Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Harasicks!

WDW - "Farm Box" Pasta

I've found that using pasta as a base is a great way to incorporate random farm box veggies into a dish. This week, I found myself with leeks and kale, and leftover rigatoni in the fridge. I googled "rigatoni" "kale" and "leeks" and found a fabulous recipe! I had a thawed chicken breast hanging around so I added that to the dish, too. If you add the chicken, just dice it and saute it first in a little olive oil, and then add it back in at the end when you toss the pasta. I substituted one large leek for the shallots in the recipe. In the end, I added about 1/2 cup chicken broth to make the sauce more fluid. Note: To revive leftover cooked pasta, place pasta in a bowl, and cover in boiling water. Let sit 1-2 minutes and then drain. My family really enjoyed this pasta dish...I hope you enjoy it too! Be creative and substitute whatever veggies you have laying around.

"Farm Box" Pasta with Goat Cheese sauce

olive oil
1 chicken breast, optional
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, oil packed, drained and cut into julienne strips
1/4 cup shallots, minced - or 1 leek, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups kale, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces pasta (rigatoni, shells, etc.), cooked
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chicken broth, optional

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and saute one minute (or if using leeks, saute leeks until soft - about 5 minutes, then add garlic and saute until garlic is slightly cooked). Add kale; saute 3 minutes or until wilted. Add sun dried tomatoes, saute 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes or until kale is tender. (Depending on the point in the season that you are cooking this it could take quite a bit longer than 3 minutes to get the kale nice and tender.)

Add the pasta (and chicken, if using), and goat cheese to the skillet, turn off heat and toss well until goat cheese melts. Add chicken broth to moisten, if desired. Serve immediately.

Soap and a special offer!

ATTENTION: The soap offer is now over. Due to such kind interest, each and every bar has been spoken for! I will be doing this again in the spring. :-)

I finally did it - it's been a longtime desire of mine to make my own soap and I was finally brave enough to try! I spent quite awhile researching online first, learning about soap and technique (I chose the cold pressed method), and looking at lots and lots of gorgeous soap (super motivating!). I was fortunate to find a downloadable instructional video that was fantastic. The video was just basically a woman, named Cherie, in her own kitchen (probably videotaped by her hubby), walking you through everything step by step. It was like having a good friend teach you; she seemed like a wife and mom just like myself. She gave all kinds of tips, advice, and most importantly, her tried and true recipe. She also pointed me in the right direction for all my supplies. Because of gleaning from her many years as a soapmaker, I was able to make soap without any mishaps! I made six different kinds and I love them all! I made them early in November, hand cut them and let them cure for 4 weeks to completely harden. It was so much fun and I enjoyed making each batch unique and different.

What I'm most excited about with my soap is that it is completely all natural! I used palm oil, coconut oil, and olive oil as the emmolients, and only used natural clays, powders, my own garden herbs, and spices for colorants. Instead of synthetic fragrance oils, I opted for all natural, pure and clean smelling essential oils. Yes, there is lye in the soap, but it completely evaporates during the saponification process. Four of the batches are goat's milk soaps, and the fifth one is an all vegetable oil soap. They are all moisturizing soaps (called "super fatted"), which nourish the skin. The bars are big and weigh around 4-5 oz. each (regular commercial bars are around 2-3 oz). They are long lasting, lather well, and leave your skin soft and clean. I have personally tried each soap on my own skin, and they are wonderful.

Now, you must understand that all this soapmaking has resulted in me having over 125 bars of soap at my house! Whew, that's a lot of soap. It's obviously more than I really need right now for my own personal use and for upcoming holiday gifts. I thought about what I might do, and began to wonder if any of my blog readers would like the opportunity to try some of my soap. So, I'm offering a sweet little deal - and just in time for the holidays for gifts (or for a little gift for yourself). I thought I would offer a 4-bar assortment for $10. So here are the details: You can pick your own assortment, and it's first come, first served until I run out of the soaps I have set aside for this, which is about 50--60 bars. Here are the descriptions and photos of the different soaps:

Lavender Oatmeal Goat's Milk Soap

Deep grey/purple swirl, robust lavender scent. Lightly exfoliating bar.

Ingredients: saponified olive oil, goat's milk, saponified coconut oil, saponified palm oil, organic oats, lavender essential oil, alkanet powder (for color).
Use: entire body.

Tangerine Lavender Oatmeal Goat's Milk Soap

Flecks of crushed lavender flowers, oats, and paprika speckle this peachy color soap and make this a good exfoliating bar. The top is lightly sprinkled with crushed lavender flowers and oats. Mild tangerine scent along with a hint of lavender.

Ingredients: saponified olive oil, goat's milk, saponified coconut oil, saponified palm oil, organic oats, tangerine essential oil, crushed lavender flowers, paprika (for color).
Use: entire body.

Peppermint Mocha Goat's Milk Kitchen Soap

Contains espresso grounds to lightly exfoliate, with unsweetened cocoa powder for a yummy mocha color. Topped with what looks like thick whipped cream - this looks like your favorite Starbucks drink -but it's for your skin! Mild and sweet peppermint scent(not medicinal). Limited supply.

Ingredients: saponifed olive oil, goat's milk, saponified coconut oil, saponified palm oil, organic espresso beans, peppermint essential oil, unsweetened cocoa powder (for color).
Use: for hands- lightly exfoliates and removes food odors like garlic and onions.


Pink Grapefruit All-Vegetable Oil Soap

Pink swirled soap with light and refreshing citrus scent.

Ingredients: saponified olive oil, distilled water, saponified coconut oil, saponified palm oil, grapefruit essential oil, rose clay powder (for color).
Use: entire body.

Rosemary Mint Goat's Milk Soap

Uncolored soap, rustic with flecks of dried garden rosemary. Refreshing and sweet peppermint scent (not medicinal).

Ingredients: saponified olive oil, goat's milk, saponified coconut oil, saponified palm oil, peppermint essential oil, crushed dried rosemary leaves.
Use: entire body.

Sweet Baby Goat's Milk Soap

Uncolored, unscented, bare bones goat milk soap. I made this one to give to new babies, and to use for my homemade laundry soap.

Ingredients: saponified olive oil, goat's milk, saponified coconut oil, saponified palm oil, nothing else. Limited supply.

Use: entire body, perfect for those with sensitive skin, good for homemade laundry soap.

So, dear blog readers, this is how it works. Just pick which 4 soaps you would like, and I can either arrange to give them to you (if you're local), or I can ship 4 bars anywhere in the contiguous U.S. via priority mail flat rate for $4.95. The bars will come individually wrapped and labeled in a cello bag. Keep in mind the bars will not all be the same size shape, or weight, or look exactly like the ones in the photos. They are homemade and hand cut, after all. :-) Each bar is unique.

Tip: Be sure to let your soap dry between use, to extend its life. A soap dish that drains is necessary so your soap doesn't get gummy and yukky.

You can email me at harasick@ca.rr.com if you are interested! And stay clean :-)

WDW - Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

I was so happy to get a big butternut squash in my farm box last week! I had cut out a recipe for butternut squash soup that I was dying to try, because it called for one of my favorite ingredients - coconut milk. I happen to love butternut squash soup - and let me tell you, with the addition of the coconut milk, this recipe was tastiest bowls of it that I've ever had. And, it was super easy to make.

If you are not familiar with butternut squash, no need to feel intimidated. First, you need to peel the skin off with a wide peeler, cut it open and discard the seeds. Then, just cube up all the beautiful orange flesh with a sharp knife. For this recipe, after I did that, I just dumped the squash cubes in a soup pot, added the rest of the ingredients, and simmered for a few hours. When the squash was fork tender, I pureed it all with my stick blender. If you don't have a stick blender, you can puree the soup in small batches in a blender. Mmm.

As a little treat alongside the soup, I cut up one sheet of Trader Joe's puff pastry into strips (you can find the pastry in the frozen section). I put the strips on a baking sheet, brushed with egg wash, and sprinkled with a little shredded parmigiano. A 10 minute bake at 400 degrees ... and they were heaven! And, with the extra pastry sheet, I made four lovely little nutella turnovers for dessert. Nice!

Coconut Buttermilk Squash Soup

1 4 lb. butternut squash
2 cans coconut milk
1 box chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped brown onion
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

fresh cilantro for garnish, optional

Peel and cube squash. Put in a large soup pot and add remaining ingredients. Simmer 3 hours, or until squash is fork-tender. Puree with stick blender. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

WDW- Tzatziki

I had to take some antibiotics last week (yukky ones, too) and a friend reminded me to "eat my yogurt." Antibiotics kill not only harmful bacteria in your body; they also kill the healthy ones in the intestines. The live bacterial cultures in yogurt can help replenish the intestines with helpful bacteria before the harmful ones take over. I read that a daily dose of 8 oz. yogurt while a person is taking antibiotics and for two weeks thereafter is very beneficial. So, it's yogurt for me!

I happened to have a container of Trader Joe's Greek yogurt on hand (I love the stuff).
I use the 0% fat one, and can't taste the difference. When the farm box arrived this morning, and I saw that I had a cucumber, I knew exactly what lunch would be - Tzatziki!

Tzatziki is a refreshing yogurt dip and is very versitile. I love it spooned over a gyro, and it's a great dip for fresh veggies or crackers. And it's a snap to make with the Greek Yogurt. If you get regular yogurt, you will need to strain it before you make this (regular yogurt will separate and be watery).

I peeled and finely chopped the cucumber and chopped up about 4 Tbsp. fresh mint from my garden. The mint is a must. I then stirred in the whole container of yogurt and seasoned with salt and a lot of fresh pepper. You can add fresh garlic if you like. That's it!

I was going to serve it with veggies from my farm box, when I remembered I had something else that would be perfect with it too....

A few weeks ago, my sweet (8 months pregnant) friend, Alik invited Emma and I over to her home for a traditional Armenian breakfast. I cannot tell you the proper names of all that we ate, but I do know it was all delicious. There was a wonderful fava bean soup with condiments to stir in, which was so comforting, lebni (kind of like tzatziki without the cucumbers/mint) and a grilled bread that Alik made. We watched her make the bread and definitely wanted to be able to make it sometime at home. Alik kindly offered to give me a package of the herb seasoning (Zattar mix)that she used, and I picked up the rest of the ingredients at Costco. I found Naan Bread and Halloumi cheese, two things I didn't even know Costco carried. You can use any mid- eastern type bread that is soft, but not a pita, it's not soft enough.

The bread is simple, tasty, and is kind of like pizza. Armenian pizza, maybe? Here's how you make it:

Grab yourself some naan. Be sure to get the "healthy" kind like I did. You know, the one that says "white flour" as the first ingredient.

Get ahold of some Zattar mix. Found at mid-eastern markets.

Mix the Zattar mix with some olive oil to form a thick paste. Zattar mix is basically dried herbs (primarily oregano)and sesame seeds.

Spread the herb paste liberally on the bread.

Add some of the Halloumi cheese (you could also use "frying cheese" and I have used queso fresco from TJ's as well) and place bread cheese side up in a lightly greased non-stick skillet. Cook on medium until the cheese starts to stick to the bread and the bottom of the bread starts to brown up a little.

Carefully flip the bread so that the cheese is now face down. I say carefully or you will have Zattar mix in places you don't really care to have it (trust me, I know). Continue to cook about 2 more minutes until the cheese releases easily from the pan and is nicely browned. Invert onto a plate and cut into wedges for easy eating. Delish.

Thanks Alik, and anytime you get lonely at breakfast time, let us know. :-)

WDW - Easy Weeknight Soup

WDW just in the nick of time! Another great recipe from Marie over at Proud Italian Cook! I feel like all I'm doing lately is re-posting from her blog. But, I thought with this wonderful rainy weather, I'd share this soup I made tonight.

Lately, I have been struggling to use all the greens in my farm box. Not that I don't like them, but there were so many the last few weeks! This week I got Swiss chard, broccoli rabe, kale, and spinach! When I saw this recipe, I thought it would be a good way to use my chard.

It's simply called Beans, Greens and Broken Spaghetti soup. It couldn't be easier to put together, and it was so tasty and comforting. If you're looking for easy, and meatless yet hearty- this is the soup for you. Oh, and this soup is very economical as well.

The soup is even more convenient if you have some leftover pasta laying around, like I did. The recipe calls for spaghetti, but I had linguine so I chopped it up and it worked fine. I also substituted leeks for the onions it called for. I was really pleased with the results, as it tasted long simmered. As Marie always says, Buon Appetito!

P.S. She has a lovely butternut squash tart currently on her blog, I hope I get a squash in my farm box soon! http://prouditaliancook.blogspot.com/2010/10/butternut-squash-tart-with-caramelized.html

Beans, Greens, and Broken Spaghetti Soup

Olive oil
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 onions, chopped (I used 4 leeks)
2 carrots, chopped
2 cans of rinsed and drained cannellini beans
1 large bunch of Swiss chard, stems removed and leaves chopped
6-8 cups chicken broth (I used low salt/organic)
Parmigiano Reggiano rind

Precooked broken spaghetti (I used linguine -about 1/4 lb.)
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

In a heavy soup pot, over medium-low heat, drizzle some olive oil and saute onion, carrot, and garlic. Add everything else (except broken spaghetti and grated cheese ) and simmer for about an hour. Season with salt and pepper.

Note from Marie:

If you're like me and you save your cheese rinds in the freezer, please add one to your soup, it makes a world of difference to the flavor of your broth, otherwise just add your grated parmesan to your individual bowls.

In a bowl, add the cooked spaghetti, and then ladle your soup over the top along with plenty of grated cheese, and if you want, a tiny drizzle of olive oil.

Menchies won't cut it

Rich just celebrated 25 years at his job, the Department of Water and Power. He is a civil engineer, and has worked at the DWP since the day he graduated college. That means he has had the same job since we met! How amazing is that? We are so blessed that he has had such a good job all these years. We thank God, and we thank Rich for his love and devotion to our family for faithfully going to work day after day (he's had only 2 sick days in 25 years).

So, Rich came home one day from work early last summer and said, "Hey, I just realized that last week, I hit 25 years at the Department," and then he casually added, "so I was thinking maybe we could go to Menchies to celebrate."

Menchies? Really? I mean Menchies is okay, but frozen yogurt to celebrate 25 years at your job?

Sorry, but I think not.

What I was thinking was more like dinner at Off Vine and Phantom of the Opera tickets.

That's what I'm talkin' about.

So, the kids and I went to the Pantages early in the summer and bought 6 tickets (we invited Stephanie and Nick to join us) and then anxiously counted down the days...

Finally, on last Friday night, the special night had arrived! We started the evening at our favorite special occasion spot, Off Vine. What's great about dinner at Off Vine (well, besides everything) is you can just leave your car there and walk to the Pantages. I actually love walking through Hollywood at night (when I have my man to protect me, of course). It's so New York-ish. Off Vine is so cozy and comforting, and I had the most amazing Seafood risotto with asparagus..... yum. Dinner was such fun and we were all so excited about the show! Rich and I had actually seen it before, but the kids had not. Phantom was actually the first Broadway show we'd ever seen, at the Majestic theater in NY many years ago, and it blew us away. Such an enchanting show. It's a tough plot to understand - watching the movie either before or after helps a lot. Anyways, we loved the show -- great cast, great music, super creative. This is the final U.S. tour of the show, ending here in L.A. The Pantages is absolutely gorgeous and a great venue for it. We came home and had the special cake above! A wonderful evening indeed. I'd wish my hubby another 25 years at the department, but alas he retires in around 5 years! Maybe then, I'll take him to Menchies.

My fave restaurant with my fave guy.



Six very excited people!!

Homemade Laundry Soap

OK, you know you love being a homemaker when you get excited about laundry soap.

Yes, I'm very excited about my new laundry soap. My all natural, homemade laundry soap, that is! I know, I'm weird, but it's so stinkin' cool.

So, as you might have read recently here on the blog, I'm going all-natural in the cleaners department. I have been happily using my homemade spray cleaner, not-so happily using baking soda (more on that later) and switched to an all natural goat's milk laundry soap which I bought from www.goatmilkstuff.com. I really liked the soap, and I even noticed that my dish towels (which I used to bleach) looked a little cleaner and brighter than usual.

Then, I had a revelation: I turned over the package of the laundry soap and read the ingredients: borax, washing soda, soap. Why couldn't I make my own? It seemed easy enough. I researched a bit online and sure enough I found the same formula over and over: 1 cup grated soap flakes, 1/2 cup each of Borax and washing soda.

So, I started with a bar of goat's milk soap that I bought from the above website (one formulated just for laundry), used the Borax I already had, and bought some Arm & Hammer washing soda online (not to be confused with baking soda, it's hard to find. I got mine at www.drugstore.com. A friend of mine who makes her own laundry soap told me that there is an Albertson's market in Santa Clarita that carries it.) You can use any bar of soap you like (of course, use all natural soap if you want your laundry soap to be all natural). Online, I found a lot of people use Fels Naptha, an old fashioned soap bar. But, I wanted my soap to be all natural, so I went with the goat's milk bar. I think I might try Dr. Bronner's castille soap bar next time I make it, I saw it at Trader Joe's, and it is even certified organic! Oh, and another tip with the laundry would be to put vinegar in the fabric softener compartment of your washer. Vinegar removes soap scum and mineral deposits in your washer and your clothes.

It couldn't have been easier. The bar of soap yielded 4 cups grated soap (I just used the fine side of my cheese grater), so I added 2 cups each of Borax and washing soda. I gave it a good stir, then decided to give it a whirl in the food processor to bring it to a consistent powder form (the picture below was before processing - you can see the soap curly-cues). I put the mixture in a Tupperware container. You use only one tablespoon per load, so I dropped in a metal tablespoon for easy measuring. The batch I made in 5 minutes will last 128 loads! The cost is hard to figure exactly because I only used a fraction of the boxes of Borax and washing soda. The soap bar was $7 (you could definitely use a cheaper bar, but keep in mind that mine was double the size of a regular bar, so it was really about $3.50 a bar). I am guessing I used maybe 1/10th of each of the boxes of Borax and washing soda? Hard to know. If that is the case though, I probably got 128 loads for approximately $9 total. I think that's about 1/2 the price of the Costco brand I've been using. And, of course, mine is all natural! And, if you're wondering, this soap is safe to use in he (high effeciency) machines, because it's low sudsing.

So.... you know what? Now, I want to make my own soap... I've been chomping at the bit for years to make it, but have been terrified. We LOVE bar soap (I have soap dishes in each bathroom and the kitchen) and I drool over homemade soap. My good friend in Washington has sent me these amazing goat's milk soap bars that her friend makes with her own goat's milk, and I am completely addicted to them. The goat's milk is super emmolient and great for people who wash their hands about a zillion times a day, like I do. I ran out of my stash recently so I ordered some bars from Goat Milk Stuff, but I can't go on paying $6 a bar for soap! (Incidentally, that's how I got into candlemaking- to support my own candle habit. Now here I go with soap.) Of course, I don't have any goats of my own (nor know any) to get fresh milk from, but I have found recipes online that use canned and dry goat's milk to make soap, and the results are supposed to be comparable, so I'm going to give it a try soon. I am in the process of gathering all the ingredients and tools. My goal is to have soap to give as Christmas gifts, and the bars take 4-6 weeks to cure, so I need to get on it soon. Of course, I'll keep you posted on my adventures.

Stay clean!

WDW - Eggplant Stacks

One of my favorite food bloggers is http://prouditaliancook.blogspot.com. I had the good fortune to find this blog awhile back, and Marie's food is some of the most beautiful food on earth. This woman is not only brilliant, but her recipes are simple and always include all my favorite ingredients. Plus, her photos are gorgeous and make you want to eat the computer screen. I have tried many of her recipes and they do not disappoint.

I saw this recipe there recently, and literally ran out the next day to get an eggplant so I could make it. I absolutely love eggplant, by the way. You may be thinking that you don't like eggplant, but you know what, you really do. You just haven't had it prepared right if you think you don't like it. I have convinced my family that they love eggplant, and I'm here to convince you, too.

So, this recipe was so easy - and so beautiful - and so tasty! And, not to mention, fun to make! Following Marie's recipe, I peeled the eggplant in pretty stripes (leaving most of the peel on), cut it into 3/4" slices, and brushed it all over with some olive oil. I roasted the slices on a foil-lined baking sheet at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.

While the eggplant cooked, I made some pesto. Trader Joe's had a lovely box of organic basil today, so I tossed a generous cup of leaves into my mini food processor with a handful of grated Pecorino cheese and toasted walnuts, a couple cloves of garlic, and a good amount of olive oil to pull it all together. I opened up a can of my favorite store bought marinara, Trader Joe's (in the fat green can) and added a few more cloves of grated garlic to that. I sliced up thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and then got a pretty white baking dish out. Then the fun began - building the stacks! You start by spreading a little sauce into the baking dish, then place half the eggplant slices down. On top of the slices, in this order, layer: sauce, mozzarella cheese, a good dollop of pesto, another eggplant slice, a little more sauce, and another mozzarella slice. Top with shredded Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese, and some panko bread crumbs on top. Bake at 375 degrees 20-25 minutes until hot and the cheese is melted. Garnish with extra basil and serve immediately.

Aren't these beautiful? Ready to go into the oven!

Man's Great End

LORD of all being,

There is one thing that deserves my greatest care, that calls forth my ardent desires,

That is, that I may answer the great end for which I am made~

to glorify thee who has given me being,

and to do all the good I can for my fellow men;

Verily, life is not worth having if it not be improved for this noble purpose.

Yet, LORD, how little is this the thought of mankind!

Most men seem to live for themselves,

without much or any regard for thy glory, or for the good of others.

They earnestly desire and eagerly pursue the riches, honours, pleasures of this life, as if they supposed that wealth, greatness, merriment, could make their immortal souls happy;

But, alas, what false delusive dreams are these!

And how miserable ere long will those be that sleep in them,

for all our happiness consists in loving thee, and being holy as thou art holy.

O may I never fall into the tempers and vanities,

the sensuality and the folly of the present world!
It is a place of inexpressible sorrow, a vast empty nothingness;

Time is a moment, a vapour,

and all its enjoyments are empty bubbles, fleeting blasts of wind,

from which nothing satisfactory can be derived;

Give me grace always to keep convenant with thee,

and to reject as delusion a great name here or hereafter,

together with all sinful pleasures or profits.

Help me to know continually

that there can be no true happiness,

no fulfilling of thy purpose for me,

apart from a life lived in and for

the Son of thy love.

"Man's Great End"

~The Valley of Vision~