Month: June 2017

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Laundry Detergent

I have made laundry detergent a few times through the years and recently started making it again. I ran out of detergent this week and I had all the ingredients to make up a new batch. So I thought I would share this simple recipe with you. This is a low sudsing detergent. I was really surprised at how soft my towels are. It is my understanding that this is good for HE washers as well as regular.

**Here is the recipe!

1 bar Zote (grated) You can see in the picture that I used the pink bar this time.

2 cups washing soda

2 cups borax

1 cup OxiClean (optional) For extra cleaning power!

I mix these ingredients together and place them in a container. I use 1/3 cup per large load of laundry.

Here is where I found my recipe. You will find other laundry soap recipes on her site as well as this one.

https://wellnessmama.com/462/homemade-laundry-detergent/

 

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Mixed Veggie Casserole

In 1980 when I was a new bride and a college student at Freed-Hardeman College I was part of the Preachers’ Wives’ Club. We had a cookbook and it included a recipe very similar to this one. I have long since lost it but I have tried to re-create the recipe here.

20-24 oz. frozen mixed veggies (steam in the bag) Steamed according to package directions

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup onion chopped

2 cups crushed crackers (Ritz or Saltines) Ritz crackers probably add more flavor but I use whatever I have on hand.

1/2 cup butter

 

Steam veggies, mix together in a large bowl veggies, mayo, cheese, and onion. Spread in buttered 13X9 pan. Crush crackers mix with melted butter and sprinkle on top. Bake 350° for 30 minutes.

The picture below doesn’t do it justice. It is a creamy colorful dish. I wish I had taken a picture of the inside!

 

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Taffy Bars

I have been making taffy bars so long that I cannot remember where the recipe came from. Probably more than 30 years. One thing I like about this recipe is how fast it is! It mixes and bakes fast and uses just a few ingredients.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

Topping:

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4-1/2 cup of finely chopped nuts

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Directions:

Mix together and pat crust into a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with an edge.  Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. As soon as you remove it from the oven, pour 12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips over the crust. Let it set for a few minutes until soft and spread over crust and sprinkle with nuts. Cut into squares. I get at least 32 squares. These are rich and you may wish to cut them smaller. The chocolate needs to set a bit before serving. You may wish to cool 5 minutes in the fridge or freezer to speed this process up. 

 

Update:  My favorite pan size is actually 17X11. Here is a picture of it with the taffy bars just made.

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Jumbo Semi-Sweet Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Jumbo Semi-sweet Chocolate Walnut Cookies

My local Publix store is having a clearance sale in their baking section. It is common for them to change items frequently so out with the old and in with the new.  I love chocolate so it was very obvious time for me to try new products and stock up instead of sticking with my old favorites! I purchased semi-sweet jumbo chips, Butterfinger crumbles, and mini Hershey’s kisses. So I came up with a new recipe!

My new favorite cookie! (this week)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
2 eggs
2 ¼ all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 bag of jumbo semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

I do the one bowl shortcut method of mixing. Cream butter with sugars and then add flavorings and eggs. Mix well. Dump the flour on top and dump the soda and salt on top and slightly stir them into the flour. Mix all together until well blended. Add the chips and walnuts. I use my medium scoop and put about a dozen balls onto my cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Depending on your oven it may require 2-3 minutes more or less. I remove them from the oven and let them stay on the cookie sheet a minute or two before removing them to the cooling rack.

Extra notes:

You may shape these as you wish. I have a very hard time timing baked goods. I can tell by smell and sight when they are done.

 

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What Temperament Are You?

What temperament are you? Our ladies’ class is studying Spirit-Controlled Temperament by Tim LaHaye. This has been an interesting study.  First, we studied the basic 4 temperaments: Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic. It was very easy to pinpoint which temperament my husband has but not so easy to see mine. If you are curious you can find your temperament by taking the FREE printable test found here: http://59384.inspyred.com/images/Personality%20Temperament%20Test.PDF

So what is my temperament? I am a Choleric – the test describes this temperament as focused; extrovert; goal oriented; the achiever. I found out that my husband and I have the opposite temperaments. Is that a surprise? No!  Many people marry opposites.

As we studied further we covered the 12 blends. The blends really helped me to see myself even better. My blend is a Choleric – Sanguine. My husband says it fits me well. I found the description of driving and lawn care habits of each temperament to be fitting and comical. This study has helped me to understand myself better as well as my family and co-workers. For fun and to gain understanding, you might have your teens take this test too! So far we have identified our temperaments. Next, we will study our strengths and weaknesses after that we will study how to have a Spirit controlled temperament. I’ll let you know what I discover!

If you take the test let me know what you find!

I am including a chart I found on Pinterest. I will be happy to give credit if anyone knows who should receive it!