Anyone else going through hand soap like there is no tomorrow? Between doing more as things recipe from COVID, and getting dirty playing outside it seems like we are running out of hand soap every time I turn around. I’m glad it only costs me pennies to make more rather than $3 a bottle. We’ve saved thousands over the years by making our own soap. It works great, and feels like the expensive brands you buy at the mall.
DIY Foaming Hand Soap:
In a foaming soap pump, add the following:
1 tbsp of your favorite dish soap
8-15 drops of your favorite essential oils
1 tbsp aloe gel (optional but makes it feel silky smooth)
Fill with water, and shake!
And you’re done! And it cost you about .03 to make rather than $3.
On another money saving note, you can buy empty foaming soap pumps on Amazon, but in my experience, those don’t last and stop working after a couple of months. The best I’ve found are the Dial foaming soaps at the grocery store. I buy the pumps, use the soap in them, and fill them up again. I’ve had some of them for years. They really work great.
This is similar to Apple Brown Betty which is baked, but this is a quick, allergy-friendly skillet version, and can be made in small batches. It’s a great way to use of stale ends of sourdough bread, but regular bread works great too.
This recipe is dairy, sugar, soy, nut, and egg free, and can be made gluten free as well.
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp avocado oil, or butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1/4-1/2 cup water
2-4 slices of stale bread, coarsely crumbled (for a GF version use gluten free bread)
Peel and chop your apple, heat skillet over medium heat and add your oil and apple. Sauté for a couple of minutes or so, and add the salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until all the apple pieces are coated. Next add the honey and vanilla, stir quickly so that the honey doesn’t burn, and gradually pour in some of the water to make a sauce. Don’t add all of it unless you need it. Add the crumbled bread and stir until coated and heated through. Serve with ice cream or heavy cream if you can have it. Makes 2-3 servings.
This recipe is moist, delicious, allergy friendly (nut, egg, dairy free), and it can be mixed straight in the pan which maximizes cleanup.
Gingerbread Cake Pan Cake:
You can certainly mix this in a bowl or a mixer and add the batter to two regular round floured cake pans, or you can grab a 9×13” casserole and a fork and get busy.
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
Add all of the following into your bowl or directly into your 9×13” casserole and mix with a fork until all the dry ingredients are combined.
Then add…
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
Add all of the above ingredients into the bowl or cake pan and stir with the fork until all the lumps of flour have been mixed. Be sure to scrape to the bottom.
Bake 350 degree for 45-50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
This is a hearty, savory soup good for an easy weeknight dinner.
Start by sorting 1 pound of black eyed peas. Add to the Instant Pot liner.
Chop the following and add to the IP:
4 carrots
1 cup onion
1/2 cup celery
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Add 8 cups of water. Lock the lid on the pot, seal the pressure valve, set to high pressure, 38 minutes, warm setting off. Quick release when finished.
When finished cooking, add 4 cups chopped kale, chard, or spinach.
If you would like to add meat, add cooked chicken, sausage, Turkey.
This Texas girl grew up on good southern cornbread. It was a staple alongside a big pot of pinto beans.
Since I’ve been doing sourdough a lot lately, I thought I’d give sourdough cornbread a try. This is based on my grandmother’s cornbread recipe with a few tweaks. It’s delicious and moist, not grainy at all. You should all try it.
Sourdough Cornbread:
1 cup cold sourdough starter
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
2 tbls honey
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
Mix all the above ingredients together. Then add…
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 whole wheat
3/4 cup corn meal
1 tbls baking powder
Mix and pour in a greased cast iron skillet 8×8 casserole dish.
Might sound weird, but this is a great way to preserve your peppers whether spicy jalepenos or some other pepper.
Simply slice, spread out on a dehydrator tray, and dry at 125 degrees for about 12 hours or until crispy.
They are great sprinkled on pizza, Mexican food, or anything you want to add a little crunch to. And let me tell you, in my opinion, these are far superior to canned or picked jalapeños.
After they are dry, store in a jar until needed. I’ll tell you, I can’t grow peppers where I live, but I will buy jalapeños in bulk just so I can try them. Give it a try.
Similar to my IP Lo Mein of recipe, this is a vegetarian recipe but can easily be served with leftover meat if desired.
This can also easily be a one pot meal if you sauté the veggies in the IP liner before and remove them before cooking the noodles. If you are short on time though, set the noodles to cook in the broth and sauté the veggies on the stovetop to mix in once the noodles are done.
Vegetarian Instant Pot Ramen:
If you want a one pot meal, start by sautéing the vegetables of your choice. Today I used the ones listed below. This is a great recipe to use up little bits of a variety of vegetables that need to be eaten.
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup chard or celery stems, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 cup diced mushrooms
3 cloves of garlic, diced
4 cups chopped kale or chard
Sauté veggies in the liner of the IP and remove before adding noodles. Or sauté in a separate pan on the stovetop.
After the veggies have been removed if you sautés them in the IP liner, add….
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce or Bragg’s Aminos
8 cups of chicken or beef broth, or 8 homemade bullion cubes and 8 cups of water (the liquid should come a little less than halfway up the sides of the pot)
1 – 1 1/2 pounds thin spaghetti (I used regular spaghetti noodles the day I made this and took the pictures as I didn’t have think spaghetti on hand.)
Break the noodles in half alternating directions. The noodles don’t have to all be completely covered by the liquid but they should all be moistened. Do not stir or compress the uncooked noodles.
Lock the lid on the pot and seal the pressure valve. Cook on High Pressure, Warm setting OFF, for 3 minutes. Quick Release.
Immediately stir the noodles and add in the cooked veggies. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the past to absorb some more of the liquid.
Add meat if desired. We like to serve this with chicken strips on the side.
Though rare for me, I found that I wasn’t in the mood for coffee one day this week. But I wanted something cold, bold, and flavorful. This glass hit the spot.
Iced Chai:
Start with 8 ounces of cold water in a sauce pan and add…
3 tsp loos leaf black tea
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 knob or 1 tbls fresh ginger
3 cardamom pods
5 black peppercorns
2 tbls brown sugar
Simmer on high for 10 minutes. You want to the liquid to reduce slightly making a strong infusion. Let it cool completely.
Pour through a mesh or cloth strainer into your glass filling 2/3 full.
Add some cold milk or dairy substitute to fill the glass and enjoy!
May seem counterintuitive to go to the trouble to go to the trouble of making refried beans only to dehydrate them, but this makes a great, shelf-stable convenience food, or is excellent lightweight, easy to carry, protein packed food for a backpacking or camping trip.
I used to buy the Santa Fe dehydrated refried beans for many years. I would use them when I needed a quick lunch. But prices went up and we couldn’t afford them any more. So, I had to figure out how to make my own.
If you’re going to make these, you might as well make a lot. You can presoak and cook the beans on the stovetop, but cooking dried beans in my Instant Pot is one of my favorite uses for that appliance.
Cooking Dried Beans in the Instant Pot:
Sort 2 pounds of dried pinto beans.
Add the beans to the IP along with 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 8 cups of water.
Lock the lid and set the valve to the sealed position.
Set the Instant Pot for Pressure Cook, High Pressure, 48 minutes, Warm setting OFF.
Quick release the pressure and stir the beans.
Mash the beans using your potato masher until they are the desired texture.
Drying in the Dehydrator:
Spread them evenly on dehydrator trays as thin as possible, about 1/4” thick.
Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 12-24 hours until they are completely dry and will crumble to a powder.
Drying in the Oven:
Alternatively you could spread these on parchment paper and dry on cookie sheets in your oven on the lowest heat setting. Aim for no warmer than 150-170 degrees. You want them completely dry with no moisture left. They should crumble to a powder
Storage:
You can store in portion sizes appropriate to your family size in plastic zip-lock bags or in glass jars. 1 cup = about 2 servings.
To rehydrate:
To rehydrate the beans for a meal, add 1 cup of dehydrated beans to 2 cups of boiling water. Simmer about 5 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Estimate about a 1/2 cup dried beans per serving per person.
Do not use a bag or jar of beans if you open them and they have a strong musty smell. If this happens it is likely that all the moisture was not dehydrated out of them and that they have spoiled.
This meal works best with cold leftover rice. If you don’t have leftover rice make your rice a few hours in advance and let it cool to room temperature.
Leftover Fried Rice:
3 cups cooked and cooked brown or white rice
Start by chopping the following…
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
4-5 peeled and chopped carrots
Heat a skillet until hot. Add 4 tbls of olive oil. Sauté the onions and carrots in the skillet until the onions are soft and the edges are beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add…
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Stir in the cooked rice until it is incorporated and coated with the oil. Add a little more oil if needed.
Now add…
Frozen peas
Frozen corn
And any other veggies of choice such as chopped kale, mushrooms, etc. Cook until everything is incorporated and heated through.
Make a well in center and add 4 egg yolks if desired scrambling until cooked. (Optional)
Make another well in the center and add 1/4 cup honey and 3 tbls of soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos.
Stir util combined.
Add cooked meat of choice like leftover chicken or beef. This would option if you prefer to this dish to be vegetarian.
