Mom News
Rosemary and Peppermint Body Soap
The Holidays are just a blink away and it wouldn’t be nice of me if I didn’t share this updated version of the DIY Soap I make for my family and myself. I did a post a while back about an experience I had on my 10th Wedding Anniversary where my poor sensitive skin reacted to a facial cleanser I purchased.
Long story short, I started to make my own and loved it so much that now, that is all my entire family uses. Since then, I have also had a few other family members and friends start to use it and now that is all they use too!
Adding Rosemary and Peppermint not only gives the bars a fantastic smell…… I think they would be great Christmas gifts because the fragrance is so perfect for the Holidays!
Simply wrap them in wax paper and secure them with decorative twine and you have the cutest little homemade gifts that mean so much more when it comes to gift giving.
I also wanted to take this opportunity to share some REALLY BIG NEWS! Well, BIG NEWS for me at least! 😉
I have had so many requests for videos and now, I am excited to announce that Babies and Biscuits will now be posting videos on Youtube.
My hope is that you will find them helpful and maybe a little funny. Maybe I should also mention that I hope you get my kind of cooky personality too.
Just for you, I went ahead and made a video for the Rosemary and Peppermint Soap bars during the last batch I made.
Check out the video Below!
Don’t forget to check back often and subscribe so you never miss a new video.
Happy Saturday Everybody!
XOXO,
Esther
A Tale of Homemade Cayenne and Red Pepper Flakes
There is a man, in a house, in The Farm, that loves a pepper bush. It’s his pride and joy.
Well, I guess he just loves peppers in general.
This man loves his pepper bush so much that he made a necklace of all the peppers that came off of it during the long hot Summer and hung them to dry.
At night, all he would dream of was the beautiful peppers that abundantly grew. He carefully picked and separated all the good from the bad.
He made sure to make the “necklace” of only the strongest fishing wire that would surely stay strong all Summer long.
One day, his loving, sweet, clumsy wife decided to surprise the man and turn his beautifully dried peppers into something that would last much longer than the peppers ever could.
She decided to make his peppers into Ground Cayenne Peppers.
So, the good wife threw caution to the wind and picked up the dried peppers (without gloves) like a boss, pinching them one by one, and throwing them into the food processor.
What the good wife DIDN’T know was that even though the skins ground up beautifully, the seeds would not, NO MATTER HOW LONG she processed them.
So!
Being the smart wife she was, she decided to remove the lid of the processor…………. only to be met by an invisible cloud of festering fire! The kind that starts inconspicuously in your nostrils and then quickly moves to your sinuses and before you know it, turns your body into a rage of sneezing convulsions.
PLAN B! , she thought!
Once her body stopped spasming from the uncontrollable sneezing, she regrouped and went to the store to buy a Pestle and Mortar set. She had always wanted one and this may just be the perfect opportunity!
When the good wife returned home, she braved the concoction yet once again. Armed with her new tool,
she thought surely it would work this time………
The good wife’s optimism was only met with disappointment when she realized that the seeds would not grind up with the Pestle and Mortar set either.
PLAN C, she thought!
What better gift …………. than that of not one, but two gifts!
So!
It was then and only then when she was faced with yet another obstacle, that she truly found what she was supposed to do all along.
The good wife decided to give the man Dried Red Pepper Flakes and Ground Cayenne Pepper.
The Red Pepper Flakes were abundant!
The Ground Cayenne Pepper?………………….. Not so much.
No worries though. The wife was very happy.
And the man?
Well, the man was very grateful.
If! And only if you are truly brave, proceed to the recipe below:
And just so you know, it wouldn’t hurt to wear a mask……. or two! LOL!
Recipe: Homemade Ground Cayenne Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes
– Dried Peppers from Cayenne Pepper Bush
– Teaspoon Salt
Directions:
– Pinch stems off tops of dried peppers and add to a Food Processor or Pestle and Mortar. Add salt and process or grind until you reach desired consistency.
– Separate flakes from ground cayenne by using a sifter.
– Store in an air tight container.
Fall Decorating
When it comes to seasonal decorating, nothing gets me more excited than Fall.
It must be because change is happening all around you. It’s a lot like what Spring time does to someone who has been experiencing Winter for so long. Those long cold days that finally see the warmth of Spring, accompanied by the that first sign of new life in a budding flower.
It’s exactly the same thing for me after a long hot Summer.
Those first few true days of Fall when I start to see the leaves change colors with all the vibrant oranges and yellows and browns. The crisp cool air that begs you to grab that first hot chocolate or apple cider.
The thought of those endless ideas running through a little child’s head of what their imagination tells them they can be for that one special night on Halloween.
I think I enjoy all those Halloween movies more than my own children. I force them to watch the countless reruns of Halloween Town, Halloween Town Part 2, 3, 4……………… so that if someone comes in and catches me, I can blame it on them. It’s a good thing no one knows I can recite the entire movie of Hocus Pocus without even thinking about it. Don’t tell anyone I told you that!
Freshening up your front entry way can do wonders for your home. I had majority of the items already like the wood box, haystack, and pumpkins. I added a few mums and the corn stalks that I found at Lowes.
Small changes like even painting your front door can really freshen up the space as well. We used a dark gray on our doors that used to be red. I love gray for so many reasons. The best reason is that because it is so neutral, it goes well with any color scheme.
The silk leaves are left overs I had from last season and can be found at any craft store or even places like Walmart.
The window box on the front window got seasonal flowers as well. I couldn’t wait to try out this beautiful ornamental kale I found.
I have always seen these in pictures in magazines and as silly as it seems, I just had to get them.
I really love the way they look. It almost seems like they could be Cabbage Patch Kids…….. Admit it! You thought about it. 😉
Whatever you go with for your seasonal decorating, make sure to only use things that you really love! Don’t settle for anything else!
Happy Decorating!
XOXO,
Esther
Cinnamon Twists
When I was growing up, both my mom and grandma took us to a grocery store called, The Fresh Market. To my knowledge, they are across the United States, so I’m sure you are probably familiar with it.
Apart from having organic food items, they had and still do have an AMAZING Bakery!
Well, it was considered AMAZING to a little child growing up.
We all had our favorite things we loved and pretty soon those things became something we couldn’t live without when we would go to there. At least that is what we would tell anyone who took us, in hopes we could sweet talk them into buying something for us.
We weren’t spoiled, right?
I remember my sister’s favorite were the Chocolate Eclairs. Mine were whatever Sugary Confection looked good that day…… (I never have met a baked good I didn’t like). AND…….My brother’s were the Cinnamon Twists! (Which also, eventually, became my favorite as well)
Well, when my brother and I moved away from Raleigh, we moved to an area that didn’t have a Fresh Market. Well, at least not initially.
Within a few years of living here, they actually, to our surprise, built one, not too far from our house! I was literally in heaven! Nothing will get this girl more excited than when a new awesome grocery store hits town! The first thing on my list to buy there were going to be……. you guessed it,
CINNAMON TWISTS!
However, that wouldn’t happen. 🙁
I went to the store and didn’t see them. After asking an employee where they were, he told me that I must have been a Fresh Market customer for a LONG time, because they stopped making them years ago.??????????
WHAT?!?!?! , I thought?
I guess I hadn’t gone that often when I still lived in Raleigh, because I reckon I would have known this!?!?
They had some “other version ” of them now. But Y’all!!!! Let me just tell you…….
“Other Versions” just don’t cut it when you want the REAL VERSION of something. Not when you grew up having One Version of it and One Version only. Uh uh!
So, long story short….. (TOO LATE!)
I decided to make my “OWN VERSION”!
So, I hope you like them.
Here is what I did:
I took one sheet of Puff Pastry. I used Pepperidge Farm’s, but use whatever brand you like. I only had one sheet, so the recipe will be based off that. If using 2 sheets, and I definitely recommend doing that, because you will want MORE!……. just double the rest of the ingredients.
Lightly dust a counter surface with flour so that you can work with the pastry sheet and it will not stick to the counter. *You honestly don’t need much.
Mine came lined with sheets of parchment paper, so I thought it would be a great idea to use this as a “ruler” of some sort or at least something that would give me a straight edge to cut the strips with. Using a pizza cutter,
I cut several strips of the puff pastry. Make sure to cut an even amount, as you will twist two together. *NOTE: I would go back and cut the strips thinner next time. They don’t have to bake as long when they are thinner. However, these did just fine and tasted great!
Then, I took a very small amount of milk and brushed it lightly on the strips to act as a “glue” for the cinnamon and sugar.
I mixed together 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with a 1/4 cup of sugar.
I heavily sprinkled the cinnamon and sugar mixture over all of the strips. Then, I turned them over and did the exact same thing to the other sides.
Time to TWIST! Take two strips and cross them at the top, pinching together. Taking both strips, I twisted them all the way down and pinched them again at the bottom to seal.
This is what they look like when twisted. Then, I cut them in half and made sure all the ends were pinched together as well.
Smaller cut strips getting ready to go into the oven on 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. (*Thinner ones will be less)
And VOILA! Make sure to let them cool completely. As they cool, they will become stiffer and will in turn have this “crunch” to them that is simply DIVINE! That is exactly the way they used to be at The Fresh Market too! 🙂
I have to say that I was proud of myself. I surprised my brother with a few and I really hope he liked them! If he didn’t he can give them back because I know a few peeps around these parts that will gobble them up!
When the kids came home from school, they devoured them. Even my oldest, who is not a big sweet person (not sure she is really my kid……) LOVED THEM!
Then, both her and her sister decided that they would go best with Apple Cider. If you haven’t seen my Cider Recipe, you can check it out here.
Until next time…….
XOXO,
Esther
Recipe: Cinnamon Twists
– Flour for dusting
– 1 Frozen Puff Pastry Sheet, thawed
– 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
– 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
– Small amount of milk for brushing Pastry
Directions:
– Take a small amount of Flour and lightly dust a counter or cutting board surface. Take Puff Pastry sheet, and lie flat on lightly dusted surface.
– Using a pizza cutter or knife and straight edge, cut strips in puff pastry sheet, remembering to do an even number for twisting purposes. Cutting thinner strips may work better. However, wider ones work just as well. Line strips on working surface.
– Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the Cinnamon and Sugar.
– Using a pastry brush, lightly brush surface of pastry sheets with milk.
– Heavily dust each strip with Cinnamon/Sugar mixture. Flip strips over and repeat on other side.
– Carefully, take two strips and criss-cross strips on one edge. Proceed to wrap strips around each other and secure other end just like the beginning.
– Lay strip down on cut in half, remembering to pinch the cut edges together so that they will hold their shapes. Repeat steps with remaining strips.
– Lay strips on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until puffy and golden brown. Sprinkle with additional Cinnamon/Sugar mixture if you wish.
– Allow the strips to cool completely. *If you do this, they will become crispier and fantastic! If you eat them to soon, they will not be as crispy!
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