DIY: Homemade Soy and Beeswax Candles

Good Morning!


Here is a super simple DIY that I did over the weekend, for the past few years I have told myself that I was going to make most of the christmas presents for my family and friends...well I always put it off and am lucky if I find the time to make a batch of cookies for one of my uncles. This year I decided that I was actually going to make christmas presents and start early so I wasn't rushing at the last minute to finish them. Well this past weekend I realized that there was only a month until christmas and I hadn't started to make any of my presents. Whoops. I find that it is easier to make or give lots of little presents instead of just one big presents. Here is the first christmas present project that I did:

To make these candles you will need: 
Jars
Candle wicks (they come pre-cut or in a long length that you can trim down your self)
Sauce pot (to melt the wax in)
Old cup or some other vehicle to pour the wax into the jars
Essential oils (I used pine and lavender)
Wax (I found a homegoods place that sold both beeswax and soy wax for a very reasonable price, you can also find it at most craft stores but it can be a bit pricy)

To make:

Set the wicks up in the jars (I fashioned a tape "x" and poked a hole in the middle and that seemed to work pretty well.

To get the wick through the tape I dipped the end of the wick in the wax and then let it harden - this prevented the wick from fraying.

Melt the wax. Once it is melted add the essential oils (you can decided how much to add)

Pour the wax into the jars. Let sit for a few hours or until the wax is completely cooled.

*For the lavender candles I added a few lavender buds to the melted wax as a decoration.

xx-C

Sunday [Sorta] Muffins: Cinnamon Rolls

Good Morning [or afternoon]!

To start I have a few disclaimers for this recipe:
1: I know there is a GROSS amount of butter in this recipe [I even tried to cut it down but Matt was worried that they wouldn't be as "tasty" as before]
2: This recipe takes forever [like we ended up having these for lunch because it took so long, but it's worth it]

Now after reading the above why would I ever want to make these? Well, because Matt loves them - like he will eat about six of them in one sitting and he also talks about them all the time. It all started one weekend about two years ago when I woke up super early one morning and decided to try to make cinnamon rolls. I found this recipe online and went with it. I didn't realize until mid-mixing them that the amount of butter and sugar was impressive [or slightly gross] but since I already was in the middle of making them I just went with it. Well, the results were delicious and my entire house [at the time] enjoyed them. Now, back the the present, Matt asks "When are you going to make those cinnamon rolls again" about every week and a half. I usually am pretty good at thinking of reasons why I don't have the time to make them but every once in a while I give in. I think I have made them two or three times at this point, every time I try to decrease some of the ingredients [i.e. the butter, and sugar] but Matt always convinces me to follow the recipe exactly [minus the raisins and nuts]. I have to admit that it is always rewarding making these because 1: they really are delicious and 2: Matt loves them so much.
 These would be a good think to make for a special occasion or a holiday when you have visitors. Maybe christmas or easter? I think you could also make the dough the night before and cover it in plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge over night, I was going to try that out this time but I didn't get around to making the dough last night.

Cinnamon Rolls (makes between 12-16)
For the dough:
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or one of those packages)
1/2 cup scalded milk
1/2 cup warm water (no warmer than 90˚F)
Pinch sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 egg
Pinch salt
3-4 cups AP flour

Filling:
3/4 cup white sugar
2.5 Tbs. cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter

Icing:
4 tbs. butter
2 cups. icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3-6 Tbs. hot water

To make the dough: Add the yeast and pinch of sugar to the warm water [above on the left]. This is called proofing and it shows that the yeast are still alive. After about 5 minutes you should see that the yeast becomes bubbly and that shows that it is alive [above on the right].

In a mixing bowl (for this stage I use my kitchen aid with the mixing attachment) mix the egg, salt, melted butter, and scalded milk. Let the milk and butter cool slightly before adding to the egg, you don't want to cook the egg! Once the mixture is combined add 2 cups of the flour and combine. Now add your yeast-water mixture. Mix and add the remaining flour so it forms a workable dough. You probably wont need to add the whole 4 cups, I think I used 3 2/3 cups or something near that. At this point I put the bread hook attachment (or you can knead by hand) and kneaded the dough for about 7 minutes. Then place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a clean dish cloth, and place somewhere warm.

To fill it: After about 1 hour to 1.5 hours the dough will have doubled in size. Place it on the counter and roll it out until it is about 15 inches x 9 inches (I rolled it out on a cookie sheet because my table has an oiled wooden top and I didn't want the
oil to get into the dough). Combine the cinnamon and the sugar together and mix.

Now spread some of the melted butter on the dough (leaving about 1 inch across the top so it will be able to close) and then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar on top.

You can either not use all of the butter or you can pour the rest over the top of the cinnamon sugar.

Carefully, starting at the bottom, roll up the dough. Use a little water to make the end stick to the outside of the dough so the cinnamon rolls will stay together.

Now slice the dough into 1 inch slices and place in a greased 13x9 inch pyrex pan. Let the rolls double in size again (~45 minutes) and then bake until golden (~30 minutes) in a 350˚F oven.

Icing: Whip the butter and sugar together and add the vanilla.

Slowly start adding the water until a smooth consistency forms (you won't need it all). If the icing is too runny you can always stir in more sugar.

Spread the icing over the top of the warm cinnamon rolls. Now it's time to eat them! Enjoy!

xx -C

Sophie's Visit

This past week one of my oldest friends came to visit me. We had been telling her for years that she would love Portland and finally she came! She was here from Saturday to super early Thursday morning - this was probably the longest time that either of us had been in the same state since I graduated from high school. Well we didn't waste any time together and we packed in all of the food, laughing, and exploring that we could in to her visit. Here of are some of the highlights:

Left: At the chinese gardens in Portland // Right: Beer tasting at Deschutes brewery (It was her 21st birthday the day before she came!

// Treasures from the mandatory Voodoo doughnut visit //

// Mexican hot chocolate //

// Old dirty bastard //

// We made butternut squash ravioli (I'll be posting the recipe soon! //

// Birthday dinner at Pok Pok //

// Pok pok's famous fish sauce wings //

// Food cart crepes for dessert //

// Portland Zoo //

I think this past week has been one of the best in a while, I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard!

Hope you all are having great weekends!

xx -C

DIY: Radiator Shelves

Happy friday!

This week seems to have flown by especially since one of my friends from home was visiting until yesterday! I will be posting a few photos from her visit tomorrow! A few weeks ago Matt and I made these shelves, they were super easy to make and didn't take all that long either!


Since moving into my house I have realized that 1) there isn't actually that much room and 2) there isn't very much horizontal storage room either. To solve this problem I have been trying to figure out a way to add shelves and utilize space. I have also been wanting to get a few larger house plants that would add some green to my home, especially since we are entering the cold, rainy season in Portland. My house is heated using radiators and they are placed right in front of the two windows in the living and dining rooms. These windows would be the perfect place to put the plants that I have been dreaming of. Unfortunately the window sills aren't wide enough to hold plant pots and since the radiators are right in front of the windows I can't put a shelf or a table in front of the windows either. After a lot of pinteresting I found a picture of a home that had built a shelf above the radiator, in the picture it looked like a pretty simple project so Matt and I decided to give it a try!

You will need:
2 brackets per shelf (I made two shelves so I needed four)
4 3/4 inch screws per shelf
4 screws that will anchor it into the wall (since I have plaster walls I had to use special screws; usually at home improvement places that have a display that will tell you which type of screw to get for each type of wall depending on how much weight you think the screw will need to hold. I think I got screws that can hold up to 80 pounds)
Polyurethane
Foam brushes (one for each coat of polyurethane you are planning on using)
Sand paper
1 wooden board (I got one that still had some bark on the outside and it was 10 inches wide and ~50 inches long)

How to make:

1: We sanded down the boards because they were pretty rough.

2: Once they were smooth we applied our first layer of polyurethane. Then let it dry for 4 hours.

3: We then sanded the board and applied a second coat and let that dry for 4 hours. (We did a total of 3 coats.)

4: We attached the brackets to the boards first since we though it might be difficult to attach the board to the brackets after screwing the brackets to the wall by the radiators.

5: Then we brought them inside and pre drilled the holes in the walls for the brackets.

6: Finally we attached the shelves to the wall. Ta-da!

Over all the project took a few days since we had to let the polyurethane dry between each coat, but the actual hands-on time was minimal. I am super happy with the results and now I want to make a few more of these shelves for the other radiators in my house! Also now that I have my shelves its time to go plant shopping (another one of my favorite hobbies).

xx-C

Confessions of a Blogger

Ella of Paper Umbrella Blog tagged me in this so I thought I would give it a go. 

1. When did you first start blogging and why?

I first started blogging at the end of September of this year. For the past few years I have followed a few blogs and a few of my friends had started them to document their lives and their travels. I have always thought that keep a journal would be cool, in fact I have been successful for a few short bouts of time but nothing longer than a few months. I thought starting a blog might let me have a place that I could document my travels, recipes, projects, and adventures. After I decided to start a blog it took me a few months to actually start one (I am the queen of putting things off...) but I decided that the start of culinary school would be the perfect time to start...so here we are. 

2. Have you had any past online presence?Not really. I have had things such a facebook and pinterest but nothing so personal as a blog.

3. When did you become serious about your blog?I'm not sure what the exact definition of "serious" is...I try to post here a few times a week...I think knowing that my friends and family back in New Hampshire can easily keep up my life out here in Portland has kept me posting as often as I do. 

4. What was your first blog post?My first real blog post was homemade pasta with alfredo sauce and apple crisp. I think that pretty much sums up my favorite type of meal warm, creamy, and comforting.

5. What have been your biggest challenges blogging?
Keeping up with posting...I have all of these posts that I keep meaning to do but I always put them off again and again..beating this type of procrastination is one of my current goals.

6. What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?
Having people tell me that they tried one of my recipes or projects. It makes me feel like I'm not wasting my time writing recipe after recipe on here. 

7. What is the most discouraging thing about blogging?

I am definitely no wiz at programming, although I am starting to learn a little bit about coding through trying to change simple things in my blogs layout. Even though this can be really discouraging sometimes it also feels really great when I do figure something out. 

8. What is your lasting inspiration or motivation?
Knowing that I will have this collection of recipes and projects for many years into the future, and also that I can always access this collection as long as I have internet or my computer. It is nice to know that there is one place that holds all of different recipes, and projects, and memories from many different places. 

9. What is your blogging dirty little secret?
I probably spend wayyyyy too much time on pinterest brainstorming different things for this blog. Especially since I also put off doing projects or writing posts too.

10. What is your current goal as a blogger?My current goal is to stick with this blog for at least an entire year. I want to be able to look back next September and feel accomplished that I was able to stick with some form of writing for an entire year. As I mentioned before, I'm terrible at keeping with journals. Normally, I will start one and last about three days and then forget about it for a long time. 

11. Have you learned or become passionate about anything through blogging that caught you by surprise?
I have become more passionate about trying to figure out ways that I can make something instead of just going out a buying something. Also trying new recipes! I am always looking for new, exciting recipes to try and share!

Plating: Finals for T1!

Hello there-

Sorry about the lack of posting in the past couple of weeks, I hate to make excuses but they have been very busy and stressful. Last week was finals for my first term of my culinary diploma program that I am taking this year at Oregon Culinary Institute. It's crazy how fast this first term went by, in total it was 40 week days but it seemed more like a week to me. So far this week has been filled with adjusting to learning in a new kitchen (my second term started Monday), planning my christmas break (finding cheap tickets around the holidays is impossible), and taking poor, sick Willow to multiple vets. She has been sick since Saturday and they are still trying to figure out what exactly is wrong with her! It seems that every vet we see has a different diagnosis. Hopefully we figure it out soon and she gets better quickly!

Back to last week, for our finals we had to produce two FULL entrees. This means that we needed to make a total of two proteins, two starches, two veggies, and two sauces in less than two hours. We worked in groups of four and I think that our group finally hit our stride during this week. It seemed that each day had it's own challenges but we managed to finish everything on time, every day. It was both relieving and sad as we finished our last kitchen clean up on Thursday because we would never be a class again but we also never had to stress over making recipe cards, schedules, equipment lists, or ingredient lists for the next few days! Here are some of the dishes that my group made, unfortunately I didn't take photos every day (I was pretty tired and scattered brained by the end)

Pan-fried chicken breast // fresh pasta with lemony-alfredo sauce // steamed asparagus

Sage brined pork tenderloin // creamy mushroom risotto // spiced roasted butternut squash //
robert sauce

Grilled pork-chop with apple stuffing // creamy polenta cakes // grilled mushrooms, onions, and
peppers // modern demi-glace (Check out those grill marks!)

Mushroom and prosciutto stuffed chicken cordon bleu // braised collards // creamy polenta //
mornay sauce

Roasted chicken leg and thigh // bacon butter // sautéed brussels sprouts // mashed potatoes
// gravy

Thai red curry // braised pork shoulder // stewed cauliflower // basmati rice pilaf

Again, sorry for my complete lack of photo quality (especially on the blurry pork tenderloin) we can't bring cameras into the kitchen (as far as I know of) so cell phone photos will have to do!

Check back here tomorrow, I am hoping to post about a fun diy that Matt and I have been working on for the past few weeks and I'm excited to show you!

Have a good night!

xx -c

Sunday Muffins: VEGAN Pumpkin Muffins

Happy Sunday!

Matt had to wake up at some ungodly hour today (7:45 am) to go to a history conference downtown meaning that I have also been up since then. I don't know why I woke up this early - it was probably a mixture of waking up at 6:30 for school everyday, the multiple snoozes on his alarm clock, and Willow deciding that my chest/face was the best place to sleep - but I was up bright and early. I actually really like waking up early - I often find that I am way more productive if I wake up super early than if I wake up later, like this morning. I have already cleaned my house, started laundry, washed all the dishes, and made muffins. In fact, I made some of my favorite muffins.

This recipe was introduced to me by my good friend Ella during of sophomore year of college. We were roommates and I have memories of making these muffins multiple times on the floor of our room since that was the only horizontal place that we could find. I was surprised by how much I loved these muffins (since they are vegan...and pumpkin) but they really are fantastic. In fact, last year we made these muffins for one of our old housemates who refused to eat anything "vegan" (Ella didn't mention they were vegan until after he ate about 3...) it seems that no matter who these muffins are made for they are a hit!

Last thanksgiving I made these muffins with my little cousin Zuma, her family tries to follow a grain-free-high-fat diet so we made a few changes to the recipe - I think we used butter instead of oil and maybe whole wheat flour? Either way, the muffins pretty much exploded (they still tasted alright, but they weren't the prettiest) so from then on I have followed the recipe in all of it's vegan-glory.

This recipe is super easy to make, hardly takes any time, and maybe makes a total of 5 dirty dishes. The only con is that you are left with a weird amount of pumpkin at the end (if you use a can) but it's pretty easy to find a way to use it.

Here's the recipe:

The Best Pumpkin Muffins (makes 12)
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup pureed pumpkin (I use from a can but make sure you get pumpkin NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tbs. molasses

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

Combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and spices) in a large bowl and mix them together.

In a separate, smaller bowl mix all of the wet ingredients (pumpkin, soy milk, canola oil, and molasses) together.

Combine these with the dry ingredients in the larger bowl. Mix until combined and then spoon into 12 paper lined muffin tins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffins comes out clean. Enjoy while they are hot or cold, with the left overs (if there are any) store in an air-tight container.

 This recipe is from the cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance, which is an awesome cookbook (all vegan) but all of the recipes I have tried have been great. It is definitely going on my cookbook wish list.

Also I the spirit of veganness I made a soy cappuccino this morning...who knew soy-milk made such great foam!

xx-C