Happy May & What's New!

Wow, May already! Time sure seems to be flying by - now that I'm all grown up and would rather it didn't! I remember being a teen and wanting time to whiz by so I would be an adult. Didn't know how good I had it! Now, I'm on the latter side of 50 and would like it to just SLOW down. Seriously, I used to wish for Friday and it took so long to get to the weekend, but now... before I know it the week is over! OK, enough of that! Happy May to all!

 I'm up to a new thing and I thought I'd share. I have very long, butt-length, hair, but it is very, very fine. Mr. K calls it angel hair - he's so romantic, as I've mentioned before. Anywho... I had been reading about how it is very hard on hair to shampoo daily, let alone put all those chemicals that are in shampoo on our heads. I read about the "no-poo" (eyes rolling) method and thought I'd give it a try. Now, my scalp tends to be very oily so I knew going in I was going to have some adjustment issues. That's what gorgeous barrettes and hair clips are for, right? So, about three weeks ago, instead of my usual shampoo, I just threw some baking soda on my wet head - not much, and worked it over my scalp, giving it a good scrub. I rinsed with plain water (in the shower) and then poured about a half cup of apple cider vinegar rinse through it, letting it sit for about five minutes. My rinse recipe is 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (organic) diluted with 2 cups of filtered water and 6 drops of pure lavender essential oil. I use about a half cup of the rinse, letting it flow down my hair. I sort of gently mix it into the hair. After rinsing, it still smells like vinegar and lavender, but that vinegar smell dissipates. My hair feels very difference than when I use shampoo. Shampooing makes your hair feel squeaky clean, which means all the good oils have been stripped away. My new method leaves my hair feeling heavy and silky, combs out very easily too.

I only do this twice a week, after years of daily shampooing - some people go a few weeks, but I can't, at least not yet. However, I have bangs and they get a little oily looking so I use cosmetic clay which I dust into them and the hair around my face. I let it sit while I do my make-up, then comb out. Voila! Oil-free bangs. The cosmetic clay works great as a dry shampoo; sprinkle, wait, then brush. I like to place a drop of lavender essential oil on my hand, rubs my hands together and then run them through my hair to give it a nice fresh scent. Oh... and I brush out my hair every night with a natural bristle brush. I read that this distributes the natural sebum (oil) down the length of one's hair, keeping it shiny and moisturized.

So far, so good. I am noticing that my scalp's oil production is adjusting and my hair is nice and shiny, tangle free and liking this method. I tend to keep it pinned up most of the time because hair this long gets into everything - including a small fan one time! Luckily I was able to turn the fan off before any damage was done, however, it took a few minutes to untangle myself. I've also dipped it in various items, but I'll skip over that. Yikes!

So this is my second step in getting chemical products out of the house. I began with using coconut oil for cleansing my face and moisturizing. It is a fabulous make-up remover too, just melts eye makeup right off. Next on the agenda is housecleaning products - I've begun making my own after collecting recipes from the internet and various books. Vinegar figures prominently along with baking soda, as you might have guessed. Love to hear from anyone who is making their own cleaners and skin care products. Oh... and if you are using the "no-poo" method, I'd love to hear about your experience.

Well, that's what I've been up to. More progress has been made on the anniversary needlework, but I keep getting distracted by books, ducks, contemplating life - my usual. Time for a cup of tea and some stitching on that anniversary piece. Leftovers for supper, so I'm good to go!

Deliciously yours,
Mrs. K.

Apple Butter and.... Pork!

Yes, that's an avocado green stove in my kitchen - the dang thing won't die! It must be as old as the apartment - almost forty years, the original stove my in-laws had. It is still going strong. But, that is neither here nor there, just thought I'd mention it. I'm retro, but Victorian retro! Someday I'll have the stove of my dreams. Really, I can't complain about this one, it works so well.

The real point of this post, now that I've stopped yammering on about the avocado green stove, is what I did last night for supper with some of this apple butter pictured above! I smeared it all over two pork tenderloins - yummy! Let me tell you how I do my pork tenderloin which always roasts up fabulously.

I buy the package with two tenderloins, remove from package, rinse and pat dry. I then place them in a ceramic dish - old fashioned refrigerator dish with a lid . I measure out, into another bowl, about three cups of apple cider or juice, add a tablespoon of allspice berries, a teaspoon of whole cloves, two teaspoons of cinnamon, half an onion, coarsely chopped, 3 garlic cloves, smashed and cut into four pieces, 2 teaspoons of Celtic sea salt (much healthier and lots of minerals), 2 teaspoons dried thyme and some freshly ground peppercorns. I give this a little mix then pour over the pork tenderloins, lifting each tenderloin so the marinade gets underneath. This marinade should come up to at least halfway on the tenderloins; if not, add a little more apple cider. You could even add some wine, which I have done - used Marsala wine - delish! Pop the dish into the fridge, turning the tenderloins over later in the day. I usually marinate about eight hours, flipping them after four. There's no set time, leave them overnight if you like.

When I am ready to cook, I heat some unrefined, organic coconut oil in a saute pan large enough to accommodate one tenderloin. I brown and sear each side of the tenderloin; watch carefully because the marinade draining from the meat will caramelize and can burn. When the meat is browned nicely, I place each in a roasting dish which has been coated with some coconut oil - no, you don't taste any coconut. I spread about half a cup of the apple butter on the top and sides of each tenderloin, then surround with a pile of little new potatoes. I season the potatoes with Celtic salt and dot with plenty of good, organic butter. I roast in a preheated 425 degree oven until my meat thermometer reaches 155 - 160 degrees. I let the meat rest a good fifteen minutes before slicing. I served the pork and potatoes with buttered broccoli. The tenderloin was juicy and sweet. The potatoes picked up the sweet apple spice flavor from the meat. Happy Mr. K, happy Mrs. K!

A note about ingredients: I use unrefined, organic coconut oil to fry and saute as well as greasing pans. I use it in baking also. It never leaves a coconut taste and it is incredibly healthy - read the The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife and/or Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. I also use plenty of organic, pastured butter - also very healthy. These are good, natural and wholesome nourishing fats which we all need; what we don't need are the processed and rancid vegetable oils sold in grocery stores. Salt - I only use real, course Celtic Sea Salt - the gray stuff that comes slightly damp. This is a mineral-rich, nourishing salt. The apple cider and juice I use is always organic. I try to use organic veggies and fruits as much as I can find and afford. The honeycrisp apples in my apple butter are organic, the sugar is not, it was just too expensive. I don't fret about it, I use the best I can.

So... tonight - leftovers!