Alternate Uses For Plain White Sugar

I ran across these uses for plain white sugar in the latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine (which I really love because it delves deep into the how and why of cooking food – almost like a science lesson in the kitchen!). In addition to the facial scrub recipe I shared with you (which actually uses brown sugar), these are great ways to use a common household item to solve a common household problem!

As an extra bonus, do you know how to keep or make brown sugar soft again? You can either store it in a terra cotta container, add an apple slice to the bag, simply microwave it for about 30 seconds, or bake on a sheet in the oven at 250 degrees for a few minutes. Any or all of these methods work nicely.

Keep Cookies Soft

Sugar absorbs moisture, so adding several cubes of sugar (or a little pill bottle filled with sugar to your cookie jar will keep them moist, soft and chewy. This is perfect for cookies like snicker doodles or chewy chocolate chip.

Make Your Hands Smell Good

After you’ve chopped pungent ingredients such as onions or garlic, scrub your moistened hands with a bit of sugar. You may have to leave the sugar on your hands for a minute or two in order to totally get rid of the smell.

Relieve Burns

We’ve all burned our tongues on a hot food or liquid before; next time try placing your tongue on a spoonful of sugar. When the sugar crystals hit your tongue, they will begin to dissolve right away and pull out the heat.

January 1, 2012: Homemade Scrub Recipes

Happy New Year!

Here we are, in a completely new year. And if you believe some theories, the whole world is going to end in December, per the Mayan calendar. Personally, I don’t believe that (as my pastor says, the Bible doesn’t give a date!).

To ring in the new year, why not slough off some of your old, dead skin? These simple recipes, printed in The Arizona Republic, use ingredients you can easily find around the house. Have a spa day at home and be ready to face the new work week in this new year with a fresh and glowing complexion.

Tea Bags

If you’re like me, this is the time of year when you drink a lot of hot tea. But rather than throw away those used tea bags, why not use them to refresh yourself? Cooled, caffeinated tea bags are great to place over your eyelids while lying down and help reduce swelling and dark circles (which you might have if you partied too much the night before).

Use cooled green tea as a facial toner. Simply wipe it on your face with a cotton ball after cleansing.

Coffee Grounds

Use the leftover grounds from your morning pot of coffee to gently scrub your face and body; they exfoliate nicely but be careful not to use too much force and irritate your skin.

Honey and Brown Sugar

Forget those expensive facial scrubs you find in the bed and bath stores. Combine one part brown sugar with two parts honey and a vanilla bean pod broken in half (optional). Gently rub the mixture over your facial skin and rinse away to reveal glowing skin.