Peppermint Foot Soak

I mentioned in my last post:  Christmas Charcuterie Board about the great place I work.  It has been my hometown's gourmet and kitchenware destination since 1978.  Without admitting my age, I can honestly say I have been shopping at the international pantry since I was in kindergarten.  It is my favorite place.  What's not to love about quality cookware and gadgets, gourmet foods and cooking classes???  Well walking around on your feet, that's what!  Obviously holiday time is our busiest time and I know like me, my co-workers go home to aching feet at night, so I whipped up a refreshing little foot soak to rejuvenate their tired tootsies!  With all natural ingredients and an invigorating peppermint scent it's just the thing to get us through the countdown to Christmas.  I shared them a few days early so they could enjoy them after a long day of work. This would be a great gift for anyone, but especially teachers, hairdressers and ANYONE that spends a lot of time on their feet.  I was able to whip up 8 gifts with one batch of ingredients in just a few minutes.  If you're looking for a quick, economical last minute gift that is both useful and thoughtful, here you go:

A relaxing gift for friends with tired feet!

Peppermint is not only rejuvenating for sore feet,
but it's also refreshing and smells like Christmas!
I hope you whip up a batch of these to share
this holiday season.

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Peppermint Foot Soak

2 cups fine sea salt
2 cups Epsom salt
4 cups baking soda
Peppermint Essential Oil (I used about half a bottle-you want an obvious peppermint scent but you don't want the mixture to be wet or clumpy around 30-ish drops)

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir drops of peppermint oil in a little at a time unti you have an obvious peppermint scent.  You want the peppermint to be there, but you don't want the mixture to be wet or clumpy.  I was able to get 8 (half-pint) jars with this amount.  I found the little wooden scoops at Hobby Lobby and tied them on with baker's twine.

I hope you love this little homemade gift as much as I do.  Make some for yourself too.

Merry Christmas Foodie Friends!

Christmas Charcuterie Board

As you may know, my other hobby besides cooking is sewing.  I make scarves from repurposed threads.  A lot of team shirts, but if I can put a needle through it I'll try to make just about anything.  For the last 7 years, my childhood friend Ginger and I have hosted a Holiday Pop-Up Shop at the international pantry where I have worked on an off since 2002.  It's Norman's Gourmet & Kitchenware Destination Since 1978 and features kitchenware, gourmet & gifts.  It also boasts a large kitchen area where they host cooking classes and we host our Pop-Up Shop.  As I've probably told you before Mr. Devilish Dish is quite the cook and he has even taught cooking classes at the international pantry many times.  Every holiday season, Ginger and I rope him into giving a food demonstration during our Pop-Up Shop.  He always features some kind of delicious food item or kitchen tool available at the international pantry.  This year we decided to do something different.  As our gift to our loyal shoppers who come to our holiday show every year, we decided to have him teach a little workshop and our theme was Charcuterie Boards & Cold Brew Coffee.  The cold brew coffee was amazing and I will feature it soon in another blog post, but I wanted to share the charcuterie boards just in time for Christmas.

Charcuterie is the craft of preparing smoked and cured meats for preservation and flavor. Typical charcuterie meats are salami, ham, bacon, sausages, and pates. A selection of meats and cheeses are often accompanied by other yummy bites such as crackers, olives, pickles, jams, spreads, fruits and vegetables.  Think of it as the modern relish tray!