Homemade fabric softener

I do not use traditional/store-bought laundry soap or fabric softener.  I do have a laundry soap recipe that I love and and have been using for years and one that I have recently started using for Raymond's super heavily soiled work clothes.  Normally I just use about 1/2 a cup of white vinegar as fabric softener.  Recently a lady at our church let me sample her homemade fabric softener.  I liked it, make some for our family and have since shared the recipe with a friend.  I would like to share it with you today as well. 

6 Cups of water

3 Cups of white vinegar

2 Cups of  good smelling hair conditioner

Mix together and use about 1/2 cup per load. 

Enjoy! 

 

Until next time,

 

Christmas Cookie Help

Every year we decorate Christmas cookies as a family and give them away to the kids in our church.  One year we invited the kids over to have a cookie decorating contest, and then let them eat the cookies.  This year we invited the girls to decorate cookes at church  while the boys went out and collected food for the orphanage.  We had a blast!  The girls did a great job and I am looking forward to eating them at our Christmas party; but maily this post is to share with you what I have learned over the years from baking cookies for Christmas.  I have now picked out my favorite recipe for Sugar cookes as well as my favorite icing to decorate them with.  This recipe for cookies tastes sort of like pop tart dough to me {which I like!}; but mainly I chose this recipe because it uses less eggs, it is a joy to work with ( the cookies hold their shape really well after they are cut and baked), and did I already mention that it tastes good! I chose this icing recipe because it is very easy and keeps a nice gloss, it also tastes good!

Cookie recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• Tinted icings, colored sugars, edible glitter and nonpareils

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut out with Christmas cookie cutters of your choice. *Using a floured spatula, transfer cookies to greased baking sheets.

• Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.

• Decorate cookies with frosting, sugars and candies.

*Tips: I prefer to lightly flour wax or parchment paper to roll my cooled dough onto for cutting. This allows me to “plop” the shape onto the cookie sheets. If necessary sometimes I cut the paper around the cut dough, then plop it onto the cookie sheet. This prevents me from disturbing the shape. I also line my cookie sheets with foil instead of greasing them in order to save my cookie sheets and my oil.   Another thing I like to do is cut a small shape inside of a shape and fill it with crushed hard candy after baking the cookies for about six or seven minutes.  I then return the cookies to the oven and let the candy melt for about three or four minutes.  This give me the stained glass window look inside a cookie. 

Icing recipe:

1 cup powdered sugar (C&H truly is the best; but others will work)
1TBS.  milk
1 TBS.  light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring (drops or gell)

Directions

1.In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup and/or milk 1 tsp. at a time. Keep in mind that the corn syrup is what allows the colors (when using dye) to stay nice a bright. Add flavoring to taste once you get the amount of icing you want before adding color.
2.Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

This will ice about a dozen cookies.

Photos of our adventure

My Favorite!  She is really concentrating.

Un-decorated Christmas tree cookie pops!

Alliyah enjoyed eating all of her cookies.

Cookie icing color palate!

Patiently waiting to get started.

The brave boys who went out in the cold to get food for the orphans.

Cucumber Soup

A couple of summers ago we had an over abundance of cucumbers, so I began to look up recipes for things to do with them. This was one of my husbands favorites!  It is a cold soup and is VERY refreshing. 

You will need:

2 cucumbers
1 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. parsley
2 tsp chives
½ tsp dill
1/4 tsp mint
1/4 tsp tarragon
( or 1 pinch dried tarragon)
1 ½ c. plain yogurt

Blend in blender, chill 1 hr. , Serve cold.

Until next time,

Easy Cheesecake Recipe

Last night was my dessert night and I wanted cheesecake; but we were out of eggs and vanilla; so I substituted and the result was GREAT!  So below is my easy cheesecake recipe:

4 packs of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp pancake syrup (or vanilla; but I was out!)
1 can of cherries, pitted
8 oz of whip cream
Oreo crust (or crush your own)

Blend the first four ingredients well.  Put into the crust.  Cover with cherries then whip cream.  Sprinkle with oreos if you like. Cool 1 hour and there you have it!

This weeks favorite meal...Meatballs!

Last Friday evening we had meatballs, green beans, and yellow potatoes.  The recipe is as follows:


Meatballs
1 lb.      ground beef
1/4 - 1/2        cup oatmeal
1 TBS.  salt
1 tsp.    Garlic powder

1 TBS.  sugar
1           egg
black pepper to taste
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce.

Mush the top 7 ingredients together in a bowl with your hands.  Form your meatballs to a size you like - I did about an inch in diameter.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, then remove the meatballs from the oven and put in a large pot on the stove and cover with the bottle of sauce. ( I used Hot and Spicy BBQ sauce)  Let simmer for about 20 minutes to an half hour and Voila!

Green beans
2 cans green beans
2 TBS Butter
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic minced

Cook stove top until done.

Potatoes
I cut up about four medium sized yellow (or sometimes called golden) potatoes and steamed them until they were tender.  Then I transferred them to a bowl and covered them with about 2 TBS of butter and a pinch of salt.

Note: The oatmeal in the meatballs can be replaced with bread crumbs or crushed crackers; but oatmeal is so good for you and it works great in meatballs as well as meatloaf.  I don't use salt in my recipes if I use a canned veggie (i.e. green beans).

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

This is a recipe I adjusted slightly and am passing it on to you.  My husband absolutely loved it and I am sure your family will as well.  Also, feel free to "jazz" it up with carrots, onions, or celery if you like!

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs
4 cups of water
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (or 1 large can)
3 tortillas (yes, white flour tortillas you would use for burritos!) Cut them into strips - mine were about 2 
inches long and once inch wide.
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbs. pepper
1 Tbs. garlic
2 Tbs. butter

1.  Remove skin from chicken and boil in 4 cups of water (with or without veggies) until fully cooked.
2.  Remove chicken from "broth". De-bone and shred.
3.  Add chicken with salt, pepper, garlic and let simmer for about 15 minutes
4.  Add butter and return to boil.
5.  Once the soup has returned to a rolling boil, add tortilla slices.
6.  Let boil for a few minutes (just long enough for the tortillas to become dumplings).
7.  Turn off heat and stir.
8.  Voila!  That is it.  Beware, it will be hot!!! (My honey likes his food that way, but Aaliyah preferred hers with an ice cube in it.

Serves 4

Enjoy!!!

P.S.  I am no professional cook.  I tried it this way.  It was a hit! I will absolutely do it again!

Homemade pancake syrup

My husband LOVES pancakes!!! One morning I woke up early to fix my husband his favorite breakfast- like a good little wife- but, I discovered that there was only a drip of syrup left in the container.  Major letdown.  Then I remembered my favorite source - the Internet.  Sure enough, there was a recipe for homemade pancake syrup!  Praise the Lord!!!...I think.  After I made this my husband said he never wanted the store bought kind again.

Recipe:

1 1/2 c. brown sugar (packed)

3/4 c. water
1 tbsp. butter
Dash of salt (opt.)
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp Cinnamon  or maple flavoring (I prefer the cinnamon)
1/2-1 tsp vanilla (opt.)


Mix brown sugar, water, butter and salt in saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon. Serve warm.  Extra will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrig.

Enjoy!!!

Unclog your drains...

Ever run out of draino? Well here is a do it yourself recipe for unclogging even the most stubborn drains.   I have used this recipe in my kitchen and in my bathroom.  (Most recently my shower...it took three applications; but it worked.)

Recipe:

1/2 cup baking soda
1 cup vinegar
1 gallon boiling water

Carefully siphon all the baking soda down the drain. Pour in 1/2 of the vinegar, covering the hole so the fizz is forced down, not up (omit this for toilets, please!). Add the second half of the vinegar, following the same procedure. Allow to sit for 15 minutes or so, and then flush with an entire gallon of boiling water.

Just like with the homemade Oxyclean, the power is in the fizz caused by the reaction of the vinegar with the baking soda.  You might even do this once a month or so just to keep the gunk from building up.

Enjoy!!!

Save Money!!! - Laundry

Whether you use liquid fabric softner or dryer sheets, this tip will save you money. 

You will need:

1 cup of your favorite liquid fabric softner
3 cups of water (preferrably distilled)
1 or 2 sponges
1 large container with a lid

Simply put the water with the fabric softner into a container.  Put your sponges into the mixture as well.  When you get ready to dry a load; ring out the sponge and toss it in with your clothes.  That is it!!!

Healthier alternative:  Use white vinegar instead of fabric softner in your rinse cycle or in this "recipe".  If  you need or prefer a fragrance, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.  1 drop per ounce.

By Demand - Liquid homemade laundry soap

If you prefer liquid laundry soap, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups of grated soap (I recommend Pink Zote)
1 cup of Borax
1/2 cup Super Washing Soda

1.  Put the soap, plus 2 or three cups of water in a medium saucepan and heat over medium until dissolved.  2.  Stir often.
3.  Once the soap is dissolved, remove it from the heat and add the other two powders.
4.  Stir again until it is dissolved.
5.  Pour into a gallon size bucket then add enough hot water to fill the bucket.
6.  Let stand overnight.

It will have a gel-like consistency.

Use between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup per load.
(picture taken from "Little House in the Suburbs".com)

If you are using Zote - one bar should be sufficient.
You can make up to five gallons (or more at a time) if you have a five gallon bucket.  Just adjust the measurements as needed of your ingredients.

Homemade Oxyclean

Here it is! Use this in conjunction with your homemade laundry detergent and plain white vinegar as your fabric softer in your rinse cycle for wonderfully clean, great smelling, fresh laundry - You made it all yourself and it is cheap!!!

Ingredient list:
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide (that you use for cuts and scrapes)
1/2 cup baking soda

Simply mix these ingredients together and add to your wash cycle before or after you add your detergent. For an extra grimy load, let you clothes sit for twenty minutes to overnight, then wash.

If you have a stubborn stain, substitute the water for white vinegar and make a paste with the baking soda. Pour the peroxide on the stain. Let sit for twenty minutes to six hours (f.y.i. looses potency after six hours). Toss into washer.

Why this works/How oxyclean works:

Oxyclean is basically baking soda and the dry form of hydrogen peroxide. Baking soda deodorizes, while the peroxide (or Oxy part of oxyclean) agitates the stains to break them up which allows the soap in your detergent attach to them more easily; then the water rinses the stain away.

Note: This works best on organic (carbon based stains - blood, grass stains, urine, etc.). For really bad stains you may need to repeat the wash. I truly believe you will be amazed when you use this!

Save money - Make your own laundry soap!

I started using this recipe about a year and a half ago and I love it! The first time I used homemade laundry soap, it was a gift from a friend. It was liquid and included ingredients like Fels Naptha, baking soda, and Borax. It was ok; but I personally prefer powder and I am a fan of good smells. So I googled the subject and kept experimenting until I found one that I really liked. Here is my favorite recipe:

1 bar of pink ZOTE soap (found at my walmart by the starch)
4 cups of Borax (walmart)
2 cups of Super Washing Soda (***NOT Baking Soda) (my walmart stopped selling it, so I buy at Harris Teeter now)

1.) Cut the soap into four sections and grate with cheese grater.
2.) Dump grated soap into blender.
3.) Add Borax and washing soda to blender.
4.) Blend into powder - about 1 minute. (May have to blend half at a time)


Use 1 TBS in sm/med loads. 2 in lg. or extra soiled loads.
Cost: about $.02/load
1 Bar of soap = about 60 regular loads!
This will last me about 4 months.  Before then,  I usually only have to buy another bar of soap ($1.19) because my powder ingredients still have plenty left in them. Mix more up, and wash again for another four months or so.



You cannot substitute the Borax or Washing Soda; but if you can't find pink ZOTE, use Ivory or any 1 bar of soap -then use 1 cup of Borax and 1/2 cup of washing soda. May not keep your whites white, so add 1/4 c. white vinegar to rinse cycle (rinsing with hot water helps, but not essential with vinegar tip.)

Why I use what I use:

1. Trying to go as green as possible. - In most cases it saves you money!
2. I needed a soap that was gentle enough for my baby girl and dreft is too
expensive!
3. Pink ZOTE smells great, is cheap, great stain remover, and includes a whitener. Fels Naptha is all natural, but it doesn't smell as good so you may want to use a few drops of your favorite essential oil (ie. peppermint oil or orange oil). FN also doesn't keep your laundry as fresh as long as ZOTE does.
4. Borax is all natural and is a great deodorizer.
5. Washing Soda cuts grease and helps remove stains.

For stains (ie. ring around the collar) you may rub Zote or Naptha bar on stain, then wash or use my homemade Oxyclean recipe....coming soon!
Have Fun!!!