question for the soapers

I just ordered 2lbs of lye off of ebay for $5.50. Does it look like I got the right stuff? With ground-hazardous shipping, totaled $20 bucks. :-( Where do y'all buy your lye for soap making?

Obviously, men must usually buy this product - note the hot-devil babe on the front.


"Don't be tricked by the other rip-off priced Auctions. This is 100% Pure & 100% Dry Red Devil Lye in the form of Caustic Soda Beads (micropearls)."

Manwich & Aebleskivers

Don't worry, not at the same time.

Today at the grocery store, Manwich was 5 cans for $5.00 so I got 'em. At home, I opened a can of it. Didn't Manwich used to taste better? Now, it's hardly tasty. So I had to add some BAM. This sauce turned out well.

1 can of Manwich
1/2 C apple cider
5 TSP brown sugar
pepper (I'm heavy handed with the pepper)
onion flakes
big squirt of mustard
splash of lime juice (or some acid juice)
splash of Worcestershire

stir, and it's good to go
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now back to aebleskivers again, here's a recipe

Aebleskivers Recipe

1 1/2 C Flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 C Buttermilk
1 C Sour Cream
2 eggs from your girls

oil the iron-skillet pockets well, you skivers are frying in those pockets

Glycerin Soap Meltdown

So last night, I practiced melting down the glycerin soap in the microwave. I'm now thinking that glycerin soap and glycerin base are different. After I melted down the soap, it wasn't translucent anymore. But anyway, I put the melted soap in molds and messed around. I made these two, not great but not terrible.

I'll continue to keep gathering my supplies for actual soap making. If you want to watch some pretty good video's on YouTube, click here tarotladylissa soap making .

Glycerin Soap Question

I've been talking about wanting to make soap but I haven't got all the supplies together for that yet. However, I want to play around with melt&pour glycerin soap into some molds I bought, just kiddie stuff.

Why buy in bulk online when you can buy it cheaper at a retail store? and why can you buy it cheaper at the local WalMart than by bulk online?

My question has to do with the purchase price of glycerin soap. The large package 8 bars of Dial Glycerin soap at WalMart is $4.00 including tax, didn't have to pay any shipping costs. The 8 bars equal 2lbs of gycerin soap for $4.00 which is $2 per pound. I go online to look at buying glycerin base/soap by the bulk and I can't find anything close to that $2 per pound. Remember to check the shipping costs online because soap is quite heavy.

This is not an advertisement for WalMart, just asking, "what am I missing?" I'm not interested in the components of the soap at the moment - it's not organic, it's got antibacterial stuff in it, etc - again, I'm just talking about melt&pour into a mold, childs play. Thx.

Nougat has diarrhea :-(

Nougat has diarrhea. And why does Nougat have diarrhea you might ask? Because he was a bad boy yesterday, busted out of his pen, and dived into the chicken feed. Mike says it's a heck of a mess in Nougat & Dud's house and all around. Mike gave him some Pepto-Bismol this morning, hopefully that will help to clear up of things.

Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goat, Russell Stover "Nougat"

mad at Watauga Farmers Market

I'm so bummed about the Watauga Farmers Market (the local one where I sell eggs). To help pay for the annual fee, I need more volume to sell than just eggs. I decided I'd make some soap. I called the manager and she said that homemade soap falls under "craft" and I needed to go before the market jury that met Saturday two weeks ago, and won't met again for two years! Although I am a vendor there, I can't sell soap in addition to eggs.

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I completely understand the Board of Directors doesn't want to turn it into a flea market but I can't understand about turning good, with annual-fee-money-in-hand, vendors away. They always want to limit what and whom are there and I think the more good vendors we have the more of an attraction we are. I gotta go, I'm going to write the Board of Directors.

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Oh, and ya can't sell baked goods either unless you get the State of NC to inspect your kitchen, and a bunch more stuff. Actually, you nor your kid can run a Lemonade stand on your own property in North Carolina without a bunch of expense and red tape.

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"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session." Mark Twain

aebleskivers

What are aebleskivers?
A holiday in Denmark often begins with a breakfast of puffy little pastries called aebleskivers (ebleskivers). These round pastries are made on the stovetop and filled with sweet or savory fillings. Traditionally, they are made with an apple filling or served with applesauce (hence their name). They say a slice of banana is really good. Like other great pastries, wonderful variations have evolved. Now you can find aebleskivers filled with everything from jam to pastry cream to cheese.

How do you make aebleskivers?
Aebleskivers are made with heavy cast iron or cast aluminum pans with round wells about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. The heavy metal holds the heat and bakes the aebleskivers. Traditionally, each well is filled about 2/3 full of batter, the filling spooned on top of the batter, and then more batter placed on top of the filling. Now, they are often cooked without the filling and then injected with pastry cream or whipped toppings with a pastry bag or decorating set.

What can I fill my aebleskivers with?
While apple pieces and applesauce may be the traditional filling, almost anything will work, cheese, bacon pieces, and sausage pieces for breakfast aebleskivers. Jams work fine. Some jellies tend to melt while cooking but work fine with a decorating set or pastry bag. With a decorating set, almost an unlimited number of soft filings can be used: pastry creams, whipped creams, frostings, and pudding. Just insert the tip in the seam of the aebleskivers and press the filling in.

Can I use a pancake mix or my favorite pancake recipe?
Absolutely! But you do want a lighter batter than pancake batter. Whip three egg whites until stiff peaks form, fold in the egg whites. The egg whites will make a fluffy batter.

You need the half-round wells to make your aebleskivers in. An aebleskiver pan is made of heavy metal to hold the heat and cook the aebleskivers. Aebleskiver pans come in two types: cast iron and cast aluminum. Both work well. Cast iron pans must be seasoned like other cast iron bakeware and must be kept dry. But nothings holds the heat like cast iron. Cast aluminum is easier to care for and has a more finished, less rustic appearance. If you get a cast aluminum pan, make certain that it has a nonstick finish. Once you’ve made aebleskivers a time or two, you will find them very easy. They’re a lot of fun and you can experiment forever. You’ll especially appreciate them in the summer—you don’t have to heat up the oven to enjoy your pastries. Instead of making them on the stovetop, make them on the patio. If you’re a camper, buy one for your camping gear and make aebleskivers at the campsite over a cook stove.

panasonic, photo's, pinafores, practicing

A couple of folks have asked what kind of camera I use, nothing expensive, and I don't want to mess with interchangable lenses, Panasonic Lumix, there are older and newer models but the Leica lens is the thing. http://tinyurl.com/6mmj2h

I want some pinafores, not an apron, not a jumper, but the wraparound pinafore like women used to wear over their dresses. I like this cherry, I was thinking a little longer.
http://tinyurl.com/am8gp7

I really like the design and length of this, those pockets could hold a lot of eggs.
http://tinyurl.com/bd9qys

Isn't this blue print a beauty? but $70, wasn't thinking that kind of money.

Now this one below, while I appreciate the detail of the work, is a too much for me.
http://tinyurl.com/ddnqdx

I like the red print on this one. http://tinyurl.com/asgj3c

I have just received a couple of awards. wow, and they said wouldn't amount to anything. If you are over in my blog roll, I pass these honors on to you because I really enjoy coming to your blog and seeing what you are up to each day.

Mike was practicing the show walk and stance with Nougat. No, we don't know what we are doing, goat shows we will be a new experience for us. Just a new fun thing to try.

Today, was not a good day to be bragging on my camera, the sun was very harsh when I was out there, my timing was bad. Not complaining about sunshine! believe me, it was a beautiful day, thank you Lord.

One of my favorite TV shows comes on at 9:00PM tonight - FoodNetWorksUltimate Showdown

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/hot-and-spicy-competition/index.html

going to be hot-and-spicy tonight, I'm excited.

I've got another Sourdough Grandmother Bread rising, about the time my TV show comes on, we'll be eating hot bread with butter. umm-boy!

bread, boots, and blah, blah, blah

SweetPea likes getting brushed. I kiss those lips all the time.

ChickensInTheRoad Sourdough Grandmother Bread was worth the trouble and patience, from making the starter, to the end result. umm-boy good. Of course, I like the tangy bread and the crust is chewy the way I like it, not hard and crunchy. I made some chopped chicken BBQ (Neely's BBQ sauce recipe) but Mike was in the mood for a sliced-egg sandwich. What drink are you addicted to? Mine is Snapple Noni Berry, it's diet.

I'm not a shopper, nor a spender, however, I have 4 pairs of waterproof Keen boots. After busting my ankle in July '08, I gotta make sure it's protected with good support and tread. Do not leave the house wearing CROC's. The boots in the back are the ones I turned into muck boots and I wear the black and brown ones to the office. Except for the hiking boots, all have a zipper on the side.

Mike, SweetPea, and Franklin.

SweetPea is a touchy-feely girl.

Our two Nigerian buck boys, Russell Stover "Nougat" and his son, MilkDud.

Nougat, and all the goats love eating the bamboo leaves. yes, our chicken coop is made from mostly recycled items.

Dud! wish you'd show that pose to the judge this Spring.

While the bucks were out, our 3 does nosed around the buck pen - Clara, SweetPea, June.

yes, this is my Saturday attire, may be my Sunday attire too. She's growing, not sure how long SweetPea thinks she can continue to leap into my lap, jumping up and down on my private parts. Franklin always stays close by, gobbling away. If you've never known a turkey tom, you've missed out on a funny character.

look how SweetPea's stomach sticks out on the sides, her Mama's stomach does the same thing.

pulling out the hay

The Christmas card I sent out, wanted to keep a copy of it somewhere.

One we received, thought it as pretty.

Another one we received, and I hate to throw them away. I know some people do crafts with 'em but I never have.

Cuckoo Marans roo, Early, looks like he has some frostbite on his comb.

Wheaten Marans roo, July, has frostbite too.

Our third roo, Deetz, also a Wheaten Marans roo, his comb appears fine.

Standard Ameraucana's with a bantam Brahma in the middle, all girls.

The bantam Brahma girl, Berta, is very photogenic. She's been a good layer too.

Bourbon Red Turkey - Franklin, and two hens in the background, he has four hens total. If I am going around taking pictures of others and not paying attention to him, he's following me around, gobbling at me, with a real attitude.

I'll leave ya with some turkey poop, black gold, that will go into the compost piles.

haiku

5, 7, 5, time.
I like a funny haiku
blogger, what say you?

bread, lip balm, and balmy

I'm on day #5 of SuzanneMcMinn's Sourdough starter and then I want to make the sourdough Grandmother Bread tonight. Sure hope it turns out well as the picture above. My late Mother was from San Francisco, married and living in Raleigh, NC, she stayed homesick all the time for her California family, just the mention of sourdough bread would make her swell up in tears.

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http://tipnut.com/ good site for tips

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Make your own lip balm.

-2 tsp. beeswax (chop or grate it, then measure)
-2 1/4 tsp. jojoba oil (you can use any oil you like
-about 6 drops of essential oil (you can use anything you like.

Melt wax and jojoba oil together in the top of a double boiler, or you could probably put it in the microwave for a bit. Stir to combine. Then remove it from the heat and add the essential oil. Pour into your containers, but don't fill up completely yet. Wait a minute or two, keeping the reserved mixture melted, then top the containers with the rest of the mixture. This gives you a nice looking top. Let cool for about 20 minutes and enjoy!

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Temps are actually up in the 50's today, yipee!