There is one brand of Face Painting Pencilsmade in Germany that is toxin free and known to be reputable. If you plan to purchase face paint this would be my reccmendation.

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Easter Traditions

Easter Traditions Worth Sharing

How fun is Easter.  Girls in their Easter Dresses, Egg Hunts, celebrations, and excitement about the frost finally thawing across the country.

Our church hosts an Service on Easter Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl every year, so attending that service has become a wonderful part of our Easter Tradition.  If you are ever in Los Angeles it is a not to be missed way to celebrate Easter!

Easter Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl

I Set Out to Discover More  Easter Traditions

The Easter Egg

My Eco Savvy Friends Dye Easter Eggs too… only they don’t grab a dye kit for this fun activity… they turn instead to the spice rack, and the produce isle!  What a simple fun way to get children involved in having fun with their food!

Naturally Colorful - from Debra at Bungalow

Beets, cabbage, coffee and grass are a few of the ingredients that will lend just the hue you are after for your eggs this holiday season.  You can learn how Debra did her eggs over at Blissfully Domestic.

Lisa Douglas from Adventures In Parenting has a great post on naturally dying Easter eggs.  Plus, she adds some information that hopefully make us think twice before grabbing those handy kits from the market.

And… let’s face it… Egg Dying can get messy… so for a few tips on the chaos that can ensue when color and children intersect… read Lolli’s tips from Better In Bulk she’ll share wisdom like don’t leave 4 kids alone in a kitchen with 8 cups of dye!

Beyond The Basket

I love hearing inspiration that takes a step back from the commercialism.  Last year instead of Baskets, Gena Morris from the Morris bunch gave her lil’s Bibles, this year everyone is getting covers.   An approach like seems like it would reinforce family beliefs and values.

Borrow A Tradition

Cascarones (Confetti Eggs) are a Mexican Tradition that looks like a lot of fun… maybe too much fun. I’m not sure this is one for me.  I can imagine trying to de-glitter my home & yard for months after Easter  – I  bet Lil Diva & Dude would love it!!!  This post was shared with my by Carrie Ferguson Weir of Tiki Tiki Blog and they have all the instructions you need to craft Cascarones of your own this Easter!

Cascarones Image Courtesy of Roger Imp

Easter Coloring

OK – coloring may not be an Easter Tradition, but Winnie the Pooh is certainly a family tradition in our home and when I saw these I knew they would be a great to have on hand when you need a quiet moment at Brunch or Dinner.

Winnie The Pooh coming this summer! Download 7 Easter Coloring Pages

What Are Your Favorite Family Easter Traditions?

Healthier Whole Grain Spritz Cookies: Diva Recipe

I love it when I find a way to make conventional recipes healthier, even if it’s just a little bit better as in the case with this recipe. Spritz cookies are perfect for the holidays, but they are so much fun and so easy to make that once you get the hang of making them you won’t want to relegate them to the holidays!  This recipe is 100% whole grain and the addition of oat bran adds to their flakiness.

Guilt Free Delectible Treats

Ingredients

•    2/3 cup Organic Butter
•    1/3 cup of Grapeseed Oil
•    2/3 cup sifted Organic Confectioners’ Sugar
•    1 Organic Free Range Egg – separated
•    1 teaspoon Vanilla
•    1 teaspoon of Baking Powder
•    1 Cup Organic Whole Grain White Flour
•    1 Cup of Organic Whole Wheat
•    3/4 Cup of Organic Oat Flour
Organic Decorating Sugar or Confectioners’ Sugar for decoration

Directions

1.  Bring Butter to room temp and blend with oil, cream together with the confectioner’s sugar in bowl until light and fluffy, using electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in egg white, then add egg yolk and vanilla; blend well.

Creaming Butter

2.  Gradually stir flour into creamed mixture, mixing well.
3.  Choose your design and place into cookie press. Place about 1/3 of the dough in cookie press at a time. I found it worked best when you made a nice tube out of the dough first then plop it in and press. Line up the press “grips” to engage the pressing action. Place the press on the cookie sheet, press and quickly but gently remove the press. Space cookies about 1 inch apart, on parchment or an ungreased baking sheets. The press takes time to get used to and get going… so don’t worry when you have a couple that don’t work, just toss them back in with your unpressed dough and have a redo.

4.  If decorating with colored sugar, cherries, or jelly – add that before baking.

Ready For the Oven

5.  Bake in 400 degrees F  oven 7-10 minutes or until set, not browned.

6 .  Remove from baking sheets; cool on racks.

Fully Baked

7.  If decorating with confectioners sugar.  Lightly dust once cool.  Enjoy.

Let’s Talk Turkey: Choosing Your Holiday Bird

Thanksgiving is around the corner and plans are in the works for your holiday meal. A meal that will most likely center around a turkey.

Do you always wonder how big the turkey needs to be?   CLICK HERE to use this convenient tool to calculate the amount of Turkey, Stuffing and Gravy you need to make for your gathering. It allows you to specify adults, children, and eating style!

Image Courtesy of Tuchodi

Many supermarkets offer free turkeys as a holiday promotion.  I now splurge and  buy a free range organic turkey for our Thanksgiving Meal.   It’s a couple of times a year so I feel it’s worth spending a little extra to know how it grew and what it ate.

Like most areas of grocery shopping these day, consumers have many choices. Within each type of turkey – you may want to learn about the individual farm that raised your turkey.  Each farm has their own set of standards.

Kosher – Kosher Turkeys are blessed by a Rabbi, they will be rinsed and salted, cleaned with fresh water.  The Kosher process tends to be a more time consuming way of processing meat and the process will typically produce a higher quality product.

Brined – Brined Turkey is prepared in a salted solution.  I’ve never purchased a brined turkey, but I’ve had good results brining a turkey and it was delicious.

Free Range – Free range is a bit of a nebulous term due to the fact that the USDA only requires the animal have access to the outdoors, due to this it can pay to learn a little bit more about the actual farm raising the turkey to ensure the turkey you are buying has actually roamed the range free.

Certified Organic – Certified Oraganic Turkeys should be truly free range, humanely raised with plenty of room to roam, with access to fresh water.  They should be fed an all vegetarian organic diet without GMO.  They should be raised free of antibiotics, growth stimulants, or chemical fertilizers.

Conventional – Convential Turkeys are raised in a confined space, about 1/4 of that of a free range turkey, will be given growth stimulants that will cause them to mature significantly faster than it would on it’s own.

What’s It Going To Cost Me:

We did a little shopping around to find out what prices are in the marketplace, this should give you an idea of what you can expect to pay.

Whole Foods:

Mary’s Certified Organic – ate an organic diet $3.69 per pound.
Mary’s Natural Free Range $2.29 per pound.
Diestel Free Range $2.69 per pound.
Heidi’s Organic $3.99 per pound.

Delivered:

Check out Local Harvest to find local Turkey Farms. Prices range from $59 – $150+.

Spud Delivery also offers Turkeys with their organic grocery delivery service.
Organic Turkey’s $4.49 per pound.
Free Range Turkey’s for $3.22 per pound (Delivered to your door!).

Spud has extended the following offer to PND readers – use code PureNaturalDiva in the promo code field to get $25 off your first  4 orders with Spud ($6.25 will be taken off each order).  Delivery with Spud is free with a minimum order (in LA $32).

Spud delivers to: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, & in Western Canada, Vancouver, Vancouver Island & Calgary.

The Farmer’s Market!

If you are lucky enough to have a farmer’s market with a poultry vendor, chances are good that they will offer turkeys. Our local vendor was pre-ordering for $3.99 per pound.

Hopefully this gives you more information for your turkey shopping this Thanksgiving.

Check out the Diva Thanksgiving Menue – for all the recipes that we’ll typically serve for Thanksgiving & Christmas Dinner.

Thanksgiving Menu: Recipes for the Whole Menu

Last year I spent hours choosing the recipes I would use for Thanksgiving.  Everything turned out  well.  Being a creature of habit.  We’ll have the same menu this year.

Take advantage of my time investment and relax instead of planning your holiday menu.  It’s all here, the recipes (or links) and the shopping list for linked recipes.

Brined Turkey

I was nervous so I decided to follow Martha on this one.  I’m glad I did, it turned out great. CLICK HERE for full instructions.

Turkey Dinner

What I love about Martha’s instructions is how complete they are – they’ll make you look good!

Read the Diva Guide – Let’s talk Turkey for information on selecting the perfect turkey for your holiday meal.

Shopping List:

Brine:
1-3/4 cups coarse salt
1 cup sugar
3 medium onions
3 leeks
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
bay leaves
thyme
flat-leaf parsley
whole black peppercorns

To Prep the Turkey:
1 fresh whole turkey
2 sticks unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups dry
white wine
salt
pepper

Stuffing

I like the stuffing I grew up with, which has no chestnuts, so I don’t go with Martha on the stuffing front. I do use whole wheat bread cubes to make it a little better for you. This one is modified from Betty Crocker.

Note: If stuffing will cook in your turkey (ours will), prepare the stuffing immediately before you are going to put the turkey in the oven.

12 Cups of Whole Wheat Bread – Cubed (Mom makes her own sometimes)
3/4 Cup unsalted butter
3/4 Cup minced onion
1 1/2 Cups chopped celery, stalks and leaves
1 1/2 Tablespoons salt
1 Teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon ground sage
Organic chicken broth – Enough to moisten to your taste.

In a cast iron pan or other pan over medium heat melt the butter, then sauté the onion and celery until the onion is soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in the salt, pepper, and sage and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Place the bread cubes into a large, deep bowl. Pour 1/4 cup of the butter/celery mixture over the cubes – toss well.

Repeat steps until all of the butter mixture is used. Toss the cubes thoroughly to coat.

Add Chicken Broth a little at a time until you reach your desired moistness. Stuff turkey immediately before roasting.

Don’t place warm stuffing into a turkey that is going to sit out – it needs to go immediately into the oven.

Gravy

I go with Martha Stewart on the gravy front too! Classic, step by step easy to follow instructions. CLICK HERE.

Shopping List:
Reserved giblets and neck from turkey
unsalted butter
2 celery stalks
1 carrot
1 leek
1 medium onion
thyme
flat-leaf parsley
rosemary
bay leaf
whole black peppercorns
3/4 cup dry white wine
all-purpose flour
salt
pepper

Cranberry Sauce

This recipe from RecipeZaar CLICK HERE couldn’t be any easier.  It calls for 1 cup of sugar, I always start with less and add more to taste. This is a dish that is easy to prepare a few days in advance.

Shopping List:
I bag of Cranberries
Sugar

Candied Sweet Potatoes

This recipe is modified from a recipe that I found on the wholefoods site.  I cut back the butter and sugar, omitted the ginger and don’t use any toppings – Don’t call me a kill joy, I figure my kids already love, love sweet potatoes so why add even more sugar.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup golden brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place potatoes in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.

Combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture over sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Cover dish well with foil.

Bake 50 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until potatoes are tender and syrup thickens a bit (basting occasionally) about 20 minutes.

Serves 8

Mashed Potatoes

I prepare a pretty basic mashed potato.

2 lbs of Potatoes
2 Tablespoons of Butter
1/4 Milk
1 Teaspoon of Salt (to taste)
1/2 Teaspoon of White Pepper (to taste)

Peel and Cut Potatoes – Do this a up to 4 days in advance. Cover and store until showtime.

About an hour before the turkey is done, boil potatoes until cooked – don’t overcook or they’ll be mushy. Drain and rinse.

Place in a mixing bowl, add butter, milk, salt and white pepper. Mash. I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer, on slow – until just mashed – does a great job.

Corn

Organic Frozen Corn – I medium bag.
1 tablespoon of Butter
1/2 Cup of Water

Throw the corn with the water and butter together and roast for about 1/2 hour towards the end of your turkey cooking.

Salad

With so much going on a simple salad is nice.

Mixed Washed Organic Spring Greens
1/2 Cup of Dried Cranberries
1/2 Cup of Shredded Carrots
1/2 Cup of Feta Cheese

Serve with Raspberry Vinaigrette – I don’t make my own.

Whole Wheat Rolls

Frozen – Whole Foods sells a whole wheat roll in the freezer section that is par cooked. You finish them in the oven. I love the fresh baked rolls without having to make them from scratch.

DESSERT RECIPES -  CLICK HERE

Apple Crumble a la mode
Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream

Dessert Shopping List:
Mix of Apples
Oatmeal
Flour
Brown Sugar
Lemon Juice
Butter
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
All Spice
Ground Ginger
Ground Cloves
Vanilla
Brandy
Pumpkin – I use whole sugar pumpkins If using canned you’ll need enough for 3 cups.
2 Eggs
2 Cans of Evaporated (non fat) Milk
Whipping Cream
Whole Wheat Frozen Pie Crust – Not willing to take on pastry yet!

Final Notes

Make the holiday meal preparation easy on yourself, prepare as much as possible in advance. Peel and cut the potatoes & sweet potatoes in advance cover them with water and store chilled till needed, prepare the filling and topping for apple crumble the day before, shred the carrots for the salad in advance. This way on Thanksgiving you’ll be working on the things that can’t be done in advance.

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Eco Savvy Gift Bag: Simple Solution

Every year we spend hours, wrapping countless gifts in preparation for the holidays. In a few minutes the excitement is over and we’re left with a big bag of trash.   Do this project early in the holiday season to avoid the late nights right before the big day.

Eco Savvy Gift Wrapping

Last year I made eco-friendly reusable gift bags.   You don’t need to be a great seamstress, just the  ability to sew a straight-ish line. They are fast and easy.

Quick and easy doesn’t mean, wait until Dec 19th to start sewing, or you’ll wonder what ever made you think this was a good idea.

The good news is, you only have to make them once. Then they are done. This year I only have to pull them out and wrapping will be a breeze!

All Decked Up

Supplies

7-10 yards of lightweight muslin.
Large Spool of matching thread
Sewing Machine
Iron & Ironing Board

Instructions:

This isn’t an exact science, I approximated my measurements and worked it out. You’re essentially making a pillow case for each gift.

Grab a few of the gifts you need to wrap. Haven’t done your shopping, collect an assortment of toys and books. Look in the birthday gift stash for sample sizes too.

Each bag is made with one piece of muslin, fold over, pin down. Sew a seam along each side.

NOTE – If you are worried about fraying you’ll want to sew all the rough edges with a zig-zag stich before sewing your seems and hem.

Lay out your fabric to determine the “envelope size” you’ll need. Place the gifts on the fabric, allow an inch or two for wiggle room. Add 2″ extra inches for seams on the side and 1 1/2 for the top. Remember you will be using these again, so precision isn’t the goal.

TIP – Cut multiple bags of each size all at one time.

Next, determine how much room you need to allow for the length of your “envelope”. Guesstimate how much fabric it will take to cover your desired gift, then add a few inches. It’s nice to have extra on top for a prettier presentation.

Iron the bag. Fold the top edge over one time, then fold again (for a cleaner finish) and pin.

Sew the top seam.

Iron and your bag is done.

All that’s left to do is insert the gift, label and embellish (if desired).

For the greenest option (you’ll need to select a slightly heavier muslin so it’s not too sheer), insert the gift and tie with raffia.

I wrap the gift with a couple of sheets of tissue paper, and tie with raffia or satin ribbon (which I reuse).  The picture shows some ribbon from the past that I’m trying to use up.

What’s nice is the sheerness of the muslin allows the color of the tissue paper to show through. You still have a nice festive look and if you love to pay attention to detail (aka anal like me) you can color coordinate.

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