Recipes I Am SO Going to Try!

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cookies I'm going to try ASAP! : )

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Freshly-Squozen Lemonade

I had lemons, and Anna asked why. I said, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" She said, "Or, if life gives you tomatoes, make V-8!" lol

ANYWAY...I made some lemonade; and it wasn't too tasty.

So I looked up a recipe online, and this one looks the best.

Perfect Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Method
1 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

2 While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.

3 Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Serve with ice, sliced lemons.

Serves 6.

Home Made Deodorant

I've never thought of actually *making* deodorant...the rock stuff works well for me...but this looks so interesting (and easy) I might try it sometime. ; )

http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2008/07/homemade-deodor.html

Cream Soups Base

Yesterday I made some delicious Cream of Spinach Soup, with fresh, organic spinach from my garden. It was SO good!

I found this recipe today, good for whatever fresh veges you have in your garden...well...maybe not lettuce... ; )

Base Recipe for Cream Soup

You can use this recipe to make cream soup from most vegetables. Consider this for asparagus, fresh pea soup, carrot soup, celery soup, and more. Since tastes and veggies vary, be ready to tinker with amounts until you have it just right. You can make hot or cold soup with this recipe.
This is a great recipe for summer when the garden is overflowing with produce.

1 sweet onion, diced
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups vegetables of choice, diced
salt to taste
2/3 cup cream
Sauté the onion dices in the butter until they are tender and translucent but not browned.
Add the flour and stir and cook until a soft paste has formed but not browned.
While still cooking, pour in 1/2 cup of the broth while stirring with a whisk. Gradually add the rest of the broth, stirring to make the mixture smooth and not lumpy as if you were making gravy. Continue cooking until the mixture is bubbly and has thickened.
Add the vegetables and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are soft enough to mash easily.
Pour two to three cups of the liquid into your blender. Puree the mixture until it is smooth. Continue in batches until the entire soup is puréed.
Pour the soup through a strainer into a clean pan. Press any pieces through the sieve with the back of a spoon.
Salt the soup to taste. Add the cream. If the soup needs further thinning, add water. Reheat and serve.

This is basically the same recipe I used, with the exception of garlic. My recipe called for minced garlic, so if you wanted to add garlic to your onion, feel free. ; )

(To give credit where credit is due, recipe is here. )

I kept thinking homemade croutons would be good with my soup, but I didn't have any, and couldn't find the recipe, so I made toast to go with it.

Tee Bags...Recycled Shopping Bags

These are cute....cute and simple...my kind of craft! ; )


Tee Bags

Update on Homemade Laundry Detergent Post

I have updated the Homemade Laundry Detergent post again, with this added:

The boxes of Borax and Baking Soda I was using to make my detergent lasted until the last week of April, so that's four months without having to buy detergent.

I think that averages out to about $1.50 a month. Not bad, not bad at all. ; )

Homemade Sauces/Mixes

This was posted on my local homeschool group today, so I can't give credit for where it's originally from, but it looks really good. These are almost all things I use regularly, so hopefully I'll be able to make my own and save money AND eat healthier! : )


Instead of commercial taco seasoning:
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 small can (8 oz) tomato sauce
Add these ingredients to a pound of lean ground beef (which has been
browned for about 10 minutes with a medium chopped onion and two cloves of minced
or pressed garlic and then drained); stir and simmer for about 5 minutes
until thickened.

Instead of onion soup mix for dip:
2 tablespoons of toasted dried onion
2 envelopes beef bouillon
Stir into a half pint of sour cream or plain yogurt. ( put the onion on
foil in the toaster oven and watch it carefully as it browns quickly.)

Instead of canned enchilada sauce:
3 T flour
4 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 T garlic powder
2 T oil
2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz each)
2 cans water
Combine dry ingredients, mix, add oil and stir well. Add sauce and water,
mix, heat to boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Makes about 4 cups.

Instead of Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix:
2 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic (pressed if you are not using a blender)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
freshly ground pepper to taste
Put this in a blender with 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and 1 cup olive oil and
blend until smooth. Makes about 1-1/2 cups. (This is tart, so some people
prefer 1/3 cup vinegar.)



Easy, Homemade Hamburger Helper® Alternative
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
16 oz pasta cooked according to package directions
Drain pasta and combine with ground beef, then add:
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans of condensed tomato soup
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. prepared mustard
Cook on low heat until heated through. As an option, add six to eight
strips of cooked, crumbled bacon.


Homemade Rice Side
1 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
1 cup thin spaghetti, broken into 1/2" pieces
3 T. butter
2 3/4 cups water
1 T. beef, chicken, or vegetable bouillon powder or granules
1/4 t. onion powder
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 T. parsley
1/4 tsp. dried thyme or poultry seasoning
1/8 t. black pepper
Melt butter in medium saucepan or skillet, add uncooked rice and pasta
pieces, and stir about five minutes until pasta is lightly browned. Add
remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about
15 minutes. Do not lift lid. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, cover and
let steam an additional 5-10 minutes.

Instant Stuffing Mix
3-1/2 cups unseasoned bread cubes
3 tablespoons dried celery flakes
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon sage
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
To prepare stuffing, in a sauce pan over medium heat, bring water, butter
and seasonings to a boil. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add bread cubes and mix gently. Cover and let stand for 5
minutes. Toss with a fork before serving. This equals one box.