31 Cups: crunchy

Frugally Sustainable
Raising Homemakers
Far Above Rubies
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Wholehearted Home
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Courtship Connection
Living In the Shoe
Homemaking Linkup Weekend
A Proverbs 31 Wife
All Things With a Purpose

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Make Your Own Brown Sugar *Recipe

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

cane sugar and molasses

I grew up making brown sugar every time we had a need for it. Somewhere along the line I stopped making it myself and resorted to buying it simply because it saved me an extra 3 minutes in my kitchen. I started up again last year to save me the three dollars and because I have been trying to get back to the basics. The ones I learned from my mama as a child.

Since I am head chef and baker in this house, we are transitioning into more honey, molasses, and (slightly less refined) cane sugar and using much less refined white sugar. I am not the sugar police; just trying to do better with more whole type kind of foods.

I have yet to see a brown sugar substitute of a healthy variety in my local area, so I decided to give my childhood brown sugar recipe a try with the cane sugar I have using. The granules are larger and look different so I wasn't sure.

It turned out lovely! I have used it interchangeably in several recipes that called for regular brown sugar. I see no noticeable difference in taste or texture. *I'm not sure how it would work in candy, such as a caramel. If you try it let me know!

cane sugar

molasses

mixing

brown sugar!

Brown Sugar

1 cup cane sugar (or white sugar)

1/8-1/4 cup dark molasses

Mix with a fork until the molasses is fully incorporated. The less molasses the lighter the brown sugar. Use more molasses for darker brown sugar. The cane sugar does not 'pack' into a measuring cup as well but I have had no problem with it working. Use equal measure for regular brown sugar.

Always Blessed,
Gretchen :)

Possibly Linking With:

Frugally Sustainable
Raising Homemakers
Far Above Rubies
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Wholehearted Home
Growing Home

Courtship Connection
Living In the Shoe

Quote from: http://www.searchquotes.com/quotes/author/Laura_Ingalls_Wilder/3/

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Goin' Crunchy~ DIY Furniture Polish

Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, and Lemongrass Essential Oil

I really like how furniture polish smells. The lemony fragrance brings me back to my childhood. I have chatted before on how much I love to clean. Sometimes to a fault. I think it was probably groomed into me from the time I was able to hold a cloth and dust.

The house I did most of growing up in was an old turn of the century two story farm house. My mother would run about fruitlessly trying to keep up with the country dust that whipped across the open fields and deposited rich black topsoil and brown gravel road dust all over the house. The wood floors caught it and so we dusted those daily. The couches and coffee table hid dust of the bunny variety. So there was weekly cleaning to catch those gray fuzzy bunnies. In the summer, when the windows were let open to bring in a breeze, I could wake up and find dust on the kitchen table in a light layer just waiting , begging me to write HELLO with my pinky finger. We rinsed cups before using them even if they came out of the cupboard. It was really everywhere.

My brothers were often regulated to more manly type jobs but I honestly think she just didn't trust them to not waste a whole can of dust spray and go through three dusting rags just on the dining room. So my sister and I got to dust. With rags and special dusting mops! With lemony furniture polish that we could spray on the antique, wooden, buffet table and desk that shined it right up.

I love the instant gratification of a good dusting. I mean, you can SEE the clean! And the house smells clean, even if it isn't in the most tip-top shape. So now it is my Prince Ray's job to once a week dust up this house. He generally talks Princess Petunia into helping him and her little 2 year old self is so very proud to help with a big kid chore. He does not think it manly enough but is willing to to do it without complaining (usually) 'for Princess Petunia'.

A clean dusting of the house always makes me feel better. Yes, I know. Sounding a bit off kilter? I come from a long line of neurotic cleaners. If Lemon Dusting Spray makes me feel better, then so be it.

So in my search to make my own cleaning supplies I found a good one here and here. I tweaked the recipe and this now my favorite for homemade Lemon Dusting Spray.

oil

lemon

water

DIY Lemon Dusting Spray

one 4 oz spray bottle

1/2 teaspoon of olive oil

3 teaspoons lemon juice

10 drops of Lemongrass Essential Oil (or lemon, or orange...)

distilled water *

Using a funnel to pour into the spray bottle, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and essential oils.

Fill the rest if the bottle with distilled water.

When using: shake the bottle well before using and spray on soft cloth or directly on the furniture. Wipe clean! :) This can be doubled or tripled but I usually just make it as I need to. Smells like summertime and childhood.

*distilled water is just filtered, boiled, and then cooled water. Any possible organisms in your water are then killed and thus a product that does not turn into a science petri dish.

So make some better for you and the environment, frugal, Lemon Dusting Spray and then DUST IT!

Always Blessed,

Gretchen :)

Possibly Linking With:

Frugally Sustainable
Raising Homemakers
Far Above Rubies
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Wholehearted Home
Growing Home

Monday, February 4, 2013

Rosemary Spiced Squash *Recipe

Last week I shared a recipe for Ginger Lemon Squash. I am getting creative with my cooking because of our blessed abundance of squash. This week we are trying out a new concoction of rosemary, garlic and red pepper flakes! I really liked this one. :)

Rosemary Spiced Squash

Prep squash as per instructions found here.

Add to clean squash cavity:

1 Tablespoon of butter or coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon of dried garlic flakes

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 -1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

sprinkle of dried rosemary

salt and pepper

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until soft. Think: mash-able.

Acorn Squash with coconut oil and spices.

Butternut Squash ready to bake.

Tasty.

Always Blessed,

Gretchen :)

Possibly Linking With:

Frugally Sustainable
Raising Homemakers
Far Above Rubies
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Wholehearted Home
Growing Home

Friday, February 1, 2013

Goin' Crunchy~ Orange Peel All Purpose Cleaner

Last year I was on a mission to save us some money AND healthy up my house. My sister and I started using all natural, homemade cleaners. I was shocked at how easy and how frugal it was to use homemade cleaners.

Now, I am a confessed, reformed, cleaning supply lover. I used to coupon clip for exciting new household cleaners. All those shiny colors and comic strip starred 'WOW! All New Formula!" call to me like a siren's song. I also loved those pre-packaged towels with disinfectant super powers. I was a sucker for smelly, linen-scented sprays and sprinkles. Something to scrub the bathroom sink and a different one to scrub the shower. A toilet cleaner, a floor cleaner, cleanser, and window spray all for just the bathroom. Oh yeah, and the blue smelly bar to make my toilet water blue because it somehow seemed cleaner.

One day while teaching Prince Ray which cleaner was for what so he could do his bathroom 'quick clean' chore (Yes, they take turns quick cleaning the bathroom because it is NOT me or the Princesses that pee BEHIND the toilet. Just sayin'.)I got a wake up call. Prince Ray gives me this slightly confused look and in all his boyishness type honesty says "Why do we need so many!?"

Good question. Do I really need a separate cleaner for the floors and the baseboards? Do I need to have cleanser, and toilet scrubby, and window cleaner, and electronics cleaner, and dust spray, and wood oil, and all purpose cleaner, and de-greaser, and dish soap, and grout cleaner, and... well you get the idea.

Better question is: Do I need to be spraying all of these ridiculous chemicals into the air daily that can affect my family's breathing? Do I need all this fake air freshener and surface disinfectant? What are we breathing into our bodies?! YIKES!

If you don't believe that your bought cleaning supplies could make you sick all you have to do is a quick google search and be amazed at the number of people whose health has responded positively by dropping the store bought, chemically laden cleaners. I can attest that my asthmatic child is breathing better and using his inhaler 1/3 of the time he was using it. We changed how we eat and we changed how we clean and it has made all the difference in the world. This is of course our personal experience, but it might be worth a try!

On to the recipe! So easy you will be on board for trying it with the next orange you eat!

Orange Peel All Purpose Cleaner


Peel the oranges! I did 4 this day.

Give the yummy oranges to your children for breakfast!

I use most all the Orange peel. Sometimes I save some out for making Dried Orange Peels.

Place in a glass jar that has a tight fitting lid. This is a canning jar but I have used any glass jar that is available.

Pour in straight white vinegar to the top. Cover the orange peels.

It is ready to be used when it is orange in color and the peels have begun to sink a bit.

Here are 3 different stages of 'brewing'. Three weeks, two weeks, and just made.

I like to strain it through a small sieve before placing in my spray bottle.

Ready to clean!

We use this for floors, counters, walls, the stove, door knobs, bathroom sink and shower, any mildew, dirty baseboards, yucky, greasy messes and pretty much any other hard surface that needs cleaning. It smells delightful. It is super inexpensive. It uses what I always already have around my house. And... It Works.

Note* I have also thrown in grapefruit, lemon, or lime peels as we have them. They can be a bit acidic but all citrus has natural cleaning and disinfectant qualities. See here for more information.

Always Blessed,
Gretchen :)

Possibly Linking With:

Frugally Sustainable
Raising Homemakers
Far Above Rubies
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Wholehearted Home
Growing Home

Monday, January 28, 2013

Ginger Lemon Squash *Recipe

Ginger Lemon Squash

Butternut and Acorn Winter Squash

We were blessed with so much squash this fall I have had to start getting creative with the squash side dishes in our world just to keep everyone from getting bored. :) So here begins recipe 1 of 4!

Winter Squash Basic Baking Instructions

Scrub your squash clean.

Split it in half with a good, sharp knife. It can be difficult. Most winter squash has quite a hard rind. For Butternut Squash you will want to cut it lengthwise.

Hollow out the seeds and stringy stuff.

You are left with a circular cavity.

Place the squash in a sided baking pan, I usually just use a cake pan, cut side up.

My mom always filled that cavity with a Tablespoon of butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar. (I still love squash this way!)

Now put some water in the bottom of that pan, say 1 cup or so. (It should not cover the squash, just come up a bit on the sides.)

Cover tightly with foil. You are essentially making a steam oven for your squash to bake in.

Bake 350 degrees for roughly 30 to 40 minutes.

This can vary depending on your squash and your oven. The cooked squash will mash easily if it is done. We often serve it just like this but sometimes I mix it like mashed potatoes with a bit of milk.

There is your basic recipe!

Now for fun try the Ginger Lemon Squash.

Ginger Lemon Squash

Prepare squash as directed above.

Add to cavity:

1 teaspoon (or so) of peeled, grated ginger. ~I did not grate it, but you should. :)

1 teaspoon or so of grated lemon peel

1 Tablespoon of butter or coconut oil

sprinkle of dried thyme

sprinkle of dried rosemary

salt and pepper

Bake at 350 for approximately 30 min as per instructions above.

YUMM-O!

Always Blessed,

Gretchen :)

Possibly Linking With:

Frugally Sustainable
Raising Homemakers
Far Above Rubies
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Wholehearted Home
Growing Home