JcrewThrifted Creating Joy in Vintage Fashion

 

Fashion is about individual style and gives us all a way to express ourselves, values and culture. That is one of things that drew me to vintage shopping, I was able to see the cultural changes of our society through clothes. Seeing the changes in construction, fabric choices and color selection as trends in fashion are always changing. Rejoicing in the clothing trends, colors, and boundaries lines that are broken through the expression of fashion. No need to ask for forgiveness for your fashion choices, it is about the rejoicing in the better day of great fashion.

Vintage clothing allows for one to assess and see what is important to you in an outfit. Are you particular about the types of fabrics that will drape your body? Partial to the smoothness and comfort of silk, and the way the fabric is so breathable during the hot summers? Or do you believe that cotton is king, a fabric that is durable, sustainable and can take a beating and keep on ticking, looking stunning, fashionable and fun. Linen has historically been used amongst many cultures because of its' ease of use, coolness during the heat and a fabric that is light to pack.

As fast fashion has gained in our society, there has been a pushback to high quality clothes that are hand crafted and made with care. Clothing that is made to last, is the way to shop, because you can keep your favorite clothes longer. Finding vintage clothing that is impressive, fun and reasonably priced. To find freedom, and victory in vintage fashion, to see joy, hope, peace through the fashion process. 

That's why I started Jcrewthrifted to give people an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of high quality clothing at a great price. Vintage clothing is an opportunity to create your own space in fashion to express yourself and to explore the beauty of colors and fabrics. Make all things new and fresh with your own take on clothing. As you start your journey I encourage to find the perfect outfits for your lifestyle and way of life. Become the life of party in your Jcrewthrifted fits, and enjoy vida! 

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Using Every Part......

When I picked up my organic, local heritage Duroc pig at the Caughman's Meat Plant, it had all the usual parts, pork chops, ribs, ham and ground pork. My favorite is the ground pork, it is so versatile, easy to use and every time I cook it, it tastes amazing. Ribs are my second favorite, but unfortunately a pig only has so many ribs, so its limited how many times we have ribs for dinner. Hams are large and I can make many meals out of one ham which is such a great value. 

When you have a whole pig processed you get the regular cuts of meat but you also get things like neck bones, jowls, liver and the whole pig head. I give the pig head and other parts to a family friend who usually has a bunch of people over for a pig party. Which is such a great idea, who doesn't love a party? 

Since I had these extra parts of a pig that I normally don't know about or use, I decided to start experimenting with the neck bones and jowls. What my research has shown, is that neck bones make the most delicious broth, that is fragrant and meaty. I cook up onions garlic and a carrot with the neck bones, add water and let simmer for two to three hours. I then freeze that broth for soups, tomato sauces, gravy, ect. 

When I cook using the Duroc pork broth, it adds a special element to the cooking that is meaningful and delicious. Using every part of the animal is a great way to be economical and ecological, not letting any part of the animal go to waste. 

Life is about making memories and having experiences, when I daily take the time and effort to cook for my family, I feel great, because I am making great memories for my family. 


Sending you love and happiness in the New Year! 


XOXOXO,


Frolicking Americana

A coconut dream

When you think of a coconut one would think of warm beaches, sunny skies and tropical weather. All those things are true, but I especially use coconut when the weather turns cool. I especially love coconut cream. It is creamy, smooth and delicious, and always digests well. Unlike milk it is less likely to curdle in your tea and it evokes in every sip a slight nutty flavor.

Also, I buy a particular brand of coconut milk that I buy in Atlanta at the Dekalb Farmers market. Which is a huge market that has everything one your imagine. There is a meat, deli, vegetable, cheese, spices, coffees, teas and much more. What I enjoy about the store is that I can purchase large cases of coconut milk and stock up for future use. Many times while I am shopping another customer will ask me, what are you going to use all that coconut for, and I just smile and say I love coconut.

Coconut milk can be used in teas, coffee, cookies, cakes and right now I am using it in my homemade breads. I love that it adds extra flavor, and depth to each loaf. Coconut milk has vitamins C, E, and load of B vitamins, as well as minerals including iron, selenium, and magnesium. So when you are drinking coconut milk you are really drinking to your health!



Cheers,

XOXO

Frolicking Americana

How to make your best soup!

Cold weather means its soup time in my family! There is nothing better on a cold night to gather around the dinner table and have a hot homemade soup with homemade bread. 

After Thanksgiving I found a way to make my soup  nights even better! It is important to start with a organic turkey carcass , preferably local, because you will be rendering the turkey down into a delicious broth. 

Take your turkey, and boil it down for four hours or more. Then let it rest and cool for an hour. After that you will have the most delicious broth that you can add to soups, and sauces. You can also just drink the bone both for healthy benefits. 

Everyone in my family loves bone broth and soups during the cold weather season. Bone broth is a great way to add comfort to your home and will benefit your health. 


Wishing you love and warm,

XOXO 

Frolicking Americana


BENEFITS OF BONE BROTH 

1. Bone Broth Boosts Immunity

2. Bone Broth Alleviates The Common Cold And Bronchitis

3. Bone Broth Fights Inflammation

4. Bone Broth Strengthens Bones And Teeth

5. Bone Broth Promotes Weight Loss

6. Bone Broth Improves Hydration

7. Restore Exercise Capacity with Bone Broth

8. Build Muscle with Bone Broth

9. Improve Mood with Bone Broth

Holiday Goodness

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. This year was quite special because it was the first Thanksgiving for my small family, and included my mom, aunt, and cousin. It was all of my favorite people eating some of my favorite foods. 

The key to making your food memorable is purchasing or growing the best quality food that you can find. For my family that means buying a fresh turkey from Doko Farm every year. Each turkey is raised with love, and care. And they taste amazing! When you buy local you are supporting a local artisan producer and you are receiving a high quality product. My family loved the turkey they said, it was the best turkey they have ever eaten! When they said that it warmed my heart, and made me realize the importance of high quality food. 


I was able to decorate the house with fresh flowers from my Pinehurst garden. It was my last opportunity to bring in the beauty of the outdoors in before the frost hit the flowers and they faded away. Anytime you can bring in outdoor beauty into your home do it! It creates warmth, beauty and a uniqueness to your home. Now that Christmas is coming I am looking forward to purchasing a fresh  Christmas Tree and bringing that smell of Christmas into my home. 

These are all easy tips to create a warm, happy and memorable holiday season. Sending you all the love and happiness! 


XOXO,

Frolicking Americana

EASY FOOD SAFETY.... GROW YOUR OWN FOOD

Another day...another food that you can not eat due to food safety issues. Romaine lettuce has just been added to that list. The CDC is now warning that Romaine lettuce is unsafe due to E. Coli bacteria. It is so scary that the food in the grocery store can make you really sick! 

An easy way to combat that fear is to grow your own food! I know it can seem like an hard task, or impossible. But leafy greens such as kale, collards and mixed greens are very easy to grow. All you have to do is put the seed in dirt and let it grow. Watering on time is a very important factor to grow, but on an upcoming blog I will let you in on an super easy way to water that takes little to no time. 

If you don't have a lot of space, just get a large pot add good dirt and the best part is you decide what to grow. You can research what varieties that you love to eat the most and grow them. And when you are growing your own food you don't have to worry about the food safety issues such as E. Coli, you are growing your own local organic product that you will enjoy even more that the store bought greens because you grew it with love. 

One last thing it is important to have great soil! I learned the hard way, by trying to grow carrots. The first batch of carrots I grew I just put them in the dirt in my Pinehurst Neighborhood garden, and let them grow. Let me tell you they didn't do much growing! When I pulled them up they were so small, like the length of a quarter. The second batch of carrots I grew them with Re-soil, which is this amazing compost that has all the things that veggies love. Those carrots grew to a beautiful tasty size about three inches. When I harvested those carrots I literally jumped for joy! I took those carrots home and cooked them up for my new little one and he loved them! 

Growing your own food is such an amazing thing to do for you, your family and for the environment. I encourage everyone to try it out! 

Sending you love, and happiness,


XOXO 

Frolicking Americana

Roasting up goodness

There is nothing better than a hot cup of perfectly roasted coffee in the morning. It is a refreshing, delicious way to start the day. Some nights right before I go to sleep I think in happy anticipation of the wonderful cup of coffee that will greet me in the morning. 
Coffee has a way to brighten up the day, and make everything seem fabulous. There are many ways to brew that perfect up of coffee, and everyone has a way that they think is the best. But few can argue about how to roast the perfect cup of coffee. One reason is that most people do not venture to roast their own. 

Being the frugal and adventurous person that I am, I decided to roast my own brew. The first time, I was extremely nervous that I would ruin the coffee, and personally I didn't know anyone who roasted their own coffee. At the time my pastor of my church was Ethiopian and I had heard through the grapevine about a coffee roasting ceremony that members of the church had attended. Everyone said, that it was the best coffee of their life. I thought if roasting coffee on an open fire created amazing coffee surely I could try to roast coffee on my stove. 

With that in mind, I attempted by first batch and it was terrific, I was able to create my own personal blend, bold, dark and warm. It was such a great feeling of accomplishment, and I was left with a terrific product! My very own, personally blended coffee to my exact specifications, and it was delish! . 

Roasting my own coffee, made me realize that you can make every day special and unique if you just take the time to stop and make the simple things special. 


Sending you love, and happiness this holiday season, and wishing that your every day will be special. 


Xoxo 

Frolicking Americana


P.S.  If you are interested in having your own unique and personal blend of coffee for the holidays. I am currently consulting with private clients to create their own specially curated blends. You can reach me on Facebook, Instagram.