How to Revive and Use Dried Vanilla Beans

Let’s talk about Vanilla Beans.  Do you use whole vanilla beans in your recipes?  I personally love and adore vanilla beans.  They have this unique, sweet, floral, and earthy (depending on the regions) aromas that you don’t get from any other ingredient.  They certainly make any baked goods and desserts tasted gourmet.  Ever since the shortage of vanilla beans a few year ago, the price of them had been sky-rocketed.  (That is totally a different topic so I’m not going to go in-depth today).

My point is, since vanilla beans are so expensive, you do want to utilize them the best you could so that nothing goes to waste.  If you live in an area that has a dry climate (such as Southern California), you might have experienced that your vanilla bean dried out before you use it.  No need to panic!  I’m here for the rescue today.  Watch my video below on how to revive a dried vanilla bean and many different ways you can use them. 



If you’ve missed my previous video, click below to watch the tutorial on how to split and seed a vanilla bean and other usage ideas.




If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave me a comment below.  

For more product information and vanilla recipes, please visit www://SingingDogVanilla.com



Vanilla Simple Syrup

Ingredients:
1 vanilla bean
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

1) Place all ingredient in a medium pot.  Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes, stir occasionally.  Let cool completely before use.

2) The simple syrup is wonderful to mix into teas, cocktails, and fruit punches.

Vanilla Spice Poached Pears

Ingredients:
2 Semi-Ripe Pears, peeled
3 Cups water
1 cup Sugar
1 lemon, peel off rind and juiced
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 star anise
1 vanilla bean

1) Place all ingredient, except the pears, in a medium pot. Heat mixture over high heat until it comes to a boil.

2) Lower the heat to a simmer and add in the pears.  Simmer for 20 minutes or until fork tender.

3) Let pears cool slightly and enjoy them warm or at room temperature!  Accompany poached pears with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate sauce, or fresh berries.

Vanilla Lavender Bath Salt

Ingredients:

1 cup of lavender Epsom Salt
1/2 cup sea salt
1 tablespoon dried lavender buds
A few drops of purple soap colorant (Optional)
1 dried vanilla bean, break into thirds

Stir all ingredients together until well incorporated.  Transfer to an air tight container until ready to use (preferably after a week to let the vanilla bean infused into the bath salt). 

To Use:
Scoop 1/2 a cup of the bath salt mixture and add into a tub of bath water.  Soak, relax, and enjoy!  















Thank you Singing Dog Vanilla for sponsoring these videos.

DIY Homemade Lavender and Rose Bath Bombs

My whole family love bath bombs!  They are a wonderful way to relax in the tub after a long day of work, school, cooking, or running around the house (that’s more of my activity, not my kids…in case you wonder!) If you haven’t tried them yet, I highly recommend that you give them a try. 




The first time we tried them was during our family vacation.   We simply purchased a bag from the drug store while we were supposed to pick up a few bottled water for our hotel stay.  Boy oh boy, we were addicted to them right the way!    It’s smells wonderful, fun to use with the fizzing and make bath time so much more relaxing and enjoyable!  The only down side of the store bought bath bombs?  They could be quite expensive!



That’s one of the main reason why I’m making my own now!  Besides saving money, I can also tailor these bath bombs to my own preferences of scents and ingredients!



There are a few must-have ingredients and I’ll explained to you why.  First item on the list is baking soda. 

Baking Soda:

In addition to complementing the citrus acid, baking soda is also the key to create the fizzing reaction.  Kids went crazy (crazily happy and excited, I should add) when the fizzing started!   Which introduced to the second ingredient, citric acid.
(Get yours here: https://goo.gl/U4cAyF)


Citrus Acid:

Another requirement to generate the fizzing reaction is the citrus acid.  I usually get it online and I’ll list the link below for your convenience.  It’s so much fun to watch and feel the fizz in the tub!  I feel like I’m bathing in a tub of champagne!  The Citrus Acid also acts as a natural preservative.
(Get yours here: https://goo.gl/8wbV1a)






Another ingredient for the recipe is corn starch. 

Corn Starch:

It yields a silky and smooth texture that you don’t get from other ingredients.  It also helps absorb the extra liquid in the bath bombs.  You can substitute with arrow root powder as well.  I usually have both in the kitchen as thicken agents in my cooking.
(Get your Corn Starch here: https://goo.gl/oXvfCo) 
(Get your Arrow Root Starch here: https://goo.gl/V7U379)


Epsom salt:

You can also use sea salt, or a mix of both as well.  It provides the minerals for your skin and help you relax and de-stressed! 
(Get your Epsom Salt here: https://goo.gl/b3XhjQ)
(Get your Sea Salt here: https://goo.gl/9cdcXX)






Essential Oil and Coconut Oil:

Essential oil and coconut oil are also needed in this bath bomb recipe.  They help hydrate your skin and keep your skin feeling silky smooth and soft!  You can also use avocado oil or almond oil if you like them better.
(Get your Lavender Essential Oil here: https://goo.gl/viW48P)
(Get your Rose Essential Oil here: https://goo.gl/TvcbYJ)







Witch Hazel Toner:

Last but not least, the witch hazel toner (you can use other alcohol-free toner as well).  If you don’t have it, water work just fine.  You do need the moisture in the mixture so that the bath bomb can come together for shaping.  The toner is also good for your skin and since I already have it available, it is what I used.  
(Get yours here: https://goo.gl/L3iV2b)




Dried Lavender and Dried Rose Petals:

Besides looking gorgeous and adding a bit of natural colors to the bath bombs, they also add wonderful natural floral aromas into the bath bombs.
(Get your dried lavender here: https://goo.gl/nF3Koc)(Get your dried Rose tea buds here: https://goo.gl/qMpZrf)


Soap Coloring:

The soap coloring is pretty much optional.  I think they make the bath bomb look more fancy and perfect if you’re giving them as homemade gifts.  But please only use soap coloring and not food coloring.  You don’t want the bath bombs to stain your skin nor the bath tubs!
(Get yours here: https://goo.gl/uCL6Vo)







That’s pretty much it!  I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and make some of these gorgeous bath bombs at home soon!  I’m sure you’ll love them! Please watch the video tutorial on the step by step instructions.  They are so much fun and so easy to make as well!



Tools and Ingredients Used:
Baking Soda (Click here for more information)
Citrus Acid (Click here for more information)
Corn Starch (Click here for more information)
Arrow Root powder (Click here for more information)
Lavender Epsom Salt (Click here for more information)
Sea Salt (Click here for more information)
Lavender Essential oil (Click here for more information)
Rose Essential Oil (Click here for more information)
Soap coloring (Click here for more information)
Witch Hazel (Click here for more information)
Bath Bomb Mold (Click here for more information)
Dried Lavender (Click here for more information)
Dried Rose Tea Buds (Click here for more information)
Small Spray Bottles (Click here for more information)
Small Funnel (Click here for more information)
Wilton Icing Flowers (Click here for more information)
Rose Shaped Silicone Mold (Click here for more information)




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How to Make Brown Sugar Lip Scrub

California is in a serious drought lately.  Unfortunately, so are my lips!  I couldn’t believe I traveled to the desert (Las Vegas) without bringing my lip balm.  To add to that, a few nights of staying at the hotel room with constant air conditioning only made things worse.  Plus, I simply forgot to stay hydrated with all the busy activities going on.  So, when I got home and back to my normal routine, I realized my lips were all cracked up and super dry (see picture below)!  No fun at all!



Fortunately, this homemade Brown Sugar Lip Scrub is super easy to make and I already have both ingredients handy in my pantry!  Yup, there are only 2 ingredients in this recipe and it works wonder on my super dry lips!



All you need to do is mix equal parts of brown sugar and coconut oil together.  I use about 2 tablespoons each.  Simply mash them up in a clean bowl with a fork;  and you’ve got your lip scrub ready to use!  I stored mine in small containers for easy access.   You can store the remaining in a cool dry place for future use.




When ready to use, wash and dry your hands.  Take a small amount of the Brown Sugar Lip Scrub and gently rub it on your lips.  Massage with finger tips for about 30 seconds.  Then, you can use a clean cloth or tissue to wipe your lips clean.  Hm….and it tastes great too!  It’s totally safe if you “accidentally” swallow a little of the scrub.  Since my lips were so dry, I used the lip scrub once in the morning and once at night to speed up the process. 




This picture below is taken after 2 usages only.  Can you see the improvement on my lips already?  No more cracked surface!  It’s totally amazing to see the results, don’t you agree?!



I’m happy to report that my lips are back to normal now.  Since then, I continue to use the lip scrub once or twice a week, just to keep the skin on my lips healthy and shiny. 



So, whether you have dry lips or not, this Brown Sugar Lip Scrub is wonderful to have around the house.  I don’t know about you, but I do want to keep my lips kissable and beautiful!



One more look at the “Before and After” picture below just to compared.  My lips were back to normal after just 2 days using the lip scrub.  So amazing!