Off to India we go!

On Thursday I will be heading to India with my boyfriend Seth to celebrate my friend Mayank's wedding! This trip has been in the works for months and now it's finally here. We leave Thursday 5pm and arrive in Delhi 1am Saturday. We will be there for about 1.5 weeks. That is a lot of travel but it's going to be the start of a great adventure. 

Usually I like to plan the details of everything and know exactly what is going on and when. For this trip I want to go with the flow more and just experience life with Mayank's family. Seth and I have the wonderful opportunity to stay at Mayank's parent's house during our stay. I've heard the best way to learn about a different culture is to live with a family!

I plan on keeping a journal while I am abroad so come back to read about some of our fun adventures!

What's your quick food?

When the day has flown by and it's 8pm and you haven't had dinner yet … what do you eat? For me, that answer is easy. I make a quesadilla! They are seriously the simplest but delicious dinner ever. You can make them many different ways too.

Ingredients:

• Tortilla (white, whole wheat, corn, whatever you like)

• Shredded Cheese (mozzarella, cheddar,  taco blend, whatever you like)
• Random leftovers from the fridge (peppers, onions, beef, chicken, beans… )
• Oil (coconut, olive, or butter)

Like I said above, it's a simple dish but I will lay out my strategy for the best quesadilla.

Coconut oil. That's it. It will make for a nice and crispy tortilla for your quesadilla. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so scoop out about 1/2 tablespoon into a fry pan on medium heat. Let it melt and put in the tortilla. Cover the tortilla in shredded cheese then add your other fillings. Once the cheese begins to melt, fold the tortilla in half. Cook just until the sides become light brown. Flip to the other side if needed. Serve hot with sides such as salsa, plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream), or guacamole.

Some filling combinations are listed below:

• Cheddar cheese, sautéed peppers and onions (optional add some taco seasoning, homemade recipe coming to the blog soon!)
• Cheddar cheese, black beans
• Mozzarella cheese, cooked chicken (optional garlic)
• Cheddar cheese, cooked and seasoned ground beef

Really the combinations are endless! The best is just to use whatever is leftover in the refrigerator.

So what is your quick meal?

Time for a video chat ... technology is awesome!

Did you know that China is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Standard time? Well my boyfriend and I are experiencing that time difference right now. He is abroad for work and I'm home in the US but the technology of our culture has made this world small!

There are many options out there such as Skype or FaceTime for video chats and WhatsApp, Viber, TextPlus for texting. We chose Skype and TextPlus. Results? So far it's great! We are able to stay in touch each day, sharing what's going on and encouraging each other. He has one week left of his three week trip. Of course I am looking forward to being in the same time zone as him. It's so odd to say good morning to him when it's nighttime here!

The first time I went out of the country was very different. In 2006 I went to Oxford University for the summer to take two courses with an organization called Academic Study Associates. I remember my mom purchasing a calling card for me to be able to call home from the one phone in the dorm room hallway. My family and I exchanged letters in the mail too. Yes I mean the actual mail a.k.a. snail mail, not email. (I miss getting physical letters in the mail though)

It's crazy to think that was less than 10 years ago. Technology is rapidly expanding ... maybe even exponentially! Just think of cellphones ... they use to be the size of bricks and now they easily fit into your pocket.

What do you think the next greatest technology invention or enhancement will be?

Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate anyone?

There's just something about Chai tea ... whether it's hot or cold, it's delicious! Sadly buying the concentrate in the box from the store is expensive so I only used to buy it as a treat once in a while. 

I am an avid reader of The Elliot Homestead blog (which you should all check out!) and Shaye Elliot posted her recipe for Chai tea concentrate. I based my recipe off of hers. 

I haven't done the cost calculation like I did for my Homemade Face Cream but I have to think it is either equivalent or cheaper. Plus it's fun to make, you can tweak it to your taste buds, and you know exactly what's in it! Shaye says hers is about $2 per batch.

My homemade chai tea served chilled with raw milk

Ingredients:

• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 15-20 allspice berries
• 5 cardamom pods
• 15 cloves
• 25 black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoon of dried ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 6 tea bags of black tea
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or sweetener of choice such as maple syrup, raw sugar, etc.)

Directions:

1. Crack the spices (excluding the cinnamon sticks and ginger). To do so, place the spices between plastic wrap and put a towel over it. Hit gently with a meat smasher/hammer/rolling pin/etc. (Or you can use a mortal and pestal if you have one).
2. Then, combine the cracked spices, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and 6 cups of filtered water in a pot.
3. Bring the water to a boil and allow it to slowly simmer for 25 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, add tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. 
5. Strain the tea (use cheese cloth or fine sieve) to remove all the spice and herb sediment. Add the vanilla. Then, mix in your sweetener.
6. Pour into containers. I use quart size mason jars. Store the chai tea concentrate in your refrigerator and enjoy!

I like to have my chai tea about 60% tea and 40% milk, served either warm or chilled over ice! How do you like yours?

The infamous red lipstick

As most of my girl friends could tell you I'm not one for wearing a lot of makeup or really any at all. But recently I have become a fan of red lipstick. There's just something about it. It's fun to make the loud statement and let those lips pop!

And the best part about red lipstick? True red looks great on any skin tone! So you don't have to worry about finding the right shade, just go for RED. But then the problem becomes, which brand and what type of lipstick do you get?

Lucky for you I made the investment and searched high and low for the best lipstick out there! I've found three that are must haves!

Revlon Colorburst (Color: Matte Balm - Striking and Lacquer Balm - Provocatuer)

This is my #1 lip color choice. It combines the best of all worlds. Deep pigment of lipstick with the glossy texture, shine of lip gloss and comfort of chapstick! I have it in two shades listed above. This lip color is easy to put on quickly and is medium-wear. You will need to reapply it after eating a big meal or half way through the day. This is what I like to wear to the office.

CoverGirl Outlast Lipcolor (Color: Ever Red-dy)

This is the best long-wear lipcolor out there. You can put this on in the morning and the pigment stays all day. You can just use the gloss stick to keep your lips feeling soft and glossy. It's a bit hard to get off so I just use some of my homemade lotion (the oil dissolves the pigment) and wipe it off. This also means you need to take your time applying it so you don't go off your lips as it will be hard to fix. This is great for a long day at the office that transitions to an evening out or to an event where you are eating.

Maybelline Color Elixir Lip Color (Color: Scarlet)

This is the one that really POPS. It is definitely a heavy pigmented lipgloss but will come off easily if you eat or drink. It would be good for an evening night out or event but not all day long at the office. 







So ladies, what do you think? Do you like red lipstick? 

New Hope Spaghetti Dinners turn into the Grace Lunch Crew

While in my senior year in college at Clarkson University I attended New Hope Community Church in Potsdam, NY. As a new believer, this wonderful group of people welcomed me in and helped me grow stronger in my faith. Many people from that church had, and still have, a big impact on my life. But there is one family in particular whose impact blossomed into something great with my new church family at Grace Church.

Sean and Andrea opened their home every Sunday night and cooked dinner for the college students. This may seem like not that big of a deal but there were two colleges in the town and at times there could be up to 15-20 people over for dinner. Usually they would cook up a large pot of marinara sauce and spaghetti with homemade bread. It was great to get a free meal of course but the best part was being welcomed into their family. Friendship grew over those spaghetti dinners and faith in Christ deepened. I looked forward to seeing my friends, who I considered family, every Sunday night.

Now I have graduated and moved far away from this great family but their impact on my life is still there. God blessed my best friend Maggie and I with a small house to rent starting in October 2013. Upon moving in we prayed over the house asking God to show us how we can use the new space to bring Him the glory. A few months later we had developed a small group of friends at Grace Church and started going out to lunch after the service on Sundays. Our new friend Amy soon realized we loved having people over our house. Well then the idea came up about inviting everyone over our house for lunch instead of going to restaurants! So we started out 2014 with our new Sunday tradition … Sunday Lunches at Maggie and Caitlin's! We do it a bit differently than Sean and Andrea, with everyone bringing a part of the meal or donating a few dollars if they are able. But the thought is the same … sharing God's love amongst our friends and making new friends! For the past few Sundays we have had about 10-15 people over to share a meal. Usually we end up playing some card and board games after eating and having a great time.

It is exciting to see God's hand so obviously at work in our lives. I look forward to many more Sundays with The Lunch Crew.

I can sell you a rock

It's quite funny when a little kid sets their mind to something, they usually can pull it off. Whether it's climbing up that tall tree or doing a cartwheel, they will do it a hundred times and keep falling until they get it. For me, I wanted to make some money. So I decided to sell rocks.

Genius isn't it?!? I was about 10 years old and spending a week with my grandparent's during the summertime. We were down at the Hudson River at their boat club for the annual Clam Bake and tons of visitors were coming. I thought to myself, there are a bunch of rocks by the river and I have lots of paint. So for no up front cost I started my painted rock selling business! I set up my area in a grassy spot where they would be lots of people walking by and started to paint. I painted flowers, suns, mountains, rainbows and American flags on different sized rocks. As they laid their drying, people started to take notice.

Then people started offering me money for the rocks. Some said they would use them as a door stop or put them in their gardens! The drawings were simple things but apparently I found my niche market. I think I made about $20 that weekend. That is BIG money for a 10 year old.

So what did I do the following summer? Painted more rocks of course! And people that bought them the previous year remembered and my business grew. Who knew, I was such an entrepreneur as a little kid! I wonder if anyone still has one of my painted rocks? :) 

The adventures of canning

During 2013 I had been trying out several different marinara sauce recipes and by the end of the year I had successfully figured it out! After I made all these batches of sauce I would freeze most of it for use later. Then my freezer filled up and I noticed that the sauce started to separate and some got freezer burn. I was not a happy camper.

This led me to attempt to learn how to can. No not learn the game Kan Jam, but learn how to preserve foods utilizing water-bath canning. I figured I would learn a new skill as well as free much needed space in the freezer. So I put on my winter boots and headed to Walmart in search of canning supplies. I got quart sized jars and the Ball Blue Book for a time tested resource on canning. I got home and started working. I now know looking back, my mother is always right … read EVERYTHING first before you do something, right? I guess I was just super excited.

I had made the marinara sauce but then realized I needed Citric Acid in order to can it. Citric Acid (found in lemon juice) is needed to alter the pH of the food to prevent spoilage. So I turned off the stove and headed out. Walmart carried food grade Citric Acid right in the canning section. How did I miss it the first time?!

Well then I was back at it! I had 3 quart sized jars in my stock pot but then realized it was a VERY full pot. I continued to follow my recipe and filled the sanitized jars correctly, placing each filled and sealed jar back in the water. When all three were full I put the lid on and cranked up the heat. It came to a boil after awhile and I realized my pot was definitely too short. You need 2 inches of water on top of the jars while boiling, and that brought the water to the very tip of my pot. I was continually wiping up water as it spurted out! I survived the 45 minutes of processing time. Then after the jars cooled for 12 hours I tested the seals and they worked! We are in business people!!

Don't let my experience scare you away from canning … just make sure to read your recipe in advance and have a large enough stock pot!

For reference the pot I was using was 9 inches tall. I am going to be purchasing a new one that is at least 11 inches tall to avoid the water catastrophe again!

 

Is that a jar of face cream or an expensive concoction of chemicals?

Over the past years I have enjoyed a vast array of hair products, make up, lotions, etc. but recently I have been making a change. I am realizing I don't need all of that stuff. Yes, make up can be fun and some women enjoy it. That's cool. But for me, all of that combined looks like a laboratory of chemicals that I would like to do without.

So I eliminated hair products and make up from my life … besides the recent addition of red lipstick, but that can be another blog post. Luckily I have manageable hair so no hair products is easy for me. But then it came time to evaluate my face cream and I realized I can't do without that, especially in wintertime. My face gets dry.

My solution? Research on the internet. I came upon the blog The Elliot Homestead and the writer had a great recipe for homemade face cream. Now THIS is right up my alley. I love cooking and why not expand that to "cooking" up beauty products?!

It is seriously the most simple thing ever. Three ingredients listed below and directions at the bottom of this post.

• 1 Tablespoon Organic Coconut Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Unrefined Shea butter
• 3-5 drops Essential Oil (Examples: Tea Tree & Lavender are both good for blemish prone skin. Leave the EO out if you want to make eye cream. The eye area is more sensitive and EO could irritate that skin).

The cream is, well, a cream. It's not a light lotion. This is best used at night after you wash your face and are ready for bed as the Shea butter and coconut oil take about 10 minutes to soak into your skin. That means don't apply this and walk into work because your face will be all shiny!

Now you are thinking … what does this all cost? There is definitely an up front investment. I purchased 30 oz of Coconut oil (you can cook with this as well) and 16 oz of Shea butter. After doing the math, the homemade natural cream costs $1.40 per ounce. To put that in perspective let's compare it to Burt's Bees Sensitive Night Cream which uses mostly natural ingredients, including Shea butter. This cream costs $10 per ounce! 

Homemade cream is 86% cheaper!

You can probably find most of the ingredients at your local natural/whole foods store or you can order it online. I purchased the Coconut oil on sale at our local whole foods store and the essential oils as well. I ordered the Shea butter from Amazon to get a better deal.

I have been using this all natural cream for over 2 months now and absolutely love it. I will never buy store bought face cream again. I put it on every night and go to bed and when I wake up my face is soft and moisturized. I don't have  a need to put more cream on or use some sort of "morning/day lotion". It also doubles as a make up remover for those occasions of fanciness!

My next challenge will be to figure out how to make this homemade cream have SPF for the summertime! 

Directions:

Spoon out the coconut oil and Shea butter in a microwaveable safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds then whisk together until completely smooth. You may need to heat again for 10-20 seconds and whisk again. Then add the essential oil of your choosing. Store the cream in a clean container with a tight fitting lid such as an old face cream container, small plastic or glass jar (like a baby food jar). The mixture will become solid once it cools to room temperature (place it in the fridge to rapidly cool it).