Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.  Growing up in Jacksonville, FL, we’d always go out on our friend’s boat and watch the fireworks from the St. John’s River.  We’d spend the whole day in water- water skiing, crabbing, and then back to the pool.  Now that I live in Colorado, the 4th is a little different.  Not much water around here and this year, we had a state wide ban on fireworks.

I needed to throw a killer party to make up for the lack of water sports and fireworks. 

Watermelon Jello Shots

The biggest hit at the party were the watermelon jello shots.  I’ve been out of college for five years now, and I just can’t say goodbye to jello shots… but they aren’t really grown up food.  These were a perfect mix of the fun of college years, mixed with the sophistication needed now that I’m an “adult.”

They are surprisingly simple to make, and a good thing to prep the day before the party.  You start with limes.  Depending on the size of limes, you will likely need about 12-15 limes.  Start by slicing them all in half longwise as seen in the picture below.

Then comes the most challenging part- coring the limes.  Use a small knife with a serrated edge. Move slowly through this process or you’ll likely cut your thumb.  And I know from experience that lime juice in a fresh cut hurts like crazy!

Make the jello exactly as described on the box with one exception- instead of using a cup of cold WATER, use a cup of cold VODKA.  Once everything is mixed well, it’s time to pour it in the lime halves.  I’d recommend using a container with a spout because you’ll need some precision when pouring.

Let it sit overnight in the fridge.  It takes around four hours to fully set, but it won’t hurt to leave it in for more than that.  Vodka has a lower freezing point than water so it takes longer to set and it will melt quickly.

When the jello has fully set, slice your halves down the middle so they will now be quarters.  Do this step slowly and carefully, because you don’t want the jello to tear.

Deviled Eggs

A staple on the agenda for every party is my dad’s world famous deviled eggs.  My dad taught me how to make them when I was a little girl, and making them right is one of the elements of being a southern that I am most proud of.  To start, you hard boil eggs.  For the perfect hard-boiled egg, I put the eggs in a pot of cold water, with a splash of vinegar.  Cover the pot, bring the water to a boil, and as soon as it reaches a boil, turn off the burner.  Keep the lid on the pot and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10-12 minutes.  When you take them out, they should be nice and easy to peel.

For deviled eggs, slice the peeled egg in half longwise and pop out the yolk and put them in a separate bowl.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Now comes the fun part.  You can be as creative and experimental with the yolk mixture as you want.  A little bit of egg yolk is good for you, but there is so much cholesterol and saturated fat.  like to take a little of the yolk out and throw it away.  Now you can fill it with spicy mustard, tabasco sauce, mayo (also, something you want to use very sparingly)  and spices.  Some people also use garlic, bacon, celery, onion, curry powder, nuts, and the list goes on and on.

When you’ve tasted your mixture and it’s to your liking, its time to get your hands good and clean, because they are about to get really dirty.  Sure, you could use a spoon, but it will make for so much extra work, and you won’t be as pleased with your results.  I dig in and scoop out just the right amount to fill the hole left from the egg yolks, plus a little more.  When all the eggs are stuffed and on your final presentation tray, sprinkle them with just a dash of paprika.  It adds a little bit of flavor, but really just makes it look nice.

Eight Layer Bean Dip

Next up was the eight layer bean dip.  I know it’s traditionally supposed to be seven layers, but I couldn’t decide on a layer to leave out!  I made it in a 9×9 baking pan.  Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.

The bottom layer, or layer #8, is the only thing I used from a can- refried beans.  I just can’t make them on my own and have them taste as good.

Layer #7- chopped olives

Layer #6- sliced scallions

Layer #5- chopped tomatoes

Layer #4- mashed pinto beans (these I buy dry, and cook in my pressure cooker)

Layer #3- diced jalapeños

Layer #2- Shredded cheese.  Unless you like ingesting wood pulp, always go with the block cheese and shred it yourself

Before adding layer #1, the whole bean dip goes in the oven for about 30 minutes. When it comes out, top with layer #1

Layer #1- Lettuce

Yummy!

What are your favorite Fourth of July recipes?

BBQ sauce is so easy to make, once I started exploring recipes, I can’t believe I ever bought it in a grocery store.  It tastes so good with just about anything you put in it.

You start with a tomato base.  Try about four tomatoes to start, but you could always add more later to get the flavor and consistency you want.

 I like to focus on clean eating, with as few processed foods as possible.  You could use ketchup, but it’s much better without it.
Along with the tomatoes, here are some other ingredients you might want to use:

• half of a chopped onion
• half of an organic bell pepper, green or red
• a couple jalapeno or serrano peppers
• 3 teaspoons ground mustard seed
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground celery seed
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic
• lemon juice, to taste
• tablespoon of butter

Put the tomatoes alone in your Vitamix or blender.  When they are fully liquefied, add all the other ingredients slowly.

Pour Vitamix contents into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Then, lower the heat and simmer for twenty minutes.

And that’s it.  Could it be any simpler for something so delicious?

I love upcycling whenever possible, but I also don’t want that trash to look too trashy.  My favorite reusable trash has got to be corks from wine bottles.  I started saving them the year I was planning my wedding, thinking they would be used for place card holders, but I went with fortune tellers instead for that project.  Cork is beautiful, especially when a few pieces are wine stained or with tips broken off.  It’s the perfect mix of classy and natural.

Depending on your cork supply, you can make many different kinds of gifts.  For a trivet, you need around 30-35 corks, for a bulletin board, you need around 130-150 corks.  Both are made the same way, and make a useful gift…

Here’s what you need:
Wine corks (bottoms up!  You need a bunch.  Or, you could buy them on Amazon for cheap, but really what’s the fun in that?)
Plywood cut for your desired size gift (for a trivet, 7”x7” for a bulletin board, 14”x14”, or any other size that you’d like)
Mod Podge
Paintbrush

Here’s what you do:
First, play with your design.  You can have rows of corks going in the same direction, or you could mix is up and see what you like best.  

 
 
Get creative and have some corks hanging off the side, or start the whole pattern diagonally and see how it turns out.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
If this is going to be a bulletin board, keep in mind the pressure of push pin coming in.  You might want to trim the excess off of the sides with a razor blade or box cutter.  The beauty of working with cork is that smooth straight cuts look great, but so do ripped, jagged edges.

Once you’ve decided your pattern, take a few corks off at time to start Mod Podging the plywood with a paintbrush. The Mod Podge will go on all sides of the cork. It acts as an adhesive, but also gives everything a beautiful shine. If the cork is not sticking well, you could use a hot glue gun, but I like how kid friendly Mod Podge is.

Let your creation dry for up to an hour, and you have a lovely, practical gift.

Part One

To be honest, I didn’t think I would last this long.  

Throughout week two, I showered in the morning, only washing with water and scrubbing real hard with my fingernails.  I left my hair down to see how it would look when it dried, and put it in a ponytail midday when I went to class (I’m in my final class for my Masters degree).  During the first day of class, we had an ice breaker activity and had to tell something unique about ourselves.  I confessed about the no poo and was met with surprising excitement.  Instead of being grossed out or confused, they were intrigued and excited to watch my progression over the next few weeks.

Day 12 of No Poo

By day 12 (the day before I washed with baking soda again), my hair felt waxy and looked totally stringy.

I think things are starting to look up though.  My husband’s hair looks great.  I think the grease moved down his hair, and now is completely recalibrated.  We both washed with baking soda in the first week, but that was the last time anything besides water (and my hands) had touched his hair.  I used a tablespoon of baking soda, a drop of tea tree oil and a cup of water in my hair yesterday.  I’m surprised by how good it’s looking.  I was able to wear my hair down the last two days, without greasy embarrassment.  I can see how this could really work.

I have high expectations for my hair.  If after a few months, it looks okay, manageable, better than it looks right now…. then I’m not going to stick with it.  My hair needs to look as good or better than it did before I started this no poo project.

Day 14

THREE WEEKS IN OF NO POO…

I constantly go back and forth between feeling really optimistic and thinking there is no way this is going to work.  Things looked great after the baking soda mixture this week, but they got bad quickly after.  It’s also crazy hot in Colorado right now, so that might have something to do with it.  I keep hoping every week that the amount of time I am good after the baking soda will keep getting longer and longer.  Anyway, here is what we’re looking at for the end of week three.

FOUR WEEKS IN OF NO POO….

It’s been four whole weeks now.  Not much to write about because not much is changing.  I use a squirt bottle of baking soda, water and tea tree oil every Friday.  My hair looks awesome that day and on Saturday.  But after that, it just lingers around in the “kind of greasy” stage for the rest of the week.  It never gets awful, but it’s certainly not getting any better either.  

A friend recommended a boar bristle brush.  As soon as I use it, my hair looks super greasy and flat, but within a half an hour, it starts to look okay again. I’ve been wearing my hair down everyday, regardless of how it looks… and somedays, it looks pretty bad.  The picture below shows what it looks like immediately after using the boar bristle brush.

Is this ever going to get better?

Since middle school, I’ve been washing my hair every morning.  If I go out for the evening, I wash again as part of my “beauty routine.”  In fact, washing my hair is my ONLY beauty routine.  If I want to get all dolled up, shampooing is my go-to plan.  My hair is as straight and greasy as Danny Zuko, so I have always accepted my shampoo investment, while jealously scowling at my curly-haired friends who can get away with washing once or twice a week.

I’m going shampoo free!

I first heard about the “no poo” movement in college when a friend with similar hair to mine decided to stop shampooing.  She lasted a couple weeks, complaining the whole time, and eventually caved and went back to daily pooing.  Self-conscious and with the attention span of a flea, I let the idea drop.

Three years ago I started teaching elementary school.  As my first summer break was approaching, I knew that because of my fortunate career choice I could have several months dedicated to this mission, without needing to look gross going into work everyday.  But, a week before summer break, I got engaged.  There went my no poo plans.  We planned our wedding for the following summer- WHAM- two summers in a row where I had to look presentable.  So here we are…. my third summer break and no excuses.

Day Three 

We are at day three now and things are really looking awful.  I have been showering every day, getting my hair wet and pretending like I’m lathering in shampoo (same body and face wash as I’d been using before though).  Even with a cloth headband to cover my hair, I feel like the grease is seeping down my face and neck.  Summer time can be gross as it is with all the sweat, but I feel like I haven’t showered since I started this.

It seems like there are two main reactions when I tell people about my “no poo” decision.  “I’ve tried that, lasted two weeks and it’s awful” or “Why would you want to stop shampooing?” So it leads me to think about that more.  Why am I doing this?  Because I want to see if I can.  Because I wonder if it’s really better for your body and the look of your hair.  Because I’m a fan of less chemicals polluting our water and my body.

My husband has decided to no poo with me.  He hates all artificial products and unnecessary chemicals coming near his body.  On Day 4, he had to go to a business meeting.  I was impressed how good his hair looked with just a tiny bit of gel.  Turns out, he wasn’t wearing gel and was able to style his hair with grease.  I was so grossed out, but it also showed that his hair was looking better than it did the day before…. and way better than mine…..

A week in….

Yesterday I mixed baking soda, a drop of tea tree oil, and a cup of warm water before going into the shower.  I worked it through my hair the same way you would shampoo, it just didn’t lather.  My hair looked a million times better.  I thought it was the magical cure! I even went out to dinner last night without a ponytail or head covering.  The fun was short lived, however, because this morning my hair looked back to it’s greasy self.
The idea of the baking soda is to get some of the dead skin cells and other junk out of your hair while not chemically stripping it of its natural oils.  I’m disappointed with myself for using the baking soda.  I read online that it was the process I needed to take, but I feel like I just delayed the process of my hair naturally recalibrating.  While it helped my hair look good for one day, I don’t know if it was worth the setback.

My husband’s hair is still looking great though.  Why do men have it so easy in life?

Day 9

I’ve been reading online that some people use baking soda and apple cider vinegar everyday.  Keeping your hair looking good but without the chemicals in shampoo certainly has its appeal.

But the main reason for this experiment is to see if my hair will recalibrate on its own, not with the everyday help of an outside product, even if that product is not bad for your skin or the environment.  So I am going to stick with as little outside help as I can get.  I have used baking soda just once so far, and I’m going to try and make it to day 13 without using it again.

Today a friend who I hadn’t seen in three days asked me if I gave up “no-pooing.”  When I said that I still hadn’t shampooed, she was impressed with the fact that I am now able to wear my hair down without people obviously being able to see the grease.  She said it looked better.  So, I’ll take that as a mini victory today.  Things still feel gross, and if I put my hair in a ponytail, the sides are horrible.

Part Two

BANANA NUT BREAD!

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups flour (whole wheat or all-purpose)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs, good if you can get them to room temp before beginning
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup unsalted butter or ½ cup applesauce (or you could do a combination of the two, ¼ of each is my preferred compromise)
1 cup brown sugar
3 very overripe bananas, peeled and mashed

½ cup cooked walnuts, chopped, crumbled or crushed, depending on preference

My Recipe for Healthy Banana Nut Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Sift the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla, and set that aside.

Mix the butter (or applesauce) and sugar until light and creamy, a standing mixer or handheld mixer works best, but a strong arm and a fork will do the trick as well.  Slowly pour in the egg mixture, until it looks a little like curdled milk.  Continue mixing while you add in the bananas.

Using a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture with everything else until its nice and smooth.  Then fold in the nuts.

Pour the batter into a 9×5 pan coated with non-stick cooking spray and cook for around an hour, maybe a little less.

The smell will have the neighbors begging to babysit your children and mow your lawn… just for a taste.

I love these chocolate peanut butter oat cookies or bars. They are no bake and have the most incredible texture and unique taste. Although you don’t need an oven you do still need a stove top to prepare your mixture.

You do not have to use the muffin tins to pour your batter into like I do here. I like to use muffin tins to create nice circles. Instead though, you could simply pour globs onto parchment paper to cool or even pour into a well-greased pan and then simply cut bars after it cools.

Instructions:

Heavily grease muffin tins (I use coconut oil) or a baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Once melted, add sugar and cocoa powder and stir until blended. Next, add the milk and the vanilla extract and stir completely. Let it reach a boil and let it bubble for a few seconds. Turn off the heat and stir in the peanut butter and oats.

Pour into your muffin tins and let it cool before popping them out. I used a butter knife and slid it between the cookie and the tin and they slid right out.

Enjoy!

This bluemoon ice cream recipe is for that classic, unique taste that I remember my Granny making. This was a favorite of mine and still is. What does it taste like? It is hard to describe, but the best description I’ve heard is that it tastes like fruitloops. Some recipes will call for pineapple and all sorts of complicated things, but this one (like all the ice cream I make) is super simple.

Bluemoon Recipe
4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon lemon oil
1 teaspoon raspberry oil or liqueur
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon natural blue food coloring

Instructions: Whisk the sugar into the cream until it is dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients and pour into your ice cream maker and mix until it is frozen…this varies based on your machine but in mine it takes 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm.

Feel free to use less cream and substitute milk if you don’t want such a full fat ice cream. I like to use cream to create a really creamy texture but you can alter this. I use homemade raspberry liqueur because I have some extra but raspberry flavoring oil will work just as well.

My ice cream maker is a simple drum attachment that goes on my KitchenAid mixer and I store it in the freezer. Most ice cream makers result in a runny “soft serve” style ice cream straight from the machine. They need to be frozen in a container (I use a glass pyrex quart dish) for a few hours to let them set completely. Freezing at this point doesn’t affect the texture, it comes out creamy and not icy.

Here is a dairy free chocolate chip cookie recipe that results in amazing, melt in your mouth cookies thanks to the coconut oil in place of butter. Plus, they are made with whole wheat flour and yet still are light and airy. Delicious and even (dare we say) a tad healthy. Especially if you opt to add in the 1/4 cup of rolled oats for extra fiber like we do.

Like most cookies, these freeze and thaw well. I like to make a double batch and freeze half. Thaw them for several hours at room temperature on the counter.

Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (make sure non-dairy)
1/4 cup rolled oats
This makes about two dozen cookies

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In your mixer, beat the sugars and coconut oil together until it gets blended smooth and then add the vanilla and the egg.

Slowly add the flour mixture, salt and baking soda and mix until mixed. Add the rolled oats and the chocolate chips.

Spoon onto an ungreased baking sheet and flatten the balls of dough slightly. These will not flatten out as “normal” cookies do so unless you want them to be quite thick, flatten the balls of dough a bit to help them along.

Bake for 9 minutes (give or take) until they are slightly golden on the edges.

Enjoy! Yum!

This simple cut out sugar cookie recipe is my favorite. It is a basic recipe that my grandmother used with just a few tweaks of my own. Ever have a cookie wind up tasting like flour in the end? That is the worst! These aren’t like that, nor are they too sweet, so they are just perfect for icingand decorating.

This is the recipe I use year ’round with cookie cutters for various holidays and seasons because it is so simple and quick. Unlike other recipes, I never have a problem with the dough getting sticky and it cuts out really beautifully with my vintage metal cookie cutter shapes.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In your mixer, beat the sugar and butter until it gets creamy. Add the vanilla and the egg. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until it is a dough.

Now if you started with cold butter you can actually roll this dough out right away. Sprinkle a little flour on your surface and roll it out. I usually take this shortcut when I’m low on time. If you started with soft butter, you’ll need to flatten your dough into a pattie and stick it in the fridge to harden (the butter is what is hardening from the cold) for a couple hours.

I roll it out about 1/4 inch thick or less and cut with cookie cutters. Grease a baking sheet (I use coconut oil) or line it with parchment paper and transfer your shapes to it.

Bake for 10 minutes (give or take) until they are slightly golden on the edges. They should still be white and slightly soft looking in the middle.

Decorate with my simple vanilla icing recipe.

Enjoy! Yum!