The End Of ChefButler

Today I came home to an email from ChefButler, explaining that their subscription box program will be ending (their last box will go out in July). I feel a strange sort of guilt that I haven't taken the time lately to show off all the amazing meals I've made thanks to their boxes, but as neither their main website or their Facebook page give any other explanation, I can make no other assumption other than that yes, they are shutting down because I didn't post enough pictures. (If I learn anything more in the next few days, I'll update.)

Now, I enjoyed this subscription a lot. It was fun, the customer service was great, and they really loved food. Regardless, I would have probably stuck with them even if they were mediocre, because as far as I know, there is no other similar program in Canada at this time. I hope that a few other companies will start up to fill the void - the various food subscriptions in the US seem to be doing well.

Thanks for the good times, ChefButler. We'll miss you!

To Come: Updated Review for Pheonix Botanicals' Jasmine Beauty Balm

Just a quick post to let you know I'll be doing an updated, solo review of the Jasmine Beauty Balm. After reading my review, Pheonix Botanicals had some questions, specifically about the balm making me break out. I agreed to give it another trial run in order to give them more thorough feedback.

Unfortunately, I was delayed by first the onset of my seasonal breakout (every season change. Never fails.), then by a several silly things (guests, changes in schedule, a nasty cold that quite frankly makes me hate everything, sheer laziness) that are really no excuse but that nevertheless prevented me from maintaining a routine. In order to make myself accountable, I'm updating you all on my intentions.

Beginning today, I'll be applying the balm twice a day - once while I get ready for my day, and once before bed, after washing my face. I'm not currently in the midst of a break-out, and I'll be giving it a two-week trial, no other changes in routine/diet, so it should be pretty fair.

We'll see how it goes!

Review: BumbleBerry Honey Maple Creme

Before I get started on the review, here's a bit about BumbleBerry Farms, from their website:

Here at BumbleBerry Farms, we take our lead from
the bees – one hive can collectively travel as many as 55,000 miles visiting more than two million flowers to
gather the nectar needed for one single pound of our Heritage Select Honey! With that same care and diligence, our honeycomb is hand-spun to gently release the sweet honey we offer up to you – bottled in vintage-inspired, cork-stoppered glass bottles.

We’re a small operation, located in the foothills of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Mountains, and as such, we craft everything ourselves in small batches. We hand-select the ingredients for our delectable honey-based spreads from a dairy farm and a maple sugar camp just down the road. Our skin care products are kept simple, using fair-trade, organic butters whenever we can get them…like our shea butter, which is harvested by women, the sole supporters of their communities in the Burkina Faso region of West Africa.

We are forever grateful to family and friends who have helped us along the way, lending their children for photo shoots, helping us in our festival booths, volunteering as testers for products in the making. With that same nod toward giving others a lift up, we follow their lead and offer
a Honey Bee Good jar of our yummiest nectar with profits benefitting a local charity. Currently we’re supporting Outdoor Odyssey at Roaring Run, a youth mentoring and leadership development program.

We hope you enjoy your BumbleBerry goods and that
you will do as we attempt to do:

Spread a little sweetness on the planet. Bee happy. ^TM

                         .                                                                                                           Sounds great, doesn't it? I have a special place in my heart for bees, and a special place in my stomach for honey. I adore both and am happy to do what I can to help keep bees (and honey) around for years to come, especially in light of the drastically declining number of bee colonies. And supporting charity, of course, is always fantastic.

Which is why it makes me feel a bit down about writing a less-than-stellar review. But, in the interest of providing an unbiased opinion, here we go:

The big, bad problem here was graininess. Why was it grainy? I don't know. What were the grains, anyway? Again, I don't know. They were a tiny bit sweet, but definitely not sugar. Some sort of strange combination of milk proteins and maple syrup crystals, perhaps? If they were properly sweet, like, say, pure maple sugar, I'd probably have just enjoyed it. Graininess itself, while not what I expect in a spread, doesn't inherently bother me. However, these Mystery Grains took ages to melt in my mouth, had no real flavour or sweetness, and were all around more suited for some sort of sticky bath exfoliant than a food item.

Not to be deterred, I decided that despite the lack of sweetness, the Mystery Grains were probably sugar-based in some way - clearly they had crystallized, and could, theoretically, be melted down again. So I tried microwaving some of the spread, in two batches: one, in a quick hot burst, and another over several short bursts, stirring thoroughly in between. Both ended up bubbly and sticky. And both remained as grainy as ever. Now, it's possible that if I scooped the spread out into a saucepan, and simmered and stirred it slowly for an hour or so, that the Mystery Grains would eventually melt down. But in that case, I might as well be making my own, thus removing the main benefit of a prepared spread in the first place.

Then, there was the taste. It was fine, a nice milky caramel sort of flavour. If I'd ordered a plain caramel spread, I'd be delighted. But there was very little, if any, maple taste, which was what I'd been wanting in the first place. Perhaps all the maple flavour was eaten up by the Mystery Grains.

Anyway, thinking that the creme might have been near expiry, I checked the date on the bottom, which said: BEST BY 111315. Originally I'd assumed that it was good until November 13th, 2015. I don't see how it could mean 2013, since the 13 is in the middle, but it seems possible somehow, especially since I ordered it at the beginning of the year and it came from a secondary supplier (Mouth). Who knows how long it's been sitting in a warehouse? Plus, BumbleBerry's website features the creme with a distinctly different label. I don't know. It didn't taste off, but... those damned GRAINS!

I may be making a big deal out of a simple thing. If there's a quick way to fix the weird graininess, let me know, and I'll try it out. If it works, I'll adjust the review accordingly! But until then:

5/10. Decent taste (but a bit bland and not what I expected); texture made unpalatable by millions of Mystery Grains.

If you want to give it a go anyway (I'm so perplexed that I think I might order it directly from the website and see if the new batch is any better) you can buy it from BumbleBerry Farms at $8.50/5oz plus shipping, or from Mouth, as I did originally, at $13/10oz plus shipping.

March ChefButler

So, I started subscribing to something called ChefButler. Every month, ChefButler assembles all the ingredients (except for meat, produce, and very basic pantry staples) needed to create a full meal for four people - a main dish, an appetizer or side, and a dessert. The theme changes each time, inspired by cuisine from around the world. Apparently, this sort of thing has been available in the States for a while, but this is one of the first available in Canada. Anyway, this month's theme was Pakistani food: Beef Qeema, Vegetable Biryani, and Coconut Ladoo.

Before I get into the box itself, I want to make a note of their great customer service. I realized (after I'd been sent a notice that my box was about to be shipped!) that I'd somehow messed up my address when I'd first signed up, using some sort of weird combination of my last and current address. I called ChefButler up, and the lady who talked to me was friendly and competent, assuring me that I'd called just in time to have it changed. And sure enough, I received a new shipping notice almost immediately, and my box arrived with no problems. As another side note, they also provide a tracking number, which is awesome for people like me who obsessively refresh the UPS tracking page every hour.

Now, on to the box itself:

First look.

I smelled spices the moment I opened the box, and for days, until I actually got around to cooking the meal, our apartment smelled like a Middle-Eastern marketplace. Everything is packed into a nice, solid silver box - great for re-use, as long as you don't mind the lingering scent of spices. I may send a package in it soon, actually.

Second look.

Everything in the envelope.

The envelope included an introduction, the recipes, and a shopping list for everything perishable required to make the meal. It felt very well thought-out, from the convenience of the shopping list, to the recipes being printed on cards, in a perfect size for a large recipe box (I may have to actually get one someday).

The edible contents: spices, coconut, apricots, condensed milk, and basmati rice.

Everything (except, obviously the can of sweetened condensed milk) was packaged individually in sealed plastic envelopes. Each was also labeled with the contents of the quantity included. ChefButler sends their spices freshly-ground for the best and most vibrant flavour, which explains the power of the aroma. I was a little afraid that the smell would have gotten into the coconut, but everything turned out fine.

The spices for the Beef Qeema main.

The spices for the Vegetable Biryani.

This was my first time cooking with either tumeric and un-ground cinnamon bark. I found that I loved the spicy sweetness of the cinnamon bark, which seems more intense than just ground cinnamon, and I'm considering trying to find some for the next time I make rice pudding. Maybe cinnamon sticks would work?

Vegetable Biryani, Beef Qeema, and naan bread.

I only remembered to take a picture of the finished product because my partner reminded me. Unfortunately, I hadn't staged it to look pretty, so this is the best I could do. The biryani is actually very attractive in real life. The qeema, not so much, but it tastes (and smells) incredible.

My partner and I both hate cooked peas, so I replaced them with zucchini (slices in the biryani, wedges in the qeema). Additionally, since the spices are packaged individually, I could choose to add only a little of the chili powder, thus sparing my partner's delicate palate from too much spiciness. The food was very reminiscent of Indian cuisine, which I must admit is the only variation of Middle-eastern/South Asian food I've tried before now. I love that the box gave me the opportunity to cook, well, outside the box, introducing me to recipes I might ordinarily be unlikely to try.

Everything needed for Coconut Ladoo.

The ladoo (ladoos? I kept pluralizing it to ladoos) were delicious! The cardamom isn't a spice I very seldom find in Western desserts - they were, again, something I would never have made on my own, but now I think I'll be adding them to my go-to recipe files. Unlike most desserts, which we tend to eat large servings of, it took only one small ball to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth. My partner's mother and sister, who were visiting a few days later, both liked them, too!

Aren't they beautiful?

I'm very pleased with my first ChefButler experience, and will be continuing the subscription. Being an impatient person, I wish I could find some sort of clue about what themes are coming (they usually provide only tiny hints via their Twitter), but I must admit that the surprise is part of the fun. I'm looking forward to the next month!

The ChefButler site can be found here. At this time, they deliver only to Canada, for C$35 (including shipping anywhere in Canada!) per month.

March Update

You're probably all going crazy wondering what I've been up to this month. The answer is: plenty, but not a lot to blog about. We just finished hosting some family, and I've been getting a few more hours at work, so while I've been busy, I also haven't been accomplishing much.

A few of my plans will have to be pushed back until April, but that's okay. I still have plenty of time. I'll be doing the Vanilla project, various plant things, and the yard clean-up this Spring, hopefully sooner than later. Meanwhile, to make up for my absence, here is a picture of my cat:

That's our laundry basket, by the way.

Review: Pheonix Botanicals: Cloven Hoof Lip Balm, Little Wing Lip Balm, Jasmine Beauty Balm

Look at this adorable packaging!

I received my order from Pheonix Botanicals about a week ago, but wanted time to give it a fair trial. I've been wearing the lip balm about twice a day every day, and tried the beauty balm nearly every night. But, before I get to the actual review, here's a bit about the shop I bought it from:

From their Etsy shop About page: 

"A woodland faerie usually residing in Brooklyn (and currently spending a few months in Hawaii), I am fond of greener pastures! I flutter between the wild fields and the city, and bring some of nature's love back to you.

I’m thrilled about our abundant, wild therapeutic plants, and harvest them mindfully in the gorgeous wild Northeast. Phoenix balms and butters are made with real plants, and are thus very gentle on the skin. All ingredients are listed, and most are baby safe. Naturally and delightfully fragrant - prepared by a discerning nose! 

I blend exquisit natural perfumes, inspired by landscape, story, and emotion.

Apprenticing with local herbalists for several years, and working in ethnobotany research for much of a decade has exposed me to the myriad cultural and healing uses of plants... as well as a yearning to put the knowledge into practice. Spending time in nature, working with the plants, and creating with them is a joy. It's an honor to share my botanical creations with you!

Our name is inspired by that renewed feeling you get spending time in nature - like a Phoenix!

The CEO is also Phoenix. This joyful cockatiel oversees all operations, and adds his whistles and bird love to the mix."

The shop is run from Brooklyn, New York, and recently, Honolulu, Hawaii. You can see a lot of Hawaiian influence in the shop, particularly amongst the perfumes. Now, on to the review!

Irena put a ton of care into her packaging. From the hand-written thank-you note to the individual drawstring bags, it made disassembling my package a lot of fun and made it much more exciting than the usual tear-open, get-product sort of thing.

Something to note is that there was surprisingly little waste considering the layers involved: the tissue was recyclable, the bags were easily reusable, the cards were to keep, and so on. I even found a use for the black and gold string that held the package together: I knotted each end and use it to play with my cat. She loves that stupid thing more than any of her actual cat toys.

Pheonix Botanicals was also kind enough to include a sample of their perfume (which makes sense, as they seem quite devoted to their line of natural perfumes.) As you may have guessed, I, like most people, love samples and freebies. A perusal of their website revealed the value of this sample to be an unusually generous C$6.81.


Now, the products:

Cloven Hoof and Little Wing lip balms:

Ingredients (Cloven Hoof): organic vanilla pods, organic jojoba & olive oils, beeswax, organic shea butter, vitamin e oil, essential oils of clove & vervain.

Ingredients (Little Wing): organic vanilla pods, organic jojoba oil, beeswax, organic shea butter, cocoa butter, vitamin e oil, essential oils of vervain, magnolia & ylang-ylang.

I bought the Cloven Hoof for myself. Throughout winter (throughout most of the year, actually), my lips are constantly dry, and I use a lot of lip balm. I'm not down with wearing something super shiny or tinted, especially at work, but I wanted something with a nice masculine scent and luxurious ingredients. Cloven Hoof fit every requirement, though I honestly didn't expect it to be much better than any of the other multiple lips balms I've used this winter.

I'm pleased to say that it seriously exceeded my expectations. This is the first lip balm I've had that effectively not only got rid of the chapping on my lips, which was really starting to annoy me, but also left my lips soft and moisturized even well after it had apparently worn off. 

Additionally, the scent is awesome. It's a warm, slightly sweet, earthy clove - not overpowering, but a bit spicy, with a distinctly green note that I assume is the vervain (I have never smelled vervain on its own, so I'm a bit lost in regards to that). The tube states that this is 'Pan's coveted clove lip balm', and that does seem to suit it. It's a outdoorsey and wild, androgynous scent. Also, the fact that my partner loves the smell of clove makes it sexy, as well.

The Little Wing balm I bought for my partner, who goes through lip balm at an even greater rate than I do. When asked how it was, the answer was: "It's great, but I like yours better." This is probably on account of the sexy clove, as I mentioned earlier. Apparently it does work well, but not as impressively as my own.

The smell of Little Wing ("a lip balm with a thousand smiles") is unique. Though there is magnolia and ylang-ylang listed in the ingredients, to me it smells like a sweet green vanilla. Fresh-cut flower stems over a trace of true vanilla perfume - nothing food-y about this scent, and the sweet note is subtle enough to make it androgynous.

Both of these balms came in recycled paper tubes. I was afraid it'd get squashed or start breaking down in my coat pocket, but it's surprisingly tough.

Cloven Hoof lip balm: 10/10

Little Wing lip balm: 8/10

Jasmine Beauty Balm:

Ingredients: organic olive, jojoba, & rosehip oils, organic shea butter, Hawaiian beeswax, infused jasmine & natal plum flowers, jasmine essential oils & absolutes.

The description on the tin says that this is "a skin toning moisturizer with uplifting scent". I was thinking about getting a moisturizer for a while, since I of course want to retain my youthful good looks. The problem with this is that I have ridiculously sensitive skin, and almost everything either makes me break out, or gives me some sort of rash. I'd figured out in the past few years that some synthetic fragrances seemed to cause it, although which ones I'm still not sure of. I figured it was easiest just to avoid them all together. This beauty balm seemed pretty safe to try, and since additional items from the shop shipped for $0.50, I might as well give it a go while I was buying anyway.

The first thing I noticed was the scent. Jasmine is often called "The King of Flowers", and I can completely understand why. It's intoxicating. It's got a deep, warm, dry aspect to it that keeps it from being overwhelmingly floral and sweet, and it's strangely addictive. I would wear this as a solid perfume, honestly - I think that men's scents have a lot of room for floral additions beyond the ubiquitous lavender.

I wore this moisturizer several times over the past week, mostly putting it on before bed. I applied it to my laugh lines, (carefully) around my eyes, my forehead, and my hands.

The result: I broke out on my laugh lines, but not anywhere else. I really like the way it worked on my forehead - it didn't seem to make me oily, either. My hands have had a break-out of eczema lately, which I normally put cortisone cream on, but I decided to try the moisturizer on them, since they're also a good indicator of my sensitivities. It didn't get rid of the eczema, but it did make it any worse, either. Therefore, pretty neutral, and safe for sensitive skin. So while I love the scent and it's a decent moisturizer, I'm going to keep looking for something that better suits my demanding complexion.

8/10

Bonus: Lavender Noir Perfume Oil:

I forgot to take a picture of this, but you can see it in one of the photos above, in the little white envelope.

Ingredients: organic jojoba, infused botanicals, essential oil blend.

I like lavender, and this was a gorgeous version. The description describes it as smoky, but to me it's more spicy, slightly dry, with the faintest hint of citrus. According to the shop, the notes include: "Bergamot, Lavender, Wildflower petals, Tonka, Smoke, Mushrooms, Oakmoss." I confess that I probably just don't have a developed enough nose to detect the vast majority of these, but I'm working on it!

In my opinion, a nice androgynous scent, suitable particularly for the evening. I wouldn't wear it in close quarters, such as at work, out of respect for perfume allergies, and my partner sneezes around lavender, so I'll be reserving it for special occasions. I think I might also put a few drops onto one of the bags the lip balms came in and put it under my pillow to help me sleep.

A lovely scent, but for me, nothing spectacular, and not something I'll end up wearing very often.

7/10

You can find Pheonix Botanical's shop here: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/PhoenixBotanicals. Their website can be found at: http://www.phoenixbotanicals.com/, and their Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/phoenixbotanicals. 

Quick Tortellini Soup

This is the first recipe I've improvised in a long time, especially since I'm trying to get some use out of all the cooking magazines I keep buying. It's very quick, simple, and delicious, exactly what's needed for a weekday night.

Tortellini Soup (for 4):

4 c. chicken broth (if you want to go vegetarian, replacing with vegetable broth will do so)

1 large package of tortellini

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 c. diced shallots or onions

1/2 c. diced tomatoes

4 generous handfuls of washed, chopped spinach

1/4 c. white wine

1 tsp. sea salt (or to taste)

generous pinch of pepper

For the croutons:

eight slices of day-old baguette

enough olive oil to brush over the tops of each slice

pinch of parmesan cheese per slice (about 1/4 c.)

1. Preheat oven to 300'C. While it does that, heat olive oil in large, heavy pot.

2. Add shallots to the oil, cook until beginning to turn translucent. Add garlic and cook a minute longer.

3. Deglaze pot with white wine; cook down for a minute.  Add broth and simmer for another minute. While it does so, prepare the croutons: place each slice of bread on a baking sheet. Brush the top of each with a bit of olive oil, then add a pinch of parmesan cheese. Place into the preheated oven.

4. Add tomatoes to the broth. Simmer another minute, then add the tortellini. Cook according to the time indicated on the packaging.

5. Taste the broth. Add the salt, adjusting to taste, then add the pepper. Take the soup off of the heat and add the spinach immediately and all at once, stirring in thoroughly.

6. Ladle soup into four bowls. Remove croutons from the oven (they should be crisp and lightly golden brown) and place two atop the soup in each bowl. If desired, garnish with a bit of extra parmesan.

Enjoy!

Note: this soup makes tasty leftovers, too!