Homemade Powder Foundation

How to Make Your Own Powder Foundation

I've been wanting to make this for weeks now, but have been procrastinating on buying some arrowroot powder. Arrowroot powder is very similar to cornstarch and can be used interchangeably but after reading some different recipes arrowroot powder gave a better overall result than cornstarch. However, the only place I've seen it in stores is at Meijer with the spices for $7 for a small bottle; and I'm trying to respect the Mr.'s request to "lay off the Amazon orders" ;-). Yes, the $7 dollars would be much cheaper than the almost $9 'Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Loose Powder' I usually purchase; BUT not if I don't like the results! 

So, when I finally ran out of my face powder' my choices were to go buy some more OR make some using what I had ... cornstarch it is! My starting point was a recipe I found at 'My Merry Messy Life' and then tweaked it until I had a color I could work with. She has some additional information that would be worth reading if you'd be interested in trying the homemade powder foundation ... including how to make it into a pressed powder! I will be trying that also!

the final product ... needs to be slightly darker for my skin tone

Homemade Powder Foundation

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

5 drops of palmarosa (or other oil of your liking)

Mix all ingredients together. 

After reading over the few ingredients most of the face powders contained, I went to my kitchen cupboard and started investigating some other options for coloring! 

the few options I liked from my cupboard

Seeing them all together really gives you a great idea of what undertones each of these spices have and which ones would work better for your own skin. I did notice the finer the spices the better the blended to make an even colored powder. I think a mortar and pestle just made it onto my Christmas list! There have been a handful of times I would have used one of these sets and making some of these spices finer would just be another reason why I would use one. 

Some pros about making my own powder foundation - CHEAP, it smells really good, easy to adjust the color, and of course healthier for your skin. Some cons or things I'm concerned about - finding the perfect color, overall coverage, and stay power, Now if this becomes something I like well enough to experiment more and really fine the perfect shade, then it's going to take some time!

I am a little nervous to be putting this out there because I am sure I will get some very curious attention about how my make-up (which is bare minimal to begin with) looks up close. If you happen to see me out and about I'd love (well maybe, heehee) hear your feedback. So far I have been fairly impressed other than the fact I need to make it slightly darker. My make-up goes on once (if that) and I'm not one to touch up it up throughout the day, let alone remember to glance in the mirror before walking out the door (unless I'm off to work or a function) and when I do it's through the rear-view mirror as I'm pulling out of the drive so it's at the point-of-no-return and we just have to go with it! 

Here's a starting point for different undertones, I was rather surprised at how much different the colors were! You'll notice the nutmeg is the lightest but also used the most spice, this would partially be due to the fact my nutmeg wasn't has fine as the cinnamon so didn't blend as well.

a little comparison before mixing spices 

Well, this was my fun for the week! The recipe for homemade powder foundation filled my old powder container; so the amounts are fairly equivalent for the cost comparison. 

Cost Comparison: Under $0.15 for homemade powder foundation vs. $9 Physician Formula Mineral Wear

Homemade Fresh Salsa

We have been enjoying some fresh salsa using tomatoes we were so graciously allowed to use while some dear friends of ours were on vacation and let us use any fresh produce that was ready for picking while they were gone! Last night I enjoy some of this deliciousness a top my nachos, YUMMY!

I use and love my manual food processor from Pampered Chef, but there are so many options out there to mix up a some fresh salsa.

Homemade Fresh Salsa

1/4 onion

2-3 gloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro ... need to start an herb garden ASAP

1 to 1 1/2 cups of tomatoes roughly chopped ... I used cherry tomatoes because that's what was ready ;)

Start with onion and garlic. Chop well. Add tomatoes. Chop, chop, and chop some more until the desired consistency is reached. Eat all in one setting or refrigerate for a snack a little later. 

This would be even better with some roma tomatoes and I will definitely remove as many tomato seeds as possible before adding the chopped tomatoes next time. We will be using a version of this with our Crockpot Chicken Tacos next time!

Updated 10/19/16
We used the last of our garden tomatoes and jalapenos to make some salsa to can.

4 cups quartered tomatoes
1 head of garlic, roasted
2 jalapenos, roasted
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt




 Peheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap full head of garlic in foil. Bake jalapenos and garlic for about 30 minutes. De-seed jalapenos to reduce heat. Remove garlic from peel by gently squeezing top of each clove. Mix all ingredients in food processor. Transfer to sauce pan. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes. Transfer to clean, hot jars. Top with prepared rings and seals. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. 

  

Homemade Orange Infused Vinegar

How to Make Your Own Orange Infused Vinegar

This is one of those homemade items I hadn't intended on making but when I bought a bag of oranges on sale and the Pinterest post I had seen (who knows how long ago!) flashed through my mind as I was about ready to throw the peels out ... LIGHTBULB!!! Homemade item ... check. Post topic ... check. Repurposed (for a little while longer at least ... then to the compost or garbage disposal cleaner) waste ... double check! 

I'm absolutely in LOVE with my Norwex products as they meet everyone of our green cleaning needs. However, I feel like this is one of those items I wouldn't go to the store and purchase or even use to replace my Norwex but would gladly welcome the treat of refreshing orange scented cleaning spray every once in while! 

A fun fact about me, I really don't like to use paper towels ... there's something about that excess waste that just breaks my heart every time I finish a roll! (I find it quite humorous how much empathy I have for our disposables! The Mr., bless his heart, just goes along with my recycling tendencies most day!) In general, one roll lasts us about 2 months. We use them very sparingly to drain bacon, soak up the extra moisture from shredded potatoes when making homemade hash-browns, or any other task that would be more of a pain to launder than a towel used to clean up the typical glass of spilled milk. I'm really not sure where this decision grew from, but there is definitely a love-hate relationship I have with convenience, waste, and money. So this lack of using paper towels and my new orange infused vinegar for sporadic cleaning brings a question to mind for my Norwex consultant "Would it harm my rags to wipe up after this spray?" Vinegar and orange oils are all natural ... so if anything it could give them a extra cleaning boost if used right before laundering?!?!?

Day 1 - just noticing the resolution for this picture is terrible ... not to self take clearer pictures! :)

Homemade Orange Infused Vinegar

1 quart size mason jar

vinegar

orange peels (we used 3-4 clementines)

Place orange peels in jar. Top off with vinegar. Securely close. Allow to set for at least a week or two. Shake periodically. 

Day about 7 or 8 ... or maybe more!

At this point, it is smelling heavenly! At first whiff I get a refreshingly aroma of orange and then if I get my nose a little too close I get a whiff of vinegar. A few tweaks for next time ... more oranges or less vinegar just to allow for the orange to completely "out smell" the vinegar. Definitely not a deal breaker and will be using this as soon as it's ready! I plan on giving this a few days when all of the orange peels have settled to the bottom of my jar. 

There really is no right or wrong way to make infused vinegar but I loved My Merry Messy Life's additional suggestion for using the peels to cleaner you garbage disposable; as well as The Peaceful Mom's thoughts on cost and diluting it. 

My thoughts are exploding with different scents to infuse here ... lemon or mint or grapefruit, OH YUMMY! 

As for cost, I wouldn't buy oranges (or any other citrus fruit) just for this purpose, BUT it definitely adds an additional value to them as a purchase option! Since vinegar is relatively inexpensive at about $2 per gallon ... this would be a much cheaper option than most store bought all purpose cleaners AND I love the fact that vinegar has SO many uses! (Thinking I need to start a few on-going posts that focus on the uses for different items?!?)

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

How to Make Your Own Teriyaki Sauce

Boy, I really need to get back into doing a post a day! I'm usually always trying something new but just haven't taken the time to sit down and get a post published. I whipped up a back of this teriyaki sauce last week to use on some chicken thighs that were on sale for $0.88/lb! Legs and thighs aren't the Mr.'s or the kids' favorite pick, but I grew up eating these all the time especially straight out of the 'FryDaddy' followed by some homemade curly fries!! Definitely not the picture of a healthy meal but SO GOOD! So when I find these on a deal too good to pass up, we I get to enjoy them every once in a while. :)

I am borrowing The Daring Gourmet's recipe with a few tweaks based off what I had on hand. A grocery store trip avoided once again! ;-)

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

1/2  cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic (more or less for you preference)

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (I find this flavor to be very overpowering, so used less than the recipe had called for)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup water mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (double the cornstarch to use as a dipping sauce)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Allow to cool. Use immediately or store in air-tight container in refrigerator for up to one week.

I was very pleased with the flavor and consistency of this recipe and will definitely be making it again! I used this recipe as a marinade over our chicken thighs and they are currently in the freezer to be used as a grill-meal sometime. I will update when we do to let you know how it turns out! As for next time, I will double the cornstarch like the original recipe stated and use in as a dipping sauce or wing topping. 

Maybe I'm really hungry as lunch is approaching, but just thinking of this teriyaki sauce makes my mouth water for some good chicken chow mein!

Homemade Bagels

How to Make Your Own Bagels

AND they are done! Bagels are at least once a week breakfast item in our house but since starting my blog I have deprived my family of bagels because every time I'm at the store and walk by bagels I tell myself ... "Self, you can make those ... that should be your next post." So I continue on without the bagels and then I get home and go eeehhhh ... not today. 

Apparently I was feeling over zealous desperately needing something other than peanut butter toast or oatmeal for breakfast tomorrow and decided at 5pm to make these. I absolutely LOVE bread of all kinds and fresh bread is the best but waiting for it to rise is like watching paint dry, ugh! I really need to get the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, I've heard great things about this cookbook and feel like it could really help my love affair with fresh bread. :)

I've made bagels before on a few occasions and there are SO many recipes out there but the one from Sophisticated Gourmet caught my eye as I was thumbing through  so I just went for it with a few tweaks ONLY because I was limited on flour.  

General bagel process: Make dough. Knead. Let rise. Punch down. Let rest. Divide. Roll into balls. Poke hole and stretch. Let rest. Boil. Flip. Boil. Bake.

Einstein Bros. inspired - Cinnamon Sugar Bagels

plain janes

Homemade Bagels

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/4 cup warm water

3 cups all purpose flour (extra for kneading)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Put yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. Let set for 5 minutes. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make well. Add yeast, sugar, water mixture to well. Add remaining 3/4 cup water. Mix until blended. Fold thick moist dough out onto floured work surface. Knead until smooth and just slightly tacky (about 5-10 minutes). Grease clean bowl. Place kneaded dough in bowl and turn dough over to coat with oil from bowl. Cover with towel and allow 1 hour to rise (on the stove top of a preheating over is a perfect spot) or until doubled in size. Punch the dough down. Allow 10 minutes to rest. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape into ball and use your finger to poke hole and stretch out. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Fill stock pot half full with water and bring to boil. Preheat oven to 425 degrees if not already. Using spoon place bagels into boiling water. Allow to boil for 30 seconds on each side. Remove bagels from water and place on a cooling rack (now would be the perfect time to sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar sprinkle OR leave plain). Transfer back to cookie sheet and back for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 8 bagels.

I made a double batch and made a few smaller than the original recipe recommended. I ended up with 22 bagels. It will be well worth have some in the freezer for next time!

Cinnamon-Sugar Sprinkle

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Blend well. Store in an air-tight container. 

before 1 hour rise - double batch

boiling step. longer boil = chewier crust

before baking, cinnamon sugar

before baking, plain

I will admit, I ate one of eat and they were well worth the wait ... we will see what the kids think in the morning! 

Today's Question - What's your favorite bagel flavor or topping?

Homemade Pizza Sauce Mix

Making Your Own Pizza Sauce Mix

We've been all about the homemade thick crust pizza this last week, but I'm getting really tired of getting all the ingredients out to add to the tomato sauce. My solution to this nuisance, a mix! I've used this recipe the last few times and really like the combination and the amount of flavors, but the best part of it ... no cooking. Now, I am sure if I simmered this sauce it would be even better but when we are in a time crunch who has time to simmer?!?!

I adapted Taste of Home's pizza sauce recipe by leaving out the crushed fennel seeds. I did not have these on hand and I'm not sure I could even tell you what they are or taste like.

Homemade Pizza Sauce Mix

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning

2 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together. Store in air-tight container. Shake before use. Use 1 tablespoon of mix per 8 ounce can of tomato sauce. For best results, refrigerate over night. 

This just simplifies one more step in making our pizza even easier! 

Homemade Coleslaw

How to Make Your Own Coleslaw

My recipe was inspired by the 'Sweet Restaurant Slaw' recipe from Sandi Gregory Johnson on allrecipes.com. I wanted to share our love for this coleslaw recipe since it is a must with our ranch burgers and thousand island dressing.

sweet homemade coleslaw

Homemade Coleslaw

1 head of cabbage, sliced thin or shredded

1 carrot, peeled and shredded

1 1/3 mayonnaise

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Place shredded cabbage and carrot in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, add remaining ingredients and whisk well. Pour over cabbage and carrot mixture. Toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate. Allow one hour to set. Serves 16. 

We always make a full head of lettuce because we really don't mind eating up the leftover coleslaw on it's own. Also, if you like a crunch to your coleslaw I'd recommend slicing it thin using a mandolin or simple slicer instead of a shredder. 

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

How to Make Your Own Thousand Island Dressing

This one's a first! I've been trying to hold out so I could also use the cucumbers from our garden to make the sweet pickle relish needed for thousand island dressing, but it's going to be a while before they are ready! We aren't big thousand island dressing eaters, BUT we love a good (what we call) ranch burger every now and again! Our version of a ranch burger (although there is no ranch used) is a cheeseburger topped with fresh homemade coleslaw and thousand island dressing on a warm toasted bun. SO GOOD!

My starting point for the thousand island dressing came from Kitchen Treaty's version with some tweaks.

homemade thousand island dressing

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons ketchup

3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (once my cucumbers are ready, I'll be trying this!)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dijon mustard (optional)

Whisk all ingredients thoroughly. Store in sealed container. Refrigerate. For best results, allow to sit overnight. 

While looking through other thousand island dressing recipes, I noticed an ingredient that showed up more often than not was hard boiled eggs. I was a bit lazy today and didn't want to take the time to make these and I was also a little fishy about the texture with the diced egg whites. With that being said, I do feel like something is missing from the above recipe and will definitely be adding 1 hard boiled egg finely chopped to the mix next time. 

Today's Question: What's your favorite burger fixings?

Homemade Stain Remover

How to Make Your Own Gel Stain Remover

We have become very dependent on our stain removal process for quite some time now. With having four kids to cloth and not good about dealing with stains when they are fresh, stain removal has become a dreaded but very important task. My mindset has developed (yes, developed ... it hasn't always been this way) into a very waste-less one and it pains me when I am going through a freshly washed load of laundry and I end up tossing a quarter of it to the side because of stains. Let me give you a little script of what goes throw my head when this happens :)

-----

Annoyed Me: Ugh! What do they get themselves into?!?!

Literal Me: Who knows? They are kids, what do you expect?

Annoyed: I don't know, but now I have to spend extra time getting these stains out!

Literal: You know you could just turn those into play cloths and replace them.

Annoyed: We just bought that shirt last week!

Literal: Oh, right ... well that was a waste of money.

Annoyed: AND TIME! So frustrating.

Literal: I guess we need to get the stain remover out and get to work on our stained-stashed clothes (the pile that has accumulated over the course of the last week or two). 

Annoyed: Yeah, but I don't have TIME today, do you think we could wait another week?

Literal: Maybe, but #2 (he's the messiest) is running low on shirts.

Annoyed: I know, it was worth a try to procrastinate longer!

Literal: So go get the stuff?

Annoyed: Fine!

-----

The cat's out of the bag, I'm the crazy mom who talks to herself because sometimes I just need a grown up to bounce ideas off of! Please tell me I'm not the only one that has these types of conversations with themselves! ;-p

Before I continue, let me just make a statement in defense of my laundry soap, "I've tried different laundry soaps (and I hope to find a homemade version) and I in no way find my laundry soap guilty for not doing it's job ... I blame the children!" heeehee! If you have a laundry soap that get's out EVERYTHING the first time, please share your secret. 

We use 3 products for stain removal, Shout, Dawn, and Fels-Naptha. I did just recently purchased some Norwex Stain Remover but I haven't used it enough to compare it. Depending on the stain type we will use one of these or a combination of them. I have been researching how I could make my own version of Shout and Dawn so be sure to keep an eye out for those posts, it gets me excited (eye-roll allowed, I can get excited about the silliest things) just thinking about the day I find something that works just as good and is easy to make!

I came across Fels-Naptha years ago when I was responsible for washing the Mr.'s entire baseball teams' new white pants after every game ... still not sure how it ended up that way or that I was so willing to do that (I'm just thankful I am no longer doing this)! For all you baseball moms and dads out there, you know that red baseball dirt is a PAIN to get out, so we trialed and errored until we found this miraculous soap. I started out using the bar, getting it wet, and rubbing the stain which works really well, but sometimes a little extra elbow grease was needed with a brush and I really didn't like the little pieces of soap I end up with when using a bar of soap. So I reverted to using this method instead.

gel stain remover using Fels-Naptha

Homemade Stain Remover

1/4 bar of Fels-Naptha (found with the laundry soap)

2 cups of HOT water

1 wide-mouthed pint sized glass jar

Use a cheese grater or food processor to shred the Fels-Naptha. Place shavings in glass jar. Add hot water, don't overfill. Secure the lid. Shake gently until soap is dissolved. Allow to cool. Gelled and ready to use. Apply desired amount to stain. Use a scrub brush or toothbrush to rub in. Allow to set for 10-15 minutes. Launder as usual. For tougher stains, allow to set for longer and reapply as needed. 

original stain after a few washes without pretreating

homemade gel stain remover

scrub-a-dub with a brush

after one application and one wash

after second application and setting for few hours

after second wash

The stain is still barely there, but much better than it was! And in all reality these baseball pants are going to look like the first picture in a matter of one inning anyway :)

As for a container, I prefer the wide-mouthed pint jar because it's easy to get to the bottom of the jar. I will usually make one bar worth of stain remover and use 2 quart sized jars and then transfer it to the smaller one.

Cost: $0.97 (Walmart) for 1/2 gallon of stain remover

Homemade Shealoe

How to Make Your Own Hair Putty

This one was for the Mr. who has been very skeptical (to say the least) when it has come to my homemade bathroom products! He has been so supportive and will try anything I've made in the kitchen but I can read him pretty good and noticed a change in tune since moving to the bathroom. He is still very supportive, but not quite sure about the crazy lady that has decided to try her hand at making almost anything we use. He likes his smell-good products that work and I am up for the challenge ... but it's going to take time. SO for now I can at least say I've tried all of these bathroom products (with a few yet to go) and we will leave it at that. 

Overall, I mentioned back in my homemade shaving cream post about not sure if I liked the feel of almond oil, but I am beginning to wonder if it's the Shea butter I don't like. When I purchased my Shea butter, it was the first time I had ever seen, smelt, or felt raw Shea butter. I have read that it can go bad, but since I have nothing to compare it to I can't make an education opinion. However, for now my opinion is I am not a fan of the smell of Shea butter ... and neither is the Mr. ;) I have used some essential oils, but thinking I may need to use a lot more to mask the smell. With about a pound and a half left of it and I hate letting anything go to waste, I am bound and determined to find a use for it! 

store bought (left) vs. homemade (right)

Shealoe is just a combination of Shea butter and aloe vera gel. I am following a recipe from Natural Hair Rules but would really like to try this with a little beeswax for some added hold power. It can be used as a hair product or a skin moisturizer. I love the double duty idea behind this.

Homemade Shealoe

1/2 cup Shea Butter

1/4 aloe vera gel

2 tablespoons almond oil (or oil of your choice)

10 drops of cypress (optional, to help with greasy hair)

10 drops of rosemary (optional, to help with hair growth)

Whip shea butter until fluffy. Add aloe vera gel and oils. Store in an airtight container. Apply to wet or dry hair. 

I found this to be a little watery from the aloe vera gel and had a hard time getting it to blend well. Next time, if there is a next time ;), I might try straining it overnight with a colander lined with a coffee filter. I will also add more essential oils to out to the Shea butter. 

Today's Question: How attached are you to your bath product brands?

Updated 9/12/15: This is something I am still using, but very sparingly because a little goes a long way! I don't typically use it by itself, but in a combination with some gel and conditioner.  Since the new job started almost a month ago, I have noticed the need for some tweaks in my hair regime yet again. I wish I could get my hair to have the long, layered, wavy look on a regular basis but I'm think I need to take a class on how to do get it to look like that in the first place and THEN I could work it into my daily routine!  And then of course there would be the time issue of would I really want to invest that much time into my hair daily :-p! I will be the first to admit I am an ameteur when it comes to hairstyling my own hair ... I've been our family's barber and hairdresser along with a few other friends for years, but as for my own, I AM CLUELESS and it's so hard for me to invest the time needed! :) 

I find it very funny how every ones' priorities are slightly different! I have no problem spending extra time making something myself rather than running to the store to buy it BUT I cringe at the thought of spending more than 5 minutes on my own hair! It's rather goofy really when I think about my own personal justifications for what I am willing to spend time on. Hehee, oh life you are a funny thing but I couldn't image you without every moment, good or bad!

Fruit Topping

How to Make Your Own Fruit Topping

Again one of my grandma's doings! This just expands your waffle or sundae bar BIG TIME! Any frozen or fresh fruit will do, if it's fresh you will want to add a little extra water. I've done blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, mangoes, raspberries, and a combination of a couple of these.

blackberry fruit topping

Homemade Fruit Topping

1 bag of frozen fruit (or 12 to 16 ounces of fresh fruit + 2 tablespoons water)
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sugar (more or less for taste)
1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (optional, speeds up thickening process)

Place frozen fruit in saucepan over high heat. Add sugar and cornstarch. Stir a every few minutes until desired consistency is reached (approximately 30 minutes). Reduce heat if needed. Serve warm or cool.

When it's waffle morning here at the Haley House, this is the first thing I start and then I preheat my waffle iron and get my bowl and whisk in the freezer for my homemade whipped topping. Next onto mixing the batter (which I use this recipe) and making the waffles. I'll stop to stir the fruit while I'm waiting on the waffles to cook and by the time I have enough waffles for round one, the fruit topping is ready!

These are a hot commodity around here!

Don't think that this topping just stops at waffles or sundaes, we buy the large containers of plain yogurt or make when we get to borrow my sister's Yogotherm. (I really need to invest in one of those more myself!) and will use any leftover fruit topping to flavor our yogurt!

Cost will depend on the fruit you use, but the nice thing is you have a lot more options than the store bought flavors!

Cost Comparison: $2 to $3 for approximately 12 ounces homemade fruit topping vs. $2.59 for Smucker's fruit syrup

Homemade Whipped Topping

How to Make Your Own Whipped Topping

The Mr. asked while enjoying waffles this past Saturday morning if I had shared my whipped topping on my blog yet, which made me realize I haven't! This is something I remember one of my grandma's doing ALL the time and it is SO simple. Due to the simplicity of the process for making your own whipped topping, I have just assumed most people do this already. However, if this reaches one person who hasn't already tried this ... it will be worth posting! 

If you have a stand mixer it makes this even easier but a simple hand mixer will do the job just as good and you will get a small arm workout in the process ;). A step that will help with either type of mixer is chilling your bowl (metal is preferred) and whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. This just helps speed up the whipping process by keeping the cream colder longer. 

Homemade Whipped Topping

1 pint (2 cups or 16 ounces) heavy whipping cream

1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar (I usually just eyeball this, it's all based off preference)

Pour heavy whipping cream into chilled bowl. Whisk gradually working your way up to high speed. Whisk on high until thick and peaks can be formed. Reduce speed to low and gradually add powdered sugar. Scrape down sides and whisk to incorporate. 

Now it's time to enjoy ... on your waffles or pancake, in your coffee (my favorite), a top your favorite ice cream, you name it! It's simply sweetened cream and delicious. 

Be sure to check out my fruit topping to go with these waffles!

Cost Comparison: $1.89 (Aldi) for approximately 16 ounces of whipped topping VS. $2 for 6.5 ounces Reddi Whip (Meijer)

Today's Question: What's your favorite use for whipped topping?

Make and Take Classes

Here it goes ... my second wind! I am realizing I am not as passionate or motivated about going homemade in the rest of my home as I was in the kitchen with our food, this does not mean I am going to "quit" and go back to the kitchen. Nope this just means I have been trying to figure out a way to make this happen and in a much more enjoyable way for me AND I'm sure for you (my posts have been a little BORING lately to say the least ;-p)!

Again I am realizing I work best with deadlines and when I am helping other people. I can be drowning in projects needing to be done around here and I will not think twice about stopping dead in my tracks to go help someone else. It's my nature (and it just might dive the Mr. batty some days) but it's about finding your talents and using them instead of keeping them to yourself and hoping they multiply ... yes a little "Sunday School Lesson" there from Matthew 25:14-30. As most things are better in moderation, I am working on finding a balance between helping others and not overflowing my plate (I get that all too honest from my Momma Bear, bless her heart!). 

I've heard about others doing these "Make and Take Classes" and my thought is to put together a few classes myself. My comparison would be to a newer fun form of entertainment as a paint studio where you register for a class, you attend, and then you go home with something you would have never made by yourself! But instead of a new picture that you could hang on your wall, you would be going home with all natural homemade products, recipes, and instructions that you could do again by yourself the next time if you wanted. 

Through all of this thinking, I now could use some feedback from you.  

1) Does this sound like a fun, yet productive, evening or afternoon out?

2) If you are passionate about going all natural, would this get you more motivated to switch to all natural products?

3) What items would you be interested in making?

4) What would be a reasonable price range that would be affordable and worthwhile for you?
5) Have you or anybody you know been to or done a Make and Take Class?

I've been toying with this idea for a few weeks now, so I am glad I am finally pushing myself to get some more ideas. Please feel free to share!

Homemade Beef Jerky

A trip down memory lane today as I listened to the hum of the food dehydrator running in the kitchen most of the day. A trip was not complete when I was growing up unless we had a bag full of beef jerky and dried fruit for us to munch on during our travels. There are very few specific memories of the beef jerky on these trips, but my heart swells because the thought of it reminds me of all the places we traveled and fun we had. From the train trips to Oregon to all the campgrounds we invaded, there was nothing fancy about much of it but oh the joy of wishing you could go back and do it again!

These memories are so prominent I have always wanted a food dehydrator to, I guess you could say, relive good times! A couple years back it was on the top of my Christmas list and although I haven't used it near as much as I would like, it makes me smile everything I see it in my pantry. My hope is to start using it more and more to share the same memories with our children!

There really isn't a recipe to share since I used the spices that came from a kit, but you better believe I will be trying my hand at creating my own spice mix when I run out. For now we just tried our first ever beef jerky. We used ground chuck although my book recommended lean ground beef. I am sure the leaner the meat the better the result, but this was just fine for us for now. :)

What's left after the kids snitched about a third of it within 15 minutes!

Without using a scale to be extremely precise, this is what I am figuring for cost, which is pretty much a no brainer!

Cost Comparison: $3.69 for 1 pound ground chuck = approximately 9 ounces dried jerky VS. $5.99 for 3 ounces store bought 

Today's Question: What's your favorite dried item?