Mass Market Here We Come

Coming soon to a store near you - ALOF and CZ Luxe are approved vendors at several shops. Wanna see our products in you local stores? JUST ASK!

In the spirit of giving back to the communities which helps us thrive, especially during the holidays, we have several upcoming events where a healthy % of sales proceeds will be donated to local charitable causes!

Art for Animals

S.A.V.E. animal rescue is holding its first ever art auction to raise much-needed funds for their non-profit, grassroots mission to save animals from harm and suffering.

ALOF and its CEO/Founder Christine Ziegler is proud to be one of more than a dozen fabulous artists who have donated their work!

If you are an artist who would like to donate a piece of work please contact them: Savepetny@aol.com or by phone 212-989-3456

This event will take place on December 3, 2010
7:00pm - 9:00pm at:
The Lerner Auditorium @ The LGBT Center
208 West 13th Street (Between 7th and 8th Ave)
New York, NY

Other contributing artists include: Kelly Haigh, Nina Friday, Ric Frane, Joanna Ebenstein, Lou (Art & Ghosts), Scott Cohn, Joel Peter Witkin, Mary Governalli-Garcia and many more!

So many animals need our help -- Please help us help them!

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ABOUT S.A.V.E.
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S.A.V.E Animal Rescue, is a non- profit, all volunteer run animal rescue. Our mission is to rescue homeless and abandoned animals.

We do not have a shelter facility. Rescued animals reside in veterinary offices, boarding facilities or foster homes until we are able to adopt them into the loving homes they need and deserve.

S.A.V.E additionally helps various communities by educating and advising people on proper animal care, assisting with spaying and neutering, and providing TNR services for feral cats.

We rely on the kindness and generosity of our supporters & animal lovers alike who open their hearts & homes through donation, fostering, sponsoring & adopting.

www.saveanimalrescue.org

Missing Web Site - We're Back! :)

ALOF experienced some world wide web related technical difficulties between 11/5 and 11/10. Due to that our site was unexpectedly down for the past several days.

All is well now in the shire and the elves are back at work making aromatic delights, enchanting the land and posting their wares for sale at:

www.alittleolfactory.com and www.czluxe.com

They also take pictures but the photography site is still a work in progress.

The Aromatic Brined Turkey

Thanksgiving is one of our most cherished holidays. It’s a time to gather with family and friends, and celebrate the gracious bounty and blessings that have been bestowed upon us over the past year. It is also the time of year when many folks struggle to prepare a juicy turkey ;)

Brining a turkey is one of the best ways to give you a moist, tasty, tender, satisfying holiday bird. The turkey absorbs moisture and flavor in this overnight preparation process. It also cuts down on the amount of work while cooking as it does not require basting and the constant attention that an un-brined bird does.

It is important to pick a turkey that has not been injected with a “solution” or a Kosher Turkey (which already has been soaked and salted). A fresh turkey over a frozen turkey is generally preferred for flavor and is less likely to be “adulterated” in any way.

NOTE: You may also use this brining method for a goose

Ingredients

1 14 to 16 pound whole Turkey

Brine Mixture
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 drop orange essential oil
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 drop lemon essential oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 &1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups Kosher salt or coarse Celtic Sea salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
8 chopped garlic cloves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
½ tablespoon allspice berries
1 drop cumin essential oil
1 drop oregano essential oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Aromatics Mixture
1 apple, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 fresh sage leaves
1 bay leaf

Yield:10 to 12 servings

Directions for Turkey
1. Rinse the turkey under cold running water.
Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

2. To make the brining liquid, combine the brine mixture ingredients above
with 2 gallons of cold water in a large glass or stainless steel pot. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.

3. Place the turkey in the pot with the brining liquid. Refrigerate at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours. Turn the turkey periodically to ensure that the turkey is evenly marinated.

4. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the brine and put it in a large, heavy roasting pan, on a rack, breast side up. Lightly rinse the turkey (to prevent it from being too salty). Pat dry with paper towels. Discard brine.

5. Rub the turkey with vegetable oil (preferably a good quality olive oil).

6. Gently tuck the wings in under themselves to prevent burning
(this is preferable to trussing the bird, which will only prolong cooking time).

7. Microwave the apples, onion, cinnamon, bay leaf and water from the aromatic stuffing mixture on high for 4-5 minutes, or simmer on stove for 5 minutes. Lightly stuff bird with steeped aromatics mixture along with the rosemary and sage.* Add aromatic water to bottom of the roasting pan.

*This is not a traditional edible stuffing, it will be discarded after cooking (see stuffing note below).

8. Roast the turkey uncovered at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees F, cover the breast area with foil and roast until meat reaches an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees F. on an instant-read meat thermometer (about 2-2&1/2 hours).

9. Remove from the oven and let stand in the roasting pan or on a serving platter for 20 minutes before carving.

*Stuffing Note:
If you are going to make a traditional accompaniment stuffing side dish, it is strongly recommended you cook it separately from the bird and not stuff it in the bird itself, especially if the bird is over 15 lbs. This is because a large bird like a turkey requires several hours to heat through to the center. A bread (or rice) stuffing provides an ideal environment for bacterial growth.

One way to solve this problem in birds under 15 lbs is by preheating the stuffing (a microwave is the easiest, quickest method) to 120 to 130 degrees. This gives the stuffing a head start on the cooking process so that the turkey does not overcook as it waits for the stuffing to reach the proper internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Happy, safe, holiday blessings to all!

Alep Soap

In the ancient artisan soap making center of Aleppo the sabuncu's special is traditionally prepared from a combination of olive and bay oils; lovely gifts from trees which have graced Mediterranean region with their bounty for thousands of years.

Our Liquid Alep Soap is an homage to this art; containing only pure oils of Organic Extra Virgin Olive & Wildgrown Bay Leaf, Distilled Water & Laurel Seed Hydrosol.

Enjoy a true natural wonder this holiday season - ALOF's Liquid Alep Soap.

Fair Trade and Fabulous: The Pottery of Mata Ortiz

We all love acquiring beautiful things, especially when they do wonderful things!

CZ Luxe, sister company of A Little Ol’Factory, is very happy to announce one of the newest items in our Artisan Line of ecologically & socially friendly products and packaging: Fair Trade Pottery from Mata Ortiz, Mexico.

Through the sale of their pottery, the inhabitants of Mata Ortiz are slowly transforming their community from one of impoverishment to one of economic stability.

Every stage of production of this pottery is done completely by hand, and each one-of-a-kind piece is purchased directly from the potter. Raw clay and pigment for the pots and paints are collected from the rich deposits found in surrounding hills and valleys. The potter's hand's form the pots, the hair of the children is used to make the paint brushes, the firing is done in the back yard with wood and cow dung is used as the fuel.

We are working with a member of the Fair Trade Federation who meets directly with the individual artists, discussing custom orders, buying each one of a kind piece from the artisan, keeping the cost to the consumer reasonable, paying the producer fairly and developing relationships based on reciprocal benefits and mutual respect.

Your purchase supports these efforts and furthers the worldwide Fair Trade movement.

This holiday season we will feature these delicate detailed, small, black on black seed pots filled with CZ Luxe Room Perfume . Made with only the finest floral waxes, resins, herbs, barks, essential oils, absolutes & extracts. We NEVER use synthetic fragrances or cheap sawdust bases.

We believe that by crafting with only quality, natural ingredients, we are offering you some of the finest aromatics you'll ever experience. The same depth, intensity & character is something that we feel cannot truly be obtained with synthetic ingredients and cheap fillers.

Kids' Blog: About Rosemary - By Bria

Hi I`m Chris`s friend`s daughter, Bria. I am 12 yrs old and i love to txt. thts y most of my stuff below will b in txt. It is 2010 and i am writing about Rosemary. we grow Rosemary in the front yard. Its easy to grow, u don't need to do much. water it, and give it sunlight, see not much. Basically its a small-ish plant that smells like lemony vick`s rub, like if u bustd open a freshly peeled lemon with vicks. smell it but b sure not to get it too close to yr eyes bc it hurts rlly bad. Rosemary rlly smells tht fresh, may b even a lil fresher. its small and green, and if u cook chances r u have cooked something with Rosemary. well tht concludes our blog for today. have a great friday.

<3 Bria :)

Days of Barbecued Peach Pie & Cobbler

Here is an old blog post I found that was never published! And yes, once again, tis the season to have pumpkin chai spice soap curing! :)

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Summer is officially unofficially over. Labor day weekend, that age old line of demarcation signifying that yet another summer has come to an end and wearing of white has passed with it (which doesn't really affect me since I personally rarely wear white any time of the year).

This holiday weekend I was blessed with a wonderful deal on organic peaches that needed to be used immediately (there was a reason they were such a great deal). One could not ask for more juicy sweet peaches to make pie and cobbler with - but my oven died upon arriving home from my holiday away with family (the new oven arrives Saturday - Yay!).

Well I really wanted that pie and cobbler, but the oven broke, so I decided to make them on the barbecue (I'll have to find the photo). They came out so well that I've gained 6 lbs (add that to the weight I gained on holiday with mom feeding me - Oi!). They were the best barbecued pastries I've ever had.

With that note marking the end of my summer, I say its time to get ready for the holidays, darlings! Today I'm making my annual batch of our most popular seasonal favorite - Organic Pumpkin Chai Spice Soap which should be ready to go for the true arrival of Autumn! :)

Asure (Turkish Wheat Pudding)

Asure (Turkish Wheat Pudding)

This is one of the oldest and most traditional deserts in Turkish cuisine. Legend says "When the Flood finally subsided and Noah's Arc settled on Mount Ararat in Agri, those on the vessel wanted to hold a celebration as an expression of the gratitude they felt towards God, but alas, the food storages of the ship were practically empty. So they made a soup with all the remaining ingredients they could find and thus ended up with 'Asure'.

Following that legend, today Asure is prepared by cooking together at least fifteen ingredients which vary slightly by region. For example, in the Çorum region, known as "Pekmezli Hedik" molasses is used and replaces sugar. In Gaziantep anise is added to that version.

Servings: 10

Ingredients:
Dövme (dehusked wheat for Asure) 1 cup
Chickpeas 1/3 cup
Dry white beans 1/3 cup
Rice 2 tablespoons
Water 12 ½ cups
Dried apricots 10
Dried figs 5
Raisins (seedless) ½ cup
Orange 1 small size
Sugar 1 2/3 cups
Rose water 2-4 Tbsp
Walnuts (not crushed) 2/3 cup
Pomegranate ½ small size

Preparation :
Rinse the wheat, chickpeas and dried beans. Soak beans and chickpeas, separately, each in 1 cup of water, overnight. Soak the Dövme and rice together in 2 cups of water, overnight.

Add 3 cups of water to the Dövme and 2 cups of water each to chick peas and beans and place them individually on the burner. Cook the Dövme until the grains are dissolved and the starch comes out. If necessary boil the chickpeas in a pressure cooker.

Rinse dried fruit and soak them for 2 hours in 1 ½ cups of water.

Mix the cooked ingredients and the dry fruit in a pan and cook for 15 minutes.

Peel the orange and cut the rind, including the white inner part into 3-4 cm long and 1 cm wide strips. Divide the orange slices into 4-5 pieces. Add them to the mixture altogether and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes and turn off the heat. Add the rosewater and stir.

Pour into dessert cups. Garnish with walnuts and pomegranate seeds.

Blossoming Pineapple & Olive Clay Mask

Pineapple & Olive Clay Mask

Pineapple contains protein digestive enzymes and fruit acids that help
remove dead skin cells and dirt, as well as leaving skin smooth and
soft. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is mildly astringent.

Olive oil has vitamin E which is very nourishing to the skin, and it has other wonderful healing properties.

The occasional use of clays such as kaolin, green clay
or betonite can be very good for drawing dirt and toxins
out of the skin.

Combined they make a wonderful mask for the face and the rest of the
body - it is a super treat if you can get someone to give you a body
wrap with it.

This mask is simple to make and deliciously effective -and it smells
yummy too! ... I hope you enjoy my little "spa recipe" as much as I do.

Recipe:

In a food processor puree about 1/2 cup of pineapple, 2 Tbsp of neroli hydrosol (use rose hydrosol if your skin is dry or sensitive) add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, add a few Tbsp of clay - starting with 2 Tbsp and adding more as you blend to get it to the paste consistency you'd like. Spread over skin, massaging gently and leave on for about 15-20 minutes (it will not fully dry - it'll be kinda sticky). Rinse with warm water. Pat dry. Tone skin with a spritz of rose or neroli hydrosol. Enjoy having baby soft skin :)

This recipe will make enough to do a face and some body parts - or a
couple of facials. You can freeze the leftovers to use later that week.
It might change color slightly, but the enzyme activity will still be
effective, as freezing slows enzyme activity but does not stop it, and
once warm again the enzymes will return to being fully active.Do not
re-freeze after thawing.

The Present - Happy New Year!

Rosh Hashanah blessings to all my friends acknowledging the Wheel of Time turning to year 5771!

Each little milestone marker of instance and existence reminds me that yesterday can never come again and tomorrow will happen in some way or another; so don't bother to fret over yesterday or tomorrow and just be all you can in the moment and enjoy it. The present is just that, a gift.

Happy New Year!
שנה טובה
L'Shanah Tova!!

Hold The Triclosan, Please

A little over 2 years ago I blogged about the potential dangers of Triclosan's use in liquid soaps and other household products. Today I've once again stumbled across an article that brought it to the forefront of my mind. There are many findings which show it has an overall negative effect when it comes out of the hospital and is used wide scale by the general public. These not so good effects include but are not limited to aiding the development of drug resistant "super bugs" and causing environmental and wildlife damage.

Despite these facts, the usage of Triclosan in products on the mass market level has actually increased by 40% over the past 2 years! Items such as "Anti-bacterial" toiletries, cutting boards with "Microban", and clothes with "Biofresh" all contain Triclosan; another toxic chemical now ending up in water systems in larger quantities than ever before. Going down the drain does not render it inert or safe.

We at ALOF believe it is unnecessary to add to this issue by using any soaps and other toiletries containing Triclosan. The 100% Olive Oil Liquid Castile Soap that we make is the same soap that we use to wash our bodies, our children and our homes every day. Varieties of the soap which contain essential oils such as Tea Tree and Lavender not only smell pleasant but the aromatics are proven to have antiseptic benefits. Cleaning confidently, efficiently and effectively can add a gentle pleasure to life, without creating "superbugs" and poisoning our waters!