Showing posts with label Make Your Own. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Make Your Own. Show all posts

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Make Your Own...Poultry Seasoning

Making your own poultry seasoning is a great way to cater the flavors and spices to your taste. Also you will know exactly what's going in to it. This is the recipe I used for Poultry Seasoning.


Poultry Seasoning
4 tbsp Sage
2 tbsp Thyme
2 tbsp Marjoram
1 tbsp Rosemary
1 tbsp Ground White Pepper
Pinch of Allspice
Pinch of Nutmeg

Mix all together. If desired, mix in blender or food processor for finer texture. (I did not blend/process). Store in airtight container.

Uses:
- Rub on surface of poultry before cooking.
- Season chicken or turkey soups.
- Season stuffing/dressing: add 1/2 to 1 tsp for 4 cups of stuffing/dressing

These are all dried spices/herbs.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Homemade Beeswax Lotion Update!

My skin has been so dry this winter. Well actually it is every winter, but I used the last of my homemade beeswax lotion and misplaced my beeswax in the move. I haven't had a chance to make a sugar scrub again and my skin has been suffering terribly. I finally ordered more beeswax online and it came in Wednesday. I received some essential oils for Christmas and also ordered more along with the wax. I made a new batch of lotion as soon as I opened my packages. In this batch I made it as directed in my original post and added a mix of lavender and tea tree essential oils to it, both are supposed to be very beneficial to your skin. I typically do not like lavender scented things but the lavender essential oil smells different and good, I think because it is more natural than the perfumy lavender. The tea tree oil is a kind of odd smell and pretty much covers up the lavender smell. I slathered it on the night I made it and, like every time I make it, I was amazed in the difference in my skin when I woke up the next day. Has anyone else tried it?

Friday, January 27, 2012

52 Weeks To A Better Me - Week #4...Make Your Own...Granola!

This week I made my own granola cereal! It was great! We've already eaten the whole batch (and would've eaten more if I had enough ingredients to make more).

It's very easy to make and so customizeable! The recipe I used called for pecans, which we don't like so we left them out, and sunflower kernals which I put in, but will probably leave out next time.

This is the recipe I tried.

Honey Nut Granola
4c. Rolled Oats
1c. Sliced Almonds
1c. Chopped Pecans
1c. Raw Sunflower Seeds
1/3c. Canola Oil
1/2c. Honey
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tbsp Cinnamon

Mix together nuts and oats in a large bowl.


Mix wet ingredients, then pour over oats. Stir to evenly coat.

Spread granola on two cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 10 minutes, stir then bake 10 minutes more or until golden.

It smells wonderful while baking and despite the cinnamon in it, it really isn't noticeable at all. We ate it on yogurt (vanilla and fruit flavored) and with milk and love it. This will definitely be our go to granola from now on. I will probably try to use 2 c almonds to replace the pecans and an extra cup of oats to replace the sunflower seeds next time.

Friday, January 20, 2012

200th Post!!! 52 Weeks To A Better Me - Week #3 /Make Your Own...Beeswax Lotion!

This is my 200th post!!!!

I recently made some beeswax lotion.  It was super easy! It's a very thick "salve" type of lotion. Several comments about it said it helped with their eczema, I'm hoping it will help with the few patches I have. I made some for my sister, and roommates too.

Beeswax Lotion
1 c. Olive Oil
1/2 c. Coconut Oil
1/2 c. Beeswax (I used the pastilles, they are easier to melt and measure)
1/2 tsp Vitamin E Oil (about 5 capsules cut open and squeezed out)(optional)
20 drops Essential Oil (optional)

Mix Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, and Beeswax in a pint canning jar. Put this jar in a saucepan and put water in the saucepan until it comes 3/4 of the way up the jar, being very careful not to get water into the lotion. Heat on low/medium heat until all the wax melts, stirring occasionally. Once melted remove jar and set on the counter to cool, stirring every 10-15 minutes or so with a fork. Once the lotion has cooled to room temperature, add the vitamin E oil and essential oils. I used white beeswax pastilles, so if you use the natural yellowish ones your lotion will be a little darker. It does leave a greasy feeling right at first, but that quickly soaks in. If you'd like to make it thinner, just leave a tbsp or so of the beeswax out of the lotion. I've also read that you can cut down on some of the greasiness by adding 2-3tsp of  cornstarch when you add the vitamin E oil and essential oil. I made the recipe exactly as written (minus the essential oils as I didn't have any). I may try to play around with it in the future, if I do I'll definitely let you know the outcome.



My roommates and I have been using the lotion all week now. My skin felt noticeably better the first morning after I applied the lotion the night before. I've been applying it each night before I go to bed. It is quite thick and greasy feeling when you first put it on. I found the greasiness absorbed fairly quickly on my hands and took a bit longer on the rest of me to soak in. Putting it on right before I go to bed helps to "mask" the greasiness, because it has already absorbed by the next morning. It has seemed to help my eczema patches, they feel smoother and are not as red. I would definitely make this again to use as a nightly body cream, however it's not really something you would use as a hand lotion. I found that when I reapplied it to my hands repeatedly it made them feel filmy or "dry" it was weird. My hands feel fine each night when I slather the lotion all over me before bed though. My roommates also said their skin felt much smoother and not as dry after using the lotion for just a few days.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Frugal Friday...Exfoliating/Moisturizing "Mud" Scrub

Every winter my skin gets even drier than it's already very dry state. I used to pay over $5 a bottle for that "in-shower" body lotion that you use after your body wash. It seemed to be the only thing that worked to remotely control my dry skin. Buying a bottle a month of that really adds up, plus I'm not exactly thrilled with putting all of those chemicals on my skin. That's why I love sugar scrubs! They exfoliate, moisturize, are 100 % natural, are very inexpensive and can be made in a variety of scents. You may remember my first sugar scrub, I've been out of that for quite awhile and the winter is really starting to take it's toll on my skin. I was very excited when I came across another sugar scrub recipe to make. It looks like mud, hence the name.

"Mud" Scrub
1 C. Sugar
5 Tbsp Coffee Grounds
1/4 C. Oil*
1 tsp Peppermint Extract**
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Mix the sugar and coffee. Add oil to coat the dry ingredients, then add extracts.


*I made it at first with 1/4c oil and found that after the first day it was too dry, so I added more oil. You can add oil or sugar/coffee to make it more or less dry.

**I didn't have peppermint extract so I just used vanilla.

Just rub a bit over your body while your in the shower and rinse. I use mine after my body wash, right before I get out and pat dry, so I don't rub off all the oil. Try not get water in mix as the mix of oil and water will spoil.

This smells so good first thing in the morning!

Friday, January 6, 2012

52 Weeks To A Better Me -Week #1/Frugal Friday...Make Your Own Make-Up Remover Wipes!

This is my first goal/project. I recently came across a tutorial to make your own Make-Up remover wipes. I love those they are so much more convenient than using face wash when it comes to removing make up. I prefer to use wipes to take off my makeup at night and to use regular face wash in the morning. So when I saw the tutorial I was very excited, you know me I love to make anything most people would buy and especially if it turns out cheaper and better than I could buy.

You need 4 simple ingredients: a container, paper towels, coconut oil, and water.

Coconut oil can be eaten, used as a butter substitute, massage oil, has natural antibiotic properties. It is used in several natural health and beauty product recipes that I want to try.

I used the container from my store bought face wipes.

Step 1. Cut a roll of paper towel to fit your container. Since the face wipe container is short I only used 1/4 of the roll. It is important to use a NON-SERRATED knife to cut the paper towels, unfortunately I didn't see that note until after I had cut my towels so I had a lot of  extra fluff come off my roll. Using a straight edged knife to cut my roll would have eliminated that.







Step 2. Mix 4c of warm water and 2 tbsp of coconut oil(if making the whole roll's worth into wipes) I just made 1/4 of a batch (although I forgot to cut the coconut oil in fourths instead of halves so my batch has twice the liquid, I'll let you know how it turns out). Coconut oil has a really high melting point so it's solid like shortening or butter. I put tap water and the solid coconut oil in a microwave safe dish and microwaved it in 30 second increments until the oil was melted.



Step 3. Pour the liquid over the towels in the container.




Step 4. Let it sit at least 5 minutes. The cardboard tube will separate from the towels and will be easy to pull out.



Step 5. Grab the towels from the center of the roll and pull up. Since my container has a pop open lid I just shoved the towel through the hole. When you need one you just have to tear it off.

The tutorial said to use the select a size towels and that's what I had anyway, but I think regular would work just as well.

They are easy to make, but are they cost effective?
I was able to find all my ingredients at Walmart. Of course I had the container at home, but really any type of plastic container would work.

The coconut oil I got cost $10.
The paper towels I used are VIVA 6 pack of Giant Rolls at Walmart they are $7.62(online).

I calculated how many batches you could make if you only used the ingredients to make the face wipes. Surprisingly the amount of towels I have and the container of coconut oil I got equal out almost perfectly if I were using them solely for this purpose so it was easy to calculate the price per wipe.

Each roll of paper towels has 100 wipes, cut the roll into 4 pieces and you get 400 wipes. Six rolls equals 24 batches making a total of 2400 wipes. The cheapest make-up remover wipes I found at Walmart were the Equate brand. You can get a 2 pack of 120 wipes total for $5.97.

If you buy the Equate wipes the price per wipe is $0.05/wipe, which is not bad at all really. The homemade wipes are less than $0.01/wipe! Not only are they cost effective, but they are better for your skin.

I just started using them, but love them so far. I'll let you know in my monthly recap how they work long term.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Make Your Own Monday...Taco Seasoning!

I've been making my own taco seasoning for quite awhile now. It's SO simple and I prefer the taste over the pre-packaged kinds. Plus I know exactly what's in it, no added salt or msg, or any other funky chemicals I can't pronounce. My sister makes a different version, I haven't tried hers yet. I'm going to include both of ours and a couple other versions I've come across for you to try out.

Brittany's Taco Seasoning
6 tsp Chili Powder
5 tsp Paprika
4 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
2 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
2 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp Cornstarch
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Just mix everything together and store in an airtight container I use an old spice container (one of the taller ones). 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp equals 1 packet of seasoning. This recipe makes 3 "batches" you can multiply it to make more if you wish.

Kayla's Taco Seasoning
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

Kayla said she just mixes everything together and then just sprinkles some on the meat to taste.

Taco Seasoning
1 tbsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt

Mix together. Entire recipe is equivalent to 1 packet of seasoning.

Taco Seasoning Ole'
3/4 c. Dried Minced Onion
1/4 c. Salt
1/4 c. Chili Powder
1 tbsp Dried Oregano
2 tbsp each: Cornstarch, Crushed Red Pepper, Dried Minced Garlic, Ground Cumin

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. To Use: 2 Tbsp Seasoning, 1/2 c. water and 1 lb meat.

Mexican Seasoning Mix
1 c. Minced Dried Onion
2/3 c. Beef Bouillon
1/3 c.Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Cumin
4 tsp Ground Pepper
4 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Garlic Powder

Mix all ingredients and store in a jar. Use 3 Tbsp mix and 1/2 c water for each pound of meat.

I've only tried "my" recipe, if you try any let me know which one and how it was.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Make Your Own Monday...Homemade Hamburger Buns

 Make your own hamburger buns (or hot dog buns). I made these with half the flour amount in whole wheat flour, but you could just do white if you'd like too.

Hamburger Buns
3/4 c. Lukewarm water
2 tbsp butter
2 medium eggs
3 1/2 c. flour (I only used 3c total 1 1/2 white & 1 1/2 wheat)
1/4 c sugar or sucanat
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp yeast


Dough is ready to rise!

1. In a mixer bowl, add all of the dough ingredients. Using a dough hook on your mixer, knead the dough for about 5 minutes. (I didn't have a dough hook for my mixer so I used a wooden spoon and elbow grease and mixed until it started to pull away from the sides.)

 2. Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.



Ready to shape into buns!

3. Place the dough on to the counter and shape into a log about 3 inches in diameter. Cut into slices for how many buns you need. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy. Just make sure they have at least doubled in size.

4. Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds(optional). (I skipped this step)

5. Bake the buns in a preheated 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, till golden. Cool on a rack.


Ready to rise again!

These can be frozen by placing them into ziplock freezer bags (once cooled). To serve thaw and toast if desired.

Ready to go into the oven!




Just out of the oven!
Ready to eat! Yum!

These would be great with Homemade Sloppy Joes!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Make Your Own...Pizza Sauce!

This weekend I tried a new pizza sauce recipe, it turned out really good and it's super easy to make. I thought after it was cooked it was a little too salt & peppery, so I may use half the amount next time, but really it's a personal preference type of thing.

Homemade Pizza Sauce
8 oz tomato sauce
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together and spread on pizza crust or heat and use as a marinara dipping sauce.

Freezing directions: Place in freezer container or bag and freeze. Thaw to serve.




Thursday, June 2, 2011

Make Your Own...Turkey Sausage

Last week I was wanting to make more breakfast burritos, but I wanted to make them with turkey sausage instead of pork to be healthier. Since our small town doesn't carry turkey sausage, but it does carry ground turkey so I made my own! It was super simple and very good. I was a little skeptical when I read the ingredient list, but the end result is fantastic!

Turkey Sausage
1 pound lean ground turkey
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger




1. Crumble turkey into a large bowl.








2. Add the salt, sage, pepper and ginger.









 3. Mix well. You can shape into patties if desired or simply cook as is. In a nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook over medium heat until done. If making patties, cook until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.




4. Enjoy!!!

P.S. Let me know how you like it if you try it!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Make Your Own...Sloppy Joe's!

I tried a new recipe for sloppy joe's last week, it was SO good! Much better than the canned version. If sloppy joe's are on your upcoming menu you must try this recipe.

Sloppy Joe's                 Serves 8
2lbs lean ground beef (or turkey, chicken, pork, whatever you prefer)
1/2 cup chopped onion*
1 cup chopped celery
1 (10.75oz) can condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 hamburger buns

1. Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and celery, cover the pan and cook until tender and transparent, about 5 minutes. (I didn't cover my pan and it was fine.) Drain off any grease.
2. Stir the "sauce" ingredients together. Heat to simmer over low heat, and cook until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom.
3. Spoon onto buns and Enjoy!!!

*I have some major issues with cutting onions so I used dehydrated minced onion and it was fine.

The celery really added a nice flavor to it and cooked in really well. I'm sure this would freeze well, with or without the meat added. DELICIOUS!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Frugal Friday - Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap

For this Frugal Friday Post (I know it's Saturday, I tried to post it yesterday but it wouldn't let me for some reason) I'm going to show you how to make your own foaming hand soap. I love foaming hand soap but hate to pay the price for it. I quickly found out how to make it and I've been making my own for years! It's SUPER cheap and you can make it in the time it takes you to refill your dispenser. And the best part is you can use your favorite regular soap or body wash! For the last several years I have gotten several little gift baskets/bags that had small bottles of body wash in them. I hated to throw them out but I simply couldn't use them all up so I turned them into hand soap! I haven't had to buy soap for over a year!

WHAT YOU NEED:
Foaming Soap Dispenser (This will cost some money. I just bought one with soap in it and once the soap was gone made my own to refill)
Liquid Hand Soap or Body Wash
Water

HOW YOU MAKE IT:

1. Pour a small amount of soap into your soap dispenser. Less than an inch.



2.  Fill the dispenser with water.

3. Give it a little shake and let it mix together. This will take a few hours to get fully incorporated, but you can still use it in the meantime just give it a good shake before using. Once the soap is all mixed (you can no longer see a separation and it's one solution) it's done!



Enjoy!


Friday, April 1, 2011

Frugal Friday - Homemade Laundry Soap

This is a recipe I have not made myself, but have used. I saw no difference in the freshness or cleanliness of my clothes after using it. It's extremely cost effective. One batch makes enough for SEVERAL loads.

Homemade Laundry Soap
4 cups Hot Tap Water
1 Fels-Naptha Soap bar(I have seen recipes that say any bar soap you have will work I have not tried it though)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT BAKING SODA)
1/2 cup Borax

Grate the bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir Continually over Medium-Low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap then fill the rest of the way with water. Shake before each use (will gel).

Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: Lavender, Rosemary, Tea Tree oil.

Top Loading Machines: 5/8c per load (approx. 180 loads)
Front Loading Machines: 1/4c per load (approx. 640 loads)


Let me know if any of you try it and what you thought!

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