Archives for June 2010

I worked on a couple of very special recipes today, both involving cucumbers. I'm telling you this now so you can run out to the store and be ready for tomorrow. On your list: A cucumber, an apple, and peppermint tea. Oh, and vodka. Make it a double for me. In any case, as I was slaving away for you crunchy beauties, I started wondering about the story behind why people put cucumbers on their eyes. (I will put cucumbers in just about anything, so I never really questioned it.) Turns ... Continue Reading

I'll tell you what, I feel like I'm giving away the whole crunchy farm here lately. Between my favorite hair rinse recipe and the homemade laundry detergent I can't live without - and then this here, today, this frighteningly effective wake-up-and-smell-the-caffeine facial mask, I'm going through all of my tried and true favorites like wildfire. I think it's time to go crazy and experiment with some new stuff. But, before I do that, I want you to enjoy this, my very favorite facial mask/scrub ... Continue Reading

I have a special place in my heart for bees. I don't mind them buzzing around me, and I'll talk to them for hours. They really hear me. They feel my pain. Fiance screams and runs away thinks I'm crazy. Mostly, though, I thank them for the honey. Honey's kind of magical, you know. It has an unending supply of antioxidants and vitamins, and beautifully enough, it's fat-, cholesterol- and sodium-free. It has ALL the properties needed to keep life ... living, and it's the only substance in the ... Continue Reading

Ah, summer. Barbecues and cold beers with friends, butterflies and flowers, long afternoons spent poolside ... and oily hair. If you're like me, your scalp starts working overtime during the summer, and your hair ends up looking a little like chunky strands of muck. Want a super-easy, homemade solution to the oily hair blues? Use a hair rinse. The one I made recently uses rosemary, lavender, and apple cider vinegar, but honestly, straight-up ACV (Bragg's brand is my fave) diluted in ... Continue Reading

Well, this was supposed to happen on Tuesday, but I just got my brain back from sick leave last night. Whoever invented summer colds needs to apologize. So the theme for the Twofer Satur(tues)day is "avocados." Or "avocado" to be exact, because one avocado is all you need (plus the other minor ingredients) to make a fabulous hair mask AND facial mask. Before I get to the goodies, here's a few tips about avocados and facial/hair care: Avocados are GRRRREAT for dry skin. You remember ... Continue Reading

Well, kids. I'm sick. It started as a tickle, and now I'm in full-blown, can't-hear-a-thing, kleenex-hanging-out-of-every-pocket mode. My head feels as if it will tip me all the way over if I stand up, so I'm staying out of the kitchen today. But here's something I did last week that you may like to try - and do better ('cause you couldn't do much worse). I've always wanted to try my hand at homemade mayonnaise, so last week after deciding on sandwiches for dinner, I found zero mayo in the ... Continue Reading