Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yesterday it was windy and cold.  It was a great excuse to make some soup!  As per the norm, I was at a loss for what to make... so I started with Food Network. I remembered seeing a recipe for someone's chicken tortilla soup, and I should have printed it off right then. But I didn't.  So I searched for recipes and ended up with this one.  And it was a good one!  So I'm sharing it with you!

Tricia's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Two things I think are important to note: 1. You do not have to use cream of chicken soup in this.  With over 90 oz of liquid, a 15 oz can of creamy soup isn't going to flavor it up much and it won't really thicken this soup.  You can leave this out.  If you must, add a few chicken bouillon cubes! 2.  Half and half can very well be substituted for any milk you have.  In fact, I would recommend that you use more low sodium chicken broth and less milk.  This soup is pretty soupy so if you prefer it to be less liquidy then I would reduce the milk by half.

I DID use a fajita seasoning mix.  I didn't have a recipe for that readily available, so I did a quick fix.  I will be finding one today.  Felt guilty the whole time.  BUT, it was good.

The "heat" will come from your salsa.  I used a medium Clint's salsa.  Clint's is the best in my opinion.  But use whoever you like.

Something fishy...

I normally don't gravitate towards fish. Well, I like the aquarium at Cabela's and other larger ones.  They have fish that are pretty to look at.  But when it comes to fish on a plate, I tend to turn up my nose.  I am allergic to shellfish so I just have avoided ALL fish.  I am sorry to those fish I am excluding.  That's just the way it is.

As a kid, fish sticks were the best, though.  So maybe I can ease back into fish eating if I start with something kids love.  Mostly breaded and maybe a little white flakey fishy taste in there too, this type of fish is doable.  I am not a fish person really. Did I mention that? I have had and loved Snapper soup in my 20's and of course, on a few dates I ate fish, also in my 20's because you cannot order chicken at a fish place right? Well I do now, but that's beside the point.  I can safely say I have been fish free in my 30's.  Wooo hoooo.

Giada De Laurentiis

So, I am trying to ease my way into making fish because it is good for you.  I found a recipe that I just might try to make this week.  It's called Parmesan Fish Sticks.  Giada makes it.  And you know if Giada makes it, it's good.  I cannot even begin to know where to get a good piece of fish since we live in the middle of the state, where we do not have fresh fish markets like they do at the coast.  SO, I will start asking around.

In the mean time, here's the recipe (again)!  Someone make it before I do and tell me it's awesome.  The recipe says 21 minutes start to finish.  I think that can work for us busy food preparers, right? It will help my confidence when it comes to fish if you make it first.  Really, it will.

Lemon Zesting Nightmare

I cannot zest. I just can't.  I thought I could. But I can't.  I used the small "hard cheese" side of my cheese grater, and it resulted in Lemon Rind mashed on that side.  Here is what I have.  See that large size with the little prongy looking stick-y outie thingies? Yeah, that part totally hoarded my lovely zest.  It was a mess. (As an aside to this story, I had to use my toothbrush to loosen up the zest to get it off the grater and into my cookie dough.  Don't judge.  I don't think I mentioned that to my family though, so now that the cookies have been devoured, I guess I could mention that little part about my toothbrush.  Okay back to Zesting... )

What was I doing?  Making my own Lemon Cookies.  You see, my oldest daughter likes Savannah Smiles cookies.  Girl Scouts? You know, $3.50 for 25 cookies? Yes, those.  So I made my own.  They were deee-lish.  

Recipe is from the internet somewhere.... I think Pinterest might be to blame.  I am avidly looking for the recipe now.  Bear with me? NO.  Bare with me? Well just wait a second. Or two.  

Okay, here's the credit where credit's due: Lemon Crinkle Cookies Original Recipe

Lemon Crinkle Cookies (My edits and comments are in blue)

Makes 2-3 dozen (makes 2 dozen REAL cookies) 

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest (this is like the whole lemon- which held firm to my grater like a magnet) 
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (If you like lemon flavor, double this amount.  Else it's just a hint.)
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar (Start off with 1/4 and then add more if you need it.  I threw away about half.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. (I used parchment paper and didn't grease at all.)

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. MAKE SURE YOU DO LET IT COOL ON THE PAN FOR 3 MINUTES. IT NEEDS TIME TO COOL AND COME TOGETHER. 

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Crock Pot Roast

I haven't been feeling well these last few days, so after a strategic trip to Sam's Club yesterday, sans list of what I needed, I came home with a few pounds of Chuck Roast.  A fireman once told me, as did an ancient meat cutter, that Chuck is the best for roasting.

So to a crock pot on low I added the following:

• 2.75 lb chuck roast
• 2 cups water
• a half a bag of baby carrots
• one large white onion cut in quarters 
• 4 stalks celery cut in half once
• salt 
• pepper

Pop on the lid and wait 6-8 hours.  So the roast went in at 945 am and will be ready about 5pm ish.  I will know it is ready when I can pull it apart with a fork. 

To make clean up easy, I always use a crock pot liner.  You can find these roasting bags called Crock Pot Liners made by Reynolds in and around the baggie and foil section of your grocery store.  It's like a turkey roasting bag but made for the crock pot.  I love it.  

Gluten Free flour

About a year ago, I started trying to eat Gluten Free.  By trying I mean that I started eating nothing processed and no starches.  My goal was to limit myself to naturally occurring items and eliminating caffeine and carbonation.  It was a raging success.  But I didn't really delve deeply into Gluten Free foods.  I was really just a Gluten Avoider.  There's a difference.

So today I am finding myself wondering if it is possible to be natural, and still enjoy things like pancakes and breads.  The answer is yes.

I found this recipe for an All Purpose Mix that I think sounds like a winner.  I am going to try to make it this week and use it in my flour recipes.

From Gluten Free Girl's website I found this recipe for AP mix in a recipe for Muffins:

We’re working with 70% whole grains/30% starches.
Choose 700 grams of any combination of the following flours:AlmondAmaranthBrown RiceBuckwheatCornMilletOatQuinoaSorghumSweet Brown RiceTeff

And then throw in 300 grams of any combination of the following:

Arrowroot
Cornstarch
Potato Starch
Tapioca Flour
White Rice Flour

Her note: We like using 150 grams each of arrowroot and potato starch, at the moment. Combine the 700 grams of whole-grain flours with the 300 grams of starches in a big container. Shake it all up. You have whole-grain flour mix.

What's in Season?

Often, I wonder as I surf the local grocery store ads, what is really in season and what is not.  Prices fluctuate, and that frustrates me.  I can buy 16oz of strawberries for $1.88 some times and others they are 2/$5 what the heck? Well, they're out of season.  Duh. (That duh was for me, not you!)  We love strawberries around our house, and well, right now, I think there is really only a few good ones in each box at this point.

So what's in season?  I found this great resource on the Dallas Farmer's Market website (just go there if you can it's a wonderful place) that tells you what to buy during which months for best produce.  There's also a seasonal list on organic.org too.

February: Broccoli (cancer fighting!), cauliflower, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, papayas, Tangelos.

The challenge is to make dishes with these fruits and veggies that are in season.  This list contains no must have organic items, but if you are really conscious about "The Dirty Dozen" go to Organic.org, and download this years list.  I find that funny that there's a yearly list, but I think as we know more, we can be more educated on what is safest.

If you are a salmon lover, you really should try this recipe from the food network: Salmon Kebobs with Quinoa and Grapefruit

Chicken that is NOT dry

I decided to try another Skillet Dinner from my Cook's Illustrated magazine.  It was a huge success.

I don't know about you, but I tend to make variations of dry chicken.  The recipe might say differently, but usually, I end up with Dry Chicken pot pie, or Super Dry Baked Chicken etc... you catch my drift.

So Skillet BBQ chicken was a success.

Here's all you have to do:

Rinse and pat dry with paper towels 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts.  Salt and pepper them on both sides.  Add a little oil to the bottom of a heavy skillet or pan that is oven safe *I used my cast iron pot* on medium high.  Sear both sides of the chicken for 2 minutes each side.  Remove from pan, add 1 1/2 cups to 1 3/4 cups of your favorite bbq sauce (the recipe in CI has a make it yourself bbq sauce that I kindly skipped) in the pan you just had the chicken in.  Add back in the bbq sauce and make sure to coat the chicken well.  Adjust your oven rack to upper medium height and then bake at 325 for 10-14 minutes.

Delish.  Soft, tender, which means the same thing, and juicy.  Yummy.

I can scan and send the recipe if you need it!

Herb Roasted Chicken Updated

It.was.a.freaking.success.

Remember this photo? It's the cover.  

Here's MINE:

I can honestly tell you, I started it at 3:30 pm and it was done at 5:45 pm.  1 hour of that time was soaking the bird in a brine (salt water).  Another 45 minutes was cook time.  The other minutes (I'm not a math person so sue me) were in prep or reading the recipe.  :) 

I will say 2 3 things: 

1. Cutting the back bone was weird, I had never done it, and I am SO glad I am not a doctor.
2. I didn't have a 12" skillet (a cast iron skillet would be idea) so I used my coated cast iron pot instead.  
3. Instead of using Tarragon and Thyme (not available on shortest notice from Kroger today), I subbed in Basil and Oregano as per the recipe suggestion.  Awesomeness.  

Who wants the recipe? I will email it to you right now.  I'm waiting.  

Okay, well, while I wait, here's more delish pictures of dinner tonight.  Be jealous.  I am so sad there isn't a drop left over.  

Juices left in the pan were used to make a sauce .  I simply added flour (remember this from a previous post?) and some herbed butter at the end with some LEMON juice.  It was so tasty. My husband said "creamy". That is saying something.

After adding the flour to the juices, and some chicken broth, letting it simmer for a few minutes makes it reduce and also thicken.

This is how it turned out after adding the herbed butter I basted the chicken with and shoved under the skin.  It was so wonderful with a little lemon juice too!

Recipe says to let the chicken "rest" for 20 minutes while you make the sauce.  Easy enough.

Get Moving!

Many folks at the beginning of the year commit to weight loss, getting fit, and eating right.  Well how's that working for you? Seen one too many of these? (This is a salad if you are not into green things.)

So I was thinking about buying a treadmill.  I feel better having one.  I know it's just a piece of machinery, and you have to actually USE it for it to be effective. But still. I want to run, I think. So, I mentioned this in a conversation with a good friend of mine, Tanya, and she said something smart.  (Well she IS a teacher so that's something to consider!) She said this: Look on Craigslist in February after everyone's resolutions are dissolved.  :)  Smart Chick. (I could also walk around the block.  It IS an option. So could you.)

Maybe getting moving is just as hard as committing to eating healthy.  It is ridiculously hard to eliminate things from anyone's food intake.  No one wants to make changes.  We like what we like. We eat what we want.  But take a look down.  Are you "there" eating what you are eating? Seriously, I know Chocolate is a food group. However, there is a sense of accomplishment if you will just decide to do something different. Food included.  

I have found that just taking that plunge and doing it- whether or not you completely fail, is rewarding. I used to be afraid to fail because I kind of like to be perfect the first time.  If I thought I might fail, in the past, I would make up a really reasonable excuse to not participate so as to avoid inevitable failure. Now, times have changed.  I was a little tired of wondering what might happen if I tried.  Today, I might utterly burn dinner or fail at a Pinterest project, but at least I tried it, learned something (usually about how fast I can disarm my smoke detectors!) and I can change my focus to make it better.  Doing something and failing is better than doing nothing at all. I don't want to look back and regret not trying.  What can I say? It might also be my age.  Ha ha.  

So, it's February, and frankly, what are YOU waiting for? If your January was a failure or you didn't really accomplish that goal, and you are still eating processed foods and canned Cream of Chicken soup then consider today your day to do differently! January doesn't really count because it's just in the past now. You tried January, and failed or whatever you did that you're not so keen on.  So now it's time for you to succeed. I love the saying "If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies: Succeed Anyway." ~Mother Theresa. Word. 

Don't be afraid to succeed. Better yet, don't be afraid to fail first before you succeed.  My friend is doing the Paleo diet right now, and despite all the eliminations to her diet, and the fact that she +1 on the scale... she IS doing better than before. That's what she will tell herself despite that stupid number on a scale. Better choices.  Right stuff in. Wrong stuff in the trash. She's making a change and doing what is right over eating twinkies. I'm not sure if Amy eats Twinkies, actually. I don't remember the last time I had a twinkie either.  But I know Amy makes good food. She makes 'Lebanese good food.'  So, you and I relate to her statement "1 week on Paleo. No grains, no dairy, no alcohol. No fun. +1 pound in weight. Frustrating." But I know her, and she will keep going. One week doesn't define failure. Giving up does. What matters today is what you do for your health today. Tomorrow is coming. Yesterday could be your last bad decision. 

These aren't really my old running shoes.

After losing 30+ pounds this past summer, and with summer fast approaching us again, I was considering what I could do differently to change things up for myself. Same old stuff= boring. (Texas summers= March through November.  If you have snow right now, I am sorry. Move to Texas once you dig out.) So I came up with this really radical thought: How about I get moving.  Since I have successfully worn out my running shoes (by walking in them- not much running in those pair!) that I bought in 2008 or 2009, I went to a local shop recommended to me by my avid running friend (Run On!) and bought me a new pair of running shoes!  Now that I have shoes, I think I will run in them this time.  It's time to do differently. 

Here's a link to some races around the Texas area... maybe you don't live in Texas, but you want to run.  Google it. You can find a 5K race and enter to win- or really just enter to do something different on a Saturday morning. Running is not necessary either. Walk the whole darn thing if you can't or don't run.  But get moving.  Eating right is a start. Even if you walk, you just might enjoy the sense of accomplishment when you finish a 5K! 

If you don't change something about what you are doing, nothing will change. So I leave you with this:

Herb Roasted Chicken

My mom used to subscribe to Cooks Illustrated last year.  She somehow ended up getting 2 copies in the mail each time so naturally, I received the second copy.  That ended last winter when her subscription expired.  I know, *gasp*, she didn't renew.  So a few days ago when I posted about Cooks Illustrated, my friend Joelle went out and bought the latest copy and emailed me a little note with a picture of the cover.  Doesn't this look divine??

I was jealous all over.  I didn't, at that time, have a copy of it and I wanted one.  Who doesn't want to make a dinner in a skillet?! I saw no hands saying "not me" so while checking out at Costco on Wednesday, I scoured the magazine racks for this edition, found it and bought that sucker.  It was like a man hunting. I was only concerned that this magazine not get in the cart by the cold foods, bent or worse, spilled on.  Could have cared less about the rest of the cart of groceries I purchased that day.  Could have cared less. 

So tonight, I am going to try this.  I have NO idea how it will turn out.  Currently, my whole chicken is frozen.  It would make a better bowling ball than a meal at this point.  But seeing as how it is only 9 am, and I have all day to make it de-thaw.  I think I am good.  Looks like start to finish (if your bird is not frozen solid) will be about 2 hours.  

As a word of advice, when HERBS are the main flavoring for a dish, please PLEASE use fresh.  It tastes 1000 times better than dried.  Dried herbs are good for sauces if you must, but when it's like the main idea of your chicken, say, like HERB ROASTED Chicken.  Use Fresh. Use Fresh. Use Fresh.  

Let me say something here: most recipes do not account for how long it will take you to prep a dish.  So, usually I need to add 15-30 minutes for prep time on any meal.  So, if I want to serve this birdy at 5:30 pm, I will need to start at 3pm.  30 minutes to get it together, and 2 hours of cook time.  Keep that in mind when you are making any dish.  Give yourself plenty of time.  If you are early, it's okay.  I have hardly ever been early, so it would be an act of God/ miracle of nature if my dinner was ever on time.  I love that saying: Don't rush me, I am waiting for the last minute.  :) 

Happy cooking y'all! 

(* I cannot post the link to this recipe because it is only available online if you have a subscription to the magazine.  SO, if you want a scanned copy of this recipe, post your email on the Facebook page and I will get it to you!) 

Scones for Breakfast

I grew up eating cereal for breakfast.  Cereal is good- just check the entire AISLE at any local store.  It's literally an entire one side of an aisle and usually the oatmeal section (a huge section) is opposite the cereal along with breakfast bars etc... But sometimes, I just don't want cereal.  Know what I mean?

A few years ago, I bought a Kids in the Kitchen cook book for me and my oldest daughter to cook together.  This was a Pampered Chef publication, and I loved all the recipes in it.  How fun to use actual recipes that kids CAN make with you.  One of the recipes in that book was for Scones.  A very good recipe.  We used to make them all the time when it was just her and me.

Here's a scone.

Scones are a sweet breakfast biscuit.  They can  have chocolate or dried fruit in them and are basically fantastic.  We prefer Chocolate. After all, if you are going to make a biscuit, it's a special occasion and Chocolate was made for special times.  Or is it that chocolate makes any time special.  Whatever.  We eat chocolate.

At Christmas a couple of years ago (2010) my MOM made some scones for us.  They were even better than the Pampered Chef recipe.  That is really hard to top in my opinion! Pampered Chef recipes ALWAYS taste good.  Always.  Hands down.  Just ask Nicole.  She sells PC and frankly, you need to get to know her. Click her name and order everything in the catalog.  It's better this way.

So prey tell, you say, where is this really awesome recipe? It's HERE.  I completely forgot to tell you about myrecipes.com!  I know you will forgive me, as it was just a small oversight.  This is a really great conglomerate of recipes from many magazines like Cooking Light, Coastal Living (really we all need to move to the pictures in that magazine!), Southern Living, Food and Wine, and Real Simple just to name a few.

So go and make scones.  Oh and if you don't have a pastry blender, use 2 forks.  Easy peasey.  AND as a confession, I don't brush the tops of my scones with milk before baking.  Who's got time (or a pastry brush) for that! This mama has hungry kiddos- might be hangry even! Go bake!

Xoxo

Bisque Unpacked

What in the heck is a Bisque? Apparently you can go to Medieval Times and order some.  

Typically I wouldn't order a bisque because it is usually made with shellfish.  Bisque is a "thicker" soup made from a roux (equal parts butter and flour combined and liquid added later to thicken it up) but the flavor comes from roasting a type of meat in the pan first, and then adding the liquid base to the remnant in the pan, scraping the pieces left in the pan, and some drippings to make the sauce flavorful.  It also is traditionally thickened with pureed rice. Nice, right? So a soup that is thicker in nature to a smoothie has a lot of carbohydrates in it if it is done correctly.

That being said... a recipe I looked at for Tomato Bisque uses heavy cream.  Well, that will do it too.  (heavy cream with make anyone thicker- and when whipped itself half to death will make whipped cream for pie so just keep that in mind when you use heavy cream.) Making a Roux is really quite easy.  When you add butter to a shallow pan and melt it, it becomes hot.  Not a news flash. Adding an equal amount of flour to it will make a paste.  Again not rocket science.  Adding milk to it (or heavy cream in this instance) will create a creamy gravy.  Therefore if you need gravy for anything, start off with this ratio- 4 tbsp butter to 4 tbsp flour.  Then start adding milk slowly until it thickens up.  If you are having a hard time getting it thick, raise the temp!

Okay so back to the Bisque.  I'm pretty sure that Campbell's Tomato Roasted Garlic and Bacon would start with frying bacon- enough for as many as you are serving, so maybe 2 pieces each to start.  Then adding garlic to that bacon fat after you cook the bacon and set it aside.  I think too, that in the recipe I was viewing for regular Tomato Bisque, you'd add the tomatoes to the also to "fuse" the flavors.  Viola.

Golden Butternut Squash Bisque uses.... Butternut Squash. Yes! (see the picture for what it looks like)

Did you know that Butternut Squash is actually a fruit?  It can be roasted and pureed really easily, just like a pumpkin. You will not eat the seeds, stem or skin just like a pumpkin too.  Because it is a fruit, my favorite way to make it is like you'd make a piece of cinnamon toast:  Add butter to it, and sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon and a little sugar!  It's delish!  So while the Tomato Roasted Garlic and Bacon Bisque would be very flavorful, a Butternut Squash Bisque would be more..... yep, sweet.  Now, that being said, I have viewed quite a few recipes that use Bourbon or Apple Cider.  This makes sense to me having made a really delicious apple pie using bourbon before.  So let your mind connect new foods with things you know- like I just did with cinnamon toast, pumpkins, apple cider, apple pie and now butternut squash.  This recipe linked uses maple syrup.  Yummy.

Thai Tomato Coconut Bisque. I'm sorry but  at first I was a food snob and I critically said "ewww gross.".  BUT wait!  This could be really good.  Let's talk about why.  The coconut flavor could come from coconut milk, which is delicious! Thai is spicy to me usually- or at least that is what I think of when I think Thai food.  And then there's tomato. So a spicy tomato soup with a sweet coconut base.  That could be good.  The recipe link is actually for a Tomato, squash and coconut soup. But you will get the picture.  It does use red pepper flakes and cracked black pepper.  So I am thinking it "swings" towards spicy. If you are a Thai food addict, you can add spices accordingly and make it your own.

Lastly, Sweet Potato Tomatillo Bisque.  A tomatillo (left) is a pepper.  Looks like a jalapeno pepper on steroids from the inside but maybe a green tomato on the outside.

Let's take a minute to discuss Yam vs. Sweet Potato.  Yam has a darker skin - like orange-y pink . A sweet potato looks like a potato and has a YELLOW skin. You can see the differences below.  They are different, they do taste different.  Most people use yams. :)

Potato, Sweet Potato, Yam 

Here's a recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Tasty Kitchen. This bisque will have a mexican flare to it with chili powder, tomatillos and white beans.  I would suppose that instead of white beans you could add sweet potato by weight equal to the beans measurement and make it authentic just like Campbell's! 

So I won't be saving my $0.50 on any Campbell's bisque when I now know I can make my very own.  Everything tastes better homemade.

Chicken Breasts Tamed

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time getting chicken to cook "right".  It's usually some form of dry.  Lately, I have been experimenting with cooking methods for chicken breasts, and I finally did ONE right.

Here's how: On the stove top!  I heated a little oil (of your choice is great) in the bottom of a 12 inch skillet on medium high.  I salted and peppered both sides of a boneless chicken breast and placed it in the skillet.  Let cook without moving it for 5-6 minutes.  Then flip and cook on the other side.  The salt and pepper were a good seasoning, though you could add some of the taco seasoning from last post, or any flavors you like- garlic salt and seasoned salt or whatever you like.  Leaving the breast in place creates a good seared outside where it browns some and adds extra flavor.

I used this chicken in my chicken enchiladas the other night.  There's nothing like wanting to make a chicken dish, only to have to boil it or worse, thaw it out and then start cooking!  I found this method to be just right. Before, I wasn't getting the pan hot enough.  You really do need to make sure your pan is hot!

Laundry Soap Recipe

I have made both the liquid and the powder laundry detergent.  I like them both equally.  I make powder now because I like to save space. I just checked the Duggar Family Website, and the powder recipe isn't there anymore.  BUT, it WAS there when I started doing this many years ago.  I copied it straight from my notes page on Facebook.  Enjoy!

Here's the entire recipe.  This is from the Duggar website, but I am amazed at the cost savings! It is supposed to be good for hard water too which is a plus for our area! You can buy the Fels-Naptha bar soap at Ace hardware for $1.29 a bar in Duncan but I prefer to buy the Ivory soap 3 pack for $1. The Borax can also be bought at Ace for about $4.62 or $3.89 at Marlow Foods. The washing soda can also be bought at Marlow Foods for $2.99 a box as well.  The Borax and Washing Soda are next to each other on the top shelf nearest the registers on the laundry soap aisle.  

(this is quoted from the website the recipe came from.  My comments are in Italics.)

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar *I use one bar of ivory soap when I make a 1/2 recipe*

1 Cup Washing Soda

½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

 

Powdered Laundry Detergent- Top load machine

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 Cup Washing Soda

½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

 

 

Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipes

Recipe #1

1 Cup White Vinegar

Add vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.

Recipe #2

1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener

4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.

Easy Taco Seasoning

Recently, as in since about March of last year (2012) we decided to start eating less processed foods.  I started reading labels and got kinda depressed.  Every food we ate had stuff in it I didn't know what was.  SO one thing I could do is make my own mixes.

We like Tacos. But taco seasoning mixes are ridiculously pricey for what's in them, and really not that good for you.  I found a recipe for making my own and I really love it.  Use this with all mexican recipes that call for taco seasoning.

Enjoy!

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

Scramble an egg do's and don'ts

Today I made my oldest a simple breakfast burrito.  Minus the meat.  We're out.  Story of my life, right?

It was 3 scrambled eggs, 2 tortillas, and 2 oz shredded cheddar cheese.  A little butter, and a little milk.

Notes before you begin: 
When you scramble an egg, you want to be sure your pan is not too hot, but not stone cold.  So to start off, I warmed up (preheated if you will) my skillet to just above the LOW setting.  There are 8 notches on my dial, so it was set between 2 and 3 on the low end.

Let's get started:
First things first: I cracked my ( 3 ) eggs into a small 2 cup glass bowl and added about 3 tablespoons of milk to it.  Like you see here:

Oh... oops, wrong eggs.  Sorry. I sort of forgot to take pictures of my process.  I think I need an assistant. Okay on with it...

FYI the ratio of milk to eggs in any amount is 1 to 1 (TBSP milk).

Then I used a large fork (or a wire whisk) from my flatware (gasp!) and whipped up those suckers. They were a medium to light yellow.  I hate the color yellow so if you like yellow, then it was a beautiful buttery yellow.  Now, Set it all aside.

When scrambling an egg, most people choose a pan that is either too small or too big.  Mostly too small.  You know the saying, right "go big or go home" and that kind of applies to eggs.  Choose a pan that is going to hold your egg mixture adequately.  The liquid should  stand 1/4 to 1/2" in the pan. You want the eggs to cook somewhat quickly, but not take a fort night to get done. For my 3 eggs I used about an 8" across skillet.

Between the pan size, heat, and egg to milk ratio, if you have this right, you will have perfect eggs every time.

Another this or that FAQ: Some folks will use cooking spray, which is fine too, but be aware that it will burn faster so just watch that if you prefer spray. PC (Pampered Chef) makes a kitchen spritzer bottle for the make your own kind, which I think is cool by the way.  Make sure what you melt or spray is just enough to make the bottom of the pan slick, but not overly so. Butter is NOT interchangeable with "yogurt spread, margarine, or I can't believe it's not butter."  These spreads will separate into water, oil and yellow stuff.  Weird and not healthy. Avoid. Do not substitute. No thank you.

Listen to your eggs when you make them. When you add your eggs to the warmed butter, you should hear NO NOISE or no LOUD frying noise.  If you do, the pan is too hot and you will probably have some brown spots. If this is the case, flip it over fast and make a mental note to use a lower setting next time.

Watch the edges of the pan to see if it starts to firm up before you start stirring.  Then make a big swipe around the pan with your spatula, fork, scraper or spoon. Be careful NOT to over stir the eggs.  This will cause them to lose their fluffy nature.  I think I stirred these eggs from the FB picture this morning about 6 times total.  That's all.

I'm sure you've got this from here, right? After all, you don't want the eggs runny. Gross.  So watch for them to be done.  Like a cake, if it's gooey in the center or on top of the pieces, flip them around and make sure it is done for good.

That's all there is to it. Really easy.