Fizzy Bath Salts

Fizzy Bath Salts with a Message in the Bottle

For birthdays I tend to give lovely ladies homemade bath gifts. It's great because every woman deserves to pamper herself. My bath gifts are always non-toxic and completely edible. While I don't recommend eating them, I do this because I want my dogs (or someones children) to be safe in case they get a hold of something. I also use essential oils with specific qualities for specific people. Some people ask that I put positive intentions or prayers into their bath gifts so that they will feel the positive energy when they are used. These are all the benefits of making your own bath gifts--you can make them the way you want!

How cute!

I saw these cute bottles when I was shopping at Michael's yesterday. I had a coupon so I only paid $1 for each of them. They made me think of the kind of bottle one would find filled with sand and a love note. So I figured instead of sand I would make bath salts. However, the woman I'm making these for is still working her way through my last batch of bath salts, so I decided to make these ones with some fizz.
Fizzy bath salts are like a mix between bath bombs and bath salts. You can pour as much as you want and they exfoliate your skin like bath salts and they fizz in the bath and actually are able to soften the water like a bath bomb.

These are the ingredients for the base. Corn starch, citric acid, Epsom salts, and baking soda. I get citric acid when it's on sale in the canning section at Walmart, but usually it's cheapest at Sprouts or Whole Foods in the bulk spices section. 

Mix 1/8 cup of citric acid, 1/4 cup of baking soda, 1/4 cup of corn starch, and about 1/2 cup of Epsom salts. You can add more or less salt based on the texture you prefer.

Little clumps in the mixture can be pressed out against the wall of the bowl. You can also crush them with the spoon. We don't want any clumps.

Pick an essential oil. I chose sweet orange because I was going for a beach theme. Also, get some soap grade color. Food coloring can stain your bath tub. I got mine at Michael's for about $5 for three colors. Add the fragrance to a strength of your liking to the mixture in random places. I used 7 or 8 drops and I made a star pattern with them. The pattern doesn't really matter just as long as the drops are well spaced. 

Add the coloring of your choice to a spoon. I used ten drops of yellow and two drops of red. I recommend using a plastic spoon because you can see how the color will really look. I've used metal spoons before and it turned out okay, the color just looked different than I expected.

Use the spoon as a mixing bowl and combine the colors with a toothpick. If you don't like the color, add more one drop at a time. You can always add color, you can't take it out.

Dump the color in. It will fizz--don't be surprised. The color may look different once it is mixed in. If you don't like it, go ahead and mix another batch in the plastic spoon. Work in small batches so you don't get too dark. Use the same ratio of colors if you like the color so far. If you want to change it, do so slowly.

This is how the bath salts will look when you are done. At this point you can put them in whatever vessel you want. I recommend something see through so you can show off how pretty they are. I use jars for most of my gifts.

I used a funnel to fill the bottles about 1/4 of the way. If you don't want to include the message in the bottle, fill them to the top. 

To make the messages I cut a pretty sheet of card stock into 3"x2.25" rectangles. Choose a pattern that looks almost old and rustic so it looks like it belongs in the bottle. If you use bigger bottles, use bigger pieces of paper. 

To make my paper look aged and give it an antique feel, I sanded it on both sides. Be careful of the pattern side. On the white side you can be very aggressive. When you are done the paper should feel like leather and it should roll very easily.

I wrote a couple of different messages. Have fun and write your own message in a bottle. If you are making this for a lover, write something romantic. You can say something sweet for mom or a girlfriend. Or you can write a pirate joke if you want the recipient to get a good laugh. 

Roll up the papers so that the long end remains straight. The short side is the side being rolled, Roll them tightly so they can fit on the inside of the bottle. 

Put your message in the bottle. Use the salts at the bottom to help you position it the way you want. I wanted mine slanted, but they also look cool standing straight up. 

Top off the bottle. I made just enough to fill four bottles to just about the neck. Make sure the message is visible. If it's not, pour some out. When you have them all filled, go around the inside of the neck with a dry cloth to clean up any dust particles. This makes it easier to see through the neck. 

If you want, you can stop there and leave them how they are. I wanted to paint mine, so I wet a paper towel with rubbing alcohol and cleaned the outside of the bottles. Do this any time you paint glass. Then let dry. 

I always use Martha Stewart brand paints from Michael's for about $3/Bottle. I prefer them because they are the best in the dishwasher. Their metallic colors are also very stunning. The tips are very fine, so if you want to use them to paint straight on the bottle they work great. For the glitter one, I put some on a palette and used a brush to paint the bottle. 

Go ahead and paint. For small objects like these I keep a cap full of rubbing alcohol and Q-tips handy to clean off any mistakes. 

If I were to do this project again I wouldn't put glitter on the neck of the orange and green bottles because it makes it hard to see the message inside. However they are still beautiful, so I'm satisfied. Four of my friends are going to love their message in a bottle!!!

Fizzy Bath Salts
Fills four small bottles or makes just over one cup
time: 10 minutes

• 1/8 cup of citric acid 
• 1/4 cup of baking soda 
• 1/4 cup of corn starch 
• 1/2 cup of Epsom salts (You can add more or less salt based on the texture you prefer.)
• Essential oils and soap colors

1.  Mix together the citric acid, baking soda, corn starch, and Epsom salts, breaking down any clumps in the way
2.  Add drops of oils to the mixture in a well spaced fashion
3. Mix together the desired colors and add to the mixture
4.  Mix well to combine all ingredients
5. Transfer to a dry storage location
6.  To Use: Add preferred amount to bath or soak. Salts will fizz.

I hope you enjoy this practical project. I would love any questions or comments you may have. Keep creating and stay tuned for the next project of the day!

The Best Grilled Cheese EVER

I came across a very cool term on Facebook one day. Life hack. I think my grilled cheese secrets qualify as a life hack. There are technically two life hacks in this one post, but I think they deserve to be combined.

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

The first hack regards the soup. The second is about the sandwich. After all, grilled cheese and tomato soup are soul mates. Doesn't this look like a delicious lunch? I learned everything I know about this topic from Nora Gomez, my grandmother. I loved the way she would make lunch with tomato soup and a grilled cheese with onion and green chiles. This is my own take on her masterpiece.

Soup

I use Campbell's tomato soup. I think I use it because it's what my grandma uses and it reminds me of her. It's also condensed. That's a must. I bought a different brand once and it was not condensed soup, ruining my recipe. You'll see the importance in a minute. Dump the soup in a pan on low-ish heat.

Fill the can half way with milk and half way with water. My grandma used to do the whole can with milk, but I find it to be just as creamy and delicious with only half the fat. Toss the milk mixture in with the tomato soup and whisk. Let it heat through. If you want, you can add cayenne and chili powder to taste. That's how the man likes it. Other people add basil and garlic. I like it plain. 

I know it's simple, but it makes a world of difference. 

Grilled (Turkey and) Cheese

 This is for a turkey and cheese. If you don't want turkey, don't use it. It's just what I was craving that day. Also, note the home made butter with the red lid. Truly makes a huge difference.

Combine about a tablespoon of softened butter, a tablespoon of mayo, and a tablespoon of parm. You can add more or less to taste. This is the first part of my secret recipe.

Spread the mixture onto the bread on the side you want opposite of the cheese (and turkey). When this cooks it will form a buttery Parmesan crust. Everyone loves Parmesan crusted things--why not try it on a sandwich? For those of you that already use butter and mayo, this isn't really that different. It just makes it a million times better!

This is my second secret. My grandpa showed me this. He passed away in March but I find him living on when I use his culinary tips every day. Instead of waiting for the cheese to melt on it's own, put a lid over it. This traps the heat like a miniature convection oven. The cheese melts much faster. 

When ready, flip the sandwich. Look at that beautiful Parmesan crust! I always cut it into triangles when I'm dipping because it makes for more of a handle. If I'm just eating it alone I cut it in rectangles. But that's all aesthetics, you decide.

I hope you enjoy the world's best grilled cheese recipe. This was quite the yummy project of the day.

Homemade Butter

Everybody loves butter. Most people forgive Paula Deen for her racism when she tosses sticks of butter into her dishes. Butter can make the most disgusting foods, like Brussels sprouts, transform into edible plates, even delicacies. My project today is homemade butter.

Butter I made today on a blueberry scone

 As a child, I always thought butter was something like Goldfish crackers--purchased only in the supermarket and not made at home. I'd done the activity in school where cream is placed in a baby food jar and shaken until thick whipped cream or "butter" is created. Perhaps I did it wrong, but this ruined the notion of homemade butter for me. That is until some childhood friends and I went on a field trip to the 1800's.

In some remote Colorado town there is a farm in which workers were truly Amish or were acting as though they were trapped in the mid 1800's without technology. Like I said, I was young and I don't remember. Anyway, wood stoves and no electricity made this into a place with no redeeming qualities. Except, that is, for one. The butter.

 

An unpleasant way to make butter

We were walking out of a one bedroom "home" with a small metal bin as a "bath tub" next to the kitchen table next to the bed when my friends and I stepped onto the porch to see a woman with a strange contraption. We probably would have walked by if she hadn't told us that samples would be available any minute. That's enough to get any five year old to stay still for a few moments. She explained the process of churning butter as she continued working hard, pumping the wooden handle up and down. Finally, the wait was over and the young woman opened the barrel. Inside, butter coated the wooden spokes on the end of the long wooden handle. It was so thick and when the woman spread the substance on fresh bread right out of the wood stove I could have been persuaded to become Amish.  

After my adventures at the farm, I thought butter could only be created with an old fashioned butter churn with lots of arm work and labor. Wrong again. One day at a friend's house I made my way into the kitchen for a glass of water. In there, I found my friend's mother drinking a glass of wine standing next to the stand mixer. I asked if she was making cookies, relating the whirring to the sound often heard in my mother's home before sweet treats were to be baked. She told me she was making butter. While made in a Kitchen Aid rather than an old fashioned churn, the butter was lovely and smooth. So when I got my own Kitchen Aid, you will never guess what the first thing I made was. That's right. Butter.
Over time I've learned some tips and tricks I would have liked to know the first time I made butter. Hopefully this tutorial will make it simple even for the butter beginner.

Butter Tutorial

Make sure the bowl and attachment are both very very VERY clean before beginning. Ideally the bowl will be cold, but a room temperature bowl will work just fine. However, a hot bowl will melt your butter. When you are finally ready to start, begin pouring heavy whipping cream into the bowl of the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. 

Begin to whisk on medium high speed, As tempting as it is to walk away, DON'T. The cream goes through many stages and this process happens very quickly.  

This is the first stage: very soft peaks. This is familiar--similar to whipped cream. 

These are stiff peaks. This is perfect for whipped cream for between layers of shortcake. If you chicken out and decide you want whipped cream, stop here. If yo want to have butter, continue on bravely. 

You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl. You want all the cream evenly incorporated. If you don't you can end up with butter in the bottom of the bowl and whipped cream on the sides. 

You will see the cream begin to separate a little bit. The fat of the butter will continue whipping around the bowl and the liquid will begin to pool at the bottom. This is great. The first time I did this I got nervous at this stage. I feared I had over whipped but in reality I was right on path.That sloping sound is good. 

Once separation begins you want to turn up the speed to high. Stay on high for another 3 or 5 minutes. Keep in mind I may say "3-5 min" but if it looks different than my photos you may need more or less time. Use your best judgement and stop when it looks like the product below. 

This product is ready. See the liquid pooling at the bottom and the butter clumped nicely all around the whisk. This took just under 3 minutes for me today.

This butter needs more time. While there is some liquid (and it was splashing up and out of the bowl), this is not what we want. Once again, if your butter looks like this at six minutes, just keep going until you get the above photo. If your butter looks like the photo above after a minute  then stop. 3-5 minutes is just a guideline. Use your best judgement. 

Take the butter that has clumped onto the whisk and place it in a strainer over a bowl.

 Pour out the remaining contents of the mixer into the strainer in order to collect the large pieces of butter.  With clean hands, squeeze and knead the butter into a ball and try to force out as much liquid as possible. Remember, warm hands melt butter so work quickly. The liquid on the bottom is buttermilk and makes for delicious pancakes. 

Take the ball of butter and place it back into the bowl of the stand mixer along with very cold water. Some people use ice water. I have a water cooler and I use that water. Some use tap water. Just make sure the water could be described as "chilly." Warm and even room temperature water will melt your butter. 

Giuve the butter ball a good bath before dumping the water into a collander and repeating the process. 

By the end the water should look like this. When it does, empty out the water and press out excess liquid with a spatula.  At this time, if desired, knead in salt, herbs, etc. 

Put the kneaded butter into a container with a lid. Refrigerate for up to a week. The better the butter was cleaned  and bathed, the longer it will last. If you cleaned it well, your butter may last even longer. Once again, use your best judgement.  As you can see, you don't get much so my family uses this as our spread butter. We use it for pancakes, toast, grilled cheese, etc. For things like greasing pans, fat for frying, and baking  we use the store bought butter. Why waste such delicious butter?

Homemade Butter
makes about 1 cup of butter
time: 15 minutes

• 1 pint cold heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp salt (optional)

1.  Add cream to bowl of stand mixer
2.  Whip on medium high until solids and liquids begin to separate. Increase speed to high
3.  Once fully separated, strain contents of mixer through a strainer into another bowl. Save the liquid (buttermilk) for later use. Knead together ball of butter, squeezing out excess liquid
4.  Use cold water to rinse off the butter. When water gets dirty, dump and repeat this step until water is clear
5.  Press out excess liquid with spatula. If using salt, this is the time to knead it into the butter
6.  Move butter to container with lid and save in fridge up to a week. The better step 5 was performed, the longer the butter will keep
7.  Enjoy!

I hope you all enjoyed my first project. Comments are appreciated and I would love pictures of how your butter turned out. Come back soon for my next project of the day. Stay creative!