Normally I’m all about cooking from scratch…BUT, I’m scared of baking.
I’ve been slowly learning how to bake bread, and I can make pasta (does that count?) but whenever I try and make a cake from scratch it…sucks. So for Easter, I decided to use a cake mix that was in my pantry…I’ll try not to buy any more, once they’re gone. BUT, it was there and I was feeling lazy. As I was pulling stuff out I realized, that I didn’t want to make JUST a yellow cake, from a box. So I started to think about what I could do to mess with the cake mix. I subbed white wine, a rhine, for the water, and added half a box of pudding mix, ’cause it was there too. 😀 I made the mix like normal, except I withheld the egg whites. When the batter was done, I swapped bowls and beaters in my stand mixer, and I whipped the egg whites to stiff peaks. Then folded them in. What I got was a spongy lightly wine flavored cake. IT TASTES AWESOME! Now if only I could bake a cake this delicious from scratch.
April 20, 2014
White wine cake
April 19, 2014
Homemade chocolate syrup
Weeding out all the toxic items from our diet, like high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils, can be daunting and frustrating. One of the easiest (and cheapest!) ways to do this, is to make your own food.
Chocolate milk, is a treat I denied my children after reading the ingredients on the back of the chocolate syrup bottle. And, they begged and pleaded frequently for it. Luckily for me I found this recipe after only a few months into our chocolate syrup ban. It is EASY to make, tastes JUST like the real thing, and its cheap to make. I reuse an old chocolate syrup bottle…and my husband doesn’t even suspect.
original recipe by goodthingbyjillee.com
Homemade chocolate syrup
1 1/2 cups organic evaporated cane sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
Pinch of REAL salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whisk together sugar, cocoa, and salt in a small pot. Slowly, stir in water and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Store in the refrigerator.
Doesn’t it look like the real thing?
April 17, 2014
DIY photo canvas
This is one of my favorite craft projects. So, easy and it looks awesome! My preferred size is 16 x 20. Depending on where you order a photo canvas from, this size could cost $100 or more. My DIY version costs me between $6 and $8.
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April 8, 2014
Leanna’s craft board
I made one of for myself a couple of years ago. And it gets a lot of use. I’ve tried several different ways of storing the kid’s coloring supplies. I’m always picking up crayons then looking for the crayon box/cup/holder. I also replaced the desks they weren’t using with a table, I could use too.
All natural Yeast infection salve
So long vagasil, this is my natural alternative. (sorry for the TMI)
This salve arose out of necessity. While on vacation I developed the worst case of yeast overgrowth in my you know…I was in an unfamiliar city and it was the middle of the night. There was no way I was going to be able to sleep. I went to take some ibuprofen for the swelling, when I noticed my oregano oil capsules that I take for my sinus yeast overgrowth…. Well duh, Mindy! I emptied 2 of the capsuls into some coconut oil and used it twice a day on the 2 day ride home. It helped, but didn’t completely cure the issue. So when at home I mixed this up. It works (and smells) great. 6 days on this and it cleared the whole thing up. Also helped with the immediate itching. Also, works on diaper caused by yeast and soothes the rest, my kids love it.
Mindy’s Deodorant
First off. This stuff works! It is not an antiperspirant. Most of what is on the market right now is antiperspirant that also deodorizes. This is purely a deodorant, or deodorizer. Due to the natural clay and baking soda it does absorb a little moisture but it’s purpose is to neutralize the odor that comes from sweat. And, for this purpose it’s excellent.
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