Homemade Smoothies aka "Swoofies"

Recently I made this cute little guy his first smoothie. He really dug it and kept asking me for more "swoofies"....I really am sunk with this one, he is so cute! This is more of a method than a recipe, so feel free to substitute for your families tastes.

Homemade Smoothies

Yogurt- anywhere from 1/2 cup to 2 cups, depending upon how many servings you desire

Frozen fruit- any amount you desire

2-3 spoonfuls of sugar

Milk- about half of the quantity of the yogurt

You can also add a banana, but my boys aren't fans of the banana flavor

You can also add additional ice, especially if using fresh fruit.

Put all your ingredients in a blender and blend! Serve with a bendy straw!

Great Cheap Bathroom Cleaner

I have once again moved my little family- the third time in three years. I have picked up a few tips and tricks about moving and cleaning up the place that you are leaving. This year I found this little gem of a cleaner for your bathrooms- specifically  the shower stalls and tubs. It really can't be any simpler than this. 2 ingredients. Just two. Vinegar and Dawn dish soap. That is it. If the vinegar smell is something that bothers you, either decrease the amount, or just open the window. But, despite the strong vinegar smell, this is a great cleaner. I am going to keep right on using it.....right after I open the window!

Shower Cleaner
12 oz. white vinegar
12 oz. Blue Dawn dish soap
Microwave the vinegar until it is hot and pour into an empty spray bottle. Add the dish soap, gently shake to combine.




*photo and recipe courtesy of food.com

Homemade Chai Tea

Years ago, one of my oldest and dearest friends introduced me to Chai tea. I am so glad that she did. I love the fragrant spiciness of this tea. I have been faithfully buying chai flavored tea bags so that I can get my fix. But no longer. Another friend shared this from scratch Chai tea recipe that has really rocked my kitchen! I have made it every day since she gave me the recipe. It is amazing! I have great friends that  introduce me to wonderful new recipes and experiences.....thank you Beth and Cathy for expanding my tea world!

Homemade Chai Tea
2 cups milk
2 cups water
4 cardamom pods, bruised (my friend showed me how to gently tap the pods with a blunt object, you don't want to crush the pod, just slightly bruise them so their flavor is released easier.)
1 whole cinnamon stick
2 whole black peppercorns
1-2 whole cloves
3 black tea bags (make sure it is straight black tea, not Earl Grey. This is important!)
1 tsp. vanilla
Honey or sugar to taste

Bring milk, water, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and cloves to a near boil. Turn off heat, add tea bags, stir and cover for 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir again. Strain and add desired amount of honey or sugar.

Fiesta Style Cranberry Sauce

I love November! Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite days of the year. As soon as Halloween is over, my thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and all the yummy things that you can make. One of my favorites is a cranberry recipe that I got from my sister and her husband a couple of years ago, Before she made this recipe, we would always open the obligatory can of cranberry sauce, slide it into a bowl and nobody would touch it except for my nephew who LOVES canned cranberry sauce. Blech! This lovely sauce rocked my cranberry world. I am never going back. Give this a try. I even like to use the leftovers as a fruit spread on toast- it is that good!

Fiesta Style Cranberry Sauce
3 cups fresh cranberries
2 oranges, chopped
1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Serrano chili, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. lime peel, grated
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Combine cranberries, oranges, sugar, and water and cook over medium low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium and boil until cranberries pop and start to thicken slightly. Stir in chili and lime peel. Cool completely. Stir in cilantro.  Yield- 2 cups

Popcorn Balls

I was looking through my mom's cookbook that she had pulled together years ago. It was like walking through the history of my family. She had uncovered recipes from many generations of our family and put them in one book. In a smaller way, it was a quick spin through  the years that I was able to spend with her. She wrote her love on my life in so many ways. Now as a mom myself, I can see even more of the love that she gave unselfishly to my brother, sister and I. It showed in so many little ways. I have a memory of her making popcorn balls for one of our school Halloween parties when we were young. I am going to make these this week for my boys, remembering how loved I felt when my mom made them for me, and praying that my boys will feel the love I have for them.

Popcorn Balls

8 cups popped corn
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Food coloring, if desired
Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and salt and bring to a boil. Cook to soft ball stage * and then add butter, vanilla, and if desired, food coloring. Pour over corn, stirring with two forks. Butter hands and make into balls. Place on waxed paper.

*Soft-Ball Stage occurs at 235-245 degrees. This stage can be determined by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. In the water, use your fingers to gather the cooled syrup into a ball. If it has reached soft-ball stage, the syrup easily forms a ball while in the cold water, but flattens once removed from the water.

Homemade Laundry Soap

Today I took a step of faith. I made my own laundry detergent. It was a big decision for me because I was afraid that it would be a waste of money, wouldn't work, or make my kids into zombies, ok, not that last one, but I was scared to try. So today after seeing the price of laundry detergent go up, yet again, I decided to be brave. I found this recipe on Pinterest : http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html?m=0 . I found her directions to be clear and easy to follow. All the ingredients were near each other at Walmart. I made my first batch today, which only took about 10 minutes to mix together,  and have done several loads. I have to say that I am relieved and excited that the clothes are coming out clean! Whew! It was also cheaper that the box of detergent that I had on my list! I think that I will try homemade dish detergent next! Stay tuned!

Homemade Pizza Sauce

Last night, we had homemade pizza. I went to the fridge and pulled out all the ingredients, but could not find my pizza sauce (that I know that I had bought at the store last week.) Don't you hate it when that happens? I am certain I bought it, I just wonder where it went between the store and home! We had to have pizza sauce for our pizza! In a fit if desperation~ a lovely garlic pizza sauce is born. I don't think I will buy pizza sauce again!

Homemade Pizza Sauce
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (12 oz) tomato paste
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional for those who don't like heat)
2 fresh garlic cloves
Throw all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and combine well.

Make your own taco seasoning

We eat a lot of tacos in our house. They are fast, easy and we usually have everything on hand. Last year, I started to search for a homemade taco seasoning. I looked all over the web and I found a few I liked a little. So I combined them into one really good recipe. I double this and keep it on hand for all my taco feasts.

Taco Seasoning
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 pinch cayenne
(Before we moved to Utah I used to add 1/4 tsp. chipolte chili powder, but I can't find it here, so I leave it out. It still tastes awesome!)
Combine. Add 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp to 1 pound ground beef. You can also add 1/2 cup water, but we like ours a little more on the dry side, it works for what your tastes like.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

It has been bitter cold here this winter. I am not used to the humidity plus the cold. It seems to seep into my bones. We have been going through hot chocolate powder mix like wildfire lately, so I decided to whip up some homemade hot chocolate instead. This is the hybrid of many recipes that I saw online- it uses what I had in my pantry! Mix some up for your next super cold day.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

2 1/2 cups milk
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Stir all ingredients until well combined. cook over medium heat until hot. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

We are having homemade pizza every Friday night this month. I wanted a tasty sauce for our pizzas and I searched for one and tweaked it to make it a little more spicy for my hubby.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

3 Tbsp water

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp basil (when in season, use fresh)

1/8 tsp thyme

1/8 tsp garlic powder

2 shakes red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Let it cool before using on top of the pizza. I think that it would also make a great dip for bread sticks. I am going to have to try that soon.

Microwave popcorn- the easy way!

 My new home has a flat top stove, so I can no longer cook popcorn on top of my stove. I have been searching for a way to have popcorn. The boys and I eat it nearly every day. We love it! I read online in several places about popping popcorn in a plain brown lunch bag. I had to try it. It really works!
Here is what you do: You place 1/4 cup popcorn kernels in a plain brown paper lunch bag. Fold over the top twice making sure you have very sharp creases. Tape it (this was the part that I was concerned about, but it does not melt), and microwave it about 3-4 minutes, stopping when the popping sounds are 3-5 seconds apart from each other. It makes enough for two normal people to share, but in my house that is one serving! I hope that you try it, it is so easy that even my 8 year old makes his own popcorn this way!

Salad dressing

Today I want to share with you a salad dressing that I am absolutely in love with. It is simple and slightly sweet, but the ingredient that I adore in it is cinnamon. Yes, cinnamon! I have been dressing plain lettuce with this dressing all week.

Simple Salad Dressing

1/3 cup Olive Oil

1/3 cup Raspberry Vinaigrette

3 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine and shake well before serving.

Stawberry Freezer Jam

One of my New Year Resolutions this year was to try my hand at canning and preserving fruits and veggies. I thought that I would give it a try with something simple. I searched the Internet and found many people making this very easy freezer jam.

Ball Freezer Jam

4 cups crushed strawberries

1 1/2 cups sugar or Splenda

1 pkg. Instant Fruit Pectin

Combine Pectin and sugar in a small bowl. Add crushed strawberries. Stir for 3 minutes. Ladle jam into clean 8 oz plastic freezer jelly jars. Let it stand for 30 minutes. Freeze for up to one year or in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

This is my littlest guy who was my helper for this project. Here you can see him helping himself to one of the big fat juicy berries! Grab yourself a helper and give this jam a try!

Children helping in the kitchen

From the time my boys were little, they would love to help Mama in the kitchen. They loved measuring ingredients, stirring, and later learning how to crack eggs. It is a magical place, the kitchen is. Now that my oldest is almost 12, he is inventing recipes. I completely encourage his creations and his experiments. This attitude of letting the boys loose in the kitchen is what Works for Me! Check out this link for more awesome ideas!
Here is Son1's best creation so far:

Honey Cinnamon Twists

1 flour tortilla

butter, softened

Cinnamon sugar

honey

Spread butter on the tortilla. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Broil until the sugar begins to caramelize and get all bubbly. Remove from the oven. Drizzle honey over the tortilla. Roll up and enjoy!

Senate Cheese Straws

I am in the process of using things up in my freezer since I defrosted it last week. I ran across a block of sharp cheddar cheese that I had bought but never used. I thought of this recipe and how yummy it is. I hope that you will give it a go.

Senate Cheese Straws

1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. flour

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 lb. butter

Finely grate the cheese, then combine with the other ingredients and beat until creamy, adding a few drops of water if necessary to form a firm dough. Divide dough in half. Roll each section 1/4 inch thick. Cut into strips about 6" x 3/8". Place on ungreased cookie sheet and chill in freezer for 15 minutes or longer to maintain shape. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Makes 5-6 dozen.

For more delicious recipes visit Blessed With Grace who hosts Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

My mom used to make all sorts of yummy munchies for my brother and sister and I growing up. She would make candies, rolls, fudge, cheese straws and many others. One of my favorites is this recipe for Melba Toast. They really hit the spot when I want something crunchy. They are also very easy to make and simple enough for kids to help out with as well. I hope you will give them a shot- they are quite tasty!

Melba Toast

1/2 lb. margarine (not butter)

1 pinch Italian seasoning

2 pinches curry powder

1 Tbsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

Combine all ingredients. Spread on white bread and cut into four triangles. Dry in 250° oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Bread is done when there is no soft center. This uses approximately one loaf of bread.

For more great recipes check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays at Blessed With Grace

Kettle Corn and an outdoor movie!

Every summer, our town hosts outdoor movie events. I have not been able to make it to one in all the years that we have lived here, but this year is the year. It is free and sounds very fun- you bring your lawn chairs and your own refreshments (they have some for sale, of course) and enjoy the evening. Tonight, weather permitting, we will hopefully be able to go see Kung Fu Panda. If we go I will be bringing this yummy and very easy treat along to much on.

Kettle Corn

3 Tbsp. oil (we use canola)

1/3 cup popcorn kernels

3 Tbsp sugar

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven type of pan, over medium heat. Place one kernel in the oil. Wait until it pops before you pour in the rest of the kernels. Once you pour in the kernels, sprinkle the sugar over the top . Put your lid on, and shake while still keeping the pan on the stove, back and forth until the popping sounds have stopped (about 3 minutes or so). You must keep the kernels moving or the sugar will burn! When all popping has ceased remove the lid and pour into a large bowl to cool, sprinkle lightly with salt. Enjoy!

This recipe makes enough for 5 eaters- but we quickly ran out and had to make a second batch- it is that good! You do get a very good arm work out with all the shaking, but I can not stress how important that part is!

Check out Gayle at Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap for great recipes and awesome frugal tips.

Homemade salsa

Homemade Salsa

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes (plus the juice)
4 teaspoons jalapenos (canned,diced, not pickled)
1/4 cup yellow onion (diced)
1 clove fresh garlic- minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Fresh cilantro to taste

Juice from a lime

Directions
1. In food processor place jalapenos and onions and garlic.
2. Process for just a few seconds.
3. Add both cans of tomatoes, salt, sugar, cumin, cilantro and lime juice
4. Process all ingredients until well blended but do not puree.
5. Place in covered container and chill.
6. A couple of hours of chilling will help blend and enrich the flavor.
7. Serve with your favorite thin corn tortilla chips.

When we watch Nascar, we have to have some good munchies. I love chips and salsa and this is a great recipe for homemade salsa. Super easy. Pretty much just dump and blend. This recipe is very agreeable to adjustments- add or subtract jalepenos to your desire. Yummy!