So this is the finished Sourdough bread. Came out pretty good. I think next time me I'll do regular yeast since all I have is rapid rise for my bread machine.

This is the Whey bread. Came out yummy. Have to knead more next time. Went very well buttered with my Gnocci.

......and last but not least, my Bagels. Always a favorite. The homemade cream cheese, not so much.















More posts to come with recipes, pictures and directions.

I decided to treat myself this morning so I'm doing a hair mask right now.
Here are the ingredients and directions for that. Ready, it's a hard one.
1 tbsp Sunflower Oil (EVOO will work too)
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
3-4 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
1 egg yolk
small sauce pan and a glass measuring cup

first:
Take a small saucepan and put some water in it. Just enough so that when you put your glass measuring cup in it comes up about a half inch or so. If you have a double boiler, even better.
next:
Heat up water, melt your oils, add lavender oil and yolk. Mix.
 Put mixture on hair and scalp, pin it up and do something else for 2 hours.
Rinse out, shampoo and condition if you really feel the need to.
See, tough stuff huh?
If you have oily hair, skip the yolk. If you have a lot of hair like me, you may need to double up on the recipe
Do this 2 to 3x a week for a month then 1x a week after that. Enjoy!!

Tis' the Season

That's right......Prom season is right around the corner! I've just updated my jewelry stock so check it out and find the perfect accessories or accent pieces. Click on the link to the right or go to:
beautifulthingsbyemma.kitsylane.com.
Great time to pick something sweet out for all the wonderful Mother's in your life too!!

What's New

Welcome back my lovelies! So this is what I was up to today. I've been dabbling lately in cheese making since I had way too much milk approaching it's end. So far I've made cottage cheese (which I think I squeezed too much since it now looks like ricotta), a small batch of ricotta cheese from the leftover whey, and my personal fave..... Cream cheese. To make the cream cheese I had to buy raw milk, which I am fortunate to live in a state that has a ton of whole food and farmer's markets. It was pretty cool watching the milk separate over a 4 day period. I will post pictures and instructions on a future date, I just wanted to make sure I did it right. This is the process I'm going through now. I want to make sure I'm doing things right so I can then share them with you all. Recipes I share with you will be things I've done right, work well and can use in my home. I also have a small start up business I began last year called Homemade by Emma. I made an awesome goats milk soap that moved pretty fast as well as a Shea butter soap bar, coconut oil soap, a bar for babies, candles, skin and hair care (which is all I use), lip balms and a variety of other things like gift baskets, baby and bridal goodies and baked goods. All made by yours truly and shipped with care. So for those of you who want some great homemade stuff and just don't feel like being a DIY junkie like I am, I will gladly do it for you!! (visa and m/c accepted via paypal) Shoot me an email with what you want or any ideas, and if I can do it, I will.
Anywho, back to my day. Since I had  a bunch of whey left I also decided to make a Country Whey Loaf, and Sour Dough Bread (has no whey in it, but dammit if we don't love us some sour dough). Again, if they turn out awesome I will post pics and instructions. I says this right now, I HATE kneading dough but my kitchen aid mixer bowl is full of Potato Gnocci dough so I had to knead by hand. Booooo! Yup, I made the Gnocci too. Going back to the cream cheese, I made garlic, onion and sesame bagels too. Yummy. I will use my daughter as guinea pig for the cream cheese in the morning. I took a moment from when I started this post to finish the whey bread, bagels, gnocci and dinner so now I'm back. The bread looks pretty good. Now that my mixing bowl is back, I can properly knead the bread and it will hopefully come out bigger. I'll be off now to do the next steps for the sour dough. Let you know how that comes out tomorrow.
Blessed be all!!

Hello All!!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Emma, and I am a suburban semi-homesteader. While I would love to be a full on homesteader, I live in the burbs and zoning laws prevent me from owning anything that can be raised for food like chickens, pigs, goats and such. Bummer =(
I can however, grow most of my own fruits and veggies, so that's better than nothing. First off, I would like to give credit where it is due, and that would be...... Pintrest. I've been on Pintrest for about a year now, and I gotta tell ya, it has changed the way I do things at home. We are a family of 6 and while financially we are in an okay spot, it still helps to have a budget to make sure we stay above water. So growing and making a lot of our food and making everyday house hold items, like soaps, face and hair care and cleaning products have become essential. Not only is it better for my family and the environment, but the money saved over time allows us to live comfortably and not live pay to pay. With the cost of living constantly on the rise, every bit helps. There is a start up cost associated with DIY, but when you're making things like laundry soap, you're not using everything you bought all at once. The small amounts you do use make the finished product come out to be pennies on the dollar. Things not to skimp on are high quality coconut oil, honey, Dr. Bronner's liquid castille soap and essential oils. Again though, a little goes a long way with these babies. All the recipes I will discuss, I've made, use and love, and all my DIY renovations and projects are all budget friendly. Hope you enjoy. Blessed be all!