Upcycled Face Lotion Bottle to Reed Dispenser/Vase

I had a used bottle of AVEDA face lotion that I could never bring myself to throw away because of how beautiful and solid it looked. So I converted it to a fragrance reed dispenser, using some paint and masking tape!

The original bottle

I used Martha Stewart's silver liquid gilding paint and a "foam popsicle".

Clean up for this paint is by using xylene. Which I do not have. So, I decided that I will not risk a fine bristled brush on this job until I acquire some xylene!!

And the finished product:

The edges did not come out quite that sharp. May be next time I will get frog tape instead of painters tape.

And oh, yes, I lied a little. It's not quite finished. This is how far I got before I had to stop last year.

I think I will finish it up sometime this year. If you look closely you can see the lettering still kinda visible under the silver paint. May be I will fix that too. Or may be I wont bother.

Who says you only have to use it as a reed dispenser? You can also use it to display your awesome flowers:

---

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Lentil Pistachio Salad in Lime EVOO Dressing

I read somewhere that pairing lentils and pistachio nuts gives you a complete protein profile. So I have been thinking about how to combine these two in something awesome. Today, was the day that I finally managed to make this salad.

The Ingredients

• 3.25 cups of cooked whole lentils. Not mushy, just cooked.
• 1/4 cup salted, roasted pistachios-- shelled
• 2.5 cups of chopped carrots
• 1 garlic pod
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
• 3" piece cinnamon stick
• 1 tomatillo (completely unnecessary -- I added it because I had it)
• You could sub celery or green/red peppers for above
• EVOO -- 1/8 cups or less
• salt and pepper corns to taste

The Method

1. To make the cooked lentils: I soak a whole batch of whole lentils in water for a day or a little more. Rinse and then cook it all in a pot of water. I don't use pressure cooker for this, because pressure cookers will make the lentils mushy. It should be possible to cook it in the electric rice cooker, although I have never tried. I store the cooked lentils in the freezer and use as necessary.
2. Put 1/8 cup of salted, shelled pistachio in a blender or food processor and pulse to chop it unevenly and set aside.
3. Chop the carrots and microwave them for about 2 minutes -- cooking them slightly lets the beta carotene be more accessible.
4. Chop the other veggies-- tomatillos or green pepper or celery
5. Combine all of these ingredients in a large bowl.
6. Squeeze a half of the lime into the blender
7. Add the olive oil.
8. Drop in the cinnamon sticks and cumin seeds
9. Add a few pepper corns and a little salt
10. Give it all a whir in the blender until it looks creamy. Some of the cinnamon pieces and peppers will not have ground up well. That's what I like since I like to see some texture in my dressing.
11. Add the finely chopped garlic into the blender and give it a final whir to incorporate everything together.
12. Pour dressing over the salad and mix thoroughly. Enjoy!

Some resources:

• To cook or not to cook your veggies
• Other lentil-pistachio salads:
• http://foodbloggaprintrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/04/raw-beet-lentil-and-pistachio-salad.html
• http://food52.com/recipes/12861-lentil-salad-with-fresh-peas-pistachios-mint-sheep-s-milk-feta

---

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

And Now it's the Lilac's Turn

Despite being cleaved straight down the middle by Sandy, this tree is still going strong!


The stuff at the foot of the tree is for another post. So, check back often! :)

Meanwhile, just enjoy the richness of these beauties!

And oh! the scent!

Up close and personal!

And then, on the very same tree, the left hand side branches were carrying this variegated version of the flower!

I couldn't help but bring some in. I know they wont last long. But, I couldn't help myself.

And here is some scientific stuff on the mysterious Ms Lilac and how to try to prolong the bouquet.

Oh and that vase. Ah well... that is another post altogether!

---

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Pink Snow Showers!

I suppose if you bloom like this

You will have to eventually shed like this

  and like this:

and like this:

I am glad that despite suffering some damage from Sandy, this tree was all happy to see spring again!

Happy May and Happy Mother's Day everyone!

---

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.