SALSA JARS REPURPOSED!

SALSA JARS REPURPOSED!

I don't know about you, but our family eats a lot of Mexican food and that means we have lots of empty salsa jars! I refuse to toss them in the trash so I use them, and other glass jars, for different things around the house. I often buy things with the reuse of their container in mind~I reuse candle jars, baby food jars, spaghetti sauce jars, etc. Not only is this Bi-Lo brand (Southern Home) picante sauce really good and a great price, the jar is a pretty shape, too.
Being the cheapo that I am, I started thinking that I could turn these jars into drink jars for my younger children, as opposed to buying some. They also fit into the cup holder of your car quite well.
Here's how I did it: remove label then glue and the printed numbers with nail polish remover. Clean jar and lid very well, let dry. If it still smells like salsa, soak in vinegar then let air dry overnight-works like a charm! For the top, I used a hammer and large nail to make the hole, checking the size often with a straw. You want the straw to fit loosely. File down any rough edges with a nail file, then use! I would love to find a waterproof way to decorate the top but for now they will stay the same. The kids think they are cool that way, anyway. I used a glass etching tool that I found at the Dollar Tree, of all places, to put my daughter's monogram on the glass jar. For the boys' jars, I just simply put their initial to be able to tell them apart-they will fight over anything! I think that is my new favorite tool! You could also use glass etching cream, either would be a cute way to decorate a jar for a gift~fill jar with homemade bath salts then the recipient has a pretty jar to use after the bath salts are gone!
So there ya go! Have fun but whatever you do, KEEP YOUR GLASS JARS! They are too useful to throw away!

Mocha/Caramel Frappe Recipe

I have a recipe for caramel/mocha frappes to make at home that might just save all of you 'frappe addicts' some money...
1/3 cup strong coffee (I use cold-brewed coffee concentrate-recipe follows)
1/3 cup milk (or for a special treat, cram!)
1 Tbsp chocolate syrup for mocha frappe; caramel syrup for caramel frappe
2 tsp. sugar (you could probably omit this if you wanted, would save 15 calories)
1 cup ice cubes
*Put into blender and blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with syrup. (My blender bit the dust so I mix the ingredients up in a mason jar, minus ice, and freeze it for a couple hours, shaking frequently)

I make my third shift working husband one of these every night before work. He goes to the gym before work so I also add 1 scoop of protein powder (vanilla or chocolate) to the frappe so that he gets his caffeine & protein in one drink!

Pumpkin Spice Latte
makes 1-2 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin OR 1 teaspoon of Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup (your choice)
2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute - you can halve this amount
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup of strong brewed coffee

Directions:
In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin, coffee and sugar & cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy. If you don't have a blender, don't worry about it - just whisk the mixture really well with a wire whisk.

Pour into a large mug or two mugs.

Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.

Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
1 Cup ground coffee
32 ounce container (1 quart)
Strainer, Large basket type coffee filters
*Place ground coffee in container, fill with cold water. Cover and let sit on kitchen counter for twelve to fifteen hours. Place strainer over large bowl and put coffee filter inside. Slowly pour over about half of the coffee and let sit until strained. Replace filter and repeat. Store coffee concentrate in fridge.

This coffee concentrate can be used in several coffee recipes that call for strong coffee, or mixed with equal parts water and heated to drink as regular coffee.

***As a homemade Christmas gift you could make this coffee concentrate up and gift it in a mason jar. Add it to a basket with some flavored syrups, the frappe recipe and a coffee cup or pretty glass and you have yourself a unique gift!

Tart Warmer Tips!!!!!

I love to burn wax tarts in my home but the really highly scented ones are generally very pricey...I'm too cheap for that. My first idea a couple years ago was to cut one in half, or even in quarters, to get more bang for my buck. Then I discovered fragrance oils and my life changed! LOL! I buy mine from www.naturesgardencandles.com. They are inexpensive, average $2-$3 per for a small bottle, and they smell really good! They even have some of the name brand 'type' scents, which works great for me!

So, here is what I do...
~Take the wick out of an unscented tea light candle and place it in the top, yes the top, of the tart burner. You will also need one for the bottom, but you already knew that-right?!?!?! Then add 2-5 drops of your favorite fragrance oil and burn as usual. You can add a drop each time you burn it just to refresh the scent.

If you wanted to gift these you could buy bulk wax or just use the tea light method and then add fragrance oil and pour into molds. To do that, melt the wax in a clean tin can that is in a pot of simmering water; very easy clean up! Easy peasy!

A Homemade Christmas-hand scrubs

Christmas is coming...are you ready? I sure am not but I have hopes of being there pretty soon! Last Christmas I made lots of our gifts for friends and teachers, and hand scrub is just one quick and inexpensive choice. Hand scrubs are something I make quite often to use in my home, and with three teenage daughters they are used quite frequently. I make several different scents & kinds so I will post just my three favorite ones for the holidays. These will keep for several months out of direct sunlight. The amounts are not exact so you can try more or less of an ingredient to see how you like it.

I will be posting ideas of other hand made Christmas gifts in the coming weeks. If y'all have ideas to share, please do! I am always on the outlook for new gift ideas and my readers would welcome them.

PUMPKIN SPICE SUGAR SCRUB
~equal parts white and brown sugar (measure this is in the jar you will be using)
~1 to 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, more for a larger jar
~1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
~enough canola oil to make a 'wet sand' consistency
****Mix well and spoon into a lidded glass jar. Mason jars or clean candle jars are great for this. I usually make a hand-written label and tie it onto the jar with twine, that way it can be removed.

MAPLE/VANILLA SUGAR SCRUB
~equal parts white and brown sugar
~1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
~1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring
~enough canola oil to make a 'wet sand' consistency
****Mix well and spoon into a lidded glass jar.

COCONUT SUGAR SCRUB (my personal favorite)
~white sugar
~coconut oil (sold in the baking aisle, it is a firm oil kind of like shortening-a little goes a long way)
~enough olive oil to loosen mixture
~1 teaspoon coconut extract
****Mix well and spoon into a lidded glass jar.

Another great idea is to mix any scented body soap that you like with white sugar to make a cleansing scrub.

Let me add that if you know me personally and you get one of these scrubs as a gift, just act like you never read this. K? Thanks! ;)