Homemade Laundry Soap (Powder)

1- 4 lb 12 oz box Borax, (2.15 kg or 76 oz)      found in the detergent aisle
1- 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking aisle
1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent aisle
3 bars Fels-Naptha Soap, found in the detergent aisle (you can also use 2 Zote bars instead.  Zote can be found at Home Depot)
2 Small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand equivalent (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent aisle
I also added a little bit of generic powdered Clorox 2 (you can use it on colors and whites.  It's supposed to keep colors brighter and whites whiter.)

You should be able to find all of these items at your grocery store.

Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load.  I know that does not seem like enough, but this recipe does not have fillers like the store bought detergent so you only need 1-2 T.

This detergent is fairly mild smelling;  it's not overpowering.  If you love a strong scent, you may want to add a fabric softener or laundry crystals to each load.  (I added Purex Crystals)  You can find laundry crystals in the detergent aisle.

Directions

1.  Start out by grating your Fels-Naptha soap just like cheese.  You can use a food processor or just use your hand-held grater, whatever you have.  Those of you with a HE washer may want to run the mix through the grater again to get an even finer mix.  **Don't worry- the Fels-Naptha will dissolve in your washer even if you only use cold water like me.**

2.  Toss all the ingredients into a 5 gallon bucked lined with a garbage bag.  This part makes your whole house smell great.

3.  Once everything is mixed, store soap however you like.  The recipe makes a bout 2 gallons worth of detergent.  Walmart has large glass jars in the kitchen dept.

Fromt this website:  http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html

Orange Roasted Asparagus with Almonds

Ingredients: 

Asparagus- 1 bunch

Orange juice (1 Cup)

Walnuts- (1/2 C crushed)

parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper

Directions:  Spray a 9X13 pan.  Cut ends off asparagus and lay in pan, one layer thick.  Pour orange juice over the asparagus.  Sprinkle the tops of the asparagus with salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, and walnuts.  Roast in 350 degree oven for 10-15 min.  (I like them a little crunchy!)

Mandy Cammack

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Combine:

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole corn, drained and rinsed
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped (white onions work too!)
2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 C fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Whisk the following and add to above:
2 T olive oil
1 T red wine vinegar (or any vinegar)
3-4 T lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Best if chilled for 1 hour for flavors to blend.  Serve as a side dish, eat with tortilla chips as a dip, or use as a filling in flour tortillas or pita bread, or combine with cooked rice to make a complete meal!

Roasted Carrots

12 Carrots

2 T good olive oil

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 T minced fresh dill or parsley

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise.  If not, leave whole.  Slice the carrots diagonally in 1 1/2 inch long slices.  (The carrots will shrink while cooking so make the slices big).  Toss them in a bowl with the oil, salt, and pepper.  Transfer to a sheet pan in 1 layer and roast them in the oven for 20 min, until browned and tender.  Toss the carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste, and serve.  

Garden Skillet Dinner

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, cubed (about 6 cups)
1/2 eggplant, cubed
3 anaheim peppers (mildly hot), sliced (can substitute other peppers: bell peppers or 1 hot pepper)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
3 T fresh oregano, minced (or 2 Tsp dry oregano leaves)
3 C cooked rice
Optional:  2 C cubed chicken or cooked ground beef
6 large garden tomatoes, chopped
1 C sour cream or plain yogurt
1-2 Cups grated cheese

1.  Put veggies, garlic, and oregano leaves in a large skillet.  Cover and cook over medium heat (no need to add water or oil.)
2.  When veggies are tender, stir in rice and meat.  Heat through.
3.  Spread tomatoes over the top of the contents of the skillet.
4.  Stir 1 teaspoon powdered oregano, salt, and pepper into the sour cream and dollop over the tomatoes
5.  Sprinkle grated cheese over all.
6.  Cover and heat over medium low heat just until cheese is melted.  Tomatoes will be warm but not cooked.

This recipe could easily be modified to use whatever your garden is producing.  I like to have cooked grain like rice or quinoa in my fridge so I can make a quick meal.  This only takes 30 min, start to table.  Serves 6.

The gourmet, unique flavored "sauce" comes from the mix of the juice of the veggies with oregano and sour cream.

Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini

a few pats butter

Cheese, as desired

hamburger or canned chicken

Cut zucchini into 1" cubes.  Saute them in a frying pan with butter until partially softened.  Cut cheese into 1/2" cubes to desired amount.  We use mozzarella because it melts well.  You could use any kind.  For the meat we have used hamburger or canned chicken, both tasted well.   With the hamburger, crumble and cook until browned.  Dump all ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.  Spray a 9X13 pan with nonstick spray.  Pour all ingredients into pan and cook at 350 degrees until good and bubbly (about 20-25 min.)

Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

10 tomatillos

1/2 onion (green onions optional)

2 or 3 spicy peppers (jalapeño or any kind)

1/2 stock cilantro, chopped

1/2 lime or lemon (optional)

1/2 tablespoon salt

Cook tomatillos and peppers, blend in blender.  Chop up all other ingredients and mix in.  Squeeze lemon juice on top.  You can make burritos and meat with the salsa!  

Rosie DaBell

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Ingredients

1 (4 oz) packet buttermilk ranch salad dressing mix
2 tomatillos
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 garlic clove
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeño

Directions:  Mix buttermilk dressing as directed on package.  Combine all other ingredients and mix in a blender until creamy and smooth.  Seal in an airtight container in refrigerator.  Enjoy!

Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe

To cook the tomatillos, you can either roast them in the oven or boil them.  Roasting will deliver more flavor;  boiling may be faster.  Either way works, though boiling is a more common way to cook the tomatillos.  

Ingredients:  

1 1/2 lb tomatoes 

1/2 C chopped white onion

1/2 C chopped cilantro leaves

1 T fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp sugar

2 Jalapeño peppers or 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

salt to taste.

Method:

1. Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

2a  Roasting method- cut in half and pale cut side down on a dil-lined bang sheet.  Place under a broiler for about 5-7 min. for lightly blacken the skin. 

2b  Boiling method- Place tomatillos in a saucepan, cover with water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 min.  Remove tomatillos with a slotted spoon.  

3.  Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in food processor or blender and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.  Season to taste with salt.  Cool in refrigerator.  

Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.

Makes 3 cups.

Spicy Tomato Salad Recipe

What you need

6 large tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 garlic clove
3 T olive oil infused
4 large basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
Cut tomatoes  into large chunks.  Do not make them all uniform pieces.  This lets more of the juice out into the "dressing".  Slice onion very thin so they are see-through.   Squish garlic with something flat on the bottom.  For example, you could use the flat side of a large knife or the bottom of the oil bottle.  

Combine these in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well and let sit.  The longer you let it sit, the stronger the flavors will taste.