Once you have a vanilla bean, it is really simple to make your own vanilla sugar. When we lived in Saudi Arabia, it was impossible to buy vanilla extract since it was made with alcohol – and alcohol was illegal. Instead, I would bring Dr. Oetker vanilla sugar from Germany every summer to use in my […]
Author: Meinhilde
DIY: How to Make Lavender Sugar
This is a lovely way to lightly scent sugar with the floral essence of lavender. I like to use it in place of regular white sugar in some baking (excellent in shortbreads), sprinkled on some sugar cookies, or even as a sweetener in a cup of tea. It takes a few days to ‘steep,’ but […]
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DIY: Lavender Sugar + Salt Scrub
Greece. Indonesia. Thailand. Whenever our family would visit a beach during our vacations, our mom would always sit in the shallows and rub sand over her arms and legs. While we kids were playing and messing around, we laughed at how she looked covered in damp sand. But it seems like she had the last laugh, since […]
DIY: Make Your Own Powdered Laundry Soap
This is a great basic laundry soap that gets my clothes as clean as the storebought variety. I also made an unscented batch for my mom, so she can wash our dad’s shirts for the office. The washing soda is, chemically, sodium carbonate (versus baking soda, which is sodium bicarbonate). It is included in homemade laundry soap […]
The Year in Books: November
In November, I`m reading Cod: A Biography Of The Fish That Changed The World by Mark Kurlansky. Several years ago, I borrowed a copy of Salt: A World History from a cousin, and devoured it (pun intended). Reading the history of salt was so enlightening, since we tend to overlook this cheap and everyday spice/flavouring. Salt is not only […]