D.I.Y. Carpet Deodorizer

Aaw snap, more hippy crap about natural living and essential oils. Not really. More like, I like carpet deodorizer BUT I'm not going to pay that much for something that is actually a luxury.

The two main ingredients are:

Bicarb (I use the whole 500g Robertsons)

2 tsp Corn starch 

 

Perfume as per your style.

You can perfume it as you want. I didn't know if it really was a thing until I started looking at other peoples recipes. Some add dried herbs and spices and others (and I) add essential oils. I had an ant problem so I added peppermint oil and the ants reduced heavily. Mosquito season, I add citronella and lemongrass and the mosquitoes dgaf. I was thinking I want to add vanilla or cacao powder, even cinnamon. (PSL carpet smell anyone)

Some oils are pricey (That’s why you see Citronella and lemongrass) but it's an ingredient that you are going to get multiple uses from as you only use 20 drops. Buying a refill of dried herbs are a bit cheaper. I like the Rosemary and Thyme idea.

Mix the Bicarb and Corn starch in a bowl. I add corn starch as my bicarb tends to get clumpy. Even the store bought ones have an anti-clumping agent.

For the container, I used the mass produced store bought one . (Recycle 4 lyfe $$$) but you can store it in a jar and make holes in the lid for sprinkling. I read big spice and salt shakers can also be used. Even a sugar shaker. An empty clean mayonnaise/ Peanut butter/ Cheese spread jar would do the job. (Empty and clean because no one want mayo in their carpet deodorizer)

(Maybe, if you like mayo you do) (I don't judge)

Or be next level with this Ball Jar.

I fill the jar to a 1/3^rd and add my smell agent (Two table spoons of ground up herbs or 10 drops of oil). Fill another 1/3^rd and add the same amount of your choice of smell maker. Top with the rest of your Bicarb mix. Close the container and shake to mix well. I think it's best to smell your creation and decide if you want to add more smell maker. I don't care for this step as I have anosmia.

 

Some blogs said to leave this for 24 hours to a week but ain't nobody got time fo' that. I use mine immediately.

To use, shake a thin layer on the carpet and leave it for 15 min. I usually sweep the floors, wash a toilet and forget about it for a while.

Then just vacuum as per usual. It's optional to smell go down and sniff the carpet.

This is also great puppy accidents. Sprinkle a thick layer over the pee pee and leave to dry. Then just vacuum the clumped up mixture.

That is my wisdom for the week. As you were.

é

P.s. I like this blog's post. I was like: #same

The R30 product that will boost your Winter beauty routine: Hoelson Sisters Coconut Face Oil 7 ways.

I am super obsessed with Fruit and Veg Food lovers market. I probably fall out there every two weeks, get a Seattle Coffee Company Grande Soy Latte/ Cappuccino (They look out for us lack toast and tolerant basic bit*hes) and do a walk through. That's how I found that they stock Sumac and always contemplating getting Jelly belly jelly beans(Ice cream flavour). But in general everyone knows the drill: Buy the weekly deal (Winter it's a deal with butternut squash, onions and potatoes and summer the tomato, cucumbers and lettuce) Buy some delicious fresh baked good, buy spinach you'll never eat and go to the till. That's where this discovery was made, at the till.

Damn I love this stuff. The last 3 years are the time of the beauty oil. Many people get weird because they think of cooking oil like sunflower. How can your hair and skin improve by using something you fry food in? Others thing of sebum, the stuff that makes for dirty hair and oily face. Not the same.

You can buy a few loose essential oils and blend them but it is so costly. But why tho'? Helen Hoelson did that for you already. This it one of the products I was stocked about picking up at the till. Here is my take on using Hoelson Sisters Oils 7 ways:

Hair mask/ Oil

With the new bottle design that dispenses drops, just use 5-10 drops and apply to hair ends. Especially with dry Gauteng winters it makes my hair more manageable. When I use it as a mask I massage about a quarter of a bottle into my roots and comb it through with a wide tooth comb. Because it is a natural product there are no chemicals that can cause damage. So you can leave it in for 30 minutes or over night.

Enriching any cream.

Instead of buying a winter specific cream I drop a few drops of oil in my face or body cream.

Hand and cuticle treatment.

I filled a roller ball with some oil to keep close to easely apply some oil to my hands and nails. I haven't had hangnails in a while.

Assist in smoother aplication of foundation

Here is the video of Wayne Goss. It also moisturises and so plumps up skin.

Makeup remover

Rub about 10 drops on your face and maybe a bit more on your eyes. I wipe everything off with a tissue, I guess the right way is with cotton pads but meh.

Eyelash conditioner.

I cleaned an old mascara tube and filled it with oil. I apply to my lashes and brows at night.

Make a scub

For the face I add a bit of oil to some Bi-carb and for hands and feet I mix it with sugar or salt.

*Bonus tip: Use it for shaving. For the last year I've been using oil to shave and am yet to get a cut.

I am still to try the lemon/ peppermint and cinnamon/ tea tree ones but so far I finished two of the original Lavender Rosemary. Here is their Facebook page. (They even had a stall a Cosme Tokyo 2016. BOOM. That makes me proud.) Here and Here are more of this company's awesome story.

Have you seen these awesome oil mixes?

é

Flower arranging

When I started this blog I want to teach you cheap, easy life tricks some make impossible or make it seem like you need a life time of knowledge to perfect. Decor, style, cooking, make up and other nitty gritty things people are afraid of because there are professionals in the field. I'm not saying you should learn how to rewire your house or bend and weld your car a new exhaust. Some stuff needs a pro.

Flower arranging is one of those things I feel that, if using your logical human brain, is easy. Here is my way of arranging a bunch of flowers:

My supplies are

Flowers

A Vase

Scissors

Bleach

Sugar

You can use any flowers in this arrangement I used roses. In the other picture I used a mixture of flowers in a standard bouquet. Now I know a lot of things like doing a minor service on my car and how to work my complicated tumble drier (I physically had to read how to use it. And friends who also bought one also told me how they battled) but I don't in general know flower names. I know like roses and lilies and stuff but I go for colours I like or what fits the room. Mostly the colour I like. You also don't necessarily have to use flowers. Some stems with leaves or even herbs can look fresh and chic.

Now vase sounds fancy. Like you should spend R200 on a container to arrange your flowers. I don't have money or time for that. Really? Like for real? I use a simple washed mayonnaise bottle. Ina Garten doesn't have time for that. She uses drinking glasses (See easy tips #50). Put that R200 or more back into your pocket.

To stretch the life of the flowers you can add one teaspoon bleach and 2 teaspoons of sugar to about 1 litre (4 cups) water. I mix it in with a chop stick.

Measure your flowers to your container. Remove all leaves from the stem that would be under the water line

Cut the stem to an angle for more surface area to absorb water. 

To arrange just use your natural mind of symmetry. We all have that. It works on the concept of 'If it looks right, it is right'. Use what looks right to your eye. With the height and colour. If the colour and size of the bloom does not look right, like if there is too much yellow or what, just move it until it looks right. Use what your eye tells you because it's a thing your mind does naturally everyday. Probably without you even noticing.

Place and Instagram that shit.

É tips:

• Check water regularly. The purple roses lasted a good week and a half so I had to refill the water a bit
• Buy yourself flowers. Fo' real. On a budget? There are some bunches for R35. You don't have to buy every week/ day or even month. But just do it.
• Don't stress too much about the arrangement or knowing the names. We use lipstick for blush. Blankets for throws. Linens for table cloths. Martini glasses for pudding bowls and bananas for eggs baking a cake.
• If you have extra leaves from a standard bouquet, layer it around the edge of the flowers.
• Remember to remove all leaves that would be under the water line. They could rot and become all weird and slimy in the water

Hope this let's you start having more flowers in your living areas. What's your favorite flowers?

é

PFF ~ Creamed Spinach for Nozipho

This PFF (Post for a friend) is for Nozipho, Who was my co-worker of 5 years. She is also mother of Lifa, whom has become my little brother. (I love that little dude)

 

Nozipho,

Here is a recipe for creamed spinach. I put it for you onto the internet.You can't lose the recipe!!!

250g Spinach (Rinsed well)

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 tablespoon Flour

1 Cup Milk

Salt and pepper

1. Start by melting the butter and add the flour. Mix this together until it becomes dough while still over the heat.
   
   
   
2. Slowly add the milk. Add a bit and mix and a bit more and mix. If you add everything at once the sauce will have lumps. Boil it for 10 minutes.
3. If the sauce is too thick add a bit more milk, then flavour with salt and pepper.
   
   
   
4. Put your white sauce aside and cook the spinach. You can chop it up (I chop it up with the white veins) or you could steam the whole leaves an pull them apart later with the sauce (like my mother) (*note to other readers we steam the spinach in just a bit of water. Boiling it would destroy the leaves and ruin the colour and taste)
   
   
   
5. When the spinach is cooked add the white sauce.

Tips for you:

• It’s not called creamed spinach because there’s cream in it. It’s because the spinach is fine. But if you feel like getting a bit fat, you can add a touch of cream. A TOUCH NOZIPHO!
• If you are lazy to make white sauce buy this from Knorr
• When you are feeling even lazier but some of that frozen spinach
• I usually add a bit of Aromat to my sauce.
• You can add a bit of cheese, especially for my little brother.
• Add this to a boil potato for that potato at Zuppaninni.

Nonos let me know if you came right. <3

É(sther)

Cooking while under the influence off . . . Northern Africa - Shakshuka

I first heard of this dish from my fiancé’s best friend. I was a bit weirded out. I was just like "ja, ja". I saw this BuzzFeed Food article and went for it. I really winged the recipe. Now we can argue about were this is originally from but let's let food bring us together. It may seem exotic but I really bought all the ingredients at the friendly Spar

For two but I stretched it for 3 with added protein in the form of chicken

Diced Bacon

Onions*

Cumin*

Garlic

1 Can of Tomatoes

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

Sugar (to taste)

6 eggs

Fresh Cilantro/ Coriander leaves*

I made it for a dinner meal so I bought Portuguese and a Garlic loaf and made easy cook in a bag Chicken to keep the other components simple as the prep for the shakshuka.

Fry off your bacon. I don't give an amount because I feel that some people love bacon on a higher level than others. For mine I used half a packet of 250g bacon. (I made two pans though, so for all the bacon lovers I did use the whole packet. I HAVE 6 PEOPLE TO FEED before you get judgey)

The onion has a star because of variables. Yellow or red I would use half an onion. Since some of my family aren't real big onion eaters I fried off three spring onions in the bacon. I cooked them until they were soft.

Cumin is also a variable. (Yes you can buy whole cumin from the <Mister Spices or the Robertsons part of the spice isle) Here you can add coriander seeds, crushed chilli, turmeric and paprika. Now that I mention I added a small bit of Paprika.

Only now I add the Garlic. I didn’t want it to burn and spices react to hot heat better that Garlic does.

Then I added the tomatoes. You could buy fresh and chop them up and add them or use the All Gold ones with the chillies or even the onion mix. Feel free in being creative. (Before you add the tomatoes you can even deglaze the pan with wine.)

FOR THE LAZY PERSON: You could skip out on all of this and buy store bought ready made tomato pasta sauce. Spice it up with some mixed spice maybe. . . if you want.

Now taste the sauce. Add salt and/or pepper and sugar if it's very acidic. Swirl it into the tomato mixture and let it cook for 5 minutes and taste again. Season again ONLY if necessary.

Bring the mixture down to a slow bubble. If the boil is too rampant it will biol the egg to scramble. Make a small well in the sauce and break the egg into it.

For hard eggs set your timer for 10 minutes, for soft 7. 

Sprinkle with fresh herbs. I used Coriander leaves. I think Basil might be awesome as well as Parsley.

 Enjoy. Ever tried this type of meal?

é