Cranberry and Green Onion Cheese Pinwheels

Hey everyone! Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday! Mine was great, filled with food and wine - all the best holidays are.

Now I know I should have posted this BEFORE the holidays, but things got a little crazy and well... it didn't happen so I apologize! BUT that doesn't mean it is too late to make these - just call them something different. At the holiday party I went to, they were called "Red and Green Pinwheels".

Funny how the mind works eh?

Homemade Sugar Scrubs

Staying with my theme of cheap, easy, quick and food-related gifts, this one if my fave. I first heard of this when a friend bought it to our annual friend gift exchange and I was immediately hooked. First I had to make and try it for myself. This natural scrub works to exfoliate the skin and leave it feeling soft and smooth.

Now there seems to be hundreds of different variations of scents, ratios and ingredients, so I have decided not to post the recipes I used because... quite frankly after the first one, I stopped measuring. Depending on your ratio of oil to sugar, you will get different consistency and I think that is a personal preference that you will have to decide for yourself. But I will mention my favourite combos that I have tried so far as well as some things I have learned along the way.

Gift Idea: Recipe in a Box

Pretty much what my desk looked like:
proto-knowledge.blogspot.ca/2010/12/graduate-student-christmas-tree.html

It is 5 days before Christmas. 

Just finished my exams, just finished marking my last assignment, just finished my last shift at my part time job...

And now it is time to buy Christmas gifts! OH SNAP.

No money, no time.. what do I do? Hop on over the Dollar Store and start making some homemade gifts.

Each year I do end up making many of my gifts for multiple reasons (being student poor is usually the #1 reason). I usually stick to a common theme, as in.. everyone gets a similar gift so I am not making a 100 different things. So this year I thought I would share some of gifts I made for this year!

Mango, Avocado Fresh Rolls with Soy Peanut Dipping Sauce

The name says it all. Fresh rolls. Fresssssshhhh. Ahhhh....

Traditionally found at Asian restaurants with shrimp or pork. Which are quite delicious. But yall know me and I like to switch things up a bit. I just think the colours are sooo perdy. Also I want to show you all how easy this can be! It is still a process, and may take a few tries... but it is not untouchable!

Makes a great little snackie for yourself, or awesome dish to bring to a potluck. Personally, with the amount of prep this takes, I make it worth my time and make a whole whack of them at a time.

Red and Golden Beet Salad with Red Onions and Oranges

I found golden beets at the market today! How exciting! Well, it is exciting for me - shut up I know I am a foodie nerd. Listen, I watch the food network all the time and they always use beets with beautiful colour - red, golden, rainbow.. simply amazing. And I NEVER get to do that! One reason is because I am poor, but mainly it is because of where I live. There isn't a whole whack of variety in produce all the time. And that is okay with me, because that means they are not shipping food from all over the world only to rot in my fridge a day after I get it.

Anyways, I found these bad boys and I think they were super cool. So I wanted to show em off in a gorgeous salad. So I did. And I liked it.

It is super easy, light and refreshing. Makes me feel... summery.