Make Your Own...

Make your own 409. I know of one recipe with tea tree oil.. but I didn't have any tea tree oil. So I googled. I came up with this site http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/05/guest-post-making-your-own-homemade-cleaners.html . It had be mix up vinegar, water, and Borax to make a good all-purpose cleaner with stuff my sister had around her house. It works really well, but Borax is slightly toxic so it's not exactly what she needs. This version of 409 works very well. I tested it against real 409; they could be twins. We'll see if the completely nontoxic version will work as well...

Best Truffles

I have a title around here. Actually, two titles, but we will speak of the other one later. One, I received on my brother in law's birthday after the kids and I made him some truffles to go with his cookie cake (yes. we really needed more sweets.) Ever since then, anything I make, be it juice from concentrate or dessert or ice, it's "good... but not as good as those truffles." And here I stand about to loose that title. My sister told me I'd "never live it down" if I didn't make more truffles before I leave. So I decided to make some. However, it's like, 100 degrees outside. Normally, when I make truffles or any kind of candy, I use the stovetop. I don't even use the microwave to melt butter! However, it's also normally winter (making them for Christmas gifts.) And now.. it's not. It's midsummer and HOT. And naptime will be over in 45 minutes so instead of using the time-tested method of truffling, I opted for the fast, easy, not-so-hot version. I just finished making the two ganache. One of them tasted fine but seemed really thick (not going to matter too much) but the other one... that's a different matter. I was afraid of melting the sugar with the butter (actually margarine, another flaw we will talk about later) in the microwave (I normally melt the two together in a saucepan, stirring frequently) so instead I microwaved the butter then put the sugar in. It turned out very grainy (because the sugar didn't melt all the way) and so I'm worried about texture. I also used margarine but that shouldn't be too big of a deal. I've got bigger things to worry about. I need to decide what is going to be coated in powdered sugar and if I'm going to coat any in real melted chocolate. It's very hot so I will probably go with powdered sugar. Despite my doubts, I'm sure they will be eaten fast. All in all, it's still chocolate. Besides, I always have doubts about my truffles, and I am always told they are good. Let's hope for the best! :)

Just an Average Day of Life

I couldn't think of anything to post today for the longest time other that It's my birthday!!!!!! :) until my sister told me her reaction to my blog. She does NOT think that frugal and environmentalist go together. Well.. I must redefine the meaning of environmentalist. I am NOT the "walk ten miles to keep from driving one" kind of environmentalist. However, I have the same idea in both economy and ecology. Every little thing you do makes a difference. Just not using Windex and instead using vinegar and water makes a difference. And in these things, it is much cheaper to be an environmentalist. Either way you look at it, from monetary gains to environmental gains it makes a difference. And I'll sure tell you that it makes a whole lot more difference to make it yourself for the environment than buying "Seven" brand or some other "Eco-friendly" brand of cleaners. After all, what am I doing buying my window cleaner? First I buy a heavy-duty-use-forever spray bottle. $1-$3 with tax. The bottle maker ships it to the store, I buy it, it never sees a landfill or recycle center (I reuse it instead and it is better than recycle.) The vinegar bottle ships to the vinegar plant (or is made there, but lets do worse case scenario here) the vinegar is made and shipped to the store. I use it and (eventually because I buy in bulk) the bottle goes to a recycling center. However, if I were to buy a "Eco-friendly" version of Windex, the cycle would go a bit like this. The bottle is made and SHIPPED to the plant. The sticky logo is made and SHIPPED to the plant. the sticky logo is placed on the bottle. The cleaners ingredients are SHIPPED to the plant. The plants' MACHINES make the cleaners, hold the bottles, fill the bottles, seal the bottles. Lots of people DRIVE to work at the plant. The plant uses normal ELECTRICITY. The bottles are then SHIPPED again (MANY MORE MILES than any bottle or vinegar I bought) to your store (or sometimes to the stores' warehouse THEN to the store) and you DRIVE to the store and buy them. Then you RECYCLE or THROW AWAY the bottle.

Now then, let's see how much better my vinegar and water is for the environment than their Seven Generation Brand Windex.

Mine (worse case scenario):
2 local (within 500 miles) shipping
1 drive-to-store
1 recycled bottle every 6 months

Eco-Friendly Windex (best case scenario):
4 shipped (most more than 500 miles)
1 large plant worth of heavy duty energy sucking machines
<250>
1 large dose of energy for the machines
1 recycled or tossed bottle every 1-2 months
1 seal that must be tossed

Now how much better is "Eco-friendly Windex" for the environment? I'm not saying I'm out with truckers or people driving to work. But when you can do a LITTLE something to help, you should do it. It cleans just as well. It's better for the environment. It takes about ten seconds to make a batch. It costs about $1.05 the first bottle, less the more you use it, maybe more if you put a scent in it. I guess my philosophy is much like Ben Franklin's "A penny saved is a penny earned." The same applies to the environment. Just don't go overboard with it. Baby steps people.

An Everyday Guide to Life as We Know It

So I've been thinking, my title is a little strange. An Everyday Guide to Life as We Know It. But that's ok, right? I mean after all, thousands of artistic mediums have quirky names. However, I must confess, my mind was not clear when I came up with this title. But after it popped into my head... well... it just wouldn't pop out. After all, "nothing is new under the sun." Or under the moon obviously, because it was nighttime when I wrote it. First, I was thinking about netflixing a funny movie called "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" because it was a cute, quirky film that I would be ok with turning off in an hour if I got tired. Secondly, I had just finished a conversation with my sister about Bones' intern (yes, I know fellow fans, Booth can't remember Bones at all -- maybe not anything at all -- and I'm discussing who Brennan is going to choose as an intern. But that's because there is no way they are going to take Booth away or make him forget or whatever. It's just inconceivable. However, at some point in the near future she has GOT to choose a new intern. Assuming Zack can't come back (OH PLEASE BRING HIM BACK!!!!) my vote is for either Windell or Mr. Nigal Murray. Ok we have gotten SO off topic.) But the particular intern I was thinking about was Fisher, because I think he is the absolute worse candidate. For those who don't know, he is a gothic hate-life-and-everything-in-it always-looking-for-disappointment kind of guy.

So to reiterate, because of "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" I came up with "An Everyday Guide to Life." However, because of thinking about this strange Mr. Fisher, my unconscious mind came up with "Life as We Know it." Because obviously if you are always waiting for the other string to drop, or whatever it could be, and of course because of the multiple theories of the universe posed by many enormous thinkers, "as we know it" can be rather nice. After all, everything we know of the world is "as we know it." Isn't it?

Brillo Pads

I have a love-hate relationship with Brillo pads. I absolutely love them -- they get my pots and pans so clean with so little effort. But then again... they are expencive, and they are certainly not eco-friendly. But, so far I have trudged on buying them because what else can you do? Nothing gets 5-day-old burned-on food off like they do -- or do they? Well, I recently ran out of Brillo pads and haven't been to Wal-Mart or Target so I haven't had some for a few days. Since then I've been cooking as usual and it finally got to where I could stand the pile no longer, so I tried to use normal dishsoap to no avail. I then added some baking soda. It seemed to make it work a bit better. And then.. eurika! I added salt to act like the steel pad part and it worked brilliantly. The first time, and on the absolutely worse pan, I used my hand and it came off really fast. Then I thought about the blog and that most people wouldn't like using their hands so I used a washcloth. It absorbed some on the mix but still worked really well. You know the brown gunk that comes off the pot when you clean it with a Brillo pad? The same kind of stuff came off of the pots with my clean method. I really didn't measure I just eyeballed it. I probably used too much. I made a paste with the baking soda, salt and dishwashing liquid to rub against the pot and it came off really easy. With the salt I used plain idonized salt. I don't ever eat it but it's much cheaper than sea salt for cleaners and crafts. You can get off brand for less than a dollar. Sometimes much less.

I'll break it down for you.

All ingrediants are dependant on your pan size

> 1/2 tsp baking soda
>1/4 tsp salt
>1/4 tsp dish soap (just enough to make a paste)

Mix right in the pan and rub about it vigorously just like a Brillo pad and bring to a sparkling shine :)

Carpets and the Environment

I'm staying with my sister right now. She lives in an apartment that has white carpet. She also has three kids. Need I say more? A few months ago she had her carpet clean (If you ever run out of things to do with your kids and it's raining, remove all the furniture from the biggest room you have and let them at it. They had so much fun before the cleaners got here.) In this apartment, the pool is right outside the door. Literally. One day they were cleaning it and somehow (I'm not quite sure how this works) they flooded the entire courtyard where the kids were playing. While, might I add, we were on a drought awareness level, which means a drought could be imminent and you can't water plants before dusk. At any rate, they came back inside with very muddy shoes, and it was impossible to keep them off the carpet to take off their shoes. It was a dreadful sight. The entire entryway was brown. Now my sister is not very into environmental causes -- she would rather buy something and than try to mix it up herself. However, she did not have carpet cleaner. However, one of her friends told her what they used. And she passed it to me. And here it is. :) (Isn't the suspense killing you?) :)
Now I did it when it was dry because, frankly, I was afraid of people walking on it again so I had to wait till the kids were in bed. First, you have to pick up or vacuum all of the pieces you can. Like dried bits of mud that aren't actually on the carpet. If you have a stiff brush and the mess is small, that would help. With a washcloth, pour some regular dishsoap on it. All we had was orange but I'd recommend using the lightest color possible. The dye came out but it really worried me at first. Rub it in really well with a damp washcloth. Mine lathered a lot, maybe I put too much, but it came up with maybe a slight tinge to it. Then you pour straight vinegar on it. Work in small sections if it's a large mess because then you have to then take paper towels (had I some here I would have used small rags, but alas I was forced to add to the dump) and quickly blot the mess till all the vinegar is up. It really works wonders. A few days later a piece of cheese fell on the floor and was promptly stepped on. It had been out for a while before that so it was all gooey. I did the same thing practically, except I used a butter knife to scrape it up first, then used the dishsoap and vinegar to get the non-solid pieces up. I also waited till it was dry, I don't know how it would have worked if it was wet. I know this isn't purely original but it is very practical and works very well. If it's not well ventilated though you might want to think about that before making it, the carpet smelled like vinegar for a while.

So to break it down for you

1 stain on carpet

Pick up, scrape, or vacuum off any solid pieces you have

pour dishwashing liquid on it

Rub vigorously with damp washcloth

Pour vinegar on it

Blot up

Carpet should be original color again. Works with old stains.

Update: My sister wants it to be known that she couldn't clean the carpet because she's pregnant. But I did it because I knew she wanted a clean looking carpet and couldn't do it. Besides I am the one who took the kids out when it was muddy and didn't realise it to take off their shoes so it was all MY fault that the carpet got muddy. MINE! Oh yeah and that she has tan carpets. Tan, white, what's the differance? Besides like 80 years ago when the apartments were built they might have been white :P

Cookies

Ahh.. cookies. Quite possibly the first thing a young cook learns. So simple... yet so easy to go wrong. (Here I would insert some pictures, but alas, my dear digital camera is dead.) Most of the time, you make cookie batter, shape it, put it in the oven, and bring out quick and easy delicious treats. But sometimes.... the cookie crumbles. So here is my anecdote.
One day, my nephews wanted some cookies. I wanted oatmeal... they wanted chocolate chip. After finally relenting to make the cookie they would like, I retrevied a bag of chocolate chips. Can you imagine my delight when I looked on the bag and there was a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies? I checked the ingrediants, realizing I could make them. I was escstatic measuring the ingrediants carefully, and baking them. Little did I know that the joy was in vain. The moment I took the cookies off the stone, they evaporated into a million tiny peices, a whole dozen. A little set back, I concedeed that perchance the delightful cookies had only cooked too long. I dumped the refuse into a bowl and continued in the cookie process, checking on them carefully and watching closely. After all, the recipe was on the bag, it had to be good.. right? Despite all of my efforts, every single one of them crumpled. How distraut I was, with a bowl full of four dozen cookie crumbles! I had even used the last of the chocolate chips. Then I looked at the time. The boys would be up soon, how was I to show them the work of my labor. They would be anticipating yummy, warm-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. Spying a bag of caramels, I made my move. Quickly producing wax paper, I laid it out. I then melted 6-8 caramels per dozen cookie crumbles. Much like a popcorn ball, I mixed the caramel in slightly before taking lumps of it and cookie crumbles and squeezing together. It made roughly double the original amount of cookie (ie 2 dozen caramel cookie crumbles per dozen (large) cookie crumbles.) Nervously I tried one -- they were excellent! My Caramel Cookie Crumbles saved the day!

So next time you have cookie crumbles, or recipe trying and it turns out splat, you can save the day (along with all of your work and the ingrediants) by adding a bit of caramel. I'll break it down for you.

1 doz. chocolate chip (variety) cookie crumbles
4-8 melted caramels (go less, but if it looks like you need more, depending on the amount and texture)

Melt caramels and mix into cookie crumbles. Quickly shape with your hands, squeezing into small balls.

If it's not a chocolate-containing cookie, either add 1/8 to 1/4 c chocolate chips or more caramels as needed. The caramel melted the chocolate chips and they helped it stay together as well. But think about what you should use first; a chocate chip snickerdoodle might not taste too good.

Dick Van Dyke (photos do not bend)

Recently I have gotten into watching (very) old television shows. This I do because normal tv generally consists of a bunch of filth and things I do not need to put into my mind. For the short time in my life that I had cable, I watched mostly the Disney Channel anyways. Go figure. I also do so because I really dig old things. Or rather, older things. I didn't get into Stargate SG-1 until it was actually on its 6th season because of syndication. I also dig Battlestar Galatica, and other old sci-fi channel type things. My favorite books were all published at least a century ago (normally more) and collect old cook books. But most recently through netflix DVDs and instant watch I've been enjoying Bewitched and Dick Van Dyke. If you like old stuff like me, you can really save money by only getting 1 DVD at a time and relying on instant watch for the rest. But back to my topic. Dick Van Dyke. I grew up watching him in Mary Poppins and on Diagnosis Murder, and now enjoy him in his own show (kind of backwards, isn't it?.) He is truly one of the great performers. Seriously. He could do everything, and was clean about it. I wish the actors of today could hold a candle to this icon.