Homemade (Sorta) Hand Soap

I am always looking for great homemade cleaning/bathing recipe. I found out last summer that I am very allergic to fragrance. Thanks to Skin Deep: Cosmetics Database, I have found great products to use alone or for bathing/cleaning recipes. Skin Deep is a research based cosmetic safety guide. One wonderful product line I adore is California Baby. They have products for hair, body, sun, and skin. You can find it at Target and Whole Foods. For my homemade (sorta) hand soap, I used Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap in Tea Tree. Tea Tree oil has natural antiseptic properties, so naturally it was my first choice for a hand soap. Dr. Bronner makes his castile soaps in various scents (all are scented with natural essential oils) such as rose, citrus, peppermint, and others. Tea tree has a strong medicinal smell, so I used 10 drops each of lemon and grapefruit essential oils. Try your own combo of soap and essential oils.

Homemade (Sorta) Hand Soap

1 cup water

1/4 cup Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap

1 tsp vegetable glycerin (a lubricant)

1 tsp grape seed oil

20 drops essential oil (optional)

Mix and put in your favorite soap dispenser.

Baba's Beef Soup

I have been searching for two days for something I was craving, but couldn't put my finger on it. Then today, I made an old family Slovak recipe, Baba's Beef Soup. I didn't know it until I had my first slurp, that this was what I was craving. My Baba (that's Slovak for grandma) fed me her beef soup in her tiny kitchen strapped to a step stool. I was a tiny girl of less than 5, but I still have some fond memories. Her name was Anna Chuska Stefanik. She was born in 1906 in Lorain, OH to parents that immigrated from Slovakia. She passed away 11 days before my 5th birthday in 1983. I am so proud that I can make her soup today thanks to my mom and grandma for saving the recipe in their heads and hearts. I love and miss my Baba to this day. Here is my version of Baba's Beef Soup.

Baba's Beef Soup

14 cups cold water

2 lbs beef shank bones

5 carrots, cut in thirds

5 celery stalks, cut in thirds

1 onion, quartered

2 handfuls of parsley, lightly chopped

2 small bunches or dill, lightly chopped

1/2 tsp hungarian paprika

2 palmfuls sea salt

2 bay leaves

20 turns ground pepper

1 lb kluski (small or fine size) egg noodles

In a large dutch oven, add shanks and water over high heat. Boil shanks 5 minutes, skimming scum. Add the rest of the ingredients except noodles. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 3-5 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve over cooked egg noodles. You can strain the both and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove fat from the top of the soup. Makes 10-14 servings

Sick Hubby Sausage and Tortelloni Soup

Come hell or ice storms, my G goes to work.....until today. My honey has a horrible cold/cough and his four other co-workers don't want him around. So, I decided to make him soup. G is not a thin broth with a few lonely noodles type of guy. I came up with a hardy and filling soup to cure his crud. It only took 30 minutes. RR would be proud.

Sick Hubby Sausage and Tortelloni Soup

2 tbsp EVOO

10 oz. spicy Italian sausage, cut in pieces or removed from casing (Trader Joe's Spicy Italian Vino & Formaggio Chicken sausage)

1 tsp garlic, minced

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup beef stock (Because that's what was in the fridge)

1 can salt free diced tomatoes with juices

1 10 oz. package tortelloni/tortellini (TJ's Pesto Tortelloni)

4 cups baby spinach, chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

Parmesan cheese

Pour 1 tbsp EVOO in a saute pan and heat over medium high. Add sausage and saute until brown. Remove from heat and set aside. In a dutch oven, saute garlic over medium heat in 1 tbsp of remaining EVOO for 1 minute. Add broth and tomatoes to dutch oven. Increase heat to a high. When soup begins to bubble, add sausage and tortelloni. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add spinach and basil. Cover and cook additional 2 minutes. Remove form heat and serve with a sprinkle of cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Beef Rice-a-Roni Revamp

I love Rice-a-Roni. I mean, LOVE it. I have very fond memories of eating Rice-a-Roni and fish sticks before every Friday night junior high dance. The good: it's delicious. The bad: salt and empty carbs. Here is my revamped version.

Homemade Beef Rice-a-Roni

2 tbsp butter, EVOO, or margarine (does anyone really use margarine still?)

1 small onion, diced

2 small carrots, diced

1/4 tsp garlic, minced

3/4 cup quick cooking brown rice (not minute or boil-in-a-bag)

1/2 cup whole wheat capellini or vermicelli, broken in small pieces

2 cups beef stock

1 pinch dried dill

salt and pepper

Heat butter over medium heat in a medium sauce pan. Saute onions, garlic and carrots in butter. Season with S&P. When onions are soft, add pasta and rice. Brown pasta and rice over medium high heat until desired color. Add broth and dill. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice and pasta have absorbed all the liquid. Take off heat and wait 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve. Yields 6 servings