Moses the Cat

giant stray cat, a photo by Becca(at BrightHaven) on Flickr.

Becca and the Hat

Kitty on a Red Bench

Tags

cat photo, photographs, shondai, Wordless Wednesdays

Awww, Soap Nuts

Tags

Detergent, economical laundry, green cleaning, Laundry, Sapindus, soapnuts

Sapindus saponaria (Photo credit: João de Deus Medeiros)

Who out there uses them?  Tell me about them!  Tell me what you like or don’t like.  Where you buy them.  Do you use something else?  I really don’t think I’m ever going to make my own laundry detergent!  I love that you can compost the nuts/berries after they’re spent!

Here’s what one ebay seller has to say about their product:

So, what’s a Soapnut?

Soapnuts are the seed pod of a macadamia-sized berry which is cracked open and dried in the sun, producing a sticky, dark golden shell. These shells (known as ‘soapnuts’) can be placed into your washing machine instead of detergent and fabric softener, and will leave your clothes clean, soft and without scent. The pods contain a very high percentage of saponins (Mother Nature’s soap), a surfactant which removes dirt and oils from clothing when contacted with water. Soapnuts can also be boiled into a liquid concentrate and used as a general purpose cleaner, shampoo, hand soap… the list is long and growing.

What can I use them for?

Well, just about everything. As a detergent, a personal cleanser and shampoo, a general purpose cleaner, car wash, pet wash, vegetable wash, carpet and upholstery cleaner…

Soapnuts are most commonly used as a laundry detergent. They are used instead of chemical detergents and fabric softeners. Soapnut shells are used simply on their own in a cotton bag or lone sock tied at the top and put into the machine with your clothes. They do not need to be removed during the rinse cycle as there is no harmful or irritating residue as is left over from normal detergents. The surfactants in the nuts cleans and softens your laundry in one economic and environmentally friendly swoop!

I’m waiting to hear your thoughts!

Related articles

• What is a Soap Nut? (arealfoodlover.wordpress.com)

Calamondin Pudding Cake

Tags

cake, calamondin, calamondin recipes, pudding cake, recipe

Image via Wikipedia

With all of my talk about low carb and keeping my blood sugar at a respectable level and what-not, one would think that I would not subject myself (or you) to yet another cake recipe.  Unfortunately, such is not the case.  At least not when this delectable little fruit is part of the picture.  I’m not a chocolate girl.  I love lemons.  I love citrus.  Lemon ice box pie.  Lemon heads.  Lemonade.  All my favorites.  When my good friend Mrs. Teresa introduced me to the calamondin, it was love at first sniff.  This small citrus fruit has an amazing unique flavor and it’s highly abundant in our area.  I have made quarts of marmalade, juiced this fruit and made cakes, scones, cookies, and muffins that highlight the peculiar tang of the calamondin.

So, about nine o’clock in the evening I suddenly had to try this recipe.  So, so glad that I did.  I followed the ingredients to the letter, which is quite unusual for me.  The next time I make it, I will drastically reduce the amount of sugar.  And, this little pudding cake is even better the next morning for breakfast!  I love the sponge-y cake texture over the creamy pudding layer.  Even though the end product is kind of fancy, the actual preparation is super simple.

Here is the recipe:

Calamondin Pudding Cake

• 1/4 cup sifted AP flour (next time, I think I will sub unsweetened coconut flour)
• 1 cup sugar (holy moley, this is too much sugar!  1/2 cup would be plenty!)
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 cup calamondin juice, with a little peel
• 2 egg yolks, well beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 egg whites stiffly beaten

Combine dry ingredients.  Add calamondin juice, egg yolks and milk.  Beat egg whites until stiff in a separate container.  Carefully fold egg whites into the calamondin mixture.  Spoon entire mixture into custard cups and bake in a shallow baking dish that has about one inch of water.

Bake at 350 until cake is browned (or about 50 minutes).  We had our pudding cake plain but the recipe suggests serving with whipped cream.

If you love a bit of creamy tang, I think you’ll really enjoy this recipe.  If you try it, let me know!  Of course, you can substitute orange or lemon juice for the calamondin but I am super partial to this most excellent tiny fruit!

Related articles

• Little Bit O’ Sunshine Cake (brighthaven.wordpress.com)

Too short

Source: wisuella.tumblr.com via Susy on Pinterest

I suppose, in the end, we will find that life was too short as well. I hope to make the most of this beautiful, marvelous, epic time that I’ve been given.

Carbs are Killing You…

Tags

carbohydrates, low carb lifestyle

Boudreaux and the Texan

#14 – Boudreaux and The Texan…

 

Boudreaux once had a job as a taxicab driver in Baton Rouge.

One day, he picked up a Texan on his way to the airport. When they passed by the LSU football stadium, the Texan said “What’s that?”

Boudreaux said, “Dat’s Tiger Stadium.”

The Texan said, “How long did it take y’all to build it?”

Boudreaux said, “Mais, about five years.”

The Texan said, “Oh, we’ve got a bigger one in Austin that only took one year.”

As they passed the state capitol, the Texan asked again, “What’s that building?”

Boudreaux said, “Dat’s the state capitol”.

“And how long did it take y’all to build that?” Boudreaux said, “About three years.”

The Texan said, “We’ve got one in Austin that only took six months.”

Boudreaux had just about enough of this, you know. Then they drove past the Mississippi River Bridge.

The Texan said, “How long did it take y’all to build that bridge?”

Boudreaux said, “I don’t know. It wasn’t there this morning.”

Boudreaux and Clarence

#8 – Boudreaux & Clarence…

Boudreaux lived across the bayou from Clarence, who Boudreaux did not like.

There was no bridge or other easy way to cross the bayou so the two would argue by yelling across the bayou.

Boudreaux would often yell across the bayou to Clarence, “Clarence, if I had a way to cross dat bayou, I would come beat you up!”.

The threats continued for many years.

One day the state built a bridge across the Bayou.

Soon after the bridge was built, Boudreaux’s wife, Clotile, says “Boudreaux, you’ve been talking about going across dat bayou to beat up Clarence all dese years. Now that they have dat bridge, what are you waiting for?”

So Boudreaux decided it was time to go see Clarence, so he started walking down to the bridge.

Just as he was getting ready to cross the bridge, he looks up at the sign on the bridge, reads it, and goes back home.

When Boudreaux gets home, Clotile asks “Mais, Boudreaux, did you go beat up Clarence?”

Boudreaux said, “Mais no Clotile, dat sign on dat bridge says ‘Clearance 13 feet 3 inches’. Mais, Clotile, Clarence don’t look dat big from across de bayou!”

For Mary…

Tags

emily dickinson, honeybees, poetry

 

Bee! I’m Expecting You

Bee! I’m expecting you!
Was saying yesterday
To someone you know
That you were due.

The frogs got home last week,
Are settled, and at work;
Birds, mostly back,
The clover warm and thick.

You’ll get my letter by
The seventeenth; reply
Or better, be with me,
Yours, Fly.

 

Emily Dickinson