Handmade Bath Fizzies

These fizzies are a bit of a science project.  I made 2 scents at the same time so made half recipes from the ones below.  Feel free to combine your own scents using essential oils.  If you can’t find dried flowers, you can omit them from the recipe.  They’re more for show than scent.  Also, you will need a spray bottle for the water. This is where it gets tricky.  You’ll want it to be relatively dry and should be patient in between sprays and wait to see if you think that you need more. One of the ingredients is citric acid.  Don’t be scared, it sounds worse than it is. It’s known as a preservative, an emulsifier, and as an acidic or sour flavoring to foods and beverages.  It can also be used to soften water and is considered an alpha hydroxy acid.  You can find it at your grocery store or health food store. Also I want to note that baking soda loses its properties after about 6 months.  If you can’t remember when you bought it last, you may want to purchase a new one.

Lemongrass Bath Fizzies

Makes 10-20

1 C Baking Soda

1 C Cornstarch
1 C Citric Acid
3 T Grape Seed Oil (or olive, almond, or apricot)
25 Drops of Lemongrass Essential Oil
1/3 C Dried Calendula Flower Petals
Water (in a spray bottle)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl except the water and mix.  Spray the water about 4 times and mix.  What you’re looking for is it to be able to hold together.  The water will start to act the “fizz” so you want to go slowly and continue to mix it.  Slowly continue to spray it until it is the desired packable texture.

Fill a silicone mold, soap mold, or cupcake pan with the fizzy mix.  Go back to it every 5 minutes to pat it down for about 20 minutes.  The fizz is still expanding and reacting to the water, so this will help it to be firm and not break when you pull it out. Let it sit about 8 hours before releasing from the mold.  Store them in an airtight container to preserve the scent.

For the bath, fill the tub with hot to warm water.  Plop a fizzy in and let it fizz away.  Over time, they will lose their reactivity so it’s best to use them within 2 months.

Lavender Bath Fizzies

Makes 10-20

1 C Baking Soda

1 C Cornstarch
1 C Citric Acid
3 T Grape Seed Oil (or olive, almond, or apricot)
25 Drops of Lavender Essential Oil
1/3 C Dried Lavender Buds
Water (in a spray bottle)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl except the water and mix.  Spray the water about 4 times and mix.  What you’re looking for is it to be able to hold together.  The water will start to act the “fizz” so you want to go slowly and continue to mix it.  Slowly continue to spray it until it is the desired packable texture.

Fill a silicone mold, soap mold, or cupcake pan with the fizzy mix.  Go back to it every 5 minutes to pat it down for about 20 minutes.  The fizz is still expanding and reacting to the water, so this will help it to be firm and not break when you pull it out. Let it sit about 8 hours before releasing from the mold.  Store them in an airtight container to preserve the scent.

For the bath, fill the tub with hot to warm water.  Plop a fizzy in and let it fizz away.  Over time, they will lose their reactivity so it’s best to use them within 2 months.

A Twist on Traditional Lemonade

“When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade.” Meaning when you have troubles and worries, move foreward and make the most of  your life. 

The Optimist: “Life handed him a lemon, as life sometimes will do. His friends looked on in pity, assuming he was through. They came upon him later, reclining in the shade. In calm contentment drinking a glass of lemonade.”

Usually in the hot, relaxing summertime we like to drink a cold tall glass of lemonade. Traditional American lemonade is made from lemon juice, water, and sugar.  In Asia it might be found made with rosewater. In India and Pakistan it may include salt, ginger, or even the highly expensive ingredient, saffron. Some countries even call Sprite and 7-Up by the name of lemonade.

How many of you Housewives and Househusbands remember having lemonade stands to raise some money for your piggy bank?  There’s nothing like a refreshing glass of lemonade to cool you down from the hot summer sun. As a kid, I even sold Kool-Aid, but that’s beside the point.  Frozen lemonade concentrate worked well too (a kid from the 80’s squeeze fresh lemons, yeah right).

Nowadays, in our Foodie Society, lemonade comes in all kinds of flavors.  Made with any type of fruit, herbs, and even cayenne pepper.  Most popular is probably the kid friendly pink lemonade. Pink lemonade is supposed to be made with strawberries or other red fruit juices but unfortunately sometimes seems to only have pink food dye. I like a good Arnold Palmer which is half lemonade and half iced tea. Arnold Palmer was a professional golfer who was famous in the 1950’s. It is said that in 1960 he ordered his favorite half lemonade half iced tea drink at the bar of a country club in Colorado. A woman overheard him and wanted one of those “Palmer drinks” too and so begins the Arnold Palmer. Have you ever had a Summer Shandy?  It’s beer mixed with lemonade and can even be found already bottled together.

I hope you enjoy my lemonade concoctions.  Don’t forget, you can add booze to just about any drink. I recommend a cup or 2 of Vodka or Tequila (it’s for a whole pitcher, it’s cool). Then subtract that amount from the water used in the recipe.

Blueberry Lavender Lemonade

Makes 1 Large Pitcher

3 C Plus 5 C Cold Water

1/3 C Dried Lavender Buds
1 C Sugar
6 Lemons
2 Pints Fresh Blueberries

Bring 3 cups of water, lavender, and sugar to a light boil for about 10 minutes to make a simple syrup.  Let it steep until it cools and then strain.

Squeeze the lemons using a citrus press or a reamer. Add the blueberries and the lavender simple syrup.  Blend in the blender until all the blueberries are pureed.  You can choose to strain this or leave it.  I like it better unstrained, but for guests, you will want to strain it so that the blueberry particles won’t be stuck in their teeth. Stir in the remaining water and serve.

Strawberry Green Tea Arnold Palmer

Makes 1 Large Pitcher
 
9 C Cold Unsweetened Iced Green Tea
3 Lemons
1 ½ C Sugar
1 Lb Strawberries


Make and chill the iced green tea using 3 tea bags and 9 cups of water. You can brew and chill it or just combine cold water and tea together and chill it for about 8 hours to cold brew. 

Squeeze the lemons using a citrus press or reamer.  Add ¾ of the strawberries (stems removed), the sugar and about 2 cups of tea in the blender and blend until the strawberries are pureed. Add the remaining tea and stir. 

Use the remaining strawberries as a garnish.  Slice a slit half way down the bottom and hang on the lip of the glass.

Stuffed French Toast

Stuffed Blueberry French Toast
Makes 6-7 Slices

1 Loaf Brioche Bread

8 Oz Cream Cheese
1 Pint Fresh Blueberries
4 Eggs
2 T Milk
1 t Vanilla
½ T Butter
Maple Syrup
 
Trim the ends off of the bread. At about ¾ centimeter, slice a slit, almost all of the way down. Then at about ¾ centimeter from that slit, slice the bread all the way through.  Repeat for the remaining bread.

Slice 2 thin pieces of cream cheese and evenly put it inside the slit.  Then add about 10-15 blueberries.  Lightly press it together and repeat for the remaining bread.

In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the milk and vanilla.

Heat a sauté pan on high with the butter.  Dip each piece of bread in the egg mix and pan sauté the French toast.

To plate, leave them whole or cut them in half.  Drizzle with maple syrup and remaining blueberries.

*if you can’t find brioche, challah bread works well also. It’s typically not as wide though so it may not have as much filling.  A soft plain white bread will work as well.

Banana Stuffed French Toast

Same as the recipe above but use 4 bananas instead of the blueberries.  Also, shake a little cinnamon on top when you plate it.

Oat Milk Bath

One of my fond memories from childhood was getting an oat bath from my mom when I had chicken pox.  My older brothers hadn’t gotten them yet so I was alienated from them until the pox went away.  Luckily my mom was there for me.  I remember that oat bath being so soothing on my itchy skin. And being doted on by my mom felt pretty good too.
 
You don’t need chicken pox to enjoy a good oat milk bath.  They’re great for every day relaxation and also sunburns. Oats soothe and soften the skin. They contain fat and vitamins B & E.  Buttermilk is a mild exfoliant and an emollient which sheds dead skin cells and softens the skin. Buttermilk is also said to stimulate cell growth. In the recipe below I changed it up by adding brown rice. Rice can soothe irritated skin, condition, and tone.  I hope you enjoy!

Oat Milk Bath

Makes About 12 Bags/Baths
 

1 C Dried Buttermilk (or dried milk)

1 C Long Grain Brown Rice
2 C Steel Cut Oats

Mix the ingredients in a bowl.  Fill muslin bags with about 3T of the mixture and pull the bag closed with the strings.  These will stay fresh 3-6 months.

When ready for the bath, fill the tub with hot to warm water.  Put one of the bags in the water and leave it in during the bath.  You may want to massage the bag at the beginning to better release the contents. When bath time is over, pull the bag out and throw it away.

Decorated Muslin Bags

You can find muslin bags at tea or craft stores.  It’s necessary to put the oat milk bath in a muslin bag because you don’t want to clog your drain with the loose contents.  These bags are great because after it moisturizes your bath water you can throw it away with no mess.  Use them as is or decorate them as I have.

Using fabric paint and a brush, lightly paint a stamp.  Stamp the bag and let it dry.  You can also paint directly on the bag if you feel comfortable.

Fill the bags with about 3T of oat milk and pull the strings tight. 

Handmade Bath Salts & Sugar Scrubs

Epsom salts in a bath are great to soothe sore muscles. The salts absorb into the skin and reduce inflammation.  The scented salt recipes below use essential oils and flowers to add to the relaxation of an epsom salt bath.

The scrubs recipes below are great for your whole body and face.  These scrubs invigorate the skin and scrub away any dead cells. They are best used within a few weeks, but with a little extra oil, can last for several months.

Be creative!  There are a lot of different essential oils out there.  I found Whole Foods Market to have the best selection.  Also you can make different dried citrus zests and herbs. Use fragrant tea bags or bulk teas. Oils can be mixed and matched like jojoba, almond, grape seed, and apricot. Olive oil is great too but remember that it has a strong scent. Make sure that you want that scent to take over in your scrub.  I wouldn’t use it with flowers, but it would be great with lemon zest or herbs.

 

Lavender Jasmine or Rose Chamomile Bath Salts

Each Recipe Makes about 2 Cups

Lavender Jasmine                            Or           Rose Chamomile             

1 Lb Epsom Salts                                              1 Lb Epsom Salts
25 Drops Lavender Essential Oil                   25 Drops Rose Essential Oil
½ C Dried Lavender Buds                               ½ C Dried Rosehips
¼ C Dried Jasmine Tea Leaves                       ¼ C Dried Chamomile Flowers

Mix all of the ingredients together.  Store in a glass jar until ready to use. When ready for the bath, fill the tub with hot to warm water and sprinkle in about 2-3 T of salts.

*For the tea leaves you can open a few tea bags.  

Decorative Jars

Bath salts can last for a long time.  They will slowly start to lose their fragrance but could last for a year if stored in an airtight glass container.  Since this is the case, why not display them in a decorative jar. 

I found these glass jars at various craft stores.  Plastic absorbs the fragrance, so you will want to use glass for the bath salts. I used ribbons, glue, paper flowers, and jewelry charms to decorate them.

Orange Rosemary Sugar Scrub

Makes About 2 Cups

1 ½ C Granulated Sugar

3 T Epsom Salt

1T Dried Orange Zest

4 T Honey

½ C Almond Oil (can substitute grape seed)

3T Jojoba Oil

Approximately 20 Drops of Rosemary Oil

I made my own dried orange zest by zesting 2 oranges onto wax paper and letting it dry overnight.  I find this much better quality than buying it ready made.

 Mix all of the ingredients together and store them in a jar.  It’s best to use within 2 weeks.  It can be used for several months, but a small amount of oil may need to be added to it.

*Rosemary is a stimulant and astringent which will tighten and tone the skin and increase circulation.  Orange zest is an emollient and will soften the skin.  Almond oil is a great lubricant and emollient which leaves a silky finish on the skin. 

Brown Sugar Coffee Scrub

Makes About 2 Cups

1 ½ C Brown Sugar

1 C Ground Coffee
4 T Honey
1 T Vanilla
1/2 C Almond Oil (can substitute grape seed oil)
½ C Jojoba Oil

 Mix all of the ingredients together and store them in a jar.  It’s best to use within 2 weeks.  It can be used for several months, but a small amount of oil may need to be added to it.

*Coffee is an anti-inflammatory and it’s texture is great for scrubbing away dead skin. Honey is an emollient and a gentile cleanser that acts as a lubricant to protect the skin.

Summer Fruit Salsas

 Watermelon Salsa

Serves 6-8
 

6 Cups Seedless Watermelon, Small Dice

½ Bunch Cilantro, Chopped

2 Sprigs Fresh Mint, Chopped (optional)

1/3 C Red Onion, Small Dice

3 Limes, Juiced & Zested

½  Jalapeno, Minced

Corn Tortilla Chips

Mix all ingredients together.  Let it sit for at least 30 minutes to marinate before serving.  Serve with corn tortilla chips.

 

 

Pineapple Salsa

Serves 6-8

1 Pineapple, Small Dice

¼ C Onion, Small Dice
½ Bunch Cilantro, Chopped
2 Sprigs Fresh Mint, Chopped
½ Jalapeno, Seeded & Minced
2 Limes, Juiced & Zested
Salt to Taste
 

Mix all ingredients together.  Let it marinate at least an hour before serving.

 
*Is great with tortilla chips, or topped on chicken or fish.

 

 

 

Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Avocado Yogurt

Makes 6 Tacos

For the Fish:

4 Tilapia Fillets (or 1 lb cod, tuna, halibut, swordfish)
¼ t Cumin
¼ t Cayenne Pepper
1 T Chili Powder
2 T Smoked Paprika
1t Sea Salt
1T Oil

For the Avocado Yogurt:

1 Ripe Avocado

1 C Plain Greek Yogurt
1 t Lemon or Lime Juice
Pinch of Salt
 
6 Corn Tortillas
1 ½ C Pineapple Salsa
 

Mix the spices for the tilapia in a bowl and use all of it to season the fish.  Heat up a sauté pan with the oil. Sauté the fish, flipping it once during the process.

 

To make the avocado yogurt, slice the avocado and mash it up in a bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients until smooth.

Quickly heat the tortillas in a sauté pan or over a low flame to make them more pliable.

 

To assemble, put the tortillas down flat on a plate. The tilapia should flake well, so tear it apart and divide the pieces amongst the tacos.  Spoon out the yogurt onto the fish.  Top it off with the salsa and serve.