Cakes *and* Soap

Why do I only get the urge to be creative when I'm sick ????

Is it because the first thing I do when I feel unwell is make the kitchen spotless ???  A spotless kitchen to me is the same as having a pocket full of cash in a shopping mall.  It must be spent immediately - or in this case, used immediately.

Or is it the same reason that I persist in stitching on the train on Monday mornings.  I know I'm going to make mistakes, I know I will have to undo what I've done, but I still persist in doing it anyway ????

Or is that I need I need virus in my system to overwhelm my Superego and let my Id out to play ???

Either which way I was very creative and somewhat productive today ....

First up I made muffins.  To be more exact I made a gluten-free version of these ....

http://theblackoven.blogspot.com/2008/03/le-petit-gateau-du-les-legions-noire.html

Please go click on the site - you see immediately why these have been gnawing at my creative side for a while .....

I used a gluten-free flour and a gluten substitute.  As these are not normal cakes, and I am horrendously ill with a virus, I'm not quite sure these came out as intended.  After all the instructions did say not to overmix the batter.  Well mine didn't even become a batter, they were more like a cross between playdough and an Aero bar .... or perhaps a cross between a moon rock and a mud cake.

Either way they are very very delicious and I ate a couple straight out of the oven.  I didn't have any obscure French metal so I played German (Rammstein) and Canadian (Strapping Young Lad) while partaking of my cakes and tea.

Speaking of which did anyone in Australia watch the series return of Bones last night?  Stephen Fry playing a psychologist to David Boreanaz.  Two of my favourite lust objects for very different reasons, interacting :) :)

{and before anybody comments - I know Stephen Fry is gay - its not his body that I primarily lust over .....)

Ah where were we - oh yeah, after the cakes I cleaned the kitchen to a spotless state again and remembered that I have wanted to make another batch of soap - a slow curing one for my birthday this year.  So I pulled out and tweaked my favourite recipe.

250gm Lard
250gm Coconut oil
250gm Rice Bran oil
120gm Grapeseed oil
100gm Cocoa Butter
30gm Castor oil
2 toothpicks of orange soap colouring ...

137gm lye
250gm water

The addition of castor oil, even in such small doses will make this one a very long curing soap - it will not be able to be used in under 8 weeks - but the bubbles should be big and fat when its ready ....

I had the oils melted and the lye solution prepared when I realised I am completely out of five fold Orange essential oil.  In fact I am out of all orange essential oil.  And I really really really wanted to make my favourite citrus blend .... oh well.

What else can I add in instead?  Didn't want to play with the citrus because I had a definite combination in mind, OK back to the fragrances.  Green Irish Tweed?  Bonsai?  Chai Tea? Vanilla Sandalwood?

I had already put in orange colouring - none of these were orange fragrances to me ..... aha.  Dragonfire !!!!!

DragonFire: "Sophisticated, complex and heady are the keys to this magnificent fragrance. It's so multi-faceted you will find layers of musks, ambers, a touch of patchouli, Nag Champa, cedars to warm and enhance this exotic fragrance, and much more."

Yep that sounds orange enough to me. Can't smell a bloody thing, but oh well - someone will tell me if its any good after they use it.  Someone? Anyone?

Mix through, poured into a box mould and wrapped in a few towels to conserve heat.  Trubs is doing her bit by sleeping on top of it.

Cleaned up the kitchen to spotless again, ate another muffin.  Decided to try the Sandalwood Vanilla fragrance.  Only got a small tester bottle so it will be a small batch.  So I pulled out my guest soap moulds.

150gm Coconut oil
150gm lard
100gm Rice Bran oil
100gm Cocoa Butter

70gm lye
125gm water

This soap wont have huge bubbles - bit it will be ooh so conditioning and make your skin soooo soft.  Each my shorts Dove - you commercially producers of overhyped crap! 

Sandalwood Vanilla: "A perfectly balanced unisex blend. It mellows gorgeously in soap -- think Sam Elliott in a faded denim shirt. (Younger customers, replace Sam Elliott with Owen Wilson; international customers, please substitute Jude Law, Russell Crowe, and Deepak Chopra.)"

What can I say - I thought Sam Elliott was the perfect actor for the role of Lee Scoresby in the Golden Compass .... as for the other actors mentioned - meh!

Basically I adore sandalwood and I'm playing with vanilla fragrances - so why not.  It was in the cupboard after all ....

Again, you need to be able to breathe through your nose to be able to smell - so again I hope that in a few weeks time at least someone, anyone will be able to let me know if it smells nice.

Made the batch up, it behaved perfectly.  Made 14 or 15 little guest soap sized bars.  Again all wrapped up and next to the other wrapped parcel on the table ....

Hmm - Trubs is now asleep on that one - make that - 14 or 15 "squished" bars - the individual moulds have nowhere near the durability and stiffness of the box mould.

I'm tired now.  Going for a nap and then might do some stitching tonight.

I'm not cleaning the kitchen back up to spotless just in case ...

I'm tired - someone want to make me a cup of tea so I don't have to walk into that kitchen again.

So ... anyone want to try either of these soaps when they are ready? let me know and I'll list names down - and send care parcels out later in the year .....

Seeing as I don't have enough energy to get up and take a picture of Trubs sleeping on the soaps - here's a picture I took this morning.

I mean honestly where else do you expect a librarian's cat to sleep?