Peppermint Marshmallows

There was the cupcake fad, then the homemade marshmallow hit the big scene. I wanted to try my hand at it and here is what happened.

I used this Alton Brown recipe for marshmallows because his way is always well thought out and scientifically based. Foolproof, right?

Clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and cook water, sugar, corn syrup and salt until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Last Minute Homemade Christmas Gifts

It’s the 24th of December and you just found out about an unexpected guest and need something easy, quick and inexpensive to give them for Christmas. I say look no further than your own pantry!

Here, I have step by step instructions on making a luscious Lemon Sugar Scrub, a warm Vanilla Brown Sugar Scrub and a lovely Pumpkin Spice Scrub, all found on the brilliant blog, Under the Table and Dreaming.

You can make all three scrubs with accessible and affordable ingredients you probably already have.  It may be an inexpensive gift but it's thoughtful because it’s homemade and from the heart, no matter how last minute it may be.

For the Lemon Sugar Scrub (my favorite) you will need:
4 T Lemon Juice
1 C Olive Oil or other oil like vegetable, safflower or grape seed
2.5 C Granulated Sugar

These ingredients will make enough to fill a 12oz. Mason Jar and you'll have just enough left over to clean your hands afterwards too.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients.

Mix well until you have a smooth consistency.

This mixture is a great hand scrub and will moisturize as well as exfoliate in one step.

I poured into re-purposed jars that I cleaned out and spray painted the lids black. You could use mason jars or anything that seals well. The mixture will separate as it sits, just include directions with your gift to mix well and then scoop a small amount into your hands and massage into skin, rinse with water and pat dry.

For the Vanilla Brown Sugar Scrub you will need...
2 Cups of Brown Sugar
1 Cup of Granulated Sugar
1 Cup of Sunflower Oil  (I used olive oil in all my mixes)
1 Tablespoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

Sunflower Oil or Safflower Oil is best for this body scrub because it does not carry the strong scent that Olive Oil does.

In a large mixing bowl combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, then mix in the oil and vanilla extract.

I started to mix this with a spoon, but it worked much better mixing by hand because I could break up all the little sugar clumps.

To make the Pumpkin Spice Scrub, simply substitute the vanilla with 2 T Pumpkin Pie Spice from your spice rack. The scent is lovely and another reason to use an oil other than olive oil in this recipe.

I have to say that the addition of pumpkin spice powder added tiny brown flakes to the scrub which you have to be extra diligent to wash off.  I packaged both the Vanilla Brown Sugar and the Pumpkin Spice Scrub in mason jars. Make sure you choose something with a tight fitting lid.

I re-purposed foil Christmas cards that I found at Big Lots as my gift tags.

I cut the pretty part from the front of the card that read “Merry Christmas”, “Seasons Greeting”, and “Happy Holidays.”

Using a hole punch I put two holes towards the top so I could thread ribbon through.

Creativity is messy....and I am very creative!

 I chose different ribbon for each type of scrub.

My sweet little helper Madeline.

Using a glitter pen I wrote on the back of each gift tag what it was, to mix well, and how to use it. For the pickles, I wrote to keep them refrigerated.

I think that these are a great way to welcome guests to your home, or send them off with something homemade to remember your hospitality by.

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you have a wonderful holiday spent with family and friends who mean the most to you. It's not about presents or who spent what, let's try to keep in mind the Reason for the Season and let those you love know you love them.

Pumpkin Beer Bread: A Party Favor

Don’t you love the smell of fresh baked bread? That lovely smell rarely comes from my kitchen because frankly, baking bread is too much work and requires more patients than I can give to that little loaf. THEN I discovered the beer bread, oh yeah! The beer takes the place of the yeast needed for bread to rise. There is no need to knead the dough, let it rest, punch it down, let it rise again….who has time for that?!? With beer bread, you simply mix four ingredients with beer and then bake. Voila! Fresh home baked bread. When I was trying to think of a fall treat I could send each guest home with at the Football Party, this beer bread came to mind.

This pumpkin ale that I paired with the bread mix is really good too! A co-worker of mine mentioned that she stocks up on this ale because its only seasonal and she loves it so much. Once I tried it, I knew what she was talking about. It isn’t a sweet cider, it’s definitely a beer but it has a hint of spice on the finish. There really is just a faint flavor of pumpkin and it goes so well together.

Here are the ingredients you need for Basic Beer Bread:
3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 oz beer

Since I was making 10 Fall treats to-go, here is what I did. I found these clear cellophane bags on the party aisle at my grocery store for $2. I purchased whole wheat flour to give it that hearty fall feel. And lastly I purchased the pumpkin ale and the disposable loaf pans. Everything cost me less than $20.

Because I was assembling these in bulk, I dumped the whole wheat flour into a large mixing bowl because it was quick and easy to scoop and measure this way.


Using a one cup measuring cup I scooped 3 cups of flour into my bags.

Then measured 1 T sugar, 1 T baking powder and 1 t salt, right into my gift bags.

Twisted and tied the bags closed and set aside.

Repeat process until you’ve filled enough bags for your guests.

Next I placed my pumpkin ale in each disposable loaf pans.

I experimented with different bows and ties, but settled upon a simple silver bow tied around the top of the bags.

The last thing I did was print directions to make and bake the pumpkin beer bread. I think hand written instructions would have been more personal, and attaching the note to the ribbon would have tied it together nicely, but I had many more projects to move on to at this point.


My guests seem to really enjoy these as did my co-workers. One friend of mine said her bread turned out really well, and she thought it had more of a banana flavor than pumpkin. When I do these again, I might add a tiny bit of nutmeg and/or cinnamon to the dry ingredients to give it a more prominent holiday spice flavor.