Craft

Soy Scented Candles

Hello lovvaaahhs! So Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching! If you're like me, this slightly gives you anxiety and the prospect of what gift to give this year that stands out becomes an overwhelming thought! 

Well I am here for you this holiday because I got down with the DIY! Sounds like a song I know. So today we're making scented soy candles and they're awesome because they’re not too pricey to make as a gift, if you have some of the items already like I did, PLUS they’re hand made which makes everything so much more special, annnnd you can scent them however your heart desires!

What you’ll need:

- soy wax
- soy wicks
- essential oils (I went with Lavender, citrus sage, blackberry, and nag champa - blackberry was my favorite)
- mason jars
- tape (to keep the wicks upright and in place)
- hole puncher (for le tape)

I used about 2- 2 1/2 cups per mason jar depending on size which I used a small jars and medium ones. Since I don't have a microwave at home (the waves freak me out amirite?!) I had to create a make shift steamer- with a pot and metal strainer to put the glass measuring cup full of soy wax into, to melt down, whew! 

I used a small piece of tin foil to cover the measuring cup and then a lid to keep the heat in - home made double boiler! And if you are a normal person and have a microwave unlike my paranoid self, than simply pop the glass into the microwave and heat the wax on high for one minute intervals checking on them every 30 seconds, until the wax is melted. 

Then depending on how fragrant you want your candles - I used about 15-18 drops of essential oil in each candle, drop the wick in with the tape contraption and tape to the sides so that the wick actually stands. This ACTUALLY works y'all wahooo! *make sure you place the candles in a place they won't be moved, OR you'll have wax all on the sides just like I did - those candles are not posted ;) What, you think I'm some kind of amateur? Well good because I am! 

Then after about an hour and a half once the wax has hardened, remove the tape, cut the wick, and place the lids on top. Then you can decorate the mason jar however you like! 

I had so much fun making these, I made some for friends as Valentine's Day gifts, and the Nag Champa one is for my daughter, and the rest are burning beautifully around my apartment. 

Please tag me on Instagram when you make one of these awesome lil gifts, they're great for any occasion really, and to watch me make them with you, simply check out my YouTube channel

Happy DIY making and have a beautiful Valentine's Day!

xoxo

Jess

                             Sweetheart Scones

Hello beautiful people! So Valentine's day is tomorrow! Ahhhh! Have no fear, Tuesday we made scented soy candles, and today we'll pair that gift with these yummy Sweetheart Scones! I made them gluten free for my GF child, but you can make them traditional also. This recipe made 9 scones. 

They're yummy, quick, fun, kid friendly, and girl friend approved ;)  Soooo, lets get started!

Preheat your oven to 425F

Pour the flour, baking powder, and salt in a big ol' bowl and stir. Then add in the butter, I used my clean hands to mush this into the mixture until it all looked like granules. 

Then toss in the sugar and milk and stir until a dough is formed. Lastly I added the pink sparkles and cacao nibs and just knead the dough a dozen times to get it all nice and mixed up.

Roll out your dough and I kept them about 1/2 inch thick since I like my scones fluffy not crunchy and then cut out these adorable man friendly heart shapes haha. Oh yea, he will LOVE the heart shapes! I just used the scraps and re rolled it all until all the dough was used. 

Then bake it for about 8-10 minutes just until they are a very light golden on top, they're easy to over bake so make sure you keep an eye on them.

I let them cool on a rack and then served them up with some Kerry Gold butter….divine!

The pictures above are step by step and the video of me making them is live on my YouTube channel now, check it out and when you make these please be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see what kind you decided to make! I hope you have fun making them, I made them while listening to the Mariah Carey Pandora station woot, and sipping on some red wine, the only way to bake! haha. 

So I wish you a very happy Valentine's Day, have a fun and wonderful day whether it be with your boyfriend, girlfriend, best group of friends or just stag, I wish you a love filled day! 

Happy baking!

xoxo

Jess

               Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers and Raisin Bread

Let it rain in LA and people will assume it's snowing and hailing outside! People stay in so I followed suit .... it's the natural thing to do and while I edited today's video I also baked for my lil fam bam. 

There's nothing more cozy on a chilly rainy day than the aroma of baked goods filling your home. So I made my variation of my friend Chelsea's recipe which I got here. 

She is an amazing cook and knows more about health and nutrition than anyone I know. So I  added some raisins into the mix, some cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, a bit of xylitol and we're ready for French toast in the morning! 

Here is the recipe, I added just a few ingredients to make the above pictured yummies! Try them out and let me know what you think! Tomorrow I shall make French toast with this bread and since it's soup weather, the crackers will come in handy for a cheese plate! PS if you love Trader Joe's Rosemary Raisin crackers, than you'll loooove these! 

Be sure to check out healthyishandsome.com for the original recipes and much more, love her!

Happy baking, and stay warm, wherever you are!

xoxo- Jess

Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers

-2 cups almond flour

-3 TBSP olive oil

-1 TBSP chopped rosemary

-1 TBSP unsweetened almond milk

-1 egg

-1/2 tsp sea salt

- 1/4 cup chopped raisins

-mix dough

-roll out on parchment paper and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 for 15 minutes :D Enjoy!

Gluten Free almond flax raisin bread

- 1 1/2 cups almond meal

- 1/4 cup flax seed meal

- 2 TBSP coconut flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp honey

- 5 eggs room temperature

- 1/4 cup melted butter

- 1 TBSP active dry yeast

- 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

- 1/4 tsp sea salt

- 1/4 cup chopped raisins

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- a dash of nutmeg

- 1 TBSP xylitol (or sugar- I wanted a sugar free option for my daughter)

Mix the dry ingredients together 

Mix the liquid ingredients together except for the eggs

Slowly add in the dry ingredients

Mix in the eggs one at a time

Cover the mixing bowl with a towel and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours

Pour dough into a greased loaf pan

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees

Enjoy the yummies!