And now for something totally different...

How about some recipes for cleaners you can make at home.... From Recipezaar


Cheap Daily Shower Spray Cleaner
Recipe #349641

2 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoons generic dishwasher rinse agent
water

In a 32 oz bottle add the white vinegar and the generic dishwasher rinse agent. Fill the rest of the bottle with water. After every shower, spray down the walls.



Earth Scrub (a green "soft scrub")
Recipe # 80954

1 2/3 cups baking soda
1/2 cup liquid soap
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Stir liquid soap into baking soda.
Add the water, and stir to be as smooth as possible.
Add the vinegar and stir again.
Pour into a squeeze bottle. (A clean, empty ketchup or syrup bottle works well.) Shake well before using, and keep tightly closed between uses.

This is a great "soft scrub" for counters, sinks, tubs, shower stalls, etc. You can add an essential oil to scent or use Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castille soap. It's important to use liquid soap, not detergent, because detergent makes it much harder to rinse. Castille soap is best; it's available at health food stores and Trader Joes. This recipe from Karen Logan's book, Clean House, Clean Planet (a great book!). You can add a few drops of tea tree oil to make it disinfectant and use it for a toilet bowl cleaner.


Oven Rack Cleaner
Recipe # 332283

Ingredients
powdered laundry detergent
water

Take racks out of your oven.
Turn on your self cleaning oven (if you don't have a self cleaning oven it's OK just clean the racks the same way)
Put Hot water into your bathtub (about 5 to 8 inches) & 1/2 to 3/4 cup of powdered laundry detergent, swish around, put in racks, let sit, by the time your oven is done (about 3 hours) your racks will be clean.
Wipe down. Use fingernail to pop/peel off the really bad spots if there are any, maybe use a toothbrush to get into the tight spots and rinse.
Spray in your favorite tub cleaner and clean your tub as you normally would. Perfect! Three chores done in one (oven clean, racks clean and bathtub clean). Once you find out how easy it is to clean those nasty racks you will never have to scour, scrape, get steel fibers from SOS pads in your fingers or buy expensive cleaners that DON'T work again! LOL!

Really Good Peanut Butter Cookies!

SO yesterday I made some peanut butter cookies for a thing at our church. DH is not a big peanut butter cookie fan and I like to have a PB cookie every now and then. So..I made this recipe. Even DH loved it! Give it a try the next time you are in the mood for peanut butter cookies!

From recipezaar.com ..recipe #103085 135 calories in each cookie


1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3 3/4 cups flour
10 ounces peanut butter chips

Cream peanut butter and margarine, add sugars and mix well.
Add eggs and mix until creamy.
Add remaining ingredients.
Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheets- do not flatten.
Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.
Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.
Immediately after the cookies are completely cooled, transfer them to an airtight container.

Just to be safe....

Since we now have a pistachio scare not unlike the peanut butter scare...I have decided to change the Easter cake from Pistachio to Strawberry. I have lots of frozen strawberries in my freezer and a strawberry cake seemed kinda springy! I researched and will be using this recipe....



Strawberry Cake

white cake mix
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry Jell-O gelatin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries, thawed

Frosting
1 (1 lb) package powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened


Directions
Combine cake mix, jello, and eggs. Mix well.
Add oil, water, and 1/2 the strawberries.
Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into greased 13x9 pan.
Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Cool.
Frosting: Combine powdered sugar, butter and remaining strawberries.
Mix well. Spread on cooled cake

Easter Dinner

Yummy Ham- we are picking up a ham at a local smokehouse...they are to die for and we only have to just heat it through,Green Salad- a little lettuce and a ton of goodies, My girlfriends Recipe for Utah Funeral Potatoes, pineapple stuffing, Cracker Barrel Green Beans and Pistachio Cake.



Utah Funeral Potatoes (13x9 pan)

1 2lb bag of frozen hash browns
1/2 c butter
2 c sour cream
1/2 c chopped onion
2 c grated cheddar cheese
1 c cream of chicken soup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c crushed cornflakes
1/4 c butter

In a 13x9 baking dish, spread the frozen hashbrowns. Melt 1/2 c butter and pour evenly over the top. In a bowl combine sour cream, onion, cheese, chicken soup, salt and pepper. Pour over potatoes.
Melt 1/4 c butter and combine with the cornflakes. Sprinkle over the top of the potatoes.
Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 15 minutes or until the cornflakes have browned.


Cracker Barrel Green Beans

1/4 lb sliced bacon
3 (14 1/2 ounce) cans green beans, with liquid
1/4 yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon until lightly brown but not crisp.
When bacon has browned, drain off most of the grease and add green beans.
Add salt, sugar and pepper and mix well.
Place onion on top of green beans.
Cover saucepan with a lid and bring to a light boil.
Turn heat down to low and simmer beans for 45 minutes.


Pineapple Stuffing

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs
5 slices bread, cubed and dried

Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, 1 at a time.
Stir in pineapple.
Fold in bread cubes.
Place in 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
Bake 1 hour at 350 F degrees.


Pistachio Cake

Cake
1 package instant pistachio pudding mix
1 box white cake mix
1 cup oil, plus
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup pistachio nuts, chopped (optional)
1 cup ginger ale
3 eggs

Frosting
1 package instant pistachio pudding mix
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 ounce) carton frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed

Directions
Combine cake ingredients; mix about 5 minutes on medium speed.
Spray two 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray; evenly divide the batter between pans.
Bake at 350º for 20 minutes.
Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting: combine all ingredients; stirring by hand.
Frost cake and refrigerate.


Yummy Yummy Yummy~ I can't wait!