It's been quite awhile since I posted.
Decided if I'm going to jump back on here, I'm going to post something that makes me smile. How about a homemade hawaiian personal pan pizza?! YUM!! This was not only yummy, it made the house smell good. I love a warm toasty oven on a chilly Sunday!! :-)
Testing new Blogger design.
One of the mainstays in my fridge is apple butter. Since I was a little girl, there has always been a jar of apple butter in the fridge. There is nothing like warm toast or a bagel spread with fresh apple butter. My comfort food. :-)
My grandma's recipe is a crockpot version, which is yummy and easy to make. I cooked up a batch this past weekend, enough to share a taste with coworkers.
Here's the recipe:
12-15 apples (peeled, cored, diced)
2 c. sugar
4 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
Cook in covered crockpot on high for 6-7 hours; remove cover and cook an hour and a half; stir occasionally. Mash while warm (hand mixer, blender or processor). Makes 4-5 small jars.
Time to say goodbye to this ragged old pair of work boots. WAY past time to get rid of them, actually.
A good friend of mine (who happens to be a farm girl like me!) has been encouraging me to get a pair of "Ariats." It's the top name in equestrian boots... riding boots, fashion boots and work boots. However, frugal as I am, I couldn't imagine spending $100 on a pair of boots.
Enter ebay!!!
I found a beautiful new pair of Ariats for less than half price.
The crazy thing is that I'm having a hard time parting with the old ragged pair! Funny how it is with something familiar. You get so comfortable that you don't want to let go. I moved the old pair to the porch for a few days and, finally, this morning, carried them out to the trash. Silly. Why would I want to hold on when I have this beautiful new pair of boots. Some lesson there, I'm sure.
The ladies in my bible study have been raving about a new recipe for homemade laundry detergent. Easy to make, economical, "green," and a little goes a long way. So....I finally gathered the ingredients and made a batch this afternoon.
- 1 cup Borax
- 1 cup Washing Soda
- 1 bar Laundry Soap (I used Fels Naptha)
The most difficult task was grating the bar soap. It was time consuming and a little more work than I expected. AND, I was surprised at how fragrant the Fels Naptha was. Overwhelmingly fragrant, actually.
Once finished, the bar soap ended up looking a bit like grated cheddar cheese. Kinda strange when you put it all together, as the consistency is so different.
In any case, because the fragrance was so strong, I decided to start with one load of towels. If the perfumey smell was too much, at least I wouldn't have to wear it!
So, I just pulled the towels out of the dryer and there is no perfumey smell at all! As a matter of fact, I wonder if I should go back and add the optional essential oil for fragrance. All in all, it made nearly 4 cups of detergent and it only takes 2 TBSP for a standard load. Looks like I'm in business with my own homemade laundry detergent!!
Thanks to Savvy Brown for the recipe and instructions! Click here for more info: Savvy Brown's homemade laundry detergent
It's been a delightfully mild winter in NE Ohio, just a couple of dustings so far. And we're almost through January!! Here's hoping it continues...only 61 days til Spring!!
