DIY Oatmeal Packets

We love eating oatmeal for breakfast, but I don't like buying the individual packets. Way too expensive for such a small amount. I also don't love making it homemade every morning. Too much work on busy school days. But I've discovered the secret to making your own individual packets that everyone can make on their own: you have to blend some of the oatmeal into powder. That's it! That's the creamy difference between the kind you buy in packets and the kind you spend 10 minutes cooking on the stove.

I've been making these DIY Oatmeal Packets at home. My family likes them, they only take adding water and cooking 2 minutes in the microwave, and they are fast and easy to assemble.  And they cost about 1/4 the price of buying them in the store. It's a win-win for us all!

INGREDIENTS

• 10 cups quick oats 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (Katelee likes to add a bit more brown sugar to hers after she has warmed it up.)
• 1 cup powdered milk 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 21-24 snack-size zip bags 
• Other toppings if you desire (dried fruit, nuts, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS

Put 6 cups of the oats into a large bowl. Place the remaining 4 cups of oats into a blender. Blend until almost powdery, then pour into the large bowl.

Add the salt, brown sugar, powdered milk, and cinnamon into the large bowl. Mix well until everything is combined.

Measure 1/2 cup of the oatmeal mixture into each snack-size plastic baggie and seal.

TO USE DIY INSTANT OATMEAL PACKETS: Pour the packet into a bowl, and add 1 c. water. Heat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave. Stir and serve.

NOTES: Because the plastic bag doesn’t get wet or dirty, you can reuse it.

At-home Rotisserie Chicken

We enjoy this super easy and inexpensive way to make a yummy dinner on a busy day - make your own rotisserie chicken in the crock pot!  It's tasty, everyone loves it, and takes me less than 10 minutes.  The best part?  You will probably have lots of leftover meat to use in another meal.  We're making chicken enchiladas tomorrow with the leftovers.  

• 1 broiler/fryer chicken (3-4 lbs.) 
• 2 Tbsp. paprika 
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 
• 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder 
• 3 cloves of diced garlic (or 2 Tbsp. garlic powder) 
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt 
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl and add water by the teaspoon until a paste forms. Stir until well combined. Place 4 tinfoil balls in bottom of crock pot for the chicken to rest on, so it won't stick to the bottom, and lightly spray inside of crock pot with cooking spray. Rub entire chicken with spice rub and place in the crock pot, on top of the foil balls. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 hours.

Homemade Granola Bars

Lately, serving my family homemade food without preservatives, extra salt, and who knows what else in it has become more and more important to me.  It started out at first as a way to save money.  I began making all our own bread, granola to replace cereal, cream of something soups, and so forth.  I was surprised at how rewarding it was to set a delicious meal in front of my family and know exactly  what was in it, and to know that it was made of wholesome ingredients that I could pronounce.  :)

I decided to take this a step further and try to begin making more of our snack foods.  I had been doing research on this for a few days when my amazing, talented friend Sarah posted on her blog all about the homemade snacks she had been making for her family!  Bingo!  She willingly shared her recipe sources, and they are perfect - exactly what I was looking for!

This week, I'll be sharing some of our new favorite snack recipes.  Today's amazing recipe: homemade granola bars!  Man, my kids eat these like they are candy bars.  :)  Literally, I give it to them for 'dessert' most of the time, but with no white sugar or corn syrup, and only a small amount of mini chocolate chips on top (optional) I feel great about serving them this dessert.

Not to mention the added advantage that making these granola bars costs pennies compared to the store bought prices.


 Photo from: http://mangiablog.com/2011/09/09/friday-link-love-back-to-school-recipes/


Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. butter
• 3/4 c. honey
• 1 c. packed brown sugar
• 6 c. quick cooking oats (not rolled oats!)
• 3 c. crispy rice cereal
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• mini chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (optional)

In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together.  Set aside.  In a small pot, melt butter, honey, and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble.  Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes.  Pour in vanilla and stir.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients.  Pour into a lightly greased sheet cake pan and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness.  You really want to press them down to they stick together.  Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips if desired and press down lightly.  Cool on a counter top to room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars.  Cut into bars (I got 36 good-sized bars) and wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

*Notes:  I had no problem with the bars not staying together - they came out perfectly!  However, if your bars don't seem to be staying together when you cut them, you may have not boiled the mixture long enough . . . you want it to make it just past the softball stage.  Or you make them too thin or you didn't pack them in tight enough.  Stick them in the fridge for 20 minutes and that should help keep them together.  Be sure not to keep them in there too long or else they'll become super hard!  The next time you make them, try boiling for an extra 15 seconds or so.

*This recipe is a great base for a granola bar, and wonderful just as it, but you can use it to expand and add in whatever you want: coconut, butterscotch chips, nuts...

Adapted from a recipe from Rachael Ray.

Cream of "Something" Soup Recipe

I have so many recipes to post!  I'll try to catch up over the next few days.

First of all, though, I must share this recipe.  You have probably seen it on pinterest or blogs.  I've been meaning to try this out for months, and finally made some of this mix about a month ago.  This is why I think it is AWESOME!

1. It's cheap.  So, it's no secret that our family is on a tight budget.  In our 11 years of being married, I've never had to be so frugal with grocery shopping.  And cream of whatever soups are NOT cheap.  So, by making this mix, I am saving a significant amount of money over time.

2. It's healthier than the canned soup.  No preservatives, crazy amounts of salt, who knows what else...  just trustworthy ingredients you can probably find in your pantry.

3.  It's easy.  It took me five minutes to make up the mix and stick it in my pantry.  Then it takes me about five minutes to create the 'can of soup' for each recipe.  Easy peasy...

4.  It's DELICIOUS!  Surprisingly so!  I have now had the chance to use it in several completely different recipes.  One was a casserole that called for cream of chicken soup, another was a crock pot meal that called for cream of celery; I've used it in a sauce that wanted cream of mushroom... Every single one of these meals has turned out absolutely delicious!  I won't say that this recipe tastes exactly like a can of cream soup, but I am willing to bet that your family won't be able to tell the difference.  And honestly, I feel that the flavor was enhanced in my few experiences.

Are you convinced?  Here's the recipe:

• 1 cup non-fat dried milk
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup bouillon powder (If you have cubes you have to smash them up. You can use whatever kind you like, such as chicken, beef, or veggie.  The only kind I had enough of was beef, so that is what I used.  Next time I plan to try chicken.)
• 4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions (I didn't have any, so I used some onion salt instead)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (You could use dried parsley instead.)
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Mix everything together well and store in an air tight container.  I keep mine in the pantry with the instructions below on it:

When you need a can of cream of soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium or medium high heat, stirring, until thick.  It will look like the same consistency of the soup when it comes out of the can.

Voila! 

Homemade Granola

I really like granola.  I love it in my yogurt, sometimes with milk, or just plain.  But the brands I tend to like can be EXPENSIVE.  So, I've been looking for a really good granola recipe to make at home.  And I think I found one I'll stick with!

This recipe if from the book Worldwide World Christmas Cookbook, which my sis-in-law gave me for Christmas a few years back.  The recipe was submitted by Jenna Smith from South Carolina.

• 10 C. regular oatmeal
• 2 c. almonds, slivered or sliced (today I used chopped pecans, and they are delicious, too!  Use whatever nut you prefer.)
• 2 c. coconut (note to all you coconut haters: you can't see the coconut in the end or feel it's texture.  It just adds very subtly to the flavor.  Even if you think you don't like coconut, I highly recommend you leave this in.  Katelee hates coconut, but has no idea it's in this granola, which she loves!)
• 2 C. packed brown sugar

 Mix these together in a large bowl.  Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat:

•  3/4 c. oil
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 3/4 c. honey
• 3/4 c. water
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Heat and stir until the peanut butter is completely melted.  Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.  Spread onto two large cookie sheets.  Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring once during baking.  Let cool.  After it's completely cooled, stir in

•  assorted dried fruit (I really like Craisins.  Other good ideas would be dried apricots, raisins, berries of any kind, etc.)

Serve with milk or yogurt, or even enjoy plain.  Makes about 16 cups. Put in an airtight container, and this would last for several months.

Homemade Hot Chocolate - 1 serving

It is a yucky, stormy morning at my house today.  On a morning like this, it's nice to give my family a warm cup of hot cocoa with their breakfast before going out in the cold.  I don't generally have cocoa mix on hand, unless it's been a gift, so this is my 'quick and easy' hot cocoa that I make for my family on a cold and busy morning.

Heat:

• 1 cup of milk 

I do this in a mug in the microwave.  I stir it about every 45 - 60 seconds and check the temperature until it's as hot as I want it.

Meanwhile, while it's heating up, mix the following ingredients together in a small bowl:

• 2 T. sugar
• 2 T. baking cocoa (I always buy the Hershey's brand.  Don't know how much difference this makes; other baking cocoas may have slightly different strengths or flavors?)
• dash salt

After the milk is heated to the right temperature, stir in the sugar/cocoa mixture.  Add:

• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract and stir well.  

Top with marshmallows or whipped cream if desired and enjoy!

I've also been experimenting with adding less (or no) vanilla and substituting other extracts.  Peppermint, mint or almond extracts are yummy!  My personal favorite combination is 1/8 tsp. vanilla and 1/8 tsp. orange extract.  Gerald likes raspberry extract; Katelee likes strawberry extract.

So if it's cold and stormy at your house today (or even if it's not!), go make a cup of hot chocolate and cozy up. 

This recipe is found on the can of Hershey's baking cocoa.  Also, I borrowed this image from http://www.gfcfrecipes.com/miscellaneous.htm.

Dish Detergent

As you know, I've been making my own laundry detergent now for a couple of years, and love it.  For those same couple of years, I've been trying to find a dishwashing detergent recipe that I liked.  I've tried probably a dozen different combinations and recipes over time, unsuccessfully, but I've finally found one that I think actually cleans as well or better than the expensive store-bought stuff.  The KEY is using Lemishine.  Lemishine is a product found next to the rinse aids in the dish soap aisle.  I buy it at King Soopers (Smith's) or Wal-Mart, and have noticed it at other grocery stores.  The other ingredients are things I usually have around my house, because many of them double as the ingredients in my laundry detergent recipe.  I have been washing my dishes with this for about 4 months now, and am really pleased with the results.  I had a friend move and she gave me some liquid dishwashing detergent, so I have been using that for the past couple of weeks instead, and it doesn't come close to comparing to the quality of this homemade stuff!  I finally threw the last little bit out and just switched back to this homemade stuff because it's SO much better.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Borax
• 1 cup Arm & Hammer super washing soda
• ½ cup kosher salt
• 1 cup Lemishine 

Mix everything together and store in a plastic container.  Use 1 Tbsp per load.  I put this in the dishsoap section that doesn't have a lid covering it.  Use white vinegar in the rinse aid compartment of your dishwasher to help keep your dishes from getting spotty. I also fill the dishsoap section of my dishwasher with a lid with straight Lemishine.  Lemishine really is the KEY.

I got this recipe from The Lady with the Red Rocker, and she includes a price breakdown to show how much money you save by using this rather than store bought stuff.  Good luck, and happy dish washing!

Homemade Applesauce

Today I made and bottled homemade applesauce. I haven't done applesauce in a few years, and I had almost forgotten how much better it tastes than store-bought applesauce! Oh, it's heavenly!

This website here has TONS of great information about making applesauce: from choosing apples to making and bottling the sauce, etc. I'm not going to talk about choosing apples, since she already does all that. But I'll give instructions for how I made and bottled the sauce.

Things You'll Need:

• apples (You'll get 12 - 16 quarts of sauce per bushel of apples. A bushel weighs about 42 lbs.)
  
• cinnamon (optional, but I like it!)
  
• sugar (optional - I don't usually use any sugar unless the sauce just seems too tart. With the right apples, you shouldn't need any.)
• washed and piping hot mason jars with lids and rings
• water bath canner
• food strainer/saucer. I have this one here. If you plan to make a lot of applesauce, I highly recommend it! I hear you can make applesauce with just a plain metal strainer, too, but luckily I've never tried it. Sounds like a headache. :)

Instructions:

Soak your jars in hot water so they will be nice and hot when you need them. Put the lids in a small sauce pan of water to simmer. Fill your waterbath pot with water and start heating to a boil.

Wash your apples and cut them them in quarters. LEAVE THE SKINS AND CORES ON - no need to remove them! (YAY!) Just cut them into quarters or use one of those metal apple segmenter thingys to slice the apple quickly.

Throw the apples into a pot of water and bring to a boil. When it gets really going, turn the heat down to medium-high and let cook until the apples are nice and soft through and through. (This took about 10 - 25 minutes per batch.)

Now, if you have a food saucer like I do, just stick the soft apples in the top of your saucer, crank and voila! APPLESAUCE! Again, if you do not have a food saucer, you can still make applesauce, especially if you're just doing a small batch. Click here to read all about how to do this with no special equipment.

Now, if you want to bottle the applesauce, put the applesauce into a large pot. Keep the sauce hot. Season with cinnamon and/or sugar as needed to taste. Note - a little bit of sugar goes a long way! The sauce doesn't need to cook, it just needs to be kept hot until you have enough to fill your jars.

Fill the jars to within a 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims well and put a lid and ring on each jar. Place in a waterbath canning pot and when the water comes to full boil, start timing. How long you keep them in the waterbath depends on your elevation. I processed mine for 30 minutes.

When done, remove the jars and set in a safe place to cool and seal overnight. You're done! Yay!

What to Make for Breakfast

This isn't exactly a recipe. Rather, it's a list for me to refer to in the future, and hopefully the start of a discussion about breakfast.

In an ongoing effort to spend less money on groceries, I have changed how we do breakfast. We love breakfast cereal, but it is SO DANG EXPENSIVE unless you are a master shopper and use lots of coupons and match the ads . . . which I'm not very good at doing. We also eat through cereal extremely fast. In an effort to change, I am proud to say that we have only eaten cereal 5 times in the last month - WOOT! This is HUGE for our family. We also do not buy other 'instant' breakfast foods. I have discovered that making breakfast for my family is really rewarding, extremely cheap, and actually doesn't take as much time as I thought. And I love sending Katelee and Gerald off to school knowing I've fed them a healthy and hot meal.

So, here is a list of the top breakfasts we recommend that's good for your budget, your health, and your busy schedule.

• Oatmeal - we use quick oats, which only take a couple of minutes to make and add our own favorite toppings - brown sugar, raisins, frozen blueberries, fresh fruit such as diced apples, cinnamon and other spices.
• Toast. This is especially good if made from homemade bread and spread with jam, honey, or agave. We also really enjoy this cinnamon toast recipe.
• Waffles or pancakes. They really don't take that long to make, and are so much tastier and cheaper than their frozen counterparts. Leftover waffles reheat well in a toaster the next day. These pumpkin waffles are especially yummy if you have a bit more time.
• Breakfast rounds - always a HUGE hit with everyone.
• Crepes - which we call "rolly-up pancakes" around here - are a favorite around here, and I've gotten really fast at making them. I love them with fresh fruit and whipped cream, or buttered with a sprinkling of lemon juice and powdered sugar (AMAZING!). Gerald likes his savory, stuffed with ham and eggs. Katelee's favorite way to eat them is buttered with jam or maple syrup. So many options, but all of them delicious.
• Muffins. I've taken to making a batch of quick banana or bran muffins when I have a little time during the day, and freezing them. We can pull them out for a quick and delicious breakfast on a busy morning. Here's a fun muffin recipe. I also like to make my mom's banana bread recipe and bake it up as muffins rather than in a loaf.
• Eggs. Katelee LOVES her eggs hard-boiled, and so does Gerald. I'll boil several extra and we will eat them up over the next couple of days. Scrambled or fried eggs are also a quick and easy breakfast idea.
• Fruit smoothies. What else is there to say - YUM! Coupled with a muffin, this is a great and very quick breakfast!
• Puff-Over Pancakes. 4 ingredients. 3 minutes. Let it bake while you get ready. Our family LOVES this for breakfast.

Let the discussion begin! What do you eat for breakfast that is 'homemade', inexpensive, and yummy? For example, does anyone have a good granola recipe? Anyone have any other fabulous ideas?

PLEASE SHARE!

Jenn's Wheat Bread

With the rising cost of groceries, we are trying to save money on our food bill. I've made a goal to start making all our bread again - something I did once upon a time but haven't done now for years.

To me, a good bread recipe should require relatively simple ingredients, have a light, tasty flavor, be healthy, and cut into slices well for sandwich-making. I experimented with a new recipe today that I tweaked for my own purposes, and we LOVED the results. Katelee and I enjoyed a warm, fat slice with homemade jam for lunch today - and it was heavenly. :) This bread cuts easily and smoothly for excellent sandwich-making. And I like that it is quite healthy and seems to freeze well.

• 3 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)
• 4 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast (OR 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast)
• 1/3 cup agave or honey (I used agave, but the original recipe called for honey)
  
• 5 cups bread flour
  
• 3tablespoons butter, melted
• a few more Tablespoons of agave (the original recipe called for 1/3 c. honey)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 egg, slightly beaten (this was not in the original recipe, but I think it helps to add an egg)
  
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup agave. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey (or, I just squirted about a few tablespoons worth of agave instead), salt, and I added an egg at this point because I've heard that adding an egg helps bread not be so crumbly. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. (I used my KitchenAide and just added wheat flour until it no longer was sticking to the bowl. Be sure to use your dough hook.)

3. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

4. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch. (I used my monster-long wilton loaf pan, which is 16 x 4 inches, and put all the dough in there at once. I probably should have only put about 2/3 of the dough in there, and reserved 1/3 for a smaller bread pan, but it worked. ;)

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely. (Or don't. We can't resist eating some of it while warm!) Enjoy!

Strawberry Jam

I've continued with my canning efforts this week with some strawberry jam! Homemade jam tastes so much better than store-bought, not to mention that making a jar of jam costs MUCH less money than buying it.

Here is the basic jam recipe I use.

5 cups hulled mashed strawberries
7 cups sugar
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 49g package powdered fruit pectin

1. Place 8 or 9 8-ounce mason jars in a large hot water bath canner (or pot). Cover with water and bring to a simmer.
2. Simmer center lids in separate saucepan full of water.
3. Place mashed strawberries and lemon juice in a separate pot. Stir in pectin until dissolved. Bring strawberries to a strong boil.
4. Add sugar and a pat of butter (measure beforehand so you can add it all at once), then return mixture to a full (violent) boil that can’t be stirred down. Boil hard for 1 minute 15 seconds.
5. Skim foam off the top.
6. Remove one jar at a time from the simmering water. Pour water back into the pot. Using a wide-mouth funnel, fill each jar with jam, being careful to keep the liquid/fruit ratio consistent. Fill jars so that they have 1/4-inch of space at the top.
7. Run a knife down the side of the jar to get rid of air bubbles.
8. Wipe rim of jar with a wet cloth to remove any residue or stickiness.
9. Remove center lid from simmering water and position it on top.
10. Put screw bands on jars, but do not overtighten!
11. Repeat with all jars, then place jars on canning rack and lower into the water.
12. Place lid on canner, then bring water to a full boil. Boil hard for 10 to 12 minutes.
13. Turn off heat and allow jars to remain in hot water for an addition five minutes.
14. Remove jars from water using a jar lifter, and allow them to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
15. After 24 hours, remove screw bands and check the seal of the jars. Center lids should have no give whatsoever. If any seals are compromised, store those jars in the fridge.

Otherwise, fill your pantry with your newly canned goodness.

Bottling Peaches

I spent my afternoon yesterday bottling peaches. I LOVE bottling fruit. It gives me such a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. Every year I have to look up the times and amounts again, so this year I thought I would post step-by-step directions on here. Maybe this will help someone else who wants to can their own fruit, but if not at least I'll know where to find all the info easily next year. :)

Also, for those of you trying to eat on a budget, if your family likes to eat canned fruit, this is a MUCH cheaper way of providing that for them.

Supplies Needed:

• fruit (peaches)
• sugar
• water bath canning pot
• clean mason jars and rings
• new lids for the jars
• wide mouthed funnel (optional but nice!)
• pots, bowls, ice, and other kitchen tools such as measuring cups, ladle, washcloths, etc.

1. Fill the water bath canning pot about 2/3 full with water and start heating to a boil.

2. Put the new jar lids in another small pot with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Leave this pot gently simmering throughout the process, making sure the water doesn't get too low.

3. Fill a clean sink with HOT water and put your clean jars into the water to soak. (Your glass jars need to be hot when you put them into the boiling water bath or they will break. You may have refill this with hot water occasionally throughout the process as the water cools.)

4. Take a third large pot of water and start heating to a boil. (This is to blanch the peaches in.)

5. In a fourth pot, begin making your syrup.

RECIPES FOR SYRUP:

I grew up on my mom's medium/heavy syrup recipe, which I must say is delicious! She uses 7 cups of sugar to 5 cups of water. Since I've been canning my own peaches, however, I've been using a light syrup to help reduce the amount of sugar I give my family. I do a ratio of 1 cup of sugar to 2 cups of water. I still think this is plenty sweet, and we like it this way. However, if you are used to a heavier or sweeter syrup, you may prefer my mom's ratio. Stir the sugar and water together, heating over medium heat, until it begins to simmer and the sugar is completely dissolved. Then turn the heat down to low and stir occasionally until you need the syrup.

6. Prepare a large bowl (use the largest you have!) by putting in cold water and some ice.

7. Wash the peaches. Be sure the peaches are ripe and at their best. :)

8. Dip the peaches a few at a time into the boiling pot of water meant for blanching. Leave them in there for 1 minute. Fish them out and put them directly into the bowl of ice water. (I use a ladle for this.)

9. Peel the skins off the peaches. They should peel right off easily. If you are having trouble peeling the skins, try leaving them in the boiling water for a few more seconds. Remove the skins and pit (I put this waste into an empty bowl next to the ice water) and then slice the peaches to desired size. Leave the slices in the bottom of the ice water bowl for now. Repeat steps 8 & 9 until you have enough peaches prepared to fill a batch of jars.

10. Remove your jars from the hot water one at a time. Put the funnel in the top of a jar and load peach slices into the jar until pretty full. Then, ladle some of the prepared syrup over the peaches until there is only about 1/2 inch of space left at the top.

11. Carefully wipe down the top rim of the jar so that it is clean and the seal will work properly.

12. Fish one of the new lids out of the boiling pot of water (they are in the simmering water to help the rubber get ready to seal) and carefully place on the jar. Secure the lid with a ring.

13. Repeat steps 10 - 12 until you have 6 jars prepared. Place them carefully into the rack in the water bath canning pot of boiling water. Gently lower the rack and place the lid on. Check over the next few minutes to see when the water resumes it's full boil. Once it is boiling, begin the timer.

HOW LONG TO PROCESS

Process is the canning word for "boil in the canning pot."

The amount of time you leave your peaches in the canning pot depends on the type of food, size of your jar, and your elevation. Because I am at a high elevation, and because I was doing quart-sized jars this time, I let my peaches boil (process) for 35 minutes. Here is a link to the the National Center for Home Food Preservation website, where they have a chart to look up how long to process your food depending on all these factors.

14. Once the peaches have processed for long enough, remove the lid (CAREFULLY - there will be lots of hot steam!) and lift the rack up. (I like using 2 forks to lift the rack up.) Carefully remove the jars using canning tongs or an oven mitt. Place the jars on a clean, dry bath towel in a spot where they won't be moved or touched. Allow them to stay there undisturbed for about 24 hours. The lids should seal (you may hear them pop). Press on each lid after the next morning (I usually can't wait this long :) to be sure they all sealed tightly. Label them with the date and store away! If you had any seals not pop, eat them immediately or put in your fridge to eat soon.

15. Enjoy the fruits of your labors! You are amazing. :)

Homemade Laundry Soap

This is the only laundry soap we've used for 1 1/2 years now. We love it! And we love the price even more! It takes me about 20 minutes to whip up a new batch - it's definitely worth a try!

1 Bar Fels Naptha Soap
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
Water
a measuring cup
a stirring spoon
a cheese grater
a large pot
some sort of 5 gallon container

Pour 6 cups of water into your pot and heat it just shy of boiling. You want it warm enough to melt the soap, but not enough to boil over.

While the water is warming, grate the bar of soap into small pieces. I took a picture of this, but it didn't turn out, but my plate of grated soap looked exactly like a plate of grated cheese!

Add the shredded soap to the pot of heated water. Stir the mixture until the soap is completely melted.

Once the soap is melted, add 1 cup Borax and 1 cup Washing Soda to the melted soap mixture. Stir until dissolved. (This is where your soap might boil over if you're not careful!)

Pour three gallons of hot water into the 5-gallon container, then add in the melted soap mixture from the stove top. Mix everything together.

Now that everything is mixed and dissolved, cover your 5-gallon container and place it somewhere it won't be disturbed. Let is cool over night. It will begin to gel as it cools. It does not gel uniformly so the next day it will look like Egg Drop soup. Pour into storage containers. Use 1/2 cup per regular laundry load.