At Home Skin Remedy

Hey All!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas shared with family, friends and great food! We had a very splendid Christmas just the two of us and our sweet fur babies!

Most of you in the rest of the continental United States have snow, and winter weather. Not here in South Carolina! Sunny and 75 degrees today! Crazy for the end of December if you ask me, but that's the way we do things here in the South! I can't complain, it was great not having to pack a jacket to wear after work!

Speaking of winter weather, most (not all) of us get some sort of dry skin this time of year, which is never comfortable. Never fear! I have found a great at home remedy that you most likely have all the ingredients for!

I stumbled across this YouTube video not too long ago, while I was looking for a video of how to make my own sugar scrubs. Now, there are a TON on Pinterest, which is great, but some don't give you a tutorial of how to do them, or they only give you the ingredients and not the amount you need to put in them.

 

This sugar scrub you will need:
Juice of half a lemon
1 TBSP salt (such as Morton, a finer grain is best)
Organic sugar (organic works better than regular! Trust me on this)

Start out by squeezing out your lemon juice. I like to take a fork and make all the juice come out to get the maximum use out of the lemon. Sometimes squeezing may seem like you get it all, but I seemingly can never get enough out, so I go for the utensils! Once you have all the juice out, make sure there are no seeds in your juice, and add your TBSP of salt. Stir. Then start slowly pouring your sugar and stirring at the same time until you get the consistency of the scrub you want. I personally like less juice and more scrub. Some people like it the other way around!

Rub it into your face for about a minute. Your skin may turn slightly pink, never fear, this is normal. Rinse off your face with a warm washcloth to open up those pores and get all that bad gunk out!

Next step: Honey mask!
You'll need local (and I mean local! From your farmers market!) Raw Pure Honey!

Now, don't use TOO much honey, the first time I tried this, I had honey dripping off my face. Use only what you need to do a light coat all over your face. Leave on for 10-30 minutes, (I usually leave mine on for about 15) then wipe off with another warm washcloth, not cold! The cold will make it harder to get the honey off your face. Voila! Smooth moisturized skin that will feel amazingly rejuvenated and clean!

While I'm waiting for my honey mask to finish up, I usually make myself up a warm mug of water with the juice of the other half of a lemon in it to help cleanse my system! Lemon has so many benefits and uses, its awesome!

Another great hint:
Have an awful zit coming in? Put some honey on it and walk around with it for about 10 minutes. This also works to help reduce red spots and other acne issues! Who knew honey was so great for your skin? It also has a TON of other health benefits.

I hope you all found this post helpful!

Pumpkin Cake Rolls

Hey All!

Today I'm going to share with you one of my ALL time favorite desserts, and one of our families favorite holiday staples, Pumpkin Cake Rolls! My sister in law and I originally found this recipe on Taste Of Home's
website. I have made it so many times, and it never fails to taste absolutely amazing, and be a great twist on the traditional pumpkin pie! You'll probably think I'm crazy, but I really don't like pumpkin pie, I think it has to do with the consistency of the pumpkin. I like fluffy, and pumpkin pie to me is not fluffy. I'm weird, I know!

Photo Courtesy of Taste of Home

How scrumptious do these look? The best part- these freeze amazingly! So if you make too much, pop it in the freezer and save it for a day when you really want it! Warm it up... Let the cream cheese filling ooze... Mmm mmm mmm!

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grab a flat pan with sides, and either spray it with cooking spray, or line it with wax or parchment paper.

Separate your 3 eggs. Beat the yolks until they are fluffy and lemon colored, either with your hand mixer or stand mixer. Add 1/2 cup of sugar until combined, then add your pumpkin. Should look like this!

After that, take your 3 egg whites, beat them until stiff peaks form. Add in your other 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form again. Tip: If you can't get it to form stiff peaks, (which I never seem to be able to) Its OK as long as it's fluffy!

Fold your egg white mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Now fold in the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon. Tip: If you enjoy the taste of nutmeg, you can add a sprinkle of that in the bowl too!

Spread it in your pan, and stick it in the oven for 12-15 minutes! Don't let it get too brown, otherwise it will be hard to roll in the end! You want this to be nice and fluffy!

 

 

Once your cake roll is done in the oven, leave it to cool till it is no longer warm. If you fill it too soon it will fall apart and the cream cheese filling with be all over the place! 

For the filling, mix your cream cheese, butter (both at room temperature), confectioners sugar, and vanilla till it is nice and blended. Use your hand mixer for this. Then spread that amazingness allllllll over the roll. Be sure to not place it too close to the edges, otherwise your filling will shoot out everywhere making a huge mess.

Slowly and tightly roll up your cake and filling! Are your taste buds going crazy yet? Mine are just writing this! Once they are rolled, place them seam side down and put them on/in a pan and place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Slice about 1" thick. Enjoy! 

Cake:

3 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar, divided

2/3 cup canned pumpkin 

3/4 cup unbleached flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

Filling:

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

2 TBSP butter
1 cup confectioners sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Additional confectioners sugar (optional)

Have a Merry Christmas Everyone!

-A

Savory Turkey Pot Pie!

Well hello everyone! Sorry I have not posted anything in quite some time, the last month has been a whirlwind! I sure hope you all had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving! Speaking of, I thought I'd share with you one of my all time favorite leftover recipes, turkey pot pie! With that said, grab all your Thanksgiving leftovers hanging out in your fridge and join me! Here's what you need:

Turkey Pot Pie
2 cups turkey, shredded or chopped in cubes. I prefer shredded.
Turkey gravy
Leftover mashed potatoes, or 3-4 diced red potatoes, boiled about 10 minutes (or until soft)
Half an onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced into 1/2" cubes
3 celery stalks, halved and cubed
Salt and Pepper to taste
about 1/2 tsp ground sage to taste

Biscuit Topping
Adapted from Pauladeen.com
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (one stick) very cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Now, you can either do these pot pies in ramekins, or in a big casserole dish. I use my two 8" x 8" cake pans. Use what you have, right? Here we go!

If you haven't already, boil your potatoes till tender. While your boiling, chop up your onion, carrot, and celery.

Then, add your vegetables to your handy cast iron, (or regular pan if you don't have one) and saute in a little olive oil and butter mixture till warmed through and starting to soften. Add your salt and pepper if you prefer. This will help those veggies sweat it out!

While this is happening, warm your gravy! This is my FAVORITE part of pot pies! Quick tip: If your gravy is too runny, add a couple tablespoons of butter to your pan first, melt it, and then add a couple tablespoons of flour to make a rue. Then stir until all flour is incorporated, and warm for a few minutes before you SLOWLY start to whisk the gravy in. Keep whisking! It will seem like forever, but you don't want that gravy to be lumpy! 

By now your veggies have started to soften. Add in your leftover turkey and warm it through for a few minutes. This is the time to season! If you want to season with salt and pepper again for the turkey, you absolutely can. Add your sage.

Time to assemble! Drain the potatoes, and put a layer down in your pan(s).

Then, add your turkey and veggie mix. Drizzle your gravy over the top! Just until it almost covers your all the goodness going inside these babies!

Now, its time to whip up the biscuits! Add all your dry ingredients into a large bowl. Whisk together, and make sure everything is very well mixed. Cut in with a pastry cutter, or fork, your very cold butter till about pea size. It is important to make sure the butter is really cold! It makes for fluffier biscuits! Once you have completely cut in the butter, add your milk slowly and stir. I had to finish stirring it together with my hands because the dough became sticky. This is a good thing though! Make sure all your ingredients are incorporated. Lastly, grab pieces of your dough and start to layer it on top of all your turkey, veggie goodness!

This is what mine looked like. Then bake about 20-30 minutes, until golden brown on top! Then grab a bowl, and dig in!

I hope you all enjoyed this recipe! Leave your comments below if you tried it!

-A

Shedding for the wedding

Hey everyone! As you already know, we are getting married! Even though the wedding is still 10 months away, I have decided to start a diet and workout regimen, and guess what? I finally, FINALLY! Found the balance of what works with me and my body. I have been trying to lose weight since I moved in with my fiance 2 1/2 years ago. It is true what everyone says. You move in together, you get comfy and cozy, and then before you know it, 10-15lbs (or more!) has accumulated and your looking at yourself wondering how you got this way!

The things I wanted to change in my current lifestyle include the following:
- Working out 3 times per week at the gym doing cardio based workouts for 20-30 minutes. Post cardio, abs, back, arms and leg toning exercises.
- Vinyasa yoga 2 times per week.
- Lemon water every morning 30 minutes before eating breakfast.
- One-two cups green tea per day with local honey and a slice of lemon.
- Sleeping at least 8 hours per night.
- Cutting out MSG/GMO products. Trading over to organic products as much as possible/what we can afford/find.
- Eating more frequently and smaller meals. More vegetables, less fruit. Lots of protein!

I decided when we got engaged a couple months ago, that it was time for me to change my lifestyle and lose this extra 15lbs that had accumulated on my body. My friends had given me some suggestions as to what they had done to lose weight, and the steps they take daily to ensure that they won't gain back what they worked so hard to lose. Some had said they tried the high protein, low carb diet. For me, that just wouldn't work. I love carbs wayyyyy too much. Plus, carbs are what gives you the energy you need to get through your day.

I had a friend post an article on Facebook awhile back that was interesting to me. It was an article I believe out of the Huffington Post, talking about drinking warm water with lemon every morning. When I first saw the article, I was a little skeptical. After researching the benefits of drinking this mixture every morning, I decided to give it a shot. Lemon water is actually really great for your body, and has antibacterial and anti fungal properties. It also aids in reducing bloating, helping to keep your face clear of acne, curbing your appetite, and regulating digestion.

Now, there is something you must realize. I hate lemons usually. I LOVE lemonade however, but that's only because it has enough sugar to take out the bitterness of the lemon. Any recipe that calls for lemon, I usually tend to steer clear, or only add just a smidge of what it actually calls for.

Three days ago I tried the lemon water for the first time. The instructions were to warm up one mug or cup of water, and add the juice of half a lemon for 150lbs and less, more than 150lbs add the juice of one whole lemon. Drink the whole mug when you wake in the morning, wait 30 minutes after finishing, then eat breakfast. I must admit, that first sip...WHEW! It was really sour and bitter, and my fiance was laughing so hard at the faces I was making! It was pretty comical. Over the next few days, I noticed that I had a lot more energy, (one of the benefits) my face started to clear up, and I didn't feel as hungry as often through out the day.

So far so good! I am so glad that I had read about the benefits of drinking lemon water. There are many more than I have listed, but it is worth the shot, and its good for your body! Another article I stumbled upon while researching the benefits of drinking lemon water, was the benefits of drinking green tea daily. Green tea is great for you! Just look at all the other cultures in our enormous world that drink tea on a daily basis and swear by it for its herbal healing properties. I am naturally a green tea freak! I love the tea, and usually always have a big box in our pantry.

Green tea is great for boosting your metabolism. Pair this with drinking your lemon water every day, and I guarantee you will see weight loss results! It is also good for keeping your insulin levels in check, preventing spikes, and it helps keep fat from storing. For people with blood pressure problems, it helps reduce high blood pressure. This tea is also great for people with depression and anxiety. It helps them relax and feel more at ease. Isn't this what we all need in our daily lives?

So far I am down 9lbs, which I seriously could not be happier about. I haven't seen the numbers on the scale for quite a long time! This all is good motivation to keep going, and push myself to lose these last 6lbs to get down to my goal weight! I really hope this article has helped all of you reading this, and hopefully it works for your body as well to get you to your goal weight! Trust me- even though it may not taste the greatest, it is SO good for you. Your body will love and thank you! 

Have a happy Friday!
-A

Easiest Dinner Ever

We all have those nights when we get home from work, and want dinner to cook itself with as little interaction with cooking as possible. Last night was one of those nights for me! So what did I turn to? One of the seriously easiest meals EVER, with as little prep as possible, and the clean up happens while its baking. The best part? You already have 4 out of the 5 whole ingredients in your house! Here it is!

Jalapeno Baked Chicken
1 bag Kettle brand jalapeno chips, crushed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg + splash of milk
1/2 cup flour

(I split the recipe in half just for my fiancee and I) 

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Grab 3 pans for your prep, and one pan to pop in the oven that is greased so your chicken doesn't stick, and your crushed chips stay on! (Lots of pans, I know. But totally worth it!) Place your flour in the first one, egg and milk scramble in the second, crushed chips in the third.

Here's what your set up should look like! Dredge chicken breasts in flour, then dunk them in your egg mixture. Lastly, the crushed chips! Pop in your pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, depending on how big your chicken breasts are. I like mine a little on the crispier side, so I bake them about 60 minutes, flipping once at 30 minutes.

Voila! Easiest baked chicken EVER. I also got these fabulous fresh green beans from the store the other day, and decided to experiment with them! Here's how I made them:

Fresh Green Beans
Remove stems, string of the bean, and ends of your beans. Boil them for 20 minutes (or until flimsy and al dente). Drain the beans. Add butter or olive oil (your choice!), fresh garlic, or if you don't have that, garlic powder. Add sea salt and pepper. You can add a variety of flavors, those were the ones I chose!

Here is the original recipe I found via Pinterest: Jalapeno Baked Chicken

Mmm mmm mmm! Enjoy y'all!
-A

It's one "Chili" Day!

Jambo! Today, I am going to share with you one of my favorite crock pot recipes! Chili! My sister-in-law and I originally made this about two years ago, and I have been addicted ever since! Here's what you need:

Chili
1 1/2lbs hamburger meat
1 small can tomato paste (the smallest kind you can find)
1 16oz can tomato sauce
2 15oz cans reduced sodium dark red kidney beans
1 28oz can chopped tomatoes
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 TBSP chili seasoning (below)
1 tsp either Siracha hot sauce, or Cholula hot sauce
Shredded Cheese
Oyster Crackers

Chili Seasoning
This mixture makes a ton! Seal it in an air tight container for up to a year!
4 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp paprika
2 TBSP ground cumin
3 tsp sea salt
4 tsp black pepper



Start off by browning your hamburger meat, it doesn't have to be completely cooked through because you are sticking it in your pot to cook! Then, mix together your seasoning, then add 1 1/2 TBSP of seasoning to your pot. (More to taste if you want more kick!) Combine hamburger, and the rest of your ingredients to the pot, and turn on high for 4-6 hours, or until the onions and peppers are soft. Top with cheese & oyster crackers. Enjoy! SO easy right?!

We tend to pair the chili with yummy cornbread muffins, or cinnamon rolls with ooey gooey icing!

Here is the original link to the seasoning mix from My Baking Addiction .

Hope you all enjoy this "Chili" day recipe! :)
-A

Glowing In The Night

Happy November All! I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! I thought I would share with you this pumpkin carving tutorial that is fun for all Disney lovers, (like me!) and all ages! A little after Halloween, but better late than never right?

What you will need for this wonderful project:

1 pumpkin of whatever size you like
1 pumpkin carving kit (I bought mine at Walmart for $2 and it had a book of fun designs you can carve as well)
Candle
Newspaper
Large Bowl
Drill and bits (this is optional, as you can use any size round items you may have laying around your house, I found the drill to be quicker.)

So, start with your pumpkin. Instead of carving out a hole in the top, I carved a hole in the bottom, so I could light the candle, then stick the pumpkin on top. I find this is easier to light then reaching your hand in with a lighter!

After you do that, clean out all the guts and toss them in your bowl. Reserve them for later, I've got a great pumpkin seed recipe I found that leaves them nice and crunchy!

Print off whatever design you would like to go on your pumpkin. In the image I found, I couldn't get to print, so I improvised and drew out my design, which is Tinkerbell and her trailing pixy dust! Tape the drawing to your pumpkin. You may have to make slight folds in the paper, but this is ok!

Take your handy little poker that came with your pumpkin kit, and punch out the outline of your sketch.

This is what it should look like after you poke the holes. Remove the paper, and carve out your drawing, like connecting the dots. Then! Take a marker, or just use your poker, and mark/make holes for the pixy dust trail. I completely forgot to take pictures of the next part, because I got so excited it was so cute!Take your drill, and drill random size holes and make sure your bits are long enough to go through the entire pulp of the pumpkin. After allllll of that, grab your candle and light up your pumpkin and Voila! Your done!

  

This is what it should look like! So cute right?

Now, onto what to do with those pumpkin seeds! Here's an awesome recipe from Oh She Glows ! We ended up having to cook ours for about 5-10 minutes longer to really get them to crisp up. I would also recommend adding whatever type of flavor you enjoy on your seeds to make them even more delicious! 

Thanks for hanging out for this tutorial!

-A

 

A New View

I love a good revamping project. We had this really ugly, (maybe that's an exaggeration) round mirror in our downstairs powder room, so I decided it needed a little something, and to be placed somewhere else in the house. I found this great mirror at Marshall's Homegoods to put in its place. Here's the before and after:

It's definitely a good change! I plan to change the lighting fixtures (or spray paint them) to an antique brass color to match the shades in the mirror. We also need a new vanity/sink combo, but that is another project down the road! Onto how I revamped the mirror!

Step 1: I bought Rustoleum's "Stone" textured spray paint. Make sure you have plenty of newspaper, this paint is dense! And please, do it outside. Also, you'll need some painters tape. These should be goods you have laying around the house!

Step 2: Cover your mirror with newspaper. Since this was round, I ripped the paper and layered it to ensure no paint would run through. Add plenty of tape to cover the holes just in case. 

Step 3: Spray paint! Allow to dry over night, as this paint is thicker and allows more than one coat. Allow paint to dry in between coats, because otherwise it will spread and you'll have to re-spray those spots. 

 

TADA! Finished product! Looks much, much better! And the very best part? This mirror came with the house! My total cost: $7.50 for the can of spray paint! Now that, is a good revamping! 

Have a happy Tuesday! 

-A

All Things Savory

Hello there! Welcome to my blog of all things savory, and sweet! I am a lover of Traveling, Yoga, Home Repair, Cooking, and all things Wedding. I am engaged to the most amazing man I could have ever found! He is my rock, through thick and thin, my forever man! Together we have two crazy fur babies, and our very own cozy home. Please enjoy our future endeavors! Now to leave you with a little slice of heaven on earth, Shem Creek on a peaceful afternoon, in Mount Pleasant SC.

Have a wonderful day!
-A