#297 - Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

This weekend a friend of mine gave me the recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent! I was so excited that I had all of the ingredients except one. I bought the Lemi Shine at Wal-Mart for $2.96 (it was right beside the dishwashing soap.)

Here are the ingredients. 1 cup of Kosher Salt (I think you can use regular salt too.)2 cups Washing Soda

2 cups of Borax

The entire bottle of Lemi Shine.

Mix all of this together and voila ~ ready to use!

I poured some back into the Lemi Shine bottle to make it easier to pour into the dishwasher.

Another tip is to use vinegar in the rinse container in your dishwasher! I tried this last night and it works great and helps to clean your dishwasher also!

After making my laundry detergent and loving it, I'm going to try all kinds of homemade recipes now!

Here is the recipe again:
2 cups Washing Soda
2 cups Borax
1 cup Kosher salt
1 bottle of Lemi Shine

Jeremiah 2:22
"For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap,
Yet your iniquity is marked before Me,” says the Lord GOD."

#272 - Apple Pizza

I've been in the mood to bake something with apples. So tonight I concocted a little recipe of my very own. It turned out pretty yummy. And, it's low(er) in fat than most other apple desserts I've tried in the past. In case you're wondering what's on it, here is rundown:

Baked some pizza dough and let it cool.

Mixed up about 1/2 cup of softened cream cheese, 1 cup of powdered sugar, and about 2 tablespoons of milk and spread it on the dough.

Then I chopped up a granny smith apple and spread it over the pizza.

Poured caramel over this and then sprinkled some chopped up Rolo candies on top.

I chilled it in the fridge for a little while to firm up the caramel.

I got thumbs up from la familia!

Proverbs 25:11-12
"Like apples of gold in settings of silver
is a ruling rightly given.
Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear."

#182 - Honey Bun Cake SUYL

I decided for today's post I would share this recipe again! Kelly is hosting a breakfast recipe for SUYL so I thought I'd share this Honey Bun Recipe!

This is a dessert recipe, but it delicious for a breakfast item also!

THE HONEY BUN CAKE!!! (Pictures below)

*1 package yellow cake mix
*3/4 cup vegetable oil
*4 eggs
*1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
*1 cup brown sugar
*1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Frosting:

*2 cups confectioners powdered sugar
*4 tablespoons milk
*1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350’ degrees. (325' for glass pans)
In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream. Mix with a mixer or you can stir by hand approximately 50 strokes, or until most large lumps are gone. Pour half of the batter into an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the batter in the cake pan. Spoon the other half of the batter into the cake pan, covering the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
Poke holes in the cake and frost while it is still warm.

*To make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.

It truly is one of the easiest cakes I have ever made and it is so so so yummy :P

Pour half of the batter and spread it on the bottom.

Top that with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Then spread the rest of the batter on top of this and bake.

You can also take a butter knife and swirl the cake before you bake it to give it that "official" honey bun look :)

Whip up the icing while the cake is baking.

While the cake is still warm poke holes all over it and then pour the icing over the top.

I asked Brian to take a picture while I was pouring the icing and my camera was set on continuous shooting so it sounded like the paparazzi was taking my picture. I think he took about 20 pictures :o) I had to stop pouring a couple of times because I was laughing so hard :D


Here is the finale! Very tasty!

You can click this link for more breakfast recipes: Kelly's Korner ~ Show Us Your Life

Proverbs 16:24
"Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones."

#104 - Lowfat Chocolate Cake

I made this a week or so ago and just realized I hadn't posted the recipe :) This is like the yellow/white lowfat cake only difference is to use a dark soda instead of a lemon-lime one.

The secret recipe:

A Bubba "pop" from Save-a-lot!

I'm not even going to lie - I sniffed it! Very tempted to taste it, but I didn't!

It's been about 14 months since I've drank a Mountain Dew or a Pepsi (not counting the one in Panama last summer:)

Just mix 12 ounces of the dark pop with a chocolate cake mix. That's all - no more ingredients. Don't over mix it. It seems that the more you mix it the less it will rise. Spread it in your pan of choice and bake as directed on the box. Here it is after it's baked! We were bad and actually used some chocolate icing. I know it defeats the purpose of the low-fat cake, but sometimes you just gotta! Between the yellow and the chocoloate cake, my favorite is the yellow. Probably because I add the lemon extract to it. If you make one let me know what you think!

Have a blessed Friday!

James 5:12
"Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned."

#95 - French Loaf Sandwiches

**I'm updating this for Kelly's SUYL - Appetizers!**

For lunch today the girls and I had our trusty french loaf sandwiches. I've been meaning to post this recipe for a long time, so today I remembered to take pictures!

Start out with a roll of French Loaf bread. It is low-fat by the way.

Grease (with Pam) a large cookie sheet and find the seam of the bread. Then unroll it on the cookie sheet and try to gently stretch it to the sides evenly. I usually spray some Pam spray on my hands and it helps the bread not to stick. Then add whatever meat/cheese/spices that you want.

Some that we have tried are:

*meatballs and pasta sauce

*ham and various cheeses

*salami, pepperoni, pastrami, & cheese with italian dressing and spices

*grilled chicken with veggies

The possibilities are endless!

Today we used turkey lunchmeat with lightning jack cheese and some garlic pepper that I bought at the Amish store. It was the first time I'd used this seasoning and it turned out to be a little too salty for the sandwiches. Trial and error! After you get your meat/combo spread out across all of the bread spray Pam on your hands again and roll it halfway and then again so that it looks like this: I always stretch it sideways and then cut slits. This usually helps it bake more evenly.
Then bake at 350* for about 20-25 minutes (sometimes longer).

Then I slice it up with a bread knife and voila it's ready!

Yumminess!

We also found the world's largest baby carrot today! Ha!

Another great appetizer that we love is a Veggie Roll-up.

(Sorry I don't have a picture)

Here is the recipe:
Veggie Roll-Ups
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 stalk of broccoli
6 carrots (about 1/2 bag of baby carrots)
1 stalk of cauliflower (optional)
Hidden Valley ranch dip mix
Package of large flour tortilla shells

Mix cream cheese, ranch dip, sour cream, shredded cheese together.
Chop all of the vegetables and add to the mixture. Spread it on tortilla shells and roll up. Place them in an air tight container and freeze them. Take them out and cut them 45 minutes before serving.

Psalm 78:23-25
"Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven, Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full."

#62 - 3-D Tilapia

I've had tilapia in my freezer for a while to fix.

Usually I grill it, but tonight I found THIS recipe and we really liked it.

A few months ago I was able to get a free subscription to Motor Trend magazine.

Well it came in the mail today and it also came with an added bonus :D

3-D glasses with a few really cool pages to look at. Hehe!

Easy to please :0)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."

#12 - Pioneer Picnic Cookies

We've had a snowy day/week/winter and honestly I do enjoy it! Not a fan of driving in it, but it is so pretty to see falling.

Anna is so much like me when it comes to carrying everything you "might" need around with you! Today while waiting on our lunch to cook we played a little game of "guess what's in Anna's purse!" She and I both get it honestly though, my Mama always carried anything you could ever imagine in her purse. Just don't dare touch it without permission! Ha!

I've had this little cookbook for as long as I can remember. I've made a few different recipes from it and today I think I found my new favorite cookie. :P

I've never really been able to make good chocolate cookies from scratch. Not sure why.

I tried this recipe today and my, oh my, they turned out pretty yummy! They tasted just like a chocolate chip cookie, but somehow better :D

I didn't add the walnuts. We're not a fan of nuts in desserts around these parts.

I thought I should give credit where credit is due.

Of course I am still having a hard time chewing anything with my back teeth. But if you soak these in a little milk - they soften right up!!! After a week of pudding, jello, and yogurt I didn't feel too guilty. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that Blizzard last night........

Colossians 1:16
"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."

I Want S'more!

How can 3 ingredients taste so good just by being melted a little?

Honestly, how simple is this?

Pop it under the broiler for a few minutes and voila!

(Just make sure you turn your exhaust on so your smoke alarms won't go off :)

Yummy goodness!

The girls approved.

Wholeheartedly!

It's a good thing these are low fat!

Well.....except for the chocoloate, but it can be healthy. Right?!

Low-fat Cake, Babies, & Quilts

We have had a busy couple of weeks around here! But we love it!

A few weeks ago I had read about baking a cake with only a can of pop and thought hmm...I wonder if it would taste good?

So I tried it and guess what......

It was scrumptious!!!

All I did was beat about 12 oz. of lemon-lime soda with a yellow cake mix and baked it for the amount required. I also added some lemon extract just to punch it up a bit. For the icing I mixed cool whip with some more lemon extract and a hint of yellow food coloring. I was so amazed that this actually worked! Next time I need to beat the cake mix for a little bit longer so that it will rise up a little more. With my calculations each piece had approximately 5 grams of fat.

Not too bad :P (For a chocolate cake mix you can use a can of Coke.)

This little girl has stolen our hearts!
Last Tuesday I got to keep her all day and then she spent the night with us! We were having revival so I was able to take her with us both Tuesday and Wednesday! I didn't want to take her home after Wednesday's service, but her mommy and daddy were missing her.

She is starting to smile and laugh a little bit. Absolutely precious!

This week we have been working on the girl's quilts again and we officially finished Tuesday!!!

They're not perfect, but with some more practice I'll get better....hopefully :D

This one above is Holly's for her doll Liberty.

This is Anna's for her doll Jubilee.

Here is Jubilee's pillow that Anna embroidered.

Holly is still working on Liberty's pillow.

Jubilee sure did like her pillow and quilt! She went straight to sleep ;)



Please remember Brian's Uncle Larry, his wife, Lora passed away early Tuesday morning. She has battled cancer for the past 2 years.