Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies Mix

-Julie

Ingredients:
1-15 oz Krusteaz Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread
1 c. quick-cooking oats
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 c. chocolate chips

Tag:
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 T. water
sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using an electric mixer, mix on medium speed butter and dry ingredients for one minute. Add egg and water and continue to mix on medium until dough forms into a ball. Form into tablespoon size balls, roll into sugar and place 2-in. apart on ungreased cookie sheet. bake for 11-13 minutes.

Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Mix

-Kara 1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda

Preheat oven to 375 F. Beat 3/4 cup softened butter in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy; beat in 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla.
Stir Cookie Mix into butter mixture until well blended. Spoon heaping Tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet 1 min. Remove to wire racks and cool completely. Makes 30 servings (1 cookie each)

Best Brownies Mix

-Julia

6 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
4 tsp salt
8 cups sugar
8 oz unsweetened cocoa
2 c vegetable shortening

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add sugar and cocoa. Blend well. With a pastry blender, cut shortening until evenly distributed. Put in a large airtight container. Label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 10 - 12 weeks. Makes about 17 cups of Brownie Mix.

BEST BROWNIES
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan. In a medium bowl, combine 2 beaten eggs, 1 tsp vanilla and 2 1/2 cups BROWNIE MIX. Beat until smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 min, until edges separate from pan. Cool. Cut into 2-inch bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or your choice of topping. Makes 16 brownies.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE COOKIES
Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking sheets. Combine 2 eggs and 1/4 cup water in a medium bowl. beat with a fork until blended. Stir in 2 1/4 cups BROWNIE MIX, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 3/4 cup flour and 1 tsp vanilla. Blend well. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Put a walnut or pecan half in center of each cookie. Bake 10 - 12 minutes, until edges are browned. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Snowman Soup Mix

-Jaclyn
3 cups nonfat dry milk
1 cup sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ cup non dairy creamer
1/8 tsp salt

**Combine all ingredients and mix well. Once mixed divide in to separate bags.

Tag: When the weather outside is frightful,
Snowman Soup can be delightful.
May it warm your spirit and your soul.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
When you feel a chill or brrrrrrr,
Use the peppermint stick to stir.
Add hot water and sip it slow.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.

Directions: Add 3-4 Tablespoons cocoa pwd. to a mug of hot water and enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Mix

-Lauren Contents of bag:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions on bag:
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or paper-line 18-24 regular size muffin cups.

Pour contents of bag into large bowl. Combine pumpkin, milk, butter, and egg in small bowl until blended; stir into jar mixture just until moistened. Spoon evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.

Bake 15-17 minutes minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on wire racks.

Death By Chocolate Cookie Mix

-Aubrey

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 C. flour
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Attach the following recipe:
1 1/4 C. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
Contents of jar

Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, cream the butter, eggs and vanilla. Add contents of jar and stir until well-mixed. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet, spacing about two inches apart. Bake for eight to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool for five minutes; then remove to a rack.

Store airtight for up to two weeks.

Candy Bar Brownie Mix

-Heather



Tag:

Oatmeal Bake

-Aubrey

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients together. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Immediately spoon into a bowl.
Top with warm milk, fresh fruit or brown sugar if desired.

Corn Bread

-Kara (Julie)

½ c. butter (room temperature)
1 cu. Sugar
2 eggs
1c. cornmeal
1 1/2c flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ c. milk

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs, in medium bowl. Mix all dry ingredients together. Add to butter mixture. Stir in milk just until all milk is mixed in. Pour in greased 8x8 inch pan. Bake at 375 for 35 to 40 minutes or until done.

Popped Wheat or Wheat Nuts

-Aubrey

John was so excited to have these...I found the recipe at foodstoragemadeeasy.net. We tried 5 different flavors: Ranch, Garlic, Cinnamon & Sugar and cheese. Ranch was our favorite.

Take 1 cup of your cooked wheat berries (I simmered mine for 45 minutes and drained them) and add to a frying pan of pot with two tablespoons of oil in it. Cover with a lid and cook over a hot stove shaking the pan while it cooks. After about 4-5 minutes the kernels will be nice and toasted. Put the popped wheat on a paper towel to get the extra oil off, and sprinkle with your choice of seasonings. Try it with salt, seasoned salt, garlic, barbecue salt, onion salt, cinnamon and sugar or any combination you desire. These are delicious on salads as a topping, mixed with trail mix, or as toppings for a desserts or just as a healthy snack.

Instant Oatmeal

-Aubrey

I found this at budget101.com. It was really easy and tasted just like the packets you buy. And I love how much cheaper it is!

What you need:
3 cups Quick-Cooking Oats
Salt (I left the salt out)
8 Small sized Zip Baggies (I used snack sized bags)

Put 1/2 cup oats in a blender and blend on high until powdery. Set aside in a small bowl, and repeat procedure with an additional 1/2 cup oats. If you're using a food processor (or VitaMix)you can do the 1 cup of oats in one batch.

Put the following ingredients into each zip baggie: 1/4 cup un-powdered oats, 2 Tbsp. powdered oats, and 1/8 tsp. salt.

Store in an airtight container. To Use: Empty packet into a bowl. Add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir and let stand for 2 minutes. For thicker oatmeal, use less water - for thinner oatmeal, use more water. I microwaved mine just like the store bought ones--worked great!

Variations:
Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal- To each packet add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp. chopped dried apples.

Sweetened Oatmeal- To each packet add 1 Tbsp. sugar Brown Sugar

Cinnamon Oatmeal- To each packet add 1 Tbsp. brown sugar & 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Oatmeal w/Raisins & Brown Sugar- To each packet add 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. raisins.

Food Storage Substitutions:

I thought this might be useful to add to the blog, hope it helps you. I found the info on Food Storage Made Easy.

Brown Sugar = 1 c. white sugar + 1-2 T. molasses
White sugar and molasses are already on our list of storage items, so if you plan to store brown sugar as well, just store a little extra of these items. Molasses has a longer shelf life than brown sugar, and you don’t have the problem of it getting clumpy and hardened since you will be making it fresh.

Buttermilk = 1 c. milk or powdered milk + 1 T. vinegar
This is so much easier than having to keep buttermilk or powdered buttermilk on hand when you need it for a particular recipe. Vinegar can also be used in baking recipes, to improve your bread recipes, as well as for homemade cleaning supplies. So these two items should definitely be part of your food storage already!

Baking Powder = 1 tsp. baking soda + 2 tsp. cream of tartar
While you may not think of storing cream of tartar, this actually makes a lot of sense. Both baking soda and cream of tartar can have an indefinite shelf life if stored in airtight containers at room temperature. Baking powder, however has a short shelf life of 6-12 months. To test if your baking powder is still active, stir 1 teaspoon into ½ a cup of hot water. If it doesn’t bubble, it will need to be replaced.

Track your food storage and meet some goals

Cindy shared this with me a while ago...
There is this cool site that you can track your food storage and set goals based on your family size and number of months. Registration is free. Just thought I'd pass it along. Let me know how you like it.

http://www.stockupfood.com/index.php

Need your Pressure Cooker Tested?

Thanks for Phyllis for getting this info for us:

On Wednesday afternoons from 1 to 4 pm at the county extension office, next to the fire station, there is someone who checks pressure canners. It costs $4. You need to bring you lid, gauge and gasket. If you cannot be there at that time you can bring it early and leave it there for them and pick it up later.

Change!

We will be meeting on the last Tuesday of the month instead of the last Thursday. We will still meet at 10 am.

Freezing Baby Food

-Aubrey

I freeze my baby food in ice cube trays, then store the cubes in ziplocs in the freezer. This allows me to have a variety of food on hand and keep it in small portions.

Baby Grains

-Stacy


Waiting for recipe...

Soy Beans

-Stacy



Buy these in the freezer section, cook, cool and keep in the fridge for a healthy snack!

Whole Wheat PopTarts

-Stacy



Waiting for recipe...

Oatmeal Cake

-Kara


2 cups Oatmeal
2-½ cups hot water (boiling)

put in bowl set aside

2 cubes of butter
4 eggs
2 cups Brown sugar
2 cups white sugar

Blend ingredients together set aside

3 cups wheat flour or white (I prefer wheat)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix ingredients all together

Add 2 tsp of vanilla

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes in a 9 by 13 and 8 by 8 pan. If using one larger pan bake for 1 hour.

**Two variations are to use oatmeal that is already cooked left in the pot after breakfast and use half the sugars.


(Kara served this without the frosting and it was great)

Frosting (oatmeal cake)

10 TBSP butter
8 TBSP evaporated milk
1cup brown sugar
cook until dissolved then add
1cup walnuts
1cup coconut

Boil for a little while and frost cake when cooled.

Granola

-Kara (Nancy N.)

Granola
3 ½ cups Oats
1 cup almonds
1cup coconut
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1/3 melted butter or oil
1cup raisin or other dried fruit

Mix ingredients pour out on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir half way though cooking time. Other add ins’ Nutmeg, cinnamon, ¼ orange juice, bananas, or other things you may like. Store in airtight container

Snack Food Peanut butter Play dough

-Kara


½ cups peanut butter
¼ cup honey
½ cup instant dry milk

Mix until dough like

Roll into balls on Waxed paper

Add in Raisin, nuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, carbo chips, wheat germ, cinnamon, corn flakes, rice crispies, and granola.

Yogurt Fruit Dip

-Aubrey

Mix yogurt with light cool whip. Go with a 50:50 ratio and if you want you can add more yogurt for more yogurt flavor or more cool whip for a creamier flavor. I prefer strawberry flavored yogurt, but you can use whatever flavor you want.

Serve cold with fresh fruit.

Fruit Roll Ups

-Julia

Dry pureed fruit until dry, but still sticky. Wrap in waxed paper and store in freezer.

You can eat the fruit rolls right from the freezer.

Sloppy Joes

-Kara

Here's www.homecanning.com's Sloppy Joe recipe...you can tailor it to your tastes:


3 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 cups diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 cups catsup
1 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in a large saucepot. Drain off fat; set aside. Combine brown sugar and mustard. Add remaining ingredients to brown sugar mixture. Combine beef mixture and sauce. Heat thoroughly. Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic spatula. Wipe jar rim clean. Place lid on jar with sealing compound next to glass. Screw band down evenly and firmly just until a point of resistance is met – fingertip tight.

Process 1 hour and 15 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

Yield: about 6 pints

Canned Chicken

-Kara

Chicken with out bones
pints 75minutes Quarts 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure
The meat can be canned raw or cooked. Just fill the jars to with in 1 inch from the top of the jar. If you are using cooked meat you need to add broth to fill the jar and if the meat is raw just pack in. 1 tsp of salt can be added to each jar.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

-Julie, Kara

16 c tomatoes chopped
8 c onions chopped
8 c bell peppers
3 c apple cider vinegar
1 c soy sauce
4-20oz cans pineapple tidbits
10 c sugar
Boil gently for 1 hour
2 c suagr
2 c clear jell
1/2 c cold water
add to mixture
40 minutes for quarts water bath or steam canner
35 minutes for pints

Clear Jel

-Stacy

I get my clear jel from http://www.barryfarm.com/ last I looked it was 2.99 a lb.

Peach or Nectarine Pie Filling

-Stacy

8 lbs peach or nectarines
7 cups sugar
2 cups clear Jel
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 3/4 cups lemon juice
1 tsp almond extract

Wash peaches, peel peaches and cut fruit into 1/2" slices.Put slices into ascorbic acid solution while you are preparing all the fruit. ( I crush about 6 chewable vitamin C tablets into 1 gallon of water). Drain well, be sure you have about 24 cups of fruit, set aside.In 8 qrt dutch oven or pot heat about 6 cups water to boiling. Add 6 cups peach slices; return to boiling. Boil for 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon or heatproof sieve and transfer boiled peaches to a large bowl, keep covered. Keep doing until all fruit is boiled. Using large pot combine sugar, clear-jel, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir in the 4 1/2 cups water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to boil. Add the lemon juice: boil 1 minute stirring constantly. Stir in the almond extract. Immediately add fruit, stirring gently to coat. Heat for 3 minutes. Spoon hot fruit mixture into hot clean sterile quart size jars with 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and process in a boiling water canner for 30 minutes.

Jar makes 1-9 inch pie.

Apple Pie Filling

-Stacy

makes 7 quarts

6 qts blanched fresh apples sliced 1/4" thick
5 1/2 C sugar
1 Tbs Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg (opt)
2 1/2 C cold water
5 C apple juice
3/4 C bottled lemon juice
3 C Ultra Gel(or Clear Jel)

Keep blanched apple slices warm. Combine sugar, spices, water, apple juice, and lemon juice in large kettle. Add ULTRA Gel gradually with a wire whisk and stir until smooth, cook until thick and bubbly. Fold in drained apple slices. Fill jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Adjust lids and process immediately in water bath canner for 35 minutes.

South of the Snake River Salsa

-Julie

12 pounds ROMA tomatoes (abt. 24 cups) (if you stick them in your food processor you don't have to skin them)
4 onions
22 jalapenos (add a little at a time because every jalapeno is different)
5-6 green bell peppers
3 c. white vinegar
3 lrg, garlic cloves
1/2 c. salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 cans 12 oz tomato paste

Grind, puree, blend, chop (however you like your vegies) all the vegetables and garlic. Put in large pot, with thick bottom. Add salt, sugar and tomato paste. Simmer for 1-2 hours, the longer you simmer, the thicker it will get. Process in water bath or steam canner for 15 min. for pints.

Spaghetti Sauce

-Julie

Saute until soft: 1 c. olive oil
1/4 c. minced garlic
4 c. chopped onions (works great to put them in a food processor if your kids don't like the chunks)

In large pot (I use my 23 qt. pressure cooker and I can double this recipe in it) add:

16 pounds of tomatoes (skinned and chopped or pureed, just depends on how you like your sauce), (abt. 32 cups)
1/4 c. basil
1/4 c. oregano
1 T. sugar
2 t. pepper
6-8 t. salt
4-6oz cans tomato paste
onion mixture

Cook and simmer 1 1/2 hours. The longer you cook, the thicker it will be.

Water bath or steam can for 20 min. for qts or 15 min, for pints.

Carrot Salsa

-Aubrey

2 quarts tomatoes
6 medium onions
10 jalapeno peppers with seeds (we used 8 without seeds 2 with seeds)
1 cup vinegar
1 green pepper
3 carrots
1 red pepper
3 teaspoon canning salt
1 teaspoon garlic

Chop tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, green pepper and carrots. Mix all ingredients in large kettle and boil uncovered for 60-90 minutes. Put in jar and seal or freeze.

Use more or less jalapenos with seeds for how hot you want it. The longer it is frozen or canned the hotter it gets.

Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles

-Julia

1 gallon sliced cucumbers
3 white onions
Slice in jar alternating until jar is filled

On the stove in a saucepan
4 cups apple cider vinegar
4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1/3 cup salt
Stir and bring to a boil. Boil until sugar is dissolved
Pour sauce over cucumbers and onions and let cool. When cool put lid on jar and refrigerate. Shake and stir jar with cucumbers for 5 days. Keep refrigerated.

Canned Apple Pie Filling

-Joycelyn

4 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons salt
10 cup water
3 Tablespoon lemon juice
6 pounds apples

In a large pan, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Add salt and water and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and almond extract.

Sterilize canning jars, lids and ring by boiling them in a large pot of water.

Peel , core, and slice apples. Pack the sliced apples into hot canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch
headspace.

Fill jars with hot syrup, and gently remove air bubbles with knife.
Put lids on and process in water bath canner for 20 minutes.
Makes 7 quarts of pie filling.

My Notes
I found it easier to add some of the hot syrup as I filled the jars with apples. It helps keep them from turning brown and it distributes the syrup around the apple slices easier.
Make sure you don't fill the jars too full or they will over flow in the canner and not seal.

V-8 Tomato Soup

-Joycelyn

1/2 bushel tomatoes
3 green peppers
4 medium onions
1 small stalk of celery
Chop all ingredients.
Boil for 1 hour on met heat and strain with Victorio Juicer*.
Add 2/3 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Bottle and cold pack.

* If you have a Vita-Mix blender just pour the heated vegtables in the blender and add sugar, salt and pepper; then blend well, bottle and cold pack. This method adds all the fiber of the vegtables and increases the flavor tremedously. (no waste either)

To make soup: I add 1-2 tablespoons corn starch to 1 pint jar canned juice and bring to a boil. Place heated soup in a blender and add canned milk and a chunk of butter, then blend until smooth.

Sweet Salsa

-Aubrey

1/2 bushel tomatoes (26 1/2 lbs)
6 large Red Peppers
8-9 Green Peppers
8 Medium onions
8-9 Stalks Celery
7 Hot Peppers (your choice), seeds removed
1/2 to 3/4 can whole allspice
1 cup apple cider venegar
1 cup sugar
1 handful canning salt

Scald tomatoes to remove skins. Chop other vegetables and grind all together.

Add vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Stir contantly until it boils. Put spice in cheeseclogh and tie into a ball. Add to salsa and Simmer 3 hours.

Stir occasionally--taste often. Add what you feel it needs (make it as hot as you like)

Process: 55 minutes for quarts

Enchilada Sauce

-Aubrey

This was actually one of the simplest things to can with tomatoes...at least I thought so and we love the flavor.

Ingredients
18 pounds tomatoes
2 Tbsp. and 1 teas. garlic powder
1 1/3 cups chili powder
3 Tbsp. canning salt
7 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 cups oil
1 1/3 cups flour

Directions
Blend tomatoes in VitaMix until smooth. Put tomatoes in a very large pot. Simmer to thicken. (I don't think this took the whole hour because the sauce is thicker when the seeds and skins are left in the mix.)

**(Original directions:Place the tomatoes in a large non-reactive pan (stainless steel or enamel). Heat gently to soften tomatoes. Run through food mill fitted with fine screen to remove seeds and skins Return pulp and juice to the pan. If the tomatoes are juicy, simmer the sauce for at least 1 hour. )

When you have a thick tomato juice, but not yet tomato sauce, add the garlic salt, salt, sugar and chili powder. Stir well.

In a separate pan heat oil and add flour to make a roux. Blend 4 cups warm tomato juice to roux and mix well. Quickly stir roux paste into boiling tomato juice. Continue stirring to avoid lumps until mixture thickens. If too thick, add water until desired consistency is reached. Adjust seasonings. Ladle into hot jars and process 30 minutes in a water-bath canner.

Pickled Green Beans

-Cindy

Boil 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, 1/4 cup salt

Pack in each in hot jars: 1 tsp. sugar
1 stalk dill
2 jalepenos or less depending on your wants
1 clove of garlic

Pour hot vinegar,water, and salt mixture over top leaving 1 inch head space
Place in canner and boil for 10 min.

I wanted to thank all of you that came last Thursday. I planted some new flowers and artichoke seeds that were brought, and am excited to see the results. Julie showed us some wheat grass she planted in pots. I should have taken a picture to post...they were so cute and springy! My kids painted some pots and they will be planting some wheat Monday. It was so fun to learn of everything you are all trying. It will be fun to track all of our progress. Thanks!

CSI Plant Sales
-Thanks to Kara

My Hort Club has a plant sale every spring - May 4 & 5 is our preferred customer sale, May 8 & 9 is our general sale - here at the CSI greenhouses. Preferred customers pay $10 in advance and we send them an invitation to come buy on the 4 & 5th. The $10 is non-refundable to ‘no shows’ but does go towards purchase for those who come with their invitations. For more info or to become a preferred customer please call Camille Bradley, 208-201-0776 - the Hort Club Treasurer.



Dave 'Treeman' Kiesig
Horticulture Professor
College of Southern Idaho
315 Falls Ave.
Twin Falls, ID 83301
208-732-6431
dkiesig@csi.edu

2009 recipient of the INLA’s 'Gold Medal of Horticulture' Lifetime Achievement Award

Kara found some articles in today's paper to help any of you wanting to garden.

First article if information on growing and transplanting plants in this area.

http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2009/03/10/features/tuesday/156825.txt

The next article is about a class offered at CSI: hurry and check it out...it starts the end of March.

http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2009/03/10/features/tuesday/156827.txt

Helpful site
-Kari

http://www.parents.com/family-life/home-garden/cleaning/homemade-cleaning-agents/

Cleaning Ovens/Stove Tops
-Kari

For an easy-to-clean oven and stove top, sprinkle with baking soda, then mist with water. Let soak, wipe clean.

Before:


Pour on some baking soda:


After:

Soaking burned casserole dishes?
-Kari

Add an old dryer sheet and let soak overnight. Wash and rinse clean.

Before:



After:

Shiny Faucets
-Kari

For brilliant shine on faucets, buff with olive or vegetable oil using a dry rag. Rinse oil with club soda and wipe dry.

Before:



After:

Powdered Laundry Soap
For a lot cheaper, same, clean results as my All and Tide Liquid detergents.
-Aubrey

3 bars of Ivory soap (about $1 at Winco for all 3)
1 1/2 cups Borax
1 1/2 cups of Washing Soda by Arm and Hammer (not baking soda)

1. Grate Ivory Soap.
I used my Kitchen Aid Grater and then used my fingers to farther break apart the pieces and that worked great.



2. Mix Soap, Borax, and Washing Soda together.




Use 1 Tbsp. of a light load and 2 Tbsp. for a heavy load.

You can use essential oils to give it a scent you want...I haven't tried it yet. I did notice that the grated soap floated in the water at first, but I checked back after a few minutes and it had dissolved.

Girl's Detangler
I have been using this for Kyla's hair--We love it!
-AubreyA

Spray bottle (.97 at Target)
Conditioner (I used Aussie's 3 minute miracle)
Water

Put a small amount of conditioner in bottle-start with a teaspoon. Fill the bottle with water and shake.

You can adjust the amount of conditioner as needed.

I have noticed that my conditioner will seperate and so I shake it before using.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
-Aubrey

Sprinkle Baking Soda in toilet.
Spray with vinegar (I got a squirt bottle for .97 at Target)

Close lid to toilet and let sit for 5 minutes. Clean toilet with brush.

Kids Bathtub Paints
My kids absolutely loved this!
-Aubrey

1/3 cup clear or white mild dish washing soap
1 Tbsp. Corn Starch
Food Coloring

Mix the mild dish soap and corn starch in a bowl. Spoon mixture into ice cube tray (about half full). I filled every other one to help keep the colors separate (at least for a little while). Mix in food coloring.



Let them paint!



I just used a wet paper towel to wipe down the tub and walls and rinsed it with water and all of the color was gone.

Homemade Baby Wet Wipes
Costco's Kirkland brand is $23.99 for 1000 wipes, At Walmart 8 rolls of Bounty (makes 16) was a little over $9 and gives you 56 wipes per roll. So 16 x 56 wipes=896 wipes...so you save a lot!
-Heidi



1. Cut paper towel roll in half..You need to use Bounty.
She used a knife. She said an electric knife worked well, too.

2. Remove cardboard Center



3. Add 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cup water to 2 Qt. Rubbermaid container.

4. Add 2 Tbsp. baby oil and 1 Tbsp. Baby shampoo to water. Stir.

5. Place roll of paper towels in container. Turn container upside down.
Wait 24 hours to use.





Pull Towels from center of roll to use.

Cleaning Glass
-Kara O.

Use water in a spray bottle an wipe windows, mirrors, or other glass surfaces with newspaper.

She also used this to get rid of hard water spots on her shower door.

Unclogging Drains
-Julie

1/2 c. baking soda
1 c. vinegar

Pour both down the drain and plug immediately. Keep plugged until stops foaming. Rinse with hot water.

Lemon Dishwasher Detergent
-Julie

1/2 c. citric acid
1 1/2 c. borax
15 drops lemon essential oil

Combine and store in plastic sealable container. Use as usual in you dishwasher.

Febreeze (we use this a lot at our house and works great)
-Julie

32 oz spray bottle (I use my old febreeze bottles)
4 T. Ultra Downey Fabric Softener (if you use the ones with febreeze in it, it will almost exactly like real febreeze)
water to fill the bottle up

combine and shake.

Window Cleaner
-Julie

1/3 c. vinegar
4 c. water

Combine and put in spray bottle.

Fly Paper
-Julie

2 c. corn syrup
2 c. water

Bring to a boil on stove. In the mean time, cut brown grocery bags into strips. After mixture has boiled, dip strip into mixture. Hang.

Hard Water Remover
-Shellien


For those new to the area... use a pumice stone on the toilets for the hard water stains.

*Jessica added that these can be found at the dollar store next to WinCo.

Dish Scrubbers
-Shellien

Keep a small 10 cent foam paint brush next to your sink. It works wonders at getting food out of the seal on the tupperware lid.

When the white netting (tulle) goes on sale at Joanne's for 50 cents a yard I stock up for dish scrubbies. Cut a thick strip as large as you want your scrubbie. Scrunch it up and rubberband the middle. Fluff! Non scratching & can be bleached for multiple uses. ( Sometimes I even do colors for holidays.)

Cleaning Floors and Counters
(This is also great for wood floors)
-Meredith

Use 5 parts water to 1 part Vinegar.
Vinegar is a disinfectant.

Aubrey's

Our Favorite Wheat Bread

1 Tbsp. dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup soft butter
2 Tbsp. molasses
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine butter, molasses, honey, and salt. Mix well. Add yeast mixture. Gradually add flour. Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in greased bowl and let rise until double. Punch down. Let dough rest a few minutes. Shape into 2 loaves. Place in greased bread pans. Let rise about 1 hour. Bake 350F for 35 minutes.

Kara's

Whole wheat muffins

½ c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp soda
¼ tsp vanilla
1 c milk
1 c nuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Add milk and flour alternately. Put in prepared muffins tins. Bake at 425 for 12 to 15 minutes.

Kara's

Whole Wheat Bread
1 TBSP Yeast dissolve in warm water
2 1/2 cups warm water add
1/4 cup sugar or Honey
1/4 cup oil
1 TBSP salt
7-8 cups ground wheat
shape into loafs (2 larger or 3 smaller) and place in in warm place to rise until ready to cook
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes

Julie's

Whole Wheat Bread

3 c. warm water
1 T. yeast
1 T. salt
1/3 c. oil
1/3 c. honey
6-10 c. whole wheat flour

Combine all ingredients and add enough flour until the dough pulls away from the sides. Let knead, in the mixer, for 10 minutes. Shape into 2 large loaves. Let rise. Cook at 375 for 33 min.

What We Can/Freeze/Dry

Aubrey

Can:
Apple Pie Filling
Applesauce
Apple Slices
Carmel Apple Jam
Enchilada sauce
Stewed Tomatoes
Salsa
Spaghetti Sauce (Julie’s Recipe)
Seedless Blackberry Jam
Raspberry Jam
Peach Jam
Peach Raspberry Jam
Peach Blackberry Jam
Strawberry Jam
Blackberry syrup
Chokecherry syrup
Peaches
Pears
Nectarines
Chili Sauce
Tomato soup
Grape Juice (Concord)

Freeze:
Pumpkin
Corn
Green Beans
Peas (and sugar pods)
Squash
Berries (Straw., Rasp., Black.,)
Jams
Seedless Blackberry Pulp
Cherries

Dry:
Bell Peppers (I rehydrate them by putting them in some boiling water I then use them to cook with)
Chives
Sage
Apples
Nectarines
Pears
Fruit Leather
I tried Watermelon once…for fun…it’s the worst thing I’ve ever tasted--Don’t try it!

Heidi

Freeze:
Cream Corn

Kari
Can:
Pears
Spaghetti Sauce
Tomatoes (Whole)
Jams

Dry:
Pears

Julie

Can:
Peaches
Pears
Applesauce
Pickles-dill
Black beans
Pinto beans
Spaghetti Sauce
Sweet-n-sour sauce
Tomatoes (whole)
Salsa
Pizza Sauce
Cherries
Beets
Apple Pie Filling
Blackberry Pie Filling
Apricot Jam
Strawberry Jam
Triple Berry Jam

Freeze:
Corn

Kara

Can:
Pears
Pear Sauce
Peaches
Nectarines
Apricots
Applesauce
Apple Butter
Zucchini
Potatoes
Beans
Pickles
Carrots
Beets
Pumpkin
Grapes (whole)
Cherries
Bean Soups
Chicken
Turkey
Broths
Sweet zucchini
Blackberry Peach Topping
Pomegranate Jelly
Pickles
Stewed Tomatoes
Spaghetti Sauce (Julie’s Recipe)
Salsa (Julie’s Recipe)
Sweet and Sour (Julie’s Recipe)

Freeze:
Corn
Green Beans

Dry:
Fruit Leather

Tennille

Dry:
Cherries
Bananas
Apples