That Last Bit Of Jam

You ever have some jam or preserves so good you're scraping the sides of the jar just to get that last little bit?  I have.  And I've spent 5 minutes just trying to get that last little nibble, then felt heartbroken when I had to throw it in the trash without scraping it perfectly clean.  If you ever find yourself in this predicament again, let me introduce to you the Sundae in a Jam Jar:

I realize this isn't exactly an earth shattering revelation... But it was awesome.  Just take those last bits of jam, a scoop of ice cream, and a dollop of fresh whipped cream, and you no longer need to feel bad about wasting those last bits of preserves.  Why did it take me until 30 to learn this lesson?  All those years of jam wasted...

Laundry Detergent

I've been using homemade laundry detergent for over a year now.  AND I LOVE IT!  It cleans just as well as the fancy brands, and it's only fractions of the cost. 

The ingredient list:
1 Bar Fels Naptha Laundry Soap
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
5 gallon bucket

How To:

 

 

 

Grate the Fels Naptha with a cheese grater into a saucepan and add water until the soap is just covered.  Bring to a low simmer and allow to simmer, stirring frequently, until soap is completely dissolved; about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a 5 gallon bucket about 1/4 - 1/3 with hot tap water and add 1 Cup Borax and 1 Cup Washing Soda and stir for a few minutes. 

When soap is completely dissolved, add to bucket and stir vigorously until mixture is smooth.  (Tip:  If you have the option, you can use a power drill and paint/cement mixer to make quick work of this part).  After the mixture is smooth, fill the bucket with hot tap water and mix again until smooth; it will go much faster this time. 

Allow the bucket to sit overnight to cool.  Mix one final time and divide into jugs if desired.  The mixture will need mixed periodically to prevent it from congealing.  (Tip:  I use my old laundry soap jugs and only fill about 3/4 full so there's room to shake it up before each load of laundry).

The Cost:
Fels Naptha..........................................$1.50
Borax
   $4/9Cups...........................................$0.44
Washing Soda
   $3.25/6Cups......................................$0.54_
                                               Total:    $2.48/5gallons

Talk about saving some serious money!  A 5 gallon bucket lasts my family of 5 for about 3 months.  In that same 3 month period I could easily spend $30-50 on laundry soap (or more) depending on the brand.  I love this stuff, and I hope you do to.

Nicole
 

Free Printable Recipe Cards

With the holidays on their way, I've been getting out those old family recipes.  I love seeing my mothers and grandmothers handwritten cards - but they're in very bad shape.  So, it's time for an update.  Here's a set of 10 vintage recipe cards, in 4x6 format.  (click each card to view large, right click large image to save)

Use these cards to store your own family recipes, or attach them to home cooked goodies as gift tags so your friends and family will be able to recreate your delicious treats.  

And, as an added bonus: Two of my favorite recipes!

Always a hit with my family.

Thanks,

Nicole

2 Ingredient, Microwave Fudge

Yes, this delicious fudge is made in the microwave with only two ingredients!

Okay, so I have to give props to my mom for this recipe.  I was visiting a little while back and she made this microwave fudge that was so delicious I just had to ask for the recipe.  And she promptly laughed at me.  That's because the recipe said "heat tub of frosting and bag of morsels in microwave safe bowl."  Yep:



Yes, you mix these two ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl, nuke for a minute or so, mix, nuke, mix, continue until smooth.  Then you pour them into a pan to cool.  To make things easier you can grease the pan, or better yet, line it with parchment paper.  Let it cool in the fridge until it's nice and firm (a few hours), then serve it up!

And the absolute best part?  You can pretty much use any flavor tub of frosting and any flavor morsels!

For a traditional fudge flavor use chocolate frosting and milk chocolate morsels.  For a super dark chocolate fudge you can try dark chocolate frosting and dark chocolate morsels.  You can also experiment with white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, etc.

I'm going to try using Ande's mints instead of morsels!  Or maybe make a vanilla fudge and crumble some Oreo's in there.  Oh, this is dangerous.

Happy Fudge Making,
Nicole

Ultimate Taco Seasoning

We love Love LOVE tacos in my house, but the taco seasoning you buy in packets in the grocery store is so darn expensive in the long haul, and is full of extra ingredients like corn flour and colorants.  This is why I've developed my own recipe!

There's ton's of recipes out there, and they're all different, coming in different portion sizes, with different ingredients, and different spice ratios.  I've tried to use and compare as many mixes as I could before deciding what worked best for me.  Plus, I've come up with a recipe for both a bulk and individual size!  How nice of me :-D

So, without further ado, I've included teaspoon measurements if you'd like to halve the recipe:

bulk recipe taco seasoning:

1/3 C. (16 tsp.) Chili Powder

 1/4 C. (12 tsp.) Paprika

3.5 T. (10 tsp.) Cumin

3 T. (9 tsp.) Onion Powder

 2 T. (6 tsp.) Garlic Powder

2T (6 tsp.) dried oregano

2T (6 tsp.) dried cilantro

1T (3 tsp.) Salt

Use 2 T. per 1lb. ground beef, plus or minus to taste, plus 1/2 cup water.  Simmer 3-4 minutes to distribute flavors.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and store in your preferred, air-tight method.  My favorite storage right now is mason jars with shaker lids scavenged from old Parmesan bottles!  And maybe someday I'll even get around to giving them pretty labels.  But for now, white stickers and black sharpie will just have to do:

Also, I've tried smoked salt and/or smoked paprika and both are delicious!  I especially like these flavors on chicken and pork tacos.  You could also add crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper for a spicier variety.  Just start with small amounts, you can always add more if necessary. 

For a single serving, this isn't exactly the same spice ratio, but it's darn close!

single serve taco seasoning:

1.5 tsp. chili powder

1.25 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. onion powder

.5 tsp garlic powder

.5 tsp oregano

.5 tsp cilantro

.25 tsp. salt

mix all ingredients in small bowl and sprinkle over 1 lb. ground beef, adding 1/2 cup water.  Simmer 3-4 minutes and enjoy.

 Enjoy!
~Nicole