Chocolate Cake with Buttercream and Rose Petals

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Hey Valentines!  We’re republishing an old favorite today: Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Icing and Rose Petals.  The Schu family loves this simple chocolate cake recipe. Spend a year of birthdays with us and you’re bound to have it at least a few times.  Fancy it up with some buttercream icing and the addition of dried rose petals and you have the prettiest Valentine’s Day (or any damn day) dessert. We like to share this cake a few weeks early in case you need to order the organic rose petals online. If cupid shot you with an arrow and you’re in need of more Valentine’s Day DIYs – check it! Continue reading

Honey Face Wash

Honey is our ingredient of the season, and you can find our full archive of honey posts here.
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After a bit of trial and error, I’ve finally narrowed in on an all-nature, DIY face wash that I’m loving. It contains honey + a number of other ingredients that combine to create a gentle exfoliation for your skin without a sticky mess. Seriously!

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Edible Flowers Round-up

It’s flower season!

Edible flowers are such a beautiful and tasty ingredient. Below is a roundup of past posts that highlighted the use of flowers in the kitchen.

Chive Blossom Fritters (look at that bee bum!)

Lavender Lemon Gin Fizz

Lilac Lemon Drop

Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Icing & Rose Petals

Rose Orange Kombucha

Rose Tea

Rosehip Jam

Sour Wildflower

Floral Lip Balm

This is just one in a series of essential oil posts. Read this post if you’d like a basic primer on essentials, and this one for more information about carrier oils. Oh, and if you’d like more ideas for your Valentine, look here.

I have to admit, it wasn’t my idea to create a floral-scented lip balm, as I often shy away from flowery smells in favor of something spicy. Our sister Kristin suggested it, and then I smelled the rose essential oil, and well, now I’m hooked. And what perfect timing, because this is yet another way (in addition to our rose tea, cake, and jam) to give someone flowers for Valentine’s Day without actually buying the bouquet.

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Since this is the first lip balm recipe that we’re sharing on the blog, it’s a little long-winded as I provide some general information about both the ingredients and tools needed to make lip balm at home.

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Rose Tea

Tea is our ingredient of the season this winter. We’re using that as an excuse to sit down more often and relax over a cuppa’. If you’re looking for another way to spice up your black tea, check out our masala chai. Click here for our archive of Valentine DIYs.

Hey there, thinking about surprising your Valentine with breakfast in bed and a side of tea? No? How about just surprising him/her with an afternoon cup of tea? Either way, we have an idea for making that Valentine’s Day cup extra special ~ add some dried rose petals.

liveseasoned_winter2015_rosetea1-1024x768 copyDoesn’t that look beautiful? Think about letting your sweetheart add the dried tea and petals to the boiled water themselves, that way they can see the delicate pink petals before they go in the kettle and lose their color. #itsthelittlethings

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The rose petals will add a light floral aroma and flavor to any variety of tea. I prefer a black base, but this would also go well with the lighter flavor of a white tea.

All rose petals are edible, but not all are created/tended equally; be sure to purchase dried rose petals that were grown and processed without any pesticides or additional chemicals.

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So simple, but so sweet for your special someone on Valentine’s Day.