German Pancake

Serves 4

• 3  large eggs
• 1/2  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  cup  milk, preferably whole
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  tablespoons  unsalted butter
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice (optional)
• 1/2  cup  fruit jam (optional)
• 2  tablespoons  confectioners’ sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs to combine. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the milk, salt, and vanilla and mix until incorporated; set aside.
2. Add the butter to a large cast-iron skillet and transfer to oven until the butter melts. Remove from oven and quickly pour the batter into the hot skillet. Return to oven and bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.
3. Drizzle the lemon juice (if using) over the pancake. Spread the jam (if using) evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the confectioners’ sugar.

Citrus Salad with Honey & Mint

Serves 2

• 1  grapefruit
• 1  navel orange
• 2  teaspoons  honey
• 4  small sprigs fresh mint

Directions

1. With a knife, cut away the peel and white pith of the grapefruit and orange and slice the fruit into rounds.
2. Arrange the slices on individual plates. Drizzle with the honey and top with the mint.

Basic Quiche

Serves 6

• 1  9-inch refrigerated piecrust
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 2  medium onions, chopped
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1  cup  fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 4  large eggs
• 3/4  cup  half-and-half
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 8  ounces  Gruyere, grated
• 4  cups  mixed greens

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Place on a baking sheet.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the parsley.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir in the onion mixture and the Gruyère.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the crust. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes. Drizzle the greens with the remaining tablespoon of oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the quiche.

Candied Bacon

Serves 6-8

• 1  pound  sliced bacon
• 1/3  cup  maple syrup

Directions

Arrange 1 pound of sliced bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1/3 cup maple syrup. Bake at 400° F for 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate, not a paper towel―it will be very sticky.

(Recipes: Real Simple)

The same goes for our homes.  As the temperatures rise and robins return, spring cleaning takes over much of our ambitions – it’s almost instinctual.  The desire to freshen your home after a long, confining winter can be consuming. But a lot of the cleaning products (chemicals) out there are bad (even dangerous) for your health, just like some bath and body products can do more harm than good for your skin. So try some of our at-home remedies below – some smell as great as they clean!

Basic Cleaners
All-Purpose Cleaner: Using funnel, put 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon dish soap, and 2 tablespoons vinegar into your spray bottle. Give it a stir/shake. Let it sit for a minute, then fill bottle with warm water and shake it up. Give it a few more minutes to calm down and add a few drops of essential oil – we like lavender or rosemary.

Windows: Mix 2 ounces water and 10 drops lavender or lemongrass oil to wipe grime off windows. Bonus: These oils may repel flies.

Wood Furniture: Make your own polish by mixing 2 cups olive or vegetable oil with the juice of 1 lemon; work it in with a soft cloth. To smooth out scratches in light-colored wood, rub them with a solution of equal parts olive or vegetable oil and lemon juice.

Kitchen
Garbage Disposal Freshener: Take the pulp from a lemon (preferably one you’ve squeezed to use for something else) and toss it in the garbage disposal, along with a few thin strips of the peel. Run water and turn on disposal.

Sink & Stovetop Cleaner: Put a 1/3 cup baking soda in a bowl. Mix in enough warm water so that you get a nice moist paste. Put paste on sponge or brush and scrub away. Make it as you need it. Followup with All-Purpose Cleaner above.

Bathroom
Tub & Tile Cleaner: In a jar or spray bottle, combine 1 2/3 cup baking soda with 1/2 cup vegetable oil-based liquid soap. Add 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and up to 5 drops essential oil of choice. Shake before using. Apply with a cloth or sponge and rinse well.

Shower Doors: Wipe scum-covered glass doors with a few drops of lemon oil twice a month. It will protect them from grime buildup.

Toilets: Add 2 teaspoons tea-tree oil and 2 cups water to a spray bottle. Shake, then spritz along the toilet’s inside rim. Let sit for 30 minutes; scrub. You can also place a few drops of your favorite oil on the inside of the toilet-paper tube. Every time the paper is used, the scent will be released.

Scouring Powder: Combine 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup borax, and 1 cup kosher salt in a jar. Sprinkle on area to be cleaned, wipe with a sponge, and rinse.

Drain Cleaner: Pour 1/2 cup baking soda into drain followed by 1 cup vinegar and 3 drops tea tree oil. Let it sit and fizz for 15 minutes, then rinse with hot or boiling water. May need to repeat or leave baking soda and vinegar in overnight.

Mold/Mildew Cleaner: Simply mix two teaspoons tea tree oil with two cups water in a spray bottle. Spritz the mixture on moldy or mildewy areas, like showers, and let stand for 10-30 minutes before scrubbing away.

LaundryKill Dust Mites: Add 25 drops eucalyptus oil to each load of laundry. Eucalyptus oil kills dust mites in bedding

Stain Removal: Drop one or two drops of lemon oil on stain.  Let stand, then rub before running through washing machine.

Freshen up your dryer: Put 10 drops of lavender oil on a dampened washcloth and throw in with the drying cycle.

And first on that list is often our home.  Organizing and re-energizing, from packing up all the extra blankets and sweaters, to adding fresh scents of spring, we want our environment to reflect our mood.  Below are some tips to help you bring the spring indoors this year.

We of course had to pick two winners, and we’ve displayed their Pinboards below. But again, we loved ALL the entries, and so linked to all the entries below for you to peruse.

Grand Prize: Selena Garcia, $200 Ranch Organics gift certificate
Pinboard: Refreshing New Year 2013

Runner-Up: Samantha Nelson, $100 Ranch Organics gift certificate
Pinboard: Refreshing My Life One Step at a Time

View more entries:

Livin’ Cowgirl Cool

Ranch Organics

Refreshing New Year

Ranch Organics for the World

Envisioning a Refreshing Year

A Refreshing Year

A Refreshing New Year

Show us a Refreshing Year

Ranch Organics

A Refreshing Year

Refreshing New Year with Ranch Organics

Because it all comes down to happiness.  We all want to be happy, right?  But there’s no magic ticket to happiness, folks. (Think: “I’m skinny, now I’m happy!”  Wrong.)

So we’ve made a different sort of resolution: We want this year to be about refreshing and renewing our lifestyle.  You can’t find happiness in a pair of skinny jeans (okay, maybe you can just a little), but you can find it when you decide to simply be happy.

Our 4 Steps to a Refreshing Year:

1. Make time to play. No, you don’t per se have to go dig in the sandbox (unless you think that’s fun!), but you do need to find time in life for things you enjoy. Be that joining a recreational volleyball team, setting up a monthly wine tasting party or book club, taking up a hobby like painting – whatever you choose, find time in your regular life for things that bring you joy. That means you don’t always put “fun” off for the weekend or “when you have time,” but schedule it in as a priority just as you would a client meeting.

2. Treat yourself. Why? Because you deserve it – everyone deserves it!  We’re not saying you should bust your budget, but everyone deserves a treat – a reward – once in awhile.  Get those pair of red high heels, splurge on a spa day.  We all need a little indulgence in our lives.

3. Work hard.  Seems to contradict our post about “happiness,” right?  Wrong.  It’s proven that happiness results from the pride that comes from a job well done.  It’s a simple, age-old equation really: time + hard work = reward. You work hard, and then reap the rewards.  There’s nothing like the pride that comes from truly earning something.  A $5000 check you earned feels different then a $5000 gift, right?

4. Don’t judge. This goes for yourself and others.  So many of us judge ourselves too harshly, and much more harshly than anyone else does.  Learn to accept that you’re not perfect, nor should you be.  So you forgot to call back your sister (for the second time) – it’s likely she’ll forgive you.  You were 10 minutes late to your son’s soccer game – guaranteed he was happy you were there to see him score.  Learn to let go of your self-judgement and a world of happiness will open up for you.  And likewise, don’t be too quick to judge that mom at the supermarket who snapped at her child, or that co-worker at the office who messed up a report; everyone makes mistakes.  And it’s not anyone’s place to be judge of the world.

Invite all the friends and neighbors and throw a holiday party to remember!

No, we don’t mean the black-tie and cocktail-dress kind, but rather the fun-for-all, grab-your-sleds, wear something warm, kind of party.

Yes, a holiday party that starts at two in the afternoon, and probably lasts past dinnertime – not because you are serving dinner, but because everyone’s just having too much fun to go home.  How does this kind of party work?  It’s simple, really: choose an activity or two (think: a sledding or a snowman-building competition, Twister & Charades for after dark), serve great drinks (in adult and children versions), and offer enough food to keep guests from getting hungry.

It looks something like this:

2pm: Guests begin to arrive. Within a few minutes, you are sure to give them a cup of holiday cheer (see recipes below) to brighten the mood.

3pm: After some socializing and snacks, you pass out sleds and point guests – young and old – to the sledding hill.  Nothing gets the smiles flowing like the outdoors!  Snowman-Building Competitions (Who can be the most creative? Build the tallest?) and snowball fights (no face shots!) is also strongly encouraged.

5:15: The cold brings the crowd back in, where you have more holiday cheer and food ready.  Sharing stories of who took the biggest crash and who won the snowball fight take over the evening, and before you know it it’s past dinner time.

7:30: Board games.  If guests are not ready to go home, bring out some great games, like Twister, Charades, etc., to extend the fun.

Your party will be remembered, guaranteed, and you’ll likely get a repeat request next year! New holiday tradition, anyone?

Holiday Party Recipes: Cocktails

Serve plenty of waters, juices, soda, and hot cocoa, plus offer these festive cocktails for the adults in the group:

Twinkling Ginger Champagne Punch

Serves 8

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light-color corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons finely snipped crystallized ginger
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 1 750 milliliter bottle champagne, chilled

Directions
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and candied ginger. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vodka; cool to room temperature. Cover and chill for 4 hours or overnight. Strain the vodka mixture to remove the candied ginger; discard ginger.

Pour vodka mixture into a large bowl. Slowly pour the champagne down side of bowl; stir gently with an up-and-down motion to mix.

To serve, ladle punch mixture into champagne glasses or punch cups. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Santa’s Sleigh Cocktail

Serves 4

• White sugar crystals, preferably coarse
• 2 cups store-bought eggnog, chilled
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup amaretto liqueur
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 4 cinnamon sticks

Directions
Dampen the rims of 4 martini glasses and then line the rims with sugar crystals.

We’re pretty sure, by now, you’ve guessed what it means, but let us share what Ranch to Tub – the theme behind our products – means to us: We take the freshest, most beneficial, loveliest-smelling, healthiest ingredients from the ranch, and infuse them into our bath and body products.  Think: Aloe Vera, grass-fed goat’s milk, coconut oil (double-distilled and deodorized), fresh herbs and flowers, organic shea butter, almond oil, natural vitamins and minerals, and more.  So even if you live in a New York City highrise apartment, you can still enjoy a touch of clean, wholesome, Rocky Mountain goodness in your bathtub all year long.

Goat Milk Soaps
Our goat milk soaps are mountain-grown and made with real vitamin-rich milk from grass-fed goats who graze in the heart of the Rockies. A touch of organic shea butter, along with the highest quality double-distilled and deodorized coconut oil, makes each long-lasting bar feel extra creamy and luxurious. We craft essential oils for our signature ranch blends – aromas that evoke the wide-open landscape and the distinct mountain seasons from where each artisan bar is born. Sized for your tub or your basin these soaps are balanced for maximum moisturizing and lather. We don’t use artificial colors or dyes, so these organic bars are ideal for sensitive skin and gentle enough to use every day on your body and face. Each bar is carefully wrapped in gorgeous hand-printed paper that makes for a coveted gift, inside and out.

Body Lotions
A trail-tested blend of pristine ingredients creates a moisturizing, nourishing cream that will leave your skin feeling soft and hydrated. Our signature oil blends and herbal extracts create a lotion that is rich and luxurious, yet light enough to use every day.

Body Washes
Our ultra-rich and creamy body washes are crafted in small batches for an indulgent bathing experience.   Our four signature botanical blends leave your skin smelling cleaner than a rain shower on the open range, and our gentle-foaming formula ensures you feel soft and smooth all over. Use it in the shower or as bubble bath!

Botanical Soaps
Our botanical bars are artisan, rough-hewn soaps crafted on a real Rocky Mountain ranch. Fresh herbs and flowers are hand crushed with a mortar and pestle, releasing the natural oils that infuse each bar of rustic ranch soap with nature’s apothecary. Each signature blend is individually crafted and hand-cut in 4-ounce bars that are 85% organic, using certified organic ingredients.

Hair
After a hard day on the ranch or a long day at the office, pamper yourself with our luxurious shampoos and conditioners, available in our four seasonal signature scents: Cedar Wood, Sweet Grass, Rose Geranium, and Lavender. Made with fresh, wholesome ingredients, like Aloe Vera Leaf Gel, Almond Oil, and vitamins and minerals from the land, they are gentle enough to use everyday and will leave a light scent of botanical essence in your hair.

Little Luxuries
Our “little luxuries” are natural and Rocky Mountain-infused, bringing nature’s apothecary straight from our meadows to your tub.

What is it about fall that makes us want to gather with friends and family, break open some good wine, and throw a celebration?

Maybe it’s our ancestral pioneer heritage inside of us wanting to celebrate the harvest (that most of us these days refer to as “the grocery store), or maybe it’s the excitement of changing seasons, vibrant colors, and cooling weather.  Whatever it is, we don’t really need an excuse to throw a party, but we admit: there’s something a bit magical about a Fall Fête.

In case you want to throw one of your own, we’ve simplified it for you.  Follow our 5 steps below and you’ll be on your way to having one magical  Fall Fête of your own.

1. Start at the entry way.  Set the mood immediately. Make your entrance festive and tie in elements of your interior and table decor.  Carve pumpkins to serve as large vases, holding dried flowers or bundles of wheat.  Add a fall wreath to your door and stacks of hay around your steps.

2. Greet your guests with a cup of cheer. Nothing says “party” like a festive adult beverage to get the conversation and smiles going.  Our suggestion?  If the party will be taken outdoors, help guests battle the chill with an Autumn Chai Swizzle (recipe below). If you don’t want a hot beverage, another option is an Apple Crisp.

Autumn Chai Swizzle
Makes 1 cocktail

• 2 ounces Baileys Original Irish Cream
• 3 ounces brewed chai tea
• Raw brown sugar
• Cinnamon stick

Preparation:
Brew a pot of chai tea (authentic masala chai recipe here). Add 2 teaspoons of raw brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Fill a coffee mug with chai tea and Baileys Original Irish Cream. Stir with cinnamon stick.

3.  Add ambiance. Try placing mini pumpkin candles in your windowsills  (don’t forget to blow them all out at party’s end!) and leaf garlands on mantle places and on railings.  If you’ll be outdoors, hang lanterns or white holiday lights for charming lighting.  Place pumpkins in as many places as you can.

4. Set your fall table. Perhaps the most important part of all, making a setting as whimsical and festive as your food is delicious.  Add candles in glass votives for warmth, add mini pumpkins or gourds to individual place settings, try weaving garlands of beads or leaves delicately throughout the table.  Use brown paper for your table cloth for a rustic feel (Bonus: Easy cleanup and children can color on it!)

5. Serve a fitting harvest meal.  Think: squashes, roasts, potatoes, pumpkin or apple pie.  Check out Food Network’s Fall Entertaining Guide for some fabulous recipes. Suggestion: We really like their Butternut Squash Soup as a starter!

More great fall decor ideas:

Farm to Table.

What is it? It means taking what’s best, and freshest, from nature, and bringing it to your table and family. Just like we like to take the best from the ranch (think: lavender, sweet grass), and infuse it in our products (Ranch to Tub!), we love to use fresh, organic foods in our home and in our entertaining.

How do you do this in practice?  At best, try it yourself, whether on a small or large scale.  Start a window herb garden, or, if you have the room outdoors, start a fruit and vegetable garden.

If you don’t think you have much of a green thumb, then head to your local farmers market as often as possible. Stock up on produce that you know is grown locally.  During the winter months, do your best to shop organically at your local stores.  If they do have a local foods section, try that too. Better yet, plan ahead during the summer and fall, and freeze produce from your own garden or local farmers markets.

Ready to try? Below we’ve put together a festive, Farm to Table menu – perfect for a September harvest celebration.  You’ll want to find a good, local wine and invite your neighbors.

Farm to Table Harvest Menu

Peach, Prosciutto, & Goat Cheese Pizzas

Makes 4 individual pizzas

Ingredients
For dough:

• 1 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water (110–115°F)
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

For topping

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 firm-ripe peaches, cut into thin wedges and halved crosswise
• 8 very thin prosciutto slices, torn into pieces
• 3 oz soft mild goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

• Special equipment: a pizza stone and baker’s peel

Preparation

Make dough and let rise:
Stir yeast and sugar into water until dissolved and let stand 5 minutes, or until foamy. Whisk together flour and salt in a bowl and add yeast mixture, stirring until a dough forms. Knead dough on a floured surface 5 minutes. Put in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat.

Let rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

While dough is rising, put pizza stone in lowest position of oven (on oven floor if gas, lowest rack position if electric; remove other racks in either case) and preheat oven to highest setting (500–550°F; allow about 1 hour to preheat with stone).

Shape dough:
Quarter dough on floured surface and dust with flour. Shape and stretch 2 pieces of dough into 7- by 5-inch ovals (keep remaining dough covered).

Sprinkle baker’s peel generously with flour and carefully transfer ovals to it. Jerk peel; if dough sticks, lift it and sprinkle flour underneath.

Top and bake pizzas:
Working quickly, brush ovals with some oil and top each with one fourth of peaches, prosciutto, cheese, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.

Line up far edge of peel with far edge of stone and tilt peel, jerking it gently. When edge of first pizza touches stone, quickly pull back peel to completely transfer pizzas to stone (do not move pizzas).

Bake until crisp and golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Slide peel under pizzas to remove from oven.

Shape, top, and bake 2 more pizzas in same manner. Drizzle remaining oil over pizzas.

Roasted Chicken Legs with Plum Chili Salsa

Serves 4-8

Ingredients

8 whole chicken legs (about 4 1/2 pounds)

For the marinade:

• 4 large ripe purple or red plums (about 1 pound), chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Oriental sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced seeded fresh jalapeño pepper (wear rubber gloves)
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

For the Plum Chili Salsa:

• 1 pound ripe purple or red plums (about 4 large ), diced (about 3 cups)
• 1/3 cup minced red onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced seeded fresh jalapeño pepper (wear rubber gloves)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste

For garnish

• ripe plum wedges
• lime wedges
• whole fresh mint leaves

Preparation
In a food processor purée the plums, the garlic paste, the oil, the soy sauce, the orange juice, the vinegar, the sugar, the jalapeño, the gingerroot, the mustard, and black pepper to taste until the mixture is smooth. In a large saucepan bring the marinade to a boil, simmer it, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until it is reduced to about 2 cups, and let it cool.

In a large shallow dish arrange the chicken, pricked in several places with a fork, in one layer, pour the marinade over it, reserving 1/4 cup for the salsa, and let the chicken marinate, covered and chilled, turning it once, for at least 1 hour or, preferably, overnight. Transfer the chicken to an oiled rack set over a foil-lined roasting pan, spoon the marinade over it, and roast the chicken in the upper third of a preheated 450°F. oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is cooked through.

Make the salsa while the chicken is roasting. In a bowl stir together the plums, the onion, the coriander, the mint, the jalapeño, the lime juice, the sugar, some of the reserved marinade to taste, salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange the chicken on a heated platter, garnish it with the plum wedges, the lime wedges, and the mint leaves, and serve it hot or at room temperature with the salsa.

Corn on the Cob with Cheese & Lime

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 ears of corn in the husk
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• 3/4 cup shredded cotija or feta

• Accompaniment: lime wedges

Preparation

Prepare grill.

Soak corn in husks in cold water 10 minutes. Drain corn and grill on a rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals until husks are charred, about 10 minutes. Shuck corn and grill until kernels are browned in spots, about 10 minutes.

While corn is grilling, in a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise and cayenne. Using the small teardrop-shaped holes on a four-sided grater grate cotija.

Brush mayonnaise mixture onto hot corn and sprinkle with cojita.

Serve corn on the cob with lime wedges.

Brandied Poached Peaches

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 cups water
• 5 (4-inch-long) strips fresh orange zest
• 1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 8 firm-ripe small peaches (2 to 2 1/2 lb total)
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons brandy or Cognac

Preparation

Bring sugar, orange juice, water, zest, and vanilla bean to a boil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add peaches, stem ends up. Cover pan and reduce heat, then poach peaches at a bare simmer 8 minutes. Turn peaches over and continue to poach, covered, until tender, 7 to 8 minutes more.

Transfer peaches with a slotted spoon to a bowl or shallow dish to cool, reserving poaching liquid in saucepan. Lift out vanilla bean pod and scrape seeds into poaching liquid, then boil liquid until reduced to about 1 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour syrup through a sieve into a small bowl or glass measure and cool. Stir in brandy (to taste).

Peel peaches and serve whole with syrup.