Soap pie... mmmmmm

This is soap from the latest batch Annie and I have made. It's an oatmeal, milk, and honey soap made with many different oils - jojoba, almond, olive, castor, and safflower are the ones I remember off the top of my head. We made the entire batch for a co-worker. I gave her a bar from a different batch, and she liked it so much that she requested an entire batch! This is definitely our favourite soap recipe, because it makes a beautiful soap which lathers really well. It has a great texture, and the oatmeal gives it a little bit of exfoliating power. It's also very gentle and moisturizing. And this particular batch is scented with cinnamon and orange essential oils, so it smells wonderful, too!

And this is the vegetarian shepherd's pie I made for supper last night. It's one of our favourite dishes because it's relatively quick, easy, full of fibre and other good things, and it is delicious! It's not one of those vegetarian recipes which imitates meat, it just tastes fabulous. Here's the recipe (I copied it from a library book and forgot to write the book title and author - if anyone recognizes it, please let me know!) It's a perfect supper for a chilly winter evening.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Peppered Potato Topping
2 tsp oil (I use olive)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped onions
3/4 c chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups prepared tomato pasta sauce
1 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I just use the whole can)
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I just use the whole can of these, too)
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water (I use water)
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
2 bay leaves
4 cups diced potatoes
1/2 cup milk (I use organic skim)
1/3 c light sour cream (can be omitted and it's still tasty)
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I use a bit less)
3 tbsp grated parmesan

1. In a saucepan heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions and carrot; cook 4 minutes or until onion is softened. Stir in tomato sauce, beans, chickpeas, stock or water, basil and bay leaves; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaves. Transfer sauce to a food processor (I use a stick blender instead) and pulse until chunky. Spread over bottom of baking dish (no need to grease.)

2. Place potatoes in saucepan; add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes or until tender. Drain; mash with milk, sour cream and pepper. Spoon on top of sauce in baking dish (I use a casserole dish; 9x13 would work fine). Sprinkle with cheeses.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.