Jennifer Williams of Dress Me Up Organic would like to give one lucky reader a teething bonbon made of beautiful color grown organic cotton and naturally antibacterial wool! To show our appreciation to our amazing readers, earthandsugar would like to also include the Organic Teething Bonbon Leash!

To enter, please let us know your favorite item from Dress Me Up Organic in a comment below. Giveaway begins Friday, May 11, 2012 and ends on Friday, May 18, 2012, a winner will be selected using the third party vendor Random.org. You can gain additional entries by doing any of the following and providing that information in your comment (for Facebook and Twitter posts, provide the link if possible):

1. Like Dress Me Up Organic on Facebook
2. Follow Dress Me Up Organic on Twitter
3. Write about our giveaway on Facebook and link to this blog post
4. Tweet the following message:  @earthandsugar is having a giveaway at http://earthandsugar.com/fresh-finds/the-dress-me-up-organic-giveaway!
5. Like earthandsugar on Facebook
6. Heart the Dress Me Up Organic shop on Etsy by adding them to your Etsy favorites

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only, void where prohibited by law. A winner will be selected from among all verified email subscribers using Random.org, once our subscriber number reaches 10,000 the winner will be notified using the email he/she subscribed with.

Full Circle is doing amazing things in the world of housewares, not only do they create environmentally friendly products but they closely monitor the environmental and social impact of their products. They use raw materials sourced from areas close to where the processing and packaging is done to minimize transportation. The factories they use to manufacture their designs are audited according to the fair labor practices, health and safety, compensation and work hours, environmental conditions including air and water, as well as waste disposal. In addition to their labor practices, marketing materials and packaging are made of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified paper.

I recently purchased the vegetable brush because I was in need of something that would help me wash our produce a bit faster than my current method. Which currently is running water longer than I would like to and also using towels to remove the dirt, this takes forever! When I saw it at my local Bed Bath and Beyond my initial thought was “how exciting to see more green products here” and my second thought was “why not”. I had tried many in the past and they didn’t scrub very well or they scrubbed too much making my fresh produce look like it had gone through a cleaning session with a professional boxer. The grip design on this brush is perfect, allowing your thumb to rest on the handle for additional support. Since I was in veggie mode, I also purchased the potato brush. This self standing brush comes with an eye remover which is cutely designed like a beak, removing potato eyes has never been so easy.

They have a great line of products ranging from pot scrubbers and dish brushes with replaceable sponges and loofahs to dish towels made of bamboo and organic cotton. One of my favorite new products in their line is the Wherever Water container which comes with a built in lemon reamer. Lemon water is a known detoxifying agent which aids the body in many ways. Enhancing your water with lemon can be beneficial in stimulating the liver, boosting your metabolism and immunity, and helping the body absorb calcium. It also has powerful antioxidants which facilitate in the production of collagen and insulin.

So if you’re looking for ways to keep your kitchen clean and green, give Full Circle a try!

It does sound much better in Spanish, has anyone else noticed some phrases just aren’t translated properly into another language? The tune is quite fun and my oldest has a great time dancing in circles with me and singing this song. Occasionally we wear floral dresses made of linen, just to bring the song to life (mommy is not always a willing participant, but if it makes her smile who am I to say no)!

Since Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, I decided what more perfect time to make arroz con leche than this week. It is pronounced ah-roze con leh-che, and it is of Spanish origin. The Mexican version of it contains milk, cinnamon, sugar, egg, vanilla, orange peel and raisins. The variation in ingredients depends on the country and after doing some research I realized there are many ways to make this Spanish dessert, you could even remove half of the milk and replace with coconut milk for added flavor.

The cinnamon and citrus are really the stars here, they both add flavor and aroma to this creamy rice pudding. I found a simple and refreshing recipe for one my favorite childhood desserts that even today no one can make as delicious and with as much love as my mother.

Arroz con Leche
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen 

1 cup organic long grain white rice
2 cinnamon sticks
2 strips of lemon or orange rind
3 whole cloves or a pinch of ground cloves
4 cups water
1 organic egg
3 cups organic skim milk
1 14 ounce can organic condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Place the rice, cinnamon sticks, lemon rind and whole or powdered cloves in a heavy saucepan and cover with water. Let the mixture soak for at least an hour. After soaking bring the mixture to a boil on medium high heat (the lower heat was so that I could have more control of preventing any burned rice at the bottom of the pan), uncovered. While the mixture comes to a boil (this will take about 5 minutes) beat the egg in a bowl. Add the milk and mix well to incorporate.

Once the rice mixture has started to boil, lower the heat to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated (cooking times and temperatures vary depending on the range you have). Add the egg mixture, condensed milk, sea salt, vanilla extract, and raisins. Cook over medium low heat, stirring carefully, until it slightly thickens or until desired consistency about 15 to 20 minutes (you can let it cook longer if you like a thicker consistency as the liquid starts to get absorbed by the rice mixture).

Allow the pudding to cool uncovered and remove the citrus rinds and cinnamon sticks, then chill the rest of the way in the refrigerator. Garnish with cinnamon sticks or a pinch of canela (cinnamon)!

She uses her knowledge to carefully evaluate all the materials that go into making their products and packaging along with the practices they follow in their studio. They create smart designs made by local crafters from organic and sustainable materials sourced from the USA and Canada. “We use every single last scrap possible, even if it costs us a bit more in labor so that we produce much less waste.” says Jennifer Williams.

Recently our eight month old has been teething and we have found that toys which can be refrigerated or frozen work best for him. However, his little hands have to hold the teething toy and after the initial few gnaws his fingers become too cold. As all moms know, when a baby is uncomfortable they will usually wiggle around a bit and then it’s only a matter of seconds before the loud cries begin. The Organic Teething Bonbon from Dress Me Up Organic is the perfect solution! The teether knots on the ends are made cool by dipping them in water and tossing the toy in the freezer until it’s ready to be used. The naturally antibacterial wool stuffing in the middle stays dry to keep those little hands warm.

Currently, Jennifer’s favorite product is their Organic Double Cream Blanket which features two layers of certified organic cotton fleece “they stay soft for so long” adds Jennifer. Dress Me Up Organic’s products are appealing to the eco-conscious parent and make ideal gifts for new parents.

Dress Me Up Organic would like to give one lucky earthandsugar™ reader a teething bon bon in color grown organic fabric (you can learn more about color grown fabric here or on Jen’s post regarding this technique). On May 11, 2012 we will be holding this giveaway so be sure to stay tuned by liking us on Facebook and following Dress Me Up Organic for the latest products and news!

Plan an activity that gets you outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather. Just in case you prefer to do something lighter indoors or it’s raining outside I am sharing a fun and easy craft anyone can get creative with. See my tutorial for Earth Day Crayons!

Now on to the exciting news and also the best part of this post, a free printable! We partnered with Totful Memories (who also happens to be a sponsor on our blog) to bring you an Earth Day themed bookmark that you can print and use while reading your favorite books. My suggestion for an Earth Day book is the ever so popular The Lorax. The Lorax focuses on the environmental impact of corporate greed. The Lorax who speaks for the Truffula trees warns the Once-ler of the consequences of cutting down the trees. The Once-ler’s eagerness to make more Thneeds ultimately leads to the pollution and destruction of the beautiful land that was once a habitat for Swomee-Swans, Bar-ba-loots, and Humming-Fish.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss

Directions
Open the image by clicking on it and then save on to your computer. Print on heavy bright white paper or cardstock and cut into columns. Trim the top and bottom edges and make it special by using the back to note what your Earth Day pledge is for 2012!

I began the search for an easy crayon activity and found Crazy Crayons! Sabrina has an endless supply of crayons in a variety of cases, we decided to use the crayons that were the oldest and probably ready to be replaced by new ones. Our favorite line of earth friendly art products come from Clementine Art™. Their natural soy crayons are free of chemical dyes and additives and are shaped perfect for little hands! There is also another great line of natural art products with a great variety from Stockmar.

We sat down and picked our crayons in blue and green to make the Earth (we used cupcake tins so that the shapes would be round). This activity was also a great way to teach her about the elements of the Earth. So we picked more crayons in brown for earth, aqua for water, white for air, and orange and red for fire.

It should be noted that the fifth element (also known as the quintessence) is aether or ether, the material that fills the area of the universe above the terrestrial sphere. However, I thought trying to explain this to a toddler might be a bit much so I moved on focusing on the four. I think her favorite part was tearing the paper off the crayons and putting the chopped up pieces into the tins.

See below for directions on how we made them and have a Happy Earth Day!

Tools and Materials
crayons
kitchen knife
cupcake tins (you can use mini or large muffin pans)

Directions
Peel the paper off the crayons and chop (parents can chop the crayons using a knife) them up into pea size pieces. I used a paint tray to divide the colors so that my toddler could pick them up from there and make her own design inside the muffin tins.

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees while children fill the tin with crayon pieces, I guided her to fill some mixed with green and blue to create the Earth and an another mixed with orange and red to make fire. For the other elements we placed one color per well to melt them into round shapes.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or just until the wax has melted. Remove the shapes after they have cooled (if you have trouble getting them out, place your pan in the freezer for a few minutes and they will pop out) and enjoy a day of coloring with a purpose!

Our family has certainly enjoyed the abundance of freshly picked and locally sourced produce that is available to us year round. There are many strawberry patches and farms throughout the country, but one that we frequent is a unique place which combines hydroculture, bird rescue, country store and ice cream parlor into one amazing place.

We arrived at The Girls Strawberry U-Pick late morning. You are immediately drawn to every inch of their store. The smell of their freshly baked gourmet cookies and homemade ice cream welcomes you into a room filled with American retro inspired candies, vintage toys and a variety of gifts and postcards with a touch of country flair.

The Girls line of jams, preserves and sauces are displayed on shelves that appear as endless amounts of gourmet goodies. I am not quite sure I will get to try them all but I would love to meet the person who has! With so many choices, and they all sound delicious, how can you pick just one? With my seven month old in a baby carrier and my three year old daughter in tow, we made our way outside to the patch. Here we were given buckets and scissors to trim our strawberries from the vine.

The Girls grow their strawberries using the hydroponic method. This method grows plants without the use of soil and transfers nutrients through water. Hydroponics has been around for centuries and it is one of the greenest ways to produce food. Some of it’s advantages include less use of water and fertilizer compared to traditional soil farming. In addition to facilitating year round crop production, hydroponic gardening also reduces the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere.

Making our way to the strawberry patch took longer than I had expected. We wanted to be able to take in all the animals, plants, and produce that were on display . There were vintage carts filled with bright colored peppers and avocados as well as crates of oranges and a variety of fruits and vegetables. The birds managed to surprise us with their vocal capabilities and their names made us love them even more! We walked through paths lined with lush trees and wooden signs. We reached areas to enjoy such as the children’s playground and the wishing well (a very important part of this nature walk should you visit this lovely place, as the monies are used to feed the rescued exotic birds). You may also find yourself taking a moment to meet the swans, a giant tortoise and the miniature donkeys.

There is a lovely old firetruck and murals painted with characters and animals that allow you to create your own captured memories of your trip to the patch. My daughter and one of her best friends found this to place to be quite entertaining, you can meet Sabrina and Sienna below!

As we walked through the hydroponic fields, I make sure to tell my daughter “You can only pick the red ones!”. Sabrina of course just responds “Okay mommy! This one mommy? This one too mommy?”, needless to say we left with five pounds of freshly picked strawberries. I love involving my children in the process of how food is grown and how it gets to be a dish that we enjoy at home. With all of these fresh strawberries we just knew we had to take them home and make something spectacular and yummy!

This is one of my favorite recipes for a crumb cake in which the fruit is the star. The most time consuming part of it will be cleaning and hulling three pounds of strawberries, but I promise it will all be worth it!

Warm Strawberry Crumb Cake
Adapted from Food and Wine

For the Filling:
3 pounds strawberries, hulled and halved (about 8 cups)
1/2 cup organic evaporated cane juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons organic corn starch (dissolved in 2 1/2 tablespoons of water)
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

For the Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup lightly packed organic light brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
4 tablespoons organic unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
pinch of sea salt

For the Cake:
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon aluminum free baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
8 tablespoons organic unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups organic evaporated cane juice
3 large organic eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
3/4 cup organic buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Combine the strawberries, cane juice, lemon juice, cornstarch mixture, and vanilla seeds in a large bowl and let stand until the berries release some of their juices (about 30 minutes). You might notice that the amount of liquid in the bowl has increased, this is perfectly fine and also a sign that your berries have taken on a whole new level of deliciousness. Pour the strawberry filling into a 9X13 inch glass baking dish (ceramic will do as well), place the dish on a sturdy baking sheet and set aside.

Mix the light brown sugar, unbleached flour, cold butter and sea salt in medium bowl. Use your hands to combine the ingredients until a coarse meal forms, this is the part where your hands are going to get messy. Once small clumps have formed, set the mixture aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the sifted flour with the baking powder and sea salt. in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together softened butter and cane juice at medium high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Add the vanilla extract. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are combined properly. Add the dry ingredients to the batter in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk.

Pour the batter over the berry filling, spreading it to the edge. Sprinkle the crumb topping as evenly as possible. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling (pay close attention at about 45 minutes, since each oven distributes heat differently it may be done sooner and you also want to make sure the crumb is not burnt). Transfer the baking dish to a cooling rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

Top this dessert with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

{In the ingredients section of our post you can click on the ingredients which are in blue and it will take you to the site of the brand we used for easy shopping. If an ingredient does not have a link to it, we most likely could not find one but suggest you use 365 Everyday Value® or Whole Food Market products.}

We discovered bunny bait through Sing for Your Supper while searching for all things Easter. Their version of bunny bait is a slightly adapted version from the one at Bake at 350, we took this amazing idea and put our green twist on it.

Bunny Bait
Adapted from Nest of Posies

1 bag popcorn, popped
6 ounces white chocolate (you can use chocolate chunks or a white chocolate bar, our favorite brand of bars is Green & Black’s)
1 bag chocolate candies
2 cups pretzel sticks, broken into small pieces (ours ranged from 1/4 inch to 1 inch)
colorful sprinkles

We placed our popped popcorn (empty the bag carefully to avoid getting any kernels in your mixture) into a large bowl and added the pretzels and chocolate candies. In lieu of candy melts we went with white chocolate, which we melted and allowed to cool slightly in order not to melt the color coating on our candies.

Pour the chocolate evenly over the mixture in your bowl and blend together with all other ingredients. The candies and pretzels will sink to the bottom, to combine the ingredients we used the folding method with a silicone spatula which worked great!

Spread the mixture onto a sheet pan covered with wax paper (if you do not have a sheet pan, wax paper laid flat on any surface will work as well). Sprinkle your favorite edible decorations over the mixture and let it cool, we placed ours in the freezer for a couple of minutes, then broke it up into pieces (this is a very important strategy if you have a toddler, my daughter was my assistant and time was not a luxury I would be given).

This wonderful treat can be packaged in paper bags as I did above and given as Easter gifts to teachers and fellow classmates. You can stuff them inside plastic eggs, cellophane bags decorated with ribbon, or display it in a bucket and have treat bags and favor boxes ready for your guests to scoop as much as they want before leaving your gathering. Personalize your package with a great custom tag or note from the Easter Bunny and best of all enjoy this blend of sweet and salty!

{In the ingredients section of our post you can click on the ingredients which are in blue and it will take you to the site of the brand we used for easy shopping. If an ingredient does not have a link to it, we most likely could not find one but suggest you use 365 Everyday Value® or Whole Food Market products.}

Click here to read the article!

{Article Update}
Cupcake In a Jar is no longer available for retail sale, we apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for visiting our site.

Obviously I could not travel to the North Pole as it was too far and most importantly, how would I get there? I learned I didn’t have to travel as far as I thought and so I made a box of our Peppermint Cupcakes, which are available now through the end of the year and brought them to Santa. These cupcakes come in a vanilla or chocolate cake frosted with vanilla peppermint buttercream and topped with crushed organic candy canes!

Every year full time mom and business owner, Sarah Blain takes on the role of Santa Claus. As she runs her shop called Sealed by Santa, every day during the holiday season thousands of letters are signed and boxes of reindeer food and hot cocoa are packed and shipped all over the country. I sat down with Santa Blain, as I like to call her, and found out that not only does she have the drive to run this successful business but also a love for Christmas that stays with her all yearlong.

Sealed by Santa was started by Sarah and her husband Shane five years ago. Although at the time Sarah was not yet a mother she wanted to plan ahead and own a business which would allow her to also stay home with any children they would later go on to have. As I arrived at their home I was in awe of the Christmas decorations and the village display near their tree which was like a scene from Miracle on 34^th Street! Sarah on an average has eighteen hour work days fulfilling orders and in addition to her husband, she hires some extra hands during season to help make sure all the letters and packages arrive on time. Her husband burns the edges of each parchment letter by hand to give it the authentic old feel which is then signed by Sarah herself as Santa Claus.

This family owned business has found success in celebrating a holiday that they truly love and they continue to plan for its future which may include a variety of letters to celebrate the important milestones in a child’s life. You can see more of the amazing products they offer through their website at www.sealedbysanta.com. Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday full of joy, peace and hope!