Porter House

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Karen deserves all the credit for this one. She started making her own laundry detergent quite a while back. Then she got my dad hooked, and her brother-in-law, and now so am I. It only took me this long because it can be somewhat difficult to track down a few of the ingredients. A few weeks ago my Dad sent me 3 bars of Fels-Naptha, a box of Borax, a box of washing soda, and Oxyclean.

I made up a triple batch right away. It is incredible! It is so concentrated that you only need a heaping two tablespoons per full load. It also removes stains better than the expensive Tide I usually use. It is 100% cleaners, with no filler. It smells great when you are washing clothes, it just smells clean- no perfumes.

I am not known for my math skills, but I do know that this is MUCH cheaper than purchased product...for a superior product. Once I fell in love with this, I immediately started tracking down sources. Through a tip with my sister's brother-in-law, I found that my local Ace Hardware (on Desiard, for you locals.) would order a case of 24 bars of Fels-Naptha for me for $1.29 a bar. The washing soda required me to go online. I ended up placing an order for a full case of Arm and Hammer Washing soda from buythecase.com. For $60 including shipping, I got 12 boxes of washing soda. That will make 66 batches of laundry detergent. So you are looking at less than $1 a batch for the washing soda.

Borax and Oxyclean are easy to find in most laundry aisles.

Now the original recipe calls for Oxyclean, which works wonderfully. However, Karen received a container of Eco Store's Pure Oxygen Whitener from a Nonnie Bear giveaway. It contains natural citrus oils in addition to the natural whiteners. This gives the laundry detergent a really nice clean smell. Now at $12 a container for 35.3 ounces plus shipping, it might up the total price a bit, or perhaps not. I really did not feel like figuring it out. :) However, you can easily just substitute the Oxyclean if you do not want to bother with finding the other. (The Pure Oxygen Whitener may be available at Whole Foods, unfortunately I do not have one nearby.)

* A food processor is extremely useful in the making of this recipe. I shred the Fels-Naptha with the shredder disk, than I dump out the shredded soap and put in the metal blade. I add half the soap (I do 3-bar batches) along with a cup or so of the other dry ingredients. The dry ingredients help it to process much finer. I process it until it is the texture of sand. It helps the mixture blend more smoothly, allowing for the ratios to stay correct. However, if you do not have a food processor you can hand grate the soap on a box grater, and then just mix together the detergent. I believe my dad hand grates the soap and then processes it in his mini-pro. They are only about $30-40.

 

Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe
(Karen and I usually make up 3 batches at a time. They fit perfectly in our cracker jar)


1 bar Fels-Naptha laundry soap
1 cup Arm and Hammer washing soda
1 cup Borax
1/2 cup Oxyclean or 1/3 cup Pure Oxygen Whitener


* (Please see the above paragraph if you do not have a food processor.)

1. In a large bowl mix together the washing soda, Borax, and the Oxyclean/Pure Oxygen Whitener.

2. Place your shredder disk in your food processor. Shred the bar of Fels-Naptha in the food processor. Remove the shredding disk. Place the metal blade in the fp bowl.

3. Add about 1/2 cup of the dry mixture into the fp bowl with the shredded soap. Process until it is the texture of sand.

4. Dump the soap mixture into the remaining dry mixture and combine thoroughly.

5. Use about 1 heaping 2-tablespoon scoop per full laundry load. ( I use a scoop that comes in the small Oxyclean container. Coffee scoops are also 2-tablespoons.) I make sure to put in the detergent first when the water is first filling. That way it can begin to dissolve.

Baby Stuff!

This is going to be my third baby. I have a feeling I am going to be very low key. This baby will not have a decorated nursery.... or a crib. Ryan has still never slept in his own room. I know a lot of people do not agree with co-sleeping, but I just imagine that the fact that it is a normal regular practice in most of the world means something.

I have been doing it so long that I really do not know how other people do it the other way. When you breast feed 100%, it just makes the most sense. I was never sleep deprived with Ryan... at all... from the very beginning. He slept right beside me. I barely had to open my eyes to nurse him, and get him back to sleep.

As far as safety, my experience is that mothers and fathers are almost preternaturally aware of the tiny baby in bed with you. I swear not a moment passes during the night when I am not aware of where the baby is, and how he is doing. Also, if your child gets a fever in the middle of the night, or gets sick, or a has a nightmare in the middle of the night, you are right there.

I believe it is time to transition Ryan into his own bed. He says he is ready. I cannot tell you how nervous it makes me though. When Justin is on his night shifts, I feel so much safer having him so close. Half the time, I find myself having Kacey sleep in our room as well.

All of that said, I can't stop thinking about this baby. It has been six years after all. I do not believe we are going to get half the items that first time parents stock up on, but I am accumulating a wish list. As soon as we find out the sex, I can start gathering them, spreading out the cost. So here are the things I am seriously wanting for this baby:

1. Co Sleeper- I haven't actually researched these. I didn't use one with Ryan. I think it would be nice to have though. Sort of a compromise between co sleeping or the baby in another room. This would especially be useful if Ryan is still in our bed.

2. Baby Sling- My sisters were big fans of the Baby Bjorn. However, I think Karen and I are now really liking this type of sling. I like how unstructured it is, and it accommodates nursing newborns all the way up to toddlers.

3. Cloth Diapers- I love love love these cloth diapers. I believe I am totally sold on trying them. I will still likely use disposable while in town or traveling, but I think these would be great for around the house. They are an initial investment, but you will save about 20 cents with every single diaper change. (Disposable = 25 cents Cloth = 5 cents) That adds up over 2-3 years.

4. Diaper Sprayer and Odor Remover- These seem to be very useful additions to cloth diapering.

5. Vitamix- Umm... I really really want this. The reason it is listed on my baby wishlist, is because it would make awesome homemade baby food. You can literally put a whole intact apple in this thing, and it purees it to a perfectly smooth puree; seeds, stem, skin and all. Perhaps if everyone I know gives me cash for Christmas, I can actually buy it!

6. Top 100 Baby Purees book- This looks like a great book. It would be really easy to buy organic fruit and vegetables, make up super healthy (and interesting) purees, and freeze them in small portions. Obviously I will not be needing this for a while. I do not believe in starting solid food too early. Certainly not before 6 months...

7. Baby Swing- My first two kids really loved these. I haven't picked out the exact one, but this one was very well reviewed.

Be looking forward to more posts like this one. It is really handy to get feedback from you, and it is great to have my links in one place!

White Chocolate & Sour Cherry Scones

I had to mention this awesome recipe I got from David Lebovitz's blog. I was excited when I saw the buckwheat flour and cornmeal.... but it was the white chocolate and sour cherries that sealed the deal. I had to make them. They were crazy good. I ate two immediately and I am contemplating a third. I love any recipe that throws in whole grains, and the cornmeal adds great texture.

I especially loved the crispy brown edges. You need to get to a health food store and pick up the buckwheat flour. You can also use it to make these fantastic buckwheat pancakes. Hopefully you already have some whole grain cornmeal on hand. Pick up some dried sour cherries from the raisin section of your grocery store, and some Callebaut or Lindt white chocolate there, too.

Are they worth all the running around? Yes! Buy extra ingredients...  You will want to make them again.

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I missed doing Ryan's height/weight chart while we were in Disney, so here it is. (This pic was taken on his birthday, outside Epcot.)

Ryan's height/weight at age 6: H- 47 1/2 inches W- 42.8 lbs.

Arrival Night at Chef Mickey's

We arrived in Orlando on time. We rented our car (and got a free upgrade), then drove to our hotel. Our Tom Tom was indispensable. We borrowed it from my mother-in-law. I really want one now. The hotel was amazing, it was also huge. I am very glad we had our own car. We brought all our bags to our room, and changed into our swimsuits. We walked over to the Dig Site pool. The kids had an great time on the slide. After a couple of hours we went back to our room and changed. Then we drove over to the Contemporary Hotel.

We had reservations at Chef Mickey's that we were really looking forward to. You get to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, and Goofy. The food was average buffet quality, but they had a lot of variety. We secretly ordered Ryan a My Mini Cake Surprise in anticipation of his 6th birthday. It was a small cake that came in a Pirate chest along with a few toys.

The kids got all their autographs in their book from last trip. It was a lot of fun. After we made it back to our hotel room, we were all pretty beat. We knew we had an early morning so we went to bed early. It was a wonderful way to start the trip.

It's about time to go...

I made a good home cooked meal tonight. I figure we will be missing them next week. I will not miss cooking though, I am ready to let other people do it for me. I made a lovely cajun meatloaf, smashed potatoes, and biscuits. Yum. It was delicious and hit the spot. Now that the weekend is here, I can concentrate on washing, packing, and planning for our departure. Sunday we are going to have a fish fry at my inlaws house, and then spend the night. That will get us 30 minutes closer to our airport Monday.

I am paranoid that I am going to forget to check-in online for our flight Sunday morning. I actually set an alarm on my phone. I am so looking forward to this trip. I think it will be a bit more relaxing this time since we know what to expect. We might spend a little more time in the pool .

I will likely be writing up a trip report when we get home. I really love reading over my last one. We get back on the 18th, so you will hear from me sometime after that.

Oh, and for dessert tonight I made the strawberry pie out of the new Cook's Country. I think it turned out pretty special.

Red Cabbage Salad with Pecans

I have been trying to increase my fruit and vegetable intake lately. I already eat pretty good, but I wasn't sure I was really getting my 5 vegetables and 2-4 fruits every day. So instead of finding recipes before hand, I have instead been buying the vegetables first, and then finding recipes later.

So this afternoon, I was flipping through James Peterson's book Vegetables looking for something to do with my head of red cabbage. I knew when I came across this recipe that I had to try it.

The cabbage is thinly sliced and salted. After 30 minutes, you squeeze out all the excess water.  Then you toss it with vinegar, roasted walnut oil, and toasted pecans. I actually used redvinegar. I was scared it would be too harsh, but It was great. It is one of those things that gets better and better the more you eat. I found my roasted walnut oil a few months ago at a local gourmet store called Vieux Carre. I was so glad to have a reason to use it. It is toasty tasting and delicious.

Red Cabbage Salad with Pecans
(Adapted from Vegetables by James Peterson)

1 small red cabbage
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1/3 cup sherry vinegar (or red vinegar)
1/2 cup roasted walnut oil (or evoo)
1 cup whole pecans, toasted
freshly ground pepper

Peel off and discard the cabbage's outer leaves. Cut the bottom of the stem off. Cut the cabbage in quarters. Slice off the core of each quarter. Thinly slice cabbage. Toss the shredded cabbage with the salt and rub the salt into the cabbage for a minute or two. Drain the cabbage in the colander for 30 minutes. Squeeze the cabbage in small balls in your hand to get rid of the excess liquid.

Toss the cabbage with the vinegar, oil, and the toasted pecans. Season to taste with pepper.

Lunch.

Quinoa cooked pilaf style with onion and garlic, with lemon juice, kalamatas, capers, tomatoes, mint, and feta cheese stirred in at the end. So filling and healthy!

a new macaroni and cheese variation

The other day I was reading through my favorite blogs. I came across a very interesting recipe on Bitten. The post was written by Keith Dixon (who adapted it from Patricia Wells). Imagine a macaroni and cheese that uses beef stew liquid instead of bechamel. My heart skipped a beat.

I cooked beef stew on Thursday and reserved a cup of the liquid. Last night, I made the mac and cheese. I used macaroni instead of the penne in the recipe, only because I had it on hand. I also used a mixture of Emmental Swiss and Parm reg instead of the Gruyere. I didn't have time to hit a second store to find the Gruyere, I am sure it is great in this though.

Obviously this is different from the usual creamy macaroni and cheese. It is is so good though, in another sort of way. It has a wonderful savoriness. The kids and I made a meal out of it last night along with raw carrots and broccoli dipped in Ellie Krieger's ranch dressing. We did not even miss the meat at all.

My 10-Minute Omelet

My sister happens to be newly pregnant. All of us ex-pregnant women know that you crave foods when you are pregnant that you may not normally want. Karen is not a big fan of eggs usually, but she has suddenly been positively craving them. I was telling her about the absurdly simple omelet I have been making for myself recently, and it got me craving it for lunch today. So I decided to post the picture/recipe.

This is the omelet to make if you are starving, craving protein, and you do not want to think about it. It requires no skill to pull it off, and it is very satisfying. All you need is a good 10-inch (medium) nonstick skillet.

10-Minute Omelet

1/2-1 tablespoon butter
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 big dash hot sauce
s&p
 a few slices cheddar cheese

Place a medium nonstick skillet on medium heat with the butter. Turn on the broiler. Whisk together eggs, spices, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. When the butter stops foaming, pour in the egg mixture. Push in the sides of the eggs with a rubber spatula, letting the uncooked eggs fill in the gaps. When most of the eggs have set on the bottom of pan, but the top is still wet, slide it under the broiler. (Just leave the door of the oven open, with the handle sticking out. That way you do not even need a pot holder)

When the top is slightly puffed and set (1 or 2 minutes) remove the pan from the oven. Arrange the cheddar on half the omelet. Use a fork to flip half of the omelet over the side with cheese. Slide it from the pan onto your plate. Serve with extra hot sauce if you are anything like me. Enjoy!

Happy Easter, Everyone!

I hope you all have a great day. I will be thinking of my Dad and my father-in-law, who both happen to be working in Texas and unable to come home for the holiday. My kids loved their Easter baskets this morning, especially the Blendy pens. Here is their beautiful artwork:

Kacey's Rocket Ship

 
Ryan's Beetle