Peep a boo…

 

How cute are these! I found these vegan peep toe dress slingbacks by Vegetarian Shoes. Sexy and cute for summer evening party. Just trying to keep up my obsession with shoes.

 

I won’t preach but….

Bridget Barrett

The experimental plug-in version of Toyota’s Prius hybrid. G.M. has also announced a plug-in car, the Chevrolet Volt.

Please please look into this website.

G.M will probably try kill their Volt like the EV. Let’s hope people have woken up enough, with gas the way it is, that it may HAVE to stick this time. What do I mean? If you get a chance, take a look at  ”Who Killed the Electric Car?” documentary. It will clarify all that you suspected or already knew. Catch it on Encore if you can.

MyRide.com Lists Top Green Vehicles Celebrities Want Most

The Tesla Roadster. Finally an all-electric sports car (supercar if you will) that can go fast enough for even BBC’s Top Gear crew to MAYBE not complain. No, most of of can’t afford these, but electric cars have to start (again) somewhere. Read the list here.

If you are curious the Tesla website rocks. 

The incentive section and foreign oil reducing section alone is worth it.

 

Potable #001

All my life I’ve loved to cook. I love to throw theme parties. I love herbalism and science and playing with new ways to make food. I was a chocolatier for 7 years. It’s in my blood, handed down from my grandmother, to my mother to me. What can I say, I’m Italian. I’m also a food geek. And that didn’t help my love of dabbling in things I shouldn’t eat. Then in 2001, I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia and IBS. Though depressing, I found ways to keep food interesting. For a while, I was pretty strict with myself and did well. As soon as I started to feel better, time went by and I went back to eating anything I wanted. Five years go by and I forgot why I’m feeling like dirt, I can’t think straight, I’m drowning in insomnia, and my mood and weight are up and down faster than the Tower of Terror. I was becoming ill with everything I ate. So I decided to take my love of being a mad scientist and pull the cauldron back out. If I can’t imitate it, I’ll find a way to use the real thing and still maintain my objective. I should be able to say, “I eat healthy and I did well all week, now I want one awesome thing that’s over the top.” Just don’t eat tons and you’ll be fine. But at least you won’t feel like hell anymore. My cheesecake recipe has no sugar, no starches and is gluten-free. A few of the ingredients may be a little out of the ordinary, but I’d be very shocked if you can tell. It may even be extraordinary. You’ll just have to see for yourself.

Extraordinary Chocolate Cheesecake with Cocoa-Lemon Creme Fraiche

Crust:

¼ cup hazelnut flour

¼ cup almond flour

¼ cup coconut flour

4 tablespoon sugar substitute (if you can handle full sugar use raw, turbinado)

2 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Cake: 


2 (9oz. block) of cream cheese, softened 


1 pint sour cream

3 eggs 


½ cup erythritol (non-chemical sugar alternative found at Wholefoods and online)

1 cup sugar substitute
 (if you can handle full sugar use raw, turbinado)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (preferably without sugar)

4 oz. high quality unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon of guar gum or xantham gum (optional, also found at Wholefoods and higher end markets)

Cocoa-Lemon Creme Fraiche:

1 (8oz) container of Creme Fraiche

3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoon sugar substitute

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

For Crust:

Combine the crust ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour on melted butter until completely moistened. Transfer to a skillet and toast the crust ingredients on medium heat until golden and has a nutty aroma.

Cake:

In an 8-inch springform pan, add the crumbs. Using a rounded cup, press the crumbs down into the bottom and sides (up an inch or two) of the pan. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on low-medium until smooth. Add sour cream until any lumps are gone. Scrape down the paddle and sides of the bowl. Add erythritol and sugar substitute. Drizzle in room temperature melted chocolate until blended. Scrape down the sides again. Add eggs one at a time and beat on slow. Add vanilla and beat until creamy for 3 more minutes on medium. You can add the guar or xantham gum at this time (for extra insurance in prevention of cracking cake top). Don’t over mix. Pour the filling into the springform pan and twist the pan back and forth gently to settle the filling evenly.

Set the pan in a larger cake roasting pan and pour hot water into the larger pan to make a water bath. The water should come halfway up the cheesecake. Bake for 35-45 minutes. The cake should still move in the middle. Let cool in the water bath on the counter for an hour. Take out of the water bath and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Run a think knife around the pan to loosen. Release springform and serve or add this very simple Chocolate Lemon Creme Fraiche:

Take the cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of the Creme Fraiche and make a paste. Add the paste to the rest of the Creme Fraiche and blend until smooth. Add the lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Add optional sugar substitute to sweeten if desired. Spread over cheesecake or dollop on individual servings.

   YUM.

-Jennifer

I foresee…

An amazing new product on the forefront. Perhaps around the time of America’s Birthday. A spray that does it all. Well a lot of things at least. EVERY WITCH WAY SPRAY. If you know La Strega, you know it will do more than one thing. And a few of the things it will do may surprise you. Cryptic much?

Yeah, but it’s fun.

-Jennifer

 

Mayday Mayday!

La Strega’s fabulous Magic Garden Lotion Potion is here just in time for summer. It is the May arrival in The Order of Strega Month Club! The freshest cucumber soothes skin. This cooling creamy concoction is not to be believed until you try if for yourself. People have told me that it has all but eliminated their eczema, and for others it has drastically helped their combination skin. Most excellent!

- Jennifer   

 

Even Barbie needs a little fab…

 Diva fashionista Kimora Lee Simmons has a new Barbie doll in her image (yeah, I’m sure she hated that). She recommended that the doll comes with a faux-fur coat to send a message to young girls about animal treatment. I really doubt the Mattel corporation would ever have the intention of making millions of real mini fur coats for Barbie dolls around the world anyway, but the message is good. As long as little girls can understand the difference and not grow up thinking it’s okay to wear a real one. You can read about it here.

H’aloe world! Aloe barbadensis to the rescue…

This week in Component Corner:

 Aloe Juice, Organic

(Aloe barbadensis) Aloe is renown for its healing properties; anti-inflammatory effects, soothes skin and aids in the healing of burns. The Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese used aloe for these purposes. Aloe vera also improves hydration due to the presence of potassium, calcium, vitamin B complex, vitamin C, magnesium, folic acid, aluminum, iron, zinc and amino acids.