Really Playing with Food-Natural Spa Treatments

Things have been a bit crazy lately in my life- at work and at home- there has been more than a little stress.  I guess I should've known it was spilling over at home, when my 15-year old surprised me with a spa night.  First of all she cleaned and organized my room and bathroom which had gotten a bit crazy, and set everything up nicer than a fancy spa- votives everywhere, heated towels, botanical scents, and quiet music.  Molly had done a lot of research on the internet and had made skin and hair treatments from food ingredients such as avocado, grapeseed oil, yogurt, cocoa, egg yolks and sugar, and she was so excited to give these recipes a try to relax and rejuvenate.  I was skeptical, but intrigued  (and who is going to say no to a facial and massage?)

She started with an exfoliating mask that included cocoa  and salt as  ingredients.  She slathered it on, and I was surprised that it didn't smell that chocolate-y.  Luckily there was not a camera nearby since Bridget and I looked a little crazy. At the end of ten minutes, I had to wash it off, and, it was like a chocolate facial- it smelled amazing and the benefits of the scub were almost immediately obvious- my skin felt amazing, and I wasn't even done yet.   The next step was a tightening mask that included, unripe tomato and honey.  This mask was a bit sloppy but smelled fresh and amazing, and when rinse-off time came, I could really see the difference- my skin looked so much fresher and younger.  The last step for my tired complexion was a moisturizing mask with egg, avocado and oatmeal that made my skin look and feel 10 years younger.

Does this sound heavenly- well it was! As if this wasn't enough, I got a massage, and a great hair treatment that included avocado, eggs and olive oil that made my hair shiny and gave great body.

At the end of the evening, I seriously felt like a new person, and I looked like one too. It was definitely a new twist on playing with food and one that I will use again.  The products were inexpensive, effective and all natural, and since they were made just before use they were incredibly fresh.  Thanks to my Molly (you will thank her too, if you try some of these!)  Some of the many sites you where you can find spa-quality beauty recipes are Homemade Beauty Recipes,
Easy Home Remedy, Health recipes.com, and  Homemade Skin Care Recipes.  Have your own natural spa night, and you will be amazed how playing with food can make you beautiful as well as healthy!!

Cupcake Convert- Georgetown Cupcakes

This is the line of Georegtown Cupcake devotees.

Okay, call me slow, but while cupcakes and cupcake sites have been popping up on the web and in cities like chickweed in my lawn, the whole trend was a bit lost on me. Sure, I like cupcakes and I see the advantage of the automatic portion control inherent in the cupcake, and the opportunity to try 3 or 4 different types of cakes without having to invest in making (or eating)  several whole cakes. I tried to get on the bandwagon when my daughter moved to Shirlington, only a stone's throw from Cakelove, but the magic of the cupcake just eluded me.

I think I dreamed of this place as a child!

But that was before Georgetown Cupcakes.  About a month ago, my son who lives in DC and daughter who was visiting made the trek to Georgetown Cupcakes. Now even if you haven't travelled to DC, you may have seen Georgetown Cupcakes on the TLC program, DC Cupcakes now entering its second season, though I have to admit I had not heard of it until my daughter came with a box in a bag.



I didn't appreciate just how popular Georgetown Cupcakes is until I saw the pictures my daughter took of their time waiting. But when I saw what was inside that box, I know I would've waited too.

 With flavors like Salted Caramel and Chocolate Coconut and Mocha, and Lava Fudge, and Key Lime, and,,,,, okay, you get the picture, I am not sure how they picked, but the cupcakes I had (Salted Carmel and Chocolate Coconut) made me a Georgetown Cupcake convert.  They were delicious, moist, with complexity and richness of flavor beyond their diminutive size.

Well, I know that you are all excited for me that I have finally jumped on the cupcake bandwagon, but it gets better- you can order your own dozen cupcakes either directly from GC or through TLC which airs the DC Cupcake Show.  So if you are looking for something amazing and delicious, and worth every calorie, order your own and experience these bits of heaven for yourself!

Sargento Giveaway Winners - Spendin' Cheese

Congrats to Jenna Z, Glenna, Joanne, Christina and Kristen!  They were randomly selected from commenters on my Sargento Cheese post and will be getting a coupon for free cheese.  If you have not heard from me via email or blog, please email me your address so that your coupon for free Sargento cheese can find its way to you! Thanks to all who participated and I hope you will be frequent visitors to Play with Food!

Giveaway: Sargento Makes it Easy to be Cheese-y

Note: Sargento cheese products and coupons were supplied by the company for review and post.

I don't know about you but I seriously think that cheese should be it's own food group, not just part of the dairy group.  Everyone in my family loves cheese- there are usually varieties from American slices (for grilled cheese) to Tallegio to Maytag in our fridge at any given time. But with the post-holiday weigh-ins and New Year's resolutions, the time for double and triple cream is past (or at least in moderation),  the search for healthy and nutritious snack that won't tip the scales.  And with so many people trying to increase their protein intake, cheese seems like a natural... but how to deal with the fat?  Well it should come as no surprise that when Sargento- the persnickety cheese people decided to make a line of reduced fat cheeses, they did not reduce the quality and taste. 

Now I know, if you are like me you may have tasted reduced fat cheeses that were bland and rubbery.  I was skeptical too when they offered to send me some samples of their reduced fat snack sticks in Colby-Jack and Cheddar. But I have been taking these cheese sticks to work for the last few days to have as a snack with fruit or whole-grain crackers, and these snack-sized morsels have all the taste and texture with reduced fat (and consequently, less guilt!)

How does this Cuban Pressed Sandwich look as a quick dinner?

Don't believe me?  Well thanks to Sargento, you can try for yourself. I have several coupons for free Sargento cheese that I will give to  comments selected randomly - to win, Like Sargento cheese on Facebook, then leave mke a comment telling me you have done so, and I will select comments at random on February 1!!  in the meantime, check out the Sargento cheese site for great recipes using  their regular and reduced fat cheeses! And they have a special set of recipes for those of you looking for ideas for Super Sunday that you have got to check out- you can please the persnickety fans in your house, while keeping them healthy enough for a round of touch football during halftime!

Making Good on New Year's Resolutions

My husband and I at The Crab Shack in Newport News

Did you think I was gone?  That I abandoned the internet?  That I stopped cooking for my family and succumbed to daily fast and processed foods? Or that I abandoned Play with Food and the concept that started me writing in the first place?  Well, none of these is true. I am not sure myself what happened but after Project Food Blog, preparing for my son's wedding and hosting the rehearsal dinner, and general pressures of work and home,  I was in a bit of a blog funk.  I needed to take a break, get away, and rediscover the fun and passion that made me start this blog in the first place.

So I took some time, focused on my family and my jobs, all the while still cooking and experimenting, trying to create food and fun that would lure family and friends away from the hustle and bustle of modern life, electronics and cyberspace to spend time and break bread together.

I think this was Take 75- Clearly I am not top model material

With the beginning of the year, like many of you I made, not resolutions, but commitments to myself for the coming year.  I want to be kinder to my body- eat better, take vitamins and supplements as prescribed regularly, exercise more, relax more.  I want to reach out more- to family and friends, and to others in need to my community. And I want to rekindle my love for food, blogging and connect with others who enjoy sharing food experiences with others.

Family- Toughest critics you'll ever love!!

What does this mean for Play with Food? That I will be posting- perhaps shorter pieces, but on a more regular basis. That you will see me visiting your blogs, commenting and trying your recipes and getting inspiration from you.  I will be using my Play with Food Facebook page to share quick tips, advice and impressions. I am going to improve my photography and use more video on my blog to change it up, make it more interesting and fun - and not just for you, but for me!

So I hope that my old friends will return to my cyber-kitchen table and that new friends will discover that cooking is not a chore, but a creative outlet and one that can nourish not only your body, but your soul.  Happy New Year, and don't be a stranger!