From: http://searching4hiddentreasures.blogspot.com/2011/02/home-made-laundry-detergent.html


DRYER SHEETS:

Ingredients:

1 container of your favorite fabric softener  (or better still, click here to learn how to make your own!)
a bucket
water 
2 sponges

Directions:

Pour fabric softener in bucket.  Add 2 parts water.  (Fill your fabric softner container with water twice and add to bucket.)  Mix well.  Throw in your sponges.  Ring your sponge out and add it to dryer with your clean, wet clothes.  Return sponge to mixture when clothes are dry.  

There you have it!!  Life is easier already!  =)

From: http://searching4hiddentreasures.blogspot.com/2011/06/dish-washing-detergent.html

• 1 quart (8 cups) of water
• 1/2 bar of your favorite soap  (I use Ivory, but you can use castle or whatever you like best.)
• 2 cups of vinegar to cut the grease  (I suppose lemon juice would do the trick too, but citrus takes the shine out of your silver ware too, so I use vinegar.)

Recipe @ http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html
Found in the comments that you are suppose to use 1 tablespoon a load but some do 2 tablespoons.
Going to try this since i have quite a lot of laundry soap supplies built up. They say it’s cheaper then the wet laundry soap.

Recipe @ http://www.wearenotmartha.com/

My modified version of the chicken salad wraps found here: Santa Fe Chicken Salad Wrap, Creamy Avocado Chicken Salad

For the Chicken Salad
2/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 - 2 tablespoon minced cilantro
2 – 3 green onions, sliced thin
2 cups poached, diced or shredded chicken (or grilled is great)
¼ cup tomatoes, diced

¼ cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup corn kernels

I just throw everything in a bowl and mix… and slop it on a shell and your ready!

I usually pass by recipes that are in a magazine but this one i decided to try. It was AWESOME! One of our new found favorites. Of course i change the recipe to make it my own (and better).
Super simple! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 5 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

I used only 1 Tbsp. and i used white vinegar… i don’t like vinegar very much

• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. snipped fresh parsley

I didn’t have this

• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

I used plain o’mustard from the bottle… but i used the same amount as above.

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 5-oz. pkg. fresh baby spinach (about 5 cups)

We didn’t use near 5 cups! I just put it in the as if it was lettuce or something… not piles of it!

• 6 10-inch flour tortillas
• 6 slices mozzarella cheese, torn in half

Shredded works fine too…. once again no measuring needed just sprinkle on your shell. Think taco!

• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 12 slices bacon, crisp cooked and drained

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

Bacon is the main ingredient! As far as the toppings, do your own thing if you don’t like mushrooms or eggs. I had it with mushrooms, tomatoes and green pepper…. were as my Husband only had tomatoes and loved it! I would suggest tomatoes!

I was craving some hot chocolate and i had used the last of my store bought chocolate syrup the other day. I got the bright idea ‘why don’t i make some? i bet i can find a recipe online!’

So i searched and easily found it!

(My Homemade Chocolate Syrup)

The recipe:

From The Complete Tightwad Gazette.

½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla

Mix the cocoa powder and the water in a saucepan. Heat and stir to dissolve the cocoa. Add the sugar, and stir to dissolve. Boil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Be careful not to let it get too hot and boil over! Add the salt and the vanilla. Let cool. Pour into a clean glass jar, and store in the refrigerator. Keeps for several months, but trust me it will be gone before then. Yields two cups.

The result is very rich and yummy!

These would make cute hostess gifts or party favors!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So then i went on to make my hot chocolate.

What I used: Homemade syrup and stove top frother for that ‘coffee shop’ quality.

Purchasable @ http://www.organic-vida.com

Measure out your milk using your mug. Keep in mind to leave some room for your syrup plus room for the milk to expand when frothed.

Pour milk into frother and put on stove on medium heat without lid. Heat until desired warmth. Can test with your finger. Take off heat and put lid on.

Froth by pumping the handle on the lid. You don’t have to pump very fast to make great thick foam. Pour your desired chocolate syrup into bottom of the mug. Pour a little of the frothed milk in, using a spoon to hold back the foam. Stir the chocolate into the milk, the pour the rest of the frothed milk in.

Yum! Even better if you can top with some whipped cream and drizzle with more chocolate!

Recipe & Instructions @ http://www.tinyurbankitchen.com

Now, this is how I want my potatoes from now on! Do you really need a recipe? All you do is peel whole potatoes, cut them all across, not too thin, and not all the way through, sprinkle with some salt, but not too much, the bacon is salty. Then fill with small bacon slices in between. Bake in a pan with some oil until potatoes are fully cooked, and serve!
In the original recipe, the potatoes are first cooked half way, and I guess this is done to cut the baking time, which I didn’t do, and they took a while to be completely baked, but I didn’t mind waiting.

Instructions @ http://www.instructables.com

I made vanilla bean ice cream and followed these instructions for assembling my own that turned out to be far superior to the already near-perfect originals.

http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/homemade-drumsticks/

CREAMY AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD

The flavors of this chicken salad are reminiscent of summer grilling. If you've got a bit of leftover chicken from the night before, this is a great way to use it up for lunch. Otherwise, feel free to boil a breast of chicken or zap one in the microwave for a super-speedy meal. Enjoy!

ingredients:

1 cup chicken breast, cooked and shredded
¼ cup corn
¼ cup black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup green onions, chopped
¼ cup tomatoes, diced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup corn chips, crushed
2 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt to taste
2-4 avocados, sliced in half with pits discarded

directions:

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken breast, corn, black beans, green onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and corn chips together. Add the vinegar and mayonnaise to mixture and toss to coat. Salt to taste. Spoon salad into halved avocados. Serve immediately with a spoon and fork. Enjoy!

Santa Fe Chicken Salad Wraps

goodLife{eats} creation

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Salad
2/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 - 2 tablespoon minced cilantro
2 – 3 green onions, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cups poached, diced or shredded chicken
2/3 cup black beans, I like Bush's brand best
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup corn kernels

For the Wraps
Santa Fe Chicken Salad
Burrito Sized Tortillas
Salad Greens or Baby Spinach
Avocado Slices

Directions:

For the Chicken Salad:

In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, lime juice, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and cilantro. Whisk to combine.

Add the chicken, green onion, and celery to the sour cream mixture. Stir until the chicken is well coated.

Fold in the black beans, bell pepper, and corn. Cover and chill until serving.

To Prepare the Wraps:
Layer chicken salad, salad greens or baby spinach and avocado slices inside burrito sized tortillas. Fold up the ends and roll the wrap to seal it. Slice in half. Serve with salsa on the side, if desired.

• 1. Instructions @ http://www.ehow.com
• 2. Instructions @ http://www.ehow.com

• 3. Instructions @ http://www.ehow.com

• 4. Instructions @ http://www.ehow.com

Recipe @ http://smilemonsters.blogspot.com/

Recipe @ http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com

Recipe @ http://www.rhodesbread.com

Recipe @ http://www.tasteofhome.com

Recipe @ http://www.tasteofhome.com

Recipe @ http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com

Recipe @ http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com

Recipe @ http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com