homemade laundry soap

I'm on my soap box today...

 

...about homemade laundry soap.

Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

Who knew making mozzarella cheese was so simple!?

Ok, maybe my husband should ask that question....because he made this.  

He's been talking about making cheese for a while.  Here's a tutorial of sorts. 

"breakfast" rolls

I like to experiment in the kitchen.  I'm a scientist at heart.

brownie in a mug

Sometimes you just need a treat. 

Have you ever heard of one minute cake in a mug?   Some of you probably have.  It. Is. DeLIGHTful.  Upon googling a recipe, I came across BROWNIES in a mug.

 D. I. V. I. N. E.

 I call brownies in a mug, wait for it...

homemade applesauce

It's a kitchen show down.

My hubby and I are hittin' the sauce.

peanut butter balls

While the front room make over is well under way, I thought I'd throw another food post out at ya. 
I saw these on Paula Deen a loooooooong time ago and have made them for my little ones many a time, but it has been well over three years, because my three year old has never had them.  Until now.

Kitchen Table Tutorial

 I want to share with you one of my favorite things. 

 My OUR kitchen table.  

 We built it ourselves.  

Well, mostly my handy man...

...but I helped.

peach cobbler..

I've had so many requests for the peach cobbler that here is the recipe...

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler:

1 box cake mix (white or yellow)
ingredients cake mix asks for except for water (i.e. eggs, oil) in place of water, use peach juice from canned peaches.

1 large can sliced peaches
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar

Instructions:
Mix cake mix in separate bowl.
In dutch oven melt butter and brown sugar and stir over heat until bubbly and carmelized. Remove dutch oven from heat, layer drained peaches, and mixed cake mix.
Put lid on dutch oven, place directly over hot coals with 5-6 hot coals on dutch oven lid.  Cook approx. 15-20 minutes or until done.  Remove from heat.  Cut the sweetness with whipped, or ice cream as it is very rich.

From Hubby with love...

going dutch... Dutch oven dinner recipe

 Dutch oven dinner in the mountains over Labor Day weekend is just what the doctor ordered.  Except it was after the weekend we saw the doctor.

 sand patch.

 Kids. Pond.

 Can you see the beautiful dragon flies? Nope. Me either.  They flew off too fast.

Pretty little wild flower.

 Squash managed to make it's way into the dutch oven dinner...

 I will need to look at these lovely wild flowers come winter...

Dutch Oven dinner:
1 lb. bacon
1 lb. burger
5 lbs. red potatoes sliced
1 large onion
2 medium squash
1 head broccoli
velveeta cheese
Cook bacon and burger.Add potatoes, onion and vegetables.  The surprising ingredient in this the way my bro-in-law does it was velveeta cheese.  Now I'm not usually a fan of fake cheese, but this was delicious.  Maybe it was because he also added broccoli and who doesn't love broccoli and cheese?  I'm not the dutch oven cook in the family, so I really don't know how to tell you to cook it other than build fire, let coals form, put oven in coals and let cook until done.


It was really, really delicious and afterward we had peach cobbler that my hubby made, but I didn't manage to get pictures of that because I was helping him. brilliant.

I was a wonderful night with family eating dutch oven dinner, letting our yellow lab splash through the water, the kids play in the sand, and enjoying the splendor of the mountains.   

I hope you all have mountains near you to retreat into.
Later gator...

Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles

Hard at it in the kitchen again today. Bread and Butter pickles this time. One batch is with squash. The other, good ole pickling cucumbers.
We've had quite a harvest of yellow crooked neck squash and zucchini.

When all the zucchini came on it came on fast and we (I) didn't get out to the garden often enough to pick it and ended up with some huge zucchs. They won't fit into the bottles sliced, so we'll probably bread and fry them or shred and freeze them for zucchini bread later.

With the normal sized ones, we decided to try pickling them. It's a good thing because as much as I love the stuff, I don't think I can eat another one for dinner...

1000 words

I really hope these are delicious, otherwise, theyre what you are getting for Christmas...;)


Recipe:

Bread and Butter Pickles

8 cups sliced squash, or cucumbers
2 medium onions
2 sweet peppers (one red, one green)
1/4 cup salt
Mix squash, onions and peppers together, sprinkle w/ salt (uniodized) mix well, cover with water and ice.
This is important to keep the veggies cold.
Let sit for 1-2 hours.
Rinse, drain and set veggies aside.

Brine ingredients:
2 1/4 cups cider vinegar
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon turmeric

Mix brine ingredients in a stainless steel stock pot.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly, let boil 3 minutes.  Add vegetables and bring back to a boil for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and fill jars to within 1/2 inch of top with mixture.  (Important: liquid must cover vegetables and be within 1/2 of top.)  Place sterilized rings and lids on jars finger tight.  Process in steam canner, or boiling water bath for 5 minutes.  Adjust time accordingly for elevation.