Victorian Pomander Hand Scrub

Earlier this week I posted a receipt for Gingerbread Hand Scrub in which I described my love of pampering hand treatments. The post for today includes a receipt  for one of the most popular scents here at the EE, Victorian Pomander. This fragrance is gentle yet vibrant with the spicy tang of cloves and sweet oranges. It evokes a warm feeling on a chilly winter solstice such as today!

Victorian Pomander Hand Scrub
1 cup Epsom salts
6 drops sweet orange essential oil
3 drops cinnamon leaf essential oil
3 drops clove bud essential oil
1/8 cup veggie oil

Blend ingredients well and store in a tightly lidded jar.
Gently scrub hands with 1 tablespoon of mixture and rinse under warm water.

Now go throw on a Yule log and enjoy Midwinter!

Gingerbread Hand Scrub

The EE’s kitchen is filled with surprises. One never knows what to expect from day to day. Sweet or savory? Mundane or exotic? Recipe or creation? Something or nothing? Just teasing about that last one! One thing that seems inevitable is strong smelling ingredients refusing to budge from my hands. It’s a pet peeve. For example, I love eating garlic, but despise the smell of the raw stuff on my hands. Another inevitability with lots of cooking is lots of hand washing which leads to dry skin. This cycle resulted in the following receipt for Gingerbread Hand Scrub.

Gingerbread Hand Scrub

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 cup veggie oil

Combine dry ingredients. Gently stir in vanilla and oil until well blended.
Store in a jar by the kitchen sink. When your hands need a pick me up, gently massage 1 tablespoon of Gingerbread Hand Scrub into your hands and rinse thoroughly under warm water. A gentle exfoliation, moisturizing, and a delicious scent… what more can a cook’s hands desire*?

*Trick question. Of course this cook’s hands would desire a lovely set of Wusthof knives…

Peppermint Bath Salts

Scrumptious bath products are a vice for some of us here at the EE. Candy canes also hold a pretty good sway over two of us. With the air turning cool, yesterday seemed like a good time to throw together a treat for our poor skin. Peppermint Bath Salts were the order of the day!

This barely qualifies as a recipe, but here goes:

2 cups sea salt
16 drops peppermint essential oil
Jar(s) with a tight seal
Optional: red food coloring

In a bowl combine salt & essential oil, stirring gently for a few minutes. If you like, divide mixture in half. Tint one half with red food coloring, one drop at a time, being observant not to make the salt too wet in an attempt to add color. The red & natural salts can be swirled in the jar for a pretty look!

We chose to keep things natural and went sans food coloring. The scent of 1/3 cup of these salts poured under warm running water cannot be described! The sweet, invigorating aroma filled the room without being overpowering. My skin was left feeling soft and lightly scented. Enjoy this frugal, relaxing treat today!

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

My chocolate chip cheeseball is one of the most popular treats around the Emporium. It seems to disappear almost as if by magic. Of course, magic has a name; I call him husband!

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salted sweet cream butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup confectioner sugar
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Beat cream cheese, butter & vanilla until creamy.
Slowly add brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon & confectioner sugar until blended.
Stir in 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
Place mixture on a piece of plastic wrap and form a ball.
Refrigerate a few hours until firm.
Roll cheeseball in the remaining 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
Keep refrigerated until serving time. Serve with graham crackers.