DIY Cupcake Soap

Todays' blog is another fun DIY soap blog. Soap is something that everyone uses on a daily basis, so why not make your own and have fun with it. Making your own soap is always beneficial, since you know exactly what it's made with, you can also add your favorite scent/s or leave it scentless. For this DIY cupcake soap...

You'll Need:

• Plastic cupcake mold or silicon muffin molds, ( both can be found in the baking section of the craft store)
• Glycerin soap 
• Soap tints (food coloring) and soap scents
• Plastic pipping bag and wilton tip

Directions:

1. Cut up your glycerin soap and melt the chunks in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, and stir until completely melted.
2. Now you can add food coloring and scent, if you want your cupcakes to be different colors remember to separate the melted soap into different containers before you start adding color.
3. Pour into the mold and let it harden.
4. To frost your cupcake melt some soap, and let it cool down a bit. Add color to it while it's still a liquid. When it is thick enough put it into a pipping bag. Pipe just like you would a regular cupcake, let it fully harden..

and your Done! Now you can enjoy using your very own cupcake shaped soap. 

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Today's recipe will be something that I actually haven't made myself, yet, but rather someone that I know has made and it was delicious. I had actually never even eaten pond cake before so when I tasted this cake I immediately asked for the recipe so that I could make it myself. This recipe is enough for 12-14 servings, takes 15 minutes to prep and 1 hour + for baking and cooling.
For this recipe,

You'll Need:

• 1 cup butter softened 
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Glaze:

• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips 
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition. Fold in chocolate chips.
2. Pour into greased and floured 10-in, fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 F for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
3. For the glaze, in a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter and stir until smooth. Whisk in sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cake, and You're Done!

Now you can enjoy your chocolate chip pound cake.

DIY Oatmeal Soap

Today I will be telling you how you can make your very own soap that will help everyone with skin care. This soap is made of Goats milk soap which is wonderful for people with dry or sensitive skin, or conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. It's also perfect for healthy skin that wants to stay that way. Oats are used in skin care all the time as a way to soothe the skin, as well as reduce inflammation and heal dry, itchy skin, and when added to soap it works as a great exfoliator.
This soap also contains sweet almond oil fragrance, the oil of two vitamin e capsules, and honey which are also great for the skin. In order to make this soap...

You'll Need:

• Goats milk melt and pour soap base
• Oats
• Honey
• 2 Vitamin E capsules
• Sweet almond fragrance
• Soap mold

Directions:

1. First you want to cut up as much soap as you think you'll need. Cutting it into squares makes it easier to melt. To melt you could use a double boiler or put it in a microwave safe container and heat it for 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval.
2. Add in the oatmeal. You can use as much as needed for the amount of soap you used.
3. Add the vitamin e, sweet almond fragrance ( if you're using essential oil make sure they are safe for the skin) and honey (about 2 tablespoons).
4. Pour it in your soap mold and let it solidify. To avoid the little bubbles that form on the soap put some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and give your soap a quick spray right after you have put them in their molds.  

And you're done. Make sure they're cool to the touch before removing them from the mold. Hope you enjoy!

Pastel de Tres Leches (Three Milk Cake)

Today I will be telling you how to make my favorite dessert, Pastel de Tres Leches (Three Milk Cake). Now this is for more advanced bakers, but I mean trying to bake something new wouldn't heart anyone. As a matter of fact if you succeed then you should be extremely proud of yourself since it is for more advanced bakers. Even I myself have tried and I'm not a baker, it wasn't the best, but it wasn't a total fail either. Now to make A pastel de Tres Leches...

You'll Need:

• 6 eggs (separated)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup mik
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk 
• 1 cup whipped cream (optional)
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
2. Grease a 10x15-inch baking dish
3. Beat egg whites in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high until stiff peaks form; gradually beat in sugar until mixture is glossy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, combining each yolk before adding the next. Reduce mixer speed to medium and add flour, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating continuously; beat in baking powder, milk and vanilla extract. Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
4. Bake until cake is slightly browned, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25 mins. Let cake cool for 15 mins.
5. Pour one cup cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk into a blender and until well blended. Pour it evenly over cake Refrigerate the cake for about 1 hour.

If you'd like you can top each serving with whipped cream and a few strawberry slices. And you're done, Enjoy!

Chicken Tinga Tostadas

Today's recipe is for one of my favorite dishes. This isn't my most favorite food, but it is at the top of my list. This recipe is not very complicated. It doesn't take very long to make and is perfect for dinner time, or when you feel like eating a Mexican dish. Which is why I decided to share this recipe with you. For this dish I'll give the amounts that would normally be used when we're making this at my house, but feel free to change the amounts since it depends on how much one wants to make and on ones taste, for this dish,

You'll Need: 

• 6 cups water
• 2 pounds skinless/boneless chicken breasts
• 4 teaspoons salt (divided)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 medium yellow onion (quartered)
• 1 large vine ripened tomato (quartered) 
• 1 (7 ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 
• 1/4 cup canola oil 
• 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
• 3 large ripened tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (chopped)
• 12 flat tostada shells

Toppings (optional)

• 1 Iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
• 3 avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced
• 2 cups crema Mexicana or sour cream 
• 2 cups queso fresco or Cotija, crumbled

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, over medium to high heat, add water, chicken, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 clove garlic, and quartered onion. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken and allow it to cool. After the chicken cools shred it.
3. In a blender add the boiled onion and garlic clove, quartered tomato, chipotle peppers including adobo sauce, 2 teaspoons salt, and enough chicken broth to fill the blender half way. Puree until smooth.
4. Heat the oil in a large and deep pan over medium heat.
5. Once it's hot but not smoking, stir in the  chopped onion and cook for about 2 min.
6. Add chopped tomatoes and garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
7. Add the cooked shredded chicken, chipotle sauce from blender and more chicken broth if it's too dry. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 
8. Add salt to taste.

And your done. Now you may enjoy your tostadas how ever you please, add the toppings of your choice, but how ever it is you choose to eat your tostadas, I hope you Enjoy!

Brownies

Today I will be giving you yet another delicious recipe that involves baking. I know that most of the recipes that I have given are all having to do with baking, I personally prefer baking which is why the recipes involve baking, but I will try to incorporate different styles/methods of cooking into my blog. But for today I will be sharing a delicious brownie recipe, that I hope you enjoy because who doesn't like a good brownie recipe.

You'll Need:

• 1/2 butter
• 1 cup white sugar 
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.
2. In a large sauce pan, melt 1/2 butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan. 
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Do not over cook.
4. If you want to add some type of frosting it's best to add it while their warm, but if not then you're done.

Now you can enjoy some delicious homemade brownies. Remember you can keep them for your self or you can share them with others either way, Enjoy!

DIY Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Soap

Today I will be giving you another fun soap idea. Reese's isn't my favorite chocolate, but I do enjoy it. Not only is it fun and very easy to make our own soap, and mold it to specific shapes, but making your own soap could have it's own advantages. You can either keep it and use it to decorate and give a little bit of life to your bathroom, or you can make a bunch and give them away as a present, or you could even sell them. To make your very own Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Soap,

You'll Need: 

• Glycerin Soap
• Brown Food coloring 
• Cupcake cups
•  Essential Oil (optional)

Directions: 

1. Cut the desired amount of glycerin soap into small pieces to make the melting process easier. Put the Glycerin soap pieces into a microwave safe container and microwave it at 15 second increments until fully melted. Stir it occasionally to make sure it's melted.
2. Add in the brown food coloring. A LITTLE AT A TIME. You want your soap to have a brown chocolate color, it's very easy to add too much which will make it too dark and it may not look right.
3. Add the essential oil. Now this is optional if you don't want your soap to have a scent then you don't have to add it, I personally do like for my soap to have a scent which is why I added it.
4. Carefully pour your melted soap into the cupcake cups about 1/4 of the way.
5. Let them harden and carefully remove the soap from the cupcake cup and your done.

Now you can enjoy your very own Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Soap! You can either keep it for yourself, give it away as a present or possibly even sell it.