Homemade Laundry Soap

My Aunt Janelle got me started on using homemade laundry soap.  I was a skeptic at first but I gave in one day and haven't went back to the expensive stuff since.  If you make a full batch it will make 3 gallons of laundry soap.  She puts hers in ice cream buckets and I have mine in a old bottle of laundry soap.  This is really cost effective and you can make about 12 gallons of soap for about $15 dollars!

In a large stock pan (holds about three gallons) add 1 quart of water and bring to a boil.  Add one grated Fels- Naptha bar of soap (pre-treating bar) and stir in boiling water until all dissolved.

Add 2 Cups of Borax  and 2 Cups of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda, stir and add 2 Gallons of warm water.  Stir really well and let sit over night.

After it sits it will be kind of hard so take a whisk and stir it up.  Only use 1/4 Cup per load!  Coming Soon.... Homemade Fabric Softener

Baked Oatmeal

Okay so here is another borrowed recipe.  This one comes from Peggy (one of my friends mom).  It was super easy, good for leftovers and healthy.  The one thing I really like is that you can add just about anything to it and make it different everytime. 

1/2 Cup Oil
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
3 Cups Rolled Oats (NOT INSTANT!)
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 Cup Milk

  After this you can add whatever you want.  I added....milled flax seeds, blueberries, 1 apple, cinnamon, raisins and cashews.  Any dried fruit or nuts will work.  You can also use 1/2 the amount of sugar if you want. Pour into a 8x8 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30-40 minutes. I am going to slice bananas and pour a little milk over the top and enjoy!

p.s. If you double the batch then you can bake it in a 9x13!

Monster Bars

These are awesome bars and they make a ton!  I am helping put together a cookbook for my sons Preschool and this is one of the recipes that will be going in the book.  I had to try it out! 

Monster Bars:
1/2 Cup Crisco
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Sugar
3 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 Cups Peanut Butter
4 1/2 Cups Oatmeal (not instant)
1 Cup M&M's
1 Cup Chocolate Chips

All you do is mix them up and spread it out in a 11 X 15 pan.  I lined the bottom of the pan with parchment which made it so easy to remove from the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  You want them to be just a little golden brown....whatever you do don't over bake them!  They are that easy....and so good.  You could add nuts if you wanted but I like them just as they are.  Enjoy!

Peep Cake!

My friend Jayna had a picture of this cake on Facebook last year and I thought it was so cute!  I decided it would be perfect to take for Easter Dinner at my Grandparents house.  I am going to try and make the inside match the outside by making the cake lemon and chocolate.  I used 9 inch pans and bought 5 boxs of peeps.  This was enough for the cake and for the kids to have a few!  I went searching for a lemon and chocolate recipe and ended up with these Martha Stewart classics.

Lemon Cake Recipe

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup low-fat buttermilk


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.
3. Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.
4. While cakes are baking, bring remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon slices and simmer 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate. Stir remaining 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice into syrup.

Dark Chocolate Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, room temperature

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans; dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. Line bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition; beat in chocolate and vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in three parts and buttermilk in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
3. Divide batter between prepared pans; smooth tops. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pans 15 minutes; run a knife around edge of each pan, and invert cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Beat cream cheese, butter, and 1 cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until combined. With machine running, add remaining 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, and beat until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes more.

Use yellow food coloring to make a yellow to match the peeps!  This makes a lot of frosting but I think if you only make half you won't have enough.  I think it would be cute to make some cupcakes and frost them with the leftover and top with one peep.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting (Used for the filling!)

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to a boil. Remove from heat; add 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped, and let stand, without stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk just until combined. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until spreadable, about 1 hour

Pan after butter and cocoa powder/flour with parchment paper in the bottom....this will make the cake come out perfect every time!

Layer the cakes Chocolate, Lemon, Chocolate, Lemon!  Oh don't forget to make the awesome lemon glaze to go over the lemon cakes!  The ganache is in the middle!  So good.

Dirty Ice the cake and let it refrigerate for a while...I waited a day.  Add more Icing and add a chocolate center (leftover ganache).

Add the Peeps....don't take them apart just bend them around in the circle.  I left them over hang a little so I could add another layer.  Add Chocolate chips to the middle...this takes awhile but the look is worth it.  Enjoy and Happy Easter!

Homemade Oatmeal Bread

My good friend Kendra makes this bread all the time so I decided, with her help, to make some.  Here is the recipe.

I should warn you this makes A LOT of bread! You can half the recipe and it will work just fine.

3 Cups Oats (the ones you use for cookies!)
1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Wheat Flour
3 Tablespoons Salt
6 Tablespoons Butter
6 Cups Boiling Water

Mix all of these together and let it cool to room temperature.

Next add:
6 3/4 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 Cups warm water
15 Cups Flour

After needing the dough let it double in size.  Divide into about 1 1/2 lb.  pieces and form into loafs.  Let rise again and bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

These loafs freeze really well.  Pictures to come on Friday when we make a batch.

Chicken Chili Soup

I had always wanted to make Chicken Chili Soup but never had a recipe for it so I went online in search of one.  I came up with a few that sounded good so I meshed them together.  Here goes....

In a crock pot add:
1 lb. of cubed raw chicken
1 C. Chopped Onions
1 can Chicken Broth
2 Cloves garlic Chopped
2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds
1/2 teaspoons Oregano Leaves
Let all these ingredients cook on low in the crock pot for 3-5 hours.

Next add:
2 cans of White beans (your choice)
1 small can of green chilies
Let these ingredients cook another hour.

I had to add mine to a stock pot because I made a double batch.
You can add green peppers if you like I did see that in one of the recipes.

Garnish with Monterey Jack cheese and tortilla chips! 

Cloth Napkin/ Silk Poppies

I will admit some of my ideas do come from Martha Stewart.  These poppies came from her latest issue May 2011.  I decided to try making one of them because I just love the look of poppy flowers.  There was only one problem.  I didn't have a lot of silk.  I did however have some vintage cloth napkins I had picked-up at a yard sale.  They already had fringed ends and I didn't know what I was going to do with just a few matching napkins. 

Here is what the final flower will look like if you use all napkins (or cotton).



1. These flowers can be all different sizes and colors so go crazy.  You will need to cut 1 rectangle about 8-12 inches long and 2-5 inches wide.  The wider the rectangle the higher the flower will stand-up.  The second rectangle should be a few inches shorter and narrower.  The third piece should be even smaller.

2.The red fabric here is silk and the gray is part of a napkin.  When cutting the silk make sure you are able to remove some of the threads so you can create the fringe.

3. Next you will sew a running stitch 1/4 inch away from non-fringed edge.  (I used white thread so you could see it...you will want to match up your thread and fabric.)

4. Gather the whole edge and overlap the ends just a little.  Sew together.  You might need to trim off the corners if they stick out to much.  Do the same with the rest of the strips. 

5.Sew them all together and add a button to the center to complete the poppy look.  Now wasn't that easy!  

I think these would be really cute if you add stems and sew them to a purse.  The ones made out of cloth napkins are more sturdy (and washable) and the ones made with the silk are a little more delicate.

   



Handkerchief Flower Pins

My 99 year old great-grandma gave me a handkerchief one Christmas and I have been looking for a way to get some use out of it.  I had heard about making it into a pin/brooch and decided this would be a great way to get some use out of it.  This classic flower will be a great way to save it for years to come.

Here is what the end product will look like.  I plan to wear mine on Easter.

I wanted to try a few before I cut into my great-grandmas to make sure I know what I was doing.  I will show you how to make these two different sizes.  Don't worry these were a lot easier than I thought. 
1. You will need to iron your handkerchief flat.  I always use a spray starch designed for quilting.  It isn't as stiff and it will wear out on it's own without having to be washed.

2.You will need to make a 1 inch cut in the corner to start making your strip.

3.Start cutting a 1 inch strip all around the edge making sure not to cut it completely off.

4.Continue to cut until you reach the center.  You will end-up with one long piece of fabric with a width of 1 inch. 

5.Next you will begin to sew.  You will only need basic sewing skills to complete this project so don't be scared. Start where you made the first cut and start sewing a running stitch along the edge. You can start to gather the strip as you go.

6.After you pull the string tight to gather the fabric strip start rolling the center part.  Use the needle and thread to sew the center part together.  Keep rolling and stitching about every two inches.  Once the strip is gone you should have a fluffy handkerchief flower.

7.If you want a larger flower make your strip 2 inches in width like this one.

and it will end-up like this!

8.To complete the flowers add a piece of felt to the back and sew on a pin or a hair clip!  Enjoy your Handkerchief flowers!