CREATING GODDESS MAGIC CREAMS

CREATING GODDESS MAGIC CREAMS

Goddess Magic Creams

In a previous blog post I jokingly said I feel like Madam Curie whenever I start to concoct my creams. As a sculptor, I never expected to be creating face and body creams but when I found some beautiful glass jars with lids, the inventive side of me kicked in.

Goddess Magic Cream with turquoise accents

I sculpted faces out of stoneware clay and added interesting embellishments to each jar. I experimented with various butters and oils and It took me over two years of research and development to finally decide my creams were worth selling.

Ingredients

I finally settled on almond oil, shea butter, bees wax, glycerin, silk protein, grapefruit seed extract, panthenol, essential lavender oil, emu oil and coconut oil. and water.

More ingredients

I heat the oils and butters until they are completely dissolved. I also heat the water. Next step is to whirl the mixture in a food processor set aside strictly for the creams. I first add the liquid ingredients and water, then slowly drizzle in the heated oils and butters.

Cream being heated

I place the cream in a freezer for about an hour. I then re-whip it in the processor until it becomes creamy and fluffy. This is probably the hardest part because everything I’ve done prior to this step depends on what the texture will be like. I was disappointed by a bad batch when I first started making the cream but seem to have perfected it now. The cream batches are now consistent.

Whipped cream

The one ingredient I am missing right now is the Holy Water that I collected from the sacred grotto of St. Bernadette from Lourdes, France. I brought the water back two and a half years ago and decided to add small portions of it to my cream. I am surprised that the water lasted so long! Now, I am out but have good news. A friend of mine is headed on a pilgrimage to Israel and has promised to bring me back Holy water from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, if that is possible. I guess the tradition of the Holy Water will live on when he returns in January.

Filled jars

Close-up of filled jar. Yum, it looks good enough to eat-but don't!

Large Cream Jar with amethyst

Turquoise jar with horse embellishment

Hematite Turtle and embellishments

Antique looking jewels

Brass and intricate beadwork

Antique beads

Antique broach placed on top of medium size jar

Refill jar

Labels and Scrolls awaiting the finished jars

Each cream comes with a scroll listing all the natural ingredients. If you’d like to purchase one of my jars of cream, just e-mail me and we can work out the details on availability and shipping. I just know you’ll love them. They also make fantastic gifts. cherdolby@cox.net.

PS: It’s December 4th and my snapdragons and geraniums are still blooming! Maybe I won't need to purchase a poinsettia this year!

Snapdragons

Geraniums

"DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY" CALENDAR

"DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY" CALENDARS

Thirteen years of calendars

In 1996 I decided to create a family calendar. I named it the dysfunctional family calendar because, quite frankly, we are! Little did I know then that this creation would become a tradition and that every year I would be scrambling around during the month of November trying to outdo myself in creating “the best calendar yet.” The calendars evolved each year. Now the calendars include: a Family Funny Fotos page which shows some of the year's strange and offbeat family pictures; an Activity page, where I describe everyone's activities; a Family Recipe page, which gives some wonderful recipe that we have found during the year; and sometimes, a Funny Comment section dedicated to laughable comments made during the year.

Activity page

Family recipes

Funny Family Fotos

If our world has had an unusual event take place, like the tragedy of September 11, 2001, I designate a page for it.

September 11, 2001

Sometimes I show special events, like the children’s camp I had several years back or the “Sunflower Journeys.” The journeys featured trips I took with my four grandchildren to various places in the world. Each child chose a place to visit with very specific rules. Each had the freedom to choose a destination for his or her trip. But each also had to agree to three stipulations: the trip had to be one that stimulated them both physically and mentally; it had to be to a place where they learned the ways of a different culture; and, they had to be kind to everyone they met along the way, whether fellow passengers or natives of the land they were visiting.

Children's camp

Sunflower Journeys

The front cover of the calendar presents a special challenge to me each year. I almost always feature the grandchildren and try to come up with something fun and unique. One year I created four small dolls, each having the face of a different grandchild. The dolls were backed with a refrigerator magnet and could be removed from the calendar.

Doll calendar

Two dolls from calendar

Another year the cover featured a removable puzzle.

Puzzle calendar

My favorite was the year of the contest. I used different items from my home, Woodloft, and hid them in the background of each page. Each family member had to write down what they thought the hidden item was. The person with the most correct guesses won a large prize. We had partners for this one. Marcy and Alli won.

Contest rules

Marcy and Alli win

Over the years, technology has advanced to the point that my old-fashioned method of cutting out pictures and fanciful stickers with scissors has become outdated. My oldest granddaughter, Marcy, has come to the rescue. She has helped me with the calendar for the last few years. Marcy likes to rev up the calendar by morphing our faces and adding items of hilarious interest.

Yours truly and Marcy

I love the way the calendar has evolved through the years and I love the fact that the family can keep track of all the events of our lives. I know these calendars will be cherished by my descendants many generations down the road. I hope the family will carry on the tradition.

Picture of my mother in her youth

You might enjoy creating a family calendar, dysfunctional or not. There’s no time like the present for beginning a new tradition. Even if your first calendar is a simple one, at least it’s a start. There are years ahead for improvement. Include your children and grandchildren on this project but above all, try to make it fun!

Christmas card my father sent to my mother from Europe during WWII

Note: Cory Trusty at Aquarian Bath is having a December "Blogparty." Please click this link (http://aquarianbath.blogspot.com/2009/12/herbal-aesthetics-decemeber-blog-party.html)
to join the party!

THANKSGIVING AT WOODLOFT

THANKSGIVING AT WOODLOFT

Sweet Potato Orange Cups

Holidays still excite me. Anticipation of getting together with loved ones motivates me to hit the kitchen. Each year I like to experiment with new recipes along with my favorite Thanksgiving fare.

My younger son, Cameron arrived last night from Northern Virginia, bringing all the ingredients that I cannot find here in Roanoke. It’s exciting to see him come through the door with all the Trader Joe goodies.

Trader Joe goodies

Most of the family went for the annual Drumstick Dash, held in downtown Roanoke. This year there were over 7,000 people running. Proceeds from the run go to The Rescue Mission.

Here is our gang

My four children, Cam, Kirsten, Charlie and Kelli

My bread is rising. I’m making my standard Gruyere Herb Bread along with a new (to me) recipe for Finnish Cardamon Bread. I found the recipe in my mom’s recipe file. In our area of the country, Northeastern Ohio, Eastern Europeans settled and brought with them a wealth of fantastic recipes. What some people would consider specialties, we knew to be standard fare. I learned how to make Halupki and Kolache, when I was a child of ten years old. This particular Finnish bread makes 9 large loaves. It smells wonderful as it is rising. I wonder what it will taste like.

Finnish Cardamon and Gruyere Herb Bread rising

Somehow my gravy turned out better this year than usual. I don’t think I added anything different. The standard ingredients I use are turkey broth, carrots, onions, celery, turkey neck, salt and pepper and turkey drippings.

Turkey gravy

I’m making the orange, cranberry relish from a recipe my friend, Cheryl Harvey, gave me.

Cranberry Orange Relish

We are having our celebration at my youngest daughter, Kirsten’s house this year. Everyone will be bringing the rest of the Thanksgiving dinner. Each and every one of our family will contribute their very best.

I am thankful this year for many things. Last year during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday, my oldest daughter, Kelli, underwent a stem cell transplant for cancer. She has Multiple Myeloma. We spent the better part of four months in Richmond while she went through what now seems to me to be a miraculous treatment. I am thankful that she is a survivor. Sometimes we have sadness that enters our lives but in the midst of it all, there is also much good that comes our way. I will be discussing Kelli’s story in length in a future blogpost. This subject may be difficult for some to read and I certainly don’t blame you if you want to tune out for my cancer series. I am hoping to enlighten and inform with my post.

Until next time, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

VANISHING 7- DAY SHRIMP

VANISHING SEVEN DAY SHRIMP

Worth the 7-day wait!

Once in a while, I like to make a dish in advance, place it in the refrigerator, and just pop it on the counter for my guests to enjoy. You might be thinking that this shrimp could not possibly be kept covered for 7 days without becoming spongy or rubbery. Believe me, when you prepare them this way, they are always as fresh tasting as if they had just been steamed. They are savory beyond words and always disappear quickly when I serve them.

Serves: 12 people, as an appetizer

Remember: The dish must be made 7 days ahead of serving time.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. peeled, cooked shrimp
2 large onions
1 container bay leaves

Marinade:

1 ¾ cups salad oil –do not use olive oil
5 T. celery seed
2 T. Tabasco
1 cup regular vinegar
2 t. salt

Preparation:

Layer shrimp, sliced onions and bay leaves in shallow glass dish with lid. Pour mixed marinade over shrimp and cover with lid or aluminum foil. Cover entire dish with a good plastic wrap and refrigerate for 7 full days.

Serve in a large decorative bowl.

BELIZE AND THE BOOKBAG SANTA

BELIZE AND THE BOOKBAG SANTA

Gary dive's for better view of turtle

I met Gary Hunt about 30 years ago. Since then, he has been indispensible to the many renovations at my home, Woodloft. He created the six outdoor ponds there including one fashioned from a green Roman bathtub recessed in the ground at the edge of the deck.

Green Roman tub converted to pond (Hard to believe I once bathed in this tub!)

He also helped me design and build the 7-circuit labyrinth next to that pond.

Flagstone labyrinth

Gary has led a fascinating, often unconventional life. He is a former Peace Corps volunteer who served in West Africa. He spent time living at an Israeli kibbutz. And he spent many years volunteering at Roanoke’s Ronald McDonald House. So it was no surprise when he came up with a novel idea for a one-of-a-kind business.

Children who were recipients of school supplies

He noticed that a lot of still-usable items were being thrown into landfills, and he wondered how some of them could be salvaged.. Among the many serviceable goods he saw going to waste were book bags that were replaced each school year even though they still had plenty of “life” left in them. So, Gary channeled his revulsion over the waste that occurs all over America into the creation of “Bookbag Santa,” a company that recycles school supplies so they can be used by the children of Belize. As the owner of Bookbag Santa, Gary functions much like a modern-day Robin Hood, but one who collects from the wasteful and gives to the poor rather than stealing from the rich to give to the poor.

Hotel where volunteer's stay

Gary also recruits volunteers to help him collect school supplies. As a fringe benefit, any volunteer who wants to can join him on the trip to Belize each year to deliver the supplies. Not only does this allow everyone to experience firsthand the joy of helping Belize’s children, but it also allows them to spend a week or two enjoying the splendors of that beautiful country. Even though everyone must pay their own airfare and other expenses, discounts are available; and there are occasional extras, like dinner at a school principal’s home.

Sign at airport

Last night, I decided to try a recipe Gary brought back from Belize. I had previously made my own bean and rice recipe for him, but this time, I wanted to duplicate the superb Belizean dish he said mine was “close to, but not quite.” Initially, I was hesitant to prepare the recipe the same way they do in Belize. I usually don’t add the rice to the beans for cooking, but cook it separately and then ladle the beans over it. That way, I make sure the rice is cooked just right. The Belizeans cook everything together including a cup of coconut milk, something I never would have thought to add.

Belizean Rice and Beans

Wanting to make the genuine dish, I overcame my reservations and prepared it exactly the way the Belizeans do. I accompanied the dish with plantains that I steamed and then sautéed with butter and a small amount of honey. I also served sweet potato yeast rolls prepared from a recipe given to me by my friend, Cheryl Harvey Hill.

When the dish was served and the moment of truth arrived, I was delighted to hear Gary say, “Ahhh, now that is exactly the way I remember it." Unfortunately, I did not do as good a job on the plantain. I will need to read up on how to prepare plaintains. Mine tasted like crunchy cardboard.

Here is the recipe Gary brought back from Belize.

Red Beans and Rice, Belizean Style

Ingredients:

1 lb. red kidney beans garlic cloves
1 t. salt 1 cup coconut milk
1 t. pepper
1 t. thyme
1 onion, sliced
8 cups water
¼ lb. salt pork fat or beef
2 cups rice, dry Preparation:

l. Soak beans for 4 hours.
2. Place garlic, onion and pork fat into pot with the beans and boil until tender.
3. Season beans with pepper, thyme and salt.
4. Add coconut milk. Stir and bring to a boil.
5. Add rice to bea
7. Cook on low heat until the water is absorbed and rice is tender. (1 cup of rice absorbs about 2 cups of water).

I’m so glad I tried this recipe. It makes a far better bean and rice dish than the ones I’ve made previously. Delicious!

Gary now has nearly 30 volunteers working for Bookbag Santa and joining him for his annual trip to Belize. The organization is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. To celebrate, Bookbag Santa is donating a free trip to Belize for a graduating high school senior with good grades and a record of volunteer service to the community. To learn more about this and all of Bookbag Santa’s activities, please see the Bookbag Santa website.

www.bookbagsanta.com
President and founder: Gary Hunt

Anyone want to join me in Belize next year?

SALMON TUGE AKI YOSIDA

SALMON TUGE AKI YOSIDA

Elegant hand made copper fish platter

For many years I had a pen pal from Japan. His name is, and I’m sure the spelling is not correct, Tuge Aki Yosida. We wrote letters and sent gifts. He always asked for Popular Mechanics magazine and I requested dolls. I’m sorry to say that through the years I lost touch with him. The dolls also were lost to a flood at my parents home. It’s hind sight now but I certainly wish I would have taken him up on his offer to have me visit him in Japan. I believe that if I were to have visited him, he would have served me a dish something like the one I am dedicating to him now.

Salmon Tugi Aki Yosida

I have placed the salmon in an elegant fish shaped platter that my parents gave to me. It was created in Turkey. A close inspection shows that it is hand hammered. I love to serve food in beautifully appointed vessels don’t you?

I try to find unusual items at flea markets and other places of interest, to employ as servers. Check out this carved hand. I use it for napkins.

Carved hand napkin holder

Or this wonderful brass lion that my friend Christine gave to me. It has hooks to place it on the wall but I think it works superbly as another napkin holder.

Brass lion napkin holder

Here is the recipe for Salmon Tuge Aki Yosida.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 T. Sesame seeds
8 T. thinly sliced green onions, including the green
4 T. soy sauce
4 T. butter
8 T. dry sherry
4 Salmon fillets

l. Toast sesame seeds over medium heat until golden.

2. Add butter, onions, sherry sesame seeds and soy sauce. Cook stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat.

3. Place fish on greased rack in broiler pan with the skin side down. Brush on half of the butter sauce. Broil 4” from heat or about 6-8 minutes. Check to see when thickest part of salmon is an opaque when cut.

4. Serve with remaining sauce.


Recipe source: Kirsten Printz (my daughter)

Wouldn’t it be a lark if I tried to find Tuge Aki on Facebook..and it worked?