edible dough

More than cookies I love cookie dough!

Random tidbit/theory from Heather Cookie can be spelled Cooky spellcheck doesn't like it though, we use ie because when plural like they normally are it would change from a y to ies. Nick and I have cookbooks with several cooky recipes but most are plural cookies since they do make more than one cooky!
Onto the edible dough! I know I am not the only cookie dough fan in the world but we all have to worry about that nasty thing raw eggs can give us called salmonella! I read a few years back that you can make an egg replacer out of flax seed(and that stuff is so good for you why not!) So the first time I tried it I mixed the water and flax meal and set it aside for a bit like the directions I found at the time said...I think it worked but not so well I was thrilled about the outcome and wanted to try it again soon.
The other day I was making some "Milk Maker Cookies" (I said that when I couldn't think of the word lactation and like it better than Lactation Cookies) and didn't have enough eggs. Remembering I could use flax seed but didn't remember the water to flax meal ratio or how much for one egg, I looked it up and "hey!" there is a trick to it!
Flax seed meal egg replacer is a 1:3 ratio so one egg it 1Tbsp flax seed meal and 2-3Tbsp water and simmer it on the stove till it reaches an egg like consistency!
You can use flax seeds, 1:4 ratio but you need to blend the seeds in a blender(make your own flax meal) and then mix in the water.
You can make a large batch of either and store it in the fridge for a short time to use when needed
Important: Flax seed needs to be stored in an airtight container or in the fridge in order to keep the beneficial oil from drying out

So after successfully using this vegan friendly egg replacer I thought "Well what else would I need to eliminate to make cookies entirely vegan friendly?" Butter! that's not hard people have been using applesauce in place of butter for years.
If I hadn't fed my little star all the applesauce I would be attempting Vegan Milk Maker cookies right now!

When I do get some apple sauce I will be trying this recipe. She has already substituted the butter out.

Amber & Hazel

Baltic amber and hazelwood, I had heard a bit about both and that they were good for teething babies. Since Estrella is teething I looked into them and decided to get her a necklace with both. I also got myself one to see if I could tell if it works and because I love the look of them. I ordered them from Hazelaid because I wanted to be sure I was getting the right kind of amber on the necklace.

Baltic amber I read someplace and now am not too sure where is supposed to leak a natural painkilling oils into the skin

Hazelwood is supposed to absorb excess acids from the body and I know I got that from info on there site or info that came with the necklaces. Since it absorbing it can only absorb so much, this page on there site answers questions about when and how to tell and includes a photo

So Do they work?
I have read online people who notice a difference in a short period and people who say they don't do anything or make things worse.
For Estrella I can't really tell if her teething is bothering her any more or less. She seems to fuss about the same maybe a bit less, but maybe her pain tolerance has increased since she has had to deal with the teething pain for a while now. One thing I have noticed a big change in is how often she does #2(I read somewhere the hazelwood could help with constipation but now can't find it) she had been going about once every 5 days, but now is going every other day that also could be associated with the teething itself but I truly think its the necklace that I bought too big so is worn on her wrist.
I don't have any consistent pains that I can put on the necklace and know for sure it helped or if it went away on its own, I suffer from headaches and heartburn on occasion, I do think it helps with both but can't be too sure.
I wouldn't say they are magical and you notice a difference right away like some people claim, but I would recommend them because I do think they work!

recycled plastic bag fabric

While on my quest for cheap reusable shopping bags, I stumbled across bag fabric. I watched a tutorial and read up on it a little but knew it wasn't what I was looking for so moved on. In the back of my mind I kept thinking of the cool it looked and the things you could do with it...plus you gotta blog about something cool!

1)In a well ventilated area (I did it outside) Cover your ironing board with paper.
2) Turn bag inside out(especially if it has printing on it, the outside fuses to things easily)
3) Do step #6 then fold bag into quarters
4) Cover with another sheet of paper
5)I thought I read set iron to rayon, but polyester worked better for me
6) Should be much earlier, its a double oops. I realized at this point maybe it would iron better without the handles(and it did) then loaded pictures pretty much in the order I took them and am too lazy to go in and re-edit
7) Trim so you have straighter edges
8) Lay them out in a pattern or design you like
9) Flip it over and tape the edges to keep the design you liked
10) Sew together using long stitches, the closer the holes are the easier it will be to tear since you are giving it a perforated line to tear on

Have fun and be creative

• I took a plastic lei apart to use the flowers and played with putting them inside the bag or laying them on top
  


• I had a bag I didn't want the design folded and ruined so I folded another bag around it
  


• I cut around the petals of a flower so I could pull that layer on top while the layer of plastic it was fused to was really on the bottom
  

Things you don't want

• Air bubbles and holes in the bag (I think air bubbles are from not enough pressure or not hot enough and holes are from too much) I was ending up with a bit of both till I got the right temp
  


• Too much heat or forgetting to turn a bag inside out can cause fusing to the paper(good thing about paper and plastic, get it wet and the paper rubs off easily leaving the plastic undamaged)
  


• Run out of thread while sewing, puts unused holes in the fabric leaving the fabric weakened