Homemade Laundry Detergent

YAY! Finally I'm back with another recipe, however this isn't for your tummy, it's for your clothes! :) My wonderful friend Veronica and I had such a fun time making this TWO GALLONS worth of laundry detergent for DIRT CHEAP! I'm a stay at home mom and with another one on the way I need to find ways to seriously save money. With this recipe each load will come out to about a PENNY in cost! If that's not fabulous I don't know what is, it even smells clean!

You will need-
2 Gallon Bucket (I got a 5 gallon bucket and doubled the recipe)
1 Bar of Zote (soap found in laundry aisle of Wal-Mart, $1.12)
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (it is very important to use WASHING SODA and not baking soda, this is kind of hard to find, I found it at ACE Hardware $2.23)
1/2 cup 20 Mule Borax (also found at Wal-Mart$3.27)
- If it strikes your fancy, you can add about 10-16 drops of any scent of Pure Essential Oil


(A picture of what the Zote looks like so you know what to look for.)

Grate the soap and put in a large pot.




Add 6 cups of water and heat it until the soap melts.



Add the washing soda and borax until it is dissolved.





(it gets this fabulous liquid detergent look and feel)

Remove from heat.
Pour 4 cups of hot water into the bucket.
Now add your soap mixture and stir.
Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir (totals 22cups).
Let the soap sit for 24 hours and it will gel.
You use 1/2 cup per load.



*Don't be alarmed if after 24 hours it has turned into something similar of egg drop soup. It's supposed to look that way! Happy washing!!!

Chicken Squares

3 oz softened cream cheese
3 tblsp melted margarine
2 cups cooked cubed chicken
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2tblsp milk
1 tblsp chopped green onion
1 tblsp chopped pimento
8oz refrigerated crescent rolls

In a bowl blend cream cheese and 2 tblsp margarine (reserve 1 tblsp) until smooth. Add the next 6 ingredients and mix well. Separate crescent rolls into four rectangles. Firmly press perforation to seal when making two rolls into 1 rectangle.
Spoon 1/2 cup meat mixture into center of each rectangle. Pull four corners of dough to top center and twist together to close. Brush tops with reserved maragarine.
Bake one cookie sheet at 375 for 20-25 min.

Want to make it stretch? Use 3 8oz cans of refrigerated crescent rolls (giving you 12 chicken squares), omit the green onion and pimento. Chop one small onion, 4 or 5 carrots, and 4 or 5 stalks of celery- cook in some EVOO or margarine before you cook your cubed chicken, then add chicken to veggie mixture.. It will take a bit more cream cheese and butter- but its fabulous this way too! :)


ENJOY
Best love and dishes!

Grandma Latham's Ground Beef Stroganoff

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp finely chopped garlic (more if desired)
1 tblsp butter or margarine
1 lbs ground beef
2 tblsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
2 small cans of sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups sour cream

Cook onions and garlic in a little butter or margarine (cook til soft, do not brown). Stir in meat, flour, seasonings and cook for about 5 min or until the meat is done. Add mushroom, then soup. Simmer for 10min. Add a little milk of needed. Serve over hot rice or egg noodles.
*Serves 4-6


ENJOY
Best love and dishes!

I'm having a bit of problem

Please excuse the funky pictures, I have NO clue why some are cut off and some are WAY zoomed in.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake

So, Tim loves Stove Top. As I was in the grocery store yesterday I noticed there were recipes on the back of the box, so I got the Chicken kind and here it is:

1pkg STOVETOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 1/2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1in pieces
1 bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup of milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese!

It was pretty good. Tim said he'd like it again, Bella ate it up fast... Here it is, how come food home baked isn't as pretty as they have it prepared in pictures?!



ENJOY
Best love and dishes!

Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

First the basic lasagna recipe:
1 package lasagna noodles
1 egg
Basil (to taste, I do a lot of to taste recipes, sorry!!)
16oz container of ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
Di Capua Family Marinara Sauce

Boil the noodles according to directions on the box. Combine ricotta cheese, 1 egg and basil to taste. Once noodles and marinara are done, put a couple spoonfuls of marinara down on the very bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, layer noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, parmesan, sauce, then noodles, cheeses, sauce... and keep going til you've topped it off making sure to seal the top with a layer of noodles sauce and mozzarella.

Now for the variations, you can fry up hamburger and add it to the sauce, Italian sausage (just make sure to remove the casing before frying), and finally mushroom and spinach: I bought a package of pre-rinsed spinach and a package of pre-rinsed sliced mushrooms I added them to the sauce til the mushrooms were tender and the spinach was wilted. Just make the lasagna like the basic recipe, except your's will be more interesting because it'll have some yummies in the sauce!

ENJOY
Best love and dishes!

Di Capua Family Marinara Sauce

1 large can whole peeled tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 large can crushed tomatoes, puree works
3-4 finely chopped cloves garlic
1 chopped onion
2-3 turns EVOO
basil and oregano to taste
1 bay leaf

Using either a food processor or blender blend the whole peeled tomatoes til they're nice and smooth, set aside. In a large pot, saute the garlic and onion in the EVOO til onions are clear, do not brown. Bring to a boil the blended whole tomatoes, paste, and puree, bay leaf, adding the basil and oregano to your liking. Lower the temperature to med/low to simmer. Let simmer for 3-4 hours. Add to any favorite Italian dish or some pasta!

Best love and dishes!

Creamy Corn and Spinach Enchiladas

Looking for a quick and hearty dinner? Want to kinda cheat? I call this RESCUE ROTISSERIE!

These enchiladas have a creamy richness that is hard to resist. They also have a nice tang from the green sauce. Scrumptious and fast, the cream spinach and cream-style corn tucked inside make them even more luscious. Use a measuring cup to scoop the filling. This will keep sizes approximately the same for even baking.

Ingredients
Filling:

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
* 2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, pulled apart by hand
* 1 (4-ounce) can diced mild green chiles
* 2 teaspoons chili powder
* 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
* 1 (10-ounce) box frozen creamed spinach, thawed
* 1/2 cup light sour cream
* 1 cup already shredded Monterey jack cheese (4 ounces)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 12 super size corn tortillas (each about 6 1/2-inches across)

Sauce:

* 3/4 cup green taco sauce or salsa verde (not chunky)
* 1/2 cup light sour cream
* Shredded Monterey jack cheese, to taste
* 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves (I don't care for cilantro so I leave it out)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 13 by 9-inch pan and a piece of foil large enough to cover the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the filling: Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it is clear, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken, chiles and chili powder, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the corn, spinach, sour cream, cheese, and salt.

Place a stack of 6 tortillas between damp paper towels and microwave on high power until the tortillas are hot and soft enough to roll, about 1 minute. Cover with a cloth towel to keep warm. Remove 1 tortilla at a time, keeping the other tortillas covered, and place a rounded 1/3 cup of the filling down to the center. Roll into a cylinder and place in the prepared pan, seam side down and close enough to touch. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake until the enchiladas are hot, about 30 minutes.

Sauce: Meanwhile, stir the taco sauce and sour cream together in a small bowl. Uncover the pan and spread the sauce over the hot enchiladas. Sprinkle cheese and cilantro over the top. Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbly, about 10 minutes.



ENJOY
Best love and dishes!

Don't be afraid of the package...

This little package saves me on a lot of cold and rainy days.

In turn with making a few changes, it turns to something like this:


When I fry up my ground beef or turkey I like to dice an onion and throw that in with it. I also add a can of whole kernel corn. I use a large can of diced tomatoes and a small can of tomato paste. Also kidney beans. Top it with anything you like, here are a few idea: purple onion, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream and chives.
Best Dishes and Love!

Grandma Mary's Lemon Meringue Pie

(adjusted a smidgen)

Ingredients

* 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1/2 cup lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 3 egg yolks
* 1 (8-inch) prebaked pie shell or crumb crust

Meringue:

* 3 egg whites
* 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1/4 cup sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, and zest; blend in egg yolks. Make sure not to stir too much, thus will cause the filling to not be able to set. Pour into cooled crust.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks from. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff. Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

Said best by good ol Paula Deen ya'll,
Best Dishes and Love!!

Inspiration

First I really need to thank my friends for inspiring me to do a blog. Let's hope I can keep it updated regularly.
As you all may know I am a stay at home mom, one of the duties is making a home cooked meal every night for my family. I've learned A LOT from this easy (it's easy once you get into a groove) task. For instance: When a recipe says to not "over mix", DO NOT over mix! If the ingredients are listed in a specific order, there's a reason for it. Also, Cassi and I learned this weekend, if it calls for the dish to cool in the fridge for an allotted time, cool it for that time!
Lastly, most of my dishes are created not too far from Betty Crocker or the Latham Family Cookbook that you get when you married. I love a recipe and a cookbook. Don't be afraid to use them!
Happy cooking! Hopefully I can give you all some wonderful dinner ideas.