If you loved the Miss O Princess Soapsicle Soaps from Denise at GoPlanetEarth , then here is an instructional video clip to make the Heart Soaps . http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2010/01/melt-pour-soap-making-miss-o-princess.html . Both of these projeccts would be great to give out as gifts for Valentine’s Day!

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Melt & Pour Soap Making: Miss O Princess Heart Soaps

True Homemade Laundry soap was the only soap used in eras gone by- and for good reason! This soap actually gets your clothes brighter than you store bought detergent and Sweet Harvest Farms Laundry Soap does not contain harmful …

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Sweet Harvest Farms Homemade Soap & Handmade Goats Milk Soap. Now …

If you are a cold process soapmaker, I found this cute Valentine’s Cold Process from Anne Marie ( The Soap Queen and Brambleberry fame) that would be great to make for Valentine’s Day Gifts. Check out this step by step tutorial. http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/2010/01/valentine-cold-process-soap.html Ever since I took Ruth Esteves’s Advanced CP class at The Nova Studio, I have been intrigued on what kinds of techniques I could do with this process of soap making

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Valentine Cold Process Soap

Direct link to the class on our website: http://www.thenovastudio.com/description_alice_faceserums.html Date : Saturday, June 26, 2010 9 am – 12:30 pm (3.5 hours) Cost : $75 (plus $30 materials fee) Where : The Nova Studio, 24 W. Richmond Avenue, Point Richmond, CA 94801 Sign-up or more info online at: http://thenovastudio.com or phone: 510-234-5700 Class Description : In this unique hands-on and demo class, learn how to create your own luxury facial serums. Serums are a very popular product in the cosmetic industry today

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Luxury Facial Serums ~with Alice Duvernell~

Himalayan salt is a therapeutic salt from the Himalayan Mountains containing 84 minerals, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and iron. It is also a lovely shade of pink! Try these Himalayan salt recipes from the San Francisco Bath Salt Company to help cleanse, detoxify and purify your skin, among other benefits. The after-hitting-the-gym Bath Whew- You’ve worked out hard and can feel it! Your muscles are sore and you need to get some relief

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Himalayan Salt Recipes

From Wholesomebabyfood.com – I always remember my Mom and other cooks I know using the “trinity” in a majority of dishes. The “trinity” to me is onions, red bell peppers and celery. There are many types of trinities to be found in various types of ethnic cuisines; an Italian trinity can be

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The trinity for baby – without the peppers

Date : Thrusday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday March 25, 26, 27& 28, 2010 9 am – 5 pm (each day = 28 total class hours) Class Fee : $595 (plus $150 materials fee) Where: The Nova Studio, 24 W.

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The Original 4-Day Product Making Intensive Bath & Body Boot Camp

If you live in or near Santa Cruz, you might want to come downtown to Lulu’s at the Octagon this sunday and buy some pastries.  We’ll be having a bakesale to help raise money for Haiti.  All proceeds will go to the UN World Food Program’s work in Haiti.  Right after the earthquake hit Haiti, quite a few of you wrote to ask if we could redirect the funds we raised from Menu for Hope 6 (a substantial sum of nearly $80K ) to support specifically the rescue work in Haiti.  Alas, once the money was committed at the beginning of the fundraiser, there was no way to re-channel the funds after the fact.  Menu for Hope was such a successful online campaign, but I don’t want to do another one so soon after – even NPR do their pledge breaks only once a quarter!  So I thought I’d do something a little more local this time. My friend Manthri, the owner of the lovely Lulu’s at the Octagon which is my nearly-daily coffee stop in Santa Cruz, agrees to host a bakesale at his cafe.  So I’ll be baking lots of good things – little coffee cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pop-tarts, financiers, et cetera, et cetera.  All things sweet and delicious that guarantee not to add pounds or inches to your svelte physique – because everybody knows there’s no better workout than good karma!    If you want to participate and you’re in the area, come by the cafe on Sunday, bring your family, your friends, your cake-loving dogs, and help us help Haiti.  Besides my goodies, you can expect loads of others, such as my friend Doree’s famous Doreo’s (which are just like Oreo’s but without the crap you can’t spell and likely don’t want to ingest.)  Leave a comment here and let me know if you want to bring stuff.  Share this post on Facebook, tweet about us, help us get the words out. Update: Charity Dasenbrock of  For Life Personal Chef   will be bringing some Gluten Free goodies for the sale, so you can join us even if you’re gluten intolerance

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Bakesale for Haiti – eat it and don’t regret it ‘cos there’s no workout like good karma!

A show that celebrates looking good that feels good. Caitlin Brotz from Olivu joins host Michele Beschen to share delicious recipes to make us look and feel more beautiful. Learn how to whip up nourishing face masks using expired items from the fridge

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BOrganic Episode 13: Looking Good That Feels Good

Let me start this post by saying I’m a madeleine snob.  A bona fide, unrepentant madeleine snob.  Don’t talk to me about those nasty little packets of “madeleine” by the cash register at your Starbucks.  They’re awful, with texture seemingly composed, somehow, of paraffin.  Those buckets of shell-shaped stuff masquerading as madeleines at Costco are not much better.  They taste as though they’re made of Twinkies – oddly spongy, overtly sweet and redolent of fake vanilla.  I don’t know what those pretenders are exactly, but I assure you they are *not* madeleines.

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Bergamot Madeleines

From Wholesomebabyfood.com – First an apology – I thought this had been posted at the end of Dec. but I found it in my Draft folder.  Luckily, there are no other important posts hanging about in that folder! I learned of an interview done with Frank Greer, MD [American Academy of Pediatrics's Committee on Nutrition]

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Cereal not a good first food – Throw that Box Away!

Fractionated coconut oil is coconut oil which has been processed or “fractioned” to create a very shelf-stable oil. The fraction of the oil which is used in fractionated coconut oil is very high in saturated fat, and this oil product can be used in a wide variety of ways

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What is Fractionated Coconut Oil?

These fragrant spheres for the bath (we scented ours with peppermint oil) are made by packing Epsom salts into a plastic mold. The bath “snowballs” can be tinted any color. You’ll need 3 to 4 days to make the bath balls because of the drying time between steps

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Snowball Bath Bomb Recipe from Martha Stewart

So here it is, the results of our sixth annual Menu for Hope – with the help of two hundred bloggers, two hundred and four delectable items on our raffle list, and in the span of just over two weeks, we raised $78,898.00 in support of the UN World Food Program.   Yes, nearly $78K, in a recession year no less!  Not bad at all.  And none of these would be possible without your support – food lovers, businesses, bloggers, and our readers and supporters from all over the world.  A huge big shout-out also goes to our wonderful, hard-working hosts without whose help Menu for Hope 6 wouldn’t have existed – Alder of Vinography , David of The Sweet Life in Paris , Ed of Tomato , Helen of Tartelette , Shauna of Gluten Free Girl , and Tara of Seven Spoons .  Now that I’m done with thanking the academy, let’s get to the fun part.  Check out the list of our raffle winners below to see if you’ve won anything.  If your name is on the list here, you’ll be receiving an email about how to claim your prize in the next day or two! AP01    Greek Cookery: From The Hellenic Heart by George Calombaris Roger Smith AP02    Wellbeing Check (valued at $150) Sophie O’Neil AP03    A cooking class for four worth $400 Suzie Lee AP04    Four seasons of An Honest Kitchen eMagazine worth $79.80 Catherine Morey-Nase AP05    Four seasons of An Honest Kitchen eMagazine worth $79.80 Katrina Davidson AP06    $580 10 course degustation of Attica restaurant Karen Wong AP07    $250 dining voucher for Cutler & Co Cindy Tan AP08    A day behind the scenes on a food styling shoot with Australian Gourmet Traveller Olivia Riordan AP09    $649 Kitchenaid Mixer from Kitchenware Direct Marianne Le Fevre AP10    A one year subscription to Cuisine Magazine NZ Miriam Gawith AP11    Traditional Afternoon Tea for Two lucky people worth $80 at the Sir Stamford Hotel, Sydney Ann Bartlett AP12    TOKO Restaurant and Bar $200 food and bar tab, Sydney olivia kay ng AP13    Stonesoup ultimate afternoon tea pack and cookbooks Suzie Lee AP14    Degustation and matching wines with one night’s accommodation worth $540 at Provenance Beechworth Melissa Hicks AP15    Bruny Island Cheese Club membership and Cheesebox worth $100 combined Llawela Forrest AP16    That Jess Ho’s drinking tour of Carlton, Fitzroy and Collingwood Miles Cederman-Haysom AP17    Heilala Vanilla valued at $120 Alexandra McAndrew AP18    Dinner for two, valued at $150 at Mezzo Bar and Grill, Melbourne Joyce Kwok AP19    Dinner for two, valued at $150 at Libertine,Melbourne Prudence Mann AP20    1 x enthusiast membership Sommeliers Australia, for one year, valued at $100 Steven Wiltshire AP21    A case of Gembrook Hill’s current release wines valued at $433.50 jung hyun park AP22    A case of McIvor Estate Wines current release wines valued at $330 Toby Stephens AP23    1x $100 voucher at Le Madre Bakery valid for 12 months Melissa Hicks AP24    2 volume set of The Old Foodie’s Menus from History Annabelle Singaram AP25    A case of The Wanderer’s current release wines valued at $420 deborah bower AP26    Seat for two, At My Table Andrea Anthony AP27    Six months supply of specialty coffee worth $250+ Paul Fountain AP28    Brunch for four at Auctions Rooms plus 12 Sugadeaux cupcakes total value $140 Paul Fountain AP29    A copy of  I Ate My Way Through Singapore & Vietnam, valued at AU$49.95 Jenny Tan AP30    A copy of  I Ate My Way Through Singapore & Vietnam, valued at AU$49.95 Suzie Lee CA01    The Latest Books from Canadian Celebrity Cooks Ligia Ortega CA02    Windows on the World and Wine Book Bundle Zeynep Arsel CA03    My Favourite Things deborah bower CA04    Herriott Grace Handcrafted Mortar and Pestle Diane  Ruddle CA05    Grazing Jennifer Kellogg CA06    One Smart Cookie Christine Smithrim CA07    Fresco 24-centimetre Frying Pan Leonard  Gross CA08    Fresco 24-centimetre Frying Pan Daniel Peiser CA09    Fresco 24-centimetre Frying Pan Peter Klynstra CA10    Fresco 24-centimetre Frying Pan Mark Quigley CA11    Comfort and Restoration with Brownies Shelley Aubry CA12    A Taste of British Columbia Ligia Ortega EU01    Made in Italy Gourmet Chocolate Basket Frieda Brioschi EU02    2 tickets for the “Tour de France of Wine” at O Chateau in Paris Anne Schwartz EU03    2 tickets for the “Wine and Cheese Lunch” at O Chateau in Paris Cindy  Ruth EU04    The BloggerAid Cook Book Serena Ayers EU05    Plant-based Cooking Class in Paris Jennifer Higgins EU06    A “Sweet” Collection from a French Candy Store Tegan Schmidt EU07    Signed copies of Chocolate & Zucchini and Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris Alice Boussicaut EU08    A dough whisk and a sample of Clotilde’s natural starter Tamsin Ballard EU09    A Taza Chocolate tasting set Katarina Tierer EU10    An extensive set of reusable bags from flip & tumble Leah Bevington EU11    Real Turkish Delights (lokum) from Cemilzade, Istanbul Elise Bauer EU12    Taste of Italy for Hope Norah Palmateer EU13    A Year of Home Baked Goods Zoe Dryga EU14    Dinner for Two at Hidden Kitchen in Paris Jann Mumford EU15    A signed copy of Hungry for Paris Jennifer Higgins EU16    City Walk Tour from Context Travel Zoe Dryga EU17    3 hour walking tour of Paris Aligre Market with a native Zoe Dryga EU18    Gourmet Tour of London for 4 Richard Kaszeta EU19    Personalized one-day Paris itinerary Gayle Thompson EU20    A Taste of Sussex: Jams, Pickles, Honey Sarah Tilley EU21    Paris Gourmet Tour for 5 people Smruti Shah EU22    Italian Cooking Apron, Shopping Bag and Recipe Notepad Chiara Maieron EU23    “My Italians” Wine Tasting in Rome Jerry DeQuetteville EU24    Monday at the Market in Florence Tour Jan Keshen EU25    Japanese Delicacies Kristina Johnson EU26    Bento Boxes and Accessories Nicole Oandasan EU27    Mediterranean & Middle East Cookbooks and London Cooking Class Barbara Burton EU28    French Gourmet Basket of Delicacies Elizabeth Rupp EU29    Five Culinaria Books Serena Ayers EU30    Paris Gastronomic Itinerary adrian head EU31    Market Tour & Cooking Class in Burgundy Jonathan Jarritt EU32    French Conversation Classes in Paris (package 1) John Pilgrim EU33    French Conversation Classes in Paris (package 2) David Lebovitz EU34    Private Chocolate Tour & Tasting at Rococo Chocolate in London Kasha Klosowska-Hartwig EU35    2 Night B&B Stay in Piedmont for 2 with Market Tour wouter rosekrans EU36    Kenwood Chef Classic Mixer Elin Davies EU37    A Year of Bernachon Chocolate Bars Phyllis Polk EU38    Mega Mix of Moleskine Notebooks Phu Son Nguyen EU39    Room for Dessert, Ripe for Dessert & The Sweet Life in Paris Shana Worthen EU40    Ginger Elizabeth Hatbox Chocolate Collection Judi oe EU41    Collection of Eight Best-of-Baking Books Joseph Chernila EU42    Krups Professional Deep-Fryer Armelle Deforge EU43    A private tour for 4 people on the Chelsea Chocolate Ecstasy Tour Richard Kaszeta EU44    Askinosie Chocolate Baker’s Basket Paula Scharf UE01    One Day Macarons Making Workshop Sallie Pritchard UE02    Three 8×12 art prints by Helene Dujardin OR Hands-on 1 day food photography & styling workshop with Helene.

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Menu for Hope 6 raffle winners

From Wholesomebabyfood.com – Many of our visitors have asked that we create a chart according to foods and food groups;  so today I created a page as well as a download.  I hope you find it helpful.  Please do remember that charts on wholesomebabyfood.com are conservative compared to many other resources.  I have always

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Solid Food Chart – New chart posted is grouped by foods!

Ever walk through a craft fair and say, “I could do that.” Ever hear someone say “you should sell your stuff?” Admit it – you wish that you could make a living doing the thing that you love doing the most….your craft. I understand exactly how you feel because I used to feel exactly the same way. I longed to make a living as an artist but I held myself back.

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How To Earn A Great Living as a Craft Fair Artist

From Wholesomebabyfood.com – FDA Issues Consumer Alert on HAPPYTOT Stage 4 and Some HAPPYBABY Stage 1 & Stage 2 Baby Foods The FDA is recommending that the public not consume any varieties of HAPPYTOT Stage 4 and certain varieties of HAPPYBABY Stage 1 and Stage 2 baby foods in pouches distributed by Nurture Inc. The

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Recall on Baby Food – Happy Baby and Happy Tot

  Here’s a very simple recipe to use the glut of chanterelle mushrooms we picked the other day.  Since our chanterelle season is going on for a while yet, I have a feeling I’m going to be making this recipe quite a few times this year.  Happily, it’s really easy, and the resulting pickled chanterelles are really fantastic, tangy, earthy, spicy, and with just little sweetness from the raisins.  They are so versatile – you can eat them outright, toss in pasta, throw into omelettes, pile on top of steamed rice, use as condiment for a steak, all kinds of roasts or even a burger. The pickling liquid is sort of like a vinaigrette, so you could even toss a few spoonfuls with salad greens, perhaps add a bit more olive oil to freshen it up a bit. I’m not sure where this recipe came from.  It’s one of those recipes that got pass along from one cook’s Moleskine notebook to the next, until the origin became a bit blurry.  I’ve heard it was from one of Jean-Georges Vongerichten books – but I don’t know for sure.  Well, if it indeed was, then consider this a credit and thanks to him.  Here’s the recipe, as adapted by me

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Pickled Chanterelles and My Very Real Martha Moment

From Wholesomebabyfood.com – I made pulled pork in the slow cooker yesterday (or was it the day before..) and tweeted about how it reminded me that this is a great way to make meats for babies.  On our Meat Recipes and Meats for Babies FAQ pages, I note that using the crock pot/slow cooker

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Meats in the Slow Cooker are Great for Babies!

This post is about foraging for chanterelle mushrooms, but frankly the word forage makes it sound way too hard.  We’re having such a great mushroom season, so wet and cold, that one could just go out to a good spot and calls out “here…mushroom, mushroom” and the chanterelles practically leapt on to one’s open arms.  That’s how easy it was.  Not to mention plentiful – nearly 40lbs worth on one foraging trip alone.  Wait, what’s that I’m hearing?  Is that you, mumbling something under your breath about mushroom toxin and people dying each year from eating mushrooms they foraged?  It is scary, I know.  Really, you’d be hard pressed to find a more cowardly person than me when it came to that.  So, what was I doing foraging for mushrooms death-in-a-bite, you asked?

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Here…mushroom, mushroom