Compassionate Women -

Making Coffee with a Moka Pot

June 20, 2021 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Hello, Coffee People, and anyone else who may be reading this out of curiosity as to what a moka pot is! A moka pot (pronounced like “mocha”) is a coffeemaker that you use on the stove-top. The coffee gets brewed when the boiling water in the bottom portion of the pot is pressurized by steam and pushed through the filter containing ground coffee and into the top portion of the pot.

Compared to a regular coffeemaker, the moka pot makes more flavorful and stronger coffee. It takes a couple of extra steps and only makes one serving, but is definitely worth it in my opinion. I made a short tutorial video on how to use a moka pot. Check it out!

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Vegan Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese

January 28, 2021 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I finally did it! I have been wanting to make carrot lox for quite a while now, but it seemed complicated, so I never did. That is, until I was recently looking up carrot lox recipes on Youtube and found this easy one by the Edgy Veg. I decided to give it a try and WOW – I’m so glad I did! Made some cashew cream cheese while I was at it and let me tell you, this is the perfect breakfast, brunch, lunch, there’s no bad time for vegan lox.

I’m somewhat of a lox connoisseur, having grown up with a Jewish dad and a grandma from New York, I was scarfing down lox and bagels almost since birth. Lucky for me, this recipe for vegan smoked salmon & cream cheese imitates the same smoky, tangy, flavorful non-vegan version I remember. And it doesn’t take as much effort as you would think!

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Joe Byrd Prison Cemetery in Huntsville

January 24, 2021 by Jillian 2 Comments

Huntsville is a Texas town just north of Houston and is home of the Texas State Penitentiary. The Texas Prison Museum sits on the side of the highway greeting drivers, and the elementary and high schools are next to two prison units. Nestled in between college housing for Sam Houston State University is a quiet patch of land that serves as the final resting spot for inmates within the Texas prison system whose bodies are not claimed by their families. I stumbled across this little treasure of a place when I was looking for interesting things do in Huntsville and noticed the cemetery on Google maps. Curious, I looked it up and was instantly intrigued. This cemetery has a rich history and what follows are photos I took on my visit, accompanied by what I learned in doing some research on the Captain Joe Byrd Prison Cemetery.

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The Healing Properties of Crystals

January 4, 2021 by Jillian Leave a Comment

When I was about eight, I remember going on a school field trip to a natural site in Oklahoma to learn about geology. My mom was one of the chaperones on the trip and she allowed me to buy a purple amethyst crystal as a souvenir. I still have that amethyst, in fact, it is currently sitting on the side table next to me.

I have always been interested in crystals, and have friends that swear by them, but never took any time to learn about them until recently. I was at a museum in Huntsville, Texas and could not resist bringing home some of the exquisite crystals and stones from their gift shop. I looked up each individual one when I got home and discovered a plethora of information on them! Not only are crystals beautiful and diverse in appearance, they are incredibly healing because they have spent thousands of years forming within the earth’s surface and retain the earth’s energy. Therefore, you can benefit from this energy by keeping them close to you.

In this post I have compiled information on 7 different crystals with a focus on their physical, spiritual, and emotional healing properties and simple tips on how to use the crystals for these purposes. Enjoy and happy healing!

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All Natural Homemade Conditioner for Hair Growth/Health

October 9, 2020 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Growing up I had a big head of straight, brown hair. When I hit puberty, my hair became wavy and fine. It was never an issue because I had LOTS of hair, but it slowly began thinning. Recently, in the past several months, I have been shedding more than usual, to the point where it really concerned me. I was convinced it was a hormonal imbalance, but so far all of my blood tests have come back normal. There are other tests I can take to try to pin down the problem, and in the meantime, I want to treat the hair loss naturally. I found a great recipe that I have been making at home and share it in the video below!

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