the perfect facial: how to get salon-grade results at home

Note: This post was previously published here as a part of my freelance work.

Those whose wallets can actually afford a monthly facial are few and far between. The average Jane, like you and me, guffaw at the thought of blowing $200 for one hour of TLC. But that doesn’t mean we don’t care about our skin. Like every other women on this planet, we enjoy the intimate experience of doting on our bodies. We want that glow, those clean invisible pores, just as much as the fortunate of upper echelon society.

The truth is, you can meet your outlandish desire for professional facials and flawless skin somewhere in the middle. Great results don’t just come with money. Carve a little time out of your weekly routine, and squeeze in this DIY treatment once a week. I’ll show you how it’s done — the natural way, of course.

Step 1: Cleanse

You’re going to cleanse your face in layers. First, take some jojoba oil (your new best friend) on a round cotton pad, and remove any make-up you have on. You can also use q-tips to remove around the eyes. 

Next, take a lightweight oil cleanser, like this one from Elizabeth Dehn, and wash your face with lukewarm water. This will help to remove impurities without drying out the skin. 

After you’ve done that, especially if you tend to have oily skin, use a mild bar, cream, or foaming cleanser. I’m a huge fan of the Apoterra Skincare line, and this is where I use my Lavender + Green Clay Complexion Soap. I find that it helps draw out all of the dirt and extra oil in my pores. If you’re less acne prone or tend to have drier skin, I suggest her Aloe + Rose Clay Complexion Soap. 

Gently pat your face dry with a towel, and move onto step two.

Step 2: Exfoliate

After the face is completely clean, it’s time to remove any dead skin cells sitting on the surface. For this, I’m going to have you make a face mask that contains powdered milk, oats, chamomile, and turmeric. I usually make a bunch at once, and store it in a glass jar, so it’s ready any time I need. 

To throw it together, follow the measurements below. Put everything into a mortar and pestal, grind it to a fine powder, and then transfer it to a storage vessel. When you’re ready to apply, take a heaping teaspoon and throw it into a small bowl with 1/2 tsp raw honey, 1 dropper of jojoba oil, and a few sprinkles of water. Mix it up, then gently massage across the face and décolleté in circular motions. Spend a few minutes with this process to let the mask work its sloughing magic. Then let the mask sit for 5-10 minutes before gently washing away. Be sure to dry your face with a colored bath towel or paper towel because the turmeric’s color will come off on anything you use. 

Mask Ingredients + Benefits

1 Tsp Powdered Milk - The lactic acid in powdered milk helps breakdown and remove dead skin cells. It’s also great for getting into those pores and washing them out.

1 Tsp Oat Bran - Oats are extremely soothing and healing for the skin. They help to remove redness and to restore moisture.

1 Tbs Chamomile Flowers - Chamomile is also extremely soothing. It helps calm down inflammation and will aid in healing any ruptures on the skin.

1 Tsp Tumeric - This is my little Ayurvedic touch. Turmeric is an excellent exfoliant, and it helps with anti-aging, acne, and scaring.

Step 3: Tone

Now that you’ve cleaned & exfoliated the skin, those pores should be pretty well emptied of any dirt and grime. To follow this up, apply a toner. Toning tightens the pores, removes any residual residue, and restores the pH balance of your skin. I’m a big fan of (wait for it) Apoterra’s Rose Hydrating Toner. It smells amazing and feels like you’re basking in freshness. 

No matter the toner that you prefer to use, I highly suggest transferring it to a spray bottle. This way, you can mist your face with the toner, saving on cotton pads and giving yourself a very refreshing experience. It’s also a more tender application and is gentler on the skin. Since I like to use oil moisturizers, I find that it’s also a good way to leave the skin wet, so it readily soaks up the moisturizer that will come next. 

Step 4: Moisturize & Massage

To top it all off, it’s time to apply a shot of moisturizer. I love jojoba oil-based products, like Apoterra’s Rose Nourishing Serum, because they are natural and extremely nourishing. It’s said that jojoba actually mimics the sebum in the skin which keeps your face from over-producing oil. Think of it like delivering a shot of nutrients from the outside in. 

As you apply your moisturizer, take it as an opportunity to massage the face and increase blood flow. This will help combat the effects of gravity, aka aging. Every school has it’s own brand of face massage, so I highly suggest researching YouTube videos and seeing which resonate with you. Two of my personal favorites that you can start with are: Ayurveda Facial Marma Massage and Lymphatic Drainage Massage. 

And there you have it, a little at home treatment. Do this all the way through once a week, and you’ll feel and look amazing.

tea time

As autumn sets in, I begin to swap my lemon water for something warmer and more soothing. I wrap my hands around the tea cup to warm myself; and I let the scented steam drift up into my face, filling my nasal passages with herbal perfumes. 

I recently tried a tea unlike anything I'd tasted before. The tea was a saffron tea from Kiwana Tea. I was immediately intrigued to try it when I heard that it was made with saffron. Living amongst many Pennsylvania Dutch decedents, saffron is no stranger, however it is something I came to know and love later in life. It has a very subtle flavor -- like a mouse, it delicately sneaks up on you. Once you're able to tap into it, you find a world of flowery personality. 

So, if like me, you want to get started on building out a killer tea cabinet for the months ahead, give Kiwana Saffron tea a try! It will be a cooky little addition to your collection. And a great one to whip out when you want to impress friends with something different. 

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Purchase: Kiwana Tea

corn coconut-curry ramen

Note: This post was previously published here as a part of my freelance work, and was written by my darling boyfriend, Adam. 

No, no—we're not talking about the instant noodle packets you bought by the case during your most frugal college days. Rather, this recipe pays homage to the Japanese culinary phenomenon that's gaining serious momentum here in Philly and other cities across the country. Though there are regional variations, the main theme always center around a delectable broth, dense chewy noodles and an array of tasty toppings. Ramen represents everything we love about good food: it's deceptively simple, addictingly delicious and takes great talent to master.

Lacking rather substantially in the latter, we used store-bought fresh ramen noodles (found at your local asian supermarket) and focused our efforts instead on the broth.  We took a departure from the traditional pork and miso flavored broth and went with a Thai curry profile. We based it on this week’s garlic from SIW Farm in Chadd’s Ford, long hots from Linvilla Orchard in Media and corn from Sunny Harvest.

The foundation of this broth uses corn stock, which we make every time Greensgrow grants us corn in the CSA share. After you chomped the kernels from the cob, or cut them away for use in salsas or salads, save those cobs! There's so much flavor left in them. All you have to do is simmer them in water for an hour or so. Strain them out and freeze the for later use. Once you've experienced the sweet, corny virtues of a good corn stock you'll mourn all the flavor you’ve ever tossed in the compost heap.

Cook time: 1 hour

Prep time: 35 minutes

Serves 5

Ingredients: 

2 large onions

4 cloves of garlic

4 ears of corn, kernels removed from cob 

2 long hots

2 inches ginger

2 quarts of corn stock

1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk

2 limes, juiced and zested

1 bunch of chopped cilantro

2 Tbl muchi curry powder

1 Tbl turmeric powder

2 tsp garam masala 

¼ cup (approx.) sesame oil

5 eggs

1 package (16 oz) tofu

1 package fresh ramen noodles

Directions:

Chop the onions, garlic, ginger and long hots. Then, in a 5-quart stock pot, saute the vegetables in a generous amount of sesame oil over medium heat.

Season the vegetables with curry powder, tumeric, garam masala and a pinch of salt. After about 5 minutes, add the corn stock and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. 

Meanwhile, place the eggs in a small pot and cover with cold water. Place the pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Keep a close eye on the eggs. Allow them to boil for 1 minute then transfer to a bowl of ice water to shock them. Peel the shells and set aside.

Refill the pot with new water and bring to a boil, preparing to cook the noodles.

Cut the tofu into small triangular pieces and pan fry in sesame oil until they brown on both side. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to sop up any extra oil.

Now, back to the broth. After it's been simmering for 20 minutes or so, add the corn kernels and adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and black pepper. Remove from heat and finish with the fresh cilantro, lime zest and lime juice.

Now that the both is finished begin cooking the noodles. Drop them in boiling water one bundle at a time, stirring them constantly to keep them from sticking. They only require about 3 minutes to cook. Using a small mesh strainer, pull the cooked noodles from the water and place in soup bowl. Ladle the broth over the noodles and garnish with a soft-boiled egg, tofu and extra cilantro.

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4 tips to actively slow life down

Note: This post was previously published here as a part of my freelance work.

You’re in the thick of it, summer. The season when life is like a semi-truck, barreling down a hill at 90 miles an hour. The speed is all good and great, it’s thrilling in fact, but problems arise when there’s a deer crossing at the bottom of the hill and you have no way to avoid a crash. Not to mention, you’re going so fast that you miss the road signs telling when you need to turn or watch out for traffic ahead.

That speed, aka summer, can easily create a life that is out of balance — a life that pushes you forward with such immense force that you need to actively remember how to slow down. It’s up to you to pump the breaks, and it’s important to do so. Slowing down to school-zone speeds will enable you to get more enjoyment out of the highway joy rides. It teaches you to find control and to know when you’re exiting the fun zone and entering into dangerous territory.

Here are tips for actively slowing down, and taking time out. Now, more than ever, it’s important to teach yourself how to do so.

1. Walk, Bike, or Take Public Trans: I recently got rid of my car, and it was the best thing I’ve ever done for my piece of mind. Not only did it take away the extra stress of money, but it created space in my life. I find that I’m walking more, riding my bike more, and taking public transportation. The empty time to think, read, and listen to music does wonders for my brain. It clears my head like a meditation, and allows me to unwind from my day (or settle in before my day starts). It’s also forced me to do less and to prioritize. Because I can’t zip here and there, I have to think about what I really want to get done. I do less running around like a crazy person, and more intentional activity. If you’re in need of a slow down, I urge to go even one day without using the car. Every little bit counts.

2. Cook: Making time at the end of the day to cook a meal and share it with the ones you love, is a great way to take time. The beautiful thing about food, is that it can’t be rushed. Watch it cook, smell the aromas, and taste test it along the way. Evenings spent unwinding in the kitchen are a great way to clear your mind, and to get you back to a well-grounded place in life.  

3. Wake Up 20 Minutes Earlier: Rushed mornings are sure to make you feel out of control. It’s not a good way to start the day. Do yourself a favor, and wake up just twenty minutes earlier than you usually do. Take the extra time to read in bed, sip coffee, or simply stare off into space. The slow start to your day will make getting to work that much easier. You’ll find you feel more ready to take on whatever comes your way. Craziness or not, you have the balanced mindset to tackle anything.

4. Treat Yourself: Once in a while, you need to drop it all, and focus on you. Book a massage, stop in for a pedicure — or if you can’t spend the money — create an at home treatment. Whatever you do, it’s important to give back to your body and thank it for all of the brutal stress that you put it through. If you want it to perform when the going gets tough, you have to give it the TLC it deserves. 

And there you have it, four tips to actively slow down. I hope you’ve found some tools that help you feel more balanced and in control. Life is really beautiful, we need the fast moments and the slow ones, it’s just important to remember how to create a bit of both. 

What tips do you have for slowing down?

24hrs in chicago

Note: A version of this post was previously published here as a part of my freelance work. 

When you find yourself in Chicago with 24 hours to spare, what do you do? Well, I happen to have spent a little over 24hrs in Chicago this past month, and I have some things to recommend…

BRUNCH

The Flying Saucer

The Flying Saucer is a modern brunch spot with an old school vibe. The ambiance feels like your classic diner joint. The menu follows suit with traditional egg breakfasts, but throws a twist with vegan options and Mexican-inspired breakfast flare. Don’t know what to order? The huevos volando is one that you won’t want to miss. The menu is also extremely affordable.

SHOPPING

Humboldt House

Humboldt House is a bohemian woman’s dream. The space is filled with unique artisan jewelry, wall hangings, and other home goods. Everything has a free-spirit vibe, but with a clean un-cluttered aesthetic. Little touches here and there, whether it’s a geometric earring or a hand-thrown mug. It’s hard not to go crazy in here.

Gather Home & Lifestyle

The aesthetic at General Store is a lot like Humboldt House – clean, white, soothing – however the product itself is a bit more simplistic. The assortment is great for unique, high end home goods, and their hat assortment is off the chain. Even if you can’t afford anything here, do stop in for the visual stimulation. It’s a beautifully curated space.

EXERCISE

Shred 415

It’s really important to keep your exercise routine up while you’re traveling. If you have a minute to do so, I highly recommend booking a class at Shred 415. The class alternates between 10 minutes on the treadmill and 10 minutes of bootcamp-style weights. The instructor changes it up, moving between intervals, to keep you entertained and pushing yourself the entire time. The satisfaction afterwards is extremely rewarding. I promise your clothes will be drenched with sweat, and you’ll feel like you’ve just torched a million calories. Ok, maybe not a million, but definitely enough to go out and enjoy that Chicago restaurant scene. Another plus? The endorphin release keeps you smiling all day long.

DINNER

Momotaro

Save your money for dinner, because you’re definitely going to want to eat at Momotaro, and you’re definitely going to have to spend money. Sadly, this is the truth of the matter for a nice dinner in Chicago. The city isn’t home to the James Beard Awards for nothing. Chicago takes its fine dining seriously. Momotaro itself serves a menu much like Japanese tapas; you order small plates to share as a table, and then you top it off with the restaurants artisan sushi. The small plate format allows the chef to flex his muscles in crafting the perfect bit. Each forkful (or chopstickful) artfully melds flavors, changing in your mouth throughout the tasting experience. The drinks at Momotaro are also a must try. The options are peppered with Asian influences – matcha, cherry blossom, and wasabi. Myself, I tried the Lucky Peach, made with George Dickel 8yr Tennessee whiskey, Stirrings peach liqueur, shiro miso, orange, and lemon. It was one of the most inventive and delicious drinks to touch my lips in a long time. 

So there you have it, 24 hours in Chicago. A big thank you to my girl Chelsi for hosting me and showing me around. You. Are. The. Best.

grilled shrimp & apricot risotto

Note: This post was previously published here as a part of my freelance work, and was written by my darling boyfriend, Adam. 

Risotto is the king of rice dishes.  Fried rice, paella, curry—they got nothing a proper risotto. The difference is in the rice grains. Proper risotto is made with arborio rice, a super-starchy, creamy variety cultivated in Italy.  

But it’s more than the grains themselves that distinguish risotto from other rice dishes. The unique method of cooking the arborio is truly what makes risotto special. Hot vegetable or chicken stock is added to the cooking arborio grains one ladle at a time.  When the rice absorbs all the liquid, another ladle is added. This process, along with constant stirring, extracts all the starch from the grains, giving risotto its characteristic creaminess.

For this version of risotto, we cooked in this week’s apricots form Beechwood Orchards.  We anchored the savory element of this dish with John Glick’s sweet onions and finished it with mint and basil to really drive home the summery flavors.  And because it’s grill season, we figured, hey, why not throw some shrimp on the barbie too. 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

10 large shrimp

1 cup arborio rice

3 cups vegetable stock (approx.)

1 large sweet onion

1 lb apricots

1/4 cup cream cheese (as per Naomi’s Italian grandma’s secret recipe)

3 sprigs of mint

3 sprigs of basil

1 cup chopped parsley

2 lemons, juiced and zested

1 Tbl smoked paprika

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt to taste

Directions:

Begin by shelling and deveining the shrimp.  Transfer them to a medium mixing bowl and pour in the half a cup of olive oil. Toss in lemon zest, parsley, paprika and a dash of salt. Mix thoroughly, ensuring the ingredients are evenly distributed over the shrimp.  Refrigerate for at least an hour to give the marinade time sink in.

Bring the three cups of vegetable stock (or water) to a simmer in a small pot.

Dice the onions and sweat in olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until they become translucent.  Add the rice and toast in the pan until it begins to pop and crackle.  That sound is the shells of the rice grains splitting, which will allow it to cook more quickly and evenly.

Add the simmering vegetable stock one ladle at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid incrementally.  Stir the rice almost constantly to agitate more and more starch from the grains

While the rice is cooking, slice and pit the apricots, cutting them into eighths.

After about 15 minutes the rice should be close to finished.  Check its doneness by chewing a small bite.  If the grains of rice stick in your molars, the risotto needs more time.  

When the rice is close to finished, add the apricots; they don't need much time to cook.

Turn off the heat, and stir in the cream cheese, mint and basil.  The risotto should be very creamy and loose enough so the grains don’t try to clump together.

Meanwhile, throw the shrimp on the barbie and grill away. 

get your juice: owen & alchemy

In Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood lives the coolest juice company I have ever seen: Owen & Alchemy. Their look is graphic – futuristic elements mixed with archaic symbols and natural materials. It’s both light and dark – the design an experience in and of itself. To boot, their juices are inventive and delicious. The menu includes your basic green juice staples, but adds in fun twists like himalayan sea salt which is packed with vital minerals and also helps to preserve the juices and keep their freshness. In addition, Owen & Alchemy offers fermented drinks (think Kombucha) and a menu of light bites including smoothie bowls and salads. If you find yourself in Chicago anytime soon, do stop in to find a healthy bite.

hoe cakes with savory sour cherry chutney

Note: This post was previously published here as a part of my freelance work, and was written by my darling boyfriend, Adam. 

Cherry season, in this area, is fleeting and fickle. Cherries are a delicate fruit, prone to weather damage,  and during their short peak period of ripeness (only a little more than two weeks!) they’re prized pickings for birds and other pests.  Any local cherries that make it to your fridge are a thing to be treasured. 

So now that all of us CSA members have them, let’s revel in cherry season. Let's wring every drop of local cherry possibility from these few short weeks. Of course, you can bake a cherry pie or make cherry ice cream. You can freeze them, can them, or dry them. Or you can do like we did and make a sour cherry chutney.

We began by slowly caramelizing Emanuel Stoltzfus's dashing candy onions, then added the cherries. To ballast their tartness we added a few spoonfuls of wildflower honey. We bolstered the savoriness with the copious addition of black pepper and fresh thyme.The result is a fruity spread that’s sweet and sour, and a perfect compliment to cheese.

To make a dish of it, we spread it atop old fashion hoe cakes. These quaint little corn meal pancakes are said to have originated in the rural South. Farmers, the story goes, would heat the flat metal ends of their hoes in a fire and grease them up as impromptu griddles.  They drizzled batter right on their searing farm tools to cook a quick lunch in the field.  We finished the hoe cakes with some creamy Camembert, but goat cheese or blue cheese would work just as well.

Savory Sour Cherry Chutney

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups of sour cherries

½ medium onion, chopped (about ¾ cup)

¼ cup honey

3 Tbl of thyme leaves

Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

Begin with the hardest part: pitting the cherries.

Next, in a medium sauté pan, sweat the chopped onions in olive oil over medium heat until they begin to brown.

Add the pitted cherries and bring to a simmer. Then add the honey. Feel free to use more honey if necessary to balance out the sourness of the cherries.

Pick the thyme leaves from the stems and add them to the chutney. Crack a generous amount of black pepper into the sauce until it begins to taste rich and spicy.

Continue to simmer the chutney until it has reduced to a jam-like consistency.

Hoe Cakes

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup course ground corn meal

½ cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup water

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder. Slowly whisk in the water (you can use milk instead if you prefer) until it resembles thick pancake batter. Depending on the brand of flour and cornmeal you might have to add some extra liquid to get the right consistency.

Let the batter rest for a few minutes to activate the baking powder and hydrate the cornmeal. Meanwhile, place a 10” skillet (or large-sized hoe) on medium heat and lubricate it with a small pad of butter.

Ladle the batter into the hot skillet and spread around evenly with the bottom of the ladle. After bubbles begin to form around the hoe cake, flip it and cook the opposite side until brown. Repeat until all batter is used, this recipe should yield three large cakes.

Next, using a jar lid, cut perfectly round, finger-food-sized pieces from the larger pancakes. Spread the chutney around the cakes and melt your cheese of choice on top using an oven set 400 F for approx. 5 minutes.

london: through the eyes of my father

It takes us a long time to realize that our parents are people. They have unknown pasts, and they too were young once, just like you. Life took them on adventures; there were lovers, friends, inner turmoil, and passions that moved them from one point to the next. It’s so easy to remain ignorant to these bits and pieces that make up who your parents are. If you never ask, you might not hear, and if you’ve never hear, you may never really know the people who raised you.

I'm personally very fascinated to hear my parents' old storeis. I see two people who made it a point to pave a path distinctly for themselves and not for anybody else. I envy their bravery, and at the same time, I identify with it.

In my continuing quest to get to know them, I recently convinced my father to take a trip with me. On our way home from visiting family in Italy, we made a pit stop in London to retrace his old footsteps. A friend still owns the house he rented when he was a young spiritual hippie living in London during the 70’s. We went and stayed with her — my dad sleeping in his old bedroom, and myself on the first story in her acupuncture treatment space. During our visit, we walked around London, enjoying the parks he used to meander through and retracing his steps to places he once frequented. 

Perhaps most satisfying of all, we spent time with his friends and talked about old times. I heard stories of friends who had died, the concerts they enjoyed in the park, and the worries that were on their minds. They looked back on fifty-some years, and I got to sit there, listening to the stories of their lives. I found myself envious of all the places they'd been. The solo treks through China, the gatherings at a Tuscan villa. I wanted their wisdom. I wanted to be able to talk about life like someone who's seen it all. They'd each gone through so many things. Changed careers, survived diseases, fallen in love — hardship after victory after hardship. Here I am, racing along the path of life. I think, "that can't be me." But before I know it I'll be right there with them; looking back on the memories. 

Needless to say, I was immensely stricken by this little meander into my father's past. I fell in love with his friends. I wanted to cry at their stories, and at the same time, I was really proud of my father for attracting such special people. For all the times I want to reject where I come from. For all the times that I can only see the faults in my father. This undid them. He's a good man — a true friend, a thoughtful person, and hey, he can identify just about any tree you're bound to come across. I'm glad I had the opportunity to return with him to London, to get to see the world through his young hippie eyes. It was a very transformative experience. 

I tell you this story, so that while you have the chance, you too will make it a point to uncover who your parents were when they were young. Visit the places they visited. Stay in the places they lived. Talk to the friends that they made. Take a walk through your parents’ footsteps, so you can bring yourself closer — to them, and ultimately, yourself. The look into the past will propel you down your own road, wherever that may lead.