Goats Milk and Honey Soap

You've probably noticed that I like using milks in my soap recipes. Goats milk is another great milk to use because it has extra proteins, vitamins and caseins that are really good for your skin. My Goats Milk & Honey soap is only one of two soaps that I make that I don't add any fragrance or color to. So with the skin loving ingredients as pictured below, and the absence of anything that might irritate sensitive skin, this is a wonderfully creamy, gentle bar of soap that is safe for all skin types.

There are several ways to incorperate goats milk into your soap recipe. As with other milks, I like to use a half and half technique. That's why I like to use double strength canned goats milk. (that and because I don't have access to fresh milk) I use pretty much the same recipe that I normally use only replacing half the water with milk and adding honey, shea butter and vitamin e at trace.

I start by adding my lye to the 1/2 water. (in the form of ice)

I heat my honey to make it more fluid, then add it and the vitamin e to my goats milk so they can all be added at once when my soap reaches trace.

when my lye/water and oils are fully emulsified and begin to trace I add my goats milk/honey/vitamin e blend.

Last but not least I add my shea butter. You'll notice the color change due to the milk, but not to worry it will normally change back as it sets up. Anyway, after blending the shea in completely it's ready to go in the mold.

I immediately sat my mold over the air vent and put a fan on it to prevent gel phase, because I'd like for this batch to stay nice and light. By the next day when it's ready to cut it has changed back to a nice creamy color.

And here are the cut pictures.

Making Beef Jerky

There are few foods that you could get everyone to agree on, but jerky is one that everyone in my family enjoys. And it's a GREAT snack food! Jerky is high in protein and low in fat, and when made at home you can enjoy it at a fraction of what it costs in stores. I normally use venison when making jerky, but sometimes you just can't wait till the Fall for a good batch of homemade jerky. I pretty much always use the same basic recipe. I may adjust the "spicyness" sometimes, but this is what I'll use for about 3-4 lbs of meat:

    1 C soy sauce

2 T worcestershire

2 T liquid smoke

1 T canning salt

1/2 T black pepper

1 T crushed red pepper

1/2 T garlic salt

Start out by slicing your meat. Trim away any fat. The thickness is a personal preference thing, I like somewhere between 1/8-1/4 inch. 

* slightly freeze the meat in order to make it easier to slice.

I like to mix my marinate ingredients in a shallow bowl, but a freezer bag works too.

Place one by one in the marinate so as to coat each piece, and refrigerate overnight.

I like to dry my jerky in the oven. So place the meat strips as close as possible without overlapping them on the oven rack and bake at lowest setting (150-175) for 5-6 hours.

That's it! Now get the floss ready and enjoy. :)