What you need:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar (cheap is fine)
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus a wee bit more
• zest from a piece of citrus fruit

This is so easy and so wonderful!

Steps:

1. In a pretty glass bowl (just because the pictures are prettier), mix sugar and 1/4 cup olive oil. The consistency should be a little like lumpy, cold Cream of Wheat. It will hold together in a ball but will crumble apart when rubbed. If it is too crumbly, add a wee bit more olive oil.
2. Zest a piece of citrus fruit. I used a micro-planer because my sister told me to, and I am compliant. (A zester or fine grater really will work, too.) One lemon and one lime, an orange, or a grapefruit is all you need. This adds a delicious smell, a little color, and probably plays a crucial role in the exfoliating properties of the scrub. Not really. But it does smell good. (Hint: If you want a manly version, add a tiny bit of an essential oil–maybe vanilla or peppermint–instead of the zest. This will smell good, but it isn’t nearly as much fun as using a micro-plane.)
3. Mix the zest into the sugar and oil mixture.
4. Put the sugar scrub in cute little canning jars. Mine came from Target, but grocery stores carry them, too. Wide-mouth jars are easier to fill, and one recipe will fill one pint sized jar. Or two, if you fill just a little over half.
5. Tie a ribbon, add a simple tag, and there you have it. A simple, useful gift for everyone. Especially the girly types.

Give these for:

• Bridal shower party favors
• Thank you gifts
• Teenager gifts
• Hostess gifts
• Christmas

Instructions for use:

1. Dampen hands (or feet, elbows, knees, etc.)
2. Scoop a rounded tablespoon of scrub and rub thoroughly for a minute or so.
3. Apply one pump of gentle liquid soap and rub another minute.
4. Rinse completely.
5. Moisturize with a small dot of Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Unscented Hand Cream.
6. Ask everyone, even strangers on the street, to touch your hands and remark on their softness.

*Caveat: Do not use the Sugar Scrub and then attempt to play a basketball game. My daughter discovered that soft hands and sweat make holding onto a basketball really difficult.

Linking up here:

I’ve been on the lookout for crock pot recipes and found this one in my file from an old friend. It’s delicious, and I had forgotten all about it! This one is great in the winter and summer. I have pictures of the “getting ready” phase, but it is currently cooking, so the “ready to eat” pictures might not be posted. It all depends on how hungry I am later!

Mexican Beef

• 2 lb. London broil
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
• cooking spray
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 1 T. white vinegar
• 1 small can chopped green chiles

Trim any fat from meat and rub both sides with taco seasoning mix. Put into sprayed crock pot (or use a liner–which I bought and then forgot to use). Add onion, vinegar, and chiles. Cover and cook on LOW for 9 hours. Remove meat from crock pot, keeping liquid in the pot. Shred beef with forks (it pretty much falls apart) and return to pot. Mix with liquid.

Serve on burritos or make nachos. We add black beans, jack/cheddar shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, guac–it’s all good!

Missing the 2lb. London broil 'cause it's already in the pot!

Raw, but already smelling good!

And just to make you snicker, the liners that lay unused in my drawer:

Pure, unused liners...I've heard they work great! Can't wait to try them.

I’m sure I’ll be laughing later, as I soak and scrub my crock pot.

Mmmm...French Toast makes me feel like a real cook!

Perhaps you are a real cook. If so, good for you. (And I admit to being a wee bit jealous.) Someday, I might be a real cook–if any of my mother’s gift finds its way, finally, into my DNA. (A retroactive cooking gene? I can only hope.)

In the mean time, I do what I can.

I decided to take a risk and share a [gasp] recipe with you. If you are a real cook, stop reading now. I would hate for you to choke on your coffee, laughing. If you are a cooking-gene-deficient busy woman, maybe you have forgotten this simple, nutritious breakfast. Or maybe you think it sounds fancy, and, therefore, complicated. Let me assure you…It isn’t.

I make a lot–because I have one BIG-breakfast-eating 16-year-old son (and a 15-year-daughter who isn’t a big breakfast eater but will usually eat two pieces of this!) who loves any hot breakfast. It’s his favorite meal! (Throw in some sausage or bacon, and he’ll do almost anything without complaining…I have a wicked streak, and I am not above bribery.)

Ingredients:

• Bread, 10-12 slices (I just use regular sandwich bread but fancier is good, too)
• 5 eggs
• 1/2-3/4 cup milk (or til it looks right!)
• shallow bowl (pie plate works well)

Egg and Milk Mixture--These eggs probably could have used a little more beating...oh, well. It tasted just fine.

Warm skillet or griddle to about 375 degrees. (You can get an electric griddle for about $20. It’s a wonderful investment!) Beat eggs thoroughly. Add milk and mix together well. Pour into shallow bowl. Spray griddle with cooking spray (if you are feeling decadent, use butter). Place a piece of bread in the mixture, flipping to coat both sides. Put immediately onto griddle. (Too much soaking=bread that falls apart. Just be sure to cover the surface of the bread.) Fill the griddle with 6-8 pieces. Watch carefully. Peek in a couple of minutes. When the bottom side is a beautiful golden brown, flip. The second side seems to cook faster–just like pancakes.

If you really want to impress, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with syrup. Yum! Also, it seems to keep for a night in the fridge. Just toast the second day in a hot oven.

Prepare for the showering of praises and hugs!

Happy Friday! Happy Weekend!

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