LEMON-VANILLA SUGAR SCRUB (AND SALT SCRUB VARIATIONS)

Hi, dear reader. Happy summer! 

I tend to associate dry skin with dry winter, and slathering on moisturizing lotion during cold weather. But summer's the time when I really need to exfoliate. Despite my efforts at protecting my skin from the sun, I always end up with some dry skin. And during the season of sunshine and showing off skin, I want it all to be smooth as a baby's bum. Don't you? That means exfoliation, baby.

Sugar and salt scrubs can get pretty pricey (and the cheaper ones have been pretty yucky in my experience). It's so easy to make them at home, though, and extremely inexpensive. Plus you know exactly what you're putting into it: how much more natural could it get? 

The basic formula is sugar or salt + oil + scents (like essential oils, extracts, herbs, etc.). 

I made this little batch for a friend as a gift. 

By the way, my very favorite moisturizing lotion EVER is Trader Joe's Midsummer Night's Cream. I started using it this year and my skin has never been softer.

LEMON-VANILLA SUGAR SCRUB

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup almond oil (or jojoba, grapeseed, etc.)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or two freshly scraped vanilla beans also do wonderfully)

Stir ingredients together until well mixed. You can add oil as you need to for texture. Store in an airtight container. Rub on skin while in the shower, and rinse well. 

VARIATIONS FOR SUGAR AND SALT SCRUBS:

For the scrubber:
sugar, coarse sugar
table salt, sea salt, kosher salt, epsom salt (depending on how coarse you want)
brown sugar


For the oil:
(All of these contain great nutrients for your skin! :))
almond oil
sunflower oil
jojoba oil
grapeseed oil
avocado oil

Notes about olive oil and coconut oil:

A friend recently directed me to this post about oil cleansing, which warns against using olive oil and coconut oil in skin products, writing that many users have experienced breakouts and irritation. Personally, I've never tried coconut oil in a scrub, but I've come across several recipes that use it. Also, I wonder if it's difficult to scoop out once the oil solidifies. Let me know if you try it! As for olive oil, I've never had a problem with it in scrubs, but I've never tried it on my face. Use your own judgement, and as always, leave a comment to let me know how it went!


For the extras:
essential oils (lavender, lemongrass, rose, jasmine, sandalwood)
extracts (vanilla, peppermint, coconut, almond)
ground dried herbs (lavender, thyme, sage)
citrus zest (lemon, orange, lime; start with about 1 tablespoon per cup of sugar/salt, and adjust from there)

See this article about the five best essential oils for glowing skin.


I'm always experimenting and would love to hear your ideas. Let me know if you try some combination you really love :) Hope you're having a great summer!

BACON GOAT CHEESE BITES

Hello, dear reader. And happy summer!

We had our first cookout a few weeks ago. The older I get, the more I love cooking out. In our circle of friends lately, we've been really into "bring your own meat" cookouts, which make for really easy prep. Plus they make hosting a large crowd a lot more manageable (especially on a grad student budget, which most of us are on).

My menu was extremely easy (and quick) to prepare, and everything on it keeps well as leftovers. Here's what I did:
     bruschetta
     quinoa salad
     big bowl of edamame
     bacon goat cheese bites (and a basket of crackers)
     cheesecake tartlets

Does anyone have any suggestions for refreshing hot-weather alcoholic drinks that are good for pitchers/large batches? For the party I made this white sangria, but it wasn't much of a hit. I let the fruit soak for 24 hours, and it was still pretty bland. Next time I'll opt for some bourbon iced tea or maybe a some kind of gin drink.

These adorable bite-sized cheese balls were my favorite. (And that's saying something, because I love bruschetta probably too much.) They were a huge hit, and I recommend them highly! They're easy to make and look VERY cute, and they're perfect for parties. This recipe stays at the front of my party book.

BACON GOAT CHEESE BITESadapted from this recipe

8 ounces goat cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons dried herbs (I used oregano, basil, and thyme)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
large pinch salt
12 slices bacon, cooked till crispy
1/2 cup walnuts

*This recipe would be easily halved, but this amount disappeared quickly in a crowd.
**You can easily make these 2 - 3 days ahead. Just store in the fridge on parchment paper in an airtight container.

First cook the bacon. I like to bake mine on a foil-lined baking sheet - about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven when bacon is just crisp, and soak up the grease with a paper towel. Let cool.

Combine goat cheese and softened cream cheese and mix well. Stir in herbs, garlic, pepper, and salt. Put the mixture in the fridge.

Once bacon is cool, chop roughly. Place in a blender or food processor with walnuts, and process until minced. Pour into a bowl.

Remove cheese mixture from fridge. Use your hands to roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls - about 3/4-inch wide. Roll balls in bacon mixture so they are well coated. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

MY BEST DARN BANANA BREAD (FLOURLESS!)

Hello, dear reader. Hope you're enjoying the beginning of summer. I'm about to take little trip to visit family in Illinois, and I'm so looking forward to it. Despite the heat and the 95% humidity, I love Illinois in the summer. Probably what I miss most about midwestern summers is summer thunderstorms. After a hot sticky day, there's nothing quite like running outside into heavy rain and thunder, tromping around barefoot and feeling the thunder rumble. And the whole time it's still 80-something degrees, so the wetness is a welcome refreshment.

The forecast calls for storms this week. I can't wait!

The other thing I'm most looking forward to is driving out in the middle of no where (you don't have to go far), in the middle of the night, sitting out by a silent field and watching the stars. Nate and I tried to get that kind of quiet the other night in the bay area (to see the recent anticipated meteor shower, which we didn't see), and we totally struck out. Too close to city lights and noises, and not enough time to go up a mountain just for an evening view.

Of course I'm hoping that those thunderstormy skies clear up enough for me to get a star fix.

Since I'm leaving for more than a week, these last few days have involved a lot of strategic cooking in order to use up all the food we have in our kitchen without having to throw anything out before leaving town. Naturally we had some ripe bananas, so I used them up on my favorite banana bread recipe. I've baked this recipe several times now, learning and tweaking a little bit each time. This time it was so delicious that I decided it was blog-worthy.

I've made this recipe with and without chocolate chips and walnuts, and with both; every combination works well. This time I left them out, since I was feeling more of a classic banana bread taste.

Enjoy any little trips you might be taking in these early weeks of summer!

MY BEST DARN BANANA BREAD (FLOURLESS)

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
4 ripe bananas, smashed (very ripe (read: almost black) = best)
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1- 2 tablespoons bourbon*
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1 3/4 cups dry oats, blended (in a blender or food processor) to powdery consistency
optional 3/4 cup chocolate chips or walnuts

* just for flavor; it mostly bakes out, but if you particularly dislike bourbon, use only 1 tablespoon

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a big bowl, mash the bananas. Don't make them too smooth - there should be some small chunks. Stir in the melted coconut oil. Mix in sugar, egg, vanilla, bourbon, baking soda, and salt, and spices. Gradually fold in powdered oats. If using, stir in chocolate chips or nuts last.

Bake in a greased 4x8 inch loaf pan for one hour, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.