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!