FRESH Lemonade

Hey, here is a real simple fresh lemonade "recipe" if you will!  It just never occurs to me to make my own instead of buying it, but lately as I have become more aware of what I am eating (and drinking in this case) I have been making this with the lemons that I got from "bountiful baskets".  (No really, a 30 Pound box!) I am also going to use up the rest tonight hopefully by making lemonade concentrate, I am sure I will let you know how that goes!  So here it is, I just take a quart jar, cut a lemon in half and squeeze every bit of juice out of it that I can get, and I toss the lemon in too (cause it looks cool, you know) then add 2-3 T of sugar, a few ice cubes and fill it with Water!  Supremely refreshing!!!  ;)  It makes me happy!  (It makes me really happy to add a little vodka too!)

Rhubarb (and some strawberries cause I had them) Pie

A couple of weeks ago I had Paulette's mom make a skirt for Emma for her spring concert. (It was so adorable and Emma just loved it, and I think Rozie liked making it too!) So, on one of my visits, I "stole" some rhubarb from her with the intentions of making Wade a pie, he really loves pie! However, he married the LAZIEST pie maker in the face of the earth, no really, if I was any worse I wouldn't make them!  So, I googled and found this, made a few little changes and it turned out pretty darn good.  So here we go, lazy pie makers recipe: I started by getting a "pat-a-crust" (recipe found here) I took a few pictures for you this time, first sift together the dry ingredients, then add the liquid and use a pastry "thing" (not sire what its called, cutter maybe, you know, horse shoe shape with wires...) or a fork to mix until you have a dough.  then plop it into a greased 9inch pie plate. (note: I always save a little to use on the top of the pie, and if you try to press this all in the pie plate your crust will be really thick)

And begin "patting" your crust into shape, making sure it isn't too thick in the "corner", where the bottom meets the side.  It should look something like this when you are done:

You can then set that aside and start chopping 8c. of rhubarb for the filling, and put that in your prepared crust.

OK, this is the tricky part, the pie actually gets it "strawberry" flavor from a 6oz package of strawberry jello, so you can dump that over the rhubarb now.

At this point, you could add the rest of the crust, and bake, I however, was channeling all my culinary abilities, and thought maybe some fresh strawberries would look nice, (and the kids wouldn't notice the rhubarb beneath) so I added those next.

Now it is ready for the rest of that crust.  I just crumble it on top.   Bake at 400 for 35-50 minutes, watch the crust and when it is golden brown, its done!  :)  there you have it, pretty easy, took longer to take the pictures that it did to make the pie!

Home Made Corn Tortilla Chips

So there is really NO recipe for this, but I did take a few photos explaining how I did this.  I got some corn tortillas in a bulk tortilla pack yesterday and we do NOT like corn tortillas, so a friend of ours suggested "chips"! And I am very glad she did!  They are so good!  All you need is tortillas and salt.  You will also need a fryer, you could use a pan on the stove also, a place to drain some of the oil and salt the chips (that's the strainer with papertowles you see in the picture) and a tongs!  Heat your oil to 400 degrees and while that is heating you can quarter your tortillas.

Once that is done and your oil is hot, just start throwing them in the fryer or pan a few at a time, let them fry between 2 and 3 minutes, make sure they are crispy, you don't want them soft in the middle! (Also, they will turn that golden color once they cool, so don't leave them in until they are golden brown, that's too long!)

Once you take them out, allow them to "drain" a bit and then salt them! 

And there you have it!  Your home made chips!!! 

A Post About Laundry...hang on, the dryer is done...

So this is a picture of one of my favorite things about laundry!   The clothesline!  Now, I know mine isn't pretty, I would love to have one of the old, t post looking ones, with four nice long lines, but, that is not what I have...I have this.  However, it works just the same!  I like this one because even though it is an "eyesore" it can be taken down if I want, and I put it away for the winter. It was CHEAP and since we already have the yard fenced, Wade easily attached it to an existing post, however, it does come with a pole and directions, so you can easily DIY!  Something about hanging clothes on the line makes me feel resourceful, and I just like it!  It does take time, but some days if I am cleaning and doing laundry it s the only time I get outside.  I really encourage you to USE your clothesline, some people say they don't like clothes that are dried outside but it really is a money/energy saver and like I said, perfect opportunity to get outside with the kiddos and do some of your housework out there (I fold my stuff as I take it off the line). So, with that being said, it brings me to me next...idea...I guess you could call it!

Normally if I am using the dryer during the winter I use dryer sheets, not liquid fabric softener in the wash.  Now, as you know, if you are going to hang clothes out they get pretty stiff if you don't use fabric softener in the wash.  So, since clothesline season "snuck" up on me (it was super nice earlier in the spring than normal) I had some fabric softener left from last summer but I could NOT find my Downy ball (I am sure a little boy made off with it) so I decided there has to be a way you could "make" one and sure enough, a quick "google" turned up directions on "ehow.com" (which I use A LOT).  It seemed odd, but I have been using it ever since and have not gone out and bought a replacement ball. SO bear with me here, it sounds off, but I am here to tell you it works!  You will need a sandwich or quart size zip-lock (if you use the quart size freezer version if you have them, they last longer cause they are a little more heavy duty) and something to poke SMALL holes, I use a panel nail...so you get the point, larger than a pin, not as big as a pen. 

All you do is slip your hand in the bag and poke a few holes (about 6-8) on each size...I steer clear of the bottom 1-2 inches of the bag so when you pour your softener in it is below the holes.  Like this...

Then just pour a cap full of softener in and toss it in the wash!  That's it!  It works great, I know a little comes out while it is "washing" but the majority is forced out through the holes in the spin cycle before the rinse.  There you have it!  I have done probably 30-40 loads using this and have only made a new bag twice.  Like I said,  it will depend on quality of bag you have.  If you notice it leaking, time to make a new one! 

While we are on the subject of fabric softener, I also have been using this idea this weekend to get some laundry done.  Since I have been using the softener in the wash and hanging clothes out, without even thinking I threw the clothes in the dryer( it is wet and cold out) and when they were done, I had a static problem.  When I went to the cabinet to grab some more dryer sheets, I was OUT! Great!  So, I again hopped online and found "home made" dryer sheets.  All you do is take a DRY cloth (I used a bright blue washcloth) and soak it in fabric softener.  I tried it with a wet cloth and I still had static, but starting with it dry I have not had a problem.  They last a few loads, so it doesn't need to be done every load.  I use CHEAP fabric softener, so this is economical and I don't have the used dryer sheets, I like this and think I will continue to use this instead of buying dryer sheets!

Here is another thing I use to save a little money on commercial "pre-treater"  I just put laundry soap in an old dish soap bottle and that is what I use to "pre-treat".  It is very effective, and I use the CHEAPEST laundry soap I can find, so it is less expensive that buying a pre-treater.  I mean it, I use "Xtra" that goes on sale for $1.88 (That's if I didn't have coupons for Purex, I can get that close to $1).

So, as previously discussed, I use the CHEAPEST laundry soap and fabric softener I can find, and while I never feel like my clothes aren't clean or do not smell good, I KNOW that some loads around this ranch require more, so I use a home made laundry booster!  I have blogged about this before but since it is so easy I thought I would remind you!  All I do is buy a box of "20 Mule team Borax" (that's what it is called), a box of "Arm and Hammer Washing Soda" (in the laundry aisle, NOT baking soda) and a tub of "Sun Oxygen Activated Cleaner" ( cheap oxy clean)...all of these items should cost you between $6-9 and this makes a HUGE batch. I mix them all together in a large bucket and store it in a smaller container in the laundry room. I add between 1/4c. and 1c., depending on the load and like I said you will get a TON of loads out of one batch (I make a batch about every 4 months).  I feel like this really works well, and it saves on the more expensive laundry soaps!  

And just one last thing while we are talking about laundry soap!  Since you know I buy CHEAP soap, I keep some under the sink in the mudroom bathroom to fill an old soap pump bottle, this works MUCH better on the guys dirty hands than regular softsoap and it is much less expensive than the heavy duty hand cleaners you can buy.  And it can almost always get any smell out!  ;)  Hope these are helpful to you...happy washing!  

What can't you do with french bread...I mean really?!

I love to buy french bread when it is "reduced for quick sale", not that it is expensive by any means, but the cheaper the better right?!  I think some people worry about freshness with french bread but, I stock up when I can, bring it home, take it out of the bag (carefully, saving the bag), wrap it in saran wrap, and pop it back in the bag and then into the freezer.  I use french bread for SO many things besides the traditional "garlic toast"!  I use it sliced like it is in the pic. for toasted cheese sandwiches, just plain sandwiches, toast with breakfast, you can slice it thicker for french toast, cut it the long way to make a "sub" for the entire family, (this is really handy while camping or on a road trip), slice real thick slices to double as buns (once thick sliced then slice top/bottom), you can use it in french toast bake recipes, it really is "all purpose".  So, next time you see french bread on sale, think past the traditional garlic toast!!!

Starting an Herb Garden

Today I FINALLY planted the herb garden seeds I ordered a year ago (I swear).  I ordered my seeds online at a site called www.hometownseed.com, the price was cheap and I had been wanting to get away from the .99 spiced I had been using!  I am really excited about this, I m hoping to put them into pots to move outside when it's nicer and then bring back in when it gets cold out!  I am going to be doing some research on a few things I can grow to "eat" indoors during the winter so I will keep you posted!  Happy Gardening! (even if it is just in your window)

I can NOT believe that I have yet to post about breakfast burritos!!!!!

This isn't really a recipe since we all get the basic "gist" of breakfast burritos! I use any kind of potatoes that I have around (for real, I have used left over fried potatoes, I have made french fries, hash browns, and even left over grilled roasted potatoes), I fry 1-2 pounds of sausage (again, anything from Jimmy Dean to deer sausage) and 1dozen eggs (scrambled usually in the same pan with the sausage once it is brown).  This will make 10-14 LARGE tortilla burritos, or more smaller ones.  I just put them together one at a time (this is when you could add cheese and salsa also) and wrap them in tin foil. I then put them all in a freezer bag and throw them in the freezer.  When you want to heat one up just put it in the microwave for between 2 and 4 minutes depending on size, and microwave.  We love these, they are so handy to have made up!