Summer Food DIY & Inspiration: Homemade Ice-cream

Strawberry Ice-cream by Karboojeh Handmade: This sorbet doesn’t contain milk; it’s a different recipe from the one mentioned below in the post. This one blends strawberry with sugar only. Put in the freezer for a nice, tasty sorbet.

Homemade ice is the tastiest thing you can ever taste! With a few natural ingredients, you can make your own frozen gelato or sorbetto. You can always use your imagination for coming up with variates that suit your taste, the local produce available around you, and your budget.

Now, let’s make our own fruit-based ice-cream!

Strawberry sorbet – by Karboojeh Handmade

Simple strawberry ice-cream

Try this recipe by Karboojeh Handmade:

• Put 2-3 cups of strawberry in the blender with some sugar (depends on your taste. TIP: Just remember that when you freeze something it tastes less sugary, so maybe you need to add a little bit more than your threshold.
• Blend well
• When the strawberry is well-mashed, add some milk (or Greek-style yogurt for less calories) and blend until you form a strawberry loose paste (not too runny, not too thick)
• Place mixture in store-bought Popsicle cones or in air-tight plastic container.
• Freeze – in the freezer
• Enjoy the next day with a loved one or friend

P.S. I Only took pics of the homemade strawberry sorbet we made at home, that’s why the frozen mixture looks darkish. Frozen strawberry ice-cream mixed with milk or yogurt would be a delightful pink.

Karboojeh Top Picks: Bloggers’ ice-cream recipes

Here are a few recipes that I have collected recently. Click the pics – or the links in the captions right below them – to go to the recipes. Enjoy!

Modern ice-cream stick:

Source: asubtlerevelry.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

Rustic ice-sticks:

Source: joylicious.net via Karboojeh on Pinterest

Pink ice-sticks:

Source: andthenidothedishes.blogspot.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

Shabby-chic ice-sticks:

Source: therealityofskinny.tumblr.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

Lemon ice:

Source: wholesomecook.wordpress.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

Banana ice-cream:

Source: webmd.com via Karboojeh on Pinterest

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For more ice-cream ideas:
Homemade ice-cream – via 2littlehooligans.blogspot.com
Food recipe (ice-cream) – via therealityofskinny.tumblr.com

Bay Leaves: Remedies at your fingertips

Pic via http://www.homeandgardenideas.com

Bay leaves, aka Laurel leaves, are a small evergreen plant, that has more benefits than commonly advertised. In my part of the world, we are accustomed to using laurel soups that come all the way from Aleppo. But only very recently did I learn that this beautifully scented tree can help elevate many physical & beauty-related problems.

Bay leaves can be found in supermarkets. But if you plant them (or buy them already planted in small pots), you can have them in the soil in your garden – or keep them in pots in your small-space garden.

Those dark-green leaves can do more good than flavouring chicken soups & stews:

• They’re good for relieving aches in joints & muscles
• Healing an itchy scalp, and dandruff
• They aid digestion and have a calming effect
• Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties
• The leaves can repel ants, just by placing them the way they are in kitchen cabinets
• Mom tells me if you put a few bay leaves in pantry containers for sugar, rice, and flour, you are sure to stop tiny pests from growing in them.
• You can gargle with Bay leaf tea & even use it as a body wash
• According to e-How, “Bay leaves are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, manganese, calcium, potassium and magnesium.”

Pic via freywine.com

Bay Leaf Tea

Simply add a couple of bay leaves to boiled water. Let it sit in the kettle for 10 minutes, then drink. This tea has a calming effect and it can help in digestion.

According to e-How, you can “enjoy bay leaf tea before meals to help maintain blood sugar levels, as studies have shown that Bay leaf helps the body to process insulin more quickly to prevent spikes in blood sugar.”

Pic via cashmere.hubpages.com

Bay Leaf Anti-Aching Remedy

Did you know that buying an infusion like the one I’m about to describe will cost you much more than making it by hand? You need a cup of olive oil in a saucepan. Add several bay leaves to the oil & simmer over very low heat for 15-20 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover (so you won’t lose the goodness via evaporation). Allow cooling. Strain and massage into sore areas.

Bay Leaf Dandruff Remedy

Some water plus a few crushed Bay leaves, is all you need. Boil the water, switch off the heat, then add the leaves. Cover the pot and let it steep for 30 minutes, like you would with a tea infusion. After taking your bath, wash your hair with this tea combination, and leave it on for an hour, then wash if off again.

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Remedies come from: homeandgardenideas.com, ehow.com, mom, my observations

For more remedies you can visit: herbs2000.com

 

 

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Related Articles

• Naturally Homemade: The healing touch of Tea Tree Oil – with homemade remedies
• Naturally Homemade: DIY Grandma’s alum recipe instead of commercial deodorant
• Naturally Homemade: The healing powers of garlic
• Crafty DIY: Perfect gift for mom ~ baking soda deodorizer in a jar

O That’s Lovley: 1 day special offer TODAY to promote your crafts

To all the artisans, handmade jewelry designers & makers, and home decor crafters & companies – Please join me to a 1 day special offer TODAY to promote your handmade products at O That’s Lovely.

I had the great privilege of being approached to promote Karboojeh Handmade Jewelry over at othatslovely.com. I’m so excited about this!

Today (Tuesday- May 1, 2012)  Oh That’s Lovely are doing a Special Offer where companies & artisans alike can upload 1 image for Free instead of the usual 99p.

“If you work within the arts, crafts, jewellery and home decor fields then you are more than welcome” to the offer & the website. To contact othatslovely.com for the offer, you can go here.

This website seems to be quite new, and I love the aesthetics. They have a pretty straightforward interface, and in my opinion, “descent” Terms of Service, which you can view over here.

With the tagline Discover. Promote. Share, Oh That’s Lovely seems to be doing it the right way. They upload an image of your work that takes readers straight to your website, Etsy shop, or blog. You do the talking. This means your image has to be extra inviting to get more hits!

More about othatslovely.com?

There is a straightforward Q&A on this page that answers all your questions about the website.

I’m so looking forward to seeing my jewelry on the website, and I do hope to see your work, too!

Have a great day all,

Karboojeh

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UPDATE: I am now being featured on Oh That’s Lovely in the Jewelery section here. I also included a mention about that on my Featured page.