A Good Salsa Recipe

At least I think it's good. Have made three batches at last count. Enough kick to make it interesting without making it inedible.

14 1/2 oz Petite Cut Diced Tomato
8 oz Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup Cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/2 Jalepeño, seeds removed, finely chopped
1/2 T Crushed Red Pepper (chile de arbol)
1/4 t Salt
2 dashes Black Pepper
1 clove Garlic, chopped

Combine them all in a bowl or sauce pan. I like to start with the tomatoes and sauce on low heat to combine the flavors. Best if left to sit overnight. I think you could probably mix all the ingredients cold and have it turn out as well. And yes, if you double the batch the measurments are a lot easier.

My neighbor has me pegged. I'm an experimenter. I like to dabble in things and find what my personal favorite mix, method, ingredients are. So far soap and salsa - who knows where it could go.

And the Soap Maker strikes again ...

Yep, had to get one more batch tried before we headed out.

Canola Oil 2 oz.
Castor Oil 1 oz.
Cocoa Butter 1 oz.
Olive Oil 8 oz.
Palm Oil 6 oz.
Water 5 oz.
Lye 2.33 oz.

This one went quick set to trace again. So I need to make sure my last minute additions (color, scent) are ready before I start mixing. May have to draft a helper to keep track of the add-ins while I'm mixing. The red palm oil makes for an interesting color. I think this will be the last batch for a while. Sorry, sleepy, just wanted to document the experiment. So far I think the coconut oil/olive oil are my favorites.

The Soap Maker's Journal

I did not intend for this to be a lab book for my soap making endeavors. Actually I only figured on making one batch of soap, but I found I enjoy it. Ok, this one is an experiment, tried using no scent, and tried using a red tea to color it. Unfortunately the lye turned it deep green then gold. Chemistry is funny that way. So I'll see what the end result looks like.

8 ounces canola oil
6.5 ounces corn oil
1 ounce castor oil (love those bubbles)
2 ounces lye
6 ounces tea

Notice there are no hard oils in there (lard, coconut, Crisco, palm). I was not sure how it would set up (in fact still not sure) but it went to trace without too much trouble. Hopefully it will set. Doesn't smell great, but not putrid either. So they can't all be raging successes.

The Great Soap Making Event - Revisited

Ok, so here's try number two (Saturday May 31,2008). Yes, I love the experimentation aspect of this. I noticed a distinct pungency in my first batch of soap when used for shaving (works fine in the shower). I have to attribute that to the lard. Not positive, but it smells sort of lardy. I liked the earthiness of the coconut oil, wanted a bit more slip and, of course more bubbles. So here's the recipe for this batch (instructions are the same, so I'm not reprinting.

Ingredients:

28 oz. coconut oil
10 oz. olive oil
4 oz. castor oil
14 oz. water
2 tablespoons (more or less) of bentonite clay
6.5 oz. lye
mixture of essential oils for scent

Now between increasing the percentage of coconut oil and using a stick blender, this batch went to trace in about a minute and was actually getting too stiff (pudding consistency) when I poured it into the mold. I was able to take it out of the mold the next day and it looked good (even with a few small trapped bubbles). So six weeks and I'll get to try it out. Only two small lye burns this time around, 1 hour start to finish and MUCH less mess.

The Great Soap Making Event

Well, I plan to attempt making a batch of shaving soap this weekend. If all goes well ... well, it will be fun. If all doesn't go well, there will be pain, heartache and a huge mess to clean up. So for you do it yourselfers out there here's the recipe I'm using.

Modified from http://www.teachsoap.com/shaving.html

Ingredients:

12 oz. coconut oil
10 oz. lard
12 oz. olive oil
2 oz. castor oil
14 oz. distilled water
1 heaping tablespoon of bentonite clay
5.3 oz. lye
mixture of essential oils for scent

Instructions:

1. Heat your oils (no scent) until they reach a temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. With all your SAFETY GEAR on pour the pre-measured lye into 14oz. of distilled water.
3. Mix in a glass or unbreakable, heat-friendly Pyrex bowl with a stainless steel mixing spoon. Do NOT breathe the lye fumes. This mixture will heat all the way up to approximately 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Cool this mixture to approximately 115 degrees.
5. When both the oils and the lye water are within 10 degrees of 115 degrees, pour the lye/water mixture into the melted oils.
6. If you have a stick blender, now is the time to use it. If you do not have a stick blender, hand stir with a whisk or stainless steel tool. If you're using a stick blender, you should see trace (the point where you can see faint soap trailings when you drizzle the mixture over the surface) within 5 minutes. If you're using a hand propelled mixer (a spoon), this process could take up to a full 3 hours.
7. Once you've hit trace, add your clay, scent and mix in well. Wait for a minute to make sure that the soap is fully traced and is not going to separate in the bowl (and thus, in your molds).
8. Pour the thick, white, creamy soap mixture into your molds. Your soap will need to sit out for a full 6 weeks before using.