Pizza Night

We like to have pizza on Friday nights. For a long time, i made everything from scratch, including the dough. After a while, i got tired of making everything so we started buying pizza. Of course, that gets expensive, especially since we are having to buy more to feed our family. Recently, i discovered a way to simplify the homemade pizza process for not a lot of "dough."

Sam's Wholesale Club sells premade/baked pizza crusts. All you have to do is add your stuff: sauce, cheese, toppings, etc. and bake for 12-15 minutes. They are very inexpensive too. I got 14 frozen already rolled crusts for $17. That's around $1.20 each crust and priceless when it comes to my time. I didn't see any ingredients that i objected to either. You have to buy these at the Deli/Snack counter in the front of the store. If 14 is too many, just find a friend or 2 who will split them with you.

Sam's also sells all of the toppings you might need: sauce, pepperoni, cheese, pineapple, etc. These come in large amounts but are a much better deal when you buy in bulk. I just freeze them in smaller amounts. This way i can pull out of the freezer what i need for that nights pizza and have dinner ready in less than 30 minutes.

Happy Pizza Night!

Coffee Anyone???

If you know me, you know that I strongly dislike coffee!! I can't even stand the smell of it! So I never have understood the connection between people and their coffee addictions. However, I have finally discovered why people love their cup of coffee.

It's not really about the coffee (well maybe the caffeine for some of you!).

It's the mood that coffee or any other hot drink in a mug envokes.

Just think about a freezing cold winter day and hot mug of hot chocolate in your very cold hands. You hold it up to your mouth and gently blow on it to cool it down and there you are, in a state of relaxation and peace. Everything else melts away. It's just you and that hot chocolate, ahhhh... until a little person sees it and begs for "just one sip!" And then of course, it's gone! You get the picture. A hot drink, even in 104 degree weather is a beautiful moment of peace. It's a chance to slow down and relax in the midst of anything.

As I said, however, I do not like coffee or hot chocolate in summer. So, for you who don't like coffee either, here's my little secret. Starbucks makes a drink called a hot vanilla cream. It's just frothed milk with vanilla syrup but it's oh so yummy! Of course I am too tight to pay Starbucks price so I just buy either their vanilla syrup or I just recently found an all natural syrup by Le Syrup de Monin (fancy huh!) that is made with pure cane sugar and has no preservatives. Anyway, I heat the milk, then froth it with a little hand held frother (came in a hot chocolate pot), add my vanilla syrup, and bam-serenity in a mug!

Of course, I wait until nap/rest time to make this when I can hide in my room and read my bible, pray, return phone calls, or just before a nap. I sometimes make this at night after everyone is tucked in bed and I need to unwind a minute after a very full day. Not every day, just here and there.

My children have not caught on to this yet- shhh, don't tell them! ; )

It doesn't matter what the drink is, it's just that time to unwind and breathe! So, if it's around 3pm, just think of me hiding in my room, sipping on my vanilla cream and smile- I know i will be! Thank you Lord for a much needed break!

Homemade Deodorant : )

Half of you are thinking nothing about the title, the other half are thinking i'm nuts. Either way, I had to share this. A couple of months ago I ran across this recipe to make homemade deodorant and had to try it out. I have searched for years to find a natural deodorant that actually works for my body chemistry, to no avail!
Here's the scoop on deodorant. Anti-persirant does exactly what it says, makes you not perspire. God designed our bodies to sweat. It is our body's way of getting rid of toxins. Therefore, if you don't sweat, you hold in all of those toxins that are really bad for you. It would make sense to me that certain cancers can stem from this build-up of toxins.
S0...
You need to sweat! Doesn't matter who you are, your health depends on sweating. Most women cringe at this, but it is for your own good, I promise!
However...
No one wants to stink. So what do you do? You use a deodorant to help disguise or neutralize the stink. The natural and organic sections in stores are full of lots of different kinds of deodorants these days. Finding the one that right for you is another story!
I tried at least 10 different natural deodorants and never found one that worked well all the time. So let my time, effort and wasted dollars benefit you by trying this recipe first, before spending lots of money on the natural deodorants. It is really so easy and it works.
Here it is:

Homemade Deodorant

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup baking soda
3 Tbs coconut oil
1 deodorant container

For container, just use one of your old twist up containers or buy a cheap one and throw out the junk inside. Completely remove the part inside by twisting it all the way up and taking it out. Then you can clean all of the old stuff out and wash it with soap and water. Let it dry.

Mix the cornstarch and baking soda in a bowl. Melt the coconut oil in a separate bowl in the microwave or on the stove. Slowly pour the oil into the cornstarch/baking soda mix. The consistency should be pasty or slightly crumbly. Add more oil if it's too stiff. If you don't like the coconut smell, just add whatever essential oil scent you like at this point. I love the coconut smell! Then spoon it into the clean, dry container and let it sit overnight to harden or put it in the fridge to harden faster.

When you first begin using it, it may be somewhat abrasive to sensitive armpits. Just be gentle and it will get better the longer you use it. The baking soda is abrasive.

Now, here's what i've found. You will still sweat with this deodorant, good right! However, if you get really sweaty for an extended period, you may start to stink. What I've read about foul body odor is that it is a sign of toxins in your body. Even more reason to sweat and clear it out, although maybe not when you're in public ; ) If this happens, I just put more deodorant on and the smell is gone. Your body will begin to clear stuff out and you will begin to smell better as long as you are eating well! Meaning not lots of sugar, junk foods, partially hydrogenated foods, white flours, trans fats, etc.

So, here's to getting sweaty this summer! Hope this works for you as well as it did for me.

Happy Deodorant Making!!!

Yummy Snack

The kids and I are so excited we figured out how to make fruit leather. You know the stuff that costs $.50 for one tiny little piece and doesn't fill up any tummy. Or for you non granola's, it's like Fruit RollUps only healthier. I guess i should have figured this out sooner because it's so easy, but just never took the time to try it.

You need a dehydrator and an insert that is flat with a lip and solid (as opposed to the grated type). Then you just pick a fruit, like strawberries, grapes, plums, etc. and puree them in a blender. I added a little water but don't know how neccessary this is. Then pour it on your lined tray and let it dehydrate until it's hardened. That's it!

Right now i only have one liner, so i hope to buy some more online so we can do several trays at a time. If you don't have a dehydrator, start looking at garage sales since it's spring time. My mom bought our's at a garage sale for $7 and what an amazing thing it has been. This can also be done in an oven. Just google it for directions that way.

At our house, when fruit starts to get older and uneaten, i usually throw it in the freezer. Then i pull this out to make the fruit leather or even freezer jam (which is also very easy!).

Enjoy!

Dish Detergent

Here is a recipe for Dish Washer Detergent. I haven't tried it yet but have bought everything to make it and plan to soon! It is so simple. Anyone can do this! I am still making and using clothes detergent too. It works great and I haven't had any problems with it at all. Look under my recipe tab on the right side for that recipe.

Dish Detergent

1 cup Borax
1 cup Baking Soda
Orange or lemon essential oil

Mix in a small container with a TBS measure inside. Use 3 TBS per load. You can use vinegar as a rinse aid if you like.

Happy Homemaking!

Homemade Laundry Soap

If you are interested in saving your family some money but not willing or able to go as far as something like cloth diapers or make your own bread, (yet!), here is a great project for you (and your children) that will wow everyone when you say, "we make our own laundry soap!"

I ran across this recipe in a free quarterly magazine that Beeyoutiful (link on right) sends out. (FYI-More Than Alive and Bulk Herb Store also send out free magazines/catalog full of lots or great tips and info!) It was originally a conversation from a forum board at http://www.welltellme.com/ on how to make homemade laundry soap. I am so amazed at how well this works every time we make it. There are lots of differing opinions as to how much bar soap to put in the recipe and how much to put in the washing machine but this will get you started. Then you can play with it and figure out what works best for you! Post a comment if you find something that worked well for you or you have any other tips.

Homemade Laundry Soap:

2 bars soap (Ivory is cheapest but has a strong scent; a natural soap is best but costs more; some recipes say to use less soap??)

1 cup Borax (detergent aisle; some like to omit this item & just use 2 c. washing soda instead-this will make your soap more "green" (edible if you use gray water to water a garden /lawn with)

1 cup Washing Powder (Arm & Hammer makes a big yellow box found on the detergent aisle)

5 gallon bucket

Essential Oils-optional-whatever scent you like; lime, lemon, orange, etc.

Grate soap bars with a cheese grater, put in a small saucepan , & cover with water. Heat on low until dissolved. Fill 5 gallon bucket with hot water and add soap. Stir to combine. Add washing soda and borax, mix well. As it cools it will thicken. May be used immediately. Use 1-2 cups per load.

~~~~

I put the 5 gallon bucket in the bath tub, fill it with everything, and give my children yardsticks to stir until their hearts content. This way the spills are contained and the bath tub getts a little free cleaning : ) It is so cool how it starts to thicken and get globby. Then we use a 1 cup measuring cup and keep it by the machine so Cody, my loader, can just scoop up a cup and put it in.

I sometimes use vinegar as a fabric softener, so a couple of times we added vinegar to the bucket. I will warn you however that if you wait to add it until everything else is already in and the bucket is full, you will have a mess and waste quite a bit. The next time we did it, we added the vinegar to everything else but only filled it with half water. What happens is a great science experiment making lots of fizzing and bubbling. It's like a volcano explosion experiment on a much larger scale and your not wasting all the ingredients. Lots of fun!

Let me know how it goes or if you have a questions.

Can you help???

I am looking for a Fail-Proof Bread Machine Recipe and Sunday Lunch Recipes!

Ok-I have been making bread on and off for several years now but have never found a successful bread machine recipe. It never fails for the loaf to rise so beautifully in the machine and then at the last minute, before it sets, it craters several inches. Well, we haven't made bread in a while, due to a really cute little girl, and i have decided it's time to start up again. But, this time, Cody is going to be our bread maker, well, really just an ingredient dumper, hence, the use of a bread machine. I have been giving him more "big kid" responsibilities lately and he kind of likes it! So, if you have a bread machine recipe that doesn't seem to crater, please pass it on. It could just be my machine too???

Also...

We typically eat out on Sundays after church so i can have the day off of cooking that meal. However, since food prices keep going up and our family isn't getting any smaller, eating out regularly is getting expensive. I want to do some kind of Pot Roast that i can throw together Saturday night or Sunday morning and put it in the oven to cook and be ready when we get home at lunch time. Have you ever had the Pot Roast at Cotton Patch, yum! I know i can use a crock-pot but the roast never seems to come out as tender when cooked on the faster setting to have ready by lunch. Also, i always make a crock-pot meal on Saturdays for dinner. Or maybe you have some other kind of recipe that would be a great Sunday lunch. So after a big, filling lunch, everyone will be ready for a Sunday Siesta!

Best Birthday Cake Recipe

Shannon-this is for you, but I thought others might enjoy having it too!

This recipe is from Taste of Home- Kids Party Food.

We made this cake recently for Owen's 5th birthday. It is the most moist, yummy cake we've made. Each day in the fridge, it actually got more moist, and heavier too! We made a double recipe without the chocolate, split it in half, added the cocoa to one half, then poured both mixes into a double cake pan. This made it half chocolate, half vanilla and so yummy!

One-Bowl Chocolate/Vanilla Cake

(i have already doubled the recipe for you)

4 cups flour

4 cups sugar

4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cup vegetable oil

2 cup buttermilk

4 eggs

2 cup hot water

1/2 cup cocoa(add after splitting)

Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl (save the cocoa for later). Stir in oil, buttermilk, and eggs. Add water and stir until combined. Pour half of the mix into another bowl. Add the 1/2 cup cocoa to one mix. At the same time, pour both chocolate and vanilla mixes into a greased and floured double cake pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost.

Icing-1 batch was enough for a double cake recipe

1/3 cup butter, softened

9 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup milk

3 tsp vanilla

Cream butter in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in 4 cups sugar. Slowly add milk and vanilla. Beat in remaining sugar. Add additional milk, if needed.

Enjoy!

Bread Recipe

Here is the most recent recipe I found that has worked well for us. It is a recipe for making homemade, fresh-ground whole wheat bread, although, it will work with already ground flour too. For those who are laughing right now, just keep reading. Making bread is really very easy to do and not to mention yummy and healthy! Of course, if you decide to give this a try and need help, just email, call, or come over and make bread with us sometime!

You can also visit Shelly's Breads by clicking the link on the right. She has tons of info and more recipes. Click on Tips/Recipes.

This recipe will make 6 loaves. I cut everything in half and make 3 instead. What's great about this recipe is it works for several different things. In one batch (3 loaves), we make 1 loaf of bread, 1 large pizza crust, 1 round pan of cinnamon rolls, and usually have a little left over to make dinner rolls! Or you can make all bread and freeze some.

Also, I do not have a Bosch (which is the amazing, top of the line mixing system that she mentions) so I use my KitchenAide. Any mixer will work or if you don't have one, it can be done by hand. I also have not made this using dough enhancer yet, since i don't have any.

Enjoy!

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SHELLY’S HONEY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

6.5—7 cups hot water
1 Cup oil
1 cup honey
2 T dough enhancer
1/3 Cup gluten
2 T salt
5-6 T Saf yeast
18+ C freshly milled
hard white spring wheat

Pour hot water into the Bosch mixing bowl. Be sure to have the dough guard on the center column before putting the dough hook on. (**warm up honey, not hot, but warm, for nice results) Add oil, honey, dough enhancer, gluten, salt and 10 C of flour. Add Saf yeast on top of flour. Use the momentary switch (M) to first mix. Turn the machine to speed 1 and continue to add flour only until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. (DO NOT ADD TOO MUCH FLOUR). The dough should be a little tacky.
Turn the machine to speed 2 and knead for 4-5 minutes. (BE SURE TO TAKE YOUR SPLASH RING OFF, BECAUSE IT COULD CRACK WITH THIS MUCH DOUGH IN THE BOWL.) Using an oil spray or oil, grease your counter and your hands and remove the dough from the bowl.

At this point, you can sponge your bread, by letting it sit on the counter with a towel over it, or leave it in your Bosch bowl for 15-20 minutes, or you can continue on and not sponge it. (Sponging makes the bread softer and lighter)

Slam your dough onto your counter 7 times. Then with a scissors cut your pie shaped dough into six equal parts. Slam each piece of dough on the counter another 7 times, and then shape into a loaf of bread and place in 6 greased pans. Let the loaves rise until they are doubled in size.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350º for 30-45 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack. Rub tops of hot bread with shortening or butter for shiny appearance.

This same recipe can be used for pizza crust, pita bread, cinnamon rolls, monkey bread, orange kisses, breakfast pizza, cold vegetable pizza, tea rings, dinner rolls, hamburger buns, piggy’s in a blanket, hoagie buns, cinnamon twist bread, mock rye bread, cinnamon raisin bread, croissants, and more. For recipes and directions along with many bread making secrets, order Shelly’s Breads for $12pp or Shelly’s Basic Bread Making Video (90 minutes) for $22 pp.