About a year ago I went to this class at work teaching ways to be "greener" in our cleaning, a.k.a. better for the environment. It was pretty interesting, and sufficiently scared me so I'm now leery of the harmful effects of many cleaning products. But moving on to the point of this post. One of the green cleaning tips was homemade laundry detergent. During the class, I excitedly jotted down the quick and easy recipe. Not only would I be helping to save the environment (superhero Jessica), but I would be using a healthier laundry detergent (I had no idea it was anything less than 100% fine for you), and I would be saving tons of money in the process. I'm not sure which of those had me more excited.

I was anxious to try it, but of course not so concerned that I wasn't going to finish the store-bought laundry detergent sitting at home. So one year later I finally got around to trying this recipe. I'll admit the excitement had died a little bit. Just like a kid at Christmas, I had moved onto the next bigger and better toy. But I still liked this old toy and was interested to see if it worked.

I'll admit I was also a bit skeptical. Why would anybody buy laundry detergent if it was really this cheap and easy? And would it really get my clothes clean? Would it make them feel stiff and weird?

So I finally tried it. My first attempt was less than stellar. Turns out the recipe was serious about the size of the bar of soap. It called for 3.1 oz and I only had a 4 oz bar so I just figured, more is better right? Wrong. Turns out if the soap to water ratio is too high, you'll end up with a solid chunk of detergent instead of a liquid. When I went to stir it I had an "oh crap" moment. There was nothing liquid about it. I could scoop it out and hold a slimy ball of detergent in my hand, not what I was going for! I added more water to help balance this out (while slightly frustrated with myself) and finally got the detergent to a reasonable-looking consistency.

Now came the real test, would it make my clothes clean? It was a neat idea and smelled delightfully of soap and orange (my chosen essential oil scent), but if it didn't clean my clothes then I was going to need to make a trip to the store for some detergent pretty soon.

The test load went in (towels of course). Wash, wash, spin, spin, open and smell. Hum, it smelled nice. I didn't notice the orange, but it smelled slightly of soap and mostly smelled like nothing. Into the dryer. Heat, heat, spin, spin, open and smell. They smelled clean! To be honest there wasn't much smell one way or the other, which is what I was going for. They didn't smell overwhelmingly of orange, but at the same time didn't smell dirty at all. There was also no weird feel or texture. It worked!
 
I found the idea for this spinach soup a while back when I was looking for interesting ways to use spinach more often. This is also a good recipe for those who like to use (or drink) wine while cooking. Or, if you're in the mood for wine one night but can't decide if you should open a bottle or not, give this recipe a try. You'll need a bit of wine in the soup, and then since it's already open might as well pour yourself a glass!
 
This chicken recipe combines a lot of really flavorful ingredients to make a creamy and sweet tasting baked chicken. I used a sweet fig flavored goat cheese, but others can be used to customize this dish to your tastes.

One of the things I really love about this dish is that it's easy. Stuff your chicken, sprinkle on the toppings, and bake. It's pretty filling so unless you have hungry "human garbage disposal" boys in the house you might want to just make half portions.
 
With Thanksgiving around the corner it's the perfect time to think about pumpkin pie. I have lots of pumpkin puree in my freezer and it's been screaming at me to use it somehow. In my mind the key to a delicious pumpkin pie is as follows:
1. Use good pumpkin puree. If the pumpkin itself is flavorless, then your pie will be flavorless.
2. Use honey instead of sugar. Mostly because I love the flavor honey adds and it's (in my opinion) better for you than regular sugar.
3. Sample the batter. I know that's a "no no" in most houses, but I'm a huge fan of tasting along the way. How else will you know if it's good enough to eat or not? In this case, the amount of sugar, cream, and spices completely depends on the flavor of your pumpkin. So it's a gamble if you don't sample the batter.
4. Use heavy cream, not skim milk. The heavy cream adds a little fat, but a ton of flavor. It's not going to taste as good with just milk. Plus, if you eliminate all the fat then you can't count it as a dessert anymore because it will be too healthy so just go for it.
 
It's freezing outside! For those not living on the Eastern coast of the United States, we're having a massive cold front and storm. Nasty weather outside makes me want to make something warm and cozy feeling. In general, cooler fall weather gets me excited for typical fall flavors and smells. One of the most iconic is the pumpkin. This is the perfect time of year to make a pumpkin pie or soup from scratch. I love pumpkin so I bought one small and three large pumpkins (woah!) and froze the extra puree to use in receipes throughout the rest of the winter.

Around here (NC) pumpkins can be found on every street corner in September and October. I bought mine at the Farmer's Market and they were delicious... well mostly. I bought four, so let me explain. The first two I bought in late September at the same time. I had been eyeing the pumpkins and wanting to get one but it had been so warm in the previous days I wasn't in the mood. Finally it turned cooler and I decided to go for it. I chose two medium-large pumpkins that looked good and took them home to cook. Turns out they were delicious! Nothing "special" about them.

The next time I went to the Farmer's Market I was a little over confident in my ability to choose a good pumpkin. I grabbed one that looked similiar to the previous ones and headed home. I excitedly cooked it, only to discover it was stringy and tasteless. I could have made pie with it but it would have required a ton of spices and sugar to achieve a mediocre pie.

The final time I bought my pumpkin I decided to ask. They recommended one that was a medium size. I took it home, cooked it, and it turned out to be as good as the first two.

I still have no idea how to choose a tasty pumpkin, but I do know that some will make delicious soups and pies with little else needed, while others will be stringy and flavorless. My only advice is to ask, and if your first one turns out to be a dud, don't give up hope.

I did google something to the effect of "Can I eat all pumpkins?" to make sure I didn't buy one that was inedible. The results were very conflicting. Some sites saying you can ONLY eat pie pumpkins and other sites saying a pumpkin is a pumpkin. I decided to ask the closest thing I know to a pumpkin expert - the lady selling the pumpkins at the Farmer's Market. She said that all pumpkins are edible and can be used in recipes, some just might be sweeter and less stringy than others.

Use this pumpkin puree recipe to get your pumpkin ready for delicious pumpkin recipes. The pictures are actually from the one "dud" pumpkin that was less flavorful, so you might notice the pumpkin is a little less colorful. However, the process is the same so just hope yours turns out better than this one. Happy pumpkin hunting!
 
The pants were a hit! I finished the pants just in time for the rehearsal dinner at my wedding, so of course I told my brother he had to wear them. I received many compliments on how well they fit, but also many comments on the unique pattern. But let me back up to actually finishing the pants...

I was so close to finished for about a month but couldn't bring myself to actually sit down and finish them. I was getting married in less than a month, so I'm going to consider that a good excuse for procrastinating on the pants. When I finally did lug out the sewing machine and tell myself "I will finish these pants tonight", it went relatively fast.

The belt loops weren't bad. They were pretty straight-forward based on what the pattern said (for once). However, the fabric was so thick I did break two needles in the process. Breaking a needle is annoying, but not the end of the world. After the first break I called both the sewing machine and pants a few choice names, but I changed my needle and kept going. After I broke the second needle I was less understanding. I balled up my fist, shook it at the pants as if that was somehow going to make them finished, and then realized I had no other needles.

After a quick trip to buy more needles, and yes I did buy more than just a single pack, I was back and ready to finish. Belt loops, check. Now the only thing left was hemming the bottom. Let me explain why that was annoying. Remember how I *might* have made a mistake earlier in the pants process? (I admit nothing.) Well... my unique addition to the pants ended up making them just a little bit too short. With the raw end exposed they barely grazed the ground, but clearly I couldn't just leave a loose end at the feet with strings hanging off. Shoot, what to do?

I ended up making a cuff at the bottom. It was a little annoying to figure out how long to make it, and clearly I couldn't base anything on the pattern at this point, but the end result looked very nice. And I must say that nobody commented on the cuff... it's as if I did it on purpose.

The moment of truth! My brother came into town for the wedding and I had him try them on. I held my breath as he went to put them on. If they weren't perfect I had no intentions of adjusting them anytime soon so I was hoping for perfection. And yes, a home run! They fit, they were a good length, and best of all...  no more changes!

Back to the rehearsal dinner... My brother did wear them, and they looked good. But I must say that the most hilarious and unexpected part of the evening was having people go up to my brother and want to take close up pictures of his pants. Since he was wearing them at the time it seemed from afar more like close up shots of his lower body. I did have to laugh when I looked over and saw my aunt taking a close up picture of his butt. I guess technically the intended picture was his pants, but still a funny scene to see at my rehearsal dinner.
 
I have to say getting started sewing is definitely the worst part. The directions tell me to start with the pockets. I figure that can't be too hard, right? Noooo, there's a lot more going on there than I realized. So much folding that somehow makes sense when it's all together, but when looking at the directions just seems confusing. Also, it seems to me the directions call for two unnecessary pieces. I THINK one of them is for reinforcement, but the other seems like it would just get in the way. I decide to take a more minimalist pants-making approach and eliminate the "extra" pieces.

Yes, I have pockets! Now onto the legs. The directions definitely have some unnecessary steps. Scanning... scanning... ok. I sew the front, the back, and now I have something that (loosely) resembles pants! Next step, zipper. After analyzing the directions for a few minutes I decide this seems more complicated than I'm in the mood for so I skip the zipper for now and move on. Come to think of it, what a great stopping point. Might as well put them aside for a while until he can come for a fitting.

A couple weeks later he comes into town and I bring them out for a fitting. I turn them right-side out so he can get an idea of how they will look and he seems very pleased. I must admit, they do look better than the original picture in my mind. 

I readjust the size and decide they're ready for a final seam. Zip zip, done! I read onto the next step and realize I've made a mistake. Crap. I take a moment to consider my options. It's a minor mistake that he probably won't notice unless I point it out. If I redo them it will take me FOREVER. Hum... executive decision made, I will keep them as is. What mistake? They're perfect! Now onto the pockets...
 
Cheese is my weakness. When I went vegan for a month people would ask, "Doesn't your body crave meat?' No, honestly I can do without meat. I enjoy it when it's prepared well but if I don't get it at a meal I don't feel I've missed anything. Cheese is another story. I really missed the extra flavor cheese adds to dishes. Give me a nice strong cheese any day and I'm a happy girl. 

Once vegan month was over my first thought was, which cheese? I had a hard time deciding which dish to make with which cheese, so I decided to go with a dish using two cheeses. :-)  This tomato zucchini wrap has a slightly deceptive title because although it does have tomatoes and zucchini, along with other vegetables, it also contains feta on the inside of the wrap and a cheddar cheese sauce on top. Yummy.
 
I love Mexican food. The mounds of cheese. The refried beans that seem to have been soaked in butter. The unlimited sauce. All delicious, but it can be a bit much on the stomach if I overindulge (which of course happens most times I eat Mexican). 

So... during vegan month I decided to explore a little bit and found I really like these bean quesadillas. Enough that I plan to make these vegan or not. I think the guacamole and salsa are an essential part of the quesadillas. They replace the cheese and keep the quesadillas from being a bit "blah". I also put some cayenne pepper in there that you can increase or decrease based on your spice tolerance. Enjoy!
 
If you've seen the past few blogs you might be wondering "what's with all this vegan food?" Although I'm not a big meat eater I've never been vegan, or even vegetarian before. Recently I've heard and read a lot about the benefits of a vegan diet so I figured I'd give it a try. Can't knock it till you've tried it right? For a month I tried a vegan diet. No meat, no dairy. Cheese and yogurt were the hardest for me. I find there's not really a good substitute for those and I like to use them for flavoring in my dishes.

After the month I came to a few conclusions:
1. There are many delicious vegetable dishes you can eat that conform to the vegan diet. Some of the ones I found I'd eat vegan diet or not.
2. Vegan meals that try to recreate meat are a bad idea. Fruits and vegetables are delicious and there are many ways to prepare them. Trying to make a meatloaf out of anything except for meat is going to be a letdown no matter how delicious it is.
3. I don't get such a "heavy" feeling in my body after a big vegan meal the same way I would after a full meat and dairy meal. I don't miss that feeling.
4. It's hard to eat vegan. Not because there aren't delicious vegan options, but because it's impossible to either eat out or go eat at friends houses while still eating vegan.

After my vegan month I decided to not be officially vegan because it's too difficult when eating out. Also, I miss cheese and yogurt. Most importantly, when I eat the occasional burger... I want it to taste like a nice juicy burger! However, I still limit my meat intake and love my veggie dishes. If you're vegan (or not), hope you enjoy this pea and tofu recipe.