Saturday, February 12, 2011

Some LOVABLE HUGGABLE FUN THINGS TO DO FOR YOUR VALENTINE.













1. Make a sweet spa scrub 

Honey Lemon Sugar Spa Scrub
Homemade Spa recipe for a honey and lemon sugar scrub that gently exfoliates your skin.
Ingredients
2 ½ Cups sugar
½ Cup Sweet almond oil
4 teaspoons Lemon juice
4 Tablespoons Honey
4 drops lemon essential oil
Directions
To make the sugar scrub, combine the sugar and sweet almond oil in a large bowl and stir well to combine. 
Add the lemon juice and stir again. Finally, add the honey and lemon essential oil and stir again to mix.
Put in a glass jar and seal with a kiss! Decorate the jar with the recipe attached.


2.  Go STARGAZING

Stargazing information:
As the nights grow shorter during February, the stars of winter reign for much of the night. 
Beautiful Orion is in the south at nightfall, with dazzling Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, 
twinkling fiercely to its lower left. By late in the month, though, the stars of spring slide into better view. 
Leo clears the horizon by mid-evening, with Virgo trailing behind him. 
Venus reigns as the "morning star," while Jupiter dominates in the evening, although it slides lower in the sky each day.



3.  GREEN PROJECT - Ivy Heart Valentine's Day Topiary 

Make Love Blossom with This Beautiful Topiary






A unique gift idea for your special someone! This living work of art will make a lovely addition to any home. It will continue to grow with love and requires sweet little care, so you can enjoy this lovely heart greenery all year long.
 (if kids are helping with this gift, you can have them paint the pot with something sweet in mind)

Things You'll Need:

  • 18-gauge green floral wires
  • Pliers
  • Wire cutters
  • Potted ivy plant or what I did - I picked some wild ivy last month and rooted a bunch of stems.  
  • (make sure the stems are long)
  • Wooden floral plant stake with attached wire
  • 24-gauge green cloth-covered floral wire

Instructions:



  • 1. Twist two ends of 18-gauge green floral wires together approximately 1 inch from the tips.







  • 2
    Bend and shape the wires into a heart shape using the twisted ends as the center-top and the opposite ends 
    as the center bottom.







  • 3
    Twist the bottom ends together beginning about 3 inches from the tips.






  • 4
    Insert the wire heart into the center of potted ivy's container. If the heart seems unstable, 
    wrap a floral pick around the end and use to stake the wire more securely.






  • 5
    Cut several 3-inch pieces of 24-gauge cloth-covered floral wire. 
    The cloth covering will keep the wire from harming the tender plant vines.







  • 6
    Select the longest vines of the plants and gently wrap them up each side of the wire heart. 
    Secure them with a piece of cut wire when necessary by gently twisting the wire around the 
    vine and heart 2 to 3 times. Do not over twist or bend the vines to prevent breakage of the vine.







  • 7
    Keep the plant watered and in proper light for it grow, filling out the heart as the vines become fuller and longer.







  • 4. YUMMY PINK HEART PANCAKES 

    Ingredients:

    Servings:

    2-4
    • 3/4 cup water
    • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
    • 1/4 cup beet, puree 
    • ( my kids loved the bright hot pink color and didn't even know there were beets in the pancakes)
    • teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • cup pancake mix
    • 1/4 cup grated apple
    • nonstick cooking spray
    • tablespoon vegetable oil
    • pure maple syrup (optional)
    • fresh fruit (optional)
    • powdered sugar (optional)
    • Directions:


      Prep Time: 10 mins
      Total Time: 15 mins
      1. 1 In a blender or food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla, and cinnamon.
      2. 2 Dump the cheese mixture into a medium bowl, add the pancake mix and apple. Stir until just combined. 
      3. Do not overmix, you want the batter to be lumpy.
      4. 3 Coat a griddle with nonstick spray and heat to medium high. Add 1/2 tsp vegetable oil. 
      5. Use 1/4 cup of batter at a time and pour out pancakes. (I used a heart metal shaped cookie cutter) . 
      6. When you see bubbles start to form, it is time to flip the pancake. If the bottom is too brown, 
      7. turn the heat down. It should take about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
      8. 4 Serve warm, garnish with maple syrup, fresh fruit, and powdered sugar.

      Recipe from Deceptively Delicious Cookbook

    • 5.Deceptively Delicious Cream Cheese Icing

      Ingredients:

      Yield:

      1
      batch

      Directions:


      Prep Time: 5 mins
      Total Time: 10 mins

      1. 1 Put the cooked cauliflower into your food processor and puree it until totally smooth. Add a tiny bit of water if you need.
      2. 2 Add the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt into the same food processor. 
      3. Process until creamy. Add sugar or milk to adjust the icing texture as needed.
      4. 3 Use like any other icing. I'd suggest keeping this in the refrigerator. 
      5. This makes enough icing for a batch of cupcakes. 
      6. (I put a drop of red food coloring to make it pink for the occasion)
      7. It was great on chocolate cupcakes loaded with spinach and blueberries.
      8. another great recipe from Deceptively Delicious Cookbook









    1 comment:

    1. Check this out!! Absolutely gorgeous!! Very informative!!

      ReplyDelete

    Delicious Caramel Candies

    I love anything caramel. It's delicious on its own or pairs well with chocolate or anything salty.   Warning these can be addictive...