When it comes to whole foods and cooking meals from scratch I think one aspect is very important: kitchen equipment.Without the right tools in your kitchen, any cooking experience can turn into a nightmare. In my experience, there are a few essentials which cannot be substituted. 1. Pots and pans We have a very […]
Shea butter
One of my stables in face creams is shea butter. I’m not the first to note its properties and hence use it in face creams. Shea butter originates from a nut-like berry harvested from the shea tree (or Vitellaria tree) in tropical Africa. It has been used for centuries in the region as skin care […]
Cocoa butter
Cocoa butter is a by-product of the cacao production and the major ingredient in chocolate. For skin care it offers some fantastic properties. Texture Cocoa butter is a luxury product. It creates a very smooth cream and it is very nourishing. It can also add a nice hint of chocolate to any cream. The butter […]
Olive oil
Talking about olive oil seems repetitive. It’s been around as a cooking oil for millennia. Even as an ingredient for skin care, olive oil is difficult to beat. Above all, it’s accessible and affordable. Even just the oil on its own makes for excellent skin care. Texture Among oils used for skin care, olive oil […]
On food from my backyard
We have a couple of trees and shrubs in our tiny courtyard which were there when we moved in. Most of them are just evergreens without any fruit or flowers. There is one tree however that flowered and now has green, yellow and red fruit on it. They look like little pumpkins, my son noticed […]
Bread baking – part 1
We’ve been baking our own bread for the past seven years, using various recipes and with varying success. Since moving to Australia I have been baking bread regularly, about twice a week. It’s cheaper and tastes much better. I want to use this post to talk about some fundamentals in break making. Essentially, I want […]
Home remedies for colds – part 2
This is the second part of my list of home remedies against a common cold (part 1 is here). As I said previously, use common sense when turning to home remedies. Don’t try to medicate yourself if you’re feeling very sick. Please seek medical advice in any case beyond light symptoms and for children. Do […]
Home remedies for colds – part 1
The weather is turning here in Australia, from a hot summer to a cold autumn. We have had days with cold winds, lots of rain and every now and again warm and sunny days. This mix is the perfect way to … get sick. I feel like I’ve had a cold for the last three […]
The importance of Müßiggang
As the long Easter weekend comes to an end and everyone is heading back into their routines it might be time to talk about one of my favourite past-times: Müßiggang, slowing down or just doing nothing. This sounds less important than it is. Doing nothing gives us time to think. Maybe even making life-altering decisions. […]
Easter traditions
As we’re heading into the Easter weekend craziness I thought it was a good time to think about what it is we are celebrating this time of year. Sometimes I get the impression it’s all (and only) about buying stuff. The meaning behind the festivity gets lost in a rush to buy bunnies, eggs, and […]