Making Liquid Soap From a Bar

Hellooooo friends, long time no post!!! Mr. B and I have been roaming the country having some pretty great summer adventures. In the last six weeks we've been to South Dakota, Key West, Las Vegas, and W. Virginia... I'm exhausted :/ But now we're back and I'm excited to catch up on some "taking on"!!! 

I saw a pin on Pinterest a few months ago for making liquid soap from a bar. I love this idea. I am simply ob-seeeeesssssed with Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Lavender soap. It all began when I visited my dear friend, Mrs. V, in San Francisco this spring and saw the unassuming soap dispenser sitting on her bathroom counter. The minute that fresh, lavendery smell came wafting up through the bubbles, I was hooked. It's like a love affair with a scent. But as obsessed as I am with the soap, I am not quite as obsessed with its obscene price tag. I mean really, you want me to pay over $6 for hand soap?!? Ok, so I do but I don't like it one bit! When I saw this post it really piqued my interest, since you can buy a bar of Mrs. Meyers for around $4 and the recipe says it yields a WHOLE GALLON of soap :D YAAAY for me and my olfactory system!!! The recipe is pretty basic:

What you need

• Cheese grater
• 8oz bar of soap (I used a 4oz bar and the scent wasn't as strong as I would have liked for it to be)
• 2 tablespoons liquid glycerin (Here's a fun fact, I checked FOUR, count 'em four, stores for liquid glycerin and nada... save yourself some time and order it online!!!)
• 1 gallon distilled water

Step 1: Grate your bar of soap

 Step 2: Add grated soap to gallon of distilled water

 Step 3: Stir over medium heat until soap melts.

 Step 4: Add glycerin to mixture.

Step 5: Let sit for 10-12 hours

 Step 6: Stir soap, if it's too thick use a hand mixer and a little bit of water to reach the desired soapy consistency!

Funnel the soap back into the distilled water container and voila you have a WHOLE GALLON of your favorite suds :)

Personalize your soap scents by adding perfume or essential oils! You can also buy fun little dispensers and create your own soaps for party favors or Holiday gifts. 

New Camera!!!

Soooo excited! We finally got a new camera. No more blurry, half-focused shots! Mr. B splurged and got me the Canon Rebel T3i and I'm uber excited to get shooting! I will say that learning how to use a "real" camera, vs. the old point and click, has been an interesting challenge. I mean the thing comes with a small novel of a manual AND an instructional dvd but it's all worth it for you lovely people and your viewing pleasure! Here are a few pics I took around the house.

Yay for great pictures!

I hope you all will enjoy the blog a little more now that you can SEE what I'm blogging :)

Ten (Somewhat) Essential Kitchen Tools

I wanted to put together a quick list of some of my favorite kitchen tools. There are so many gadgets out on the market that promise to change your cooking world but let's be honest, how many times do you buy one of these "must haves" only to lose it in the depths of your Tupperware cabinet? I own and frequently use all the items below and have found them to really make a difference in the kitchen! Happy Cooking!

1.     Hand juicer. Fresh citrus is always the better option. 
2.   A microplane, a.k.a. a zester. Use it for citrus, cinnamon, and finely grated cheese.
3.  Stand mixer. This one is a little on the spendy side but worth it's weight in gold! I don't know how I ever survived without it.
4.     Mortar and pestle. Great for seeds and spices.
5.     Cherry or olive pitter. More time at the BBQ
6.       Steamer basket. Steaming veggies maintains their color and flavor.
7.   Rabbit corkscrew. Save your strength! 
8.     Silicone muffin pans. An easy no-mess baking tool.
9.      Mango corer. I haven't found a better way to get the fruit off that stupid, oblong pit!
10. Cheese slicer. Buying block cheese and slicing it yourself is an easy way to save "chedda"