Friday, December 28, 2012

Christmas Scones


So many flavors of Christmas...
all in one delicious scone. 


Ingredients -

2 cups flour
1 cup oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoon orange juice

Combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar.
Cut in butter.
Add cranberries and pecans.
Gradually add buttermilk and mix until just combined.
Pat dough into a round disc and cut into 16 slices.
Separate slices and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
Combine powdered sugar, milk and orange juice.
Spread glaze over scones.
Serve warm and enjoy!


Spa Gifts from the Kitchen


I tried my hand at making some simple homemade beauty products to give as Christmas gifts this year to friends and family.
It was lots of fun!


I made 
Gingerbread Sugar Scrub
Peppermint Bath Salts
and 
Sugarplum Hand Cream


For the hand cream I combined -

8 ounces of vitamin E cream
8 ounces of petroleum jelly
16 ounces of Johnson's vanilla oatmeal baby lotion
1 drop of red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients in a mixer until combined.
Fill 4 ounce jars.

Recipe makes eight 4 ounce jars of lotion.


For the sugar scrub I used the same recipe that a coworker used -

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
4 drops vanilla extract
1 cup grape seed oil 

Combine all ingredients except the oil.
And oil and blend thoroughly.
Fill 4 ounce jars.

Recipe makes four 4 ounce jars of scrub.


For the bath salts I combined -

a 5 pound bag of epsom salts
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
1 tablespoon of red food coloring

Combine all ingredients until well blended.
Let salt sit for 24 hours to dry thoroughly.
Fill 8 ounce jars.

Recipe makes twelve 8 ounce jars of salts.

Christmas Popcorn!


This is what I chose to make for my co-workers for Christmas.

Salty and sweet
plus
quick and easy!


To make -

Microwave two bags of popcorn.
Crush one 6 ounce package of candy canes.
Melt one package of white chocolate almond bark.
Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to melted bark.
Place popcorn in a large bowl.
Sprinkle candy canes onto popcorn.
Pour almond bark over all.
Stir until combined.
Spread popcorn onto wax paper to harden.
Once hard, break into pieces.
Enjoy!