I have never had trouble cleaning things up with your standard cleaning products before so when I would read Help forums about cleaning products, I tended to read them but not pay much attention.
Almost every time someone would have a cleaning question, at least one reply would tell the person to use Bar Keepers Friend. I have been hearing wonderful things about this product for quite a while now so I kept that product in the back of my mind.
One morning, I walk into the kitchen to do some cleaning and I notice horrible, horrible black stuff caked, no, burned onto the bottom of one of my really nice stainless steel pans. Turns out dear husband would fry up breakfast, and save the dirty pan to use again all week. Now, he has two crummy nonstick pans he always uses for breakfast so I never minded.. until he mistakenly grabbed the wrong pan.
After trying SOS pads and every single cleaning product I had on hand to little avail, I went to Target and finally picked up my first container of Bar Keepers Friend. And it WORKED! I really wish I would have taken before and after pictures because I will admit to being shocked that it actually took every single black and brown scorch mark off of my pan, making it look almost brand new.
Bar Keepers Friend, you have got a customer for life!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Crockpot Applesauce
Fall is hands down my favorite season, and what better state to live in than Michigan for great fall colors and delicious Michigan apples.
The best thing for me about apple picking season is the applesauce. My dad's family is big on homemade applesauce and it has become a staple to just about every meal. Now, my dad's family is full of cooks.. really good cooks, the kind where everyone is saying they should have started their own catering business and quit their day jobs.
Me? I'm decent in the kitchen. I can follow recipes, even modify them a bit, but I didn't quite inherit my dad's feel for cooking. When I thought about making my own applesauce, I wanted the simple version. So I used what my generation uses best; the internet. It was scrolling through hundreds of applesauce recipes that I came across one on allrecipes.com. This is the recipe I have used ever since, and it's the first thing I ever made in my very own crockpot.
For the recipe on allrecipes.com and other reviews, Click Here.
Spiced Slow Cooker Applesauce, exactly as I make it. For the original recipe, click the link above.
3lb bag of Gala apples
1/2c Water
2/3c Brown Sugar
1/2t Cinnamon
1/8t Nutmeg
1/8t Ground Cloves
1/8t Ginger
Peel, core, and cut up all apples. I use an apple corer and then just cut each wedge into 3 or 4 small pieces. Add the brown sugar and spices. Add water and mix everything together. Heat in Crockpot on Low setting for 6-8 hours.
My crock pot usually ends up taking closer to the 8 hours, but in reading reviews of the original recipe others had varying times. Also if you noted, the spices used make up most pumpkin pie spices, so if you already have mixed pumpkin pie spice, you can substitute all of the spices for 1/2t of pumpkin pie spice. (The original recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice. I didn't have it on hand, so this was my substitution to begin with)
Last but not least, if you like your applesauce to have a bit of a kick, I have been known to add a handful or two of the Red Hot cinnamon candies towards the end of the cooking time. Enjoy!
The best thing for me about apple picking season is the applesauce. My dad's family is big on homemade applesauce and it has become a staple to just about every meal. Now, my dad's family is full of cooks.. really good cooks, the kind where everyone is saying they should have started their own catering business and quit their day jobs.
Me? I'm decent in the kitchen. I can follow recipes, even modify them a bit, but I didn't quite inherit my dad's feel for cooking. When I thought about making my own applesauce, I wanted the simple version. So I used what my generation uses best; the internet. It was scrolling through hundreds of applesauce recipes that I came across one on allrecipes.com. This is the recipe I have used ever since, and it's the first thing I ever made in my very own crockpot.
For the recipe on allrecipes.com and other reviews, Click Here.
Spiced Slow Cooker Applesauce, exactly as I make it. For the original recipe, click the link above.
3lb bag of Gala apples
1/2c Water
2/3c Brown Sugar
1/2t Cinnamon
1/8t Nutmeg
1/8t Ground Cloves
1/8t Ginger
Peel, core, and cut up all apples. I use an apple corer and then just cut each wedge into 3 or 4 small pieces. Add the brown sugar and spices. Add water and mix everything together. Heat in Crockpot on Low setting for 6-8 hours.
My crock pot usually ends up taking closer to the 8 hours, but in reading reviews of the original recipe others had varying times. Also if you noted, the spices used make up most pumpkin pie spices, so if you already have mixed pumpkin pie spice, you can substitute all of the spices for 1/2t of pumpkin pie spice. (The original recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice. I didn't have it on hand, so this was my substitution to begin with)
Last but not least, if you like your applesauce to have a bit of a kick, I have been known to add a handful or two of the Red Hot cinnamon candies towards the end of the cooking time. Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Two Great Causes with Free Treats for you!
I just had to write about both of these great opportunities to raise awareness for wonderful causes and for all of you to benefit with some free goodies, too!
I just received the e-mail from Coldstone Creamery that September is Make-a-Wish month. I have always supported the Make-a-Wish Foundation and love the opportunities they present to children. Coldstone teamed up with the foundation to have one child create a special ice cream flavor to celebrate the month of September. 11 year old Kate's creation sounds delicious: Caramel Apple Ice cream with chocolate shavings, graham cracker pie crust, and apple pie filling. Yum. Not only can you buy a paper star for $1 that goes to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, but on September 30th at participating locations from 5-8pm, you can be a part of the World's Largest Ice Cream Social, and sample Kate's Creation for FREE! For all the details, Click Here.
Secondly but just as important is your chance to get a free Pampered Chef cookbook. Yes, I said FREE! The best part of this deal is that for every cookbook downloaded (It's a 12 page PDF file), Pampered Chef is donating one meal to Feeding America. Celebrities such as David Arquette and Ali Sweeney have contributed some of their favorite recipes for you to enjoy. The Cornflake Crusted Chicken sounds delicious! For all of the details, Click Here. While you're on their website, check out their cute heart trivet where part of the proceeds also go to Feeding America.
Happy Saving, and thanks for supporting these two great causes! :)
I just received the e-mail from Coldstone Creamery that September is Make-a-Wish month. I have always supported the Make-a-Wish Foundation and love the opportunities they present to children. Coldstone teamed up with the foundation to have one child create a special ice cream flavor to celebrate the month of September. 11 year old Kate's creation sounds delicious: Caramel Apple Ice cream with chocolate shavings, graham cracker pie crust, and apple pie filling. Yum. Not only can you buy a paper star for $1 that goes to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, but on September 30th at participating locations from 5-8pm, you can be a part of the World's Largest Ice Cream Social, and sample Kate's Creation for FREE! For all the details, Click Here.
Secondly but just as important is your chance to get a free Pampered Chef cookbook. Yes, I said FREE! The best part of this deal is that for every cookbook downloaded (It's a 12 page PDF file), Pampered Chef is donating one meal to Feeding America. Celebrities such as David Arquette and Ali Sweeney have contributed some of their favorite recipes for you to enjoy. The Cornflake Crusted Chicken sounds delicious! For all of the details, Click Here. While you're on their website, check out their cute heart trivet where part of the proceeds also go to Feeding America.
Happy Saving, and thanks for supporting these two great causes! :)
Laundry Detergent and Dryer Balls
As I have mentioned before, I am a big fan of saving money. When my husband and I got married, I took stock of where I was spending money that I could easily cut down, and laundry detergent was one area that I tackled right away. One of the most convenient advantages to me of making my own laundry powder is that I honestly have gone over a year and a half without having to buy detergent at the store. The boxes of Borax and washing soda pictured above are the same ones I bought originally, and they still have about two batches left in them! I have just recently (yesterday, actually) purchased more bars of soap but I was able to get them on sale and with a coupon. :)
Start up costs for me were the boxes of Borax ($3.99 at Meijer), Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (not to be confused with Baking Soda! $2.99 at Meijer), Dial bar soap ($1.15 for a pack of three, the ones pictured above are a package of 8 bars that cost me $2.60 after sale and coupon), a hand held grater ($1 at a dollar store), and a measuring cup (already on hand).
For those of you interested in reading an article about homemade laundry detergent and how to make it, check out this website. The detergent the author is making is liquid so if you prefer that, go ahead and follow his directions. I used to use store bought liquid detergent, but when deciding to make my own, I decided that for me, powder would be easier to make and store afterward. I have a friend who makes her own liquid detergent who has commented on it being lumpy and separating. To each their own. :)
My recipe is simple(that's why I like it!):
1c Borax
1c Washing Soda
1 bar of soap, grated*
*I pictured the hand held grater because the first batch I did, I used the cheese grater I already owned and had trouble getting the soap out afterward. This way, it makes less of a mess(I grate the bar right into the measuring cup), and I don't have to worry about cleaning up the grater since it's only use is for my laundry soap.
Mix the ingredients together into some sort of storage container. I used a locking plastic container I already had on hand and it works very nicely. One other reason I like the hand held grater is that I use it to stir everything together as well.
That's it! You've made your very own laundry powder. I have a measuring spoon that I keep right with the container. You only need 1 tablespoon of the powder per load. You can use more on heavily soiled laundry, but I personally have never had a problem only using one tablespoon for normal loads.
I personally do not own a HE washer, but from articles I read while doing my initial research to start making this, it is completely okay to use this in HE washers. As always though, double check by doing your own research.
A few notes on this blog: There are many different ways to make your own laundry soap. I know a lot of people use other bars of soap. I personally went with the cost when I started, and since I had no problems with Dial soap, I chose to stay with it. I have read about concerns with using colored bars of soap so I have stayed as close to white as possible. Also something to keep in mind is that this kind of laundry soap just does not suds up or foam as much as store bought detergents so do not feel as if it's not doing it's job.
You may have noticed the jug of white distilled vinegar pictured with my laundry soap. This was done intentionally because it is something I use on a regular basis with my laundry. For normal loads, such as my clothes and loads of towels, I do not use anything other than my laundry soap. However, dear husband's socks tend to, well, stink after he spends all day working in them. After researching online, I tried adding some white distilled vinegar to his clothes when washing, and voila! The smell is gone and his socks smell fresh. I am continually amazed by the power of vinegar and use it often. :)
I know this is a long post, but on a final note, I have found a way to cut laundry costs even more.
Before getting married, I got sick of spending so much money on fabric softeners and dryer sheets. Then I actually started researching and realized you're not supposed to use both at the same time so I was already wasting money from the start! Even though only doing one at a time cut costs, I started hearing about these dryer balls and how they eliminated your need for dryer sheets because they agitate and fluff your laundry in the dryer by their bouncing around. I had vaguely heard mention of people using tennis balls in their dryer for the same effect so when it came time to do our wedding registry, I threw a few sets of dryer balls on the list figuring what better way to try something than free.
We got married a year and a half ago, and we are still using the same set of dryer balls! That's why the ones pictured are still in the package because we haven't had need for them yet, and we haven't used a single dryer sheet either. Though we got ours as wedding presents, they are about $10 and can be purchased at Bed, Bath, and Beyond where they always have 20% coupons out.
Generic Vs. Name Brand
As someone who looks for ways to cut costs, this one seems pretty obvious to me, but a recent headlining news article on Yahoo! had me thinking about it again. You can read the article here.
Th author of the article has some pretty good points about how crazy it seems that people are willing to spend almost twice as much on an identical product just to buy the name. I like that author does state that in his comparisons, the products are identical. There are some products that are not identical so the key is just to be observant. Read the labels!
Some common products that are identical that people should be aware of: most pain relievers, most cleaning products (bleach is bleach, after all!), and spices.
The most important thing is that you do not just take someone like this man or my advice and go out and buy everything generic. As consumers, we have to be informed. Do your own research, go to the store and compare the ingredients in each product and then make your informed decision.
I will also say that sometimes with coupons or specials, the name brand will actually be cheaper. This is another one of those times that it pays (literally!) to do your own research.
In closing, just do your research, check your sale ads and coupons, and Happy Saving! :)
Next blog I will tell you how I make my own laundry detergent to cut costs.
Also coming up for dinner: Betty Crocker's Beef and Green Chile Enchiladas.
Beef and Green Chile Enchiladas
Th author of the article has some pretty good points about how crazy it seems that people are willing to spend almost twice as much on an identical product just to buy the name. I like that author does state that in his comparisons, the products are identical. There are some products that are not identical so the key is just to be observant. Read the labels!
Some common products that are identical that people should be aware of: most pain relievers, most cleaning products (bleach is bleach, after all!), and spices.
The most important thing is that you do not just take someone like this man or my advice and go out and buy everything generic. As consumers, we have to be informed. Do your own research, go to the store and compare the ingredients in each product and then make your informed decision.
I will also say that sometimes with coupons or specials, the name brand will actually be cheaper. This is another one of those times that it pays (literally!) to do your own research.
In closing, just do your research, check your sale ads and coupons, and Happy Saving! :)
Next blog I will tell you how I make my own laundry detergent to cut costs.
Also coming up for dinner: Betty Crocker's Beef and Green Chile Enchiladas.
Beef and Green Chile Enchiladas
Monday, September 13, 2010
Meijer and Stouffer's Partner up for a great deal!
I just have to write about this.
Starting yesterday, Meijer has a promotion running that if you buy two Family or Party Size Stouffer's frozen meals, you get Meijer garlic bread, one bag of Meijer frozen veggies, and a package of Toll House break apart cookies all FREE!
Now, most of this isn't the healthiest food, but my husband and I are definitely on a budget so we couldn't pass this up. Essentially for $15 (We bought the Family size, not Party which is more expensive and also too much food for us), we got about $21-22 worth of food.
Here's the key: Make the frozen meal and pair it with a salad or a couple of vegetable sides. Make sure you're dividing the portions of the meal correctly. If the package says there are six servings, divide it into six even portions, or more portions and fill up with veggies!
Then just make sure that the rest of your food that day is good and healthy. Moderation and small portion sizes of things like this are key.
PS - If you didn't know about it, Meijer has a new way of doing coupons. It's called mperks, and can be found at: Mperks. If you have a mobile phone that can receive text messages, sign up (It's free!), and you simply click on the coupons that you want from the website. When you get to the store, make sure you sign into your account while checking out to automatically deduct the coupons you "clipped" online. It's that simple, and the bonus is that you get a $2 off of a $5 purchase coupon just for signing up!
Starting yesterday, Meijer has a promotion running that if you buy two Family or Party Size Stouffer's frozen meals, you get Meijer garlic bread, one bag of Meijer frozen veggies, and a package of Toll House break apart cookies all FREE!
Now, most of this isn't the healthiest food, but my husband and I are definitely on a budget so we couldn't pass this up. Essentially for $15 (We bought the Family size, not Party which is more expensive and also too much food for us), we got about $21-22 worth of food.
Here's the key: Make the frozen meal and pair it with a salad or a couple of vegetable sides. Make sure you're dividing the portions of the meal correctly. If the package says there are six servings, divide it into six even portions, or more portions and fill up with veggies!
Then just make sure that the rest of your food that day is good and healthy. Moderation and small portion sizes of things like this are key.
PS - If you didn't know about it, Meijer has a new way of doing coupons. It's called mperks, and can be found at: Mperks. If you have a mobile phone that can receive text messages, sign up (It's free!), and you simply click on the coupons that you want from the website. When you get to the store, make sure you sign into your account while checking out to automatically deduct the coupons you "clipped" online. It's that simple, and the bonus is that you get a $2 off of a $5 purchase coupon just for signing up!
To be honest, I haven't given much thought to weight loss, or anything really. I had been in a bit of a funk that I am finally coming out of now. How do I know I'm coming out of it?
I actually cleaned our built in china cabinet the other day. It has been collecting dust and tools and odd screws and nails since we bought our house in February. It is now happily cleaned and polished and home to most of our board games and photo albums.
The cabinet is nowhere close to being done, as you can tell by the two different wood colors and the lovely wall paper in the back, but I'm just so happy it can actually be used now so everything isn't piling up elsewhere.
One other change is that just this past week, I have had two friends mention that I looked good, like I was losing weight. It's always great to have others notice things like this because too often we get caught up in criticizing ourselves to the point that we don't notice the little positive changes that someone else does.
I can honestly say that part of this is thanks to Fall. I absolutely love living in Michigan come Fall. The cool, crisp air is just perfect for taking long walks, and I have been availing myself of that as much as possible. Last week, I took three separate 4 mile walks just around my neighborhood.
This blog is going to turn into much more than just a weight loss blog, as I want somewhere to record all of my thoughts and what I'm up to. Right now I'm an accidental housewife, and I'm going to make the best of it. So today, my project is to organize my closet. My wonderful husband put up my closet rod and shelf yesterday so I no longer have an excuse for all of my clothes being on the floor or in laundry baskets. :) Pictures to come once I've gotten it cleaned and organized.
I actually cleaned our built in china cabinet the other day. It has been collecting dust and tools and odd screws and nails since we bought our house in February. It is now happily cleaned and polished and home to most of our board games and photo albums.
The cabinet is nowhere close to being done, as you can tell by the two different wood colors and the lovely wall paper in the back, but I'm just so happy it can actually be used now so everything isn't piling up elsewhere.
One other change is that just this past week, I have had two friends mention that I looked good, like I was losing weight. It's always great to have others notice things like this because too often we get caught up in criticizing ourselves to the point that we don't notice the little positive changes that someone else does.
I can honestly say that part of this is thanks to Fall. I absolutely love living in Michigan come Fall. The cool, crisp air is just perfect for taking long walks, and I have been availing myself of that as much as possible. Last week, I took three separate 4 mile walks just around my neighborhood.
This blog is going to turn into much more than just a weight loss blog, as I want somewhere to record all of my thoughts and what I'm up to. Right now I'm an accidental housewife, and I'm going to make the best of it. So today, my project is to organize my closet. My wonderful husband put up my closet rod and shelf yesterday so I no longer have an excuse for all of my clothes being on the floor or in laundry baskets. :) Pictures to come once I've gotten it cleaned and organized.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Long Time Coming
Wow, have I been out of the internet world lately! Since I am still unemployed(though trying to find something, believe me!) my husband and I only just got the internet at our house two days ago.
Before that I was going to my mom's house everyday just to check my e-mail and apply for more jobs. That turned into a stressful situation real quick as my mom got sick of me always being there. I am just so thankful that I don't have to do that anymore. Now I just need to find a job so that I can help pay the bill!
There are so many things I could say and update from the past few months but that just seems overwhelming. I will just start over from here and include things as they come up.
Before that I was going to my mom's house everyday just to check my e-mail and apply for more jobs. That turned into a stressful situation real quick as my mom got sick of me always being there. I am just so thankful that I don't have to do that anymore. Now I just need to find a job so that I can help pay the bill!
There are so many things I could say and update from the past few months but that just seems overwhelming. I will just start over from here and include things as they come up.
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