Category Archives: coconut oil

Thanksgiving Apple Pie

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Happy Thanksgiving! Today we are celebrating with a few other expat families here in England.  It is my families first time to celebrate in three years and I am really looking forward to it! While my husband was in charge of the turkey and stuffing I have been busy making a pie.  What I love most about this apple pie is I use coconut oil to make the crust.  On this day of Thanksgiving I am going to be sharing my recipe so you can enjoy it too!

THE CRUST:
5 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vinegar
2 cups of coconut oil
1 egg, slightly beaten In a standard measuring cup and filled with water to make one cup liquid.

Directions: Mix flour, salt and sugar. Add in the coconut oil which should be in its liquid consistency. Then combine this mixture with the egg-water and vinegar. This will make a soft dough that is easy to handle and will not break or crumble while rolling. This should be enough dough for 3 double crust pies. However for this pie pictured below I cut halved the recipe and used it to make one double crusted pie with all the details you see below.

Once your crust is mixed wrap up in cling wrap and put in the fridge to chill while you work on the filling.

THE FILLING:
Apples
Sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
*Secret Ingredients

To start I peeled the skin from the apples, cored  them, and then sliced them up into a bowl.  I then sprinkled the three listed ingredients over the apples and shook them in the bowl until well mixed.  I will state there are a two things I added for flavour as my secret ingredients that I cannot share.  But feel free to experiment and make this pie your own.

You can then take out the pie dough and start rolling it out with your rolling pin (i used a pint drinking glass before we bought our rolling pin if you need an alternative).  Make sure when you are working on the bottom layer you make it much larger than the circle of the pan to take in account for the sides and a little overhang.  Do not cut off the overhang yet.  Press out any air by pushing the dough into the pie pan.  You can now fill it with your apple mixture.

For the top layer you can simply repeat with just placing the crust on top, sealing it around the sides with a fork, and making a few air holes for the steam in the middle.  Or you can be creative like me.  I decided to make a lattice, add a braided border, add leaves where the plaits met, and a heart in the center.  Then take a little egg and milk mixture, and brush over the top. Sprinkle with some icing sugar and you are set to go!

You will want to have your oven preheated at gas mark 6  and put the pie in for 15 minutes. After the fifteen you can lower the temperature to gas mark 4 for a remaining 25 minutes.

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 Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | http://www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

I broke up with my facial cleanser

Tuesdays Tips & Tricks 
“Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?” – Monty Python and the Holy Grail

In the last several years as a Beauty Therapist and Hairstylist, my bathrooms in all the places I have lived have been littered with a vast array of beauty products.  Though some have come and gone, others made reappearances through out the years.

Coconuts.  I grew up thinking they were funny. I also grew up with monty python and if you did too you can connect the dots.  On my honeymoon in Cozumel, Mexico I realized just how yummy coconuts can be.  A few years later my husband and I  had the pleasure of living in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, for four years. My youngest was born there and my kids grew up with the sweet pleasures of island life.  Though we no longer live on the island, you cannot take the island out of this girl.

Coconuts for cooking? Yes, please!

I love to try new things and a couple of years ago we tried coconut oil in our coffee for health benefits.  This went on to be used in replace of other oils in a lot of our cooking.  Thanks to sites like Pinterest the many uses of coconut oil has been revealed to so many.  To be fair since we began buying it by the jar fulls, I feel like I am a constantly finding new uses for this miracle oil.

When it comes to facial cleansers I am a hopper.  I will try this one for a while and then try something else.  Maybe perhaps because my skin is never normal.  It may be beautiful and perfect for a few days then the next week its broken out and then the next its really dry.

What is a girl to do when she is unhappy?

Break up.

Since 2003 I have been using a little bit of bicarbonate soda (baking soda) mixed in my facial cleanser of choice a few times a month to exfoliate the skin.  So when I heard I could mix it in with coconut oil in lieu of my facial cleanser it made perfect sense.

Here are my tips for breaking up with your facial cleanser with a DIY option:

What you need:
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Bicarbonate Soda/Baking Soda
Baby hair brush
Water
Facial towel

Steps:
1. Flush your face with warm water to open up your pores.
2. Mix a small amount of bicarbonate soda in with the same amount of coconut oil.  My oil tends to be in a solid state.  Make sure to warm it up in your hands to cause it to liquify.
3. Once the two ingredients are mixed together well you can apply it to your face.
4. Rub gently in circular motions with the pads of your fingers.
5. Using your baby hair brush which you have warmed up under hot water, continue to rub your skin in soft circular motions.  Only do this step once a week for extra exfoliation.
6. With your hands rinse your face with water.
7. Use really cold water at the very end, flushing your face a few times.
8.  Pat, do not rub, your face with a clean facial towel.

Advice:

  • It is advisable to try using the bicarbonate soda every other day and use just coconut oil for washing your face the days in between.
  • Your face will appear oily as soon as you are finished but the coconut oil will absorb into your skin within minutes.
  • Use extra coconut oil (small amount works wonders) on any spots as an acne treatment.
  • Consult your doctor if you are unsure about any sensitivities you may have as I speak just from my personal experiences from using this on my skin.  It works GREAT!
My final thoughts after breaking up with my facial cleanser:  Why didn’t I do this sooner?!

 
My skin has been clearer and I have not had any new breakouts since trying this out.  My skin is also getting moisturized so well by the coconut oil that my makeup goes on a lot smoother. Since the coconut oil cleanses, tones, and moisturizes I have a lot of extra space in my bathroom cabinets that is much needed!  But the best part…
 
…I smell like coconuts and cookies all day and night long. 😉 Yummy. 
* Photographs belong to Bonnie Rose and cannot be used without written consent.