Patchouli

Pogostemon  Cablin

Ah patchouli – means different things to different people.  A love hate thing, there are generally no in betweens.

Two women in their mid fifties stopped by my booth one Saturday at the Farmers’ market.  One loved patchouli, while the other hated it!  The one hating it said she always thought it was the smell of marijuana.  The one loving it said it was what they wore to cover up the smell of marijuana.  They both laughed, and went their separate ways.  So it goes with the scent of patchouli!

Patchouli oil is steam distilled from the dried leaves and stems of the Pogostemon patchouli plant.  Indonesia is the leading producer of it's oil. 

Patchouli is an important essential oil in perfumery.   In aromatherapy, there are top, middle and base notes, like in music.  Top notes don’t hold very well and are fleeting.  Middle notes keep the scent together, while base notes or fixatives hold the overall scent together for a long time    giving it greater intensity.

For instance, I make a lemongrass soap.  The dominant essential oil is lemon, which is a top note.  I add to the lemon, lemongrass, geranium (which are middle notes) and patchouli.  Using patchouli in the blend keeps the lemon scent in the bar, so it doesn’t fade.

Externally patchouli is used in skin care products to promote healing, to rejuvenate old, wrinkled and tired skin. It is considered antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.

Internally inhaled it is calming, and some say it has aphrodisiac properties.

Karita’s Handmade uses patchouli in some soaps, skin cremes, and bath salts. Check them out at:
 www.karitashandmade.com/products.htm

They Keep Coming Back

Dirty Dishes

Years ago I worked as a counselor in a home for developmentally disabled adults.  Repetition in everyday chores was the key in helping them to function to the best of their ability.

There was one resident in particular I will never forget.  His name was Jerry.  Jerry loved big band music and big buses.  He could listen to John Phillips Sousa all day long.  Every Saturday he would ride the Greyhound to the next town for lunch.

Jerry on the other hand, hated doing laundry and washing dishes.  He hated them because as he said “They just keep coming back!”  That phrase has stuck with me for 30 years.  I agree with Jerry 100 percent.  No matter how often I do laundry and dishes – they just keep coming back!

I Can Get Married Now

The Mexicans have a saying when a woman can prepare a delicious meal; she can get married now.

I was on a Chicken Mole kick a while back, after having tasted a wonderful dish of it.  I asked for the hostess’s recipe, but never followed through.

Thus began my quest for a dynamite mole recipe.  I found it on the Internet and it was easy to prepare, and delicious.

http://www.mex-recipes.com/chicken-mole-recipe.html.

 I prepared it and the consensus was - I could get married now!  Try it.  You’ll be able to get married too!

Shampoo In A Bar?

Karita's Shampoo Bars

A Typical Commercial Shampoo

Ingredients:  Water, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, cocamidoprophl, betaine, glycol distearate, parfum/fragrance, disodium prosphate, glycol stearate, ricinoleamidopropyl ethyldimonium ethosulfate, stearic acid, aminomethyl propanol, cocamide mea, linoleamidoprophyl PG-Dimonium chloride prosphate, glycerin, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, propylene glycol, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, tetrasodium EDTA, methylparaben, citric acid, methylchloroisothazolinone, methylisothazolinone, ext. violet 2, violet 2.

Whew!  Can you believe that?  Try reading that fast! You should have seen my spell checker!  Those were the ingredients on my shampoo/conditioner hair rinse to brighten my gray hair.  Thank goodness I only use it about once a month.

On the other hand: Karita’s Handmade Shampoo/Conditioner Bar

Ingredients:  Olive oil, water, coconut oil, castor oil, and sodium hydroxide (lye). Plus pure essential oils.

This handmade bar through its rich penetrating lather has superior cleaning and conditioning properties, to soften and add body to your hair.

Try it today! http://www.karitashandmade.com/shampoos.htm

Our Hen and Her Chicks

Bessie and Chicks

I love our chickens.  Recently one of our hens, Bessie, decided to set.  We live within the city limits where roosters are poultry non grata, so we had to search for fertilized eggs.  Usually we try to get some from country folk with roosters, or the local farmers’ market.  Well anyway, we got a dozen eggs and sneakily and carefully put them under Bess.  Sadly only 2 chicks hatched, but we were excited nonetheless.  So much time is spent (some folks would say wasted) observing the newest editions to our menagerie. 

Our hen is an excellent mother.  One who is fiercely protective of her brood, an example many human mothers would do well to emulate.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

When tomatoes are plentiful and it is HOT, I know I will not be cooking dinner that night.   I will fix a tub of salsa.  We eat chips and salsa – ALL DAY LONG.

Karita’s Tomato Salsa

4 cups chopped tomatoes in separate bowl

1 cup cilantro leaves

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 med. red onion, chopped

1 to 3 Chilies, to heat level desired

Using a food processor, process all ingredients, except tomatoes.  Add tomatoes, a few at a time, using the pulse mode to desired chunkiness.  Pour salsa back in tomato bowl and add:

1 tsp. Seasoning salt or to taste

Juice of ½ lime, more or less to taste.

Refrigerate to allow flavors to meld.  For extra spunk, add ½ to 1 tsp. Ground chipolte pepper.

Um um good!

For an attractive summer dinner try Ceviche Tostados

2 cups salsa

½ pound of salad shrimp meat

½ pound fake crab meat

Refrigerate 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.

Spread mayonnaise on a tostado shell.  Sprinkle with cayenne pepper (optional).  Spoon ceviche  on top.

Garnish with avocado slices, a cilantro sprig and lime wedge.

Bon Appetit!