Living Our Dream

Welcome to our blog. We hope you will find this an interesting place to visit as we update you on our products and why we think they are the best anywhere. We want to give you a chance to get to know us as we get to know you. Hopefully we will be able to offer you some helpful hints to make your life better. We are so happy to be doing what we are doing at this time in our life. We are living our dream and we invite you to come along with us as we grow together.

Evelyn & Debbie

Friday, June 19, 2009

Lovely Lavender


I have always loved the smell of Lavender. From the very first time that my mom pulled me close to give me a hug and smelling that sweet fragrance that was her Lavender body power until today it is still my favorite fragrance. I really never knew that much about the versatility of Lavender until we started our candle and bath & body business and I started to research the benefits of natural herbs.
The ancient Greeks called the lavender herb nardus, after the Syrian city of Naarda. It was also commonly called nard.
Lavender was one of the holy herbs used in the biblical Temple to prepare the holy essence, and Nard is mentioned in the Song of Solomon (4,14) .During Roman times, flowers were sold for 100 denarii per pound, which was about the same as a month's wages for a farm labourer. Lavender was commonly used in Roman baths to scent the water, and it was thought to restore the skin. The oil from Lavender may be used externally or topically for a wide variety of ailments. Lavender is frequently used in by Aroma therapists as a inhalation therapy to help with nervous disorders and exhaustion.
Culinary use of Lavender
Chefs in and around Provence, France have been incorporating this herb into their cuisine for centuries, either alone or as an ingredient of heres de Provence,. I love this blend and I buy it from William Sonoma. Lavender lends a floral, slightly sweet, and elegant flavour to most dishes, and pairs beautifully with various sheep's and goat's milk cheeses. Personally I find that Lavender is most akin to rosemary and I use it as a rub on my roast, chicken, and even fish.
I want to leave you with a recipes that I love. I will post more later.
Lavender Tea Cakes (a classic butter cookie perfumed with Lavender)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks (1 cup ) unsalted butter softened
1 cup DayBreak Farm Lavender Sugar.
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Into a bowl sift together flour, salt,and baking powder. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until mixture just forms a dough. Divide dough between two sheets of wax paper and form each half into a 10-x1 1/2 incg log, wrapping it in wax papper. Chill logs until firm, at least 4 hours, and up to 5 days. Dough may be frozen, wrapped in foil, 2 months. Let dough soften slightly before cutting. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly butter a baking sheet. Cut dough into 1/8 -inch -thick slices and arrange slices about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until golden around edges. 10 to 12 minutes, and transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool. Cookies may be kept in an airtight container at room tempture for 5 days.

Stay tuned to the Goode News Blog for more updates on the uses for Lavender.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Honeysuckle's and Hummingbirds

Topping the list of all the things I love, besides the aroma of a good cup of coffee, topping the list is the sweet smell of honeysuckle. And to watch a hummingbird hovering to drink the honey nectar from the flower. The fragrance of honeysuckle takes me back to summertime's now long gone before air conditioners and T V. As a young girl I remember the fragrance of honeysuckle consuming the night air as we sat on the porch and indulged ourselves in the sweetness. And by day we would pick the flowers and consume that one drop of liquid candy that was the nectar in each honeysuckle flower. I remember my brothers teaching me how to pick the flower and then carefully pull on the end of the flower and a string would show up and you would gently pull it down the center of the flower and then put that one drop of sweetness in your mouth and indulge.
Suburban sprawl has taken away most of our wild honeysuckles. I still have some in my yard but I know a lot of people that don't. So I invite those of you who don't to try our Honeysuckle Fragrance Soy Candle to bring summer into your home and enjoy the smell of summer all year long. Just go to our website at http://www.goodescents.com/ to find an array of of natural soy products.
Evelyn & Debbie