LUX Handmade Soap - Blis Soap

Discover Blis, our decandent shea butter and Bulgarian lavender bar.  Bulgarian lavender is prized for its essential oils - it's all about quality, but you still get quantity too!  Loaded with buttery shea and studded wtih lavender buds to help provide gentle exfoliation for you - your skin will reward you for this.  This bar is a guilty pleasure you won't want to live without.   Packaged with a blissful, cherry-blossom pattern on pool to match the experience of using this bar that is handmade in Japan.

Ingredients: Palm kernel, coconut, olive, castor and essential oils - unrefined shea butter - distilled water - sodium hydroxide (lye) - ground and whole lavender flower buds.  Note: No sodium hydroxide (lye) remains in the finished soap product.  FRAGRANCE FREE - THE SCENT IS ALL-NATURAL

Pair it with our soap elevator to extend the  life of your bar!  Check out my entire LUX Soap Collection here.

Blis LUX Soap Bar

Blis LUX Soap Bar $16.00 USD MORE Magazine Blis LUX Soap Bar $14.00 USD Blis LUX Soap Bar & Soap Elevator $20.00 USD Soap Elevator $5.00 USD

Turkey, Artichoke & Leek Tetrazzini

As soon as the grocery store starts selling frozen turkey for $.39 or $.89 a pound, I snap up a couple just for dishes like this.  I roast the turkey whole, then use it to make stock with my Cuisinart Pressure Cooker.  After it is done creating beautiful stock, I shred the meat and place it into sealable containers that can hold 2 cups shredded turkey - you will need 4 cups for this recipe.  What I love about tetrazzini is that it is an effortless dish to make with minimal effort and maximum reward.  This recipe makes enough to feed an army, so you need to invite everyone over or plan on having leftoevers.

1 8 oz. package sliced mushrooms
3 leeks, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts - halved
1 lb. penne pasta, cooked in heavily salted water
6-8 cups cups shredded turkey
2 cups Italian Cheese Blend
2 cups Parmesan Cheese - divided
16 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
10 tbsp butter (see below for how it is used)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup flour
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups half & half
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Prepare penne according to manufacturers instructions for al dente pasta - set aside, covered so it does not dry out.

In a large, oval roaster over medium high heat add 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp olive oil until melted.  Add leeks and garlic, saute for five minutes.  Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes, then add artichoke halves and stir.  Turn heat off and let sit on stove to keep warm.  Add shredded turkey and gently stir to combine.

In large saucepan over medium heat add 8 tbsp. butter and 1/2 cup flour, whisking to make a roux, which will be your thickener.  Add chicken stock and half/half and onion powder whisking until thickened.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to desired liking.  Remove from heat and add Italian cheese blend, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese and Ricotta cheese - whisking to combine.

Pour over turkey/pasta mixture in roaster and toss gently to combine.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Parmesan cheese and bake in a 350 degree, preheated oven for 40-45 minutes - until bubbly.

Sausage & Mushroom Pudding

Rethink the traditional and make a batch of this savory pudding for breakfast or your Thanksgiving/Christmas meal.  You can use any type of stale bread for this recipe, yet I prefer to buy a loaf of roasted-garlic peasant bread.  I cube it up, then place it in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes, turn off the heat and take the bread out after another 40 minutes.  I also prefer to prepare this the night before, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it so the bread has a chance to soak up all the liquid.

1 - 16 oz. loaf peasant bread, cubed and dried out
1 lb. country sausage
10 oz. package fresh, sliced mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1/4 c. chopped sage
1/4 c. chopped chives
3 cups half & half
6 eggs
3 tbsp. dried or fresh parsley
2 tbsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Fry sausage in a large skillet and add mushrooms and onion after it has browned and rendered most of its' fat.  Saute mushrooms and onions until they have released their juices and are softened, roughly 5-7 minutes.   Remove from heat and set aside.

Arrange dried bread into a 9X13 pan or desired pan of choosing.  Sprinkle chopped sage and chives over the top, followed by evenly distributing the sausage mixture on top as well.

In a blender combine half & half, eggs, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper - blending to combine thoroughly.  Pour over mixture in pan and gently stir to evenly distribute.  Cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator overnight.

Remove from refrigerator one hour before baking to take the chill off.  Cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and place back into oven for 15 more minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest for ten minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Baking Mix

Why go to the store and throw away your hard-earned cash, when you can make this at home for a fraction of the cost.  Not only does it taste better, but you know everything that is in it - no strange ingredients.

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar (granulated or brown)
1 tbsp. + 2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup powdered buttermilk
1 cup. butter-flavor shortening

Place 3 cups of the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and buttermilk into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.  Break up the shortening and place it in sections on top of the mixture.  Place food processor cover on and turn machine ON.  Mixture will begin to form together.  Remove cover and put the remaining flour into work bowl, place cover back on and turn machine ON again, breaking mixture off side walls if it gets compacted.

Pour mixture into a bowl and break up with your fingers to make sure it is fully combined.  Put into desired container and keep in the cupboard or refrigerator indefinitely.  You just saved yourself $7!

Muenster Eyes

These creepy appetizers are sure to be a hit at your next gathering!  You can easily make this at any time of the year - not just for Halloween.  I use the hot pork sausage in the frozen section, not hot Italian sausage as not everyone likes fennel seeds.  Muenster blocks are sold usually in 8 oz. blocks, you will use half this and then shred it.

1 1/2 cups baking mix
1 lb. hot pork sausage
4 oz. Muenster cheese block, shredded
8 large, garlic stuffed olives from deli

In a bowl, mix together the baking mix, sausage and shredded cheese by hand forming it into a thick log.  Cut the log in half, then half again - finally cutting each slice into quarters.  Form each section into a rough, thick disk and set aside.

Half each of the stuffed olives to form the 'eyes' and press firmly in the middle of each sausage/cheese disk.  You can either place into a covered container in the refrigerator until ready or bake them off immediately on a Silpat-lined baking sheet for 15-18 minutes in a 400-degree oven.  Let rest for five minutes before serving.

Rotten Eggs

12 large eggs
1/2 .25 bottle McCormick green food color bottle
1/2 .25 bottle McCormick blue food color bottle
1/2 .25 bottle McCormick yellow food color bottle
2 tbsp. vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp. McCormick Hot Shot Pepper Blend
1/4 cup potato flakes (read recipe for instructions)

In a 4 qt. sauce pan place the dozen eggs, 1 tbsp salt and fill with six cups water - water should cover eggs roughly 2" over tops.  Place on stove top and bring to boil, cover and remove from heat allowing to sit for 15 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove eggs and place in a bowl of cold water to cool until you can handle them.

While eggs are cooling, add food coloring and vinegar to water in pan.  When you can handle the eggs, roll them around on the counter gently to crack the shell.  Place back into pan with colored water and allow to sit in water for one hour.  Drain water and place eggs on paper towel to dry.  Peel eggs to reveal a green, cracked exterior.

Cut eggs in half, lengthwise and place yolks into bowl.  Add mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, salt and pepper to taste.  Lastly add half the potato flakes and stir.  Mixture will thicken - continue to add more until mixture reaches desired thickness.  Fill egg halves and press together so that the bottom two halves are pressed together and the top reveals a craggy, oozing center.  Chill for at least four hours - serve!

Bacon, Onion & Leek Dip

1/2 lb. thick-cut bacon, diced
1 leek, sliced thin and chopped
1 large, yellow onion - diced
1 - 8 oz. brick cream cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. McCormick Hot Shot Pepper Blend OR regular black pepper
Medium Squash for serving - if desired

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the diced bacon and fry until crisp.  Remove bacon and place on a paper towel to drain.  Pour out drippings leaving roughly 2 tbsp. in pan.  Place back onto stove and add onion and leeks, saute until caramelized - roughly 15 minutes.  They will turn a caramel color.  Be sure to stir regularly.  Remove from heat and add brick of cream cheese, stirring mixture together - making sure to loosen up and incorporate all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add sour cream, bacon, salt and Hot Shot - stirring mixture and adjusting the seasons to your desired liking.  Place into refrigerator and chill for at least six hours so the flavors can meld.

Slice off top of squash using a knife and remove seeds with a spoon to hollow out middle.  In a fry pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter.  Once fat is hot, place squash cut-side down into fry pan and cook for 3 minutes until it is browned.  Remove from pan and place right-side up - fill with dip and cover until ready to serve.

Sausage & Maple Stuffed Tomatoes

I love stuffed tomatoes, they are hearty and satisfying like a whole meal unto themselves.  I also like the fact that I can assemble them ahead of time and pull them out a half hour to hour ahead before I want to bake them which  lets me pre-plan.  Here I wanted to come up with a rendition for breakfast since every stuffed tomato recipe I have ever seen is for lunch or dinner.  I immediately knew maple syrup (I prefer Burton's) had to be in this and sage, the rest was easy - blended with country-blend sausage and toasted bread crumbs.

I bake these covered with aluminum foil 2/3 of the way then remove the foil to finish them off and brown.  This lets them steam cook and not get overly browned and tough on top yet undercooked inside.  I served them with poached eggs in 6.5" Lodge cast iron pans.  Eeezy Peezy!

6-8 tomatoes - prepped (see below)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
7-8 oz. button mushroom, diced
1 lb. country-blend sausage, not Italian seasoned
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 cups toasted bread crumbs
2 tbsp. sage
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

In a skillet over medium heat, add sausage and cook until no longer pink.  Remove sausage with slotted spoon and and add onions and garlic.  Saute until translucent, roughly 4-5 minutes.  Add chopped mushrooms and olive oil, then cook until the have released their moisture, roughly ten minutes.

Mix sausage, onions, garlic and mushrooms together in a bowl.  Add maple syrup, bread crumbs sage and cheese, salt and pepper to taste - set aside.

Core tomatoes and using a melon baller, scoop out insides.  Sprinkle salt on the inside of each tomato and set upside down on a cooling rack set over a sink or sheet pan to catch the juice.  Let them sit upside down for a half hour.

Using your hands, evenly divide the filling between the tomatoes gently pushing the filling in to pack it and pressing a roughly 1/4 cup mound on top of the tomato.  Place into a baking sheet and repeat with each tomato until they are all done.

Cover with aluminum foil and place into refrigerator until ready or into a 375 oven and bake covered for 30 minutes.  Remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Serve.

Spiced Golden Apple Cocktails

I love punch, and as people around me say 'Ross loves anything gilt' - so I figured why not mix the two together this holiday.  I have been obsessed with apple cider this season, but realized the pressed variety would be too murky to enjoy the shiny addition of Goldschlager so I decided to use the apple cider found in the regular juice isle and it worked out perfect.  Lastly, I enjoyed some wonderful Presecco at my friend Art Smith's wedding this past summer and realized it would make the pefect combination.  This even good the next day as well!

In a punch bowl mix together the following -
4 bottle of well-chilled Prosecco
6 cups cold apple cider (see note above)
1 cup Goldschlager

Funkin Autumn Beverage Idea

Looking for a creative way to offer ice cold beverages on your buffet or table? Why not use a funkin to do so. Here I have hollowed out the top of a pilgrim funkin, as it does not have a hole at the bottom. These are sealed all the way around, so they will not leak. I then filled it with ice and an assortment of bottled beverages for my guests. Quick & easy and it makes a fantastic presentation!

Halloween Bark (it's better when you bite!)

Ingredients:

8 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, chopped

8 ounces very good bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup whole roasted almonds, coarsly chopped
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Place both chocolates in a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water until melted. Line a 9X9 pan with parchment paper - make sure to have parchment hang over to sides of pan, creasing paper into bottom corner/edge . Pour the melted chocolate into pan and spread to even. Sprinkle the almonds, apricots and cranberries over the chocolate. Set aside for 2 hours until firm. Cut the bark in 1 by 3-inch pieces and serve at room temperature.

Autumn Sangria

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  The flavors of Autumn were the inspiration for this sangria, rich with intense flavors and color.  It is so simple to make, there is no need to do it ahead of time.  I use Simply Apple in this recipe due to it's rustic and unprocessed nature - you can also use a country cider as well.  There is no ice in this recipe as it is meant to be enjoyed at room temperature.
  
  
  3 bottles of Merlot (I use Charles Smith Velvet Devil)
  1 quart Simply Apple juice or rustic cider
  1 1/2 c St. Germain
  Mulled syrup (see below)
  1 lb. fresh figs, sectioned
  3 plums, sectioned
  3 pears, sectioned
  1 orange, peeled, then sliced
  
  
  Mulled Syrup
  1 cup brown sugar
  1 cup water
  4 cinnamon sticks
  2 tsp. cloves
  2 tsp. allspice berries
  3 star anise
  
  
  Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature.  Add all of this mixture to the sangria.
  
  
  Section up your fruit and place into the bottom of the bowl to create a cushion for your wet ingredients to they do not splash all over the place.  Slowly pour the St. Germain and mulled syrup over fruit, followed by the Simply apple juice.  Using a long spoon, stir ingredients to help the brown sugar dissolve.  Slowly add the remaining liquids, Merlot and club soda - stirring again to combine.  Enjoy!
  
  
  
  

Candy Corn Cake

I have been inspired by candy corn this fall, and I wanted to try and translate that into a cake for the Autumn season.   This can be used for Halloween or even Thanksgiving to add some whimsy to your entertaining table.

2 cups butter, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar
5 eggs
1.5 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cups buttermilk
1 tbsp. vanilla-bean paste
4 cups cake flour
orange food coloring
yellow food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare three 9" cake pans by spraying them with Bak-klene - set aside.

In the work bowl of your mixer place the butter and sugar.  Beat on high, scraping the bowl if necessary until ingredients are creamed.  Add eggs, baking powder, soda, salt and buttermilk - mix on medium until combined and any lumps are small.  Add vanilla-bean paste and cake flour.  Beat ingredients on low, slowly gearing up to medium-high - beating the ingredients until the batter is creamy and you see very little lumps.  This process should take 1-2 minutes at most.

Using a scoop, divide the batter into one of the prepared pans and two appropriately-sized mixing bowls.  Take your orange and yellow food coloring and add them to one of each of the mixing bowls and color the one bowl of batter yellow and one bowl of batter orange - using a fork or whisk to combine the batter and fully color it.  Use a clean spatula to scrape each of the colors into their own separate 9" round, spreading the batter around to ensure it bakes evenly.  Repeat with other two pans.

Place into preheated oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, OR until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow to cool for roughly ten minutes, then invert cakes onto cooling rack to completely cool.

This cake uses one whole batch of my vanilla-bean buttercream icing.  I use a large, star tip to pipe the colors onto the top of the cake.  Chill overnight and remove from the refrigerator shortly before you are to serve it.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts

24 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup corn starch
3 eggs
1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR
1 tsp cinnamon & 1 tsp. ginger
2 tsp vanilla-bean paste

Toppings 1
1/2 cup pecans, chopped & toasted
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped
1 tbsp. sugar

Toppings 2
1/2 cup gingersnaps, broken (1 layer of the Pepperidge Farm Gingerman cookies)
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
1 tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray 14"X4" removable-bottom tart pans with Bak-klene to ensure easy release.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat cream cheese, sour cream and corn starch until blended and smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time - followed by the pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla-bean paste.

Divide batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 20 minutes.  Top each pan with toppings and bake for another 20 minutes - it should be firm.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely.  Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Royal Icing

Decorating cookies is a personal passion of mine. I love how I can be creative and play with the design of the cookie. I field a lot of questions from people asking me for a better recipe that tastes good - this is usually always the reason they don't use royal icing because of the taste. I know when I first started trying to perfect my icing techniques I was using a recipe from a well-known lifestyle expert that called for lemon juice, I thought it tasted awful and did not compliment my cookie flavor at all. My recipe uses meringue powder instead of egg whites due not only to ease, but also possible health concerns regarding uncooked egg whites. Meringue powder is readily available at many stores. I set out to develop a recipe that melded with the cookie creating a flavor that was comforting. Use this recipe to form the walls of your cookie, then thin it out for flooding.

Royal Icing recipe

2 lbs (1 bag)

1/2 cup meringue powder

2/3 cup water (plus more to attain consistency desired)

1 tsp vanilla (regular or clear)

1 1/2 tsp butter flavoring

1/2 tsp almond extract

Place half of the powdered sugar, meringue powder, water and flavorings into the bowl of your mixer with paddle attachment. Turn mixer on medium and mix until well combined. Add remaining powdered sugar and mix well. Adjust ments to the amount of powdered sugar may be necessary depending on the time of year and humidity levels. The photo shown is how it should look when it is done.

Vanilla-Bean Buttercream Icing

This is a modified version of the frosting recipe my grandmother always used.  She was a big proponent of shortening as it was her belief that it stood up well in the heat at family gatherings.  I make this recipe in two stages, then combine the two separate recipes together.  This makes a boatload of frosting, which is easily stored in the freezer.  I divide them into 9.5 c storage containers and pull them out as the need arises - makes life so easy!

STEP 1
4 cups sugar
1 cup water
4 whole eggs + 4 egg whites
1 lb (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1.5 lb (3 sticks) regular shortening sticks, room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla-bean paste

Place sugar and water into a medium saucepan and bring to boil, cook until a candy thermometer reaches softball stage (235-240 degrees).  Remove from heat and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat 4 whole eggs and 4 egg whites, then slowly pour in the hot syrup.  Once all the syrup is added, set timer and allow mixture to whip for ten minutes.  Pour syrup into a pitcher to cool.  You will want to refrigerate the syrup for at least four hours, or overnight - you can also leave it on the counter to cool as well.  Once syrup has cooled, take a spoon and remove the foam that has risen to the top (there is no need to get every ounce of it, just the majority).

Place clean bowl back in the mixer and add the butter and shortening with whisk attachment.  Beat on high speed, stopping 2 or 3 times to scrape the bowl - ingredients should be light in color and have a whipped texture.  Add the vanilla bean paste and slowly pour in the syrup.  Place mixer on low and edge up to medium high until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the icing looks fluffy.

STEP 2
16 oz. cream cheese room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 lb. powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

Place cream cheese and butter into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix to combine well.  Add powdered sugar and mix again until no visible lumps appear, finally adding the vanilla bean paste at the end.

Combine STEP 1 & STEP TWO, mixing well until it is completely incorporated.  Should be at room temperature to frost cake.

Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie Cutouts

I enjoy making cutout cookies for the holidays and am a firm believer in making them beforehand so you are not stressing out. They are really not that difficult, you just need to know some techniques to make life easier. I have a copper cookie cutter collection that is so massive it is almost embarassing. I have been collecting them for years and you will be able to see them as time goes on as I have them for every occasion as well as year-round fun ones. I am having the cutters you see in the picture above reproduced by a boutique copper company, they are 7" tall - keep watch for when they go on sale.

4 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter - room temperature/softened

1/2 cup (1/2 stick) butter-flavored shortening 

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

In a large bowl mix together flour, salt and baking powder - set aside. Use an electric mixer to cream together butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla bean paste. Add eggs to combine, then baking powder and salt. Add 1 cup of the flour mixture at a time until combined, scrape bottom of bowl to make sure all ingredients are included. Do not over mix or your dough will be come tough.

At this point I split the dough in half and roll between to silpat mats to 1/4" thick (I roll them thicker because they do not bubble so easily), place on rimmed baking sheet and place it in the freezer for ten minutes to set. The point in using Silpat mats is to not add any additional flour to my dough as well as that the dough will not stick to teh silpat making rolling out easier. Remove rolled dough from freezer and remove the top silpat mat. Place cookie cutters in positions on dough, starting from the edge and moving inward to get the most cookies out of your roll. Remove the extra dough - not cookies and I place these back in the freezer.

This is when I start my oven to 350 degrees. If using the gray non-stick pans, lower your oven temperature 15-25 degrees depending on your oven. The mantra in cookie/pie/dough making is 'make it cold, bake it hot', this process makes the cookies crisp.

I repeat this step with the second half of dough, and place the extra dough in a ball and roll that out again for more cookies. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes (maybe more) depending again on your oven, and try to be conscious to flip your baking sheet half way through the baking process. You will know your cookies are done when the start to lightly brown on the edge. I pull them out of the oven and let them sit without touching them for 10 minutes as I slightly underbake mine so they are more chewy.