Coconut Sugar Scrub

My Pinterest has been full of projects I'd like to do, ever since I discovered this addictive little website, last summer. I have done a few things, but there are plenty more I always want to do! I decided to start with an easy one this weekend. I made coconut sugar scrub, for hands and feet. It was super easy to make, smells so good, and makes your hands and feet feel super soft!
Here is my final product.

The recipe was really easy. It is one part coconut oil to two parts sugar. I used a half cup of coconut oil, with one cup of sugar. I slightly melted the coconut oil, to make it easier to stir. I also added about ten drops of lavender essential oil, but I still mostly smell coconut. I think next time, I'll either omit the essential oil, or add more of it. The jar tops were easy and fun to make. I just used watercolors and painted sheets of white paper. Here is an Instagram photo I took, while doing it.

This is a cute and easy idea to add to a gift basket! It would also be a perfect mother's day gift- but I guess I'm a little late on that one.

It's the perfect excuse to paint with watercolors!

It brings me back to my childhood.

I have to say, this little craft was very relaxing and fun! A hand and foot massage with coconut sugar scrub would be a perfect way to wrap up the weekend.

Strawberry Jam

With all the delicious fresh strawberries I have been seeing at the Farmer's Market recently, I decided it was finally time to make my first batch of homemade strawberry jam. I remember "helping" my mom make jam when I was young (I think this consisted of mostly eating berries, and maybe a small amount of mashing the berries for her, followed by eating more berries). We bought 4 over-flowing quarts and brought them home. This is less than half of the berries.

Here they are on my lap, on the way home, compliments of my Instagram.

I admit, I was a little nervous about ruining the whole batch, so I called my mom a few times before starting the jam, asking for advice. After searching the internet and looking at several strawberry jam recipes, I decided to use the same recipe my mom has used for years- the one that comes with the "Sure-Jell" fruit pectin. It calls for 5 cups of crushed strawberries (about 4 pints), 7 cups of sugar (yes, you read that right) and a package of fruit pectin. After some slightly burned finger tips, here is what I ended up with!

As I was in the process of making jam, I also had homemade bread rising! Nothing beats homemade bread, topped with freshly made jam. It reminded me of after-school snacks, when I was growing up.
YUM!

On another note, we made hummingbird food yesterday for the first time this season, and they have already returned to our backyard!

They were loving the rain today.

I had a busy but relaxing weekend, finally completing some little crafty projects I have been wanting to do for awhile. More blog posts to follow soon (I hope!)

Green Spiced Smoothie

Since the beginning of the new year I have been into making green smoothies for breakfast. It's the perfect breakfast option for me because it is packed full of nutrients and I can take it to-go! This is my newest creation that I am actually currently enjoying as I type this.

If you don't have a high powered blender (I was lucky enough to get a Vitamix recently and LOVE it), I would suggest replacing the kale with spinach. The kale is much more fibrous and harder to break down- which may result in the kale not completely blending in your smoothie. Or maybe that doesn't bother you- in that case, go for it!

Green Spiced Smoothie
Serves 2
(Print Recipe)

Ingredients
2 cups kale, stems removed (if you use spinach, no need to remove stems)
1 cup almond milk
3/4 cup filtered water, or additional almond milk if you prefer
2 sliced and frozen bananas
1 thin slice fresh ginger (I throw it in the blender un-peeled. You could also grate it first, enough to equal about 1/2 teaspoon, or more if you like it with a kick!)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pinches each of ground cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg
dash freshly ground pepper

6 ice cubes

Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth.

It's just like a chai flavored smoothie, but green! Try it, and adjust the spices to your taste.

Here are a few bird pictures my husband recently took of birds in our backyard. At any given time, if we look outside, there are birds on our fence, feeder, tree, and grass. All just hanging out or eating.

Three birds crammed onto one feeder.

Even a woodpecker!

We haven't had any snow yet this year. I always love the contrast of the birds against freshly fallen snow. Oh well, spring is on it's way, and I'm not complaining!

Chocolate and Peppermint

I decided to go with a chocolate and peppermint theme for my homemade christmas gifts this year. That flavor combination always tastes best to me at Christmas time. In fact, the rest of the year, I think I forget about it. I used these little jars to put all my baked goods in, and made them look festive with some ribbons, red paper, and candy canes.

The bottom layer of the jar consists of balsamic fudge drop cookies (recipe found here). I used 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract in place of the vanilla, and I used crushed candy canes in place of the vanilla sugar. I love these cookies and have made them every Christmas, ever since I discovered the recipe a few years ago.

I made a double batch of these... TWICE. The picture below shows one batch of a double recipe. Got milk? (The almond variety, of course.)

The next layer consists of both peppermint fudge and coconut fudge (recipe found here). This recipe couldn't be any easier! It was by far the simplest thing I made- and just as delicious, chocolatey, and pepperminty, as everything else! (The coconut fudge is not pictured, because I decided to make it at the end of my baking marathon/photo shoot, since the peppermint one was so easy to make!)

The top layer in my gift jars is my absolute favorite- peppermint bark! I make this every year, but this year was different because I decided to make the white chocolate myself (recipe found here), so it would be dairy free! The hardest part of this was finding the ingredients. I had to go to several health food stores in order to find food grade cocoa butter and powdered soy milk. Actually making the white chocolate was the easy part, once I finally had all the ingredients. Note: you must QUADRUPLE this recipe for white chocolate, in order to have enough for the peppermint bark recipe below.

Once I made the white chocolate, I followed this recipe to make the peppermint bark (there is no need to harden the white chocolate in molds and then remelt it for the peppermint bark- just use the freshly made, warm/liquid white chocolate).

Peppermint Bark
(Print Recipe)

Ingredients:
12 ounces chocolate chips
1 pound white chocolate (If you use store-bought, make sure it is the kind made with real cocoa butter- it makes such a difference!)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup candy canes (or more), crushed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil, letting it hang over the sides. Spray foil with oil. Pour the chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil. Place in oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, smooth with spatula or knife. Place in refrigerator until cold and firm (about 20 minutes).

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler (or follow and quadruple the recipe above, to make your own white chocolate). Stir in the peppermint extract. Pour the melted white chocolate over the chilled chocolate layer and spread it quickly and evenly. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Chill until both layers are firm. Lift foil out of pan and shake off excess candy. Trim edges. Cut into 2 inch wide strips. Peel bark from foil and cut each strip as desired. Chill in a covered container.

To my family who will be receiving these goodies in the mail: First of all, SURPRISE, this is your gift from me. Second of all, don't be too disappointed when they don't arrive in this pretty package- I don't think they'd make it through the mail that way- think more along the lines of tupperware, with all the same treats inside.

Happy baking!

Thanksgiving Recipes

Yesterday was a day of risks for me. Every recipe I made was a brand new recipe. Every. Single. One. I got most of my recipes from blogs that have been tried and true, so I knew they were reliable. However, there is always a certain risk you take, when making a recipe for the first time. Little kinks that may need to be worked out. When we sat down to eat, I loved every single thing! Enough to want to document it on here, not only to share with you, but for me to refer to next Thanksgiving (and maybe this Christmas, for a couple of the dishes). There were a few "hiccups" along the way, but nothing major... all easy fixes.

I'll start with breakfast. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Need I say more? This might have been my favorite thing all day.

I made Lilly a mini one (with no frosting... and no cinnamon crumble in the middle... shhhh, don't tell her).

This Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll recipe can be found here. Thank you Peas and Thank you, for another amazing recipe! I made one minor adjustment. From the 1/4 cup of sugar, take out four teaspoons and add it to the warm milk (100 degrees to be exact, if you have a thermometer). This will help activate the yeast. My first try didn't activate, so I tried this and it worked much better.
Here is the process in a nutshell.

Make these for ANY occasion. You won't be disappointed!

I also made a delicious Rustic Herb and Veggie Stuffing! I didn't exactly follow a recipe for this, so I did my best to write down everything I did, so I can replicate it again. I loved all the veggies in this stuffing!

Rustic Herb and Veggie Stuffing
(Print Recipe)

Ingredients
1 medium sweet potato, cubed
1/2 medium butternut squash, cubed
8 cups bread, cubed and lightly toasted in a 350 degree oven (I used a round loaf of rosemary and olive oil bread, and some french bread)
10 ounces mushrooms, chopped
2 cups leeks, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sage, plus more for roasting veggies
2 tablespoons rosemary, plus more for roasting veggies
2 tablespoons thyme, plus more for roasting veggies
2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Put the cubed butternut squash and sweet potato on a sheet pan, sprayed with oil. Spray the tops of the squash and sweet potato with a little oil. Sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the veggies. Spray a large skillet with oil. Add the mushrooms, leeks, celery, carrots, garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Saute until all veggies are tender- about 6-8 minutes. If needed, add a few splashes or vegetable broth. Once the veggies are tender, add 2 cups of vegetable broth.

In a large bowl, combine the bread, roasted veggies, and sauteed veggies. Mix well. Transfer to an oiled baking dish, bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes, or until golden and heated through.

The perfect ratio of bread/veggies. Again, you won't be disappointed!

Another Peas and Thank You recipe- Roasted Garlic and Herbed Smashed Potatoes. The roasted garlic flavor adds a nice touch!

I made "The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole" From FatFree Vegan. I have never had a vegan green bean casserole, so I don't know if it is the best- but it was pretty darn good! Very fresh and light tasting! I would make a minor adjustment next time though- mix some of the fried onions through out the dish, and put the bread mixture on top, BUT don't add the fried onion topping until near the end of the baking time. Some of the pieces came out too dark and crispy. It wasn't a big deal, I just picked them off, but for future reference.

Nate is not a Fan of fried onions- so I only put them on half of the casserole. This dish made his favorites list!

My next recipe came from Oh She Glows- "This Ain't Grandma's Sweet Potato Casserole". This casserole is a sweet dish, not savory. I really liked it, but it is very rich, so I could only eat a small amount of it. I'd definitely make it again though.

I left pecans off half of it.... because someone doesn't like pecans (I won't name any names... this time).

I however, love pecans.

Our meal also included the pear and pomegranate cranberry sauce that I blogged about recently.

Here it all is!

And, last, but not least, dessert. This dessert was super rich and creamy- Brownie Pumpkin Pie With Crunchy Pecan Topping.

YUM! This would be great at Christmas time too!

Needless to say, we didn't go hungry this Thanksgiving!

Thankful in November

a few things i'm thankful for, in november

crunchy leaves on a crisp fall day

a little dog walking near my feet

sugar cookie tea

cozy scarves

holding hands

skyping with my sisters (It's been too long)

napping while football is on

pumpkin spice candles

days off, with each other

picture taking

recipe making

trips to the mountains

happy hour with friends

family (who I don't get to see often enough)

calling mom, who has all the answers

the warmth from a fireplace (nothing beats it)

snuggling under the covers, with cold air coming through the open window

coffee... pumpkin spice and winter blend

good wine

cardinals at our bird feeder (adding color to gray november!)

walks at the lake

and much much more!

Cranberry Sauce with Pears & Pomegranates

This was my first attempt at making homemade cranberry sauce and I have to say it turned out well! I only tasted a few bites because I have to save it for tomorrow. I love how pretty the berries looked, covered in sugar!

My absolute favorite breakfast in the winter, is pomegranates and oranges! (Photo from my Iphone, on Instagram.)

This recipe combined both of these ingredients, along with the cranberries, so I couldn't pass it up!

The sweetness of the pears adds a nice aspect to the sauce too!

Cranberry Sauce with Pears and Pomegranates

(Print Recipe)

Adapted from Family Fresh Cooking

Ingredients

12 ounces fresh or frozen Cranberries
1 Pear-cleaned, cored & diced, skin left on
juice from 1 Orange (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of ground Cinnamon
pinch of ground Ginger

Pinch of Nutmeg
3/4 cups sugar (more or less to taste)
2 ounces Pomegranate Seeds plus extra for garnish
Orange Zest

Directions

Rinse fresh cranberries. Place cranberries, orange juice, pear, water and spices in a medium saucepan. Heat on stove top over medium heat until boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes. The cranberries will burst and the sauce will thicken a bit. Add more water or orange juice if you want a thinner sauce. Stir occasionally so your sauce does not burn. Add sweetener to taste and adjust spices if needed.

Add pomegranate seeds at the end and gently stir them into the sauce. As this sauce cools it will continue to thicken a bit. Serve topped with fresh pomegranate seeds and grated orange zest.

I realize this recipe is a little late for Thanksgiving... but maybe keep it in mind for Christmas!

Since I haven't blogged in awhile, I thought I'd share a few pictures from the last month. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year! We took a day trip to the mountains (as we do every October) and I snapped a picture of my favorite tree in Blowing Rock!

And what would a trip to the mountains be, without a cute little dog tagging along?

Pretty Berries!

And another photo courtesy of my Iphone and Instagram (my newest obsession... my poor camera has been slightly neglected). This was taken on my way to work!

We went for a few walks at the lake near us.

Not too long ago, the woods behind our house looked like this.

Now, not so much.

That's the only bad thing about Fall... it never lasts long enough. I guess that's part of the novelty of it all!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!