Homemade Laundry Detergent

So this isn't a food recipe but I consider saving $$$$ yummy so I think it still qualifies for my blog! I got the recipe from a friend over a year ago...and we've only had to make it twice since then. We figured out the cost to make (since you use all the ingredients except the bar of soap more than one) to be just over $4 for 10 gallons of detergent! Now THAT's a Deal! Another friend recently saw a recipe for a powder version and I'm considering trying that, so I'll let you know!

Homemade Laundry Detergent.
I ordered the Fels-Naptha on-line because I happen to live in the middle of nowhere (and quite enjoy it except when I have to shop online for things!) Everytime I order I have to google for the best price (and then I usually buy a few bars at a time to have on hand).
The washing soda I found at the Commissary but I'm sure can be found at other stores or online as well. The borax I found at walmart or the commissary.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super 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.

24 Hours later, this is what it looks like.

-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)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

I first had these muffins at a potluck and they were amazing! They were the moistest muffin I had ever had. When I found out how simple the recipe was I had to make them for my family. Now they are a huge hit and so easy to make. They also freeze nicely so you can make a huge batch ahead of time, put them in the freezer and pull them out for a nice snack or when your kids forget to tell you they have to take something to an event! (My 10 year loves this for breakfast on school mornings, so we keep lots in the freezer!)

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 handful chocolate chips
1/2 cup yogurt (lowfat vanilla is best)
1 capful vanilla
1 14 oz. Can pumpkin pie filling
Combine all ingredients.
Spray the muffin pan with Pam. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

The batter will be thick, almost like cookie dough.

Yum!

Brownie Pudding Cake

On our family blog I participate in a weekly fill-in with other Military Spouses. It's a series of questions that we answer and one of the questions this week was "what is your favorite chocolate dessert?". This is probably my favorite dessert. It comes from Pampered Chef's Delightful Desserts cookbook. It's always a hit whenever I make it. We serve it warm with ice cream. I have yet to have anyone ever be disappointed!

Brownie Pudding Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add milk, melted butter and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla; stir until smooth. Stir in chocolate morsels. Spread evenly in 9x12 pan.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa; gradually stir in boiling water and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Carefully pour mixture evenly over batter in pan.

3. Bake 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Spoon into dessert dishes and serve with ice cream.

Taco Soup (CrockPot)

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg hidden valley ranch mix
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans black beans
2 cans corn
1 can Rotel
1 large can diced tomatoes

Brown meat, drain, place in crockpot
sprinkle seasonings on meat
drain and rinse all the cans of beans, place in crockpot
add corn (do not drain)
add Rotel and tomatoes

Mix together and heat on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Really the longer the better.

Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese.

My kids eat it with both tortilla chips and cornbread.

I actually triple this recipe because my kids love it so much and we hardly ever have leftovers!

Hawaiian Meatballs

With all the different things that I choose to be involved in, many include events that end up being potlucks. I don't always have time to hang out at home and create something magnificent. I also am not the type of person who is okay with stopping by the store and picking up something from the deli (not that there is anything wrong with that!) I try to have things on hand in the cupboards or freezer that I can throw together to create something yummy.

Tonight I had a "coffee" for our unit and it was potluck so I threw ingredients together for Hawaiian Meatballs. I got lots of compliments on them.

Hawaiian Meatballs
1 can (20 oz) unsweetened pineapple chunks, undrained
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 package (32 oz) frozen, fully cooked homestyle meatballs
2 medium green peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained
Hot cooked rice, optional

1. Drain pineapple, reserving juice in a 2-cup measuring cup; add enough water to measure 2 cups.

2. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in the pineapple uice mixture until smooth. Stir in vinegar. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

3. In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the meatballs, peppers and pineapple chunks. Stir in pineapple juice mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until heated through and peppers are tender, adding cherries during last 30 minutes of cooking. Serve with rice if desired.

No Bake Protein Bars

A friend of mine on FB shared this recipe and I thought I'd give it a try. My boys enjoy protein bars on occasion but I'm always hesitant to buy them because they can be pretty pricey. Now, some of the ingredients in this recipe are a bit pricey but it's all natural so at least I know what is in them when I make them. My family really enjoyed this recipe.

No Bake Protein Bars

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Oats
• 4 Scoops Protein Powder (we used French Vanilla flavored but I say be adventourous and try different flavors)
  
• 2 Tbs Ground Flaxseed
• 1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter
• 1/2 Cup Water
• Optional: Almond Butter
• Optional: Ground Pecans

Instructions

1) Mix dry ingredients together - Oats, Protein, Flaxseed
2) Mix in Natural Peanut Butter, then Water
3) Mix well, will be clumpy and take awhile (trust me when it says mix well and it will take a while...use something sturdy to mix)

Line 8x8 glass pan with aluminum foil, then use your hands to pack the mix into the pan.

Optional:
Spread a light layer of almond butter over the top
Sprinkle ground pecans over the top of the almond butter

Place into the freezer for 35 minutes

Easy Bread Pudding

My husband loves bread pudding...I do not. I have issues with texture and bread pudding is not a texture I enjoy. We had some leftover hot dog buns from our Boy Scout Court of Honor and we didn't want them to go to waste so he turned them into bread pudding. I found this recipe at AllRecipes.com

Kevin tweeked it a bit and then made caramel to pour over. He was very pleased with the results!

Easy Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 6 slices day-old bread (he used one package of hot dog buns)
  
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

He added about 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest and 1/2 teaspoon of chili cocoa powder.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup of sugar
• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Method

1 Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. Note that this recipe works best if you are using a thick-bottomed pan. If you find that you end up burning some of the sugar before the rest of it is melted, the next time you attempt it, add a half cup of water to the sugar at the beginning of the process, this will help the sugar to cook more evenly, though it will take longer as the water will need to evaporate before the sugar will caramelize.

3 As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4 Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-quarts (preferably 3-quarts) big.

5 Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.

Makes a little over one cup of sauce.