Cucumber and Lemon Medley Spa Water

Today's pin comes from my Spa Waters pinboard.  For an upcoming church women's activity I'm in charge of making 4-5 different spa waters as part of a healthy refreshment table, so I'll be trying out several to find what taste best.  I'm sorry to say that this Cucumber and Lemon Medley spa water won't be one that I serve.  I found it too bitter, but in all fairness, it's January and cucumbers are not in season, so maybe I just got a bitter one.

Correctly Storing Produce

While making up homemade baby food, I buy quite a bit of produce and some of it can be tricky to figure out how to store.  Here are a few pins that have been very handy for knowing how to properly store produce: How to Store Common Produce, How to Store Ginger root, Mangoes: Picking, Storing, and Tips.  Help stretch your family's food budget by taking care with your produce, it will last longer, and will more likely be actually eaten rather than just turning bad!

Pop of Color to Twist a Classic Outfit

Today for church I used two pins: Wearing Colored Tights in Winter and 12 Strand Pearl Necklace in my church outfit.  It created a nice pop of color to twist my classic "little black dress and pearls outfit".  I was hesitant at first to wear funky colored tights because I'm over 5 feet and not in an urban setting, but I did and was very pleased with all the fun compliments I received!

This is my outfit, no I'm not modeling it!

 

I own the top three and my dress and cardigan are very similar, so if you feel so bold you can re-create for yourself!

***Sorry, my first picture of my blue tights came directly from oldnavy.com, since then they have removed it!  I have re-posted the image from my pinboard. Go bold with colored tights!!!*** 1/23/13

Epsom Salt Bath Soak

"Me time" doesn't really work for SAHMs very often, at least it doesn't for me.  So when I can carve out a few minutes for myself I really try to pamper myself or do something super fun and girly.  This pin fit right in with my "me time" requirements: Epsom Salt Bath Soak.  I thought Epsom Salts were just for old ladies and feet soaking, or crafts, but I learned that they have real value in many aspects of your home life: gardening, beauty regimes, medical aid, outdoor pest control, mood lifting for depression, and that's just a few!  This soak was quick, I had all the stuff in my house, and when I need to get more it's very cost friendly.

For your Epsom Salt Bath Soak, first: fill your bathtub with hot water.  Second: add 2 Cups Epsom Salts to the water and dissolve, the plain ol' salts are what you want, you don't need the fancy salts that already have scents or added oils.  Third: add 1/2 Cup of skin care oil, this can be baby oil, mineral oil, coconut oil, or even olive oil (I did baby oil).  Fourth: add a few drops of essential oils - I used doTerra Wild Orange oil for it's relaxing properties, I was quite pleased that I smelled more of the Wild Orange and not the baby oil.  Now soak for at least 12 minutes without using any soap, apparently it interferes with the Epsom salt working properly.  You're supposed to rest or take it easy for 2 hours after your soak to give everything time to have the maximum effect.  If you're not a bath taker, you can just do a foot soak with the same recipe.

I'm thinking that this could be a fabulous homemade gift, I could put it in little mason jars with a cute tag, or in a basket with other homemade beauty products, hmm.  I need to convert the recipe down to foot soak in a portable tub size, hmm.  Yes, definately.

Softening Brown Sugar & Sweet Cornbread Cake

Today I did two pins: Softening Brown Sugar and Sweet Cornbread Cake.

We had friends over for dinner and when I pulled out my brown sugar to use in my dessert, this is what I found: hard, rock-like sugar.  I even tried smashing it on my kitchen tile and this is the best that I got!  Quickly, I looked up ways to soften brown sugar, but I didn't have time to put in a piece of bread, or apple slice, or citrus peel.  I was so happy when I found this Softening Brown Sugar pin, you use aluminum foil wrapped around your sugar and pop it in the oven @ 300 degrees for 5 minutes and, voila!  Check out the difference!  I was able to use my fingers to break up my rocky lumps!  What a neat kitchen trick!  My girlfriend said that she does this, sans foil, in the microwave.  Who knew?

For our dinner, we were in charge of making cornbread to go with Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I was really excited to find a new cornbread recipe, you see, I used to work at Marie Callender's in college and I loved LOVED their cornbread.  I guess the restaurant recipe has yellow cake mix in it.  Not having yellow cake mix and not wanting to run to the store, I found this Sweet Cornbread Cake recipe and gave it a whirl.  It made a 9*13 pan and was one of those wonderful "one bowl, just add everything together" type of recipes.  It got rave reviews from our dinner guests, and I liked it, but I'm going to try adding more sweetness.  My church does a Chili and Cornbread Cook-off every year, and I think my experimenting with this recipe will end up being made and brought to that event!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Today's pin was my family's dinner: Sweet and Sour Chicken.  I served it with sticky rice on a bed of romaine lettuce, sprinkled with sesame seeds.  It was a bit labor intensive and there was a tiny oil fire on my stovetop, but the verdict: tasty!  Even the three year old took a bite and liked it!  While it tastes like something from a quick Chinese restaurant, it doesn't taste like sweet and sour chicken in the traditional sense, I'd call it Sweet Chinese Chicken and I think that it would be great in a salad with cashews and those crispy white rice noodles. 

If you're looking for a more "Sweet and Sour Sauce" in the traditional sense I recommend mine, it makes a lot, but can be made separate from your meat so it can be stored in the fridge and used for multiple recipes, like sweet and sour chicken - baked or fried, and with meatballs.  

Kristin's Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 1/2 Cups white sugar

4 Tablespoons cornstarch

4 Tablespoons vinegar

4 Tablespoons ketchup

1 1/2 Cups pineapple juice

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan.

Whisk other ingredients together in a bowl, then add to saucepan.

Whisk while over medium heat.

Sauce is ready when thick and clear.

Keeps in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.

Use with chicken, beef, pork, or egg rolls.

Wreath of the Month - Deco Mesh

With this year I'm doing a Wreath of the Month - my door will be festive!  Haha!  My pin today comes from my Wreaths board, How to make a Deco Mesh Wreath!  I've always wanted to try making one, and I already had the supplies on hand.  I made a two colored mesh wreath, but it would be easier with just one color.  After I finished with the mesh I added wired ribbon for an accent, 4" deco ribbon is preferred, but this was on hand.

 You will need one deco mesh ribbon, found in the floral section of a craft store (ps: Hobby Lobby has the best sale price on these, $4-5!), a wire hanger (or a pre-made wreath form), and floral wire (my girlfriend used bag twist ties in substitution).

Each deco mesh ribbon can make two wreaths, so either find a buddy, or use a color that can be multi-seasonal.  My colors I thought could work for Winter and then, add a hot neon accent color for Summer.  My supplies cost me $12 total, but since the deco mesh makes two wreaths, and the floral wire can be used multiple times, and I had the accent ribbon and wire hanger on hand, I estimate my wreath cost me $5.  With only one color you're looking at as low as $2.50.  Not too shabby!

Steps:

1. Bend your wire hanger into a circle, leave the hook.
2. Cut floral wire into 12 - 4" pieces.
3. Take mesh, leaving a 2-3" tail, and attach to top of circle with floral wire.  Just bunch mesh down and twist wire like you're closing a bread bag.
4. Once attached, measure out about 8-12" of mesh and then attach down with another wire.  
5. That's it, scrunch and bunch all the way around, like a clock.
6. To finish off, twist the final scrunch and bunch loop in the same wire piece you started with.  Fluff your loops and re-arrange as you see fit.
7. To add an accent ribbon, just use the same wire ties and twist the accent ribbon on top of the mesh.
8. When finished, go around and tuck in all the wire tails.

Step 1

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 7

Finished!