Rose is an essential oil commonly used in aromatherapy, perfuming and rose water a by product of the distillation process is often used in Middle Eastern and Asian meat and infused in food. There are three different types of rose most commonly used in day to day application in aromathearapy and perfuming. The main three types are Geranium rose (Pelagroium graveolens), rose otto (Bulgarian Rose), and rose absolute (rosa centifolia). Today we will be covering Rose absolute also called rosa centifolia or cabbage rose, which is what is used to create rose absolute.

Cabbage rose oil production is strictly a hybrid involving R. x centifolia, R. gallica and a few other roses. This particular rose can grow to a height of 8 feet and has a mass of pink or rosy-purple flowers. Most rose absolute is produced in Morocco in the valleys between the High Atlas and Jbel Sarhro mountains east of Marrakech.Rose is an essential oil commonly used in aromatherapy, perfuming and rose water a by product of the distillation process is often used in Middle Eastern and Asian meat and infused in food.

In practical application rose absolute is used as a fixative in perfumes because it has a sensual, traditional long lasting properties making it ideal in aromatherapy applications.  In aromatherapy it is used to impart romance, sensuality and uplifting emotions.

We use it in our essential oil blend for our simply rose soap.

Like many people my heart has been sickened by the heart breaking news about the BP oil spill on the gulf coast. And horrified by the pictures and apathy and lack of action taken by BP and other conglomerations responsible for the mess. While we can continue to point fingers and play the blame game, the sad reality is blaming does not solve anything, action does. And a change of heart and the way we use energy also makes real change. Unless we change our  appetite for  oil and petroleum based energy we will keep doing things to cause us to self destruct our enviorment. And drilling and the serach for oil will keep growing to a new  all time high.  Here are a few pictures and links where you can learn what animals are affected and how you can help.

Here’s a link to view what animals will be effected by the leak & more info about the spill: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/28/us/20100428-spill-map.html?ref=us

A quick collection of powerful pictures of the animals affected by the spill http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/assignment-35/

A list of causes that are helping to raise funds to help clean up the oil spill.

• http://www.causes.com/causes/479547
• http://www.gnof.org/gulf-coast-oil-spill-fund/disaster-on-the-gulf-coast//
• http://www.crowdrise.com/gulfcoastresearchreserves/fundraiser/lushawnmurphy
• http://rinf.com/alt-news/contributions/amazon-shoppers-help-the-gulf-coast-oil-spill-cleanup/6873/

A clinical review of scientific publications, studies and evidence based research to get a deeper understanding of the ingredients and products based on scientific  facts.

First let’s look at the facts..

What is a moisturizer and what is it supposed to do?

Moisturizers are a key component of basic skin care especially when there is alteration of the epidermal barrier ( english: the upper layer of the skin) and reduced water content in the epidermis. They are used to restore the barrier function of the epidermis, to cover tiny fissures in the skin, provide a soothing protective film, and increase the water-content of the epidermis. They may, thus, slow evaporation of the skin’s moisture, thereby maintaining hydration and improving the appearance and tactile properties of dry and aging skin.

VS

Where it’s from ~ discovering the source of the ingredient

Mineral oil sounds fancy doesn’t it? It almost sounds nutritious like mineral water. Despite its name it does not contain any minerals, nutrients or organic ingredients. It’s an odorless, light, transparent and colorless substance and is a by-product of the petroleum industry, which is choosen, in huge quantities in the cosmetic industry. Mineral oil is created by mixing together various hydrocarbons that is the result of peterolum being distilled as a by product of making gasoline. Yes it’s the same gas you put in your CAR.

Extra virgin coconut oil is the fresh milky white semi-solid oil found by extraction either through a centrifuge, cold or expeller pressed. It is extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconut harvested from the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). Depending on the brand the coconut meat is allowed to dry out from anywhere 2-10 hours; then it’s expressed.

Related Research Summary

Extra virgin coconut oil has shown to have skin antiseptic effects and many people in the tropics have used it as a skin moisturizer. But because there was no formal study to document the safety and efficiency of coconut oil as a skin moisturizer for moderate to mild xerosis. Xerosis is a common skin condition characterized by dry, rough, scaly, and itchy skin, created by defect in skin barrier function, and is treated with moisturizers. These patients were randomized to apply either coconut oil or mineral oil on the legs twice a day for 2 weeks. The virgin coconut oil and mineral oil moisturization measurement was measured at baseline with a tewmeter TM210, and skin surface hydration ion concentration (ph) was measured with a skin pH meter PH900. At the end of the 2 week study the end the patients and the investigators separately evaluated, at baseline and at each weekly visit, skin symptoms of dryness, scaling, roughness, and pruitus by using a visual analogue scale and grading of xerosis. By the end of the study extra virgin coconut oil showed effective and signigicant difference in TEWL and skin pH about equal to the effectiviness of mineral oil. Subjective grading of the xerosis by the investigators and visual analogue scales used by the patients showed a general trend towards better (though not statisically evident) improvements with coconut oil over mineral oil. ( Dermatitis, 2004 Septl 15(3):109-116 (you can view the summery here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15724344))

How it works as a moisturizer

Mineral oil is an occlusive moisturizer; it leaves a thin film locking in moisture which prevents the skin from breathing. In this case it causes blocked pores, stopping normal respiration by keeping oxygen out. The mineral oil traps in the toxins that you would normally excrete from your pores. Your skin will start to starve from this effect and will literally strip, flake or peel when you stop using it (you know when you forget to cream your legs in the morning). You will see that your skin will have an artificial sheen like plastic and since it creates a film when you apply other products it just sits on top of the mineral oil resulting in layers and layers of lotions or creams that might have good nutrients i.e. water, that is not being absorbed. Resulting in even more dry skin that flakes further or worse, dermatitis (inflammation of the skin like acne or eczema), or hormonal imbalance. Yep your skin is wrapped in plastic and it cannot breathe! Cosmetically speaking it’s only and primary function is to keeps moisture (water) from evaporating from the skin’s surface.

Coconut oil a semi occlusive moisturizer that also sits on the surface of your skin but it allows your skin to breathe but it still keeps water from evaporating from the skin’s surface. It moisturizes the skin with a unique blend of fatty acids that not only moisturize and nourish the skin’s surface and sub dermis layers, it also has antiseptic qualities that helps the skin heal itself. When combined with a emollient like cocoa butter as seen in our cocoa nutty body butter, dry skin is banished and beautiful deeply hydrated skin surfaces. Emollient ingredients do more then just protect the surface of the skin with a semi occlusive barrier; they are humectants holding and grabing moisture from the air continuously re-hydrating the skin’s sub dermis layer to protect against dryness; they lubricate the surface of the skin making it soft and smooth.

If extra virgin coconut oil and mineral oil have been clinically shown to moisturize our skin effectivly then why oh why won’t major manufacturers use it?

Mineral oil does not spoil unlike plant or vegetable oils. It’s much much cheaper then most vegetable oils and its available in abundance, as long as we continue using gas or petrol as our primary method to fuel our countries energy needs. Large coperations need extra extra large quantities (as in the hundreds of thousands of pounds or tons) and sometimes the natural ingredients are either not available in the quantity needed or the companies just doesn’t want to pay the price for higher quality ingredients because it’s cheaper for them to get chemical substitutes or nature identical synthetically created ingredients.

So what can you do? Stop supporting the companies who use ingredients you don’t want in the products you use day to day. Support small business that uses real natural vegetable based ingredients! Remember companies won’t stop what they are doing until they feel the pinch in the paycheck and bank.

source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_oil

http://www.nutiva.com/graphics/misc/raw-coco-poster.pdf

Dermatitis, 2004 Septl 15(3):109-116 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15724344

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_butter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubrication

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratum_corneum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19665786

I’m no expert at goal setting, just a person who wants to share what I’ve learned –  how I’ve fallen and gotten back up, again and again and, well, again. I often call myself an ‘expert failure’ because there are so many things I have set out to do, only to find out I failed to plan and evaluate my goals properly, to count the cost and figure out the missing parts I needed to get there. My hope is that by sharing this, I can help you too find a way, when there seems no way, to meet the goals in your life.

Define & decide your intentional purpose ~ For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose Ecc 3:1

I believe that in every season there is a reason we are in it. There’s something to learn, something to do, and something that we must accomplish within the time we are given. Take a moment to think where you are, what you are doing right now and how you got there. What motivates YOU to move forwarding what you are doing with your life.  Take the time to sit down with those close to you, within your ‘inner circle’ of close friends, mentors, confidantes, God, etc and ask them how they ‘see you’. Write out your natural talents, hobbies, gifts and what you are working towards right now. Document what you want to do, define WHY you want to do it, and figure out how that fits into the purpose you are going after.

Finding the purpose is sometimes like putting together a jigsaw puzzle with missing or non existing pieces, that are needed, but you just don’t have them yet. Don’t fret, just work with what you already have, as you learn and grow DOCUMENT your progress, things will start coming up. Natural gifts will be highlighted and you’ll find the missing pieces. For now work with what you’ve got. And don’t forget to document, the human mind is quick to forget. Don’t lose those precious pieces and parts that will help you see what your purpose is.

By finding your purpose the goals for your life will flow out easily, you’ll find focus for what it is that you are supposed to do with your time, talent and gifts.

Write out & organize ~ What does success look like to you?

Write out your goals. Seems obvious right? But you’d be surprised at just how powerful it is to write your goals out and put it on paper, there’s something magical and permanent about it. Really take time to dig deep and figure out what you want to achieve by the end of this year in your life. Go hog wild and set your mind free to dream big! Don’t listen to the nagging pessimist in your head, ; hog tie him/her and toss ‘em into the basement so that you won’t be dragged down by those unproductive/negative thoughts. Just keep writing and dreaming.

Have a clear picture of what success looks like to you, be as vivid and descriptive as possible so that there is no mistaking it what it will look like when you meet your goal. And if you are a Christian pray and ask God what He might have for you to do with your year; ask Him to give you a vision for your year. Don’t think about the ‘how to do it’ instead focus on what you want to do. The ‘how to’ stuff will come later. Just keep writing and dreaming.

Now organize these goals  into parts of your life that are important to you. For me that would be Family, Health/Fitness, Spiritual growth, and Business/ Education. Grab a spiral bound notebook with tabs, divide each tab into categories of your life that you have goals for. Now prioritize them on the level of importance A, B, C. etc. and include sub-categories if they are related like A1, A2, B1, B2. On the first page of the notebook write out the category and write out the master list goals for each category. Once you have organized your goals according to priority, it’s time for the next step:.

Research, Review, Evaluate

As a person who has worked in the software development industry for 7+ yrs before retiring I can tell you flow chart planning and research was my favorite part of planning and writing software. We gathered the requirements (stuff you need to get your goal done), defined the problem we were trying to solve, outlined possible solutions, planned for known issues, problems, mistakes and hypothesized about potential mistakes we knew would most likely happen, based on previous experience.  After that we evaluated our current resources we had on hand, made a list of what we needed learn, and bought additional help or products we needed to buy to create a successful end product. Along the way we tested it so we could make the change, if necessary. I am using this same dynamic process with goal setting.  Because we know that success in life is built on successful patterns, the key then becomes finding out what those patterns are and how to add them to our lives.

Research ~ count the cost, define your mini/intermediate goals, and celebrate your mini success to spur you on to reach your big goals

This time of research will give you a clearer picture of what it takes to complete the task or goal you are going after. This is the time to “pick apart”, break down and or disassemble the goal into manageable ‘chunks’ mini goals or milestones. Use these mini successes or completed milestones as a way to ‘track’ or evaluate how you are doing to meet your end goal. These ‘little successes’ often lead to BIG success as they compound and can spur us to completion of the goal or task you are after. Take a moment ok a day to celebrate it in a way that works for you and does not sabotage the goal you are going after. These victories or set backs will serve as a kind of guidance or ‘map’, to see where you are on your path to success. By taking notes and asking an experienced person who has done what you are doing you may be able to avoid or reduce some of the common pitfalls that come along the way. This is of course no guarantee that you will have ALL of your possible problems solved with solutions in hand. Sadly life is not like a software program, that you can give directions to and it executes exactly as you command it; life is fluid and dynamic adventure with unforeseen changes, challenges and opportunities. And with these new and dynamic changes we must be able to be flexible with our goals and dreams in order to get there and achieve them, so be ready to shake things up, re-evaluate and change the direction of your goals in the middle of reaching them if you have to.

Review ~ plan for failure, so instead of recovering and hiding, you’ll be thriving

Once you have research in hand review your findings with what you already known. Make a list of strengths, weaknesses, areas of growth and parts that are completely out of your scope to help you meet your goal. Now brainstorm and make another list on how you are going to resolve the areas of weakness and growth. And figure out how to deal with issues that may come up that are out of your scope, make a plan, a concrete way to resolve it. None of us can be experts at everything, create a team of experts who will help you achieve your goal while you are in the planning stage, so that you can be prepared for when you fail or when things go off track. That way there is a PLAN in place. And when life’s hiccup’s come up (because they always do), you have a written plan, a road map to stay on track. You’ll know who to call, when you fail in an area of weakness, or lack of knowledge or expertise, because you made of list of people or resources beforehand that you can turn to WHEN it happens, failure is a fact of life; it happens. Instead of scrambling to recover, hiding out in panic mode you will just go down your resource list to get help and figure out what to do next, to get back on the road to success faster, with less stress. Failure is not a character trait, it is an opportunity to learn, grow, revise and reroute your plan, don’t take it personally, just learn the lesson and move forward.

Evaluate

Now that you have your list together pick the top 2 or 4 goals from each area in your life and sit down with someone who knows you well (a mentor, advisor, close friend, mastermind group, God etc) with whom you can share your dreams and goals with. Go with an open and willing heart because sometimes people in our lives can see our blind spots and strengths better then we can. Take the feedback that you get from them and run with it. Sometimes you might hear no not yet.. I too hate it when that happens, but things in life often happen for a reason, during a certain season of our lives which we are being prepared for something big, but we are just not there yet. Does this mean that you let someone squash your dream? No but ask them why not yet? Document the areas of weakness that this person sees that could be a stumbling block to you meeting your goal. Then evaluate research and review the stumbling block and decide if it’s worth going ahead and doing it or waiting it out to work on the areas that you need to grow in to get there.

On Monday we’ll cover the last part of goal setting which is Commitment, Time tracking, accountability, vision and a real life example on how I walked this out with one of my own goals this year.  Enjoy I can’t wait to hear your feedback!

A  new year has come upon us and as we whip out last year’s resolutions and goals, it’s time to evaluate how’d you do? Are you finding more joy in your year because of what you accomplished? Did you meet the goals that you set out for yourself ? Or were you challenged in some  areas of your life that blocked you from getting things done? Are you rejoicing in your victories and revising the goals that got left behind, went unfinished or simply failed?

Last year I made a goal to lose 40 lbs. and to start a soap company. I made these goals and while the results on my health did not work out to what I was hoping for I am still happy that I was able to meet my goals.  As I walked through the process of achieving these goals, I became transformed, because I learned it is not just the end goal that matters; it’s the person that you become while you are striving for your goals. In the journey that you take to get to your desired goal your character gets refined again and again as you build new habits, thoughts and actions into your life. New patterns and thought processes take root in your mind and the discipline gained by staying on task through the end helps us find the success we are looking for.  I learned that ultimately making the goal is just Part One of a multi-step process. There are many mini-steps in the middle your goal or task; little evaluations and redirections that you have to give yourself not just to stay on track, to meet the end goal even when  you get to the goal and it does not end up the way you thought it would be..

In my own life I have seen how although we may make our goals, life sometimes changes the circumstances so that the original outcome we laid out for ourselves just doesn’t work out the way we expect it. I was diagnosed with diabetes during the 7^th month of my pregnancy with my son, fast forward 6 month after my son was born and, I’m pregnant again with my daughter and I had lost  8lbs from my first pregnancy. Even though I swam and walked 4 hours a day, almost every day during 2^nd & 3^rd trimester, ate mostly protein, veggies, soups and salad I still managed to gain another 30lbs by the end of it. Further tests during my 2^nd pregnancy and found out that my body was just not making enough insulin, and that I was insulin resistant so I would need more than most people to bring my blood sugar levels back to normal. I was heartbroken by the news but determined, I left the hospital empowered and informed and tried to find a Endocrinologist to help me take care of myself.

About month after my daughter was born I stepped on the scale at the Endo’s office weighing in at 209 lbs. I was met with discrimination b/c of my extra weight. That I somehow ‘deserved’ to have type 2 diabetes because I was fat and lazy, not because I had just had two babies back to back.  You see the Dr said if I just lost weight and took these magic pills the diabetes would just ‘go away, you know magically ..poof it disappears. I knew right then and there I was wasting my time, she had not even read my medical records or test results. The stress of having two babies under 2 with just husband and I to care for them was enough for me to handle in that season and sadly I had to drop taking care of myself and I live life in survival mode; I did the best I could to lose the extra weight, I knew it would help me live a better life and that’s what I wanted, so I went after it. I really wanted to believe what that doctor said.  I just had to lose weight and life would somehow find its way back to normal again, or at least some kind of normal where I no longer had to be afraid of anything with carbohydrates.

The first year while nursing I lost just 20lbs, this last year I lost another 40lbs getting closer and closer to a semi normal weight. Normally at this point in type 2’s your body reduces resistance, blood sugars can and sometimes DO go back to normal. Sadly for me this  was not the case, I got worse, I would work out longer, harder, eat more soup or salad, sometimes no bread or carbs  just from some veggies, protein and maybe strawberries if I was lucky or if I was at a breaking point and I just needed it. My blood sugars skyrocketed no matter what I did. Sometimes I really felt like I could not win. This went on for a while this year, I’m a stubborn old goat…I like to keep trying and trying and trying. I was raised in a family where giving up was never an option, you just had  to find a way, through it, over it, around it,  under it or just make it explode, so it was no longer a barrier but a victory you held in your hands.  Dad’s favorite quote was and still is.”.if there is a will there is a way”.. our job was to find the way..it still sticks with me, can you tell?

But as time progressed I came to realize in my stubbornness I was harming myself more than helping. My pancreases was simply not churning out enough insulin to support my body, no matter how hard I tried in my own flesh to make it work, to try to overcome or subdue it. I had done the best I could with what I was given and just gave it up to God and decided to use modern technology to help me live a healthier, normal life with help from an insulin pump. Does this mean I failed? No, still met the goal, but the prize I was after, a person with diabetes controlled with diet and exercise, was just not possible for me because my body chemistry had changed and I had to deal with that which was out of my control.

Sure it could have made me bitter, but I decided to let it make me better. I decided to count my blessings and the lessons I had learned about self care, exercise, nutrition and self advocacy. And gratitude for the amazing character I saw in my husband and kids I got out of these experiences. I know that nothing that we go through in our lives comes back void. It changes us and helps us to help others who might be walking a similar path. It points back to the reality that we all have a purpose, a reason for being who we are, our job is to find out what it is, cultivate, nurture and grow in it and live it out every single day.

Make your own Chocolate covered pretzels

In my family chocolate IS it’s OWN food group and seems to be a daily requirement for survival. And it makes great gifts too. And don’t just leave it at chocolate..top them with some nuts, broken peppermint pieces and any and all candies that might bring you,  your family and friends joy.

The first step to making chocolate covered pretzel rods is to temper chocolate which you can learn here!

Here’s some materials and equipment you will need:

Equipment:

• metal spoon
• sheet pan lined with wax paper or silicone mat

Ingredients:

• Warm tempered chocolate
• pretzel rods (select long ones, they are easier to handle then the mini sticks)
• toppings (crushed peppermint candies, chopped nuts, sprinkles etc) – optional I did not include them in mine b/c I did not have them on hand, but don’t let that stop you.

Step by step directions with Pictures:

1. Start with tempered chocolate that is melted and fluid. Don’t know how to temper chocolate? Learn how here.

Melted Chocolate drizzled over pretzel rod

2.a Using a plain metal spoon move the chocolate around so that you get “ribbons” of flowing chocolate. Place your long pretzel rod under the flow of the chocolate and turn the rod to cover it. Don’t worry about it being even or too thick. Just have fun and let it drizzle down and along your pretzel rod. Have fun with it.

2b A semi finished chocolate covered pretzel rod. Keep turning and coating the pretzel rod until you get it covered to your desired width, remember to leave enough room to have a handle of some kind so  the recipient can eat it easily

Finished Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rod

3. Here’s what a finished chocolate covered pretzel rod looks like. Place it carefully on your lined baking sheet. And go to town with the sprinkles, nuts and candies. Just make sure it STICKS to your still wet/warm chocolate.  Once you are finished with your final touches, but your pretzel sticks in the fridge for at lest 10 minutes to let them harden.

4. You are done! Now just package them in cello bags, tie the bottom with a ribbon or some kind of tie. Be sure to keep this in a cool hidden place, unless of course you live alone. In our family of four, these babies don’t last very long AT ALL.

Sal butter is the crushed nut fruit of the shorea robusta tree nativly found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Burma. It is not just used for its tree nuts, but also for its resin and it is the hardest hardwood timbers in the south east asian contenant. It has a hard course grain that is durable and is often used for construction. The resin of the sal tree is know as an astringent in Sanskrit and is used as an astringent in Ayurvedic medicine and it is also used in incense used for traditional Hindu ceremonies. The nut meat and fruit of the shorea robusta tree is typically used as a source of lamp oil, soap making fat and vegetable fat for cooking with.

The unrefined coldpressed sal butter we use has all the wonderful properties found in cocoa butter and mango butter combined without the scent!.

Like mango butter, sal butter has

• Has an extra long stable shelf life,
• Excellent moisturizing skin properties that provides long lasting flexablity to skin
• Reduces degeneragtion of skin cells
• Soften’s rough skin (like feet, hands, elbows and knees)
• Helps prevent chapping skin from cold weather
• Used to rehydrate over processed hair
• Skin allergies
• Diaper rash.

Like cocoa butter sal butter is known for it’s

• Gentle on the skin
• A melting point at body temperature
• Slows down moisture loss,
• Increase softness of the skin and easily absorbs into the skin while imparting a light sheen on the skin,
• Excellent for those of us with extremely dry parched skin.

Because of its amazing emulsion/blending stability sal butter is often used to enhance the spreadablity of creams, lotions and other cosmetics for both skin and hair.

We use currently use sal butter in two body butters Sal-Almond Butter and Ultimate Body Butter, more products with Sal Butter are coming soon! Stay tuned!

The art and science of melting chocolate is a two step process. The goal of this tutorial is to show you step by step how to melt chocolate properly so your final chocolate covered goodies have a crisp texture, shiny surface and a professional look so that when you give them as gifts folks will really think you are a genius. This DOES take practice so don’t get discouraged if it takes you a few times to do this. And if it does not temper correctly the first time, just add more chocolate and bring the chocolate mixture back to 88-90 degrees add more chocolate and keep stirring to melt it off the heat and it should restore the temper you are looking for.

Tools

• Double boiler or sauce pan and heat safe bowl/double boiler insert  (metal, heat safe glass)
• 1-2 candy thermometers.
• heat safe rubber spatula or metal spoon

Ingredients

• 1lb high quality chocolate chips, chunks or a bar cut into small pieces.

Please remember this takes practice, lots and lots of practice to do it by eye! So use at least one thermometer and keep the chocolate in range. When possible I like using TWO thermometers. One for the water and one for the chocolate. Overkill? Maybe, but no matter what YOU DO NOT want to get WATER in your chocolate because it will seize and you will have to toss that batch of chocolate out. So I don’t like to risks when it comes to high quality chocolate!

Method:

Fill a pot half way with water

Bring water to a simmer which is about 116-118 degrees F

Place your double boiler/bowl/insert over the pot of water

Fill your double boiler with 2/3 of your chocolate chips or pieces.

Stir occasionally to help the melting process

Once most of the chocolate has started to melt, check the temperature with your thermometer and make sure it is between 90-110 degrees F. Most chocolate websites will say its ok to go up to 115 for semi-sweet chocolate and 110 for milk chocolate, I like to keep it lower then that to prevent any possiblity of burning or scotching. Do not go higher then this b/c you risk burning/scorching your chocolate and while this is repairable (by adding shortening or coconut oil), but it will not create the shinny, crunchy finished dried chocolate we are looking for to use to make chocolate bark, candies and other confections

Once the first batch of chocolate is fully liquid add your remaining chocolate pieces. Remove the top boiler from your steaming water, wipe the bottom with a clean towel. Keep your thermometer in the chocolate and make sure the remaining melting chips do not exceed 85-95 degrees. What we are doing in this second step is what is called “seeding” chocolate. What seeding does is it rebalances the sugars and the fat molecules together so that you won’t get white streaks in your finished and dried chocolate product. Keep mixing, mixing and more mixing until the chips are fully melted and set it aside to let it cool.

Once cool place the chocolate over the steaming water again for 5-10 seconds at a time until it heats up to 88-89 degrees F for semi sweet and 87 for milk or white chocolate. Do not leave the chocolate over the hot water, or allow it to exceed 91 degrees. And there you have it! Tempered chocolate. This melted chocolate will be VERY thick! But also VERY YUMMY!

A Handmade Holiday

The blessings of a handmade holiday are infinite. I have known from my own experience that most people value items handmade especially for them more then items that are purchased commercially in big box stores from nameless, faceless companies.

Over the next few weeks we will be covering how to make some delicious snacks, hostess gifts, confections and ‘healthy’ treats to spice up your holiday and help your pocket book.

1. Tempering chocolate, step by step with pictures
2. Simply delicious chocolate covered pretzels

Won’t you join me on this journey to a handmade holiday? Where we will learn, share and create incredibly tasty treats together. Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed to get the latest and greatest updates right in your email box!