Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Goin' Pioneer - Easter Egg Style!

Easter egg coloring is a wonderful family memory I have with my 3 siblings and my mother.  It was a tradition we continued into our adulthood.  Yes, I colored Easter eggs as college student with my Mom and younger brothers - it was a blast!  Silly to some, but funny and memory making to us!  When I had my twins, I knew this special little craft was one I wanted to share with them.  

However, concern over artificial food dyes and petrol based chemicals in traditional Easter egg dye kits prompted me to do a little experimenting with natural, food based dyes.  I decided to try out a batch of egg dyeing long before Easter comes around again.  At just over 1 year old last Easter, my kids haven't really been old enough at any previous Easter holidays to really enjoy the egg dyeing part of the celebrations.  Now at 17 months, I knew this was a craft they would get a kick out of today for practice and even more so at age 2 - the next time Easter rolls around.


Mama and twins on our 1st Easter (twins 3 months) 2012


A quick internet search got me on the way for food based Easter egg dye ingredients.  On my next grocery trip I bought the basics for dyeing eggs the old fashioned way!  I started very simple with carrots for orange, spinach for green, concord grape juice for blue or purple and golden apples for yellow.  I purchased some white vinegar to really soak up the dye into the eggshells and get that color out!  There were at least 20 more options for making more color combinations and deeper hues, but I wanted to start basic as a jumping off point.  All of my ingredients were organic, including the cage free white eggs we used. 

Left to Right: organic spinach, organic white vinegar, organic golden apples, organic concord grape juice, organic carrots, and cage free white eggs

Most of the tips out there suggested a hot dye bath, so I boiled the eggs inside of pots with the food dye bases and a tablespoon of white vinegar.  I did a 15 minute boil and then tested my colors.  They weren't very dark and the eggs had started to crack.  I suspected my heat was too high.  So, I turned off my pots and let the dyes cool.  Immediately I noticed the grape juice soaked eggs had a nice blueish, purple hue to them.  Yay!  Organic, no sugar added juice and perfectly dyed eggs.  I let those cool and moved to the more challenging colors. 

 Boil the eggs with the dye materials


A few things I had read said to refrigerate the eggs overnight in a bowl with the dye for deeper color.  I also wanted the egg dye to cool so that my kids could participate in the dyeing process!  After a weekend of family parties, we were ready to dip into those egg dyes again.  The green and orange didn't have much pigment to them and the yellow hardly at all.  I added some turmeric - an Indian spice often used to color mustard yellow - and boy did those eggs turn yellow fast! 

 Left to Right: concord grape, carrots, golden apples & turmeric, spinach


I let the babies have a few of the eggs and some small cups of dye.  Knowing we probably wouldn't get colored eggs out of the cold bath, but thinking we could still have some fun!  This is what they immediately did with the dye:



I knew nothing was in that dye except organic vegetable/fruit juice, water and vinegar.  Drink away my sweet ones!

I also had a natural egg dyeing kit left over from the previous Easter.  It's made by a company called Natural Earth Paints. Their dyes are based in things found in Mother Nature such as vegetables, spices and fruit.  They then break these materials down into small particles that dissolve in hot water. I did a batch of cage free eggs with these natural dyes to compare them to my own homemade food dye baths.  The results were great!  

 Natural Egg Dye by Natural Earth Paint



I also had an observation when picking up my weekly order of cage free, local, farm fresh eggs.  They were so colorful, I wouldn't even have to dye them!  Look at these beauties in their natural form: 

Farm fresh, cage free, organic eggs!


Now I feel confident about the deviled eggs I'm going to make for my family with these dyed eggs.  Have you ever cracked open one of those store bought kit dyed eggs and found blue dye on the whites of your hard-boiled egg?  You are ingesting those dye chemicals!  

While my dyes may not have the pigmentation of the grocery store, mass distributed Haas version, I still loved this little experiment!  No artificial food dyes such as FD&C Red No. 40 or Tartrazine Yellow No. 5 made from synthetic materials.  Not only have those compounds been linked to ADHD in children, some types of cancer, allergic reactions and hives but they are made from petrol chemicals that harm the environment!  Petrol chemicals are derived from petroleum - YES!  As in gasoline!  I know I don't want to eat gasoline and I really do not want my children to ingest it.  These dyes are labeled as food safe in most Easter egg dye kits because they aren't known to cause side effects.  That doesn't mean they aren't bad for you!  It just means the FDA hasn't labeled them as such.  Because they don't know 'for sure,' the dyes are allowed to be labeled as food safe. Sounds like a racket to me!
We are bombarded by artificial dyes in everything from fruit snacks, candy, mac and cheese and soda. Artificial dyes like FD&C Red No. 40, or Tartrazine Yellow No. 5. These synthetic colors are made from petroleum and other chemicals. These dyes have been found to cause cancer, hives, hyperactivity and other issues in adults and children. - See more at: http://www.stevespangler.com/seasonal-science/day-4-egg-week-dying-easter-eggs-naturally/#sthash.282az74d.dpuf
We are bombarded by artificial dyes in everything from fruit snacks, candy, mac and cheese and soda. Artificial dyes like FD&C Red No. 40, or Tartrazine Yellow No. 5. These synthetic colors are made from petroleum and other chemicals. These dyes have been found to cause cancer, hives, hyperactivity and other issues in adults and children. - See more at: http://www.stevespangler.com/seasonal-science/day-4-egg-week-dying-easter-eggs-naturally/#sthash.282az74d.dpuf
We are bombarded by artificial dyes in everything from fruit snacks, candy, mac and cheese and soda. Artificial dyes like FD&C Red No. 40, or Tartrazine Yellow No. 5. These synthetic colors are made from petroleum and other chemicals. These dyes have been found to cause cancer, hives, hyperactivity and other issues in adults and children. - See more at: http://www.stevespangler.com/seasonal-science/day-4-egg-week-dying-easter-eggs-naturally/#sthash.282az74d.dpuf

I'm at ease knowing that from locally sourced cage free eggs to my food based dyes, all of my ingredients came from local, organic sources.  Which makes the holiday tradition that much more sweet!  'Hoppy' and delicious Easter fun for everyone!


Easter 2013 (twins 15 months)









Diapers. The Stinky, the Toxic, and the Homewrecker!




Getting My Sealegs with a Nautical Themed Diaper Cake

Honest.com diapers, pirates and anchors


My best friend from college is having a baby boy...and that of course means a baby shower!  I wasn't the one throwing it, but wanted to do something special for her all the same.  I decided to make a diaper cake!  For this particular friend, we have a funny sense of humor and like to make light of things like diaper cakes as being over the top and a little obnoxious.  Something you would see a Real Housewife making - well, paying someone else to make - like a 6 tier diaper cake for her friends' baby shower, spilling over with frothy blue chiffon and lace.  But, I concluded that diaper cakes are also super practical and really very cute!  Since this friend and I share a mutual love for the Real Housewives, the obnoxious but also the sentimental, the practical and the adorable...a diaper cake it was!

I had gotten the idea from a blog I frequently read, at Honest.com.  I use their wonderful, biodegradable diapers on my twins.  They are totally chemical, fragrance, and chlorine free.  Safe for little ones' skin and bodies.  They are also SO cute.  I mean caaaa-yoooote!  Her shower was nautical themed and they have pirate diapers and blue anchors for boys.  How perfect!  They had some instructions to make a diaper cake and I followed it loosely, but perfected and made it easier for myself.  I also watched a few You Tube videos and I was ready to get 'baking.'

This is a shower gift that your friend or family member will never forget and you can customize so easily.  So give your old plain white disposable diapers  - chock-full of-chemicals destined to rot- in a landfill - forever -  a break!  Use some cute and chemical free diapers, customize the cake and make it your own!

To make a 4 tier cake:


 My helper sampling the goods


100 Newborn Diapers.  You can use other sizes, but make sure that you use the same size throughout so that your cake is even in all it's tiers.  The Newborn size made the cake a manageable width and height.  You will probably have some extra diapers with 100 count.  Just give the mother to be the extras - she's going to need them!  I used 80 in mine and had to fill it in with toilet paper rolls and tissue.  Extra diapers to fill in gaps would have been helpful.  It's better to get more then to not have enough!

Small rubber bands but large enough to secure a rolled up diaper.  1 for each diaper, so 100.  Get extra in case they break.  Roll each diaper individually, starting with the open end.  Make sure it's nice and tight.  Secure with a rubber band.  

A package of XL Rubber Bands.  You'll need 3.  They come in much larger packages, so you'll have extras.  I had to go to an office supply store to get the rubber bands in the XL size.  Take sections of 3 already rolled diapers and secure them together with more small rubber bands.  Wrap the XL rubber bands around the entire outside of the groups of 3, adding more groups of 3 as you go.  Fill in the gaps with single rolled diapers.  

Wooden Dowel -  24 inches tall.  Place your groups of 3 around the dowel and secure with XL rubber bands.  Do the next layer in the same manner, but make it slightly smaller then the first layer. 

Double stick tape.  Use double stick tape to attach one ribbon layer to the other.

16 inch cake plate.

Fabric or something 'purdy' to cover cake plate.  I used a small fish net that I found at a craft store, near the shells and sand for making decorations. 

Large ribbon, NOT see-through.  It will cover the rubber bands on the cake.  I did 1 1/2 inches and needed at least 4 yards.  This is the turquoise ribbon shown in the picture around each layer of my cake. 

Small decorative ribbon.  It just adds a special flair for your theme.  I used 5/8 inch white ribbon with crabs and starfish, 4 yards.

Glue Gun and glue sticks.


Wrap the double 'stuck' ribbon layers around the cake where your XL rubberband sits and secure with a small dab of hot glue.

Wired Ribbon for cake topper.  I used clear, sparkly 2 1/2 inch ribbon for making a decorative bow cake topper.  You can buy bows or have them made with your own ribbon at most craft stores for an additional fee.  I learned how to make them in my craft store employment days.  She's Crafty!

Decorations.  I went to the craft store and found a bag of misc seashells, starfish, a fishing net, cake plate and all of my ribbon.  You could do flowers for a little girl or butterflies.  You could go to the dollar store and get little plastic trucks for a different themed boy cake.  The possibilities are endless.  A fabric store will have more ribbon selection for cute theme-y ribbon also.  Go simple if you just want boy or girl or neutral colors. 

Hot glue your accessories to the ribbons (cardinal rule #1- NEVER glue anything to the diapers themselves).  Glue your ribbon or netting underneath the cake plate, so that no one sees it!

Set your completed cake on top of the cake plate.  No need to secure, just set it up so that it's the star attraction of the shower!

Accessories.  Soap, cream, wipes.  Some people use these as the insides to their cake.  I found this made the cake a little lopsided.  Instead, wrap up your extra diapers and the misc diapering supplies in matching paper.  I used black pirate paper to offset my white pirate diapers.  I used some of the ribbon from my cake to match and make the whole thing cohesive.  I even found a nautical sweater in little boys 3-6 months I put in the box.  Theme complete!

Voila!  Amazing, adorable, slightly obnoxious but always practical and cute!  A diaper cake made easy for the masses, but unique with personal touches.  Bon Appetit!



Tuesday, June 18, 2013

What's for Dinner Tonight? Real Recipes with Real Ingredients!

Roasted Rosemary Herbed Chicken with Moist and Flavorful Brown Rice; Pan-fried Asparagus


Easy and delicious.  Very little 'active' cooking time.  Pretty enough to serve guests - or just for a Wednesday night!

Rice:
1 cup organic brown rice
1 1/2 cups organic chicken broth
1/2 organic white onion, chopped (save a scoop)
1 large organic carrot, chopped
fresh organic thyme (a handful, prechop) and rosemary (2 sprigs).  Chop up herbs.  (Save a scoop).
1 Tablespoon organic no salt seasoning (I get mine from Costco and it's SO good and doesn't have any additives like anti-caking agents!)
A little sea salt to taste
1 tsp organic extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves chopped garlic
Mix all ingredients except your saved scoops of onion and herbs into a medium size roasting pan.  Stir rice mixture well!




 
Chicken:
1 organic whole fryer chicken, approximately 3 lbs. Place chicken breast side down on top of rice mixture.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (a little goes a really long way, do sparingly!).
Sprinkle your saved scoops of onion and herbs on top of the chicken. 
Don't forget to remove your giblets out of the innards of the chicken!  Stuff with leftover onions, herbs, garlic, lemons - whatever you like really! 
Use a hefty pat of grass fed, organic butter (salted or not, your choice).
Top with 2 additional Rosemary springs.  So pretty!
Cover roasting dish and cook for 1 hour at 400.  Cook at 425 for an additional 30 minutes.  Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.  Cut into chicken near leg bone and ensure juices run clear. 





Asparagus:
1 lb organic asparagus.  I prefer the small spears.
Cut bottoms off spears so they are uniform in length. 
Heat a pan with organic extra virgin olive oil up to temperature. 
Add 2 cloves chopped garlic and some more organic no salt seasoning. 
Pan fry until asparagus is cooked to your desired consistency, stirring often.





Serve with a nice fruit forward, red wine.  I like Tempranillos or Malbecs for chicken dishes.