Winterize Your Skin: 'Sweet Cheeks' Tips | Richmond.com

Winterize Your Skin: 'Sweet Cheeks' Tips | Richmond.com

Roasted Acorn Squash Pasta

I feel like I am back to where I started with the blog. No pictures, just a recipe. Sadly I have been so occupied with Sweet Cheeks, that not only has the blogging suffered, my cooking has gotten pretty basic and lax.

However, tonight Joel told me it was the best pasta he had ever had and “this is a recipe that I would tell you to remember how you made it.” And it reminded me of why I started my blog to begin with.

Luckily business has been great and growing, but because of that, I find it unlikely I will get regular at this for quite some time. However, until then…


1 acorn squash (halved and cleaned of seeds)
½ onion
½ stick butter
¼ c olive oil
½ cup dry white wine
¼ pine nuts
4-6 cloves of garlic sliced thin
1 lb pasta

I brushed olive oil on the squash, stuck them in a 425 degree oven cut side up and roasted for about 25 minutes (or until tender and a bit brown). Once squash is down, set aside to cool.

Once cool cut up squash into about 1inch cubes. Set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter and add onions and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent and add wine. Cook additional 2-3 minutes. In a oven safe dish combine onion and squash and put back into a 425 oven. Meanwhile, start water for pasta and salt well.

Let squash mixture cook for about 10-15 minutes or until golden and brown on top. Put pine nuts in and set timer for 5 minutes and turn oven off.

Once past is done add about ½ of the pasta water to squash mixture, drain pasta and toss mixture and past and sprinkle nuts on top.


Enjoy

Bumping Elbows

Okay, I know I am officially a bad blogger these days.  The reality is Sweet Cheeks has, gladly, taken major billing recently.  For those of you that like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (links to follow) you know this already.  However, so many of you I used to "talk" to weekly, if not daily, may not know and I wanted to share the news.

Sweet Cheeks was thrilled to be contacted by VH-1 Save the Music and asked to provide one of our products to be added to the celebrity swag bags for their Battle of the Bands.  I know!  We thought it was pretty cool too.  So I wanted to share some pictures with you. Wish us luck!!

Here are the photos Sweet Cheeks Swag Photos

And if you are interested in keeping up with us, like and or follow here:
Twitter
Facebook

Winner!

Yet again, I have the same winner, Page. I am surprised no on participated! Clearly my fellow bloggers are more flush than I am…sigh ;)  So one person has netted over $100 bucks in free money. Not bad!

Clarification

So I got a comment on my last post “ Are we promoting Novica? Or Makindu? http://makindu.org/? it's not clear from your post whom we're supposed to blog/tweet about.”


And I as I often say to my husband, “What? You can’t read my mind? Ughhh.”


So apologies. I would like for you to promote Makindu. You can do so by tweeting, linking to this post, linking to the national geographic article, blogging, facebooking, digging, buzzing…. I don’t care, just spread the word and make it big.


Also I realized I did not put an end date. I am letting the contest go until noon 8/23. I will announce a winner after that.

 

Thanks all!!

What Can You Do With What You Have?

From Makindu News

So I told you I had some exciting news coming and here it is… I have yet another promotion to offer everyone. I got contacted by NOVICA to offer my readers a chance at a certificate to $75 to use on their site! In case you are not familiar with NOVICA they work with National Geographic and are one of the leading fair trade sites. For those that know me, know this was so up my alley. I was blow away by how amazing everything was. I think you will be as well. I saw a million things I wanted, but I also know this is where I will be going to finally find that gift for the person (AKA my dad) who has everything.


So how do you win a chance to win? You can help me promote a wonderful organization. I know you are thinking, “What? What organization? Please, please tell me more? “ So I guess I will.


I had the pleasure to attend a fund raiser to help raise money for Makindu Children’s program. The program’s focus is to help the children orphaned by AIDS in Kenya, which is estimated to be over 1 million children. The Center helps find the children families to live with and in turn support the child and family with meals, education, AIDS education and medical care. To support the efforts of this center every other year a group of people get together to raise money by going on “proper walk.” The participants of the walk pay their own expenses (roughly about 4 thousand dollars) to get there, and be there. They are also required to raise 10 thousand dollars that goes directly to the program. Amazingly every other year folks do it, and it seems to grow. One of the things I really like about the program is that it has been turned back over to the village and is now run by the village.


The proper walks themselves are amzing things covering 150 or more miles of uncharted terrain and have been covered by national geographic. The link will take you to the National Geographic article about the walks.

However, what blew me away wasn’t a bunch of crazy folks trekking across uncharted Africa, it was the statistics he gave that night. Frankly, while I sipped my wine and ate my catered food while sitting in a gorgeous home, it made me feel ill. I don’t have most of the statistic from that night but here is what I do know:

• In 2007 worldwide there were 2.5 million people were newly infected, 1.7 million of those were in sub-Saharan Africa.

• More than two-thirds (68%) of all people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa.

• The majority of people (61%) living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are women.

• In 2007 more than three quarters (76%) of all AIDS-related deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nkosi Johnson goole images

The thing that has stayed with me most since that night was the story of a young boy, Nkosi Johnson- age 12. He was dying of AIDS. He addressed International AIDS Conference - Durban, South Africa and simply said:


Do all you can

With all you have

In the time you have

At the place you are


How often do we do that? I know I don’t. I do know, however, I should. I do know that I am not here just to take as much as I can and then die. I know that I am meant to do something. So here I am, doing something. It is not much, but is what I can do, with what I have (my blog) with the time I have (not much) and in the place I am. No, truly it isn’t much, it is however a start.


So I am asking you to do the same. Help me get the word out about this organization. Blog about it, link to this post, twitter, facebook, stumble. Dig, buzz. Just do it, do what you can. For each thing you do (just send me a link and/or tell me about it) you will get an entry to win the $75 dollars. Make a donation https://makindu.ejoinme.org/MyPages/ProperWalk2010/tabid/199365/Default.aspx(I am supporting Joshua) and I will double your total entries (meaning you twitter, facebook, stumble and make a donation you will get a total of 6 entries).


And as for the donation, this is really a matter of every dollar helps. So what can very little money do?


 $35 provides food, elementary schooling and medical care for one child for one month.

 $50 provides school uniforms and shoes for 10 children.

 $100 provides millk for 100 children for 1 month.

 $200 provides bulk food (maize, beans, oil, etc.) for 59 families for four months.

 $350 provides a high school education (tuition, boarding, books and supplies) for one student for one year.


Amazing sometimes, how little something of so much value can cost.



Please go check out these amazing links with Novica and dont' forget to let you know what you are doing!

Fair Trade

Green Gifts

Unique Gifts

Microfinance

The Winner of Blueberry Heaven

Okay, this is a double post. First, the winner of the contest  Sadly very few of you (2 to be exact) took advantage of multiple entries. One of the folks that did, won. So keep in mind that you could have had 30 bucks to go toward this, when I tell you about the next exciting thing coming. I am not telling you yet, but you guys really want to stay tuned. It is super cool.  And now for the winnner....

So the other day the fabulous Kindness Girl asked me to go blueberry picking with her. I have to say that I have not been blueberry picking since I was about 10. All I recall is thinking, “God this sucks.” So I accepted the invitation but did so with high doubts of truly lovely times to come. Kindness Girl assured me it was lovely, loveliness. Humph.



First the ride there was lovely, down tree covered roads and past water. I felt myself easing into just being. We got there and the kids were off. Typically, that would make my shoulders go to my ears and me want to turn tail and leave. Somehow, I knew that it was okay.

We selected a path and soon I found myself in a blueberry room. The bushes literally formed a tunnel. A tunnel of blueberry lusciousness.

 The bushes dripped with berries. I mean really. They hung on the bush like grapes. To me, it was amazing. Then Kindness Girl said, “Too bad you should have seen them last week. I never left one bush.” 

It took me about 30 minutes, all while negotiating kids, to pick about 10 lbs of blueberries. Which sounds great, but I could have been there all day. It was truly, lovely, loveliness. We had a picnic and the kids “stole” blueberries. Dreamy.

Tonight, cantaloupe and blueberry sorbet. Sigh…

Talk About Coming Back With a Bang!

So I feel like my life really couldn’t get much more lucky than it has been of late. Then low and behold I was contacted by the fabulous people over at CSN about hosting a giveaway! I have seen it before on other blogs and was so happy to get the opportunity to host one myself.

So what makes this so cool? Let’s say you want a Dutch Oven, they have that. However lets say you really want an new smoker they have that too. And it is not just cookware, though what else would you want really? They have everything furniture, shoes, you name it, it is there.

So here are the details, CSN is going to giveaway $30 to one reader. How do you get it?? Easy. I want you to go to the following link and pick the Dutch Oven you covet most. Then leave me a comment telling me which one it was and what you would put in it in the comment section.  It is that simple!

For additional entries:
~Become (or be) a follower (1 additional entry)
~Follow me on Twitter (2 additional entries)
~Like me on Facebook (2 additional entries)

Just leave a comment letting me know you have liked and/or followed me (it can be in the same commment about the dutch oven so I can make sure to give the additional entries!

You have until noon August 6th. I will announce the winner within 24 hours. Good luck!
*Open to US and Canadian residents only :) There may be international shipping charges in the case of Canadian addresses.

Plant Some Kindness

This is not food related…well that is unless you want to center your ditch around food??? Let me back up…

I often am amazed at how I find the amazing people I have in my life. One person that continually amazes me is Patience. Patience has this way of looking a life that truly makes me wish she would have been my mom. She has a greater grasp on what is important than anyone I have ever know.

Anyway she, also, has an amazing blog called Kindness Girl. Periodically she does what she has dubbed Gorilla Goodness, and she is gearing up a new campaign, “The Great Ding Dong Ditch.” I have always wanted to do one, and finally am. I will post later the results of my “ditches.”
However, for now, no reason you couldn’t get in on the yummy goodness and plant a little kindness in your own back yard.

Just a thought.

Because, if nothing else ever does, Kindness really does change everything.

http://kindnessgirl.com/2010/06/30/guerrilla-goodness-12-the-great-ding-dong-ditch/

Nay, Nay, Caprese

I am in need o f help from my fellow friends that dig on food. I was making a caprese salad. I go to whip out my balsamic and there is something freaky growing in it. I looks like a fungus? I am #1 surprised anything can grow in an acid base and #2 has this ever happened to anyone???

New Toys, Tots and Pasta

Just recently in an effort to preserve my collards I tried my hand at making pasta. I thought, people make spinach pasta why not collard pasta. I must admit for the fist time making pasta, I was thrilled at the outcome. Especially since I could find no recipes so I had to make my own up.

My Dad, decided out of either kindness or because he didn’t like me borrowing his pasta maker, he bought me one of my own. So this morning me and the kids made pasta as a thank you. The kids had a ball and actually where very helpful! I made a citrus pepper pasta.

I send a pound a fresh pasta to their house and kept the leftovers. I had them for lunch.

This is again a non-recipe recipe, but here is what I did

Sautee about 2 tbs of chopped onion in about 2 tbs of olive oil.

Add 1 clove finely minced garlic.

Add 3 tbs slivered almonds.

Heat all until almonds slightly toasted.

Add…(these were leftover from the night before so I am guessing ) ¼-½ lb shrimp (mine were already cooked.

Add ¼ c. reserved pasta water (from cooking)

Toss with cooked pasta

Top with parm and a squeeze of lemon if you have it.


Joel I wish you were here for lunch!! :O

Chicken with a Kick

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I will say this was awesome and is my new favorite marinade!
I have
been terribly distracted, and hope to get back to the blog…however the other night we had our CSA chicken and I decided to marinate the old gal. This had a kick to it, but if you are not a lover of spice use less sriracha.

Marinade:

½ c. Ponzu sauce
½ c. rice wine vinegar
1/8 c (depending on like of spice I probably did between 1/8 c. -¼c) Sriracha sauce

Mix together in bag, throw chicken in and marinate for 2 hours.

Up on Etsy!

I promise I will get back to food posts, however just a small update that Sweet Cheeks is up on Etsy! Come and visit http://www.etsy.com/shop/vlmccauley

Sweetly Official!

I have been working on a project for about…mmm…5 months now. I am nearing the very end and it is finally time to share. Sadly, some people I love might actually find out from my blog before hearing from me! I have been keeping it quiet until now. Now that it is time to reveal everthing I am so, busy, so busy…like not cooking busy…sigh. However, I finally have wrapped up the official stuff(licenses and tigers and insurance…oh my) and am ready to roll.

I, my friends, have an LLC. Making what food you ask? Not a spec is my answer. Clearly, the logical extension to most would be to do some sort of food product and frankly, for a long time I thought I would as well. However, life is full of twists and turns and alas, food has nothing to do with my LLC.

So, what is it you ask??? I am making all natural bath and skin care products for adults and babies. Crazy…I know! The reality is, I have been doing it for years. I won’t bore you with the where’s and whys of it, but I finally decided to do it as a business.



So here are the specifics… cuz I KNOW you are on the edge of your seats….

The product line is called Sweet Cheeks. Why? Because, it is what I call my kids and when my husband is really lucky….him. I wanted to use all natural products that are good for the skin and good for the earth. All the oils used are plant based which means that your skin is able to absorb them as opposed to just sitting on top of the skin. Funny, however, when deciding to start a company, the hard part wasn’t what ingredients to use to make my products, it was how to package them in a way that was gentle to the earth. To that end, most of Sweet Cheeks products are in glass containers and I am working hard to get all of them in glass and/or with as minimal packaging as possible.





So all my RVA peeps (yeah… I whipped out peeps) PLEASE come by and say hi. I will be at the West End farmers market every Wednesday (3-7) starting the April 28th and the St. Stephens farmers market about every other Saturday starting May 1st. You can also find me on Etsy, but I won't have any product on there until after the first farmers markets.

Plus follow Sweet Cheeks on facebook and twitter for specials!!

Some Cheese, Some Meat and a Teaser

It was a fantastic weekend in RVA. Saturday I headed over to the farmers market to see cheese maker extraordinaire Rona from Sullivan’s Pond Farm (http://www.sullivanspond.com). This week I got blue, a waxed goats and some eggs. Then, I headed home. Just FYI guys you can go to her website and have her set aside things for you, because she has been know to sell out. Also, she will have asparagus this week.

Several weekends ago I told you about the new beds we put in, this weekend I planted them. It is a schooch early since our frost free date is the 15th, but I threw caution to the wind. Saturday was a long day. With the exception of some okra, eggplant and tomatoes most of what was going in was direct sow, so that was a lot of holes, filled with compost. It was a lot of time in what I am sure looked like a horrible rendition of downward dog to my neighbors. I was tired and as a wonderful reward we sat on the patio and the kids dinned al fresco and we dinned on cheese (frankly my favorite sort of dinner). Both cheese were out of this world. Thanks again Rona!




The next day we had friends over for…I don’t know what you would call it. Soft tacos, meat stuffed tortillas??? I don’t know but it amounted to yummy goodness.

2 lbs sirloin
2 cloves garlic grated
1 tsp salt
¼ cup lemon
¼ oil

Put it all in a bag and marinate for 4 hours or so then cook. I grilled it. Frankly, I did the unthinkable, I put the meat on the grill and then forgot about it. Oppps. When I came running outside as if my hair was on fire I was very thankful to see it was not a black mess, but interestingly I did not have to flip the meat??? Either way, meat, lettuce, salsa, sour cream and avocado all packed into a plump tortilla.... forgetaboutit.




Oh and the company…superb as always!!


So I have been super busy of late, working on a big project. I miss seeing some of my favorite blogs but hope I will get more time for my favorite reads once I finish tieing up some loose ends. That said, I hope everyone checks out St. Stephen’s Farmers Market this summer http://saintstephensrichmond.net/templates/System/details.asp?id=47922&PID=730854. If you want more teasers...follow me on twitter...all for now….