Lavendar and chamomile are the essential oils I decided to include in a half batch homemade lotion. It’s a little like the hand balm version of Sleepytime tea.  And actually, this post is meant to be a wee little shout out to my friend Melissa and the fabulous blog she sent me, a sonoma garden, created by an organic gardening husband-and-wife team in Sonoma. There’s lots to explore there, but my favorite so far is a super post on making an easy beeswax lotion, which has gifted me with a sweet nostalgic throwback to being a kid and a nourishing and practical product to satisfy the adult I’m trying to maintain as the leader of my life today.

What childhood is complete without some serious “potion-making” in the bathroom? Mine were mostly comprised of my Dad’s shaving lotion, mouthwash, and liquid soap or shampoo, plus surprise ingredients for endless variation. Making homemade lotion isn’t quite so spontaneous and mirthful as that, but then again, what you create doesn’t get washed down the drain, chances are you’re not going to get in trouble over it, plus it’s beautifully soothing on the skin. On the blog, the recipe officially calls for double the amounts I used, but the yield is more than ample, easily filling a 5-ounce container or more. It’s incredibly easy, both to make and to clean up after, too. I’ll be honest–I haven’t put the time in yet to research what to look for in skin care, but I can’t see how you can go wrong with beeswax, olive oil, and coconut oil. That’s all you need, really. After mixing these together (in a jar, in a saucepan of water), you can add a little vitamin E and some essential oil, but you really don’t have to. The lotion’s ostensibly a little bit on the “greasy” side,  about the consistency of Aquafor or petroleum jelly, but a little dab spread in a thin veneer seems to soak in really nicely without clogging pores. Rubbed gently into the hands, the difference is pretty immediate. Out here at altitude, in the dry winter air, you there’s no lying to yourself. You can tell.

Here’s the (half) recipe I used, thanks to a sonoma garden:

• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. coconut oil
• 1/4 c.   beeswax (I used a 1 ounce pastille from Sprouts, which I broke up a little first)
• 1/4 t. vitamin E oil (I squeezed out 3 vitamin capsules (optional)
• about 10 drops essential oil of choice (optional)

All you do is combine  the oils and and beeswax into a pint sized canning jar. Put the jar into a saucepan filled with water reaching 3/4 of the way up the jar, not so high that water could be at risk for bubbling its way into the oil mixture. Heat over medium/low, stirring occasionally until everything’s melted. Let cool to room temperature,  stirring vigorously with a fork every 15 minutes or so. Once at room temperature, add in the Vitamin E and essential oil, and voila! Quick fun, the job’s done.  :)

But in fact, appearances are deceiving once again, promise. Two days of baked beans was actually just an excuse to extend the supreme Slow Cooker Challenge to a stunning 8th day in a row, in spite of conferences, deadlines, bronchial/sinus infections and the like. I just became delinquent in writing about it. So, with sincere apologies to all my imaginary friends longing for this post, here we go.

Day 8 celebrated the success and lessons learned from the delightfully absorbing Slow Cooker Challenge with the easiest recipe: an apple confit. Before I go on about that, may I just say, I do mean “easy” as a compliment. Today I told a friend I could share some easy recipes with him, and he seemed to take offense, protesting “I’ve been cooking a lot”, a bit heatedly, I thought. In truth, though, the absolute beauty of slow cooking is the purity and simplicity of creating healthy, gorgeous food with minimal preparation, and making avoidance of processed ingredients so much more convenient. But back to the apple confit, and specifically the word “confit”, which I only just learned…

I might have thought the word confit meant “pie without the pastry” based on the one I made. It was scrumptious. Meltingly soft , warm, and rich with cinnamon, autumnal scents. Although I don’t personally like the taste of butter, it reminded me of what is wonderful about things being “buttery”, and slow cooking makes it really easy to get away with reducing sugar, just about as much as you want to. What confit really means, however, is “a specialty of Gascony, France, derived from an ancient method of preserving meat (usually goose, duck or pork) whereby it is salted and slowly cooked in its own fat. The cooked meat is then packed into a crock or pot and covered with its cooking fat, which acts as a seal and preservative. ”  I suppose applying this term to apples is rather playful, though prefer thinking of these apples as “pie sans pastry”.

A quick final note, for now, on the Slow Cooker Challenge: you already know I loved it. Yet I’ll admit I was somewhat  relieved to unbind myself from the daily expectation. To make slow cooking really work, the key is simply planning, but plans go awry so frequently, that can amount to some pressure. That said, it was a mere 4 days after the official completion of my “challenge” that the slow cooker was working it’s magic again. It’s opened a whole new world of possibilities, and also a whole new range of tough, budget-friendly meats  and economical meals perfect for slow cooking. It’s making reduction of packaging a whole lot more palatable, on the wallet and the plate, and playing with this has been just brilliant. And that’s that. : )

 Slow Cooker Apple Confit (slightly adapted from Eating Well)

• 3 pounds firm cooking apples
• 1/4 cup brown sugar or maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

So, if you’re really reading this, I wonder, can you recognize the picture? It’s probably not all that appetizing, but is nevertheless a major player in the big picture pie of what Dave and I subsisted on for a year in the Lake District on a shoestring budget: beans on toast! I’d forgotten just how good that is. Plus, there’s something very admirable about how filling the basic, budget “dish” really is.

Beans really are great for any budget. I once heard beans described as ” poor and healthy people’s meat”.  I love that. Paired correctly, beans are great sources of protein, rich in fiber, and said to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, among other things. I’ve been searching for years for the perfect recipe for Boston-style baked beans, stand alone tasty beans to pour over baked potatoes and spoon alongside omelets. Only without being loaded with sugars and salt. Day 5, I used this recipe from Simply Recipes, minus the pork salt cubes, only I cut the sugar back to 1 tablespoon each of molasses and brown sugar. The beans were OK. Not bad, even. Definitely alright. But not enough to make a post. That’s why this same recipe became day 7, still without the pork, but with the full amounts of sugar, and the addition of tomato puree. Much, much better. Delicious, in fact, although truth be told, beans in plain old tomato sauce are really my favorite. But these are tops, too. I think it would have been worth adding some salt and extra seasonings to compensate from the exclusion of pork, but that’s all. Worth the wait, and the second trial. Cool beans.

Slow Cooked Vegetarian Boston Baked Beans slightly adapted from Simply Recipes

So day 6 officially, but post number 5, we had a hearty, veggie-laden elk chili. It was a perfect day for it. We went to bed with verified reassurance that the next day was a snow day (school canceled, Dave working from home), and woke up to about a foot of wet, heavy snow, and flakes still falling. Fat rows of mourning doves sat congenially along the fence in the blanketed backyard. For some reason, they love to come out in the snow, nestled together with peaceful, droopy looking eyes surveying the wide world.

Having been sick all week, it was such a bonus to be able to throw everything into the crock-pot in the morning, and have that be dinner more or less done. All I needed to do was brown the meat and chop some vegetables. Plus, I got the luxury of taking an afternoon nap,  waking from it to the warm aroma of delicious chili spices. I had pre-cooked kidney and black beans earlier in the week, but you could use dried and adjust the liquid, or go with canned, of course. Since a lot of different sources emphasized that slow cookers do best with tougher cuts of meat, I hoped the elk would be great cooked this way, and wasn’t even close to being disappointed. We started including elk meat in our diet a year or two ago, and while I’ve liked it well enough, I can’t say I’ve been a huge fan. Slow-cooked in this chili, however, it was awesome. Hands down the best elk I’ve tasted…unless I count this incredible elk sausage I once ate that was cooked by this master chef out in the middle of Utah, but that was a very unique exception, and I’m wandering again. Point is, if you are interested in elk meat, the slow-cooker is the way to go. : )

Crock-pot Elk Chili 

• 1 pound ground elk
• 1 medium diced onion
• 1 diced green bell pepper
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup tomato puree
• 1 cup water
• Approx 15 ounces crushed tomates
• 2 cups red kidney beans, cooked
• 1 cup black beans, cooked
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons torn basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• dash sea salt

1. In a skillet,  cook elk over medium heat until evenly brown.
2. Place the elk in the slow cooker, and mix in all remaining ingredients. Cover and cook 8 hours on Low.

Lessons learned: 1) If you’re cooking a recipe that calls for the HIGH setting, but you won’t be back in time for its completion, or soon after, consider altering the recipe to LOW, or maybe  adding more liquid. The pudding was delicious, but it sat on WARM for quite some time, and rice baked to the sides of the pot. It had to be soaked an excessive amount of time, nearly throwing off the crock-pot challenge schedule completely (heavens!), and it further took a good deal of muscle to scrape it off altogether. 2) I’m not trying to be heightist, but if you are short enough that you don’t automatically see inside your slow cooker base when you lift the crock-pot into it on the counter, be sure to resist the temptation to store any attachments, such as a probe/thermometer, inside when the pot is soaking or drying. I accidentally left the probe inside the base, and when the crock was set back inside, it seemed to sit perfectly evenly. What’s more, the lid sealed as usual. It wasn’t until after washing and scraping the spoils of rice pudding that I saw the partially melted probe handle stuck to the metal base bottom. We were really lucky–I may have risked a case of carpal tunnel removing every bit of melted plastic, but it came off in relatively short time, and no damage otherwise done. And overall, the slow cooking continues successfully…

Crock-pot Rice Pudding

• 1 cup uncooked short-grain brown rice
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or brown sugar
• liberal sprinkling of cinnamon (about 1 tablespoon)
• dash nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons melted butter (optional)

1. Pour rice, milk, syrup, and spices into the crock-pot and stir to combine. Pour butter, if using, over the top. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Before I get more tangential or crush the chances of achieving aforementioned brevity by prematurely boasting about it, back to the point of this post: daily slow cooking continues to rock! Day 3 was another savory Eating Well recipe, a zesty and throat-calming, nourishing black bean and mushroom chili. It required slightly more prep time than yesterday’s chicken stew, but the 20 minutes sauteeing was nothing compared to usual active time cooking, and was accomplished the previous night. The next morning, it was fridge to crockpot and done. The beautiful, rich, deep color matches the flavor. It also reminded me somehow of Oxtail soup, which is odd because as far as I can tell I don’t like Oxtail soup, but I really like this chili. And that’s it. That’s all I need to say. : )

Black Bean and Mushroom Chili from Eating Well, adapted slightly

• 1 pound dried black beans, (2 1/2 cups), rinsed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, or ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds, or ground cardamom
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 8 ounces tomatillos, husked, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup water
• 5 1/2 cups mushroom broth, or vegetable broth
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1-2 tablespoons minced chipotle peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

1. Soak beans overnight in 2 quarts water. (Alternatively, place beans and 2 quarts water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.) Drain the beans, discarding soaking liquid.
2. Combine oil, mustard seeds, chili powder, cumin and cardamom in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven. Place over high heat and stir until the spices sizzle, about 30 seconds. Add onions, mushrooms, tomatillos and water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are juicy, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and stir often until the juices evaporate and the vegetables are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add broth, tomato paste and chipotles; mix well.
3. Place the beans in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Pour the hot vegetable mixture over the beans. Turn heat to high. Put the lid on and cook until the beans are creamy, 5 to 8 hours.
4. Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. Stovetop Variation: Total: 4 1/2 hours In Step 2, increase broth to 81/2 cups. Omit Step 3. Add the beans to the Dutch oven; cover and simmer the chili gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the beans are creamy to bite, about 3 hours.

I made some changes based on what I had on hand, swapping out mushrooms for zucchini and adding some fresh thyme. One of the beautiful things about recipes like this one is how affably adjustable it is. When I got home, even with this painful head cold dulling my senses, I was greeted with this wash of wafting fragrance, a true pleasure, especially considering I was still technically “the cook” (though all the credit really goes to the incredible slow cooker). Standing over the stove, we typically absorb cooking aromas to the point we smell to much like them ourselves to appreciate them.

I’m not ordinarily a huge fan of chicken thighs, but slow-cooking does wonders, and even begs for, tougher, lovably leaner cuts of meat. It fell apart meltingly under the weight of the fork. The sweet potato spears were lovely and silky, and the white wine broth was superb. I took 15 minutes during the time I’d normally be getting started cooking, and got ahead on readying ingredients for the next day’s crockpot creation. Another check for the challenge, mmm.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew from Eating Well

• 6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed of fat
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into spears
• 1/2 pound white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 6 large shallots, peeled and halved
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

1. Place chicken, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, wine, rosemary, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low until the potatoes are tender, about 5 hours. Before serving, remove bones from the chicken, if desired, and stir in vinegar.

In honor of our shiny new utilitarian toy, Dave proposed we do a week of slow cooking every day. I have conferences  throughout this week, and I got wholloped by the onset of a massive head cold last Friday afternoon, so on the surface, it’s not ideal to try setting myself a daily expectation like that. On the other hand, slow cookers are renowned for their time-saving potential while producing succulent, healthy meals, so at the same time the week couldn’t be more perfect for the experiment.

Given my careless mishaps with on the way to correctly making yogurt last week, for Day One I picked an as-simple-as-it-gets kind of recipe, an easy tomato sauce, with easy being the operative word. Barely more effort than opening a can, truly, and leagues tastier (not to mention healthier, as that’s just a given).  As recipes go, none could be any more “just a guide” than this one. I needed to go grocery shopping, and threw just what I had in it, but this sauce would really have worked no matter what I had thrown at, and in, it. It’s possible I may never make tomato sauce with the exact quantities as are listed here again, but I will most definitely be following the template with regularity. I never thought I could get so giddy over tomato sauce. It was perfectly robust, hearty, and comforting. We mixed in spinach and tuna and had it with whole what and spinach gnocchi. A day later, today, I was able to thin it out ever so slightly and have it as soup for lunch. Sauce as soup might sound a little odd, but it was absolutely delicious, and I’ve still got leftovers.  This challenge is  going to be so much fun.

Simple crock pot tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• Approximately a handful each of fresh basil, oregano, and thyme
• 1/4 cup dry white wine

Making your own yogurt may be easy, but that doesn’t mean you should be casual about it. In fact, it could be one of those activities that are so deceptively pedestrian, you actually need to be more on your toes than you are naturally inclined. Lest you get careless. As sometimes happens to some people.

Before you begin, you need  milk, containers (glass mason jars seem to be the most popular choice), and some kind of starter, either a packet of freeze-dried yogurt starter, such as from yogourmet, or plain, already made yogurt. Some  like to include some powdered milk, too, as a thickener. Plan on having 2 tablespoons plain yogurt as a starter to 1 quart of milk. Freeze-dried starters will come with their own instructions and amounts.

Here’s what to do:

1. First, sterilize your jars by boiling, approximately 10 minutes.
2. Next, heat your milk  in a heavy stockpot to 170 degrees F.
3. Remove your milk from heat source and let it cool to about 110 degrees F.
4. Stir a small amount of milk into the starter to help break up the yogurt, then mix in with the rest of the milk. For 1 quart of milk, use approximately 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt with live, active cultures (some recommend using a little more, up to ½ cup). Whisk to combine smoothly.
5. Pour your milk into your jars, filling to about an inch from the top, and put your lids on. Place jars in the oven with the pilot light on until the yogurt sets, which should take between 4 to 8 hours. Place in the refrigerator.

It’s definitely not rocket science. Then again, anything involving growing bacteria really does deserve a certain meticulousness, wouldn’t you agree? Normally, I’d consider myself far more likely to perseverate on details than to throw caution to the wind, but we all have our moments of weakness. Here’s what I learned from mine.

Rule #1: Do use a thermometer. At least on your first couple of tries.

Trial one, in  letting my milk (in jars) cool, I chose to follow “when jars are warm, but you can comfortably hold them for more than several seconds, you’ve probably reached the desired temp” rule of thumb.

The big problem with the above is that I have persistently, ridiculously cold hands. I have occasionally joked  (badly) when meeting people that I am an embalmer, just to freak them out a little as they make contact with my chilly fingers. Dave calls me “asbestos hands”. It’s probably Raynaud’s, and more discomfiting than severe. In any case, it means that I have been known to hold cookie sheets straight out of the oven without a potholder, and since my jars of milk felt perfectly comfortable really darn fast, I added my starter too soon. In other words, I killed the bacteria. I was really disappointed, especially as I used a pack of Yogourmet starter Artie generously gave me, and  I’d wasted it.

Moving along, because what’s the use of crying over (literally) spilled milk? On to the second trial, which leads me to:

Rule #2: After incubating, don’t chill in the freezer. (Or, if you do, choose your space carefully.)

I  read that chilling in the freezer for up to an hour after incubation would improve texture. I wouldn’t have believed it, but the jars really can crack when placed directly over ice cubes. Double shame, as those Ball jars have the nostalgia factor akin to a Norman Rockwell painting for me. They’re kind of like sturdy, reassuring works of art.

Rule #3: Don’t forget to sterilize your jars.

I have a tendency to over-think, about everything. Too bad the thinking often happens in hindsight. Realized I had neglected to sterilize the jars. Didn’t even pour boiling water into them. You know how things like that go, too. Once the worry strikes that you may have left the oven on, you have to go back and check, because if you didn’t, and should have…

Given all of the above, you’d think it was just time to move on from yogurt, period. But I do tell my Kindergartners every day that learning is about making mistakes, and I have to practice what I preach. Plus, it really is worth it. I got a little cavalier, and let my usual neurotic over-thinking persona take a back seat as I rushed the process between work and workouts.  Now I finally know what I’m doing and can proudly join the ranks of my other healthy foodie friends who talk about how easy-peasy making yogurt is. I guess inside I’m never really going to outgrow that middle school yearning for social acceptance,  and making the grade as a fellow homemade yogurt maker is a small detail I am going savor like crazy, it’s true. : )

To sum up the above, the point really is that this will not be one of my most eloquent posts. But I can vouch for these muffins, trial two in the challenge to create satisfying breakfast options for my friend Jen while she temporarily avoids gluten, eggs, dairy, corn, soy, and sugar (but she can have some fruit) at once.  I didn’t expect much of these muffins. I certainly didn’t expect them to be so invitingly moist and hearty. And although they are a beautiful springboard, begging you to consider elevation possibilities (a little maple syrup, blueberries/raspberries/blackberries, or chopped dates or apricots), they are nice enough on their own.

These are oh so easy, and oh so clean, which is my favorite part. They’re simply fluffy cooked quinoa, ground almonds processed with rice flour, flax meal, almond milk, vanilla, a lot of cinnamon and some nutmeg, a mashed banana and some unsweetened applesauce. Oh, I did include a little baking powder and soda. I never really know how those rank in nutrition banks, but as far as I know they’re innocuous. I should look into that.

I’m somewhat ashamed to admit, I kept over half the batch for myself. Since I’m not on the cleanse, I had them with homemade raspberry jam, and they were a perfect start to several days.

Quinoa Muffins

12 muffins

• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 3/4 cup almond meal ( I actually just coarsely ground almonds)
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 over-ripe medium mashed banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened all natural applesauce
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• *optional–would have loved to stir in berries, or some maple syrup!

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together rice flour,  almond meal, flax meal, spices, baking powder and baking soda.
2. Make a well in the center and add almond milk, mashed banana, applesauce and vanilla and combine. Stir in cooked quinoa.
3. In a prepared muffin tin, fill cups about two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.