Yesterday I made a batch of coconut oil soap with a 20% superfat. I love this recipe; it creates a wonderful, creamy soap. The color is a snowy white. It has a terrific lather, and works very well in hard water. I unmolded the soaps this morning. I popped them into the freezer for a few hours after making my morning coffee. When I turned them upside down, they fell out of the molds. It's always a great relief when the soaps don't stick. Now they are on the racks, curing.
I also baked a loaf of banana bread yesterday. It felt good to use up the ripe bananas that were in the fruit bowl. This recipe called for two large eggs, so I used three of my tiny Silkie eggs. It's rewarding to have them from your own backyard hens. They're so fresh, and the yolks are bright orange. The bread came out very nicely. It was soft, moist, and flavorful.
I don't bake very often anymore. I have noticed that I don't have any aches or pains if I avoid eating baked desserts and bread. Yesterday I pigged out on the fresh banana bread and ate THREE pieces! That was a mistake. My legs ached a tiny bit during the night, which they never do anymore. (since having hip replacement surgery.) If I'm going to bake, I'll have to practice more self control. Today I've been much better; I just had one piece. It's funny how your tolerance for certain foods changes as you get older. Have you been doing any baking these days?
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I just began going back through my baking dishes again. I went through and got rid of a bunch a year or so ago. We don't do many baked goods either so now doing a more thorough "editing." Your soaps always look lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lady Locust. I love these soap molds from Milky Way Molds. I used to bake constantly, but now it's just a treat.
DeleteYour soaps are always beautiful. Do you oil molds before pouring soaps?
ReplyDeleteI made another batch of soap today. It's Rhonda's recipe, and I added lavender essential oil. They are still in the molds. I didn't know about freezing trick. :)
Speaking of freezing, do you freeze baked goods? I don't bake often, but when I make cakes, I freeze some. That really helps me not to eat too much at once. :)
Hi Nil, No, I don't oil my molds. I think I did it the first time, but I don't anymore. The freezing for a few hours really works for me. Hope it helps you.
DeleteI thought about freezing some of that banana bread. I probably should. I was afraid it might get dry and stale tasting. Does it work for you? I generally don't overeat, but forgot that with white flour carbs I tend to crave them. Something all about all that butter, sugar, and white flour...
When I freeze cakes I cut them into large portions, wrap them well and put in freezer bags. They always taste good. :)
DeleteYou and Nil have both been making soap. How lovely! I made a batch of banana bread today too, sliced most of it and put in the freezer for other days. It's made with gluten free flour and almond meal so I find that I can eat a slice happily. Meg:)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds very healthy, Meg. I will have to try freezing mine sometime. I love the moistness of it.
DeleteBeautiful soap. Interesting about eating sweets and aches and pains....could be my problem. I got some banana bread that I made earlier out of my freezer yesterday. It is a good old-fashioned treat and I love bananas! Andrea
ReplyDeleteI love it, too, Andrea. Everyone has a different body chemistry, but I have found that just cutting out most baked desserts works for me. For some reason, I can handle gelato. Maybe because it doesn't have any white flour...
DeleteCan you post the soap recipe you use please? They look lovely! Do they use Lye? Than you, Robyn Australia.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robin. Yes, I use lye. Most of the soap recipes that I use are from Ann L. Watson's books. This one I found online.
DeleteThank you, will look them up!
DeleteYour soaps look really pretty, love the cameo style.
ReplyDeleteBanana bread/cake is always lovely, so moist, and with your own eggs, oh how I long for my girls to start laying.
The'll be laying before you know it, Living Simply. Their manure and straw bedding really helps my compost, too. I notice such a difference in the garden this year.
DeleteI have never tried to make soap.. is it expensive? Yours look so pretty. Kind of vintage.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cherie. It isn't expensive, once you have all of the equipment. I had to save up for the initial investment. It has been totally worth it, though. My family always asks for them as gifts. I buy the oils and butters in bulk.
DeleteSuch pretty soaps Stephenie,
ReplyDeletethey look too lovely to use.
I made a Crumble on Friday,
We have wanted to cut down
on white flour and have been using
wholemeal/wholewheat flour in baking.
Also only buying wholemeal bread.
It has been working out well for
us,it might be worth a try for you.
Banana bread is such a great way to
use up ripe bananas.
Take Care x
Thanks fiona. I have whole wheat pastry flour in my stockpile. I like it in fruit pies, but not so much in oatmeal cookies. I buy seven grain bread, which I love. I rarely eat bread, though. Glad to hear that your choices are working well for you. That's what matters.
Deleteyour soaps look lovely! as always!
ReplyDeletebanana bread! mmm, yummo! i have trouble eating regular wheat flour, it has to be sourdough or spelt flour, if i bake it is always with spelt flour & i swap out the sugar with honey or dried fruit, since i gave up sugar for over a year i find it very hard to eat sweet things, have recently started buying home made jams & chutneys, i don't eat them often but toast & a little jam in the evening i find is a nice treat; (a lot of my jams are with ginger too)
lovely post
thanx for sharing
That's a great idea, Selina. I have lots of jams in my fridge.
DeleteYour soap is beautiful as always. I do some baking for Steve but not as much as he would like me to do!! I do bake lots of different cookies during the Christmas holidays though. I don't buy bananas very often so we have not had banana nut bread in many years.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anita. I bake much less often now, too. It's a treat, where it used to be part of my daily routine.
DeleteHello, your soap is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYummy your bananabread !
Thank you, Fabricole. Soapmaking is very rewarding. Banana bread is great comfort food.
DeleteYour soaps look wonderful. Wheat has always bothered me a little though I do love it. But since my heart problems late last year which turned into a chronic inflammatory response my tolerance has gone waaaay down with wheat. Now I eat a little sourdough and try to limit the rest. Perhaps because the wheat we eat today is so refined to what it used to be traditionally. I hear sye and other less refined flours can help.
ReplyDeletexx
Hi Emma, That's interesting about the chronic inflammatory response. I think that can happen when arthritis is flaring, too. I love sourdough, but haven't had it in ages. I can handle moderate amounts of either.
Deletepretty design of soap my friend!
ReplyDeleteenjoyed my visit her ,loved the name and sharing of your blog so much
Hi baili, Thank you for visiting and for commenting. I'm so glad that you are enjoying the blog...
ReplyDelete