Seasonally challenged skin rejoice!

Oat Pecan is a specialty bar worth celebrating.

Up close and personal with the guest of honor, Oat Pecan soap.

This skin saving wonder bar provides stressed skin with the gentle cleansing power of whole grain organic oats. Beta glucan rich oat flour extract soothes instantly, calming even the most sensitive skin. A dash of pure Vermont Maple sugar & extract botanically brightens, while pecan meal gently exfoliates. Locally pressed Pecan oil blended with organic sunflower oil kindly moisturizes and hydrates. Oat Pecan soap has a super light, fresh scent, a custom blend of essential oils that reminds me of water lilies.

Kick up your heels to happy skin! AHHHH.

Worth the wait – Oat Pecan Soap. Limited Edition = limited quantities.

Formulated to treat & relieve my grumpy, itchy, weather struck skin. Unhappy skin gets happy again – cozy in that comfortably clean sort of way.

Skin is soothed, nourished, and oh so happy when you lather up with The Herb Room’s Oat Pecan bar. So nice to meet ya’.

Spring is in the air and everywhere and just in time to tickle your fancy
with

The Herb Room’s fresh stock of your spring-time and all-the-time favorite, Lavender soap!

The very best of the best, timeless, classic, Lavender soap.

This batch is really dreamy, creamy, aromatic – Lavender soap. A garden fresh floral that comes from pure Lavender essential oils and yep you guessed it…

A whole lotta love

Just like the love that I feel while quietly meditating in a field of Lavender, frolicking along, while butterflies dance in the wind

HUH? Surprise! Gotcha! ….. just like the love I feel when this guy pops into my photo meditation. It is a true big love. Just like the big Chance man, now a whopping -gasp!- 18 years of age. These are zesty tales that I have been saving up for y’all. Definitely worth the wait. Wink.

Now where was I?
Oh yeah. Ahhhhh. Lavender fields forever and

Lavender Soap ……back in stock and better than ever!

Celebrate spring with a skin saving wonder bar Oat Pecan soap.

Happy spring to you all! Summer soaps are up next. I sure hope you like surprises….

Zestfully yours,
Robyn

Rebeca was randomly chosen as the WINNER of the BIG Holiday Giveaway – she won a year of The Herb Room soaps!

Generated by Random.org

Congratulations, Rebeca!!!!

I hope you are enjoying the New Year with your first bar of The Herb Room soap!

The winning comment ~ What is your favorite Holiday food or dish? Why?

A BIG huge thanks to all of you that entered and shared your comments AND even your wonderful recipes – Kringle is calling my name. I am always inspired by my zesty friends and family, a perfect start to the New Year.

Another perfect start to the New Year is NEW soaps!  The Herb Room is busy making your favorites and will be introducing some great specialty soap bars in 2012.

In the works - Oat Pecan Bar. A limited edition, small batch soap, specifically formulated to relieve my winter and travel weary skin.  If you have been suffering from irritated, dry skin, this soap is gonna soothe and suit your skin well. Look for it in The Herb Room store by the end of February.

If you like The Herb Room soaps, have soap creation ideas, inspirations, or just want to drop by and say hello – please comment below or visit me on Facebook. I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for being a part of my zesty life!  – Robyn

I couldn’t end the year and begin anew without sharing one of my very favorite holiday sides – Clark’s Favorite Yams. This casserole dish is a real treat, uses yams, sweet potatoes, or a combo of both, and is really good! It was passed on to me from MamaJoan – 14 years ago – WOW. AND Thanks to MamaJoan I get to share it with the world. You are getting the real zesty deal, the original recipe plus my adaptations as well. Either way you prepare it, this recipe is something special.

Want more of something special? TODAY is the final day to ENTER the Big Holiday Giveaway – ‘cuz it ain’t the Holiday no more! One lucky person will be smelling and feeling oh so clean for one whole year. Thanks to The Herb Room soaps – a full bar will be delivered to your shower to your doorstep every month! Stay tuned – a Winner will be announced tomorrow!

Year after year, I can always depend on this here Yamtastic casserole, a Thanksgiving staple that feeds a crowd AND pleases even the naysayers of all things yam. It is also easy to make, can be prepared two days ahead of time and baked just before a party or holiday gathering. Another new & zesty twist for my Easter table – Clark’s Favorite Yams paired with ham or pork tenderloin. YUM! There is always room on my table and in my belly for this delightfully perfect side dish. Cheers to many more years and lots more servings of Clark’s Favorite Yams!

Here it is, the one and only Clark’s Favorite Yams recipe and the ONLY dish of this type that you will find on my table every Thanksgiving.

I know you will be surprised when you taste this fabulous dish – bet you’re gonna love it.

Ingredients: 2 lbs. yams and/or sweet potatoes, 1 orange,

a cup of chopped Pecans,

unsalted butter, brown sugar,

brandy, egg whites, salt,

ground black pepper, cinnamon and ginger. Optional spices ~ cayenne, ground coriander, cloves.

Get started with the yams – pierce the skin of the yams with a fork in several places then bake in oven 450° for 40-45 minutes, or microwave on high until tender.

Cook ‘em and set ‘em aside to cool.

In a large bowl add the brandy,

2 teaspoons salt,

1 teaspoon ground ginger,

1/3 cup brown sugar,

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter,

and ground pepper, to taste.

I like the taste a lot.

Zestify your orange -

you’ll need 2 tablespoons of orange zest and

the juice of one orange.

Every last drop counts.

Now let’s get back to the cooked and cooled yams,

slice lengthwise and

using a fork or spoon,

scrape out the yamtastical goodness.

Place the cooked yams in the mixing bowl & keep peeling.

I bet I can beat you.

Ready?

Set?                                                   Go!

Yep, I am clearly the winner.

Yams peeled and ready – check.

Let’s start mixing

or mashing.

I like mine a little lumpy – au naturel. wee wee

Add the eggs – I used ¼ cup egg whites, the original recipe calls for 3 egg yolks, beaten.

I’ve had it every which way and love it just the same.

Spread the yam mixture into a baking dish. This is a double batch so I used a 13×9.

Beautiful!

Topping time.

In a medium mixing bowl,

dump 1 cup chopped pecans

onto a stick of melted unsalted butter.

Add 2/3 cup brown sugar,

1 teaspoon cinnamon

and some optional “extra spice” ~ a dash of cayenne really spices things up plus

a dash of clove, or dash of my Orange clove spice mix and ½ teaspoon coriander.

Mix topping ingredients together

and spread the topping over the yams.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

I am looking forward to a New Year full of possibilities, inspirations, recipe inventions, and sharing all things blessedly zesty – with you.

Happy New Year! – Robyn

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Clark’s Favorite Yams
2 lbs. cooked yams and/or sweet potatoes (fresh baked or canned)
Juice of 1 orange or 2/3 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon orange zest
2 Tablespoons brandy or pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons salt
Ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup egg whites ~ original recipe calls for 3 egg yolks, beaten

Cook cleaned yams until soft; pierce the skin of the yams with a fork in several places then bake in oven 450° for 40-45 minutes, or microwave on high until tender. Set aside the cooked yams to cool.
In a large mixing bowl add all ingredients EXCEPT the eggs.
Place the cooked yams in the mixing bowl and mash until smooth (or lumpy, if preferred). Mix in the eggs. Spread the yam mixture into a 8×8 casserole dish, smoothing the layer.
Prepare topping.

*Note: If you are serving a crowd, double all the ingredients. Prepare as directed placing mixture in a 13×9 casserole dish. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Topping:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter (or ¼ lb.)
1 cup chopped pecans
Optional additions ~
A dash of cayenne to spice things up
A dash of clove or a dash of my orange clove spice mix
½ teaspoon coriander

Mix topping ingredients together; spread topping over the yam mixture.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Enjoy Clark’s Favorite Yams!

I’m telling you why

The BIG Holiday Giveaway has been Extended with an EXTRA Week to ENTER & WIN!

Why the extra week?
1) All’s Y’all – NO Recipe required to ENTER! Just answer the question provided and you will be entered!
2) It’s called the Holiday hangover – the cure? An extra week to Enter my BIG Holiday Giveaway for a chance to WIN!
3) ‘Cuz I have a BIG and zesty heart
4) I love to share All Natural Goodness and BIG love with my zesty friends and fans of The Herb Room
5) To serve one lucky winner a year’s worth of good clean fun

So let me make it simple. Easy as Homemade Apple Pie. Ready????

TO ENTER: Answer the following question -
What is your favorite Holiday food or dish? Why? (1 Entry)*
Answer in the comment section of this post or in the comment section of the The Big Holiday Giveaway post and you will be entered for a chance to win a year’s worth of The Herb Room Soap!

*Just so ya know – You are not being judged for your answer. What you answer will not influence or increase your chances of winning. Recipes are NOT required to enter this giveaway, however, answering the question is. That being stated, I LOVE your recipes and LOVE when you share ‘em.

EXTRA ENTRIES: Extra entries are extra Zesty! For a cleaner, greener planet AND to increase your chances of winning share your love of The Herb Room Soaps with friends and family.
Spread the joy of myzestylife.com and get extra entries – here’s how:

The Herb Room on Facebook
- Like The Herb Room on Facebook (1 Entry)
- If you are a current friend that already “likes” The Herb Room, visit The Herb Room Facebook page and tell me a soap idea or creation that you would love to see offered in 2012 (1 entry)

Be a Zesty friend BONUS (3 Entries)
- Get a friend to subscribe to My Zesty Life email updates and get THREE more ENTRIES!
- Friends can sign up in my Zesty Kitchen, Zesty Tidbits and The Herb Room. To verify and receive credit your friend must send me an email telling me who sent them

Bloggers Bonus (2 Entries)
Have a blog?
- Blog about my giveaway with a link to My Zesty Life
- Send me an email with a link to your blog post that links to My Zesty Life

**** Entry comments received before December 26, 2011 will receive 1 EXTRA entry! ****

Enter the Big Holiday Giveaway by January 1, 2012 for the chance to WIN A YEAR of The Herb Room Soaps

RULES:
- You must answer the question in the Comment section of this post or in the comment section of The Big Holiday Giveaway
- One ENTRY per Person; multiple comments do not increase your chances of winning
- Extra Entries must complete all steps listed to qualify
- The winner will receive: One full sized bar of The Herb Room soap of my choosing, for one year (Total of twelve full sized bars)
The BIG Holiday GIVEAWAY ends December 26, 2011 January 1, 2012 at 11:00 PM CST
- To ensure fairness, the Winner will be chosen using Random.org. which will create a random numbered list from 1 to the total number of entries, and will then pick a random number between 1 and the total number of entries to determine the winner
- Winner will be notified via email January 2, 2012; prize to be mailed on the 5th of each month starting January 2012 and ending December 5, 2012
- Once notified the winner will have three days to claim the prize. If the Winner does not respond within the allotted amount of time, an alternate winner will be chosen as stated above using random.org
- The BIG Holiday Giveaway is only open to residents of the good ol’ USA
- Good luck y’all!

Your zesty friend,
Robyn
The BIG Holiday GIVEAWAY is CLOSED! Thanks to all of you that entered! Stay tuned for more Giveaways, Contests and chances to win…

Starting with a BIG Holiday GIVEAWAY, a chance to win a year of The Herb Room Soaps with a full belly from a few of my favorite things.

Like this here BIG thank you of a Mr. Turkey plate and all of my favorite side dishes.

It just wouldn’t be the Holidays if one of these Big favorites and a most requested side dish was missing from my table. We could never have that, now could we?

Clark’s Favorite Yams

Nope. In fact, Clark’s Favorite YAMS are not requested, but demanded – genuine MMMMM. Truly z best family recipe, shared from none other than MamaJoan. The gift of family love, a delicious, priceless side dish that keeps on giving. Clark’s Favorite YAMS, on my table, every Holiday. Period. This surely indicates how the zesty Clark Clan likes to celebrate! With our favorite holiday dishes and each other. My absolute favorite part of this time of year is spending time in the kitchen preparing a few of my favorite things and enjoying them with y’all.

I always celebrate the countdown with a jig, a reverent hymn and my very favorite Holiday dish EVER – Old Fashioned Apple Pie.

The apple of my eye!

Layers and layers of cinnamon sprinkled apples and old fashioned goodness.

I must dance and revel in the arrival of Holiday cheer, comfort, & bliss.
Now my praise to Old Fashioned Apple Pie – a reverent hymn by none other than yours truly. Aptly named, Holy Days & Holy Nights.
Rising with a piece in the morn’ to a day so bright, a slice at noon my lunch delight and after dinner, who could resist? Nothing’s as sweet, nor cakes do I need, just homemade apple pie a la mode and me. Amen.

What a delight it is to savor every bite of my favorite Holiday treat!

Always served with zesty love.

Like this. My Dad and C$’s favorite Holiday Treat – Zesty Lemon Bars

Favorite dishes and food that say I love you, and inspire memories, bite after bite. Sharing favorites that become family traditions – a serving and helping at a time – usher in the season of giving and of thanks. Truly the most important part of the holiday season is sharing my zesty life with family and friends. Spreading joy and zesty recipes, tidbits, The Herb Room soaps,

and Christmas Pie. Plus a whole lot of BIG holiday cheer, as well.

Speaking of sharing BIG Holiday cheer, My Zesty Life is celebrating with a BIG Holiday GIVEAWAY offering one lucky lover of all things zesty, a chance to win a year’s worth of The Herb Room Soaps!

One happy winner gets to lather, rinse, and repeat with a full bar of the The Herb Room’s “soap of choice” for 1 year. Surprise! Variety is the zesty spice of life & I like it that way.

Yep, that’s right – the BIG winner get’s one full bar of The Herb Room Soap, every month, for twelve whole months!

Why, you say? In the spirit of the season, jolly ol’ Saint Nick, Rudolf and all things zesty, I wish to share The Herb Room joy and all natural goodness with the world. Why so BIG? The saying around these parts is “Go BIG or Go HOME.” Since the Holidays are all about home, family and giving big – think of this BIG Holiday Giveaway as a year-long gift, a shower of good clean fun with The Herb Room Soaps. That means you, y’all. Thanks for your support, love, generosity, and comments. It’s been a BIG year for me and I am so looking forward to sharing more Zesty love with y’all in 2012.

The BIG Holiday GIVEAWAY!!! Win a year’s worth of The Herb Room Soap!

How? It’s easy. Share.

What is your favorite Holiday food or dish and Why?
Tell me your favorite holiday dish/food and why it’s your favorite. Answer in the comment section of this post and you will be entered for a chance to win a year’s worth of The Herb Room Soap! Just so ya know – you are not being judged for your answer. What you answer will not influence or increase your chances of winning.

TO ENTER:
Answer the question in the comment section of this post (1 entry)
One ENTRY per Person; Multiple comments will not increase your chances of winning. Feel free to comment as many times as you would like. In fact, I encourage this. Have ten favorite Holiday dishes? Tell me about ‘em and comment away. YOU will still only be entered ONE TIME. Want to increase your chances of winning? Spread Holiday cheer! Serve a side of my zesty life and your love of The Herb Room Soaps to increase your chances of winning with EXTRA Entries. Here’s how:

EXTRA ENTRIES:

Become a fan Like The Herb Room on Facebook (1 Entry)
****If you already like The Herb Room on Facebook ****Visit The Herb Room Facebook page and tell me a soap idea or creation that you would love to see offered in The Herb Room (1 entry)

Be a Zesty friend BONUS (3 Entries)
Get a friend to subscribe to My Zesty Life email updates and get THREE more ENTRIES!
To verify and receive credit the subscribed friend MUST send me an Email with: Subject: zFRIEND YOUR name YOUR email address to robyn@myzestylife.com

Bloggers Bonus (2 Entries)
Have a blog?
- Blog about my giveaway with a link to My Zesty Life
- Send me an email with a link to your blog post that links to My Zesty Life

RULES:
- You must answer the question in the Comment section of this post or in the comment section of The Big Holiday Giveaway
- One ENTRY per Person; multiple comments do not increase your chances of winning
- Extra Entries must complete all steps listed to qualify
- The winner will receive: One full sized bar of The Herb Room soap of my choosing, for one year (Total of twelve full sized bars)
The BIG Holiday GIVEAWAY ends December 26, 2011 January 1, 2012 at 11:00 PM CST
- To ensure fairness, the Winner will be chosen using Random.org. which will create a random numbered list from 1 to the total number of entries, and will then pick a random number between 1 and the total number of entries to determine the winner
- Winner will be notified via email January 2, 2012; prize to be mailed on the 5th of each month starting January 2012 and ending December 5, 2012
- Once notified the winner will have three days to claim the prize. If the Winner does not respond within the allotted amount of time, an alternate winner will be chosen as stated above using random.org
- The BIG Holiday Giveaway is only open to residents of the good ol’ USA
- Good luck y’all!

Zesty love and cheer to you and yours,
Robyn

The BIG Holiday GIVEAWAY is CLOSED! Thanks to all of you that entered! Stay tuned for more Giveaways, Contests and chances to win…

It’s been WAY too long and I’ve been missing you. But hey! I am back in the saddle with a fully loaded update of sorts. Not that I ever left the saddle per say, just that I have been giddying it up with the zesty folks and family that make my life, belly and heart so full, steering the reigns and enjoying the zesty ride.  Here’s a bit of lock, stock and barrel (in no particular order). A zesty smorgasbord from the HOT Wild West – saddle up and enjoy the ride.

The C$. A 17 year old Dude’s Birthday I can’t look at these photos without getting choked up.

Seriously, whatever happened to this?

17 years in the making.

I know what happened to this.

C$’s Birthday Bavarian Cream Cake.

Adios, just like 16.

17 and never too big to enjoy life, camping, fishing and sunsets at Lake Meridian.

17 and never too big to snuzzle with Iz.

17 and Never too big to carry.

Guests Galore A sprinkle of some of the goods that have been delivered to my doorstep. All the lovely people, all the lovely times shared….

Friends & family near and far come to visit me in Austin AND they keep puttin’ up with my shenanigans – thanks for this, that and making my life so dang zesty!

Zbeautiful sisters – Bri (right) and Holly at Barton Springs

More beauties. My Aunts

braving the wild, wild, west. Well, uh, braving the wild, wild gardens of Zilker Park.

Heather. SO beautiful.

My very bestie Heather came to visit in April. Such an amazing person and friend.

Heather has recently been riding a bull, a real life bucking bronco. Receiving life changing news, that others would run from, Heather has pulled up her boot straps and is digging in.  I saddled up for a trip to Cali to bring her some new boot straps if needed, and lighten her load -   and for a brief visit with her, Brad and her kids. Brad, whom was recently diagnosed with cancer, is in the throes of kicking cancer’s ass. From the start – Heather has been involved in all aspects of care, treatment, LOVE and ass kicking Goddess Goodliness.  She is so inspiring, intelligent. WOW. What a privilege and pleasure to have had, not only time with her, her kids, but some very special moments with Brad. I am just in AWE. I feel so blessed to have had moments with two incredible beings. Brad truly amazed me with his beautiful art, and beautiful loving heart.  Thank you both so much for sharing your magic and space with me. I am humbled….

Serious fun! Fun seriously – when the Cali Clarks come to town.

Mama Joan & Papa Stu visit; includes excursions to various fun locales sans us – then back to Austin bearing many gifts in the form of  a suntan, smiles and a photo gallery of of their time in Galveston and Houston.

I must like torture. I provided my camera.  See? Evidence of self torture below. Rub it in.

I am licking the salt from my wounds as Papa Stuie has not a care in the world…

Brag time. My right as a mom.

We all do it. Share how proud we are of our kids, maybe a little too much or not enough. So here it is – all the great, happy proud mom moments. A recipient of all the riches that Chance, ahem, C$ is – super zesty bad a** and pain in the a** self. I truly am the luckiest most blessed Mom to have a son that works so darn hard, shows up and brings it!  If not always, his most of the time is damn good.

Check out my MVP defense-man in action from his highlight video

Highlight video? Yep. For all’s y’all Mr. C$ has been super busy with lacrosse, and is getting a lot of exposure and opportunities to play for colleges! These last months on the road were spur of moment opportunities, traveling to many invite only recruiting events. Kicking off our summer was the Texas 99, the top college recruiting event in Texas. He has applied to four of the many colleges recruiting him for Division 3. We are so proud of him, as he recently received his first college acceptance letter!  Out of state college!  So exciting. Excuse me. Suddenly it became a bit hard for me to swallow. I was just getting used to the thought of him flying the coop locally, attending college here in Tejas.  Uh oh. I am feeling a bout of the sniffles coming on.  If anyone asks, it must be allergies…

Next up is the Philly showcase, a coach chosen showcase for elite HS lacrosse players!  I am just super, duper proud of the serious hard work, training and awesome grades that he is achieving. I am looking forward to the 2012 lacrosse season, watching C$ pone and own (Go 34!) as well as his future college lacrosse career!  But in the meantime I must not cry or reduce myself to a blathering-crying-ninny of a mom. ‘Cuz I still have him here now. A full year to dote over C$, the SENIOR. Ah the joys of motherhood and a lifetime of bragging rights.

One more for the road. A zesty gal’s Birthday cake.  Home made deliciousness, and C$ especial.

Chocolate Peanut-butter Torte

A slice of love for yours truly.

Signed sealed and delivered with a birthday hug!

ZKitchen. Inspirations about biting off way more than you can chew. So little time, yet still my favorite place to be when I am not kicking up my heels, living me vida loca zesty life. Much will be coming your way. Expect to sidle up and inhale some new dishes, desserts & more. Like the cake teaser – Yep those quick peeks at cake creations avec birthdays sans ice cream.  But cake would not be cake without some shouts outs and screams – Ice Cream that is.So here it is.  Excuse me while I let this out.
I scream – give me more, while looking at an empty freezer. I scream, cursing the day this delectable creamy treat was invented!  ‘Cuz I have not a picture to share of the homemade frozen ice cream concoctions  that happily made me smile during summer. Ice cream flavors, enjoyed and now out of stock. Maple pecan, Midnight chocolate, Mango sorbet! Ahh. Such a tease. Zesty Indeed.

Trips, Camp outs, KumbayAhhhh
Good times, meditations, journeys and a bit of road dust always does the soul good.

Moto trippin’

The dudes moto-off to South Llano State Park for bat caving, deer dashing and good ol’ fashion camping.

South Padre Island when a tsunami hit Blue and I almost gave my heart to a pirate, plus a merman and a run in with hookers.

Crazy you say? A world of crazy fun!

Mother’s Day spent at the top of the world

and at the top of Mt. Bonnell.

ZAnimals I love.

Izzeeee. Izzy. I need not say the ways you warm my heart, make me laugh and smile.

Dos Gatitos mi amore.

Sophie’s new digs

Hey!
Sophie & Izzy enjoy the new outdoor playpen.  Sophie knows that tricks are not just for kids -

Watch THIS!

Ta da. Outdoor refinery.

Summer soapery in The Herb Room.

Sage Honey Ale the latest greatest herbal brew.

How the west was won.

Mint Momentum a cool respite.  Tingly, minty, fresh. Get some.

Dues. Do. The new do’s. Mine & C$’s & Gremlin’s. Ahem, Izzy’s.

Hair Before. “Growing out” phase starts with the, “Beiber sweep” which then turns into the “C$ flip” and finally, what we have here. Simply put, helmet hair.

Hair After.  Handsomeness, and style.  Now for the finale. Hear the trumpets?

C$ Finale. Hair Symphony.

Me zesty pixie.

Izzy’s “Growing out” phase, starts with the “wild water dog” which then turns into the Gremlin.  Need I say more?

I think not, but I sure hope you enjoyed the road show! My zesty life from the trail, a cool clean ride, clear and free of the longhorn patties, just enough to keep you saddled in ’till the next time.

Sending you all things blessedly zesty

-Robyn

Update on the Bastrop Blaze. As many of you have heard and seen on the news, Bastrop suffered from a devastating fire.  Thankfully, my brother and his family were spared from the fires devastation, with flames that licked within 2 miles of their home. Many are still suffering in the aftermath with homes and lives lost – really a very sad time for those that lost everything. We are grateful that my brother and his family are safe and well, and will provide an update on the recovery process soon…Love, Robyn