Easy Jam

About 2 weeks ago I found a very easy recipe in a Whole Living magazine for Easy Strawberry Jam. It looked delicious and when I went to the store and found organic strawberries for $1.99 lb, I had to try it!

1. Wash and hull your berries. Slice them in about 1/2 in pieces.




2. Add berries to a saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar. Although, I would suggest less sugar because the finished jam was too sweet for me.

3. Allow to cook over medium heat. Stir until thicker and bubbling (10-15 min).




4. Let cool a bit before transferring to a glass jar, where it can cool completely before refrigerating.




5. Use as a tasty fresh topping to your favorite dishes!

(Here I topped homemade waffles with freshly made whipped cream and the yummy jam!)

It was a little runny but as a topping on waffles I didn't mind. For something more substantial it could be a problem. Not recommended for a PB&J sandwich because of that but delicious none the less!

Laundry Soap

I have had a lot of people asking about how I make our laundry detergent lately. It is a pretty standard recipe that I have seen around for awhile. It makes a great base and some have altered it by adding scents and other "secret ingredients" but the standard works fine for me.

Basic Recipe
This makes one batch equal to approximately 3 cups of powder detergent.
Use 1 TBSP per load. Use more for heavier soiled items.

1 bar of Fels Naptha soap
1 cup of Washing Soda (not baking soda)
1/2 cup Borax

First grate the soap bar on a cheese grater. Second, combine the grated soap and remaining ingredients into a food processor and mix until fine and combined.


I find all of these ingredients in the laundry aisle of Fred Meyer. You can order in bulk online various places and probably save even more money.


Borax is $3.00-$4.00 dollars depending on where you buy it, for a 76oz box.
Washing Soda is usually $4.00 for a 55oz box.
1 5.5oz bar of Fels-Naptha costs $1.25 as the most expensive per bar price I have seen. Amazon sells bars for $0.49!

(this is a 5 batch jar)

I broke it down and figured out that with one box of washing soda you can make 7 batches of detergent. You would need 7 bars of Fels-Naptha and only about a 3rd of the Borax. Using the higher of the cost estimates that would equal about $2.39 per batch of soap. One batch can wash approximately 48 loads of laundry. The cost breaks down to about $0.05 per load of laundry. Plus you have tons of borax left for other cleaning needs and future batches of detergent.

(my laundry soap, vinegar that I use as a fabric softener, baking soda and generic oxy-clean that is occasionally added for whites and linens)

Pineapple upside down cupcakes!

{Last night I made these!!}

Ingredients

• FOR THE BATTER:
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• FOR THE TOPPING:
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
• 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar, tightly packed
• 6 maraschino cherries
• 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple rings

Heat the oven to 350º.

Place the butter and milk for the batter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts, then transfer the mixture to a small bowl to cool.

Into each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan, add 1/2 tablespoon of cold butter, then evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar over the bottom. Place the pan in the oven until the butter melts, about 3 minutes.

Halve each maraschino cherry, then cut the pineapple rings into quarters. Place a cherry half, sliced side up, in the center of each cup and lay a pineapple quarter on each side. Press the fruit gently down into the butter-sugar mixture, then set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir the ingredients with a fork until they're evenly blended.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until the flour is fully incorporated. Add the milk-butter mixture and stir well to combine the ingredients into a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the muffin pan, dividing it evenly among all the cups.

Bake the cupcakes until they're lightly browned, dry around the edges, and pulling away from the pan a little, about 25 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Use a butter knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges and bottom of the pan, then place a cookie sheet over the top. Invert the pan, turning the cupcakes out onto the cookie sheet, then transfer them back to the rack to cool completely. Serve the cupcakes at room temperature.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

{Beware they disappear incredibly fast}

simple things

Here are a few simple recipes that can be whipped up in about 5 minutes without having to buy prepackaged mixes filled with high fructose corn syrup, high sodium or MSG!

Ranch Dip / Ranch Dressing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used a light version)
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

To make the Ranch dip into a Ranch Dressing thin it out by adding 3/4 cup to 1 cup buttermilk. I usually sprinkle just a bit more chives and parsley in it to add some more color after thinning it out with the buttermilk. :-)

{Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together}

{Pour dressing into a jar or bowl that can be covered for 30 minutes to chill}

{Top salads or veggies and devour with relish mmm}

Fajita Seasoning Mix
1 Tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon crushed bouillon cubes

Use 2 Tablespoons to equal one packet of store bought mix. You can double or triple this to fill your jar for the future but this is only one batch.

{Mix all ingredients in a small bowl}

{Store in a jar or old spice container}

getting back to it....

It has been a while since I have last blogged about anything. We moved into our new house!! I have been preoccupied lately with all of the cleaning, moving, waiting for internet, and of course settling in and unpacking.

My focus has been really trying to figure out where to put everything and how to organize our home. I have a feeling that everything will be moved about and re-organized a few times these next few months until I find out the most efficient place for everything.

I have been cooking less lately because our kitchen was stacked to the ceiling with boxes. I made sure to prepare some freezer meals before our move to eliminate some added stress during this time. Now that things are settling in and I can use my kitchen, I started to cook some more this week.

I am on the lookout for a good granola bar recipe and this week I made a peanut butter granola bar.

The recipe calls for these ingredients:

• 1 large egg white (use a smashed banana in replace of the egg white to make them vegan)
  
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds (I used chopped almonds because that is what I had on hand)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil ( I used coconut oil)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

And these were the directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 crisscrossed rectangles of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang at 2 opposite ends. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds and cranberries.
2. In a small saucepan, whisk together oil, brown sugar, peanut butter, cinnamon, salt and 1 tablespoon water over low heat until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly; whisk in egg white. Pour over at mixture; stir until moistened. Spread evenly in bottom of pan; smooth top.
3. Bake until top is firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Lift out of pan, using paper as handles. Let cool completely, cut into bars with serrated knife.

{Mix the oats, dried cranberries and nuts}

{Mix peanut butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, salt and water over low heat}

{Add egg white then mix wet with dry ingredients}


{Spread mixture in parchment lined square baking dish}

{I topped my mix with a few chocolate chips because I though it would be a nice compliment to the peanut butter and cranberries}

The recipe says to cook for 30 minutes at 300 degrees but I had to cook it for more like 45 minutes to get it to firm up enough, so check it at 30 and add more time as needed

{After allowed to cool for at least 10 minutes, cut into bars or squares}

{Eat and enjoy}

This recipe was pretty good. It was way too salty, so in my opinion cut out the salt entirely. The peanut butter has salt in it and then adding more in is unnecessary. It was also very sweet so I may experiment with cutting back the sugar too. Over all I might make these again and try the alterations. Depending on how those alterations turn out will determine if I make these a third time.

winter soups

Winter time is when I make soups. It is perfect for the cold dreary days of rain or snow. Throw in a sandwich, salad or some nice warm bread and it is a quick and easy meal.

{A few days ago I made my 'famous' Velvet Zucchini Soup in homemade bread bowls.}

This soup is passed down in my family and everyone changes it a bit to their tastes. This is the standard recipe but I always change it a little bit.

In a large pan saute 1 onion and 2-4 cloves of garlic in 1tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Slice up about 12 med/large zucchini and saute it all together until the zucchini "loses it's spirit." Then use a stick blender or pour batches into a stand blender and puree mixture. Pour into a pot and add 1 cup of cream or half and half, and 2 cups of broth or stock of your choice. Stir it up and add 1 tsp curry powder and season to taste with salt and pepper. Served with sourdough bread is the best!

Tonight I made the classic grilled cheese with Tomato Soup.

This is the BEST tomato soup recipe that I have ever made or tried, except for the delectable tomato soup from the Glenwood in Eugene, Or.

Be prepared to have tons of soup! This is a huge batch that can be frozen and saved for later uses or for less soup you can easily divide this in half.

In a large pot, melt together 8 TBSP butter and 4 TBSP olive oil. Add in 1 large onion, chopped. Allow onions to cook for about 3-5 minutes to become soft and translucent. Whisk in 1/2 cup flour and 6 TBSP tomato paste to make the roux. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute while stirring. Pour in 7 1/4 cups broth and 4 cans of whole peeled tomatoes, use 28oz cans for the tomatoes. I have used diced, and whole peeled together. It doesn't matter that much which type you use because it will be pureed. I then add about 1tsp dried basil, 1tsp garlic powder and season to taste more salt and pepper. Bring this big pot to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. After simmering, use a stick blender and puree to desired creaminess. Serve with a yummy grilled cheese sandwich and enjoy! Freeze in small batches after allowed to cool.

{Here are some of my batches cooling before they go in the freezer.}

mmm lemon!

Sunday we spent the day painting at the new house. I painted the ceilings of the master bedroom, the 2nd bedroom and the dining room. Steven caulked the master bedroom and the dining room while I was doing the ceilings. After the prep work and the ceilings were finished, we painted the master bedroom.

{starting to cut in the ceiling paint edges}

{Steven caulking some spots in the closet}

{me, looking AWESOME!}

{closeup of the ceiling}

{starting to cut in the wall paint}

{the yellow walls are finished! these ones look pale because of the lighting though}

{This yellow is more true to color}

{The color is lemon meringue}

We still have a lot of work to do to finish the master bedroom. As you can see in some of the top pictures, the floor is still in horrendous condition. We are going to be sanding and painting the floors this week along with finishing up painting the trim and baseboards.