Stove Top Potpourri

 This was a super cute holiday gift from a colleague at work (her IG below). So simple and made the whole house smell like the holidays :) Check out @southerlyhome for other beautiful home inspiration!

Stove Top Potpourri 

Ingredients

1/2 cup cranberries

2 oranges/clementines

4 sticks cinnamon

3 Tbls all spice

2 tsp nutmeg

Mason jar

small zip bag (jewellery size)

Instructions for the receiver.

Decoration-holly sprig, butchers twine (optional)

Instructions

Place the loose spices in the small Ziploc bag.

Add oranges to the jar, followed by the cinnamon stocks and cranberries.

Add the spice bag last.

Seal jar and decorate as desired.

Print out the instructions (below), scroll and hot glue them to the lid.

Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh Soap

I wanted to make a soap for Christmas gifts that I'd never attempted before....Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. The only problem is Frankincense and Myrrh essential oil is SOOOO expensive and it doesn't really smell like much besides earthy. So this is my Christmassy version! The 24k gold sheets and flakes weren't really that expensive at all. I got mine from Walmart and made sure they were food grade. I have just included basic instructions below. If you are new to soap making please make sure you follow regular instructions and protocol, I have not included them here but you can find it on my soap making tutorial. I estimated $170 for the block which is around $12 a bar depending on how small you cut them. I usually get around 14 bars. So to sell this would be quite expensive but as this is for homemade gifts it's not too bad. By far the most expensive soap I've ever made!

Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh Soap

Ingredients

201g Lye

543g Distilled water

435g Coconut oil

507g Vegetable Oil

507g Olive Oil

15ml Frankincense EO ($75)

7ml Myrrh EO ($34 wholesale for 15ml)

7ml Clove EO ($9 wholesale for 7ml)

10 drops Cinnamon Bark EO ($3)

1/2 tsp ground glove

30 24k Edible grade Gold sheets (for the top of the soap) ($20)

4g Edible grade Gold flakes (for inside the soap) ($16)

Method

Please follow regular soap making instructions and protocol.

I added oils to ground clove ahead of time to have the clove soak up the scent, it helps it keep for longer.

Once soap hit trace I adding in the flakes and oil mix and used the mixer I use for soap making to break up the flakes into tiny particles.

Once poured in mold I tried to fold the gold sheets on the top and then pressed them in a bit to get a crinkle effect.

The next day when I went to cut the soap I did notice that the sheets on the top were a little oily and had some orange residue.

I will wait the six week curing period before I take final pictures and also test the PH balance to make sure they are safe to use.

DIY Edwardian Hair Rat

So if you don't know my love of all things Edwardian then maybe you haven't seen my wedding post LOL

I've been quite into the Edwardian period ever since reading the Anne of Green Gables book series by L.M. Montgomery as a child. I'm still in love with that book series but is there anything lovelier than those dresses??! I digress...I saw a YouTube video on Edwardian hair washing (with egg...ew) and then hairstyles and saw why all this time I wasn't able to get the acceptable level of puff in my  Gibson Girl hairstyle! You need an Edwardian Hair Rat! So I decided to make one. As you do. When you're in isolation LOL

So I used what I had in my house already but obviously this would be a pretty quick trip to the fabric/craft store or online purchase to make what is a very cheap accessory to the all over look.

DIY Edwardian Hair Rat

What you need

Needle & Thread

Stocking or fabric that hair pins can go into

Batting or loose fabric pieces to fill

Optional

Fake (or real if you have it) hair that matches your own.

Liquid Cement glue

What to do

I cut my material in 28.5" x 5.5", how thick you want it depends on how high you want the puff and how long will depend on your head. Obviously if you're using a stocking you won't need to do this.

I used some brown felt I had leftover from last Halloween when I made Hobbit cloaks...seriously, this is why I never through out the extra fabric. It can come in handy the day you randomly decide you need an Edwardian Hair Rat LOL

Next fold the piece in half lengthwise, with the good side of the fabric on the inside if there is one.

Hand stitch across the long side and one short, leaving the second small open.

Turn it inside out so you have a tube.

Start feeding the batting or loose fabric into the tube until filled, leaving a small amount of fabric on the open end.

Feed the sewn end into the open end to create your circle and sew the pieces in place.

This can be the end of your hair rat if you have very long/thick hair but if you would like to add hair to it in case of spaces then this is what I did.

I had a fake hair piece from a halloween costume and it had the hair sewn at one side which was actually very helpful.

I had stitched the sewn part onto the bottom of the hair rat and then wrapped the hair around and glued the ends underneath with liquid cement.

I had to do it in batches and allow to dry before starting on the next one because it was very fiddly.

And here is the result! It doesn’t have as much give once you put the hair on so make sure it is slightly bigger if you use this step. 

DIY Hand Sanitizer

So in the recent COVID-19 madness and indeed in any pandemic madness the hand sanitizer is always the first to disappear off the shelf but with some careful planning or even a quick Amazon shop when you first get wind of the crazy you can easily make your own at home. And it's cheaper and you know what goes into it so really it's great for even outside times of mass hysteria. As long as you use an alcohol base of over 60% alcohol then you can use isopropyl alcohol, Everclear or even rum if need be, just make sure the alcohol content is over 60%, the higher the better! I blended a couple of recipes together for this one but the main one that worked was Little House Living.  This recipe is for a thicker spray but just add a bit more aloe to use in a pump. This makes two small purse pumps but just double, or quadruple the recipe for larger containers.

DIY Hand Sanitizer

1/4 cup Alcohol
6 Tbls Aloe Vera gel (try for 100% and free of colouring/scent)
20 drops of essential oil*
1/4 tsp Vitamin E (optional)


*I used doTERRA On Guard (which has Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Leaf, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Leaf, and Rosemary Leaf/Flower) but you can use any antibacterial oils such as tea tree, cinnamon, thyme or oregano.

DIY Peppermint Lip Scrub

This is so easy to make yourself, and it really works! But don't get addicted, it's pretty tasty!

DIY Peppermint Lip Scrub

Ingredients

2 Tbls Vegan Sugar (preferably caster because it's finer)
1 tsp jojoba oil
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 drops food grade peppermint essential oil (I used doTERRA*)


Method

Mix the all ingredients together. If you feel like it's liquidy add more sugar, if too dry ad a couple drops more of jojoba oil. You want the consistency of hard wet sand.



Note
*You actually get a free Peppermint Essential oil when you sign up with doTERRA!

Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Elderberries are packed full of vitamin C, antioxidants and immune boosting properties (more information on studies here) so here's a way to get that in your every day...on a budget :)

Feel free to add extra spices for preference, I sometimes like some cardamon pods and star anise! Personally I only use half the amount of sweetner listed because for me it's enough.

Homemade Elderberry Syrup
(makes around 2 cups)

Ingredients

2/3 cup dried organic elderberries^
1-2" ginger grated
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/2 cup vegan honey or maple syrup (or really any sweetener of choice) 
3 1/2 cups water


Method

Add water, berries, ginger, clove and cinnamon to a saucepan and heat on medium-high heat until boiled.
Lower heat, cover and simmer for 60 minutes.
Allow to cool to warm then strain liquid into a bowl.
Whisk in maple syrup, add more to taste.
Transfer to sterilized* containers.

Dose is;
For Daily Health; 10ml (2 tsps) for adults and 5ml (1 tsp) for children
For cold & flu; Same dosage as above but repeated 3-4 times per day.

*to steralize your jars/bottles, wash with dish soap and hot water and heat in a 275F oven for 20 minutes.

^I got my organic elderberries from Sunburst Superfoods.

Homemade Toothpaste

I got this original recipe from Authority Dental and I used it as a base to create a new one.

Homemade Toothpaste

Ingredients

2 Tbls Baking Soda
2 Tbls Coconut Oil
10 drops of essential oil (Peppermint, Clove, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Rosemary & Wild Orange are good ones to use.)

Method

Heat coconut oil and baking soda on a low heat and until melted.
Whisk until well blended and whisk in the essential oils.
Allow to sit for a few hours or in the fridge to harden.
Keep in an air tight container.

Homemade Dishwasher Tablets

This is a recipe from doTERRA which works beautifully. I initially misread the ingredients and used On Guard EO instead of the cleaner concentrate...it smelt amazing but was definitely too much for washing dishes LOL
This worked better than the Seventh Generation ones I was using, no hard water marks or grainy soap residue.

Homemade Dishwasher Tablets

Ingredients
1 cup baking soda
¼ cup citric acid
1 tablespoon doTERRA On Guard Cleaner Concentrate
5 drops Grapefruit oil (I used lemon)

Method

Put baking soda, citric acid, doTERRA On Guard Cleaner Concentrate, and Grapefruit oil in a mixing bowl. Mix together until the mixture is an even consistency.
Place in silicon molds and let sit for four hours. Remove tabs.
Store in an airtight container.
Use in dishwasher in place of store-bought dishwasher tablets.

Dry Beans & Lentils 101

Many people buy canned beans & lentils because they are convenient and honestly these days the only time I buy canned is chickpeas for the aquafaba - fresh doesn't doesn't seem to work! Dry beans are only a bit of work and honestly it works out SO much cheaper plus their shelf life is practically infinite! Here are the dried beans I use, the uses and how much I really get out of each batch.

Dry beans are easy to prep and full of protein. Basically just soak in water for a day or so then cook in fresh water till tender, over night soaking is the easiest prep. Sometimes I use a slow cooker, especially for pinto beans since I want them very soft anyway and don't have to keep testing them. I can just let them go all day and the worst case is that they still need longer so I start it up again. Then I drain them, rinse well and put them to good use or freeze!

"Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat the more you toot!" We've all heard the kid's rhyme and maybe have stayed away but most of this comes down to two things, prep and tolerance. If beans are not cooked all the way they will play some havoc on your system, similarly if you're new to eating beans some people might need an adjustment period

Black Beans

A 1lb bag of black beans will set you back about $2 and from just that one pound I can make the following;

Black Bean Brownies

Black Bean Hummus

Black Bean Burgers

Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)

Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans) are a stable for me because I love hummus and I love falafel. Now for good falafel you need soaked, but not cooked chickpeas which you won't find in a can.

Simple Hummus

Fried Falafel

Vegan Tuna Melt

Crispy Spiced Chickpeas

Vegetable & Past "Chicken" Soup

Pinto Beans

Pinto beans are a staple in our house mainly for refried beans. We eat tacos or nachos and then quesadillas with the left overs at least once a week. 1lb of dry pinto beans will make 2 batches of my refried beans and each batch will feed my family of 5 twice (usually for taco night and then leftovers for nachos or quesadillas). I usually take a full bag of pinto beans to make the refried beans but easily freeze half of it.

Refried Beans

Nachos

Tacos

Homemade Baked Beans

Kidney Beans

Great for Latin dishes and adding into mixed bean dishes!

Spaghetti Bol with Beans

Bean Burritos

Nacho Bean Bowl

Chilli Non Carne

White Beans

White beans come in a four different forms;

• Great Northern Beans which are nutty and hold their shape so used in stews and casseroles
• Cannellini beans (also called white kidney beans) which have a nutty/meaty texture and are used in a lot of Mediterranean dishes such as Minestrone.
• Navy (Yankee or Pea) beans which are round and small and very popular in Boston & Louisiana dishes.
• Baby Lima Beans (Butter beans) which also come in green color are smooth and creamy and used in a variety of dishes, great to mash with potato or avocado!

White Bean & Chickpea Chilli

White Bean & Pepper Jack Quesadilla

Lima Bean Ragout with Tomato and Thyme

Mixed Beans

Mixed Bean Chilli

Mega Burrito Bowl

Bean & Tomato Stew

LENTILS

Red lentils are your friend, they are a great go to as they are the only lentil that you don't need to soak! They cook so quickly they can go straight into your soups and stews!

Red Lentil Dal

Lentil Meat Loaf

 Turkish Lentil Soup

Brown Lentils you do need to soak and are much meatier than red lentils which tend to get mushy quickly and lose their form.

Lentil & Rice Meatballs

Warm Pumpkin & Brown Lentil Salad

Simple Lentil Soup

This is a great one if you're on a budget, it's hearty, filling and healthy but cheap as chips!

Split Peas are in the lentil family but different to green lentils. They are a variety of field pea which is grown specifically for drying. They tend to cook very fast too which eliminates the needs for soaking.

Split Pea Soup

Split Pea, Rice & Vegetable Pancakes

Green Lentils are fairly similar to brown lentils in terms of cooking times and keeping their form. Flavor will vary slightly but they are fairly interchangeable in recipes.

Lentil Patties

Lentil Stuffed Peppers

French lentils are a variety of green lentils (Puy lentils are French lentils but have a slightly different flavor due to the region they are grown). They are smaller than standard green lentils and they hold their shape extremely well so ideal for salads as well as light soups and taste a bit nutty and peppery. I have personally never made anything with these lentils but as I love French cuisine I will have to find some recipes to make!!