Sunday, November 20, 2011

Surprise Awesome Party Food - Kale Chips

I still can't believe how well this went over.  There are so many people I know who dislike veggies, and even they enjoyed this dish.  Oh so yummy, and ever so easy, now going to be a staple in our house.

Kale Chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Take a bunch of kale, stemmed and in pieces.  I buy it prepped.  Toss with a good drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Put on a cookie sheet in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Pour into a bowl and enjoy the crunchy salty healthy snack!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Homemade Is Fun

As you know I love making all kinds of homemade things.  Lately I have been using all my garden grown lavender making some pretty nice bath products.  I have made fizzy bath bombs, solid bar lotion, salt scrubs, face and body creams, and even a balm that can be used as lip balm, massage balm or anything else you can think of.  I love being able to use something I made and I like that I know all the ingredients.  In addition I think these would make really nice little gifts for people.  Today I am just going to tell you about the salt scrub, and the rest I will post another day.

Salt Scrub

About 1 cup epsom salts, I used a chamomile one
About 1/2 cup table salt or sea salt
Some chopped lavender from the garden
Some dried chamomile flowers crushed, from earlier this summer
A few drops lavender essential oil
Enough oil to moisten all thoroughly, I used a combo of almond oil and olive oil

Basically throw all the dry stuff in a bowl and mix completely and pour in oil slowly, stirring until it looks wet and shiny and slightly liquid.  I scooped into some pretty canning jars and labeled the tops.  This lasts indefinitely and you only need a little to scrub into your hands or anywhere else that needs softening or scrubbing.  The lavender and chamomile are so calming and it really feels like a little treat to yourself.  Plus it is really easy.  I didn't really measure at all.  And I love that it makes my hands smell so good and feel so soft.  Bath products make me happy!