Laundry Detergent

I finally got around to trying my own laundry detergent. I had bought all of the supplies a long time ago and was just waiting to use up what I had. I was pretty excited about it too. All I needed was what you see above: 4 lbs of Borax, 4 lbs of washing soda, 4 lbs of baking soda and 3 bars of soap. I used Kirk's because it has coconut oil in it and that sounded good to me. You grate the soap and mix all the ingredients well.

It filled up about half of one of my buckets. To use it, you just put 2 heaping tablespoons in the washer and watch it work its magic. I was quite impressed with the job it did. I had a pair of my son's shorts that had a stain on it. I had previously washed AND dried it and it didn't come out. Then I washed it with this stuff and when I pulled it out of the dryer the stain was gone! I am now sold on this concoction. I'm sure it's economical too. I haven't done the math, but I think this might be cheaper than commercial laundry detergent and it should last longer too, because it makes so much and you use so little with each load. I'm getting more Amish by the day!

Hamburgers

Last week we got some nice ripe tomatoes from the farm. Craig made the suggestion that we make some hamburgers. So we did. This is the second time I've attempted to make my own hamburger buns. It's from a recipe Craig found online and they are supposed to be like the buns you get at Fuddruckers, which he says are the best. Each time I tried to make them, they ended up really flat. In the hamburger you see here, that is actually 2 buns. It worked out ok, but I think I'd prefer a bun I can slice.

I also made the patties myself. I used some ground chuck roast, mixed in 1 shredded zucchini, some chopped onion, and some minced garlic. The patties were pretty tasty. My biggest problem was that they were so wet, probably from the zucchini. They weren't staying together very well, so I added some egg and a small handful of oats. They were still pretty wet. In hindsight, I probably should have pressed the moisture out of the zucchini and it probably would have been better.

I topped my burger with some mayonnaise, one slice of beefsteak tomato, half an avocado, and a few leafs of romaine lettuce. It was quite delicious. I liked the idea of the zucchini in there. It added a little extra nutrition while acting as a filler and it also gives you another way to use up that zucchini. (You know if you grow them, you get way more than you need.)

How do you like your hamburgers?

Tomato Hornworms and Beets

I've been pretty lazy with this blog lately. Maybe because it's so hot, maybe because I've been sick. Anyhow, I did have a couple adventures I'd like to share.

First, I discovered my first tomato hornworm on my bell pepper plant. I had been warned about these on my tomato plants, but surprisingly have not found any on them, just 2 on the bell pepper plant.

It's actually a cool looking caterpillar. This is not my photo, by the way. I found it on wikipedia. It reminds me of the very hungry caterpillar. Which I'm sure it is, because they appear out of nowhere and get big fast. When I saw it I tried to pull it off the plant with my fingers and couldn't do it because it was squishy and it sticks to those stems like nothing else! I ended up getting some tweezers and prying it off. It took a good while to do it. It's like its feet are little suction cups or something. As soon as I pried it off I threw it in with the chickens, who were more than happy to take care of it. In fact they chased each other around trying to get it. I was almost a little sad I only found 2 since it made my chickens so happy.

Second, I've discovered that you can add beets to almost anything. I've had a surplus from the farm and was making recipes that featured beets, but I got tired of making them. Then I started adding a beet into meals, kind of sneaking them in and you can't really tell.  I peel it and chop it and add it to whatever pot I'm using. It usually cooks nicely and you can't tell it's in there. I've added a beet to the pot of beans I make and it tasted delicious. In fact, it seems that the more veggies you add, the more flavorful it is. My last batch was half beans and half veggies. I also added one to my spaghetti sauce, and it was the same result. It makes me happy to be using these beets regularly. It sure does make it easier to get my 5 fruits and veggies every day.

Mozzarella 2: The Runny Edition

Yesterday I made another attempt at mozzarella. As you may recall, I did not put enough salt in it, so it was a little bland. This time I followed the directions again, except added the correct amount of salt. When I tried to stretch it, it turned into a slimy glob of cheese. I'm not sure why this happened. I did not want to waste an entire gallon of milk so I stuck the slime in the fridge, where it hardened a bit. I tasted it later and was pleased with the flavor. It had the consistency of cottage cheese, with softer curds, but the flavor was sooooooo good. Now I know why fresh mozzarella is so much better! I'll probably end up eating by the spoonful until it's gone. The flavor is so rich, that it's hard to eat more than 1 spoonful at a time. Maybe I should turn it into a dip of some kind and add some fresh herbs. What do you think?

FYI: Cinderella can't ride a motorcycle

 When I asked my daughter what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, she said, "Cinderella riding a motorcycle." Say what?? I had just finished the T-Rex cake for my son and was not really interested in making another complicated cake. But how could I say no? That would be unfair to my daughter, after spending so much time on my son's cake.

She initially asked for a green cake too, but I told her I didn't know how to make a green cake, so we compromised with a red velvet cake and green frosting to simulate the grass. I was pleased with the road I had made out of fondant, but things just got worse after that.

I suppose I should explain the situation. Instead of a separate birthday parties for my son and daughter, they decided that they wanted a birthday overnight camping party instead with a few friends and their families. Her birthday was the day after we came back. While on said camping trip, we had a few run-ins with some bears during the night, which left me shaking and wide awake through the night. (I will post about this adventure a little later.) When we got home, I had to start working on this cake so it would be done in time for her birthday. I made the green frosting and the road and it looked fantastic. I was feeling pretty good at this point. But I was pretty groggy. I was working on about 15 minutes of sleep from the night before. I tried to form a motorcycle out of rice crispy treats, chocolate molding and fondant and the results were a disgrace to all things motorcycle. It appears that when I am tired, quality just goes right out the door. Next  I tried to form Cinderella, with the same results. I ended up trying to make Cinderella doing a superman  and her head became a yellow helmet because I could not form a face. When I tried to stack them together, it tipped over again and again until I totally lost it and started screaming in frustration, which made both my daughter and little baby start crying. I had to reassure my daughter that I was not mad at her, I was just frustrated with the cake. At that point, I decided it was not worth it and "Cinderella riding a motorcycle" became "Cinderella was not being safe on her motorcycle and crashed." Let this be a lesson to you kids: Safety first!

I should probably explain the sticks - I was hoping they would hold up Cinderella on her motorcycle (which they obviously did not) and then I would turn them into trees or something. It's a good thing the kids' birthdays are done for this year. I think I'll need a looooooooooong break before I attempt this kind of thing again.