Funky Chunks Soap Company ~Giveaway~

WINNER CHOSEN! GIVEAWAY CLOSED! CONGRATS Olga! It's not often that I will do a review or giveaway of something that isn't food or food related in some way. Every now and then something pops up on my radar that MUST be shared with my readers. These AMAZING soap and body products are exactly that. I fell in love with them and I simply had to share them here.

I've known Michele, the owner of Funky Chunks, since either just before or right after she started her company. We met through our shared love of food and cooking! Once upon a time she was a food blogger too :) On top of being a talented cook and all around sweetheart, she truly has a gift for soap making and coming up with some of the most delicious scents. On Facebook recently, I saw a post that mentioned working with fans on a giveaway and I jumped on it. And I am SO glad I did. I'd never used Funky Chunks before this past weekend... I wanted to work on a giveaway with the company simply because of my connection with Michele and knowing what a lovely lady she is. But oh my gosh! These soaps have changed the way I think of bath time. Seriously.

This was the beautiful basket Funky Chunks sent me to test out. 3 gorgeous soaps, Sea Salt and Aloe Vera spray, Shea Butter and Aloe Body Lotion, Cane Sugar and Shea Butter Scrub, a bath poof, and finally the most adorable princess rubber ducky ever. Michele had asked me ahead of time what kinds of scents I like and she tailored the "flavors" to my likes. She did an incredible job too. I LOVED all 3 scents she sent. I like more masculine, dark and musky scents. I am a huge fan of patchouli and the "Yin Yang" was absolutely perfect for me. The spray, lotion and sugar scrub was scented in "Yin Yang" too which made layering the scent so simple! Nothing clashed. I love that so much.  If you're the winner of this lovely basket of goodies, you'll get to tell Funky Chunks what kinds of smells you adore and they will pick the scents you will love.

Let me tell you a bit about the soaps, first. I was sent the 3 soaps pictured above. They are large and did not dissolve quickly. I took 3 LONG and super hot baths and didn't even use half the bar! I loved the way the soap left my skin so soft and the scent lingered for a long time after my bath. I tend to have dry skin, especially in the winter, and I was left feeling like I'd slathered myself in some really nice body lotion after my bath. Not oily, but supple. And none of that dry, tightness that some soaps leave you with. On the other side, my youngest son has VERY sensitive skin and many soaps leave him with irritated, itchy skin. This soap didn't do that to him. I was sent these 3 scents:

Bombay: The fragrance of juniper, rosemary, tonic water and crisp lime slices blend together beautifully in this soothing soap creation. It's our Funky version of the classic gin and tonic!

Asbury Park: This Chunk combines sandalwood and cedarwood with crisp black peppercorns. Then we round it out with subtle notes of jasmine and sweet violets. Try it and see for yourself why it's our "Almost Famous" soap Chunk

Yin Yang: Yin Yang is an beautiful combination of earthy and sweet. We blend the timeless herbal fragrance of patchouli with bright, tart lemons and fresh sweet pears. This soap is definitely the best of both worlds. Classically clean and deeply fragrant.

Knowing what a product is made of, is important to me and I know it probably is to you too. I love that Funky Chunks soaps are 100% Vegan friendly and made with simple ingredients. I love a product I can feel good about using.

From the website:
"All of our soaps are 100% Vegan friendly. We never use any animal ingredients and our supplies are never animal tested. We use natural ingredients for our soaps and our ingredient list is very simple. We use only high quality food grade vegetable oils in our soap production.

Our Soap Ingredients: 
100% Natural Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Water, Organic Sustainable Palm Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Essential Oils and Mineral Pigments.

All of our soap packaging and displays are recycled, degradable and environmentally sustainable." 

I'm a Funky Chunks user for life. I enjoyed all the products I was given to try so much and when my samples are gone I will definitely be purchasing more. I was never big into using any particular soap, until now. Just give me whatever bar of soap might have been on hand and I was good. I tried to use a soap that didn't dry my skin out... but beyond that, I didn't really didn't fuss or bother. Using this soap was honestly such a pleasant experience that I can't quite get over it. LOVED it!

I loved the sugar scrub and body lotion too! The sugar did a wonderful job on the roughness on my heels and elbows and rinsed cleanly. The body lotion was scented so nicely and left me feeling soft without being greasy like some lotions. I used the beach hair and body spray like you would a perfume, it was light and made my bath scent last all day. My daughter did try it in her hair and she loved the look it gave her long locks... that neat, sort of just out of the ocean look you get after a day at the beach.

I know YOU want the chance to try "The Happiest Soap on the Planet" and all you have to do to enter the giveaway is go to http://www.funkychunks.net/ take a look around at all of the lovely scents they have and then come back here and leave a comment with the one that you think you'd like to try first! Make sure you leave some way for me to contact you, in case you're the lucky winner! I will randomly select a winner on Monday, March 4th 2013 at 12 Noon EST and announce it here shortly afterwards!

While you're at it... You can follow Funky Chunks @ Facebook, @Twitter, and @Pinterest!


GOOD LUCK!!!

**DISCLAIMER** The Funky Chunks Soap Company provided me with the products described above, both for me to try and to give away to one reader. As always, any thoughts and opinions given on "The Adventures of Kitchen Girl" are my own.

Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Radishes

Maybe I am a little behind the times, but this is my new favorite recipe. Low carb, delicious and hardly any calories at all! What's not to like? And did I mention simple? These were fast and so easy to prepare... yet impressive because it's a little unusual and unexpected. Those kinds of dishes rock my world! I'm a single mom with 3 kids, so anything that is quick to the table, tasty, good for you and gets requests for second helpings is a winner in my book.

The picture above is how they started out. Gorgeous in their own right. Beautiful red globes of peppery, crunchy love. Or at least that's how I think of them in their raw and natural state. Once you roast them they turn into something completely different. A wee bit like a roasted new potato... but not as starchy. That peppery bite that you get with a raw radish mellows considerably when roasted and they become tender and succulent... and absolutely addicting!

Since I first made these I've found that there are so many different ways to use radishes as a replacement for potato. I've cubed them and added them to soups, I've shredded them and made something akin to hash browns. Certainly, they are not the same as potatoes but if you are trying to watch your carb intake and you LOVE potatoes the way I do, this is a nice alternative now and then. I've have not tried to mash radishes the way I have done with cauliflower, somehow I have a feeling it wouldn't work out as well... but who knows! Perhaps I'll have to try it out one of these days. I have a feeling I will be using these in many favorite recipes that call for potato in the future. I will definitely be adding these cast iron roasted radishes to my rotation of family favorites, all THREE of my children enjoyed them and that's pretty well unheard of!

Why didn't I know about this little gem before? Sometimes I think I get stuck in the box of what I am used to. I grew up eating radishes sliced thinly in salads or as a part of a crudité tray, always raw. Sure I've seen roasted vegetable medleys around the internet that included radish but they seemed more focused on other root vegetables and like the radish was just a supporting character and not the star of the recipe. It just never occurred to me to eat them any other way. Boy am I glad I climbed out of that box and tried them this way! (Can you tell I get a little excited over these things?) How do you like to prepare radish? Are there other ways to serve these lovely little vegetables that I should know about?

Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Radishes
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh red radishes
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• sprinkle of sea salt

Method:
1: Preheat oven to 425F.
2: Wash radishes well and trim ends and blemishes. Cut larger radishes half.
3: Toss radishes with olive oil, thyme and pepper in a cast iron skillet (a foil covered baking sheet would work too.)
4: Roast for 20-30 minutes until tender and slightly browned.
5: Sprinkle with a touch of sea salt just before serving.
6: Enjoy!

365 Day Photography Challenge ~Weeks 1, 2 and 3~

I have been having so much fun with this photography challenge! I've been doing well with keeping up and taking a picture matching the weekly theme everyday. However, getting here to post them has been another story. It seems that something always steals my time away before I get a chance to sit down and update. Hopefully, as the challenge progresses, I'll get better at posting here once a week with all the photos from the last weekly theme! For now though, I'm playing catch up from the last 3 weeks. I hope you enjoying seeing my interpretations of each week's theme and catching a glimpse of life through my (iPhone) camera.

Would you like to play along too? You can go to this link: http://www.erynnenicole.com/a365dayphotographychallenge/ to learn how to play along with us. You can also follow along here: Erynne Nicole Photgraphy @ Facebook.

~Week One: Warmth~

 I posted the first few from this week in my last post, but here are the remainder from the week.

Watching a favorite TV show with a warm blanket!

Steaming hot coffee while waiting for the kids to get out of school.

Favorite "granny" sweater.

Little man cuddled up.

Warmth for the tummy!

Liquid warmth, fast!

~Week Two: Sentiment~

This week's theme was emotional for me. I loved taking a few moments each day reminiscing on what sentimental means to me.

My mother's ring. I've worn it since the day she passed away.

A gift from my one of my children.

A craft that my daughter presented to me. My home is covered with the kids crafts.

Necklaces mt daughter made, they decorate my car.

My grandmother's glass box. I LOVE this!

A photo of my mother from 2nd grade.

A mouse that was given to me by a special friend many years ago.

~Week Three: Relaxation~

Who doesn't like to relax? It was a fun week, trying to find unique ways to express how we relax in my household.

This is an incredible way to relax :)

A beer can start the evening off right!

Daily relaxation for the pickup line at school.

Lazy night after the kids are in bed. Games on the laptop and cooking TV.

A pot of tea at my favorite tea shop? Relaxing like whoa!

Baking with my kids always relaxes.

Quiet time reading with my babygirl.

365 Day Photography Challenge ~Week One~

For the last several years I've tried to participate in these daily photo challenges... sometimes they have themes/colors/subjects to follow, sometimes it's just portraying a "day in the life" of yourself each day for an entire year. I always start out strong and then a few weeks in, life gets busy and I get behind and then feel overwhelmed and finally I end up giving up all together. Despite that, I'm going to try to follow one again... but this one is a bit different than the ones I've participated with in the past. Each week there will be a theme posted and the challenge is to take a photo each day that interprets the theme. I love that the talented woman that's started the challenge is taking a casual approach to the project.... if you want to play along everyday, once a week or even just when you can and feel like it... it's all good!

Many of you reading this are my fellow food bloggers and I'd be willing to bet you all know Mayre from Restless Chipotle. Her daughter Erynn is the creative force behind this unique challenge! How neat is that? If you haven't met Marye and her delicious blog... you definitely need to take a visit to her site. I promise you'll leave there with a list of amazing recipes and feel totally inspired to get into the kitchen immediately. http://www.restlesschipotle.com/

Erynn is a professional photographer and really gifted. I love looking at her work. Really beautiful, creative and unique stuff. If you'd like to participate in this challenge along with me, you can find out more info here:  Erynne Nicole Photgraphy @ Facebook or on her website here: 365 Day Photography Challenge.

This week's theme is "Warmth"

My daughter Arianna with a cup of hot cocoa, still in PJs and standing in the sunny kitchen.

I'm posting the first two photos from this weeks challenge now, because I wanted to get the word out so that others could join us right away, if they wanted. Next week, I will wait to post my photos until the end of the theme week. I plan to post here once weekly with all the photos I took, hoping that the accountability that blogging it all provides will keep me going til the end. ;) Personally, I'm going to try doing one photo a day but I refuse to let my inner perfectionist get the best of me this time. If I only get a shot or two in a week, I'm calling it a success.

Shot of the bright sun providing warmth on a windy winter day.

I hope you enjoy my posts over the next year. I know it's not always going to be about food, but over time, I'd like this blog to encompass more elements of my personality because I am about so much more than just food and cooking.

"Untuna" Salad

Since the start of this year, my family has been doing a 21 day “Vegan Kickstart” program. We love vegan and vegetarian eating and while I have come to accept that we aren't ready to go totally vegetarian or vegan, we do believe in plant-centric eating and think that limiting foods that come from animals is the healthiest way to go. I think of this 21 day vegan program as a cleanse of sorts. We indulged over the holidays, and this is a great way for us to get back on track. I know we'll more than likely start consuming some animal based foods after the kickstart program is over, but I like that this 21 days has shown my family that eating a plant based diet can be delicious and satisfying. Hopefully now that they've made it this far, they will continue eating this way more often.

This “untuna” salad idea is new to me. Recently one of my amazing food blogger friends, Jill of Simple Daily Recipes, went to the HealthFest in Marshall, TX and she posted a picture on her Facebook of a version of “untuna” salad that intrigued me so much. I had to try my hand at making some! By the way... Jill is such an amazing woman and such an inspiration to me. Over a year ago she and her family went vegan and they've lost weight, gotten healthier and are feeling incredible. If you are interested in vegetarian and vegan eating, I encourage you to follow her in any (or all!) of these venues. She's helpful, friendly and just a really good lady.

Simple Daily Recipes Website

Simple Daily Recipes Facebook Page

Twitter

Pinterest

YouTube

I came up with the recipe I've brought you today after doing a bit of research and some trial and error. This recipe is very flexible to your personal tastes. Add dill pickles instead of sweet relish. Leave out the red pepper flakes. Add some mustard. Use a vinaigrette instead of vegan mayo. Use regular mayo, if you're not trying for a totally vegan meal. Serve it on a bed of greens, to stuff cucumber boats, on bread instead of a pita. Whatever you like! Take the basics of my recipe and make it your own :) As I always say... that's the beauty of any recipe... it's just a starting point. A guide to get your creativity flowing.

Before you think I'm crazy.... buy some Nori sheets and try adding it. Seriously. Even if you think you'll dislike it. Try just a bit first before adding it to the entire batch. But I tell you... in my opinion, its the Nori that makes this taste just like traditional tuna salad. The Nori is salty, and gives the salad a taste of the sea. It's really the secret ingredient!

I like this salad best if made a few hours ahead of time and left in the fridge to allow the flavors to mingle a bit before serving... but it's fine to make it and serve it immediately. A squeeze of lemon just before serving is a nice addition, too, if you're into that sort of thing.

Do you try to eat plant-centric meals on occasion? What are some of your favorite vegetarian or vegan meals? I'm always looking for family friendly meatless meals, so please feel free to leave a link to your favorites in the comment section!

“Untuna” Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 (15 oz each) cans of garbanzo beans.

• ½ to 1 cup finely chopped celery

• ½ to 1 cup finely chopped green onion

• ½ cup finely chopped water chestnuts

• 2-3 sheets Nori, crumbled into fine pieces

• 1 to 1½ cup Vegenaise®

• 2-3 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish

• Pinch red pepper flakes

• Fresh ground pepper

Method:

1: Drain and rinse both the garbanzo beans and the water chestnuts. (do not combine)

2: In a food processor, pulse garbanzos until they are small chunks but not pureed.

3: Chop celery, green onion and water chestnuts very finely and set aside.

4: Crumble Nori sheets into fine pieces and set aside.

5: In a large bowl combine processed garbanzos and chopped vegetables. Combine well.

6: Mix in Vegenaise by ½ cup amounts until the salad reaches your preferred consistency.

7: Add sweet pickle relish, red pepper flakes, ground pepper and crushed Nori sheets and combine well. (start with 1 or 2 sheets and taste, adding more to your preference.)

8: Taste and adjust seasoning to your tastes.

9: Refrigerate for a couple hours for best flavor, but serving immediately is acceptable.

Makes approximately 3-4 cups of prepared salad.

Savory Corn Crumble with Butternut Squash, Spinach and Feta

Fall is one of my favorite food seasons. There are so many warm and comforting dishes that just seem to go with the cooler weather. Soups, stews and casseroles that use root vegetables and squash really speak to me during this time of year. There is nothing like coming home after a long day to a hot bowl of something delicious after being out in the cold.

What are some of your favorite Fall foods? Is there any recipes you wait excitedly for each year as the leaves start to turn and the days get shorter?

I have an amazing recipe to share with you today from a wonderful fellow food blogger. I hope you'll try this delicious dish with your family soon... I know they will love it!

Savory Corn Crumble with Butternut Squash, Spinach and Feta, recipe by Ivy Liacopoulou of Kopiaste…to Greek Hospitality
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour
Serves: 1 baking dish (about 12 pieces)
Ingredients:
Filling:

• 2 lbs butternut Squash, grated
• 1 lbs spinach, squeezed
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 lbs feta, crumbled
• ½ cup parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup fennel fronds, finely chopped
• Salt (with caution) and freshly grated black pepper
• A pinch of cumin

Crumble:

• 1.5 lbs corn meal
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 200 ml Greek yogurt 2%
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp salt

Additional ingredients:

• 3 tbsp margarine divided (to grease the baking tin and to add on top)

Directions:

1. Grate the pumpkin and mix all the filling ingredients.
2. In a large bowl add the crumble ingredients and mix using your hand until the ingredients are well blended to form the crumble. If you still see corn meal, add more olive oil, if necessary.
3. Grease a 35 x 25 cm baking tin with 2 tbsp margarine. Add half of the crumble on the baking tin.
4. Add the filling on top and sprinkle the remaining crumble on top of the filling.
5. Add the remaining margarine in small pieces scattered all over the baking tin.
6. Preheat oven to 180o C / 350o F and bake for about 1 hour or until the crumble is golden on top.

Serve as a main dish, a side dish or a snack.

This sponsorship is brought to you by GLAM Media who we have partnered with for this promotion.

Sausage Stuffed Vegetables

I'm a proud member of The Foodie Blogroll and through that relationship I was recently given a chance to come up with a recipe using Mrs. Cubbison's Cornbread stuffing mix. I spent a few days mulling over what to do with the stuffing mix, because I wanted to come up with something that would be fitting for the upcoming holiday season. Actually though, I think this dish would be perfect anytime of year.

Mrs.Cubbison's sent an amazing package of products to inspire me. I loved the measuring spoons and pot holders! I spent a couple days pouring over this great website looking at all sorts of Thanksgiving Tips to help get my creative juices flowing. If you need any inspiration for Thanksgiving, I highly suggest visiting thanksgivingtips.com. Also the Mrs. Cubbison's Facebook page has great info to make your holiday the most delicious ever.

While you're there, check out the fascinating "Thanksgiving Survey" with all kinds of fun facts about how we celebrate the holiday in different parts of the Country! For example, did you know that what you call stuffing might depend on where you live? Southerners say “dressing” while people in the East, Midwest and West say “stuffing?” Or that people in the South spend the most time with their meal preparation (2 to 3 days before) while those in the West spend a full day or less in the kitchen. Most everyone spends at least half the day in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day.

Okay, on to the recipe I came up with.

I decided that stuffed vegetables sounded great. These can be served alone as a full meal because I added some delicious pork sausage for protein. Or, you could also use the stuffed veggies as a side dish for your holiday meal. Either way my family really enjoyed these and we'll definitely be enjoying them again soon. I hope you'll try them and let me know what you thought!


Sausage Stuffed Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 3 large bell peppers
• 4 portabella mushrooms
• 2 zucchini
• 16 oz roll Bob Evans Savory Sage sausage
• 12 oz package Mrs. Cubbison's seasoned cornbread stuffing mix
• 2 to 2.5 cups chicken broth
• 3 strips thick cut bacon, crumbled
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ribs celery, minced
• Mushroom stems, insides of zucchini, any bell pepper trimmings
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Bacon grease from cooking the bacon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Wash and prep all vegetables. Halve peppers lengthwise, remove stems and seeds. Remove stems and gills from mushrooms. Halve zucchini lengthwise and remove insides with a spoon to form a boat.
3. Reserve any trimmings from the zucchini, peppers and mushrooms that are edible to chop and saute for the stuffing.
4. Fry bacon until crisp, set aside and crumble when cool enough to handle. Reserve rendered grease to coat vegetables before filling and baking.
5. Chop finely the onion, garlic, celery and saved vegetable trimmings.
6. In a large pot brown and crumble the sausage. Drain all but a couple tablespoon of the sausage drippings.
7. Add red pepper flakes to sausage, mix.
8. Add chopped onion, garlic, celery and veggie trimmings to the cooked sausage and saute until tender.
9. Add 2 cups of chicken broth to the pot with the cooked sausage and vegetables, bring to a simmer.
10. Remove pot from heat and add both sleeves of Mrs. Cubbison's Cornbread stuffing, combine well, cover and allow to steam for 5 minutes.
11. Add more chicken stock if needed, up to a 1/2 cup. At this point the mixture should be slightly more moist than you want the finished product to be.
12. Add crumbled bacon to stuffing mixture and combine well.
13. Taste stuffing mixture and add salt and pepper to taste.
14. With a BBQ brush, coat the peppers, mushrooms and zucchini boats with bacon grease, inside and out.
15. Stuff the vegetables loosely with the sausage stuffing mixture.
16. Place the stuffed vegetables on a foil lined baking sheet.
17. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until vegetables are tender to your liking.
18. Remove from oven and sprinkle grated Parmaesian cheese over the top of each vegetable and return to the oven until cheese melts slightly. 5 minutes at most.

Serves 4-6 as a main dish, 10-12 as a side dish.

 

This sponsorship is brought to you by Mrs. Cubbison's who we have partnered with for this promotion. The Adventures of Kitchen Girl was compensated for this post, but all views and opinions are her own.