Homemade Marshmallows

My Darling Granddaughter spent the night tonight, so this evening we made homemade marshmallows to go with our hot cocoa. I found the recipe at Cooking From Scratch. Ours didn't come out as big and pretty as her's did but they tasted fantastic in our hot cocoa. Besides the fact that I was cooking with a 5 year old, I think we were also hampered by the fact that I was using a hand mixer instead of the stand mixer that she recommended. I think I would of gotten the batter much stiffer so they would of held the puffy fat shape more. Ours are only about 1/3 of an inch thick. Also we used a plastic bag with a corner cut off instead of a pastry bag. But hey, As taste goes we agree with the Cooking from Scratch blog when she stated, "in a blind taste test, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell the difference." In fact I think these tasted much better than store bought marshmallows! And I love the fact that I know the ingredients in them and my GD and I had a ball making them together.

Click here to go to the fantastic recipe and blog, at Cooking from Scratch

My Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've been making our own laundry detergent for the past 8 months or so. I found alot of recipes on the internet then started tweaking them to suit us. Our part of Missouri has the hardest water I’ve ever known. Not only does this laundry soap keep our whites bright and still clean my son's greasy work clothes, but it leaves our laundry as soft as if I have used fabric softener. My daughter prefers to add essential oils added to the detergent so it smells more like the store bought laundry soaps, but my husband and I are more sensitive to false perfumery smells and like the plain clean smell our fresh washed clothes have.

Homemade Laundry Detergent          Use 1/4 cup per load

1 bar of Fels Naptha soap, shaved

6 cups of hot water

2 cups of borax

2 cups of washing soda

1 large container or plastic bucket, 5 gallon size

Here’s what you do:

Grate the soap into a large soup pot.

Add 6 cups of hot water to grated soap. Mix and heat on low until dissolved.

Add borax, and washing soda to mixture and bring up to a slow boil. Boil 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Fill the 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax mixture. Stir well until all the mixture is incorporated. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

This usually turns into a thick gel though sometimes it is more watery, either way it cleans well, especially in our hard water. This does not create suds in the washer so it also works with the new front load washers that require a low-suddsing detergent. The Borax is also a natural fabric softener so you do not need to use a laundry softener or dryer sheets.

We do use white vinegar in the final rinse (just fill a downy ball to the line with vinegar and toss in the washer with your load) when were washing my grandson's cloth diapers.

My challenge for 2010

I spent the day working towards a challenge that I’ve set for myself for 2010. I am calling it Living from Scratch. By the end of 2010, I want us to be eating entirely from home cooked from scratch. I do a lot of cooking from scratch now, but I want to be entirely from scratch by the end of 2010. No more grab a quick cake mix, or a frozen pizza, no gravy mixes or store-bought chicken stock. Out goes the frozen French fries, and the pine nut hummus. I can make that hummus with my new recipe, but I’ll have to start soaking my dried chickpeas the night before. Because I’ll be buying no more cans of chickpeas from the store. And those whole wheat crackers I like to dip into that yummy hummus, Found a recipe for them. My granddaughter always love to come to grandmas and have some Cheez-It’s®, well I found a Cheddar cheese Cracker recipe that should be a great substitute.


But it’s not just going to be cooking from scratch. I plan on living from scratch too. Hey I ran my own sewing and alteration business while I was in Nursing School. If I can sew wedding dresses, I can go back to sewing most of my own clothes. Last years garden is doubling in size. I ordered my heirloom seeds for the 2010 garden a couple of days ago from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds . Last year’s three types of heirloom tomato seeds have morphed into 80% of the garden being heirloom, so I can save the seeds for the gardens after that.

If I can do it from scratch, I’m gonna do it. If I can’t, then I want to be like the Amish and sit back and ponder on the importance of this item in my life, how owning it will benefit us or will it be a distraction from how we want to live. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not planning on shunning modern life, I still listen to my Ipod, use my washing machine and dryer, I just like to hang my clothes outside in the warmer months to dry in the sun, but in the winter or on a rainy day I sure plan on using my electric dryer.

So this is my challenge for 2010. If you want to join me, please do.
 

Chef, Nurse, Paper Boy, Mom Ornaments

I saw these adorable ornaments at Fave Crafts, and just had to pass on this link. They look like a quick last minute craft to make.

The Chef's apron and toque top this saucepan-toting gourmet. Dressed in a white nurse's cap and carrying a thermometer, the nurse ornament makes a great gift. Extra, extra, read all about this ornament for your favorite paper boy (or girl!). Celebrate motherhood with keepsake ornament; "mom" carries a swaddled baby. Everyone treasures the thought behind homemade ornaments. In an afternoon, you can make several of these little cuties for friends and special helpers in your life.

For pattern, click here.

For instructions click here.

Free Kids Hat Patterns to Crochet

Check out these free crochet patterns for these kid hats at Talking Crochet.

Click here to go to the Free Patterns