big names’ whereas the others are very self-explanatory and more natural seeming (oil of this, oil of that kind of thing), but if you go on the site it does show you what is what and that it is natural. While the fruity smell is nice, I prefer clean scents most of the time. I would buy this kind again though since it’s easy to find in a hurry.
Verdict: Ok, so the Scotch-Irish Bailey in me has a hard time buying anything then it going to waste, but I really don’t like the Miessence smell and know I won’t use it. Email me if you like patchouli and it’s yours, haha! For now I’ll keep using the Aubrey Organics and the Tom’s of Maine, but if I’m going to a hard class at the gym or somewhere I know I’ll be getting sweaty I may sub in some of my Secret as stand by so I won’t be walking around with my shirt blown out (I may not be a heavy sweater, but girls do sweat!). Not natural, yes I realize that, but going from daily to maybe 3x a week just for a few hours has got to help right? I did read that you can use talc powder to help with adding some dryness to natural deodorants, so I have some that I bought from Miessence that I may see if puffing a little on over it after applying helps. The powder has a strong herbal smell to it at first, but not to the extent of the deodorant, and the smell does fade (hopefully it will mix well with the other 2 smells). Just wish me luck that I don’t end up making paper mache under my arm pits, LOL! Still going to keep my eyes open for other brands too once these are used up to test so let me know if you have one that feels not so sticky or wet! I saw a bunch of recipes for homemade deodorants on Pinterest today, but seriously, I don’t have time for that and am really not that hard-core, plus it looked messy to put on (picture a tub of Tussy that your grandmother wears!)….so I’m going to stick with what I can buy when it comes to deodorants! After I go through all of these products and figure out what I really like and plan to add in to my real routine, I think I’ll put them out on Pinterest under Products I use. Hope this helps if you are thinking of using more natural products too – - next up I’m thinking shampoo…or maybe toothpaste…..we’ll just have to wait and see!
2012 Refocus….let’s start with the fun stuff….my search for good All Natural and Organic Products!
Hey y’all, Happy New Year! So to start things out, the word resolutions, or resolute, makes my nose crunch up like it’s smelly…. don’t you just picture a grumpy old person with a stern look pointing at you telling you that you HAVE to do something (insert here Pink Floyd “you can’t get any pudding if you don’t eat your meat!”)? I prefer ‘Refocus’, it just sounds so much more positive. Like we all don’t have enough going on in life that we have to be adamant and resolute about something else….how about a little refocusing instead? And since I am a list person to a fault, what I come up with as we begin each new year is always a mile long and full of big ideas. This way, in December 2012 when I look back I can say, WOW, look at all of the things I was able to refocus on!
So here we go, Refocus #1….my search to find really good All Natural and/or Organic products for my family! Food shopping wise I’m pretty good today, I’d say that at least 90% of what I buy is all natural, preservative free, organic, or from a local farmer. I have a major allergy/sensitivity to certain preservatives that causes irregular heartbeat, which is very uncomfortable and sometimes scary, so that is one area I don’t mess around with (sure wish I had known that a simple change in diet helps so much before having heart surgery 3 years ago!!). And boy does the food taste better, especially the meats (organic or farm fresh chicken, pork and beef TASTE like what they are…the stuff from the grocery store all tastes the same to me now and is super bland). As far as products though, I do ok but definitely have room for improvement.
So I thought I’d start with the fun stuff (personal products!): Deodorant, Toothpaste, Shampoo/Conditioner, lotion, soaps/body washes, shaving cream, some make up and vitamins/supplements…..then later I’m going to start working on finding more natural alternatives for laundry detergent, kitchen and bathroom cleaning options….not sure I want to know how bad nail polish is for me because I sure do love getting a mani/pedi, but guess I’ll look in to that as well….I am refocusing right? I love to garden starting in the springtime so I’ll look up better solutions for that too and post.
Here’s a picture of what I got in this week to try starting now (I found these through researching in the Environmental Working Groups database, looking at websites and hunting down reviews, asking you guys, etc). Laying it all out like this made me kind of glad my husband was traveling for work last week as the UPS man came to my door about 4 times in a span of 4 days, and that he doesn’t check online banking that much, LOL! I did try to order sample sizes when available (that is me justifying buying all of this out loud, just nod your head in agreement that yes, that was a smart idea until I know if it’s any good!). First picture is the products I’m trying, second are some of the products I have for the kids:
So I’ve started using some of these and definitely have some opinions so far, which I’ll start writing up and post soon! Hopefully hearing a real opinion about them will help you if you decide to try more all natural & organic products this year too. And if you have any that you use yourself and really like let me know….I’m a sucker for recomendations and good marketing (which is almost funny since working in marketing you’d think I’d know better, but still!).
Black Bean and Pesto Lasagna
Hey there! Back again with another recipe that I like that I thought I’d share! Baby B’s daycare-teachers-daughter (who also works at Matthews Country Day and we love!) just had a baby this week, and they have been in and out of the hospital with him, bless their hearts (and his!). So what does every good Southerner do? We cook! Wanted to bring them dinner so they had one less thing to worry about, and with cooler temps lasagna seemed like a good idea. B’s teacher is a vegetarian, so had to come up with something yummy that even the non-veggie’s would like. Last time I made this was almost 3 years ago at my Mom’s ‘Sweet Six-tee’ party with her girlfriends (where we also had some veggies mixed in!) and it was a hit then so I thought I’d try it again! I used to eat a black bean and pesto lasagna entrée at the Red Onion Cafe in Boone, NC and loved it so much that I tried to re-create it from memory….and it’s really close! Delivered this with a tossed salad, rolls, and of course a tub of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Ice Cream (this time of year we think EVERYTHING should have a serving of that after it, ha!).
PS: Usually I’m all about whole wheat pasta but for the sake of time I used the no boil ones for this and it looked really good!
1 box lasagna noodles
1 32-oz Ricotta cheese (plan to use about 2/3rds of it)
2 eggs
1 bunch scallions, sliced (washed & trimmed to about 4″ long or so, just in to the green part)
About a cup of grated Parmesan Cheese (then some to sprinkle on top)
Monterey Jack Cheese (buy 2 packages and plan to use about 1 1/2 of them), the shredded kind
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small jar Colavita Pesto Sauce
Pyrex dish, Pam
To begin: Spray your 9×13 glass pan with Pam and turn your oven on 350*. Also, cook noodles if you are not going to use the no boil kind.
Mix together in a bowl: Ricotta, both eggs, cup of parm and about 3/4th’s of the onions, and I put in a tablespoon of Jane’s Mixed Up Salt and a few dashes of pepper.
Layer: Noodles to cover the bottom of the pan. Ricotta, layer of noodles, a good amount of the grated Monterey Jack cheese to cover the noodles and then about a solid layer of beans on top, then another layer of noodles. Last layer/top is the rest of the ricotta, the jar of pesto spread out over it, whatever is left of the beans, a solid layer of the Monterey Jack cheese, the rest of the scallions layered on top, a sprinkle of the parm.
Cook in the oven for about 50 minutes. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting. I did drain off some of the ‘pesto oil’ because when you take it out it does look all bubbly (and greasy!), but you probably don’t need to. It is good flavor but I just have this thing about dabbing & draining oils so my arteries won’t totally clog up (you are either a dabber, or of the camp that when you dab it you ’take away all of the flavor’….up to you!).
Here are some pics – I couldn’t cut in to it since it was technically for someone else so I only got a side and top view! My house smelled SO GOOD while this was cooking, although I do not recommend cooking it before you go to bed because that smell will totally make you hungry all over again, LOL. Like all lasagnas, it’s typically even better the next day. Enjoy!
Not Your Mamma’s Meatloaf!
So in the spirit of posting more recipes in hopes that you will too, here’s one more that I’m making for dinner tonight. Not sure why I felt the need to name my meatloaf this (I am definitely easily entertained), but it is so darn good and definitely NOT what I grew up on (sorry Mimi!). My mom used to try to spin it, and call it ‘ground beef casserole’ so my brother and I wouldn’t make gag noises every time she told us we were having meatloaf for dinner. I have always hated meatloaf with a passion until this recipe. This stuff is GOOD y’all! My kids (1, 4 and 7 years old!) ASK me for this, and WANT leftovers put in their lunch (if there are any….I’ll admit I sometimes tell them it is all gone so I can have that last piece as a sandwich the next day on toast with mustard and ketchup, yum). I know, they are weird (and guess I won’t win the parent of the year award now that I have admitted that), ha! Anyway, give it a try, with cooler weather on the horizon it tastes even better. I usually make it with roasted fingerling potatoes (olive oil and sea salt, no herbs bc there is a good bit of thyme in the meatloaf and you don’t want them competing) and something green (tonight’s veg is still TBD). I do tend to over ‘chop’ the onions in my food processor to hide them, for some reason my children say they ‘hate’ onions, although most of their favorite foods have them in it (shhhh, don’t tell). You can also make this with either ground beef or ground turkey (it’s moister with beef but good both ways!). So here you go, enjoy! I’ll add pics tonight after I make it!
Not Your Mamma’s MEATLOAF:
Non-stick cooking spray
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, whirled up in the food processor until very finely chopped
3/4 cup carrots (or 1 large carrot, I just always have the bag of nubs I use), also chopped in the food processor very fine)
1 tbsp chopped garlic (doesn’t hurt to add in more either!)
1 tbsp dry mustard
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dry thyme
1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats (I use the Steel Cut Oats from Trader Joe’s)
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 lbs ground beef or Turkey
1) Preheat oven to 350*. Spray a metal baking pan (loaf pan) with cooking spray.
2) Heat skillet over high heat until hot. Add olive oil and butter. When butter has melted, add the onion, carrots, garlic, dry mustard, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook and stir until tender but not brown. Set aside and cool.
3) In a bowl, combine the oats, egg, and the cooled onion mixture. Add the ground meat. Mix well and press in to the loaf pan. Bake about 45 minutes.
4) Let meat stand for about 15 minutes before slicing and serve! You can use ketchup or a tomato based sauce on this, but it’s so flavorful and moist you really don’t need to. Makes about 6-8 servings, depending on how you slice it. Enjoy!
Frosted Pumpkin Crisp
Thinking October, fall weekends, what would be a yummy dessert to win it with? How about Frosted Pumpkin Crisp! I usually bring this every year to Thanksgiving with my family since it’s pumpkin, but sassier (and yummier in my opinion!) than pumpkin pie! It’s nice too that you can cut it in to little squares as you serve. So here it is! I’ll post some pics once I put it together (and let you know if I win, haha!). Have a great weekend!Frosted Pumpkin Crisp
Cake
1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (13 ounce) can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Dashes of ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves
1 (18 ½ ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup margarine, melted and cooled
Combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg, mixing well. Pour in to a 13x9x2-inch baking pan (I used Pyrex), prepared by greasing, lining with wax paper, and greasing wax paper (I used butter flavored Pam & it worked fine). Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture. Spread pecans on cake mix. Drizzle margarine over pecans. Bake at 350* for 50 – 60 minutes. Invert pan on serving tray, remove wax paper and let stand until cool. Spread frosting on cooled cake & chill until served. (*this cake is better if you make it the night before you want to eat it, and very easy to make!).
Frosting
1 (8 ounce) carton Cool Whip, thawed
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Combine cool whip & cream cheese, mix thoroughly. Add powdered sugar and blend for spreading consistency. Spread on cooled cake and chill before serving.
YUM! Hope you enjoy it!!
Cooling off before icing
Side view, with icing
YUM, ready to go!
Grilled Artichokes…
Ok, so here I am again. Yes, it’s been a while, I would say (like I usually do) that I plan to be better about updating this, but we all know that is wishful thinking! I do get to it when I can but life in general with 3 kids, a husband that travels for work and working full-time myself (and with everything in between!) seems to win out over updating a blog. Sorry! I’m getting MUCH better at calling & returning calls within a reasonable amount of time though right?!? As such, I really did want to update this tonight!
So, I have perfected the art of grilling artichokes! Let me back up…growing up my grandmother (my Mom’s mom that we fondly knew as Tutu, who grew up in California) served steamed artichokes at about every family affair. I loved hers and always looked forward to them, although now making them myself wonder how hers were SO dark (I think she must have gotten “side tracked” and steamed them within an inch of turning in to mush). Note to self, limit wine consumption when steaming artichokes, LOL! But, I have always had a love of artichokes that began with her. So, present day….at 131 Main for my Mom’s birthday with my fabulous Aunts, and then last weekend with my awesome girlfriends and ordered their grilled artichokes appetizer and have seriously had to resist the urge to order them as take out about every other day since! I was at Costco yesterday and saw a bag of 5 giant fresh ones and decided to try my hand at replicating the ones from 131 Main. You have got to love Costco, I think the whole bag of huge, fresh artichokes was maybe $6?? Anyway, here’s what I did and they were fantastic! I’m talking, my 3-year-old woofed them down, even my somewhat picky 6 1/2-year-old ate one tonight AND I was even cutting up the soft heart part for my 8 month old who couldn’t get enough of them! My kids like fun things to eat that are messy and different, no doubt.
So here you go, directions & recipe below….I do feel I should mention that there is an art to eating an artichoke by the way. You don’t chew the leaves (last weekend one of my sweetest girlfriends put the whole thing in her mouth and kept chewing and chewing and chewing…wondering if she was EVER going to be able to swallow it before I subtly let her know you really don’t eat them that way!). You peel each ’leaf’, dip it in something if you so desire, and then basically slide it between your teeth skimming off the soft part from the under side, inside of the leaf. As you get closer to the center they get softer so you can eat more of it, and then you have the heart part that is delicious. Easier than it sounds so give it a whirl.
Grilled Artichokes:
Trim the bottom off (but don’t cut off completely, just trim anything that might be brown from the very bottom of the stem because you can eat this part once it’s cooked) and take scissors and snip the pointy top off of every ‘petal’ around the outside of the artichoke to make a flat edge.
I then cut mine in half and cut/scoop out the choke part (the fuzzy stuff with the purple leaves, it’s nasty and they are sharp, enough said).
Throw them in a steamer with a little sea salt and steam until they are tender enough that a fork can be easily pushed in to them, but not mushy.
Put in a pyrex dish and drizzle with olive oil on both sides, then throw on the hot grill. Get both sides nice and ‘marked’ then put them back in the dish and bring inside. Don’t burn.
I squeezed about 1/2 a fresh lemon per artichoke half, then generously sprinkled them with Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt and her Lime Pepper on both sides. You can find these in almost any grocery store. Make sure you get it down in the leaves, it’s yummy! If you can’t find the Jane’s brand, just plain old sea salt and pepper will do just fine with the lemon juice….but the ‘extra stuff’ in those (herbs, whatever!) make them REALLY good. You really don’t need any extra olive oil if you put it back in the dish you started with. I had a little bowl of Trader Joe’s Goddess dressing for dip, just a tiny bit goes a long way, and WA-LA….this was our dinner tonight with some grilled London Broil (that the kids didn’t touch because they were so busy eating these)! You can also dip in Brianna’s True French vinaigrette. Or some people do butter/lemon and fresh garlic, or a mixture of mayo & a few dashes of soy sauce (definitely not my fav since I can’t stand mayo, but to each their own!).
After you make these you will really wonder how the artichoke hearts you buy in cans/jars are that pale yellow and so tasteless…I wonder if they boil them or something? Anyway, it sounds tricky but is so easy and worth the effort. And my Tutu would be proud of you too! ENJOY!
Family, flowers and babies growing up to fast…
Ok, so I said I’d post something over a week ago and here I am finally. I really do have good intentions, time just gets away from me these days (I wonder why? Life with 3 kids, a full-time job, and a husband that often travels for work maybe??). Maybe if I don’t promise to be better about getting out here more often I actually will, LOL!
So this past weekend was a special one for us, we had Brooke baptized and it was such a special day. In addition to the five of us we had 7 more family members (grandparents, great grandparents and great aunts!) all come in town for it! I am so blessed to have the family that I do and appreciate so much how involved they are with us, especially with my children. Brooke was amazing in the church. She is so alert and watchful, she just takes it all in. Our minister walked around with her some after placing the water on her head (wonder now if that is why Aubrey calls it a Bath-tism?) speaking to the congregation, and it was like she knew what he was saying (looking out with her sweet little pleasant face at the audience and then turning to him and looking right at his face at all the right times). It was very special!
We all came back to our house afterwards for lunch, and the highlight of the afternoon for me was the amount of time my grandparents were able to spend with Connor and Aubrey and how sweet that was! Connor even taught his great-Grandaddy how to bowl on Wii, talk about funny!
Have I mentioned how much I love flowers? I picked up 2 arrangements at Costco this weekend and my Aunt Leigh (who is SO talented at flower arranging!) put them together for me and I just can’t get over how pretty they are! I’m bad about just snipping off the bottoms and plunking them in to a vase. She made a grid with tape and then trimmed some of the bushes in my yard to come up with these masterpieces. Love them!
This warmer weather too has given me a serious case of Spring fever….I am totally going to find a way to get my hands in the dirt this weekend weeding and mulching in my garden beds to get ready for planting next month! I’ll just have to remember to reign myself in because we all know we’ll have another cold snap before Spring is truly here! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been ‘tricked’ and planted so many things just to have to buy them all again and replant because of frost!
And, in the spirit of saving the best for last, Brooke is now 6 months old, can you believe it?!?! She is such a happy, cuddly, laid back, observant and awesome little girl with such a sweet spirit. We are all CRAZY about her! BEST SURPRISE EVER!
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Good grief!
Man has it been a long time since I’ve posted anything! I just got the 5th reminder to renew my blog subscription, so I guess I better start writing in it again since I just paid for another year! Obviously I’m back at work and between that and my sweet little honeybees (and the worker bee, LOL, aka MIKE!) any and all free time I have is eaten up. That being said, I’ve got to get back to it but will put an update out with pictures soon!
Happy Tuesday!
