Kitchen Soap

Most of my creations come from moments that I am just sitting around analyzing things or day dreaming, I guess.  This is one of those creations.  I've heard that coffee grounds are great in kitchen soap because they get the smell of onions, garlic and other unpleasant foods off of your hands.  I've also heard that orange zest is a great addition to soap for it's exfoliating properties and it's crisp freshness.  So I was thinking...coffee...orange juice...if I had milk it would be the trinity of breakfast beverages, LOL!  So I came up with this goats milk, orange zest, coffee grind soap.  It doesn't smell like much...kind of just smells like the vanilla and sugar that were in the coffee grounds from using my french press this morning.

To make the soap, melt 12 squares from a block of goats milk soap base (can be purchased at Hobby Lobby).  Add to it about 4 tbsp. used coffee grinds and about 1/4 c. orange zest (also purchased at Hobby Lobby).  Mix well and pour into soap molds.  This should make 4 (7 oz.) bars.  I would not make more than I could use or give away in a month.  The soap base could probably make 10 bars.

Then wrap them in freezer paper and tape closed as shown below.  Keep in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight.

Greek Spinach Pie and Turkish Salad

Greek Spinach Pie
8 oz. fresh spinach
2 green onions
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp fresh dill (I used basil), chopped
ground black pepper
4 large sheets fillo pastry (I used 8)
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375*F. Rinse the spinach and shake it off. Heat it in a pot with the lid on until it is blanched. Drain well on a towel. Chop the spinach and mix with everything but the pastry and oil. Oil the baking sheet with a pastry brush and olive oil. Fold one sheet of fillo in half. Brush with oil and spoon 1/4 of the spinach mixture onto the corner of the fillo. Roll it up across the sheet then turn the sides in so that it looks like a crescent. Brush well with oil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly.

Turkish Salad
1 head romaine, chopped
1 green and 1 red bell pepper
1/2 cucumber
4 tomatoes (I used 1/2 a bag of those cherry tomatoes)
1 red onion (I used 1/4 of a red onion)
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
black olives to garnish

For the dressings:
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp. chopped fresh mint (I left this out)
salt and pepper to taste

Chop all veggies into bite size bits and place in a bowl with cheese and olives. Use an emersion blender, whisk, etc. to combine dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and toss well.

This meal would be good with shaved gyro meat.