Deborah Dolen's Blog

Friday, September 28, 2012

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce Tzatziki Recipe by Deborah Dolen

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce Tzatziki by Deborah Dolen

16 ounces plain yogurt (I use lowfat)

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and minced (I do not peel all of mine to have some pretty green coloration)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vinegar

6 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped [Optional becaue few people have this handy]

Process all of the above in a food processor and chill to serve later with any Greek style dish. I bump mine so it leaves chunks of green cucumber in there which adds to the texture and color. RELATED RECIPES: Best Beef Jerky Marinade Ever Beef Jerky Recipe Book on Kindle Beef Jerky Recipe Book on Nook Deborah Dolen on Pinterest Gyro Ground Meat Recipe

Deborah Dolen is a Bestselling author on

Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Her books are primarily DIY related. Most of Deborah's recipes are "pinned" on Pinterest so if you want to read more unique recipes check out her board Deborah Dolen Recipes. Follow Deborah Dolen on Twitter or her Facebook fan page. Many people tell Deborah they wrote a book or want to break into writing and ask for advise. Based on the sheer amount of interest, Deborah Dolen wrote a great 3 series article titled "How to Market Your Book or Product" which comes up number one in a Google search out of millions of people competing for those words! This also demonstrates she not only knows how to market a book, she knows how you can be number one!

Best Gyro Meat Recipe by Bestselling Author Deborah Dolen

Best Gyro Meat Recipe by Bestselling Author Deborah Dolen

Gyros are great and even better with fresh sun ripened mushy tomatoes and sweet Vidalia onions as well as sliced cucumbers or lettuce. The cucumber yogurt dressing (known as Tzatziki sauce) [recipe link below] and grilled pita bread make it all happen. Many people get stuck on where to get Gyro Meat? Well, if you can find it - you can safely assume it is over priced. 33% ground lamb and the rest lean ground beef with garlic and other spices mixed in - and you have home made Gyro meat! You can mix this up, roll it flat and freeze it to almost frozen if you want to cut strips. Few recipes I have seen mention lemon and if you have ever had a gyro served to you - you can see them often spritz the gyro loaf on the rotisserie with lemon. That breaks up the fat a little and definitely compliments the flavor. This is an excerpt of my bestselling Beef Jerky recipe book. The eBook also has a recipe for making jerky Greek style in a dehydrator which is not a ground type recipe as this one is.

The simple Cucumber Yogurt Sauce Recipe is here:
http://deborahdolen.blogspot.com/2012/09/cucumber-yogurt-sauce-tzatziki-by.html

To make this you can also use a jerky gun if you happen to have one. A jerky gun looks like a cake decorating tool. You can quadriple this recipe and baste it on a rotisserie or just make it jerky style in a dehydrator. Mine gets made with the oven method. I make extra and freeze it for future entertaining.

Makes 1 to 2 pounds depending on cooking method

2 pounds lean ground meat

1 pound lean ground lamb

Combine the meat and knead these spices into it:

4 tablespoons Lemon Juice [This goes on at the end to baste]

1-2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon thyme powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon oregano powder

1/2 tablespoon marjoram

1/2 tablespoon cumin powder

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

Mix all desired ingredients and press through a jerky making utensil such as “Jerky Works." The Jerky should be dried at 155 degrees and may take anywhere from 8-15 hours to dry. Absorb any excess fat on paper towels. This recipe does not store for long periods of time as non-ground beef recipes that can last for several months. If you do not have a jerky gun, you can also use the freeze and cut method used in the "Hamburger Jerky" recipe in this book.

Baste your Gyro meat with the lemon in the last hour of dehydration.

This is wonderful served with toasted pita and fresh sliced sweet onions, tomatoes, lettuce and Tzatziki sauce also known as Cucumber - Yogurt sauce. The simple recipe is in this book.

Oven method at 140 degrees could be 12 hours, but I am not really out to dry it so much, so 4 hours is fine for me.

Deborah Dolen is a Bestselling author on

Monday, September 5, 2011

Aromatherapy Chapter I by Deborah Dolen

Aromatherapy Chapter I

INTRODUCTION TO AROMATHERAPY by Deborah Dolen

Intro to Aromatherapy– The term 'aromatherapy' was first used in the 1920's by the French chemist René Maurice Gattefossé who accidentally discovered in laboratory that lavender oil relieves pain and assists in healing of superficial burns. René had burned his hand in the lab and immersed it in the closest liquid he could find, which was lavender. He was fascinated by the benefits of lavender oil in healing his burned hand without leaving any scars. He started investigating the effect of other essential oils for healing and for their psychotherapeutic benefits. Aromatherapy had been used in many ways, by many cultures prior to this, but René helped isolate the phenomenon to its own science.

Now that's the gist of the story as it is told over and over again by Aroma therapists. Notice René was not “smelling” the lavender--he stuck his limb right in it. So, the story demonstrated that lavender had a medicinal quality above and beyond 'aroma.' All aromatherapy in most countries revolves around essential oils.

Most essential oils have healing properties above and beyond psychological olfactory impacts. It's quite possible that calling it 'aromatherapy' was a politically correct way to work with the power to heal and not be a licensed physician. The word aromatherapy is somewhat misleading, as it suggests that healing works using the sense of smell and on the emotions. However, aside from the scent, each oil has a combination of constituents that interacts with the chemistry of the body which then affects particular organs or systems as a whole. When oils are used externally as with a massage oil, they are easily absorbed by the skin (at different rates depending on the type of oil) and sent around the body. If you rub a clove of garlic on the sole of the foot, it can be smelled on the breath shortly after.

Essential oils have three modes of action as to how they interact with the human body. Firstly, the pharmacological effect is related to the chemical changes that occur when an oil enters the bloodstream and reacts with hormones and enzymes. Secondly, the physiological effect is related to the way that an oil affects the system of the body such as being sedated or stimulated and so on. Thirdly, the psychological effect which happens when an oil is inhaled and causes a response to the smell. As we journey through the power of essential oils, we will learn many amazing things--such as workers directly handling rosemary, basil, and/or oregano were not succumbing to the avian flu [bird flu] when relatives in their abodes were infected with it.

Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook.

We will find in the story of the 'Toulouse Thieves' [a classical aromatherapy story in the next Chapter] people were fairly immune from the Plague--this wasn't as casual as smelling the scent of an essential oil. For now we will move forward with the classical definition. ~Revised by Group 7.18.2008 via Wiki.

Aromatherapy Chapter II by Deborah Dolen

AROMATHERAPY - Chapter II What is Aromatherapy?

Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. by Deborah Dolen Mabel White

The word “Aromatherapy” is a compound Greek word made up by the words fragrance (aroma) and treatment (therapy).

Aromatherapy means 'treatment using scents'. It is a holistic treatment of caring for the body with scents that causes a psychological reaction. An example of these scents are Lavender, Lemon, Neroli and Peppermint.

Essential oils, the most potent of aromatics, are delivered in many ways including but not limited to, the bath, massage, steam inhalations, direct inhalations or are diffused to scent an entire room.

Aromatherapy is used for relaxation, stimulation, depression, pain (whether physical or psychological), for skin care, to alleviate tension, combat fatigue, and/or to invigorate the entire body, as a few primary examples. Essential oils can also affect mood, alleviate fatigue, reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. When inhaled, they work on the brain and nervous system through stimulation of the olfactory nerves. Essential oils are not the only sources to deliver 'aroma', but they are the most common.

Essential oils are aromatic essences extracted from plants, flowers, trees, fruits, bark, grasses and seeds with distinctive therapeutic, psychological, and physiological properties, which can improve and at times prevent illness.

The story of the 'Toulouse Thieves' would be a good example of prevention. “As the bubonic plague decimated Europe in the year 1413, four thieves were captured and charged with robbing the dead and dying victims of Toulouse. When the thieves were tried, the magistrate offered leniency if they would reveal how they resisted contracting the infection as they performed their gruesome acts. The four thieves explained that they were perfumers and spice traders and told of a special concoction of aromatic herbs, including cloves and rosemary, that they rubbed on their hands, ears, and temples.” Like any good tale, the story actually has another version, and probably the more specifically true one! “During the gruesome days of the Black Death in France in 1628, the homes of the dying were being ransacked. At first the authorities did nothing, assuming that the foolish thieves would die of the plague. However the robberies continued and people began to wonder why the robbers had not become ill and died. It was then that the authorities began to pursue the thieves...to discover the secret of their immunity to the Plague. Four thieves were eventually caught and were condemned to be burned at the stake for their crimes. However the king of France offered to mitigate their sentence if they would reveal their secret in how they had been avoiding death by the plague. The thieves told all, revealing a secret blend of aromatic herbs steeped in vinegar. All four thieves were then hung. Their lasting legacy is this tonic which has powerful anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties and is still used in France today."

Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. by Deborah Dolen Mabel White

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Aromatherapy Chapter III by Deborah Dolen

AROMATHERAPY - Chapter III by Deborah Dolen
History of Aromatherapy

Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. By Deborah Dolen Mabel White

Aromatherapy has been around for 6000 years or more. The Greeks, Romans, and ancient Egyptians all used aromatherapy oils. The Egyptian physician Imhotep, recommended fragrant oils for bathing, massage, and for embalming their dead nearly 6000 years ago. Imhotep is the Egyptian god of medicine and healing. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used aromatherapy baths and scented massage. He used aromatic fumigations to rid Athens of the plague.

The modern era of aromatherapy is dated in 1920 when the French chemist, René Maurice Gattefossé coined the term aromatherapy for the therapeutic use of essential oils. Rene started investigating the effect of other essential oils for healing and for their psychotherapeutic benefits.

During World War II, the French army surgeon, Dr. Jean Valnet, used essential oils as antiseptics. Later, Madame Marguerite Maury elevated aromatherapy as a holistic therapy. She started prescribing essential oils as a remedy for her patients. She is also credited with the modern use of essential oils in massage.

Aromatherapy works best when used on the mind and body simultaneously.

How Does Aromatherapy Work?

Friday, September 2, 2011

Aromatherapy Chapter IV by Deborah Dolen Safety Issues

AROMATHERAPY - Chapter IV Safety Issues of Essential Oils by Deborah Dolen

Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. By Deborah Dolen Mabel White

Safety Issues of Essential Oils

The best course of action is always prevention. Meaning, do not allow essential oils in the hands of inexperienced people. Keep your essential oils out of reach of minors. Some smell so good, there have been reports of minors determining it smelled good enough to drink. Orange essential oil would be a good example.

Transference is not hard. For example, you could get a micro amount of Cinnamon on your hands and not realize it until you rub your eye. If you live to talk about it, chances are you will never forget that experience. If you get the caustic type essential oils on your skin, all you really can do is rinse, rinse, rinse with cool water, or saline solution if it's in your eyes, and follow with milk. For this reason, most people working with essential oils keep an open bottle of saline within reach. This is because it is awfully hard to get a seal off when you are in pain and busy trying to see. Rinsing should continue for a good fifteen minutes.

Here is another great example. One night my babysitter decided to get into my lab and make bath salts with Lemon grass essential oil for her boyfriend. She made him bath salts. She never told me. I found out when I got a panicked phone call that her boyfriend felt like his body was burning off-with emphasis on some "parts." The liability could have been incredible, even though she basically stole the ingredients. I had a duty to keep them locked up since there was no warning on them.

Another prime example is 'complacency', the root of all evil. Getting carried away is easy to do, if you are used to throwing a liberal amount of Lavender or Rosemary essential oil in the bath. Grabbing the wrong bottle to use in my bath--I have done this at least THREE times in my life. In all cases I was exhausted and blindly grabbing from where the Lavender “should” have been. The color of the bottles were the same. I cannot begin to describe the agony of putting straight Fennel essential oil, by mistake, in the tub. Another time straight Lemon grass essential oil and I actually made the Fennel mistake twice. Flushing for over ten minutes with water was all I could do, although I did wobble off to make a baking soda paste in hopes to balance the PH. I cannot say the baking soda helped--but it kept me distracted. I still walked funny for a few days--it burned my thighs and any area submersed in the water, so they did burn me. Pay attention and do not get complacent or carried away with essential oils. Know what you are working with--usually very potent stuff, and they are all very different. Just because Lavender is 'user friendly' does not mean they all are. ~Revised by Deborah Dolen Group 7.18.2008 via Wiki.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Aromatherapy Chapter V by Deborah Dolen Essential Oil Toxicity

AROMATHERAPY - Chapter V Essential Oil Toxicity

Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook. By Deborah Dolen Mabel White

The first thing you should about essential oils is which ones are toxic. Most students learn this last, such as myself--and they need to know it first. You may be surprised what is considered toxic. The web is overflowing with 'recipes' and 'formulas' that are fairly ignorant to what is toxic and why. Pennyroyal and Wintergreen are all too often seen in web recipes. They should not appear in any with great words of caution and dilution. This does not mean the author of any 'recipe' knows what they are doing. In fact, just the opposite. Some essential oils can overwhelm the kidneys and liver and shut them down.

If used as recommended, and under the care of a qualified practitioner, aromatherapy is very safe. Please remember that essential oils are very concentrated. Do not use too much. (Too much is not better in the case of essential oils). Also, please be wary of any allergies people may have to essential oils. (Try on a small spot to see whether there is any allergic reactions before exposing the whole body). Caution is particularly recommended for patients who are pregnant, have allergies, high blood pressure or epilepsy. Be careful with young children or babies.

If you accidentally spill the essential oils on your skin or get any in your eye, wash it off immediately with whole milk. Milk with some fat in it is best for reducing irritation and removing the oil actually in the eye. You may also use olive oil or other vegetable oil to resolve any issues if you are experiencing a burning sensation which would be possible with oils like Peppermint.

Watch out for inflamed skin if you use essential oils. If you consume the oil by accident, drink a lot of milk, eat soft bread, and go to the nearest poison control center for appropriate action. Oral consumption of aromatic oils are strongly discouraged unless you are under the care and supervision of an experienced practitioner. Many of these essential oils are very toxic. You should not apply the undiluted essential oil on your body as these are very concentrated and you may experience discomfort. The exception to this is Lavender oil which can be applied safely in the undiluted form for burns and insect bites.