Warm Your Belly, Warm Your Heart!

I would like to welcome our new guest blogger! Becky from Your Modern Family 

has some really great recipes to share!

Warm your Belly, Warm your Heart.....

Are you looking for a recipe to warm you up?  This one is fast, easy and so tasty!  It is one that the whole family will love and you can change it every time that you make it (see details below)...

Chicken Ala King:

Cook 3 cut-up chicken breasts (You can boil them first for 20 minutes & then cut them up).

set these aside

In a skillet over low heat, melt 1/2 a stick of butter (or 1/2 cup).

Add to this... 5 T flour (blending constantly!)
Add a cup of chicken broth

Add a cup of milk (still blending & mixing)

Add some salt, pepper, mushrooms (I use a can), peas and 1 beaten egg yolk. 

   ***TO add the yolk, beat it in a seperate bowl & add some of the milk mixture to that bowl.  When the eggs reach the temperature of the skillet mixture, add it in.  Otherwise it will scramble in your meal (but it still taste the same & you can't really tell!)

Add the chicken to your dish.   Turn the heat off.
Let it cool a few minutes and it will thicken.

Here is where the variety comes in: you can have this over rice, egg-noodles, biscuits or toast.  It is great any way that you make it!  You can also use green beans, sun-dried tomatoes.. anything to add some variety! 

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A great side to this meal is Hash-brown Casserole:

This takes about five minutes to make!

1 Bag frozen Hashbrowns (thawed)

1 Stick Melted Butter

1 Bag (2 cups) cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 small container of sour cream (around 8 oz).

Mix them all together and spread in a casserole dish.

Bake for one hour at 350. 

You could make this your main dish by adding a meat (ham or chicken). 

Have a great dinner!  Enjoy!

You can email Becky if you have questions. 

Email Becky

Thank you for the great post Becky!

Don't Buy It ~ Make your own! ~ Laundry Soap

As much as I love my laundry detergent, I had to share this one again! Hope you enjoy!


Do you want to save money? Of course! Who doesn't? I have found that one of the most expensive things that I buy at the store every week is laundry detergent. I have seen many recipes to make your own and I finally took the time to give it a try. I want to give you the instructions and answer some questions as well so that you can save your family money too. Its also a really cool project for the kids to help with!




 Not only is it cheaper, but its also very mild on my son's and my Eczema. A lot better for sensitive skin than the Tide I used to get! My son has had less outbreaks of rashes since we started using it. It makes my clothes smell great and so far, its getting out all the stains that my 4 yr old can give me! I was talking to my mom about Fels Naptha when I was making my home made laundry detergent and she said that when she was younger, they would use the bar as a pre-treat for stains. That makes perfect sense on why it gets out stains! Be careful not to use too much! You only have to use 1-2 Tbsp in each load!


See my Incubator in the background? :)


Ingredients:
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (NOT BAKING SODA)
1 Cups  grated bar soap (I used Fels Naptha)
Tea Tree Oil (optional)


Finding your ingredients. Half of the ingredients I had never heard of and I had to search for them when I went to buy them. I knew Borax and Tea Tree Oil. I had never heard of Fels Naptha and I had never heard of Washing Soda either.  I was able to find both of the items near the Oxy Clean in the isle. You can substitute the Fels Naptha for a brand called Zote. Normally your store will have one of those two brands. If not, that is ok! You can use any bar soap without too much perfume. Washing soda can be made if you cannot find it. Bake the baking soda on a pan, at 400 degrees (stirring it regularly) until its dried out. Baking soda is really powdery. You will know you have washing soda when it becomes really gritty.



Step One: You have to grate your bar of soap. You can use any method to do this. You can use a cheese grater or with a food processor.

Step Two: This is what I added to this recipe. At this point, I added 10 drops of Tea Tree oil to the grated soap and mixed well. I add the Tea Tree Oil because of its anti-fungal and antiseptic properties. Its really good for psoriasis and eczema, which my family has and it helps with numerous other things as well, such as acne, lice, boils, and dandruff. This step in the recipe is completely up to you.

Step Three: Measure out your Borax and add it to your grated soap. Mix well.

Step Four: Measure your Washing Soda and add it to the mixture. Mix well.

Thats it! You're done and ready to use it to clean your clothes! Its one of the easiest things that I have done in a long time! Store in really any container. Mine is tin with a loose fitting lid. Some of you may want to keep it in an airtight container, so I recommend a mason jar.

Use 1 tbsp for regular washes.
Use 2 tbsp for heavily soiled washes.





Making a larger batch of laundry soap:
To make a whole years worth at once, you can use this recipe.
6 cups of Borax
6 cups of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
6 cups of Fels Naptha or other soap of your preference.
Mix well, store what you arent using in an airtight container to prevent moisture. Only have out what you will use that month. Because you are making so much at once, you dont want it to clump up because humidity has gotten to it.



Some common questions that I want to cover. PLEASE ask if you have questions!

Q: Is it safe for HE washers and frontloaders?
A: Yes. The washing soda and borax is low sudsing. It will do just fine with your washer.

Q: I cant find Fels Naptha at my store. Can I use something else?
A: Yes! I actually encourage it. Experiment with different soaps and smells. You can even use home made soap, like the Castile or Lye soap that The FAM FARM sells on their site! Any kind of bar soap will do. Try to stay away from ones that have too much perfumes to them. Especially if your family has sensitive skin. Examples of good soap for sensitive skin is  Fels Naptha or Ivory or the Fam Farm's Castile Soap.

Q: I have never heard of Washing Soda. Can I use baking soda instead?
A: Yes, you can, but I reccommend using the Washing Soda. The difference between the two is the PH level. Baking Soda has a Ph of (8) which means that it is pretty close to the acid in your stomach, that way its non toxic. The Ph level in Washing Soda however is 11. Its much higher on a Ph scale and is used because its MUCH better than baking soda at neutrolizing acid. That is why its better to use in your detergent. NOTE: Using baking soda may not be safe for HE washing machines.





If you dont want to make it, you can buy yours from The FAM Farm! Go check her out!


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