Category: Recipe

Christmas in a Cup

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In preparation for the holidays, we played around with mulled cider and mulled wine recipes because what’s a holiday party without a mulled beverage, right?  I was first introduced to mulled wine on a trip to London during Christmas time.  Yes, I’d had mulled cider before just not mulled wine.

Billy and I accidentally followed the Christmas lights all the way to Hype Park and stumbled upon the Winter Wonderland Christmas Market.   I seriously felt like a kid at Christmas as I wandered the streets that were lined with hundreds of local vendors, it was magical and something I think everyone should experience at least once in their life.  We had picked a particularly cold evening and when the sunset the temperatures dropped quickly.  I wasn’t in the mood for coffee (that’s a first) and so we stopped by one of the vendors and sampled their mulled wine…  I was hooked!  Hyde Park at Christmas while warming my hands on a cup of mulled wine from a local vendor will be etched in my memories forever.  Okay back to The Best Mulled Cider and Wine recipes…

Holiday Tradition

Mulled Cider is a traditional drink during the holidays, especially between Thanksgiving and Christmas so we wanted to create our own recipe by adding lavender as one of the mulling spices.  Also, we wanted to make a kid-beverage, as well as an adult-beverage so we had to make sure that the base of the recipe would work for both.  We weren’t quite sure how it was going to turn out but after tweaking our recipe and hosting a taste test, we are excited to be able to share this recipe with you.

Our Wine Selection

I’m not an expert in wine… and so when in doubt call an Expert!  That’s why I called my friend Angela and talked through my choices of red wine BEFORE we began experimenting.  I had two bottles of red on hand, and yes we did try both the Cabernet Franc and the Cabernet Sauvignon   In the end, we unanimously agreed the Saudé Creek Cabernet Franc was the winner!

Simple Holiday Recipe

After viewing over twenty recipes to draw from, we all agreed that simple and quick had to be a part of our recipe.  We needed to come up with a recipe that you could whip up on a moments notice so that you aren’t slaving in the kitchen for hours.  It doesn’t get much better or quicker than this…

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

We can’t wait for you try our recipe, be sure to tag us and let us know how it turns out!

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“Baby it’s Cold Outside”

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”0px||28px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”]Hot drink are back and time for you to try our Lavender Hot Toddy. There is so much I love about fall and winter – the change of colors in the foliage, cooler temperatures, decorations, holidays, family time, sitting by the fire and of course the warm drinks!

Our team has been playing around in the kitchen lately experimenting with different recipes for the season and other than the fact that I have probably gained 10 pounds trying everything – it’s been a lot of fun. You may have seen our new creation of Lavender Earl Grey Tea Bread, which everyone is raving about (you can get that recipe HERE) or maybe you’ve tested out our adult version of our famous Lavender Lemonade – but with the colder temperatures here to stay we knew it was time to get back to the kitchen and get moving on our seasonal warm drink recipes.

What’s better than the simple ingredients of a classic hot toddy combined with the calming effects of lavender? Not much, right?!?!

Why lavender?

Our lavender syrup essentially replaces honey in an original hot toddy. Lavender is shown to improve sleep, reduce anxiety and create a soothing calming effect so adding it to our hot toddy creates our own version of a “chill pill”. It’s one of the reasons we also love our Lavender Earl Grey Tea Blend (check it out HERE).

Alcohol or No?

Our youngest is not old enough to drink, yet he likes to partake in our taste tests when we are creating new masterpieces. He requested, that we make a non-alcoholic version of the hot toddy so he could try it! Super simple! Just remove the whiskey and BAM a hot drink your kids will love when they come inside after playing in the snow!

BEST Lavender Hot Toddy

The hot toddy is one of the easiest drinks to infuse other flavors into. How about using your favorite tea instead of hot water? Maybe add some muddled cranberries to the bottom of your mug. You could replace the lavender syrup with a lavender honey! The ideas are endless and so easy to customize to what you like. What do you like in your hot toddy? If you try our recipe, be sure to tag us and let us know how it turns out!

Now, it’s time for you to drink your own “chill pill”, grab a blanket and settle down in front of the fireplace – because “Baby, it’s cold outside”!
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Lavender Sugar & Salt Scrub

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”]If you or your kids like to make gifts for others, this lavender sugar or salt scrub recipe is super easy and fun… and a GREAT gift idea for any girl or lady in your life.

Simple Recipe

No matter your creative skill level, this lavender scrub recipe is as simple as 1-2-3 and with only 4 ingredients it’s the easiest beauty recipe we’ve ever made. The recipe is at the bottom, so if you are in a hurry scroll down and click the download recipe card button… If you are interested in learning a bit more about lavender and scrubs keep reading.

Sugar or Salt?

It depends! The better question is how are they different? The main difference is the size of the granules. The smaller the granule the softer on your skin. Sugar is great for an all over exfoliating scrub, you can even use it on your face and its suited for sensitive skin. Salt scrubs are more abrasive because the granules are larger and tend to have sharper edges, making it great for the rough areas – knees, elbows, feet.

While both types of scrubs are great, sugar has glycolic acid content which protects the skin against toxins where as salt scrubs are natural purifiers that remove the toxins that clog pores.

How to Use a Scrub?

Easy peasy… jump in the shower or bath and wet your skin. Give it a few minutes, you want to make sure that the warm water begins to soften up your skin a bit. Scoop a quarter size into your hand and begin applying the scrub in a circular motion. Be gentle, let the scrub do the work. Rinse with warm water. Exfoliating is recommended for once a week, but it all depends on your and your skin.

Why lavender?

There are so many essential oils you can use for a scrub. Some of my favorites are eucalyptus, bergamot, and stress away – but nothing (in my mind) beats a lavender scrub because of the benefits. Clinical research shows reduction in pain when applies to sore muscles, increases healing in minor scapes or cuts, improves sleep quality, reduces anxiety or depression and has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Its seriously one of the best essential oils out there!

Why add dish soap?

Probably the most common question I receive about our recipe is “why do you use dish soap”? It’s not a lot, it is just enough to keep the greasy feeling to a minimum and still allow all of the other properties to do their job. Trust me, make one batch with and one batch without – you can always add it in after. Be sure to use unscented and organic if you can to ensure that you aren’t counteracting the goodness of the lavender scrub with chemicals.

If you are giving these as a gift, you can grab really cute mason jars and wooden spoons from Amazon, Michaels, Hobby Lobby or any craft store near you (try the Dollar Store too).  You can also replace your hand soap near the sink with your lavender scrub and use for hand washing, it will help keep your skin soft and smooth while minimizing the chapping of winter.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_button button_text=”Download Recipe Cart” button_alignment=”center” module_id=”scrub” module_class=”scrub” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ custom_button=”on” button_bg_color=”#5f61a2″ button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_bg_enable_color=”on” hover_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Let’s Have a Tea Party

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Thanks to our good friend Megan at Walking Wild Herbs, we are now offering a lavender earl grey tea blend on our website AND Megan will be using lavender from our farm in some of her tea blends as well.  Funny story, I met Megan on Instagram and after one conversation – I knew we’d be friends.  She was also one of the first people and businesses I thought about as we brainstormed what would go in our new culinary gift set collection, it was a no brainer!

After we received the first sample of lavender earl grey tea, we were playing around in the kitchen and decided to try a Lavender Earl Grey Tea Bread.  Sounds complicated, right?  It’s not!  Prep time was about 10 minutes, baking 50 and while the bread was baking I decided to whip up our lavender honey drizzle recipe.

This recipe is PERFECT for that special brunch you are hosting or attending.

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