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!

'Lil Reeses PB Cups Cookies

I'm doing some baking for my piano recital this weekend, and tried out a new dessert I saw on pinterest.  This is the picture and link to the original article where I found the recipe, but I did make some changes to the original recipe.  Below is my personal version of these yummy treats!

Source: marcussamuelsson.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Ingredients:

• 36-48 miniature peanut butter cups 
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp. baking soda 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 1 cup salted butter 
• 1/2 cup white sugar 
• 1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

Instructions:

Place peanut butter cups in the freezer (there’s no need to unwrap them; just place the whole bag in the freezer) for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 – 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture. Mix until a soft dough forms. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray.  Using a spoon, scoop about a 1-inch balls into each mini muffin tin. Press dough balls into mini muffin tins, making an indentation in the middle with your thumb.(I had to dip my thumb in flour between each indentation, because the dough was soft and sticky.)  Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a miniature peanut butter cup in the center of each cookie. Cool and remove from pan. (I actually removed from the pan immediately and set them on a cooling rack to cool.)  YUM!

Heavenly Oreo Dessert!

We made this dessert last night to share with some friends, and it is sinfully delicious! You won't be disappointed if you try it!

Source: mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

                                                 

Ingredients

• 1 (15.5 oz.) package of Oreo cookies
• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 2 pkg. (3.9 oz each)  Chocolate Instant Pudding
• 3 1/4 c. cold milk 
• 2 containers (8 oz. each) Cool Whip
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 c. powdered sugar

How You Do It

Crush all Oreo cookies in a food processor until crushed. You could also put the cookies in a large resealable bag and crush using a rolling pin.  Save 1/2 c. of the crumbs for the topping. Pour the remaining crumbs into a 9x13 dish and add the melted butter.Stir and press into the bottom of the dish to make a crust. (I used two 8x8 pans, and this worked, too.)

In a bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Set in the fridge for now. Blend cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar. Mix and fold in one container of Cool Whip. Spread over the crust. Add pudding and spread over the cream cheese mixture. Top with the other Cool Whip.

Sprinkle the 1/2 c. Oreo crumbs over top.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.  

Smothered Beef and Bean Burritos

The Pioneer Woman had these on her website.  These are very basic, but in the past we've always done our beef enchiladas/burritos in the oven.  We thought her way was easier, faster, and even yummier than the way we've been doing it!  Enjoy!

Prep Time 5 Minutes
Cook Time 11 Minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Ground Beef 
• ½ whole Medium Onion 
• 1 can (7 Ounce) Mexican Tomato Sauce Or Enchilada Sauce 
• Salt And Pepper, to taste 
• Cumin, Oregano, Chili Powder, Garlic To Taste 
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Refried Beans 
• ¾ cups Grated Cheddar Cheese 
• 12 whole Burrito-sized Flour Tortillas 
• Extra Grated Cheese, For Sprinkling 
• Extra Sauce, For Drizzling 
• Cilantro Leaves, Optional 
• Optional Filling Ingredients: Mexican Rice, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Green Chilies, Pico De Gallo 

Preparation Instructions:

Brown ground beef with onion and season to taste. Pour in sauce and simmer over low heat. Add water if mixture gets too dry. Heat refried beans in a saucepan. Add cheese and stir in till melted. Keep warm. Heat tortillas in microwave for one minute. Spread a small amount of beans on each tortilla. Add meat. Fold over ends, then roll up. Place two burritos on a microwave-safe plate. Drizzle red sauce over the top and sprinkle with more grated cheddar. Microwave for one minute, or until cheese is melted and burritos are very hot. Serve immediately. OPTIONAL: Fill burritos with any optional ingredients you like.

Multigrain Pizza Dough

I know what everyone is thinking. Multigrain = healthy = gross. Well, be prepared to have your minds blown because this is the BEST pizza crust you will ever make! AND it's easy! Could it get any better? I don't think so.

In bread mixer:
2 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dough Enhancer
1 1/2 cups cooked grains (brown rice, red quinoa, steel cut oats)*
3 cups high gluten bread flour
2 tablespoons yeast

Mix well - will be runny. Let sit 10-15 minutes. Pulse to release air then add:
4 tablespoons olive oil.
1 cup flour (to separate salt from sponge)

On top of flour add:
2 teaspoons salt

Mix/knead. Add flour a little at a time until dough pulls away and cleans sides and bottom of bowl. Separate into balls - oil top with olive oil. Let relax 10-15 minutes. Roll out. Put toppings on. Bake on parchment paper on pizza stone. Bake at 450 - 500 degrees for 5-9 minutes.

Suggested dough sizes:
1/2 lb. dough ball - good size for small kids
3/4 lb. dough ball - medium size (personal pizzas)
1 1/2 lb. dough ball - large pizza

*All of those grains added up together will equal 1 1/2 cups. It is NOT 1 1/2 cups of each! Cook your grains all together on the brown rice setting if you have a rice cooker. This is the step that will take the longest so plan accordingly.

Look how beautiful that dough is!

You can put any toppings you want on your pizza, but our favorite is the BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe posted under the "Pizza" tab! Enjoy!

The best rolls ever!

I found these on pinterest, and they are so good. Everyone make them!  --Melissa

On the lookout for delicious recipes with the holidays right around the corner? This is a MUST try! One bite of these delicious, buttery, melt in your mouth dinner rolls and you won’t be able to stop eating!
Is your mouth watering yet? ;)

This is my family’s very favorite dinner roll recipe. My mom, sister, and I are always asked to bring them to events. They are so easy and they turn out beautifully. No one will believe you MADE them!

The ingredients you will need:

1 1/2 cups of milk
3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons yeast
2 cups of warm water
about 9-10 cups of all purpose flour
at least 1 cup of butter

To start out: Scald 1 1/2 cups of milk, 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of butter, in a microwave safe bowl, for about 2 minutes. Cutting the butter into pieces helps it melt faster. There will probably be some little cubes of butter still floating in the hot mixture, they will melt.

We are going to add yeast to this hot mixture, but it will be too hot to just dump the yeast straight in (it would kill it!). To cool it down stir in 1-2 cups of flour, then add 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of salt, and leave it to cool for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup dissolve 2 Tablespoons of yeast in 2 cups of warm water and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for a couple of minutes until it is bubbly.

**Keep track of how much flour you are adding!!!

Make sure your milk mixture is just warm, not boiling and add the yeast mixture!

Using a fork or wooden spoon, gradually stir in 9-10 cups of flour (counting the flour you have already added to cool it earlier). I would recommend only adding 2 cups at time and stirring in between. These rolls turn out so much better when they are mixed by hand.

At the end the dough will be dense and sticky, and may be hard to stir, you can use your hands to incorporate the rest of the flour if needed. Be sure not to add too much flour. Then smooth the dough out and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place and let it raise.

I came across this fun Thanksgiving idea on Pinterest – for Gratitude Rolls. I thought it was so cute and wanted to show you all how it’s done! Gather a list of things for which your family is thankful. Type it up in columns, then print it out. Yes, my 3-year-old said he was grateful for chocolate milk.. but I’m pretty sure we can all agree ;)

Cut the list into strips with scissors or a paper cutter. Then set them aside.

When your dough is close to raising completely, butter 2 cookie sheets and set them aside.

Let the dough raise until it has doubled in size.

Cover your working space with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Dump your dough out and divide it into 4 balls. Eyeball the sizes, then lift them up and feel the weight of each ball. Try to make them even, but they don’t have to be perfect.

Using one ball of dough at a time: roll the dough into a circle on a floured counter. Once it is rolled out spread the top with butter from edge to edge. You will use about 2 Tablespoons per circle of dough.

Cut the dough into quarters using a pizza cutter.

Then cut each quarter into 3 pieces. You should end up with 12 triangles from each circle of dough.

If you would like to add the thankful notes, now is the time!

Place one thankful note lengthwise on the triangle of dough.

Make sure you spread plenty of butter when using these notes, It will prevent them from sticking!

Whether or not you include a thankful note, you will roll the dough starting with the wide end of the triangle.

Tuck the tail of the triangle under the roll and place it on the buttered cookie sheet. You will make 3 rows, with 8 rolls per row. This will give you 24 rolls per pan. Two balls of dough will fill 1 pan. You will get a total of 48 rolls!

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the pans of rolls in a warm place (on top of the oven if possible) to let them rise. Once they are touching and full in size, cook (one pan at a time) in the oven ’till they are golden brown. About 10 – 15 minutes, It may take longer depending on how hot your oven cooks. Keep a close eye on your first pan to get the right time for the second.

While they are still hot and fresh out of the oven run a stick of butter over the tops of the rolls for a delicious buttery glaze.

The kids will love opening these thankful rolls. It’s just like a fortune cookie!

Read aloud the many things you are grateful at your Thanksgiving feast.

Make it a game and guess who’s thankful note you are reading!

These yummy dinner rolls will be a hit at any event!

Here is the printable version.

I hope you all enjoy them!

Mini German Pancakes Recipe

Source: momathonblog.typepad.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Saw these on pinterest. We love German pancakes and thought this sounded like a fun idea! They were awesome! Tasted just like our usual German pancakes, only it doesn't take as long to bake. And Katelee loved having her own personal pancake. ;)

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup milk (you can use skim or low fat milk if you want)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Toppings: jam, powdered sugar and lemon juice, or maple syrup

Preheat oven to 425. Spray cupcake pans with no-stick cooking spray. Mix eggs, milk, flour and salt just enough to blend. (Do not over mix. Batter will be lumpy.) Pour batter in cupcake pans. Makes approx. 12-16 mini German pancakes. Bake 18-25 minutes depending on type of cupcake pan and the amount of batter in each cupcake tin. Remove from oven. Let cool for just a minute or two. Remove mini pancakes from pan. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with powdered sugar. You can also serve with jam or maple syrup if you prefer instead of using lemon juice. Enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!