Random gluten free DIYs

Lip Gloss

Ingredients;

1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tsp. beeswax
1/2 tsp. oil of menthol or other flavor of your choice (available at most health food stores)

Directions;

Melt beeswax in small pot on low heat. Add sesame oil and flavoring, stir until blended well. Remove from heat. Continue stirring until mixture cools (this prevents separation). Pour in small airtight container. Continue stirring until it is set.

Yield: 1/4 cup

To use: dab some on your lips :-)

Dandruff Rinse

Ingredients;

4 tsp. (heaping!) dried thyme leaves
2 cups water

Directions;

Add thyme to water and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes. Strain through coffee filter. Let cool.

Yield: 2 treatments

To use: Pour one cup of solution over CLEAN damp hair. Work into scalp, massaging gently. Do not rinse, let hair dry naturally (that's right, so put that blowdryer away)!

Sugar Scrub

Ingredients;

1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. warm water

Directions;

Place sugar in palm of hand, add in water slowly to make a paste.

Yield: 1 tablespoon

To use: Rub gently over face and neck (not your eyes!). Massage gently, rinse with warm water followed by cool water. Great exfoliant :-)

Massage Oil

Ingredients;

4 cups almond oil
1 ounce dried sage
8 drops essential lemon oil

Directions;

Combine almond oil and sage in a pot, bring to slow rolling boil, simmer 10 minutes. Let cook, strain to remove sage. Add in your lemon oil. Stir well. Store in a light-proof bottle/container (like a clean dark wine bottle with a cork). Also a good idea to label it so no one takes a swig.

Yield: 1 quart

To use: Rub small amount of this oil on skin and massage into tired muscles.

Herbed Vinegar

Ingredients;

1 cup white wine vinegar
2 sprigs fresh sage
1 sprig fresh parsley
1 sliced shallot

Directions;

Place sage, parsley, and shallot in a glass jar (needs to hold about a cup). Heat vinegar in saucepan. Do NOT boil it. Pour vinegar over herbs in jar. Let cool. Seal the lid tightly and store in a cool dark place to steep for at least 3 weeks (or up to one year). It's helpful to label and date it also.

Yield: 1 cup

To use: Use in salad dressings and marinades.

Air Freshener

Ingredients;

1 cup distilled white vinegar
25 drops essential oil of your choice (peppermint and lavendar are nice ones)
1/2 cup water plus 3 tbsp.

Directions;

Fill a squirt bottle with the vinegar, water, and essential oil. Cap and shake vigorously.

Yield: 12 ounces

To use: Shake well and spray to get rid of odors around the house.

Glass Cleaner

Ingredients;

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water

Directions;

Filk a spray bottle with water and vinegar. Shake up. Label to avoid confusion.

Yield: 2 cups

To use: Spray glass and wipe clean!

*These recipes were slightly adapted from Joey Green's book "Incredible Country Store Potions, Notions, and Elixirs of the Past and How to Make Them Today" which I highly suggest buying a copy of. It is a great read to learn the history of many products and covers a lot (like soap, candle, and potpourri making). I also must stress that this book has been on my shelf for at least 5 years and I am in no way being paid to say this, rather I wanted to credit the incredible source!*

Here's an amazon link if you're interested :-D

http://www.amazon.com/Greens-Incredible-Country-Store-Past/dp/1579548490/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

Tasty Homemade Gluten Free Stew

I have to first point out that the mister and I enjoyed this stew throughly. Secondly, my measurements are mostly estimations, because I made this from.scratch, and without measuring cups/spoons.

This take about an hours worth of prep, total, and an additional 2-2.5 hours of cooking time, but it's SO worth it! It fed the mister and I for 3 meals! So it would probably serve 4-6 people for a meal.

Have a cutting board, sharp knife, and a small and large bowl handy.

Tasty Homemade Gluten Free Stew

ingredients;

1 lb. cubed meat (1" cubes, whatever variety you wish, we used pork)

1/2 a medium-sized turnip

1/2 a small-sized head of cabbage

3 medium-sized carrots

5 small-sized potatoes

2 small-sized onions

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 a carton (approximately 500mL) of low sodium gluten free chicken stock

1 gluten free vegetable bouillon cube

1/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (plus extra for dredging)

1/4 tsp. table salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

Ok, got all your ingredients? Great, let's start the preparation!

instructions;

1) Start by washing and peeling your veggies. Cut them into good-sized (2" or so) chunks. Mince your garlic and onion. Set aside veggies in one large bowl. Set aside onion and garlic (I left them on separate sides of my cutting board).

2) If your meat isn't already cubed, do that now. You want the pieces about 1"-2". Then dredge in some flour, all sides should be well covered.

3) Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot (needs to hold at quite a large amount, mine was a 6-7 quart pot and that worked fine).

4) Add the cubed, dredged meat and brown well on all sides. Don't be overly concerned about cooking it all the way through at this point. Once browned, remove from pot and set aside in a small bowl.

5) Add onion to the pot now, cook until translucent, then add your garlic, cook about another minute. Add in your flour and blend well. It should look a bit like a thick paste.

6) Prepare your bouillon cube according to the package directions and add that, along with the chicken stock next. Stir well to incorporate everything thus far.

7) Turn heat up to maximum, waiting for it to come to a boil, then turn back to medium. Stir occasionally, releasing then brown crunchy bits that stuck to the bottom when you browned the meat.

8) Now add the meat back to the liquid, cook for 30 minutes(with lid on).

9) Add uncooked vegetables and cook an additional hour (with lid on).

10) Turn heat back to low and add in your spices, simmer another 30 minutes (with lid on), stirring occasionally. If your vegetables are tender and cooked through at this point, you're done!

11) Serve and enjoy! :-)