How To Make Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur With Two Ingredients

This is a quick and easy recipe.

I won't even make you scroll to the bottom of the page!

 

1/3 CUP  RYE or WHISKEY 

2/3 CUP BAILEYS IRISH CREAMER

 

Yep that's it!

Grab yourself a bottle of rye or whiskey,

 cheap works great. 

 Add any brand of Irish Cream creamer.   

I use a swing top bottle from IKEA. 

  Fill  1/3  rye and 2/3 creamer.  

  For a milder liqueur you can use

 a ratio of 1/4 rye to 3/4 creamer

. and for something

 with a bit of zip, use a half - half ratio.

This recipe works great with other flavors. 

 You can use vodka, rum, bourbon, rye, or

 whiskey as your base liquor.  Whatever your taste! 

 I have experimented using Maple Latte, French Vanilla, 

 Hazelnut, and  the latest, Caramel Macchiato.

 I prefer vodka as my base, except for the Bailey's Irish Cream.  

People tend to like it with rye.

  Mix a sample glass or five until you get it right, or fall down, 

whichever happens first!

 

 

 

For parties, you can use individual creamers.

 Let your guests make their own by setting up

 a self serve shot station.

It's a good way to sample different flavors before 

committing to a large bottle.

 

Makes great Christmas🎅 and Birthday🎁 Gifts.   

Happy Party.

Cheers!

 

A home owners beautiful greenhouse AKA my sister's greenhouse!

A home owners beautiful  greenhouse AKA my Sister's Greenhouse! Here's a little tour of this lovely plant filled space.  I could spend hours in this jungle!

Remember, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!

Now if we could put in a rocket stove, I would never leave.

Hope you enjoyed the quick tour.

Cheers!

Growing a Kombucha Scoby and Stopping Heartburn

 

 

I used this brand from Costco.   Any Kombucha will work as long as it contains raw probiotics! Most recipes will call for unflavored but I have found it doesn't matter.

I made the starter tea: 

500 ml  (2 1/4 cups) boiling water poured over 2 orange pekoe tea bags and steeped in a sanitized 1 litre ( 1 quart) canning jar.

Add 2 TBSP of white sugar and stir.  Let tea bags steep until cooled to room temperature.  Remove tea bags.
 Meanwhile, pour 2/3 of your  bottle kombucha into a glass and drink it. 

 The 1/3 left behind in the bottle will have some cruddies😝 in it.  This is the good stuff. 😁 Shake it up to loosen all sediment and pour the room temperature juice into your tea starter.  Cover with a coffee filter and elastic

Leave in a warm place for about one month.  About a week later, you will see a scum forming on the top.  This is your scoby growing.  Scobys can also sink  so if this happens to yours, it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it.
  You will smell a vinegar odor.   If it smells rotten and
not vinegar like, throw it out and start again.

This is a pic after  week three.

This is what a healthy scoby looks like from the top. 😖
 In about a week or so, I will make the actual kombucha. 

 If you buy a case of kombucha like I did,
 make a couple of scoby starters.
  In case one fails you have a backup. 
 If they all work, you can gift them to friends!

Now Let's make KOMBUCHA

Make your tea mixture.
I used to make make my kombucha in a gallon jar but since I am the only one to consume it, I have moved to a one litre canning jar (a.k.a.  one litre or quart jar.)
  Here are two ways to make it:

Recipe for a gallon jar
Bring to a boil 3.5 litres (  3.5 quarts) of water, 12 orange pekoe tea bags and one cup of sugar.  Let steep to room temperature.
Wash your hands thoroughly.
Pour a little white vinegar on your hands to handle your scoby.
Remove tea bags and add a scoby.  Top up jar about two inches from top with starter tea.  Cover with coffee filter and elastic. Let steep for two to three weeks.  You can try your kombucha after week two and see if this is  the strength you prefer.  If you like a strong kombucha, let steep longer.  Refrigerate your kombucha to slow down fermentation.

Recipe for One Litre Jar
Bring to a boil 3 tea bags and and 4 TBSP sugar in 3.5 cups of water until sugar is completely dissolved.  Let sit until it reaches room temperature.
Remove tea bags and pour into a sterilized one litre jar. (One quart jar)
Wash your hands thoroughly.
Pour a little vinegar on them to handle your scoby.
Remove scoby from jar and gently put it in your new tea mix.
Fill the new jar with the leftover tea starter to about one inch from the top.
Cover and let sit in a warm area.  In a few days you will be able to try some kombucha. If you prefer a more acidic taste, let steep longer. 

 

 Check the internet for recipes for fruit flavored kombucha s too.  There are plenty out there.

Remember this is more of a tonic.
 I wouldn't suggest drinking this like pop
 as all good things in moderation are best.

I keep two jars on the go.  While one ferments, the other sits in the fridge.

 If I am suffering from heartburn, I drink about 250 mils of a strong acidic kombucha and voila....I am cured. 
Apple cider vinegar does the same too!  It's not quite as pleasant to drink though.....Mix 2 TBSP ACV in 1/4 cup of water and drink.

If you are obsessed with Kombucha, have exhausted all your family and friends with scobys and you end up with this, 

then you can feed them to these guys.  They LOVE it.

 Hope it works for you too!

Cheers!

Seashell Mirror

Unfortunately I had an accident. 

 While carrying  my newly purchased mirror into the house, 

I broke it.😢

 I must mention this wasn't my first attempt at hiding

 the large break. but every time I looked

 in the mirror, all I could see were wrinkles. 😣

I was on Pinterest one evening and saw a gorgeous STUNNING shell mirror, 

 WOW it was only......ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS

so......

With eleven bucks,and seven years bad luck,    

 my attempt at recreating the lovely work of art began.  

 

With some dollar store shells added to my own collection, I present to you,

 The New Wrinkle Hiding Beach Loving Looking Glass!!!

 

Not stunning, but not eleven grand either.

It won't be the easiest thing to clean but I'm sure it will hide the wrinkles.....😣

Nope it doesn't do that either.

 

 Cheers

Turtles Crossed With MacKenzie-Childs = Christmas Gifts!

A plethora of turtles..

Also known as a BALE...that's what Google says.

This project was inspired by my love of the ever whimsical 

MacKenzie-Childs...https://www.mackenzie-childs.com/ 

and a Youtube video Turtle Soup!!

She is a very amazing artist!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Y0GxQ5Pxo

If you put them together you get this.

Most of this project was created from scraps and used materials including some antique beads.

The scrap boards were jointed, planed and cut into desired lengths.  The frames were assembled with pocket screws.  A router was used to create a recess for the mirror.

Wood filler applied, sanded, and base coated with white acrylic paint.  Then the tedious task begins.  

The first one was pretty much hand measured and painted.  The next two were masked off and then painted.  It took two rounds of masking but was much easier to paint.  I did the first in black and white, 

the second in navy blue and white and the third in green and white.

Approx. 50 of these little swimmers were manufactured.  Some went into frames and others became
 fridge magnets.  No turtles were harmed or discarded in the process.

Antiquing was done using oil based burnt umber paint and a rag.  After each frame was dry, 

it was clear coated with an acrylic based polyurethane sealer.

A large old mirror was salvaged and cut to fit the openings.

Turtles, crystals, and numerous other beads were  threaded onto a 22 gauge wire. Each strand was 

attached to the frame using eye screws.  

Hope you are all staying healthy!

Cheers.

Puppy Stocking Stuffers free printable label

Does someone on your Christmas list want a puppy?  Here is an easier alternative.  It doesn't poop, requires no feedings or walks.   It's quick, easy, and you can decorate it anyway you like. 

 Best of all, I have included a free downloadable PDF. 

 Merry Christmas!!

Print pdf and cut into individual labels.
  Cut scrapbook paper a bit bigger than the label 

Get larger pieces of cardstock and fold in half.  This will go over your bag of goodies. Glue label to scrapbook paper and adhere both to your cardstock.  

Plastic bags are from Dollarama.  

Staple the two bottom corners to the plastic bag.

Pin me for future use!

I used peanut M&Ms but any candy will work.
It will help with the disappointment
 of no puppy on Christmas morning :(


Cheers.

Puppy Stocking Stuffers #1

A sad puppy label for you to download.  These make great stocking stuffers and are 

a great alternative to giving puppies away at Christmas!

No feeding, cleaning up poop,  and no walks so you can stay on the couch 

and watch your favourite Christmas movies.

Cheers!

New and Improved Dandruff Shampoo Bars

This is just a quick dandruff shampoo soap bar recipe.

It's bigger than my usual batch.  A  new soap mold forced me to up the anti!  

And you know what they say....bigger is better! 

New and Improved Dandruff Shampoo Bar

3 ounces Beeswax

6 ounces Castor Oil

2 ounces Cocoa Butter

14 ounces Coconut Oil

2 ounces Grapeseed Oil

4 ounces Hemp Oil

10 ounces Olive Oil

14 ounces Palm Oil

18 ounces Mint Tea

7.5 ounces Lye

0.75 ounce Cade Oil

1.5 ounce Lavender Oil

0.25 ounce Cedarwood Oil

1 ounce Peppermint Oil

You can find directions here on the cold soap process.  It's very important how you mix your ingredients!

I am no scientist and I share this recipe with no claims of curing dandruff,

But when I wear my goggles and sport my big ass gloves teamed up with an industrial looking apron, I could probably fool the best of you on a good day!

Hopefully my guinea pigs don't run around smelling like a campfire.  I have to say that Cade Oil is pretty potent.  I would suggest a nicely scented conditioner to go with this bar!

 Cheers!

Poplar Salve (Balm of Gilead)

With the cold winter months coming,

 I thought I would share a recipe for Poplar Salve

You may have to wait until spring, when your poplars are in full bud ...so make sure you **pin** this recipe for future use!

 Start with a 500 ml jar and fill it with poplar buds. 

 Pour olive oil or canola oil over the buds, enough to completely cover them. 

Put lid on and set in a sunny window.

After several months,  strain the oil from the poplar buds and discard the buds into the compost.  You can speed this process up by throwing everything into a crockpot and heating it on medium for a few hours.

  Now for the rest of the ingredients....

Mix 200 grams of bud oil into a glass measuring cup, 30 grams of beeswax and 15 grams of cocoa butter.

Heat this until all ingredients are melted.

If you want a stiffer potion, add more beeswax. 

If you are sensitive to cocoa butter, just omit and use an extra 5 grams of beeswax. 

 I do a test when making balms and salves by putting a small amount into a dish and cooling in the fridge for a few minutes.  That way,  you can adjust your wax while your balm is still heating over the stove.

 A pyrex measuring cup works great set it in a pot of heating water on the stove.

 You can also use your microwave.  Heat in increments of 30 seconds and stir between cycles so as to not overheat your mixture.

 Stir with a disposable popsicle stick until melted for easy cleanup.

 Remove from heat and mix in 8 drops each of lavender, eucalyptus, and mint essential oils and vitamin E.  

  If you would like a stronger scent, add more.  Adding the EO's is optional!  The vitamin E oil is a preservative and can also be skipped if you use the salve up within a few months.

 Put your freshly made salve in containers and use as needed.

I found these at the Dollar Tree and they work great.  You will need at least 7, maybe 8 one ounce containers depending on how full you fill them.

If you are at all sensitive to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), you should not use this, or use with caution as poplar sap contains salicin, which is the precursor for aspirin.  Always consult your physician.

click on pdf for printable option

Cheers!!