Home Made Body Wash...

There are many recipes for home made body wash. Some claim to be good for eczema, moisturizing, cheap, etc...   I took one of the recipes that I found and, as I often do, I modified it! :)  I am pretty sure that if I made it again, I will still make at least one change...

You will need:

1 bar of soap
several containers
Glycerin (can be found at places like Hobby Lobby)
1/2 gallon water
scent/color if desired
large pot

 

Start by putting your water in the pot and turning the burner to medium heat.

 

I chose to use Ivory soap because that was what I had on hand.  I think that next time I will try Dove or a more moisturizing soap.  The Ivory turned out fine, but I would be interested in seeing what the difference is.  You need to grate your soap so that it will melt into the water more easily.  I cut the soap into small pieces first.

 

When making my home made laundry detergent I learned that it was easiest to use my Pampered Chef handheld grater (like the ones at Olive Garden)

 

 

After the soap is grated into the pot, stir until all the soap is melted.  Then add 2 Tbs Glycerin (next time I would use only 1 Tbs I believe - it made this batch a little gooey...not as smooth as I would have liked) and any scent or color you would like to use.

 

Pour/ladle the soap mixture into your containers and let cool.

 

After the soap has cooled the color will darken.  It will seem as if it is a solid, just shake the container and it will loosen up.  I used mine this morning and it worked just fine! 

 

Let me know of you have any variations, or if you try it!  I would love to hear how it worked for you!



 

'Mock' Apple Pie...

Some of you have certainly heard of Mock Apple Pie (maybe even from me), and some of you have no idea what this is all about.  I'm not sure when I first heard of Mock Apple Pie, but I have liked it ever since.  I choose to like or dislike food based not only on how it tastes, but also on its texture.  Because of that, I have never liked cooked apples in any form.  I have tried them baked on their own, and in a pie...I just can't do it! The texture is just not right.  I also don't really like Apple sauce.  So, when I found this Mock Apple Pie, I had to try it!  My Grandmother and Mom said the recipe was from the depression era when Apples were hard to come by.  I researched this and found that the Ritz cracker version was from that era.  However, years before that when people would travel they would use soda crackers, or some other type cracker to make this pie.  Then, when the Ritz company began, their crackers were much more suited to this recipe.  So, they marketed the recipe on their box for years!  Since I am enjoying time at home this week (FALL BREAK!!) I thought I would do a little baking.  And, what better to bake in the fall than a delicious smelling Apple pie! 

You will need:

Pastry for 2 Deep Dish crust             2 c. water
36 (approx.) Ritz Crackers                2 c. sugar
2 tsp Cream of Tartar                        Butter
2 Tbs Lemon Juice                            Cinnamon

 

 

 

Spread one crust into a Deep dish pie plate (be sure it is a deep dish - this recipe will overflow a regular pie plate - trust me!).  Coarsely crumble approximately 36 Ritz Crackers (about a sleeve and a third).

 

 

In a small sauce pan, combine water, sugar, and cream of tartar.  Bring the mixture to a boil and let boil softly for 15 minutes.  After the 15 minutes, add Lemon Juice and remove from heat to cool.  After the mixture has cooled (to about room temperature) pour over the crackers in the pie plate.  Add pats of butter and sprinkle with cinnamon (use as much of both as you like).  Cover with the top crust.  I chose to decorate my top crust, but all you need to do is cut a few slits in the crust to allow the steam out.



 

 

Bake at 425 F for approximately 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. 

 

 

 

Doesn't it look yummy!! :)  It is best served warm and with a scoop of ice cream!  Of course, I was out of ice cream....poor planning!  However, it is still quite delicious!

 

Let me know what you think of this recipe and how your pie turns out!  It is definitely fun to serve it without telling people that there are no apples...although, some people say the texture is different...I don't know! :)

The Fire Pit...

For awhile now we have been wanting to put a fire pit in our backyard. When Stephen bought the house a few years ago, he bought it from a lady that had quite a variety of 'un-killable' plants in the yard... There was a circular garden in the exact center of the backyard, and we could not do anything to kill those plants!! So, my very own personal Mountain Man (I swear, he could be on that show...if we lived in the mountains) dug up all the plants! After that, we had a nice hole in the yard...so, what better time to construct a fire pit!  



 

 

 

Since I am the OCD person in the house, I got the job of placing each stone and being sure it was level...this was honestly the most time consuming part of the job...and honestly, it might could have been done faster, but, I had to make it perfect! :)

 

 

 

Since our back yard is slanted, we had to do a little extra digging on one side so that the fire pit itself would not be slanted!

 

There's my Mountian Man, waiting patiently for me to tell him where to dig, or when I need another stone!  He even smiled and said I was allowed to use his picture! Isn't he the greatest!! :)

 

And of course, since the truck got put in the back yard, and the doors were open, Cooper thought it was an invitation to go for a ride.  He literally stayed sitting in the truck the whole time we were working (the doors were open).   I guess he was the supervisor! 

 

 

We had enough stones to make two and half rounds (about 18 blocks per round).  So, we had to run back to Lowes to get a few more stones (and since Cooper was already in the truck he got to go for a ride!). ***Special note - these garden stones have gone up in price!  The first time I bought a load they were between $1.15-$1.30 each.  When we went back to get 10 more...they had gone up to $1.91 each...apparently Lowe's figured people would be making fire pits and there would be a demand.***

 

I'm not sure if you can tell, but we put a couple bags of sand in the bottom.  If you buy a fire pit kit (about $200 at Lowe's - we made this, larger, pit for about $75-$80) it will come with sand for the bottom...the guy told me why and I believe it had something to do with rain and mud, but I don't guarantee that. 

 

 

And , here is the fire master Mountain Man hiself! I cannot tell you how many evenings will now be spent in the back yard!!  WE are both so excited about this project!  It was not overly expensive, it was not difficult to assemble, and it is a wonderful addition to our yard!  

This week's Projects...

So, it's Fall Break time!!! I absolutely love my job, but I also absolutely love having my own schedule and being at home!!  So, I have made myself a list of projects I hope to get accomplished this week!!!  They are:

1)  Made homemade body wash (mine finally ran out!) -

 



2) Make up some Crock Pot Freezer meals -

3)  Finish the Master Bathroom Remodel Project -
      The floor has been laid and all of the stationary pieces have been placed...now for painting and decorating!

 

 

4)  Try a different mug cozy pattern -

 

 



So, here's to a busy week!!  Be sure to check back and see how these projects are going! :)

Pepper Steak and Shrimp...

So, one of my wonderful students brought me a bag full of fresh vegetables out of their family garden!  YUM!! One of the items they had were jalapeno peppers.  I was always a picky eater (and still am a little picky) so I had never used peppers before.  But, my husband loves them!  So, I picked up a couple bell peppers at the grocery (red, yellow, and orange) and decided to try my hand at making steak and shrimp with peppers.  It turned out quite delicious!  Enough so that my sweet husband requested this dinner get in the rotation! :)  So, I thought I would share!

I used deer steak (we mostly ear deer meat, especially if Stephen has had a good year of hunting), frozen shrimp, 1/2 each of a red, yellow and orange bell pepper, and a handful of jalapeno peppers.  As well as various seasonings (garlic, onion, Montreal steak).

I forgot to thaw out my steak ahead of time, so I placed them in the skillet with a little oil.  As they thawed I sprinkled a little Adolph's Meat Tenderizer on them. While they were cooking I started cutting up the peppers.  I cut the bell peppers into big strips (mainly because I thought they looked nicer that way).  I cut the jalapenos into small pieces.  I seeded both before adding them to the skillet with the steaks.  Then, I just kept and eye on them, turning the steaks occasionally and adding a tad of EVOO when needed...  As they were cooking they looked delicious!

 

When the steaks were almost done through (I usually cook my deer steaks well done...) I added a couple handfuls of shrimp.  Then, when the steaks were cooked through, I pulled them out of the skillet and left the shrimp and peppers to cook a few minutes longer.

 

After the shrimp were cooked I poured the peppers and shrimp over the steaks to serve them.  I served this meal with a baked potato and green beans...It was delicious!!

 

I think the next time I make this, I will used the whole bell pepper (of yellow, red and orange) and double the steaks...the leftovers would be SO delicious in a quesadilla!!  All that you would need to do would be to slice the steak into thin strips! 

 

Enjoy!