Rosemary, perfumes soaps and moths

Banish moths with fresh rosemary!
Place fresh rosemary amongst your woolen clothes (refresh every month or so) and rest easy that your best will not become moth food!
Another moth recipes I love is a way to use all those little soaps you get end up with after Christmas- I love to place slices of those smelly little gems (that will never touch my face) amongst my closets and drawers! Fresh and also the moths hate them!

Ginger Tea

very simple- trim the skin off of fresh ginger, slice into paper thins pieces and throw in pot.
Bring pot to a boil and let simmer for about 10 minutes- again my measurements- all to taste- more ginger longer steep time stronger tea.
Pour liquid into mug add lemon and honey and voila!
Excellent for detox, colds, and also can aid with nausea and travel sickness

Clean windows

I discovered this by accident in my brothers' garage- he uses it to spotlessly clean his vehicles!
Available at Costco 'Invisble Glass' by stoner!
This stuff leaves no marks, removes the grimiest of dirt and is so fast!
Voila!

Fried Strawberries

This is delightful! Very simple---
measurements are to taste
take some fresh cleaned strawberries- halved
heat olive oil throw strawberries in and cook until soft (great way to use up some berries that have gotten a touch too soft to use as best presentation fresh berries!)
crack fresh pepper over and add a touch of Grande Marnier.
serve as is- or on vanilla ice cream!
I had this again recently at Ginis Restuarant in Edmonton after many years- I have made it at home many times to the gasps of shock and then delight!

A few cool housekeeping tips

1) you can use a simple common penicl eraser for heel marks on floors!
2) Spirit of camphor rubbed into wood will erase heat scars from pizza boxes etc......
3) A piece of bread rubbed onto fabric will remove makeup stains
4) A cotton ball soaked with oil of clover will freshen the air in a room where someone has smoked

Summer Solstice Dinner

For this year- I am serving fresh lobster- simply boiled and served cold on ice-fresh bread and a new take on coleslaw.......champagne and pomegranate juice, Mexican beer and Tiramisu with iced bailey coffees.
Adding some zest to old fashioned coleslaw and a new take on the Waldorf salad...
One large white cabbage cored and chopped- or a store bought bag of coleslaw mixture
4 Granny smith apples-= really work the best
1 1/2 cup walnuts- or more to taste- I add more and actually grind about 3/4 cup into almost fine powder- it changes the colour of the salad but really adds a special kick
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon or dry mustard- I use dry- more kick
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt- or to taste
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

Combine all the dressing ingredients - save the apples and chopped walnuts for later...
toss into the cabbage (can be made a day in advance and the flavours have time to settle) just before serving add the chopped apples and walnuts! voila!
The boiling of the lobsters is equally simple bring a large pot of salted water to a heavy boil- drop the live lobsters into the water for about 5-10 minutes for an average size lobster- remove from water and let cool on ice- serve once cooled with warm butter and fresh lemon juice.....
Hint- do not wear your best clothes for this dinner and enjoy outside! It can be rather messy!

Truffle and Shrimp Twice -cooked potatos

This was a real hit at my home- even for my grandmother who prefers her food simple, old fashioned and straight-up "None of that fancy new stuff'!
take as many bakers potatos as you have guests for- yes Baker work best- the skin is nice and thick!
Then simply roll them around in some good ol' "EVOO', (extra virgin olive oil- but regular olive oil is fine as these get baked) then roll them again in coarse salt- bake for one hour.
Let the potatos cool slightly- cut a little hole from the top -being careful to keep the piece intact for later.
Scoop out the baked potato -being careful not to rough up the shell of the potato, then in a large bowl combine- cream- not milk, some Marscapone cheese, butter and truffles.
(I use "Salsa Tartufata) a white truffle based sauce- (I like the white as it does leave the potatos looking grey)Adjust to taste, then add some cooked chopped shrimp (shell removed)... carefully restuff the potatos and place the 'hat' back on a slight angle-- and either place in the fridge for later or place back in oven -on a cookie sheet or the BBQ to reheat (about 30 minutes)
Serve with a simple meat dish like steak, roast and enjoy the many compliments on your fabulous cooking......
Easy-peasy- as one of my great international food goddess'es says

A lady in public, a cook in the kitchen and a ‘shhhh’

A lady in public, a cook in the kitchen and a ‘shhhh’
(and how not to get it backwards!)
You know her - she is one of THOSE girls - dresses impeccably, complete with a host of adoring men swarming over her at all times. She is married or maybe she isn't - she is the woman you hate, the woman you are jealous of, she is the woman YOU wish you were.
Please let me explain. I have watched women very closely for the last 4 years. I have conducted surveys with men, had the privilege of in-depth conversations with men - married, single, divorced, rich and poor, young and old - and they all tell me the same things.
I have learned from them what they are truly looking for in a woman.
Many women have not had the time resources or the opportunity to learn some of the fine arts of being a woman. In our society the game of making money –and more then your nieghbour- has become priority and the you miss out on the true luxury of being a fabulous woman and the ‘goodies that go with that.
To sum it up ladies, I have seen many women behaving like self- indulgent ‘princess brats’ — in a word, rude. This "Princess" " Diva" thing has simply gone too far. Please read the definition of a Diva—not nice! (Hint Webster’s Dictionary defines a ‘diva’ as a prima donna. Prima donna = "an extremely sensitive, vain or undisciplined person".) I doubt that is the label these women are coveting!. If you would rather learn how to be a modern day lady - with a flirty side - adored by your husband, lover(s), boyfriend, co-workers and family, read on!
Who am I to tell you? I am the granddaughter of an elegant Grande Dame - married and divorced by 23, excommunicated from the Catholic Church (after being raised in a convent) then a mistress for 23 years!
"Be a lady in public – a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom
and don’t get it backwards
………………….like most women do!"
(Lesson number one from my grandmother ---- who truly believes that is the mistake most women make)
Being a rebellious teenager, my mother married at 18 was divorced by 25, with two children. Mom became the muse of the Harper Valley PTA; her skirts were so short she needed matching underwear, not to mention the go-go boots. Her first ‘after children career’ was as a coat-check girl at the first strip club in town!
I was packed off to the suburbs with my father. My stepmother? School bake sales – I toted trays of perfect one-inch by one-inch little pink and white petite-fours. China dessert sets do exist and they are used at my stepmother's. She has never uttered a rude word, which I know of. She gets up first thing in the morning and does her make-up, works out daily, has an adoring younger husband (not my father, though he was younger too) and a long-term happy marriage. She is a true lady. She does not even gossip!
That is the quick story of my strange and marvelous life. The privilege of growing up with these three remarkable and utterly completely different women has given me a unique outlook on women, men, and women and men. Oy- what you can learn from them!
I will share with you what I have learned - how to flirt correctly, without looking like a tramp. Men love ladies who flirt, yet this is becoming a lost art. Simple social graces - how many women do you know have them any more? Etiquette - I know you think that is old fashioned, but you need to know it the basic rules before you can choose what to use and what to discard
We will also delve into details of fashion, flirting and please ladies clean the toilets before male guests arrive! Then we will explore some to the secrets of the secrets from famous courtesans for a touch of spice!
If you want a blog that tells you how wonderful you are, pick another one. If you want a private secret hideaway to share your hints and faux-pas sometimes frank, sometimes humorous, sometimes "salty" Mae West style. Grab a glass of champagne, (or from time to time a scotch and cigar—not really ladylike however it does add some spice to an otherwise perfect lady) or tea in a china cup. Settle down and get ready to learn how to be a ‘Lady in public, a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom’