The Mysterious Body Butter

Why is it mysterious do you ask? (If you don't want to read ALL of my pointless raving, I strongly suggest you read the first paragraph and call it a day)

It's mysterious b/c the darn body butter has absolutly confounded me!?  As soon as I think I've begun to understand the enigma that is my body butter creation - it goes and does something unexpected...like improve in texture without reason or warning.  Sigh.  Ack.

Here's the story: a couple days ago I woke up and thought to myself, "I should make some body butter.  I probably have all the ingrediants - all I need is a recipe."  After much web surfing, I (thought) I stumbled upon the perfect ratio: 60% butters to 40% oil.  Okay.

I melted shea butter in the microwave and added almond oil, coconut oil, calendula extract (which is an anti-inflamatory good for sensitive skin), cornstarch, and fragrance.  I stuck the mixture into a water bath to cool, and ever so often blended it with my hand mixer (I was going for a whipped consistency).  Once I thought I achieved the proper consistency, I poured it into containers. 

Let's just say the next morning I woke up to a separated liquidy mess.

At that point I decided to add 1oz cocoa butter (which is super solid at room temp) and 1 oz beeswax to emulsify and thicken.  Everything went back in the microwave, then in the freezer, and I whipped and whipped and whipped.

While the butter's thickness improved - it's texture was a bit "off" (little, almost invisible, globules in it...which would melt once it touched skin).

Okay - after even more research I discovered if you don't heat your shea butter to 175 degrees for 20 minutes little crystals can form in it.  I made a mental note for next time and decided I'd have to use up all the yummy cake batter/orange scented slightly weird body butter myself, instead of forcing it upon everyone I know.  Totally do-able.

So - the past couple times I've popped open my body butter after a shower the texture has seemed a bit better - which I attributed to wishful longing on my part. 

Well, today I've decided I may not be hallucinating.  Damn you body butter!!  Just when I think we've come to an understanding.  I don't understand you!  Argh!!!  Aaaaaaaaaaa!

The Evil Cupcake Clementine Scented Body Butter

The Etsy Experiment

Christmas is over and my stock of soap, candles, fizzing bath cubes, and preserves has def. been depleted...but I prob. still have enough left for a dozen so or more gifts - hence, the "Etsy Experiment."

I have absolutly no desire to quit my day job and craft all day for a living (after the first couple 10 hr days, it would cease being fun), but I wouldn't mind selling a couple of my creations to fund more creations.  Etsy could be a way to fund my habit!

I posted a few things - and hope to add more over the next couple of days.  Check out my shop at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/calinas3bs

A sneak preview of what's on sale:

Going Rogue Part 2 (Fizzing Bath Cubes)

I tried to make body butter yesterday and let me say it turned out to be a minor disaster.  When I woke up this morning my lovely whipped "cupcake clementine" scented body butter was a thick separated (oil from butter) mess.  My goal today is to fix the darn thing.  If I manage to do that - I'll post the recipe.

Anyhoo - on to fizzing bath cubes.  The recipe I ended up using was pretty simple (no cornstarch, epsom salts, and only four ingrediants) but I took a bath with a couple cubes the other day and it was heaven.  The magical ratio is 2:1 (baking soda to citric acid).

To make 12 cubes I used 1 c citric acid, 2 c baking soda, 1 tsp sweet almond oil, and fragrance oil to my own preference (approx 6 ml).  I mixed the dry ingrediants, added the oils, and then spritzed the mixture with witch hazel (in a 3 oz spray bottle) while mixing with the other.  You want the dry ingrediants to only get damp enough to barely stick together when squished in your hand (the less witch hazel you use the better, otherwise you could end up with a fizzing blobby mess). 

Once your bath fizzy mixture is ready, pour it into a mold (or in my case, a silicone ice cube tray) and compact, compact, compact with your fingers - then try to compact even more of the mixture on top.  The more you compact, the longer your cube will fizz in the bath.

Let your bath fizzies sit in the mold for a few minutes, then lightly tap out.  Let dry for 24hrs.

Note: if you don't have fragrance oil, use a scented bath oil (3tsp) instead of the sweet almond oil + fragrance oil.  Also, just the combo of 1tsp of oil + the fragrance oil made for a pretty slippery bath, but if you want more moisturizing - you can always use shea butter or up the oil content.  Also - you can either buy citric acid online, or in a store that sells canning supplies.

Grass scented fizzing bath cubes

Christmas Eve Food Post

Chicken Posole isn't necessarily the most traditional thing to serve for Christmas Eve dinner (we're actually having tempura scallops tonight, which def. isn't traditional) - but it sure is yummy and comforting on a cold winter night.  Check out the recipe at (beware if you're not into spicy food): http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1947682

Tecate is the perfect accompaniment

The other day Ed got me a couple bags of very nice bittersweet chocolate and a couple cartons of heavy cream.  Thoughtful - but unfortunatly it was for a recipe/project I had long since mentally abandoned (ganache frosted chocolate cupcakes).  Well - I had to pretend the items were actually still relevant - so I made chocolate chip sandwich cookies with ganache filling.  Yumm.

The recipe was suprisingly easy for a F&W concoction.  I was able to make them and work out (thanks to Netflix online streaming) at the same time.  Find the recipe at:  http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/ganache-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookies

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

Going Rogue Part #1 (lip gloss)

My husband hates it when I go off recipe and decide things like: "yes, cod is an acceptable substitute for halibut" or ask him questions such as, "what exactly is IN garam masala" while holding a spice grinder and the contents of our spice cabinet.

Well - since crafting is def. my domain in the house - I can substitute to my heart's content w/out comments or raised eyebrows. 

I just made gloss from the recipe below this morning, and its lovely...but please feel free to substitute and fudge a little on measurements (b/c I always do).

Sheer Lipgloss

2 1/2 tsp beeswax

2tsp coconut oil

2 1/8 tsp sweet almond oil

3/4 tsp avocado oil

flavor if desired (1/2 tsp)

lip safe mica/oxide or food coloring

Note:  You don't have to get fancy with the oils...and food grade olive oil, walnut oil, etc. can substitute for any or all of the oils above.  A simple olive oil and beeswax gloss would be just as moisturizing.  Also - some essential oils, such as rosemary, are edible - so if you don't have a lip safe flavoring, get creative (but not in a way that might make your or someone else's lips fall off). A tiny pinch of splenda ,to make the gloss sweet, never hurt either.

Instructions: melt beeswax w/coconut oil in the microwave (1 minute - 45 second intervals until it looks melted...keep an eye on it).  Once melted, add other oils and pop in the microwave for a few seconds if it starts solidifying (do this throughout - you don't want the mixture scalding...just liquid/melted).  Add flavoring, mica/oxide if you have it (the more you add, the darker the color will be) or one tiny drop of food coloring to give the gloss color in it container.  Stir - stir - stir.

Pour into containers.

My Gloss (a sheer "lip" shade w/gold mica)

p.s. part #2 will feature fizzing bath cubes - all ingrediants for which can probably be found at the grocery or drugstore

Crafting with the g.kids

Instead of taking pics of the grandkids crafting soaps and pouring their perfect lipgloss into pots, I was busy cleaning up black oxide from the floor and scraping all of Alayah's lip gloss off the counter, putting it back in the bowl, and remelting it. 

Next time we do crafting - I'm definitely going to put a sheet down.  And maybe beforehand I'll clone myself or send Ed to crafting 101 - since there's just too little of me to go around.

All in all it was a super-fun experience and the kids had a great time (before crafting we ate pizza, watched "Up," and went ice skating at the Seattle Center).  The "after" crafting pics I took below:

Grass Stain Scented Basketball Soap

(made by Manny - Isaiah's is green and he made football soap as well)

Jhordin's Perfect Lipgloss

(w/violet and gold shimmer)

Alayah's Pink Gloss

(Watermelon flavored)

My Little Crafters

(On our way to ice-skating at the Seattle Center)

Desperation Dip - 101

On my way home from work I was supposed to grab something for our condo building's holiday get together...but it was raining and I was running late - therefore it just didn't happen (oh, well).  I knew I could scrounge up some old chocolates or ingrediants for an appetizer if I looked in our cabinets hard enough...and lo-and-behold - I did!

I made this White Bean Dip in about 5 minutes.  I didn't measure...hence all amounts are guesstimates.

1 can cannelini beans (drained and rinsed)
2 garlic gloves or 1 jumbo (I had a mutant jumbo one, don't forget to take the peel off)
handful of fresh parsely (1/4 c)
1/4c olive oil
juice of half a lemon (2 tablespoons)
salt & pepper
food processer

Instructions: throw everything into the food processer, de-press the chop/grind/puree button, and hope for the best.  Salt & pepper to taste.

All-in-all...the dip is actually pretty darn good...I probably ate half before I even plated.