Possibly The Easiest DIY Ever: Laundry Detergent!

This is something I have wanted to do for quite some time and i've finally done it! 

I made my own laundry detergent! And it was SO easy! It's roughly 16 cents a load, so definitely cheaper than any store bought detergents. And so far so good on my sensitive skin-no rashes! 

You will need: 

• Borax
• Super Washing Soda
• Bar of Soap (this part is up to you but I used Ivory)
• something to put it all in! 

This is literally the easiest thing to make...ever. 

First, you grate a bar of soap with a cheese grater or lemon zester.

Then, you take one cup of Borax, one cup of super washing soda, and a bar of soap, mix it together and.......

THAT'S ALL! You're ready to do laundry with detergent you made yourself! 

You'll notice in the first picture that I planned on using an old salsa jar for this but it wasn't conducive to mixing and such. So, I switched to this big red Ziploc container. That way, when I make more, I can just make a lot and throw it all in there! 

Personally, I really enjoyed this project because of how cheap and easy it was. 

And I hope you'll enjoy it too! 

Weekend Re-Cap and New Recipe!

Well this weekend was one for the record books. For those of you not familiar with Wesleyan, we have an event the last weekend of February called STUNT. It began as a way to raise money for students and continues 116 years later as a form of healthy competition between the sister classes and also raises money for a scholarship. It's a big deal. We elect a committee in September to write a 20-30 minute musical. In February, the entire class reads and auditions for the STUNT script and then we work for two weeks to put it together; this include priming and painting our backdrop,  . Saturday was the culmination of two weeks of hectic insanity. (if you're curious or want more info, just leave me a comment!)

My family came on Friday and surprised me by bringing my younger sister who I didn't think was coming!

And......My class, the Grand Green Knights, WON THE STUNT CUP. (you probably do not understand what a huge deal this is but just trust me...it's BIG)

My second family (I'm right above the two goofballs with the puffed up faces)

Sunday, the boyfriend and I went to pick up a couch and love seat that the family I babysit for gave to me for the home I'm moving into after graduation. So exciting! 

pretty fancy, huh?

Now, onto the recipe! 

Y'all, I am SOUTHERN, and this means that it is really hard for me to always eat super healthy. I was raised on casseroles, all things fried, and huge helpings of food. So this change has been hard for this Georgia Peach! The following recipe is super delicious. But it is not ranking very high on the healthy eating scale. Let this be an indulgence on my part and yours :)

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole

2 8 oz. cans of Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

3/4 cup grated cheese of choice! (I used cheddar)

1/2 cup whipping cream (could also use 

• 18% table cream
• )
• 
  

FILLING

4 ounces cream cheese (very soft)

4 tablespoons butter (very soft)

1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

1/3 cup onion, finely chopped (can use green onions) ***i left this out!***

2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped

1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese (or any cheese you like)

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (or use 1/2 teaspoon white salt or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

2-4 tablespoons whipping cream (or mayo but I don't like mayo)

1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter a large casserole dish

 In a saucepan, mix whipping cream, 3/4 cup grated cheese (or more) and cream of chicken soup.

• 
  

  Heat just until the cheese melts (do not boil). It will look like this...

  

  
  

  Now for the FILLING...

  In a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with soft butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder, if you want. I will tell you, I think I added too much garlic but my guinea pigs disagreed. 

  
  

  

  This is before the chicken was added

  Add in the chopped, cooked chicken (if you wanted, you could use canned chicken or turkey but i prefer not to do that), onion (i left out the onion) and cheddar cheese (we used half cheddar and half swiss); mix well until combined.

  Add in 2 tablespoons whipping cream (or mayonnaise but i think mayo is DISGUSTING); mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry).

  Season with seasoned salt or white and black pepper to taste.

  Unroll the crescent rolls.

  Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end.

  Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish.

  Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole.

  Drizzle the remaining sauce on top (you don’t have to use the full amount of cream sauce, just use as much as desired) and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired.

  This is what it looked like when we put it into the oven...

  

  Bake for about 30 minutes.

We didn't get a picture of the finished project because we started lunch late and didn't eat until 2. We were starved and it smelled amazing. 
Let me know if you try this yourself and what you think of it! 

Also, here are some posts you can look forward to for this week! 
Wednesday-DIY Laundry Detergent
Friday-A post about my favorite natural brand and products

Recipe originally found here

Weekend Post: Let's Get Crafty!

So I am admittedly not very crafty. I'm creative but I tend to express my creativity in other outlets. However, I have always wanted to be crafty. My first real crafting experience of the year was something I made for a friend as a wedding/housewarming gift. This was a super easy and affordable craft, but I put several hours into it in an effort to be meticulous. 

These were purchased at my local JoAnns. It is a canvas and small wooden words. They have a lot of different wooden words and pictures so the options are limitless! I then painted the canvas a chocolate brown (several coats) and painted the words with some teal paint. I glued the words to the dry-ish canvas with Elmer's glue. Et voila!  

(this picture was edited with Instagram)

Okay, so I didn't make this craft up and it's not super original, but hey! I worked hard on it and I was very proud of the result! 

Potato, Pot-tah-to, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off!

So, this week, a gal I know and love told me that she was following my cooking blog and that I should follow her cooking blog as well. I checked it out and, as suspected, I love it! The most recent post was about baked potato soup, so she inspired me to make a post about my recipe for baked potato soup. 

Thanks for the inspiration, Parrish! 

Her blog is http://whattheheckisjicama.tumblr.com/

Loaded Baked Potato Soup!

• 2 large baking potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, & thinly sliced crosswise
• 3 cups of milk (2 for the first mixing, and then 1 cup for later)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• scallions (quantity depends on preference)

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes, milk, and salt.

Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 

Lower the heat to medium-low, add the whites of scallions. 

Cover and simmer until tender, 10-15 mins. 

Add 1 cup of milk and puree the soup. 

Season with salt. 

Add some bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, scallions, and sour cream! (mine was a little pasty. I'm thinking i didn't puree it long enough.)

It Ain't Easy Being Cheesy! Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

This is a super easy recipe and I love it! I made this for my mom, sister, and dad over Christmas break. Pretty much anything with cheese and chicken...I'm SOLD. 

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole!

• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 & 1/3 cups of water
• 3/4 cups of uncooked, regular (not minute or instant) rice
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 cups of your choice of frozen veggies
• 1/2 of cheese of your choice (I used sharp cheddar)
• 4 boneless chicken breasts 

Preheat oven to 375. Mix can of cream of chicken soup, water, rice, onion powder, and frozen veggies (the picture shows white acre peas, I think peas and carrots or broccoli would be yummy too!) in a shallow, 11x8", 2 quart baking dish. Top with chicken breasts, cut into halves. Season chicken as desired. (The recipe says to cover but I didn't and it turned out just fine.) Bake at 375 for 45 mins. Cover with cheese and return to the oven for five minutes. Stir rice, serve, and enjoy!

Happy cooking, y'all! 

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Here's a recipe that I LOVE, given to be from my Aunt Dana. My friend Cheyenne told me that some of her friends call these "Gorilla Turds", but don't let that scare you away! They are so yummy! 

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

• 6 cups of quick oats
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 4 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 stick of margarine

I will admit, i tried these a few times with splenda and they failed miserably. You have to use real sugar, not splenda, which is great for taste but not good for the waist line :)

Mix quick oats with peanut butter (to the best of your ability) in a large mixing bowl (note: a plastic mixing bowl will not work!). 

Bring sugar, milk, vanilla, half a cup of cocoa, and margarine to a boil on the stove and let it boil for about one minute, but don't let it boil over or scald! Then, immediately pour over the oats and peanut butter and mix it really well (or you'll have dry clumps in your cookies!). Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper, let cool, and eat them up! I made big piles and the cookies were far too dense. maybe make smaller piles and flatten them out. 

A sinfully delicious guilty pleasure of mine! 

Make Your Own Toner!

Y'all...let's get real for a minute. I have awful skin. It never does what I want it to do. But c'est la vie! 
The best thing you can do for your skin is know that we go through hormonal cycles. Appreciate your skin when it's clear. And when it isn't, understand that it is normal! 
I have found that the more natural the product, the more my skin drinks it up. My skin responds so well to natural things, without chemicals or additives. 
So, ladies and gents, I give you a little something I like to call....


Lemon Lovin' for your skin! 

1.5 cup Lemon Juice

1 cup water

2/3 cup Witch Hazel

This toner will make your skin glow, naturally, without drying it out. And it smells pretty good too! 

For this post, or others, please let me know if you've tried them! I would love to hear your spin on things and see how the recipe went for you! 

Note: This will be a little bit repetitive for the first few weeks if you follow my pinterest, sorry! 

Crockpot Chicken Tacos and Homemade Flour Tortillas

This entry is my first as a food blogger, if I have even earned that title yet! It wasn't until this weekend that I really solidified that I wanted to begin a blog of my cooking adventures, so the first few posts will not have the traditional step by step pics, like most cooking blogs do. Rather, it will contain my spin on things and a recipe. 


I'm not quite to the part of my life where I can throw ingredients in a pot until they taste good...but I'm working towards that! Right now, I'm a strict recipe follower. My boyfriend Brian and I found our first fight in this, one of my only personality traits to be considered "type-A". We were making cake pops, per his mom's request, and he wanted to be creative. I couldn't handle that. I wanted to do it BY THE BOOK! This of course, caused some friction, eventually leading to me word-vomiting the statement "HOW MANY CAKES HAVE YOU MADE, HUH?! I CAN GUARANTEE I'VE MADE MORE!". Classy, huh? In the end, we just made a sheet cake. So much for his creative cooking streak. One might say that I won that argument, but it continues to irritate me that I have to follow a recipe step by step in order for me to complete a recipe.


So here is an easy recipe, that requires a little bit of creativity and flexibility, in honor of my boyfriend, Brian who is always the best guinea pig for new recipes and always pushes me to break the shackles of the recipe :)


Crockpot Chicken Tacos

• 1 jar of salsa (this varies depending on your audience, so to speak. I'm not a fan of spicy food, so i went for mild)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning (again, I went for mild because I'm a wuss when it comes to spicy foods)
• 6 boneless, chicken breasts

Dump all the ingredients into the crockpot, stir, and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours. When it's done, you will be able to shred the chicken with a fork (or in our case, a spatula!). It's SO tender! Garnish with whatever you like on your tacos. (The leftover meat is good in soups and sandwiches!)

Homemade Flour Tortillas

• 2.5 cups of flour
• 1 cup very hot water
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/4 cup of shortening

In a heavy mixer, mix flour and salt. 

Add shortening and mix until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. 

Add hot water. The water shouldn't make the dough an ooey-gooey mess, but it should be hot enough to melt the shortening. We used water from the tap and heated it in the microwave for 45 seconds. Our dough didn't look like dough so we had to add more water until it came together right. **this is the part where I had to be flexible!**

Now, the dough will start to come together. Roll into portions and place on counter on wax paper. Depending on how big you make the dough balls will depend hon how many you get (obviously). We made medium sized balls and had about 12. 

Preheat a skillet to low-medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Before you put the dough balls on the skillet, flatten them out with your hands into round, flat shapes (you may need to "flour up" to keep the dough from sticking to your hands). You can also use a rolling pin but we found it easier to use our hands.

Place tortilla on skillet. Watch for bubbles. Blistery bubbles are NOT what you want. If you get these, turn your skillet down. You want big, fat, slow bubbles. Once you get the right bubbles, FLIP IT! Cook the other side for 30-45 seconds. It sounds weird, but they will look greasy on the inside, but that's what you want them to look like! This makes for soft tortillas. Then, I placed them on a plate, with paper towels in between. 

Like most things, your first tortilla may not be your best, but that's okay! Keep going! They get better. 

The finished product! 

My roommate Kyla, who has been my guide and friend throughout my trek to domestic goddessry. 

She's a big help when I have kitchen questions and often keeps me from burning down our apartment. 

She enjoys her pet rats, Tia and Millie, long walks on the beach, and clean dishes. 

And that, my friends, has been my first blog post! Enjoy your yummy, and relatively easy, crockpot chicken tacos and homemade tortillas! Brian, my roommates, and I really loved them. We found they go great with some homemade margaritas (or Coronas) and Wheel of Fortune :)

Thanks to 

http://mychocolatetherapy.blogspot.com/2012/01/crockpot-chicken-tacos.html

and 

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/07/cooking-class-flour-tortillas/

for these recipes!