Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipe

Here's another Homemade HOW TO for all you savvy girls out there:

For the bar soaps required in the recipes, you could try Fels-Naptha, Ivory soap, Sunlight bar soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile, and Zote. Don’t use heavily perfumed soaps.

1 quart Water (boiling)
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda
Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel).

4 cups of equal 1 quart
4 quarts equal a gallon

Easy Caramel Recipe

Thanks to my WONDERFUL Sister in-law Sarah for this recipe it sounds so yummy and soooo easy!!

This is made with a can of sweetened condensed milk.

1.Immerse closed can on its side in a pot of water and bring to the boil.
2. Leave on a simmer or light boil for 2 to 2and a half hours, topping up with water as needed. Be careful and don’t let the water dry out.
3. Remove from heat and let cool thoroughly before opening can. Don’t open the can while its still hot. The condensed milk should be thick and a nice caramel color.

Easy Bread Pudding

Need something to do with last weeks bread? Before you toss it give this a try its easy and a crowd pleaser!!
Bread Pudding
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 qt. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 block butter
8 slices bread
Cinnamon
1 c. raisins & crushed pineapple (opt.)

Blend the eggs with the sugar, add 1 quart of milk and vanilla; stir well. Break the bread into small pieces and add to mixture. Soak. Pour into a baking dish and cover with 1 block of butter and sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

Homemade Dishwaher Detergent

Here is another homemade how to for you Savvy Girls out there:

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Into a 32 oz bottle with screw top (clear vinegar bottle) add:
1/2 c borax
1/2 c super washing soda
1/2 c salt
3 envelopes unsweetened lemon drink mix (Dollar General sells them for around 10 cents each)
Fill bottle nearly to top with warm water, cap, and shake well. I leave it sitting out to further dissolve. Shake well before each use. I use vinegar in my rinse dispenser. This solution smells really nice, too.

Fix it and Forget it(Menu)

This is for all you Savvy girls out there that really want to shine in the kitchen but just don't know where to start. Or you might already shine and you've run out of ideas. This menu is intended to be easy and have a few money and time saving tips along the way.

Sunday: Sub Sunday
Monday: Roast, carrots, potatoes, onion
Tuesday: Hamburger steak
Wednesday:BBQ hoagies
Thursday:Meat Loaf
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday:Tacos

Shopping list:
French Bread
Hoagie rolls
Lettuce
Tomotatos ( I buy vine they always look better so I get about 5 tomotats on one vine)
2 Onions
carrots
5lb bag potatoes
Bell Pepper
Pizza dough
Ground Beef 5lbs ( I buy it in the tube, taste the same and much cheaper)
Sub Kit lunch meat (it makes up to 14 6in subs)
pepperoni
Canadian bacon
roast ( as big as your crock pot will hold)
onion mushroom soup powder (I prefer Lipton)
BBQ sauce
Marble Cheese 2 lbs
taco shells
taco seasoning
pizza sauce
olives and mushrooms optional

Sunday: take your french bread and cut it in half width wise. Remove some of the bread with a spoon from the top, it will look like a boat, don't toss the bread keep it we will be using it for bread crumbs later in the week. I do this because I think there is just too much bread on a french bread sandwich, if you like the bread then just cut off the ends of the bread and save those. I like to cut some tomato, onion, lettuce, get my pepperoni, Canadian bacon and lunch meat out and just let everyone build there own sandwich. However before you set out the pepperoni and bacon save about half of it for Friday nights pizza.
Monday: Roast with carrots, potatoes, and onion
I use Pork roast because that's what we prefer you could do the same with Beef if you like

cut veggies, I use the whole onion (or whatever you have left from the sub sandwich) 5-6 carrots( depending on size) and one potato per person. Place roast in crock pot add veggies season with salt and pepper add half a cup of water. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Remove roast and veggies from crock pot, pour drippings into a sauce pan add one packet of onion and mushroom soup stir, then add flour (about ¼ cup) to thicken the gravy not all at once though just whisk in to prevent lumps this should give you about 5 cups of gravy remove half and save for use later during the week.
Place half of your roast back into your crock pot. Shred with two forks to make pulled pork sandwich, or chop to make beef sandwich, Pour BBQ sauce over the top place in fridge.
Serve reaming roast with carrots onion potatoes and reaming gravy

Tuesday: Hamburger steak
Get bread crumbs from sub sandwich season with season of your choice (I like Greek, you could use Parmesan or leave them plain)
cut reaming potatoes( from 5lb bag) into cubes I like to use the golden Yukon so I don't have to peel you can use whatever, place in pan with salted water to boil. DID YOU KNOW IF YOU PUT A WOODEN SPOON OVER PAN WHILE BOWILING WATER IT WILL HELP IT FROM BOILING OVER??

Cut 5lb ground beef in half put unused half back in fridge. Add to the half left out one egg, ¼ of a onion chopped salt pepper, 1 Tablespoon Worcester sauce, bread crumbs. Remove half of meat mixture and place back in fridge for later use. To the half you still have shape 4 large hamburger patties
Grill or pan fry ( I use my indoor pampered chef grill pan with press LOOOVVEEE IT) the four large patties about 5 min per side or until temp reaches 150.

Once potatoes are fork tender drain and mash (I like to use my pampered chef mix and chop because I also use it to stir instead of a whisk) add milk and butter to taste. I like my mashed potatoes a little on the runny side so I use about two cups of milk, you may want less just add a little stir see what it looks like if you want more add more

Reheat left over gravy

Serve hamburger steak with mashed potatoes and gravy I use my potatoes as the base with steak on top then gravy over that ohhhh soooo good!!! If I have a can of green beans or something I'll serve along side.

Wednesday: BBQ Sandwich woohooo tonight's work is already done, turn your crock pot on low for a few hours or reheat in microwave serve on hoagies with a side of your choice( if you're feeling really lazy or tired just do cold pork n beans or chips)

Thursday:Meat Loaf
Get out the meat mixture you saved from the hamburger steaks on Tuesday
Dice bell pepper
Add bell pepper to mixture along with ½ cup ketchup, ½cup cheese form into loaf and place in loaf pan bake at 350 for 45min covered uncover add more ketchup on top and cheese if desired serve along side side-dish of your choice green beans corn etc.

Tip meat loaf is a great place to hide veggies, try chopping carrots up into it or use V8 juice instead of ketchup.

Friday:
Get crust onto pans/stones ( I love my pampered chef stones makes pizza soooo much better) don't let dough get warm before unrolling it. Cold dough unrolls warm dough falls apart.
bake at 350 for 15 min or so.
Brown rest of ground beef (from 5lb tube) reserve half of the browned ground beef for Tacos tomorrow night
dice onion, tomatoes save half for tacos tomorrow
Remove pizza add sauce, cheese Canadian bacon, pepperonis, ground beef, onion, tomato top with more cheese bake until cheese is melted

Saturday: Add taco seasoning mix to already browned ground beef
serve with already diced veggies and other toppings of your choice

I hope you have as much fun and enjoy making and tasting these dishes as much as I did. Its amazing how just a little thought placed into your menu can save you steps for the next nights meals! :)
Some of the items I used you will not find on the shopping list I keep my pantry stocked with certain items look to my next blog post for this list.

I used beef you could use turkery to make it a little more figure friendly.