Pearl Sugar Scrub

This isn't a normal recipe even if some of the ingredients are found in your pantry.  I found this really useful the other day after I tried wearing a new pair of shoes to work.  They lasted only a few hours but I was reminded of them with every step so this scrub was great after the work day for helping to revive my sore toes.  Plus you can make this and give as a gift to friends and loved ones.  If you are new to using essential oils, my friend is starting a website and she has lots of informational blogs coming up showing their benefits and how to use them ~ Always Oiling

Peppermint Sugar Foot Scrub

1 cup Swedish Pearl Sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

24 drops peppermint essential oil

Mix together coconut and peppermint essential oils in a bowl.  Fold in Swedish Pearl Sugar.  Place in a decorative glass jar for gift giving.

Taco Baked Potatoes

Finally a nice Spring day and I had planned to grill hamburgers outside but the wind gusting up to 28 mph and Fire Weather Warnings convinced me that wasn't a good idea.  Instead, I made something I had ordered at a restaurant on Monday and enjoyed.  It's easy and makes 4 servings so you could bake the potatoes in the microwave and have a quick weeknight meal.  I doubled the taco seasoning recipe so I have enough for next time I need it already made.

Taco Baked Potatoes

4 medium russet potatoes (or 2 large that you can cut in half)
1# extra lean ground beef
1/4 onion, minced
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Taco seasoning
1/4 cup water

Taco Seasoning Recipe ~

1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp  oregano
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp salt

Place in a sealable plastic bag or container that's airtight and mix well.


Wash the potatoes.  Poke holes into skin with a fork and bake under fork tender.  The length of baking time will depend on the size and type of the potatoes.  When the potatoes are almost ready, brown the ground beef.  When almost done, add in the onions.  When both are cooked, stir in the water and taco seasoning.   Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.  Cut down the center and open wide for the toppings.  Top with the taco meat and cheese.  Here's some additional toppings you might want to add ~

Sour cream
Salsa
Diced tomatoes
Black Olives
Onions

Happy Easter ~

I hope everyone has a wonderful and fun-filled day.  No recipes today but I will share with you some greeting cards & gift tags I made for the holiday.

Crock Pot Potatoes

Need a recipe to make potatoes for a crowd?  This is enough for at least 6 but you can add in extra potatoes and there is enough herbs and spices to cover it.

Crock Pot Potatoes

6 potatoes (I used Yukon Gold), pared & diced
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Italian Seasonings
1 tsp parsley

Place the chicken broth at the bottom of your crock pot.  Place diced potatoes in there next.  In a small bowl, mix together all of the spices.  Sprinkle evenly over the top.  Turn the crock pot to medium.  Stir a couple times while cooking.  The potatoes should be ready in 3-4 hours.

Parmesan Buttermilk Biscuits

Thanks to my food processor, I've become a biscuit baker.  I think I tried once and failed before I discovered how to use the food processor to do all the hard work making them.  This time I wanted to add in some spices and Parmesan.

Parmesan Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 sticks of cold butter

Combine all the dry ingredients and Parmesan cheese in the food processor and give it a couple pulses to mix them up.  Add in the butter, one tbsp. at a time and the egg.  Pour in milk and pulse until it combines and forms a ball.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Pat out dough until it's 1" thick and cut into rounds.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes at 450°.  Pull the biscuits from the oven and brush with buttermilk.  Return to the oven for another minute.

Makes 24 biscuits

Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops

Apples and pork always go well together.  This is an apple cider glaze that you place on top of the chops after you fry, bake or grill them.  It will caramelize so you don't want the glaze to make contact with your cooking surface or else it might stick.

Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops

4 pork chops
salt & freshly ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil 

Grill or bake your pork chops until fully cooked.  While they are cooking, mix together the following ~

1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground crushed red pepper

Cook to a simmer.  In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup cold water and 2 tsp cornstarch.  Whisk into cider mixture.  Cook until it thickens.  Brush onto cooked pork chops.

Blackberry Lemon Bars

It's Spring or supposed to be.  It's kind of hard to tell when the wind is blowing at around 30 mph.  A good day for baking and crafting.  I took an old recipe and tweaked it.  I hadn't made jam bars in years but I have lots on jam on hand so I updated my old recipe into something new.  I used the lemon juice and zest to cut some of the sweetness of the jam.

Blackberry Lemon Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup blackberry jam
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

Cream together butter and dark brown sugar in a medium sized bowl.   Add in cinnamon, baking soda and flour.  Mix until the flour is all incorporated.  Using a pastry blender mix in the oats.  Pat 2/3 of the mixture in a greased 8 x 8 baking pan.  Spread out jam mixture on  top, leave a space of 1/4" next to the edges so it doesn't bubble over and cause you problems when you try to remove the bars from the pan. Sprinkle the remaining dough on top of the jam evenly.  Bake for 35 minutes at 350°.