Green living part 1- Uses for vinegar

Vinegar for personal care
Vinegar in the bath. Add one-half cup of vinegar or so to warm bath water when bathing and get double benefits: softer skin and a cleaner bathtub with less work!
Hair conditioner. Vinegar makes a simple, inexpensive conditioner for your hair and helps remove the sticky stuff shampoo can leave behind. About a tablespoon will do it.
Dandruff treatment. Simply pour a few tablespoons of vinegar on your hair and massage into your scalp. Wait a few minutes, then rinse and wash hair like normal. Try this for a few days until you see results.
Weight loss. Vinegar naturally helps to remove fat from the body. Apple cider vinegar is especially good for this. Drink some in a glass of water a few times a day. Add a little lemon or honey for a nicer flavor. This will also help reduce your appetite.
Dry skin repair. Smooth a little vinegar on cracked, dried skin to help it heal.
Clean dentures. Soak dentures overnight in Heinz White Vinegar, then brush away tartar with a toothbrush.
Facial spritzer. Mix apple cider vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio in a spray bottle. Refreshing!
Hair cleanser. Use one cup of vinegar in some warm water to rinse your hair after you shampoo. Vinegar adds highlights to brunette hair, restores the acid mantle and removes soap film and sebum oil.

Vinegar for cleaning
Glass cleaner. Mixed with water or simply sprayed full strength on glass and mirrors, vinegar does a great job quickly and easily. Spray on and wipe windows dry with crumpled-up newspapers, and watch your windows sparkle.
Bathroom cleaner. dilute 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. put in spray bottle and spray bathtub, sink, toilet..etc.
Car cleaner. Use vinegar full strength to polish car chrome with a cloth, and see it shine! Use it on your car’s windshield and windows, too.
Clean drinking glasses. Soak cloudy drinking glasses in warmed white vinegar for a few hours to remove the film. Simply wipe clean, rinse and dry.
Clean the washer. Periodically run a gallon of distilled vinegar through your washing machine to clean it thoroughly, get rid of soap scum and clear out the hoses. Run the machine through the warm water wash cycle empty and then add the vinegar during the rinse cycle.
Furniture polish. Make your own furniture polish with one part vinegar and three parts lemon oil or olive oil.
Remove price tags or stickers. Paint stickers with several coats of vinegar and let it soak in. Depending what you are removing them off, most will slide off easily but some may require a little heavier rubbing.
Clean the iron. Pour vinegar into your iron’s water compartment and let the iron steam itself clean. Remember to flush it with water when you are done.
Clean paintbrushes. Simmer paint brushes in pure vinegar, then wash in hot soapy water.
Wash walls. Wipe down your walls with a vinegar-water mixture, which helps absorb odors and clean surfaces.
Remove spots from glass. Use a vinegar-soaked cloth to remove spots from glassware or crystal.
Unclog drains. Pour boiling white vinegar down clogged drains to remove the clog.
Clean jars. Remove odors and stains from jars by cleaning them out with vinegar.
Clean old lunchboxes. Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and let it sit in the lunchbox overnight.
Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water.
Clean the tea pot. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in the teapot. Wipe away the grime.
Clean the dishwasher. Run a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once a month to reduce soap build-up on the inner mechanisms and on glassware.
Clean the microwave. Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. This mixture will loosen splattered-on food and deodorize the microwave.
Remove smoke smells from clothing. Add a cup of vinegar to a bath tub of hot water. Hang clothes above the steam.
Clean eyeglasses. Wipe each lens with a drop of vinegar.
Remove stains from furniture and upholstery. Remove stubborn stains from furniture upholstery and clothes. Apply Heinz White Vinegar directly to the stain, then wash as directed by the manufacturer’s instructions.
Natural air deodorizer. Heinz Vinegar is a natural air freshener when sprayed in a room.
Remove rust. Soak the rusted tool, bolt or spigot overnight in undiluted Heinz White Vinegar.
Clean the toilet bowl. Pour in one cup of Heinz White Vinegar, let stand for five minutes and flush.
Brighten fabrics. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Natural cleaning wipes. A cloth soaked with vinegar sanitizes kitchen counters, stove and bathroom surfaces. This is just as effective as antibacterial products and does not promote resistant strains of bacteria like commercial products can. This is also a cheaper and greener way to protect your loved ones.
Remove lint from laundry. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Remove grease from suede. Dip a toothbrush in vinegar and gently brush over grease spot.
Remove perspiration stains from clothing. Apply one part vinegar to four parts water, then rinse.
Clean coffee or tea stains from china. A mixture of salt and vinegar will clean coffee and tea stains from chinaware.
Clean coffeepots and coffee makers. Vinegar can help to dissolve mineral deposits that collect in automatic drip coffee makers. Fill the reservoir with vinegar and run it through a brewing cycle. Rinse thoroughly with water when the cycle is finished.
Longer-lasting pantyhose. Add one tablespoon of vinegar to the rinse water when washing, and your pantyhose will last longer.

Vinegar for food and cooking
Cheese storage. Cheese will last longer if you store it in a vinegar-soaked cloth.
Whiter cauliflower. Add a teaspoon or so of white vinegar to your cooking water while cooking cauliflower. It will retain a whiter color.
Stretch ketchup. Only have a little ketchup left in the bottle? Add a bit of vinegar and give it a good shake — you’ll have a bit more!
Boiling eggs. Add a bit of white vinegar to the water you’re boiling your eggs in, and the shells won’t crack.
Cooking cabbage. Add a bit of vinegar to the water you’re cooking your cabbage in to remove that stinky cabbage smell.
Fluffier meringues. Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar for every three egg whites, and you’ll have fluffier meringues.
Tenderize meat. Soak in vinegar overnight.
Unsticky rice. To cook rice without sticking, add a spoonful of vinegar.
Remove onion odors. Eliminate onion odor on your skin by rubbing vinegar on your fingers before and after slicing.
Disinfect and clean cutting boards. Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards by wiping with full-strength vinegar.
Make buttermilk. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of milk and let it stand five minutes to thicken.

Vinegar for gardening and yard care
Clean clay pots. Remove white salt buildup on old clay pots by soaking them in full-strength vinegar.
Kill grass. Undiluted vinegar kills grass between bricks and sidewalk cracks.
Kill weeds. Spray full strength on weeds, but be careful not to spray it on the surrounding grass because it will kill that, too.
Deter ants. Spray vinegar around doors, appliances and along other areas where ants are known to gather.
Keep cats away. Sprinkle vinegar in areas you don’t want the cat walking, sleeping or scratching.
Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar for each quart of water.

Vinegar for health care
Soothe sore throats. Suffering from a sore throat? Mix a teaspoon of vinegar with a glass of water. Gargle with the mixture and then swallow.
Remove calluses. Try soaking your feet in a combination of white vinegar and warm water nightly, and watch your feet soften noticeably.
Sunburn and bee stings. Soak a washcloth in vinegar and gently apply it to sunburned skin for cool relief. Reapply as needed as it evaporates. Besides sunburn, vinegar also soothes the itch and irritation of bee stings.
Arthritis tonic. Take two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water several times a day.
Jellyfish stings. Dot the irritation with vinegar to relieve itching.
Sinus infections and head colds. Add 1/4 cup or more vinegar to the vaporizer.
Wart removal. Mix one part Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar to one part glycerin into a lotion, and apply daily to warts until they dissolve.
Soothe an upset stomach. Drink two teaspoons of Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar in one cup of water to soothe an upset stomach.
Mosquito bites. Use a cotton ball to dab mosquito and other bug bites with Heinz Vinegar straight from the bottle.

Vinegar for pets and animals
Pet drinking water. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to your pet’s drinking water to encourage a shinier coat and reduce odor.
Remove skunk odor. Use vinegar straight to remove skunk odor from your pet’s fur.
Stop your cat’s scratching furniture. Sprinkle or spray vinegar on areas you don’t want the cat scratching.
Fish bowl cleaner. Eliminate that ugly deposit in the gold fish tank by rubbing it with a cloth dipped in vinegar and rinsing well.
Remove pet stains from carpets. Blot up urine with a soft cloth, flush several times with lukewarm water, and then apply a mixture of equal parts vinegar and cool water. Blot up, rinse and let dry.

Red velvet cake balls

I didnt get a chance to take photos the day I made these because I was hurrying to try to get them done before Kianna woke up from her nap. But if you go here she has great photos of how she made them.
Red velvet cake balls
(although they can be made with any flavor of cake mix)
1 box red velvet cake mix
1 can cream cheese frosting
1 pkg. almond bark chocolate to melt

Mix and bake red velvet cake mix according to box. Let cake cool completely then tear apart into a mixing bowl. Mix in a can of cream cheese frosting. I had to use my hands to get it all mixed together good. Shape into balls either by hand or you can use a cookie scoop. Place each ball on wax paper in a cookie sheet. I froze them for a 1/2 hour or so to make them more solid. Then remove from freezer. Melt chocolate and drop balls into it a few at a time. Make sure they are coated. Remove from chocolate with a fork or slotted spoon so access chocolate drains off. Place on wax paper and let sit 5 minutes or until hardened. Store in fridge for 1 week.

TIPS ON MELTING CHOCOLATE:
I used white almond bark chocolate. I melted 3 of the blocks at a time and did it in the microwave for 1 minute at a time on 20% power. I think it took me 5 times @ 1 minute to get them melted. I found that melting a small amount like 3 blocks instead of the whole package at a time was easier and I didnt waste any chocolate by it getting hard before dipping all the balls.

Sweet'n sour Chicken

This is so easy and fast to prepare, I love my crockpot especially since i have a baby and not alot of time to cook.....

Sweet and Sour Chicken
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-8 oz. bottle Catalina salad dressing
1 envelope dry mix onion soup
10 oz jar apricot preserves

Place chicken breasts in your slow cooker. Pour remaining ingredients on top of chicken. No need to mix. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low.

Oyster Crackers

These are really good. I been eating them all evening. . .Yes, i tell ya the after baby weight is not coming off very fast this way!! What I did/would do different from the recipe is I used 2 packages of oyster crackers that were 10 oz each, used 1 cup of oil and the rest I did exactly like the recipe. It was perfect. I would think 3/4 cup of oil for 1 bag of crackers would be too much oil but thats just me thinking.

Ranch Oyster Crackers

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 (1 ounce) package dry Ranch-style dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (12 ounce) package oyster crackers

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).In a mixing bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, ranch-style dressing mix, dill weed, lemon pepper and garlic powder. Pour this spice mixture over the crackers in a medium bowl, and stir until the crackers are coated. Arrange the crackers on a large baking sheet.Bake in the preheated 275 degrees F (135 degrees C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes

Coming up next week sometime. . . . Red Velvet Cake Truffles

Party Mix

This is so good, I have used this recipe for years! I add different items to it each year depending on what I want at the time. . .

Seasoning Mix:
1 Cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup butter
2 T. Worchestershire sauce
1 teas. Garlic salt
1 teas. seasoning salt
1/2 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
mix together and pour over the party mix. Divide into cookie sheets and bake at 250 for 2 hours stirring every 15 minutes.

Now you can add just about anything you want....The original recipe calls for
1 box cheerios
1 box chex
1 bag pretzels
1 small can nuts or peanuts
1 box cheezits or cheese nips
1 box honeycomb cereal

I vary it all the time though. I have added a bag of oyster crackers, or a bag of cheetos, or a box of bugles in place of something . OR if you like one item alot you could do 2 bags or box of something instead of something else.

SHrimp & Rice Casserole

This is really good! I got the recipe from kellys recipe blog and my dear husband made it last night and oh man!! LOVE IT.

Paula Deen Shrimp & Rice casserole

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package wild rice
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce can) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Cook the rice according to package directions minus 1/4 cup water. Drain and cool.

Bring 2 cups water and 1/2 tablespoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook the shrimp for 1 minute. Drain immediately and set aside.

Heat the butter in saucepan and saute the pepper and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the rice, soup, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, shrimp and vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well. Spray a 9-inch square aluminum cake pan or an 11 by 7-inch glass casserole dish with vegetable spray. Place the mixture in the pan and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Cinnamon Rolls

Today I made some cinnamon rolls from This Cooking site. She has some great recipes and everything I have made from her turns out great.
The only thing I did differently was I made my own cresent roll recipe instead of using store bought. They turned out really good. I made them small like her's and I have to say they baked much better than my recipe did. Mine I always make regular size rolls and they never bake right. They are always too done or too gooey. These baked much more even I think because of the size.

Sausage Gravy

I made biscuits and Sausage gravy tonight for supper. Now most recipes are the same, just a few changes here and there but for the most part sausage gravy is sausage gravy. . .
So I took 1# ground sausage and fried it. DONT Drain the grease. Once its all cooked add 3 or 4 T. Flour. Stir together and let boil for a few minutes. Add Milk a cup at a time stirring it so you can kinda see the consistency. I just dumped! Lol. Then add Season salt, salt & pepper. These all depend on your taste. Just add some and taste. Keep it to a medium low heat so its bubbly and keep stirring until its thickened.
Now for the hint on good gravy! I just learned this the other day from my mom. Add 1 T. Ketchup to the gravy and stir it in. Yes, KETCHUP. It adds some spice to it and you dont taste the ketchup. I was a bit skeptical but I tried it tonight and its really good!

Garlic Cheese Flatbread

I made a big pot of Chicken soup today in my crockpot so I decided to try and make some cheese bread to go with it. I took 2 different recipes, one from my mother in law and one from allrecipes.com and combined them. It was good but I would personally add more Garlic powder or a little garlic salt plus the garlic powder cause it didnt have any garlic taste.

• 1 (.25 ounce) envelope active dry yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

I made the dough in my bread machine. If you use your bread machine pour in the water & olive oil first. Then add the flour, salt, sugar and the yeast last. Set your machine to the dough setting and let it go! I had to add a bit of water to the dough after the first few minutes in the machine because it was really dry so just check it after a few minutes.
If you dont have a machine here is the instructions to make the dough by hand:

In a cup or small bowl, sprinkle yeast over the surface of the lukewarm water. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to dissolve.In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and sugar. Pour in the yeast mixture along with the olive oil. Beat with a sturdy spoon until dough is stiff enough to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover, and set aside until doubled in size, about 35 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead briefly on a floured surface. Roll the dough out to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness or to the size of your baking sheet.

Once the dough is rolled out onto your baking sheet. I used a round pizza stone. Spread a generous amount of softened butter with your fingers or a spoon whichever is easier for you onto the dough. Then sprinkle the dough with
2 T. Garlic Powder
1 T. Oregano
Generous sprinkling of Grated parmesan cheese
2 cups Shredded cheddar cheese
Like I said earlier it didnt have much garlic flavor so I would add more garlic powder next time or add the 2 T. garlic powder it calls for and then add some garlic salt also.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. I left mine in a little longer until it was golden brown on the edges but I like mine crispy.

Blueberry Muffins

These are incredibly yummy! I made them and froze some for after baby comes. I used fresh blueberries one batch and frozen another and couldnt really tell a difference. So you could use either!
Blueberry Streusel Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter, diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F . Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.Combine 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter with 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, and stir in vanilla and lemon zest. Fold in dry ingredients alternately with milk. Fold in blueberries. Remember, fold gently, don't stir. Spoon batter into prepared cups.Combine 2 tablespoons flour, 5 tablespoons sugar ,and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle over batter in muffin cups.Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack. These muffins freeze really well, and re-heat in the microwave successfully. Hope you enjoy!!

Vegetable soup

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and changed a few things to suit our taste. You can change the veggies out to suit your families taste.

Veggie Soup
1# Ground hamburger
1 46 oz. can Tomato juice
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 head Cabbage, chopped
2 or 3 carrots, chopped
2 large or 4 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 can green beans
1 can whole kernel corn

Fry hamburger until browned. Drain. Set aside. In a big pot pour in tomato juice and then take the empty can and fill with water. Add to tomato juice so its diluted. I did 1-1/2 cans of water because I thought it looked too thick yet . Add chopped veggies. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add hamburger. Simmer another 10-20 minutes.

Monster Cookie

Monster Cookie Recipe
5 Cups Oatmeal
3 Eggs
1 Stick Butter, melted
3/4# Peanut butter
2 teas. Baking Soda
1-1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Sugar
1/4# M&M's
3 oz. Chocolate chips
Mix all together. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

I made these and made a bunch of it into balls the size of cookies and froze them on a single layer on a cookie sheet. Freeze them 1 hour (UNBAKED) and then take out and place into ziploc bags. Freeze them until ready to use. When ready to bake take out as many or as few balls as you want and place them straight in the oven. Bake about 12-15 minutes.

Feeding the Freezer

Well since there is going to be a upcoming event in the next 10 weeks or so, the arrival of our new little one. I have decided to start stocking my freezer so my dear husband doesnt have to cook constantly.
Yesterday I started with a bang. I made chocolate chip cookie dough then scooped it out on a cookie sheet with wax paper on it like i was going to bake them and then froze them before baking them. I froze them on the cookie sheet for 1 hour then took them out and put them in a ziploc bag. Now they wont freeze together and whenever we want cookies after the baby is born we just have to pull out as many or as few cookies as we want and bake those. You dont even have to thaw them, just add a few minutes to your baking time then what it normally takes you to bake your cookies.
I also made some banana muffins with some bananas that had been in the freezer for some time now waiting to be used for bread or muffins. They have been baked and are also in the freezer waiting to be microwaved and used for breakfast.
I hope to get some blueberry muffins made yet.
Today I made a huge pot of chicken soup and am going to freeze it in ziploc bags ready to be reheated. I was going to add noodles to it but everywhere i read says that they turn squishy when you thaw them after they have been froze and cooked so I just decided to add those before we eat the soup later.
So now- in the next few weeks i hope to stock my freezer with these. . . .
Baked Spaghetti
16 Oz. Spaghetti noodles, cooked
2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 Cup parmesan cheese
3 Eggs, beaten
1 T. vegetable oil
2 teas. Garlic powder
Salt and Pepper
Combine all items and mix well. Press into greased pan. (This makes 1- 9X13 but I am going to divide it into 9'' pans so that it will be just right for chadd and I. So one recipe will make 2 if you do it in smaller pans)
Pour 1 pint of Spaghetti sauce over. Cover with foil and freeze. On the outside of container make sure to label it that it needs to bake at 350 for 20 minutes. (probably could say 30 minutes since you want to take it straight from the freezer and bake. ) Also make a note on the container to add 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese at the end of the baking time and allow to melt before serving.

Chicken Pot Pie
2 Cup cooked chicken, in bit size chunks
20 oz. Frozen vegetables (your choice, I usually use mixed veggies)
1 Can Cream of Chicken soup
1 Cup Chicken broth
Combine all items together and press into a greased dish. (again this is for a 9X13 pan and I am going to divide it into 2-9'' pans) Cover with foil and label it that you need to make biscuits to put on top before baking. . . )
Biscuit Recipe
1/2 Cup margarine, melted
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup self rising flour
Combine all together spoon over pot pie.
Once this is on the frozen pot pie bake at 375 for 50 minutes (30 or so for smaller pan).

Sloppy Joes
These arent hard. Just brown hamburger in skillet and add a can of Manwich Sauce from the store. Allow to cool and then divide into ziploc bags for the serving amount you want. Label and freeze. You can microwave it to thaw it.

Lasagna Roll ups
Take 1 package of Lasagna noodles and cook them like you would to make lasagna. Allow to cool a bit. Meanwhile combine 1# hamburger, already cooked, 1 pint jar spahetti sauce and oregano.
In a seperate bowl combine 1 small container cottage cheese, 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Lay noodles out and place a thin layer of the hamburger mixture followed by another layer of the cottage cheese mixture. Roll up. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze them until firm. Place in ziploc bags. Label it bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so. Also dont forget to spread some more spaghetti sauce over them before baking.

Im also going to make some pizza's up and freeze them complete with toppings on them already just not baked. That way all we have to do it pull them out and bake them like the frozen ones from the store. I think Im going to make them small though so its more individual size.

Easy Pasta Bake

I got this recipe off of Real Mom Kitchen. You can find the actual recipe & photo here . It only has 4 ingredients so I thought what can go wrong? It came out amazing. The recipe makes a LOT though. I made it in a 12 cup muffin tin so they are individual sized and it filled all 12 cups and also the bottom of a small casserole dish. Thats ok, I put some of the muffin size ones in the freezer for quick lunch sometime. They were really good!

Fruit Salad

I was asked to make a fruit salad for monday when we had a "mini" reunion with my husbands grandparents. I dont usually get too fancy with fruit salads, but I wanted to try something different this time so I searched allrecipes.com until I found several different recipes that i liked and combined them. Here is the ending result:

2 Green Apples (granny smith), sliced and cut into bite size chunks
1 pint Strawberries, sliced
1 small cluster of grapes (your choice), I sliced them in half but you dont have to
1 pint Blueberries
2 Kiwi, peeled, sliced & cut into bite size pieces
1 Can pineapple chunks (or fresh pineapple cut into chunks if you want)
1 Can Peach Pie filling

Mix all together in a bowl and pour peach pie filling over it all. I added about 1/4 cup pineapple juice from the pineapple chunk can but I wouldnt do it again. I think it made it a little watery.
Stir it together well and chill for a few hours before serving.

This recipe is so easy and you can change the fruit out to suit your taste or what fruit is in season. I used up the last of the salad this morning to make a fruit smoothie but now I pitched what was left. It was getting pretty soggy. So I would say the salad lasted 3 days pretty well.

Grilled dinner

Tonight supper is all on the grill!! We are having Fish, Sweet potatoes & zucchini. We havent made it yet so Ill have to post later if it was good or not.
For the fish- Rub with butter and sprinkle with dill weed & I used Citrus & basil rub from Pampered chef but you can use lemon pepper seasoning instead. I went ahead and put the seasoning on the fish now and its sitting in the fridge. We will see if its any better since it will sit for a bit before grilling.
For the Sweet potatoes- Peel sweet potatoes & slice it so they are little circles or you can slice it down the middle and make it more like wedges. Brush olive oil on it and sprinkle with salt & pepper.
For the Zucchini- Peel zucchini & you can slice it into circles or you can slice it lengthwise in thin slices and grill it like that. Either way. Spray some pam spray on each side and sprinkle with seasoning salt (Lawrys).

***Ok the Fish I would add more butter to it next time, it was good but needed some liquid to it.
The Sweet potatoes werent that great. This is the 2nd time i have tried them on the grill and the outside burns before the inside gets done so its crunchy in the center and not very good.
The zucchini were amazing!!!

Granola Bars

This recipe I found on allrecipes.com. They are really good! The first batch I made I didnt add enough butter so it didnt stick together like bars. It was more like chunky granola cereal. Which it tasted good but just wasnt in a bar form. So this time I made sure to add the exact amount of butter the recipe calls for. They turned out great!!

4 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc. Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.

I added regular chocolate chips instead of mini because I didnt have any mini and they worked just fine. I also added sliced almonds to it. They are really yummy!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe
This was really good. I sauted some veggies to go with it and made some white rice. My Dear husband just ate the leftovers and said its almost better reheated then it was the first time!

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

Bisquick Shake and Pour

Ok, this is a quick "sales pitch" for Bisquick Shake and Pour pancake mix. Now I hormally make homemade pancake mix when I make pancakes at home but over the weekend we went camping and convenince reigns over "homemade" when your camping. I bought a bottle of this stuff and all I had to do was add water and shake. SOOO easy, and no dirty containers either, just throw the bottle away when your done. The pancakes were really yummy too, I couldnt tell much difference between my homemade pancakes and these.
That was my product recommendation for the day for all you busy moms!!

Cube steak & Dill Carrots

(Photo from ALL RECIPES)

Comforting Cube Steak

4 (4 ounce) cube steaks

1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lemon-lime

flavored carbonated beverage

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of

mushroom soup

1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.Season the steaks on both sides with Cajun seasoning and black pepper. Place the steaks into the prepared baking dish. Pour the lemon-lime beverage over them. Combine the cream of mushroom soup and dry onion soup mix, and pour over the steaks.Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until meat reaches desired doneness. Do not open the oven door during the first hour of cooking. Serve steaks with gravy spooned over.

The recipe says to use lemon lime beverage but I didnt have any in the house so I just used lemon juice and lime juice.

As a vegetable side dish tonight we are having with the cube steak:

Simmered Dill Carrots

8 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dill seed

In a medium-sized heavy saucepan, combine carrots, water, butter, sugar, salt and dill seed. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, or until carrots are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

I am also making mashed potatoes to but Im sure everyone knows how to do that already!! If not then its time you learn! Seriously though on a side note- those instant potato packets you buy at walmart are pretty good in a pinch. Especially the garlic butter one. I have used them a time or two and they arent bad at all! I think they are either Lipton brand or Walmart brand.

Peanut Butter & Jelly

Last week on one of my favorite food blogs to read http://kitchenscrapbook.com/ she posted that she made Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches then fried them like Grilled Cheese sandwiches. I thought it weird at first but today for lunch decided to try it. They were yummy! The peanut butter was all gooey and warm.
Its real simple, just put peanut butter and jelly on the inside of your sandwich like you normally do then on the outside put butter like you would to do grilled cheese. Then grill on the stove like grilled cheese. Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal

I know, its been a while. Honestly I havent cooked in 5 weeks! My husband has been surviving on pizza and sandwiches and take out since I got pregnant. I am 9 weeks now so hopefully I will be back in the kitchen soon!
This is a recipe that my mom used to make at home. I love it! I usually add a can of apple pie filling (chop the apples up before adding to the batter) or if your real healthy you can just add chopped apples but the pie filling has the "gel" which adds some moisture and flavor to the oatmeal.


1/3 c. oil

1/2 c. sugar or 1/4 c. honey

1 lg. egg, beaten

3/4 c. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. quick oats

1 1/2 tsp. baking pwd.

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together oil, sugar (or honey) and egg. Add rest of ingredients. Mix.Add Apples or Pie filling now. Bake in a 9" greased pie plate at 350 or 25 -30 minutes. Serves 4 - 6.

NOTE: Mom always made this in a 9X13 so a whole can of apple pie filling will be too much for the 9 inch pie pan probably. I would use 1/2 the can.

Blondie Brownie

This is just like Applebees Blondie dessert. Its soooo yummy. Make sure you serve it with Vanilla Ice cream. Makes it even better!
1 cup sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup unsalted butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Maple Butter Sauce

3/4 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º.Sift flour, add baking powder, baking soda, and salt; sift again.Add chopped nuts; mix well and set aside.Melt unsalted butter; add brown sugar and mix well.Add egg and vanilla; blend well.Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well.Stir in white chocolate chips.Spread in a 9x9x2-inch pan.Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with slightly fudgy-looking crumbs.Serve with vanilla ice cream and maple butter sauce. ---To Make the Maple Unsalted butter Sauce--- Combine syrup and butter, cook over low heat until butter is melted.Stir in brown sugar until dissolved.Add walnuts, if desired.

Herbed Roasted Chicken

I use my Pampered chef Bundt Pan to bake this. You simply sit the whole chicken "butt" over the center of the bundt pan. (See photos below. ) the chicken will be sitting upright.

Then Rub the chicken with lemon juice either from a lemon or just the lemon juice you buy in a jar. Just rub a little over the whole chicken. Then sprinkle with your choice of seasonings. I used Lemon pepper seasoning, Chopped and minced a clove of garlic and rubbed it on, Salt, Pepper.
You might have to lift up the wings of the chicken and rub some seasoning underneath.
Bake at 350 for at least an hour. I think I had mine in for 1-1/2 hours. Whenever it looks golden brown and poke it with a fork and see if the meat is done.
Really yummy. I then used the bones of the chicken and cooked it for a while in water and used it to make chicken soup.

Low Carb

Well DH and I started a Low carb diet and for the first 2 weeks we cant have any carbs or sugar or fruit. SO there isnt much interesting cooking going on right now. Ill probably be absent for another week. I just finished my first week and DH just started his first week. So far I have lost 3 pounds and DH has lost 2. So until were back to cooking here is a recipe that I am going to try sometime as soon as we are allowed a few carbs again.


Pumpkin Pie Dip

--1 cup canned pumpkin pie mix
--4 oz cream cheese
--1/4 cup sour cream
--chopped walnuts, optional

I use my Little Dipper crock pot---these measurements are perfect for a little dipper. If you don't have one, you can put an oven-safe dish inside of your large crockpot.
Add the cream cheese to the Little Dipper. Top with sour cream, then pour in the pumpkin pie filling.Cover and cook for about an hour, then stir well. If the cream cheese isn't fully melted, cook a bit longer. The Little Dipper doesn't have temperature settings, you just plug it in. If you are going to use a big crockpot with an oven-safe dish inside, cook on high for about an hour, or 2 on low.
Garnish with chopped walnuts, if desired

My favorite Chicken Salad

This is my favorite Chicken Salad to make for sandwiches. I was recently diagnosed with PCOS and with that diagnosis comes Low carb diet to try to level it out. So For the first 2 weeks on this diet I am not allowed any grains, breads, pasta, crackers, chips, etc. . . or fruit. So i am relying alot on meats and veggies.
I didnt take a picture of it since I cant eat it on bread so it looks pretty gross just sitting on my plate. . But trust me , its yummy!

2 Chicken Breast, Cooked and shredded
2 medium sized Dill pickles, shredded
1 Celery Stick, Shredded
4 T. Mayo
1 T. Lemon Juice
1 T. Parsley Flakes
1 T. Mustard
I used a little chopped to chop my chicken, pickles and celery. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir. Serve cold.
There is alot of variations of this recipe. I never make it the same way. Like today I didnt have any celery so I used a slice of onion and diced it instead and added vinegar instead of lemon juice. Sometimes I chop Carrots up and stick in it too instead of celery.

Soft Pretzels

Friday night Chadd and I got the wild urge to make soft pretzels. Well, I used a recipe I had here and lets just say they didnt work out so hot. So Saturday we decided to try again. I got online and found a recipe that says its supposed to taste just like Auntie Ann's pretzels. I have never had one so I dont know for sure if these taste just like it but they were pretty good pretzels!
(No the photo of the pretzel is not mine, its a Auntie Ann pretzel. Mine were a little funny looking so you dont get a photo of mine :-)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread flour
3 cups regular flour
2 cups Warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
to taste coarse salt
4 tablespoons butter (melted)

Directions:
Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise at least 1/2 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 Tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often. After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope* (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Bake in 450 oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter and enjoy!

Toppings: after you brush with butter try sprinkling with coarse salt. or for Auntie Anne's famous Cinnamon Sugar, try melting a stick of butter in a shallow bowl (big enough to fit the entire pretzel) and in another shallow bowl make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Dip the pretzel into the butter, coating both sides generously. Then dip again into the cinnamon mixture. Enjoy!

* The longer and thinner you can make the dough rope, the more like Auntie Anne's they will be.

This made about 6 pretzels but I didnt roll my dough ropes really thin so you could probably get 8 or more if you tried. I also melted butter and dipped all the pretzels in it right after they came out of the oven and 1/2 of them I sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and the other 1/2 I sprinkled with salt. They were both good.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Sorry but I didnt take any pictures of it! I made it last night and we had to be at church early so I didnt have that much time to snap pictures. It was really good and Chadd said it was better than pizza hut!!
I used the same crust recipe that I posted in the last post and I have to say I really love the way it turns out. I've made it twice now and it has turned out amazing both times!

Make pizza dough according to the recipe in the previous post or use refrigerated pizza dough. Roll out on a 15 inch round pizza pan. Meanwhile cook 2 chicken breast on the stove. Let cool then cut into small pieces. Toss Chicken pieces with BBQ sauce I use Sweet Baby Rays. Its my favorite
Cut 1/4 of a smaller size onion into small pieces. You can leave these in bigger chunks if you like onions but we both suffer from Heartburn so onions are not so much our friend.
Spread about 1/4 cup BBQ sauce on the pizza dough. Spread the chicken mix on next and sprinkle the onion pieces on. Sprinkle the pizza with 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes.

**FYI** If you have never made brownie mix in a pampered chef stone pan I dare you to try it. They are the best brownies I ever had and I used a STORE MIX!!

Fajita Pizza

Today for lunch I made some Fajita pizza. I didnt have any refridgerated pizza dough so I Googled pizza dough recipe. The one I used claims to be Pizza Huts recipe. I dont know if it really is but it was really good. We both liked it. .

Pizza Dough
1-1/3 Cup Water
1/4 Cup dry milk
1/2 teas. Salt
4 Cups flour
1 T. Sugar
1 Pkg. Yeast (or 2 teas.)
2 T. Vegetable oil
Combine yeast, sugar, salt and dry milk in a bowl. Add water and mix well. Let sit for 2 minutes. Add oil and stir. Then Add flour and stir. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Roll out dough and place on pizza pan. Let rise 3o minutes.
I made half of this recipe and it was plenty for my 15'' pizza stone round pan. I would say if you make a full recipe it would make about a 9X13 or larger.

Fajita Pizza
2 Chicken Breast
1/2 pkg. Frozen Fajita veggies (green,yellow, red peppers and onions) OR 1 Green, 1 Red and 1 Yellow pepper and 1/2 a onion sliced.
Couple dashes of Fajita seasoning (my recipe says you can substitute a little chili powder and some cumin powder for fajita seasoning)
1/4 Cup Salsa
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese,Shredded
Saute the chicken breast in a little oil and sprinkle some fajita seasoning on the chicken. Once its cooked through remove chicken from pan and cut into bite sized pieces. Meanwhile in the same pan saute the Fajita veggies with more fajita seasoning. Stiring every few minutes. Add Chicken back into the skillet with the veggies and add the salsa.
On Pizza dough sprinkle 1 cup Cheese. Spread the chicken and veggies mixture on next. Top with rest of the cheese. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

COMING UP NEXT. . . . . . .BBQ Chicken Pizza