Solo

 

Sweetheart and my Mom left while I was out milking Buttercup to head back to Denver.  That leaves me in charge again of three kids, one cow and 18 chickens.  Hopefully, this trip will be faster for Sweetheart for all our sakes.  We will miss my Mom though.  We have enjoyed this time with her and her help was invaluable when Sweetheart was gone and I had to hand milk.

I am still hand milking, but hope to try the machine out again tomorrow.  Timing the milkings to be done while all the kids are sleeping is fine when it only takes a half hour.  The hour and a half to two hour thing, not so easy.  Essentially, when I add in all the prep work and clean up, Buttercup is a part time job seven days a week.  Plus, there is the added time of simply making all the butter, cheeses, and yogurts.  No wonder I am struggling with my time.

Yesterday I made some more coffee creamer.  I love flavored coffee, but when I actually started reading the labels in the grocery store a few years ago (!) I had to stop buying them.  I really try to eat anything containing ingredients I cannot pronounce.  It is a simply rule really, but makes for a lot more cooking from scratch.
I was inspired by her posts on creamers a few weeks ago and pinned them.  Since I have an unlimited source of fresh milk and creamer I decided to try some.

Now, I have altered the recipes to fit what I have on hand and doubled the recipes (see unlimited source of milk note).  Essentially, I heat up one cup of milk and one cup of cream until they steam.  Then add a variety of ingredients.  The link's recipes call for maple syrup for sweetener and cacao beans.  Not having these on hand, I just used sugar or sucanat and unsweetened cocoa powder.  Not as natural, but I don't get out much and try to use what is on hand.  I did equal amounts of sugar for syrup, but it was pretty sweet the first time.  Now I just use less.

I don't seem to have almond extract on hand, but I have all sorts of other yummy extracts I had bought at my favorite spice store before we moved.  Last night's batch was one cup milk, one cup cream, 4 Tbl cocoa, 3 Tbl sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 tsp orange extract.  I have made it with coconut extract and plan to try out my caramel extract next time.  (I just on their website they have a Butterscotch Extract.  Yum!  Maybe I can get Sweetheart to drop in before he comes home!)  I poured it all into a quart-sized milk bottle and chilled it.  Shake well before pouring!  And try not to just drink it out of the bottle.  I have heard that some people do that.  :)

So now after freezing out in the barn this morning, I turned on the coffee percolator as soon as I got back inside.  I let the coffee brew while I skimmed and chilled the milk.  Then I poured my huge mug full of strong coffee and added the creamer.  A little bit of bliss goes a long way!  And there is no weird film left on your tongue.  What is that from?  Sorry.

Ok, so today we are planning on just relaxing and having some fun.  I do need to churn butter and steam juice the elderberries I picked the other day.  There will probably be some cookies or scones made as well.  I will need to check on the apples on the trees and maybe pick some more pears.

Last Sunday, I made cookies after breakfast and surprised the boys with a reading and eating cookie time just all snuggled together.  It was such a nice break after all the turmoil of the week.  And seriously, those cookies are just perfect this time of year and gingery and spicey and soft.  Go make some.  And sub in some coconut oil for the shortening, if you want.  It is an old recipe.  ;)  Also, you don't have to make them in bear shapes.  I just use my mini cookie scoop thing and bake them for 10-12 minutes.

Well, I just heard the boys wake up, so it is time to go.  Have a wonderful weekend!  What kinds of fun do you have planned?

Cold Days

The snow is lightly falling today. We are staying inside where it is warm. Dumpling is such a big help with the baking. ;)

I made seven quarts of granola this morning. Don't know what I was thinking. We all like it, but I am thinking I will need to be sharing or freezing some of this bounty. I usually make just half the recipe, but it sounded good so I just made the full batch. Guess I won't have to make it again until the baby is born. In September.

We were planning to head out and pick up some more wheat and grains to have on hand, but have moved that plan out until Thursday. We get our serious bulk (50 lb. bags) from Nadine at Family Baker.

I have discovered Quinoa and been making a ton of it these last few months. While paying so much at once seems crazy, it lasts well and cost only half of what it would buying in in smaller bulk amounts at the store. I love Quinoa in a variety of dishes. For breakfast, I love this recipe for Warm & Nutty Quinoa. It is so flavorful and keeps me feeling full a lot longer than oatmeal because it has so much protein. For a savory salad option, there is this recipe.

I have also just made a big batch of it plain early in the week and then had some for breakfast with the berries and pecans and other meals adding it to my own salads. In the salads, it is sort of like couscous.

One thing---you MUST rinse it a ton!!! If you do not rinse it enough before cooking it, it will be bitter and gross. Ask me how I know. I know soak it and rinse it a bunch before cooking it. Keeping rinsing/soaking until the water is clear and there are no bubbles.

Quinoa is great because it is a huge protein source. It is rather flavorless on its own, so it is very adaptable. It is also gluten-free which is helpful as I have several friends now not eating gluten. It is like a grain, but technically isn't.

Wow. I wasn't planning on an entire post on Quinoa. I am just happy to be awake while the boys nap to get a chance to write at all!

What else...flax seeds. I added them to the granola and had them on my oatmeal this morning. I've been adding them to all sorts of things and even just munching on a spoonful plain. They have a nice, nutty taste and lots of goodness in them.

I will be making up some yogurt cheese/quark as soon as I can pry myself off of this chair. I basically strain plain yogurt for a long time and then use it in place of cream cheese and sour cream and as a spread base. I had only made it with herbs and spices for flavor, but may dish out a bit and add some fruit juice for a sweeter spread.

There are sprouts soaking on the windowsill today as well. Those will get added to the next Quinoa Salad. :) We also like to just eat them plain out of the jar! We being Pumpkin and I. Sweetheart & Dumpling don't care for them.

Gee, I must be hungry. I haven't written this much on food in quite some time!

I also worked ahead on menu planning as per Rachel Anne's challenge today. I did this for the first time when she posted it in January and did it again for February. Since I am trying to be a good Company Girl I figured I needed to forged ahead on March. So, we are all planned through April 1 at which time I will probably collapse and order take-out pizza for a week. Just kidding.

It went pretty well as far as the planning as I took out my new cookbook, Tosca Roma's Eat Clean, opened up to the entree section and just starting plugging recipes that sounded good into my weekly plan. I was able to full up most of March. I skipped a few recipes that just didn't seem to be anything we'd eat, but overall really like the book.

No, I am not dieting while pregnant. And yes, the first recipe I made from it was her brownie recipe. I just needed some help cleaning up our meals a bit. I am a great Comfort Food Cook. I love cooking and baking from scratch. It means virtually no preservatives, which is good, but a lot of butter and other yumminess that might not be as good for us. Balance is good.

Well, I need to clean up the disaster that is my kitchen after cooking away today. And I think I need a snack. Hmmm....granola anyone?

Peppermint Mocha Shortbread

This is the Starbucks treat in a cookie. Yum.

Peppermint Mocha Shortbread

Mix:

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

Cut in:

1 stick of butter

Blend it all together well and press it into a greased 13x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes.

Meanwhile...

Melt and Mix:

1/2 package of chocolate chips

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

2 tsp instant espresso powder

Spread the chocolate mixture onto the shortbread after it's baked. Then top with about a 1/2 cup of smashed candy canes. Let cool and slice into pieces.

***

I made this recipe up for one of my Christmas Teas. I won't be having a big Christmas Tea this year, but these still must be made! :)

Warning: These should not be eaten in the evening--unless you need to stay up late sewing, or wrapping presents! That caffeine will get you!

Recipes!

I had the Bunco ladies over Tuesday night. I thought I would just post all my recipes on here so they can have them.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 lb cream cheese
3/4 milk or half and half
1 Tbl minced onion
1 clove minced garlic, or some garlic salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped spinach (10 oz box/bag frozen or 1/2 lb fresh spinach, blanched)
1 13-15 oz can of artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped
2/3 cup grated Monterey jack or mozzarella cheese

Mix it all together and cook in the Crockpot (low 2 hrs) or oven (350 degrees) until hot and cheeses are melted. Serve with sliced bread or crackers.

Why is it that only women like this dip? The ladies went nuts for it, and said they love to eat it, but don't make it because their husbands don't like it. Sweetheart and the boys won't eat it either. I doubled the recipe, but I wish I had just done the regular amount. I wonder if I can freeze the rest???

**

Carrot Ginger Soup

This is one of those recipes that isn't a recipe with real measurements. Sorry.

Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil in a big pot. Chop up 1/2-1 whole onion and saute it in the oil for a few minutes. Chop up about 8-10 cups of carrots. Add about two tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger. Saute them with the onions for a few minutes. Add broth to cover the carrots. Cook on medium heat until the carrots are soft.
Remove the carrots and purree them in a food processor or blender. Return the carrots to the pan. Stir in some white or red wine, just a few tablespoons, for added flavor. Add more broth or water to make the soup the consistency you desire. Add salt and pepper and spices to taste.
This is nice served with some sour cream on the top and some fresh cilantro or parsley. Such a lovely orange color, so perfect for Autumn!
I made this on Monday afternoon and then just warmed it in the Crockpot on Tuesday to serve for dinner. I think it tastes even better the second day.

**

Bread

Click HERE for the recipe. You can use white or wheat flour in this recipe.

**

We had salad, but there is not really a recipe to that. I will eventually get to writing a post on making sprouts. But not today. :) The salad dressing was made with 3 parts red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar, 1 part olive oil, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, pinch of sugar, a few shakes of garlic salt, fresh ground pepper and dried herbs like thyme, savory, and rosemary. Mix together and enjoy.

**

Cream Cheese Chicken

Chop up enough chicken breasts for the people you are serving, about a half pound per person. Sprinkle with seasoning salts and dried herbs. (I just have a jar of dried herbs mixed with kosher salt I use on everything. The herbs are rosemary, thyme, chives, savory, cilantro, parsley, and oregano. It is mostly just stuff I grow in the garden and dry.)
Pile the chicken into the crockpot or baking dish. Top with cream cheese, the amount depends on how much chicken you are cooking. About an 8 oz box works for dinner for four. Cook in the crockpot until the chicken is cooked through, stirring occansionally to mix up the cream cheese after it is melted. If using the oven, bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is toasty.
The cream cheese adds a wonderful flavor and the chicken is so moist. Sweetheart and the boys love this for a quick dinner. I usually steam a pot of brown rice to go with it. We were given a rice cooker as a wedding present and use it all the time. Just add a little extra water for brown rice as it seems to need a bit more moisture when cooking.

**

Dessert & Munchies:

**
Ginger Bear Cookies, Candied Almonds and Smoked Almonds (Click on these for the recipes.)

**

Poppycock

8 cups of lightly salted popcorn (Be sure to pick out all unpopped kernels!)
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 cups nuts like pecans & almonds

Spread out the popcorn & nuts on a greased cookie sheet. Combine everything else and cook over medium heat until caramel brown. Immediately pour this over the popcorn & nuts stirring gently. Spread out & break up any big clumps. Let cool. Try not to eat it all.
(from With Heart & Soul from Among Friends)
I think tins of the Poppycock and the almonds would make a great gift. I am not sure how long the popcorn would stay fresh though. I usually make a half batch unless there is company and it is always eaten too soon to find out.

**

Chocolate Cloud Cake

I'll eventually get this one posted, but I am out of computer time today!

Mmm...Coffee!

While I drink tea a lot (understatement) I do enjoy coffee as well, especially this time of year. Though I usually drink my tea hot and black, I love sweet coffee with lots of flavor.
I stopped buying the fancy creamers when I decided to stop eating and drinking things that contain ingredients I cannot pronounce. Amazing how much "food stuff" that eliminates! Seriously, what are we eating? /soapbox.
What is a girl to do when she even starts to question her Pumpkin Spice Lattes and wonder what that weird film they leave on the roof of one's mouth is all about? One hopes it is just the fat from the whipped cream, but still.
There are a few recipes out there like this one I'll try when I bake squashes this weekend for purees. Until then, I'm using my Pumpkin Spice Brown Sugar.
I had poured a little brown sugar in a jar and stirred in some cinnamon and cloves a few weeks ago. Mixing it all together added great flavor and kept the floating spices to a minimum. It is also amazing in oatmeal. This morning I noticed I needed to make more. Someone had commented and asked how I had mixed it up before, but I didn't pay attention so I wasn't sure.
Today I paid attention. I had read about how easy it was to make brown sugar so I decided to kill to birds with one stone. I poured one cup of regular sugar into a jar and added one tablespoon of molasses. That's it: instant brown sugar. It is soft and flavorful, but not at all overwhelming. I then stirred in a tablespoon of cinnamon, and a teaspoon of both cloves and nutmeg.
It turned out great! I love molasses so I may add more in the future. Did you know that the only real difference between light and dark brown sugar? It' just more or less molasses. Super easy and know I can just make up what I'll need and not have bags of brown sugar going rock hard in the pantry. It is cheaper, too.
It will be great the next time I make these and use my homemade vanilla extract. Hmm...that gets me thinking. Maybe I should pour some of the vanilla in the spice sugar for coffee. See? This is how I get myself in trouble: one thing just leads to another.
I am now imagining how good this cup of coffee would be with a batch of Ginger Bears. So soft and autumny and filled with molasses and spices. They'd make a good dinner, right?
I just remembered this post I read recently. She had some links for homemade creamers. I think I might need to add a pint of half and half to the milk order for tonight's delivery. Any fun ideas to share yourself?

High Protein Granola Bars

I made these today. So delicious! The whole house smelled so good and with 19 grams of protein per bar, I'll probably never buy another protein bar again. These are amazing and don't have any weird taste like so many of the bars out there have.
I did use butter because that is all I had. I also spread them out on my big 1/2 sheet cookie sheet. Since they were thinner I only baked them for 45 minutes. I put a handful of raisins and pecans on one side of the pan and a handful of chocolate chips and pecans on the other, then just pressed the oat mix on top evenly. They are both great. I think next time I will soak the raisins a bit before hand as the raisins on the edges were pretty dry.
I had never used Texturized Vegetable/Soy Protein before. I found it in the bulk bins at the grocery store. I'll definitely be looking for more recipes that use it though as I thought these were so good. I love molasses and cinnamon. Yum!

Apple Recipes

Curried Apple Chutney

2 qts (about 16 medium) apples- peeled, cored and chopped

2 lbs seedless raisin

4 cups brown sugar

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped sweet red pepper

3 Tbl mustard seed

2 Tbl ginger

2 tsp allspice

2 tsp curry powder

2 tsp salt

2 hot red peppers, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer until thick, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Ladle hot chutney into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Adjust time for altitude.

Applesauce

2 1/2-31/2 pounds of apples per quart

water

sugar, if desired

Wash apple, core, peel and slice or quarter apples. Cook apples until soft in a large covered saucepan with just enough water to prevent sticking. Puree using a food processor or food mill. Return apple pulp to saucepan. Add sugar to taste, if desired. Feel free to add spices as desired such as cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg or cloves. Bring applesauce to a boil (212 F) stirring to prevent sticking. Maintain temperature at a boil while filling jars. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving ½ inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust caps. Process pints and quarts for 20 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Adjust time for altitude. (Denver add 10 minutes.)

I bought another 80 pounds of apples for about 120 lbs total. I'm working away and thought I'd share a few recipes for you all. I did run all the cores through the cider press and made a pint of cider. Not a lot of yield for so much stuff. Be back in a few days!
Recipes from the Ball Blue Book of Canning. Can't recommend this book enough! It has everything you need to learning canning. Remember-last year was the first time I had ever canned anything. I never learned and no one I knew canned. So if I can, can, you can.

Dreaming of Tuscany

Having completely thrown over my plans to spend the day with the apples, I've instead been pouring through A Thousand Days in Tuscany, a book my Mom brought over last night. I've taken a brief break from reading to start a loaf of Schiacciata Toscana, or Tuscan Flat Bread. I love books with related recipes written in them. I'm guessing it will be like a fochacia bread with fresh rosemary, sea salt, and olive oil as focal ingredients. It contains a fair amount of cornmeal so that will add a bit of a different texture, I think.


I dashed out back and picked some rosemary and basil. I have a bowl full of fresh tomatoes and am trying to figure out what all I want to make. Maybe some pasta with grilled chicken? Shall I pick some beans to add to the mix? A bit of zucchini is always good with the abundance we have right now. Decisions, decisions. How blessed we are to have all that we do!

The bread is on its second rising and I've just minced the rosemary so my hands are fragrant with that delicious piney scent.

We've just tucked the boys in for naps and I need to spend more time outside cleaning up the garden spaces. I pulled the sunflowers out over several days this week and discovered all sorts of things still growing, hiding and seeking out a bit of sunshine. We'll see how they do know that the crazy canopy of sunflowers is gone. I've been collecting seeds from the various flower heads for planting next year.

I am planning on not having the sunflowers in that garden area next year. I also think the mallows and cosmos were a bit much. They simply all engulfed the smaller plants and groundcovers I put in. Right now there are purple mums blooming away, a purple delphinium, and one purple anenome. The gladiolus came in purple as did a mystery bulb. There are a lot of different greens from the rosemary and basil plants to the lemon balm and baby tears.

Besides all the glorious shades of purple, there are bright spots from the nasturtiums and a few forget-me-nots. The forget-me-not seeds are easy to save as they are little burrs and I am forever picking them off of whatever I've worn into the garden. They also love to attach themselves to my hair where I seem to find them hours later.

As the days cool we're spending as much time out back as we can. The boys played out back as I pulled and cut and tended the gardens yesterday. They love their sandbox and running through the grass. Pumpkin loves to see all that's still growing and is happily counting watermelons and cantaloupes. I'm amazed by the tomatoes and beans! Some of the tomatoes are enormous and I hope they ripen up this week.

This is so wonderful to be enjoying the bounty. Worth all the endless hours of work this spring and summer to make it all happen. I will be even happier next year when all I have to do is plant and not do all the work we did to get this all going. We still have the old garden area to whip into shape and I am planning on doing more weed pulling as soon as I can put the bread in the oven.

Ciao!

PS- Here's the link to the Spice Pumpkin Waffles. The chutney recipe requires me typing more, so it'll be up another day.

Afternoon Tea Cake

I made this earlier with a jar of wild plum jam I canned this summer.
Oh my.
Hope there's some left by the time Sweetheart comes home! :)
Here's the recipe. It's simple and tastes sublime with a cup of Earl Grey.

Going Crackers!

Ok, in my search for recipes that can replace the stuff I used to buy, I've found some wonderful recipes for crackers. I thought I'd share the recipes with all of you! I was surprised at how easy and quick these are all to make and they don't require any weird ingredients. They are also preservative-free, so no weird film on your tongue.

Here's what's in the oven now:

Cheddar Cheese Crackers
My guys would eat Goldfish all day long if they could. These taste great! You could make them in the little fishy shape, or any other with cookie cutters, but I find my way easier and the guys will still eat them. These taste just like Cheezits.
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup flour (I used white the first time I made these, but today I used my regular wheat flour I mill.)
4 Tbl butter or margarine
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to sprinkle on top
dash of paprika and cayenne pepper, to taste
1/4 c water

I grated/chopped my cheese in the food processor first, keeping one cup in the food processor and removing the rest. I then added the rest of the ingredients except the water. I ran the processor for a few seconds to mix everything up. Then, I added the water and blended again. Once it stuck together in pieces I dumped it out onto a cookie sheet that I had lightly greased with butter.

I then pressed the dough together and smoothed it out around the pan.
Next, I used my rolling pin to make it all level and smooth. This batch filled my entire (large) cookie sheet. Then sprinkle some salt on the top and lightly press it into the dough with the rolling pin. Finally, cut the crackers into whatever shapes you desire.
I use my pastry wheel because it is easy and I like the waves. A pizza cutter, or a knife would work as well, or cookie cutters if you're really wanting shapes. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees until lightly browned and crisp. Just check them every few minutes until they look done to you. I probably cooked these about 10-15 minutes, checking every two minutes. I don't know how long it took altogether as I was typing this at the same time and refereeing the boys.

Let cool and remove from the sheet carefully with a spatula. Wait until they are completely cooled before storing them in an air-tight container. I must not have waited long enough last time as they were soft the next day. I simply put them back in the oven for a few more minutes and they crisped right up!

*** We're munching on these now as I type this. I think next time I'll use the white flour. They are good, but they don't taste as cheesey as the other batch did. They still good, but more wheaty, if you know what I mean. I also think I baked them a bit too long. I shouldn't try to bake and blog at the same time! The boys just keep asking for more, so they don't mind!***********

I've also made these Rosemary Garlic Crackers several times. The third recipe is for some crackers that are like Wheat Thins.

Well, I hope you try one or all of these recipes! They are really good and a lot easier to make than I would have thought. Let me know if you have a cracker recipe you like, or if you try these.

***********Crackers Revisited 12/09/10***********************
Mmm... Just made double batches of the Wheat Crackers and the Cheese Crackers. Yummy! I used all wheat flour and they taste great. Guess we've just adjusted to all wheat. :) I am storing them in glass jars when they are cool. They stay crisp for quite awhile.
I had a friend (Hi Kaela!) ask the other night about the crackers. She said her rolling pin didn't fit into her cookie sheet. I started to wonder if anyone else had this problem. I guess turning the pan around still might not let you fill all the corners. So, today I rolled the dough onto sheets of parchment paper cut to fit my pans. Then placed the paper into the pan for baking. Worked great and they pop right off the paper after baking. Hope this helps!

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions. I'd love to hear how yours turn out as well. ~Kimberly

More Simple Living Links & Recipes

This picture in no way relates to this post. He's just cute and makes me smile. I'd add a picture of Pumpkin, but all his pictures are blurry as he's constantly on the go!

***

We'll just start at the beginning of the day.

I am looking forward to using our own soap soon. We've got all the ingredients and are just awaiting Sweetheart making the soap molds. Until then, we use all sorts of soaps, some handmade, some store bought.

I started using vinegar for conditioner over a year ago. I used just plain white vinegar and filled up an old conditioner bottle with it refilling as needed. It worked fine. Somewhere along the way, I started using apple cider vinegar and I don't know why. I think I ran out of white, but had the apple cider on hand. I'll just finish that bottle off that and decide what to do from there. You can steep herbs in the vinegar, but I never have. I never seem to remember until I'm in the shower and then it's too late!

I still used regular shampoo until it ran out. I had tried using baking soda for shampoo because I'd read others were with great success. Me, not so much. Turns out--you need to dissolve the baking soda in water first, not just rub the powder on your head. Ohhhh. Lesson learned.

I read a link off of Tonia's one day that explained it all better than I can, or have time to do. While I love Tonia's site and heartily recommend its reading, the blog with the shampooing info I am not endorsing. I've not read around it to know where she's coming from on things. The direct link to the shampoo post is fine.

I keep the baking soda in just a canning jar in the bathroom with a spoon. In the shower is just an old plastic jar with no lid I'm forever reusing. When I go to turn the shower on, I put a spoonful of the baking soda in the jar and fill it with the hot water. I do not recommend filling the jar with soda and water after a shower and just letting it sit. Why? When you dump it on your wet head the next morning, it's freezing. Ask me how I know...

After I wet my hair, I pour the soda water mixture on my scalp a bit at a time rubbing it in to my scalp. When I'm out of the mix, I just rinse it all with the water. Then I pour some of the vinegar in the old shampoo bottle either directly on my head, or mix it with water in the same jar I used for the soda. It bubbles. That's fine. After I do the vinegar rinse, I rinse my hair once more.

My hair only has ever smelled like vinegar one time and that was because I forgot to rinse out the straight vinegar. Live and learn. (Keep it out of your eyes though as it may sting. Surprisingly, I haven't done that one. Sweetheart just warned me.) Really, you won't smell like Easter eggs doing this! It's like using vinegar for cleaning, which I do all the time. There is no smell when it dries.

All this takes less time to do than to write. It takes no longer than regular shampooing. For me, it takes even less because my hair is so crazy thick that it takes forever to get regular shampoo out of it. My hair is naturally wavy and pretty long. This all works great for me and I get less tangles than I ever did using regular shampoos and conditioners and I think I tried them all.

Why would anyone do this? Well, for me it actually works BETTER than the standard products. Also, it is a lot more natural which is better for all of us in so many ways. (The link goes into more details about the common chemicals in shampoo.) It's also A LOT less expensive. I haven't bought shampoo or conditioner for over a year now and I used to go through bottle after bottle because my hair is so long and thick.

****

What's next?
Shan's site for homemade laundry detergent. However, last time I looked I couldn't find the link. Sorry! Here's what to do though.


I feel like Pioneer Woman whenever I line everything up on the counter like this. Of course, if I was Pioneer Woman, there would be large quantities of butter involved. And better photos. And more people reading and commenting.

Anyway, the basic recipe for Homemade Laundry Detergent is easy. Ingredients: 1 bar of Ivory or 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha soap, 1/2 cup borax, 1/2 cup washing soda,

32 cups of water, and essential oils, if desired. NOTE: Washing soda is NOT the same as baking soda. Both are by Arm & Hammer, but they are not the same. It should be in the laundry area of the store.

Grate the soap. I just use a regular cheese grater and it only takes a minute or two.

Put six cups of water in a big pan and melt the grated soap. Stir. This should only take a few minutes (5+-) depending on your heat. Don't walk away with the temp to high. It will boil over. Again, ask me how I know. At least it smells nice when it does.Once the soap melts, add the borax and washing soda. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add four cups of hot water to your bucket, or other storage container. Pour the soap mix in. Stir well. Add 22 more cups of water to the bucket. Stir. Add a few drops of essential oils, if you like. I added lavender this time, but peppermint is nice, too!

Let the detergent sit for about 24 hours to gel, if you like. I try to remember to stir it a few times as it's cooling and gelling just to help keep it from separating. I don't always remember. I just keep mine in the bucket with a towel over it on the dryer in the laundry room. Use 1/2 cup or so per load. I just kept the cup from the last jug of laundry detergent I used about a year ago. I've been using this recipe for about a year now with no complaints. I just pour it directly on spots as needed as well instead of special stain removers.

Again, this is something that is easy, more natural and a lot less expensive. It also takes less time to whip up a batch than it does to go to the store. I've run out of soap while still having laundry. When that happens, I just scoop it out and use it ungelled. It still works just fine. Once our own soap is ready and I'm out of Ivory, I'll just grate that up. Can you tell I'm looking forward to soap making?

*****

I've got more to share from making cheese and butter this weekend, but it'll have to wait. This has taken too long already. Hope you're enjoying these ideas. I'm off to finish dinner!