Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

I don't know about you, but I have a really a really hard time paying almost $4.00 for a big bottle of liquid handsoap.  On the other hand, I think having a bar of soap at the sink to wash with is messy.  So, I tried making homemade liquid handsoap and it worked great!  It is WAY cheaper and very easy.

Ingredients:

1 c. grated soap
10 c. water
1 T. liquid glycerin (found by the band-aids at Wal-mart)

Just so you know, this makes about 2 to 3 quarts of handsoap so make sure you have a container big enough to store it in.

Take a bar of soap and grate it with a cheese grater.  One bar of soap gives you more than a cup so just save the remainder in a Ziploc bag for next time.  Put 10 c. water in a large pot.  Add the 1 c. grated soap and 1 T. liquid glycerin.  Heat on medium-low, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until soap flakes are dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Now you need to let it cool completely before putting it in the plastic soap bottle.  At first it is going to be the texture of water but as it cools it will thicken.  However, you need to stir it about every 1/2 hour just to make sure the soap and glycerin stay mixed with the water evenly and don't clump up.  Once it is completely cooled and thicker (after a few hours) then you can put it in the soap bottles.

Bottling Carrots

I decided to try something new and bottle my own carrots.  Carrots really aren't very expensive (at least not yet).  I think I paid $2.18 for a 5# bag at Winco.  Plus I had a couple 2# bags already in in the refrigerator.  All together I got 15 quarts of carrots.

There's really not a whole lot to bottling carrots.  I just peeled, washed, and chopped the carrots.  I put 1/2 tsp. salt (optional)  in each quart jar.  Add boiling water and fill each jar leaving 1" headspace.  Then process in pressure cooker at 10 lbs. for 25 min.  Here is the link of the website I got my information from if you want detailed instructions.  I pretty much did it how she describes except I added a little salt and I also cold-packed mine (didn't boil for 5 min. prior to putting them in the jars).  Happy canning!

Baked Oatmeal

Tried this new recipe this morning for breakfast.  MMMMMMM!!!!!  yummy!  I don't know if I will ever be able to go back to eating slimy oatmeal.  We poured evaporated milk over the top and added some peaches.  Way good!

Baked Oatmeal

3 cups Quaker quick oats

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat together oil and sugar. Mix in eggs, milk, salt, baking powder, oatmeal. Beat well. Pour into a lightly greased pie pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Refrigerate overnight (this step is not essential). Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees until firm, about 35 minutes. Serve hot. Can add milk and/or top with fresh fruit.

Here is where I found it Fabulessly Frugal Baked Oatmeal

Smack Cake

Enjoy this yummy cake created by one of the best cooks I know, my talented Mom!


1 yellow cake mix
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 apple, chopped leaving peel on
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix yellow cake mix according to package instructions.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  Bake as directed on cake mix.  You can serve with whipped cream or just eat it by itself.

Thanks for sharing Mom!

Hearty Blueberry Muffins

I made these muffins this morning and they were so yummy and they stick to your ribs better than regular blueberry muffins. These are what Matt calls "horse food" because they have oats in them, but oh well, I LOVED them! Give them a try!

Blueberry Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Preheat oven to 400 (375 if using a dark pan). Spray pan with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl combine:
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. oat bran
1/3 c. quick oats
1/4 c. wheat germ
1 1/8 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
mix together, then add 1 cup blueberries (frozen, fresh, or canned)

In a separate bowl combine:
1 medium banana-mashed
1/2 c. natural applesauce
1 c. fat free milk
1 T. lemon juice
1 egg white
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Form a well in the dry ingredients, and add wet ingredients. Mix just until blended. It is important not to overmix! Spoon into prepared muffin pan and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Adapted from BodyForLife.com

Teriyaki Meatballs

Teriyaki Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/3 c. dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 T. milk

Sauce:
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 3/4 c. water
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 T.  honey
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water

For the sauce, in a medium bowl mix the soy sauce, 1 3/4 cups water, ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar, and honey together. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into the 1/2 cup cold water. Set both bowls aside.

For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and mix until combined. Form ground beef mixture into 1-inch meatballs. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat two tablespoons oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot (I would omit the oil when using 85% or fatter hamburger). Add the meatballs to the hot skillet and brown on all sides, turning with a pair of tongs. The meatballs don't need to be completely cooked through, just browned on all sides.

When the meatballs have browned, pour the sauce ingredients over the meatballs and gently turn the meatballs to coat them in the sauce. Heat the sauce until just simmering and add the cornstarch/water mixture, carefully mixing so as not to break apart the meatballs as you combine the cornstarch mixture with the teriyaki sauce.

Simmer the meatballs and sauce over medium heat, maintaining a constant simmer but not cooking at too high of a boil, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick and smooth (if the sauce becomes overly thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin), about 10-15 minutes, turning the meatballs every two or three minutes to ensure even cooking. Serve over rice.

Adapted from (www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com)

Cinnamon Pecan Waffles

I couldn't post the Cinnamon Syrup recipe without thinking about these delicious Cinnamon-Pecan Waffles to go with it.  My kids don't like nuts so I make some without the pecans for them.  But Matt and I can't get enough of these.  I believe this is the website I got the recipe from
link

Cinnamon Pecan Waffles

1 3/4 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs, seperated
1 3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. oil
1 c. chopped pecans

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.  In another bowl, combine the egg yolks and oil.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold them into the batter.  Put 1-2 T. of pecans onto a hot waffle iron.  Pour about 1/4 c. batter over the nuts and cook until golden brown.

Yield:  about 6 waffles