Cucumber-Orange Tea Infused Vodka (with Mint)

As I’ve said before, I’m not much of a drinker. That doesn’t mean, however, I didn’t USE to be more of drinker (Vodka Tonic at a concert, please) or that I don’t like alcohol (the John Daly is delightful).

Absolut Vodka ad, May 2008. This ad imagines the state of California as split between north and south. This gestures not only towards the 19th century California Republic revolt of the north during the Mexican-American war, but also satirizes the present-day cultural differences/tensions between the northern and southern parts of the state.

Now and then I still sit down and have a good, stiff drink. I’m not much of a beer fan, but I do love my hard liquors. My favorites are the clear variety that contain less congeners: gin, vodka, and St. Germain. (If you don’t know, congeners are the toxic byproducts of the fermentation process that cause hangovers, and the darker varieties of alcohol have higher concentrations of these toxins, like red wine, bourbon, brandy, and tequila.) I usually order my favorite liquors with soda water/tonic water and citrus fruit, like lemon or lime. So refreshing!

With that being said, sometime last year I was attending a party and decided to bring fruit-infused alcohol to the festivities (as my potluck contribution). I was unsure how the infused-liquor would taste (and if I could even properly infuse the alcohol), but I decided to be bold and take my chances! I am so happy I did. My friends not only drank all of the fruit-infused hard liquor (they made drinks with tonic water from it), but they also ate all of the fruit right out of the pitcher! (Some sticking their hands right into the pitcher and grabbing the fruit. Maybe they had a few too many drinks?) I am actually going to write up this recipe for my Cinco de Mayo post!

This month, however, I thought I’d include a more spring showers-esque infused-alcohol recipe that includes both herbal and citrus flavors: Cucumber-Orange Tea Infused Vodka (with Mint).

Cucumber-Orange Tea Infused Vodka (with mint). So refreshing!

Good Morning, Beautiful!: Spiced Pumpkin-Almond Spread

Good morning, Beautiful!

I woke up excited to tell everyone about my experience with Green Tea as a toner! I wanted to make my Morning Glory Toner last night, but I couldn’t conveniently find fresh mint while out on my errands yesterday (a busy girl can’t make multiple stops!).  I am a determined woman, though, and was just too excited to wait. I decided to use the mint green tea, honey vanilla chamomile tea, and lemon wedge I had on hand to whip up a toner. It was quick and easy, and after my hot shower last night, I dried off, and then immediately gave my face a spritz.  I actually really liked the mint green tea–it smelled earthy and minty, and was refreshing! I let the spritz dry on my face, and then put on my daily night cream.

I woke up–and maybe I’m experiencing the placebo effect—but my face looked a bit more bright and clear this morning! I think the combination of green tea, mint, and lemon really gave my fair skin a refreshing boost. I’m sold—I’m definitely going to incorporate this into my beauty routine.  I might even infuse some cool cucumber in the toner one day. (Maybe an update later…)

For breakfast, I was going to make a version of Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (because I still have a can of pumpkin sitting in my fridge!). Somewhere along the way, though, I ended up making a Spiced Pumpkin-Almond Spread/dip that I ate with apples (bye bye, oatmeal.) I actually really like this recipe! It’s quick, healthy and, like always, hearty because I am a hungry girl.  This spread is actually made with mainly almond butter, which is a great source of protein and fat, and sweetened with applesauce. You can spread this on wheat toast, eat it in a tortilla with banana and greek yogurt (pumpkin burrito), and even use it to make a pumpkin banana sandwich (wheat toast, pumpkin spread, banana, and honey!). I am a big believer in good base recipes, and this spread can be used in a zillion ways. You could also add greek yogurt to this if you wanted a more creamy taste!

Spiced Pumpkin-Almond Spread

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tbsp almond butter

1 spoonful of applesauce (a healthy sweetener)

a smidge of honey (to taste)

2 shakes of pumpkin pie spice

1 shake of cinnamon

1/8 tsp of vanilla

Optional: If you wanted this to be a more Pumpkin-chocolatey spread, add cocoa and use either Stevia or Splenda to sweeten. You could also add chocolate chips! (Everyone knows pumpkin and chocolate together are delicious.)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, and then start spreading this on everything! Yum.

DIY Beauty: Morning Glory Toner (Green Tea and Mint)

I was reading Tina Haupert’s Carrots ‘N’ Cake blog, and tonite Tina reviewed Amy Gyles McInerney, a Licensed Massachusetts Medical Aesthetician of 18 years who specializes in skin treatments and skincare. Along with getting her skin done, Tina asked Amy some questions about her everyday skin care. Amy recommended not only taking flaxseed, calcium, and Vitamin C supplements for healthy skin, but also suggested making your own Green Tea tonic for your face!

Inconceivable! Why isn’t this as a tonic more popular? I have heard of rose water and lemon, but never green tea. This does make alot of sense, though! Amy reports that green tea is an anti-imflammatory agent and high in anti-oxidants, which makes it the perfect solution for your skin.

After I read this post, I was inspired to do a little more research on homemade tonics, and I made the perfect recipe: Morning Glory Toner. Enjoy! And if you know of any good DIY recipes, please share!

Morning Glory Toner

Ingredients:

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint (or 2 tbsp dried)

3 green tea bags (substitute one chamomile, if you like!)

2 cups of water

1 plastic spray bottle (I found a blue mini spray bottle in the travel section at Target)

1 wedge of lemon (optional)

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, and allow to steep for 2 more minutes. Once cooled, strain liquid into the spray bottle, and keep for one week as your daily toner. This would be especially refreshing for spring and summer!