Starr Treatments

08/04/2016

08/04/2016

It's not what you do int the gym that makes you fit, it's what you do all day. Fitness is a lifestyle.

07/04/2016

First you feel like dying then you feel reborn.

07/04/2016

You don’t demand respect, you earn it.

06/04/2016

How to make Homemade Bronzer

6 tsp zinc oxide
1½ tsp sericite mica
1 tsp silk powder (optional)
½ tsp magnesium stearate
2 tsp French red clay
¼ tsp jojoba oil
5 drops vitamin E oil
5/8 tsp bronze mica
5/8 tsp brown oxide
½ tsp red oxide
1 tsp yellow oxide
Mix everything but the oxides and mica together. Pass through a fine sieve again and again, until smooth. Gradually add in the colourings, passing through the sieve between additions. Test on your skin to gauge the colour and correct as needed. Store in a mason jar.
If you have a DIY coffee grinder you can also do all your blending in there instead.

06/04/2016

"You learn to cook so that you don't have to be a slave to recipes. You get what's in season and you know what to do with it.
Julia Child"

04/04/2016

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Ingredients

60 maraschino cherries with stems
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons corn syrup
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 pound chocolate confectioners' coating

Drain cherries and set on paper towels to dry.

In a medium bowl, combine butter and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in confectioners' sugar and knead to form a dough. Chill to stiffen if necessary. Wrap each cherry in about 1 teaspoon of dough. Chill until firm.

Melt confectioners' coating in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Dip each cherry in by its stem, and place on waxed paper lined sheets. Chill until completely set. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Best after 1 or 2 weeks.

04/04/2016

"“The cucumber and the tomato are both fruit; the avocado is a nut. To assist with the dietary requirements of vegetarians, on the first Tuesday of the month a chicken is officially a vegetable.”
― Jasper Fforde, Shades of Grey"

01/04/2016

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
Mother Teresa"

01/04/2016

Cinnamon Vanilla Sugar Scrub

Ingredients:

1/2 cup White Sugar

1/2 cup Raw Cane Sugar (baking aisle)

up to 1/4 cup oil (Olive Oil, Almond Oil, or Coconut Oil)

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract or Essential Oil

2-3 drops of Cinnamon Essential Oil (I love DoTerra’s)

dash of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

Simply mix all the sugars and the vanilla and the essential oils. Then gradually add the oil base mixing while pouring. Add the oil until you are happy with the texture and consistency of the scrub. I like mine a little on the non-oily side. But it is just a matter of preference really.

30/03/2016

when sleeping women wake, mountains move.

30/03/2016

Rather than aiming to be perfect, just aim to be a little better today than you were yesterday

29/03/2016

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy - it's all that matters. Audrey Hepburn

28/03/2016

Ghostly Granola Bites

Ingredients

10
oz vanilla-flavored candy coating (almond bark) (from 20-oz package), chopped
1
pouch (8.4 oz) Nature Valley™ protein soft baked honey almond granola bites
Betty Crocker™ black decorating gel (from 0.68-oz tube)
Steps

1
Line work surface with cooking parchment paper. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave almond bark uncovered on High 30 seconds, stirring and heating in additional 15-second increments until almond bark can be stirred smooth.
2
Remove granola bites from package. Using toothpick or fork, dip granola bite into melted almond bark, shaking off excess and placing on parchment paper. Repeat for remaining granola bites.
3
Let stand 15 minutes to set; apply eyes and mouth with black decorating gel. Let stand an additional 10 minutes before serving.

28/03/2016

Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there.-Bo Jackson

23/03/2016

“The first recipe for happiness is: avoid too lengthy meditation on the past.” Andre Maurois

22/03/2016

Salisbury Steak Meatballs with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

INGREDIENTS
For Meatballs
1½ lb lean ground beef
½ cup breadcrumbs, I used Panko
1 egg
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup coarse grain mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoning salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp olive oil (for frying)
For Gravy
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup beef broth or chicken broth
2 tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp seasoning salt
1 tbsp ketchup
parsley for garnish
For Mashed Potatoes
5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
¼ to ½ cup skim milk
¼ cup light cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
Add all the meatball ingredients (excluding the olive oil) to a large bowl and mix well, use your hands. Shape into 1 inch meatballs. You should get about 40 meatballs.
Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium to high heat. Add meatballs and cook. If you're using a large skillet all meatballs should fit in one batch otherwise, you might have to fry them in a couple batches. Cook the meatballs on all sides, add more oil if needed. Remove meatballs from skillet and set aside.
To the same skillet add butter and melt. Add onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent. In a bowl add the cornstarch and beef broth and whisk. Add broth and remaining gravy ingredients to skillet, and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, sauce should thicken. If the sauce is too thick add a bit more beef broth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
When the gravy is done add the meatballs back to the skillet and toss them around so they're covered in the gravy. Garnish with parsley.
For Mashed Potatoes
Peel the potatoes and cut them in 1 inch cubes. Boil them on medium heat until potatoes are tender, for about 20 minutes.
Drain potatoes and in a medium bowl, add the potatoes, milk, butter, cream cheese and salt and pepper. Using a potato masher mash the potatoes until desired consistency. You may also use a hand mixer if you wish. Add additional milk as necessary.
Serve meatballs over mashed potatoes.

22/03/2016

If no one thinks you can, then you have to.

21/03/2016

You must do what others don’t, to achieve what others won’t

18/03/2016

Porcini Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients

¾ c. dried porcini mushrooms
4½ c. low-sodium chicken broth
8 oz. bacon
1 medium onion
2¼ c. arborio rice
½ c. dry white wine
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. fresh-ground pepper
dried bread crumbs

Directions

Make the mushroom broth: Bring 4 cups water to a simmer in a medium saucepan, completely submerge the mushrooms, and soak for 25 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Strain the water and return it to the saucepan; add the chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and keep warm.
Make the risotto: Cook bacon in a large saucepan until crisp. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside; reserve fat. Sauté onions in 2 tablespoons bacon fat until translucent -- about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook over medium heat until slightly translucent -- about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until absorbed. Add 1 cup of hot broth, stirring constantly, and cook until absorbed, continue stirring and adding broth by the cupfuls until risotto is creamy and rice is cooked through but slightly al dente -- about 25 minutes. Stir in the bacon, Parmesan, salt, and pepper and serve immediately or freeze (see Step 3).
Freeze the leftover risotto: Shape 1/4 cupfuls of cooled risotto into 2-inch patties and coat with bread crumbs. Stack patties between sheets of waxed paper and transfer to an airtight container. Store frozen for up to 2 months. To serve, cook frozen patties in a lightly oiled or buttered skillet for 6 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.

17/03/2016

A winner never whines.

16/03/2016

Erin's Adobo Eggplant Quesadillas
Ingredients
Adobo Seasoning:
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ tablespoon onion powder (I skipped)
½ tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder (I used chipotle paste)
½ teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon brown sugar
pinches of salt and pepper
Eggplant
2 small eggplant, sliced into ¼ inch pieces
olive oil, for drizzling
1½ - 2 cups shredded Taleggio cheese (I used Jack cheese)
handful of cilantro
lime slices, for serving
4 whole grain tortillas
Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk together all the seasoning ingredients. (I added a few tablespoons of olive oil to this to make it a paste).
Heat a grill pan to medium heat. Set the eggplant slices on a large plate and drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place eggplant on the grill, and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until dark grill marks form. Remove from the grill and generously brush both sides of the eggplant with the adobo paste mixture.
Assemble quesadillas with the cheese, 3-4 eggplant slices and cilantro. Fold the tortilla over the toppings and grill each side of the quesadilla until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are charred on the outside (about 3 minutes per side). Press down with a spatula to help them along.
Serve with extra adobo paste, lime slices and fresh cilantro.

16/03/2016

"I like food. I like eating. And I don't want to deprive myself of good food.
Sarah Michelle Gellar"

15/03/2016

Frankincense Sugar Scrub Recipe
Ingredients:

3/4 cup Raw Sugar

1/4 Granulated White Sugar

up to 1/4 Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

5 drops of Frankincense DoTerra Essential Oil

*optional—2 drops of Wild Orange DoTerra Essential Oil

Instructions:

Mix the sugars together in a bowl and then slowly add Olive Oil while mixing. Add enough oil to get a good consistency…but not too oily. Add your essential oil(s) drops and mix together again. Scrub should last up to 3 months in an air tight container. Use the scrub on skin as to exfoliate for smooth, soft skin. Makes about 1 cup.