Pineapple Mint Julep Recipe

For those who love a nice refreshing beverage, here's a nice cool pineapple one! Put your glasses or mugs into the freezer to really make your drinks make that splash with your guests or family and friends at your house tonight! This is my version of an oldie but goodie recipe!

Ingredients:

6+ sprigs of fresh mint
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
2 cups ginger ale (diet is fine too, or flavored seltzer)
1 cup Alcohol of your choice - Bourbon is traditional, but I would use vodka or white rum too with super excellent results.
Ice
Pitcher
Wooden spoon or wooden potato masher

Directions:

Put rinsed mint into pitcher, take leaves off their stems.
Add lemon zest.
Add sugar on top of mint and zest.
Mash for at least one or two minutes really well, bruising the mint.
Add lemon juice and let stand for 15 minutes.
This is when you call your GF to come on over for early evening drinks if you already haven't done so.
Add pineapple juice, ginger ale.
***For extra decadence, wet rims of cold glasses with a little of pineapple juice or lemon, then place glass down into small plate with a little sugar so that the rims are covered in sugar.
Put ice into drinks, add alcohol to desired amount, then add mix into drink.
Add fresh sprig of lime.
Makes almost 8 cups, enough for 4 people having two drinks.
Photo from timeinc.com

Remove Water Rings On Wood Furniture Organically

Who knew - the wonder's of mayonnaise - full flavor and all the fat please - but do you have rings on your good furniture - we have used this trick for years - and it really works fantastic...no need to restain your antiques.

Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 or 2 paper towels
6 hours or more needed to let stain be naturally removed... see below

Directions:

Locate ring from leaving your favorite ice tea or other cold drink that has now left a water mark on your Grandmother's passed down antique table top.
Grab full fat mayonnaise (miracle whip ok too here folks)
Spread 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise covering water ring.
Gently place paper towel over water ring and slabbed on mayo- it's more to remind you that the mayonnaise is there than anything else while keeping the area moist.
We used to leave it over night, but by 6 hours, wipe clean and voila, water ring is removed.
Why does this work??? The fat in the mayonnaise gently gets reabsorbed into the water ring mark leaving you and your favorite antique table top looking fantastic...
This is great in the summer when people forget to use coasters under their iced drinks...

Warm Hot Dogs For Kids Lunch Boxes Recipe

My mom used to do this for me when I was a kid, and I would become the envy of all the other kids, since I was served a warm lunch and was eating a kid fave! - Hot dogs for lunch while others ate their boring sandwiches! Neat trick, easy to do, you are going to think, now why didn't I have a mother who did this? No more boring cheese and mayo sandwiches ever again! I couldn't stand those!

Ingredients:

1 or 2 hot dogs
1 or 2 hot dogs buns
1 thermos tall enough for two hot dogs to go into.
plain white twine or string
boiling water
your kids favorite packets of ketchup, mustard, etc.

Directions:

You will feel like you are very artsy and craftsy with this, but its fun to do and oh so easy!
Great to do when you know its going to rain that day your kid goes to school.
Tie strings with a simple bow around hot dogs and make string long enough to reach outside the thermos.
Place hot dogs with strings inside thermos, with long string hanging up and out of thermos.
Pour boiling water inside thermos.
Close up thermos - the one I had, never leaked, so I would test try this to find the right thermos that closes even though there's a string(s) hanging outside of it.
Wrap up the one or two hot dog buns as needed.
We never went to fast food restaurants when I was a kid, so my mom made homemade ketchup packets out of waxed paper and staples (hilarious looking but it worked!)
By the time its lunch time, the hot dogs are 'cooked' and ready to eat.
When it's the kids time for lunch, they simply go to a sink, open up the thermos, pour off the water, holding on to the string so their hot dogs don't go down sink of course and then sit down and prepare themselves their hot dogs just the way they like them.
Other kids will drool looking at your kid enjoying their hot meal, while looking at their own sagging and sogging white bread plain old sandwiches while you kid enjoys relishing in having a hot meal for lunch!

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff Recipe

This recipe came to me by way of a friendly food pal Tippy St. Clair and she was nice enough to allow me to share this with you. Since so many of us are doing our best in making things organic and from scratch, when your kids are asking for a fluffanutter sandwich, you can happily make up a batch of homemade fluff to your hearts content, ok to your kids' happy content!

I quote Tippy: "It is impossible to get marshmallow fluff over here. I've had this recipe for years and it goes around the world with me. I keep a copy in the back of my passport!"

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine egg whites, corn syrup and salt.
Mix with mixer on high speed for 10 minutes (or until thick).
Add in icing sugar.
Beat on low speed until well blended.
Add vanilla and mix until blended.
It's now ready to use or store.
*To make strawberry fluff, substitute strawberry flavoring for the vanilla and add one or two drops of red food coloring.
This recipe may be frozen for later use.
Remove from freezer and stir until fluff is mixed.
It can be kept in the refrigerated for up to 1 week,.
Stir well with a spoon before serving
**You can use this in any recipe that calls for marshmallow creme/fluff.
Equivalents:
1 tablespoon Marshmallow Cream = 1 large marshmallow
3 oz Marshmallow Cream = 85g = 1 cup Marshmallow Cream
7 1/2 oz Marshmallow Cream = 200 g = 2 1/2 cups = 32 large marshmallows
16 oz Marshmallow Cream = 450g = 5 cups = 5 1/2 dozen large marshmallows

Sandwich Ideas: Make an amazing nutella, peanut butter and your homemade fluff on toast - super good! Make your own fluff filled cookies, use a dollop on ice cream and even use this as a filling in cakes.

Organic Floor Cleaning Recipe And Other Vinegar Uses To Have Handy

History shows that Vinegar has been used for many centuries for a variety of uses, not just as a past of a salad dressing which we commonly use today. As I try to be more aware of where my products come from, being more 'green' and organic in my life, I want the simplest methods to help clean my house and by chance it is one of the cheapest products one should always have in your cupboards. White Vinegar.

I started to learn more and more about this simple liquid we always had in my cupboards when I was a kid - and thought you only use it when you boil eggs for Easter. Having since grown up, I have learned the many medical uses of vinegar, but until recently I wasn't aware how many fantastic uses this simple affordable liquid had.

I like clean floors and who doesn't? This is excellent to use for those sensitive to cleaning products or those with horrible allergies. Having two pets in the house doesn't help, but since I have been washing the floors with this solution, the house is left super clean and you are not hurting your nose, pets or the environment with this one.

Ingredients:

White Vinegar (I usually buy a gallon for less than $3-)
Hot water
One Pail
One mop
One or two messy floors

Directions:

Not only does this remove any grime, even on wood floors, it removes any trace of pet stains and related scents.
My dog has not made a mistake in the house since I have been doing this, and my house is all wood floors. This also helps prevents those little ants from finding anything sweet on your floors to tell all their pals to come on over in a line to check it out.
I learned this trick a month ago from a pal of mine who works managing a very wealthy family's estate and they use this to clean their antique wood floors, so I thought, heck, if its good enough for them, then I just 'has' to try it.
I was super amazed at how clean the house smelled afterwards, loved that I wasn't hurting the environment, blah blah blah... you get the idea.
Use 50/50 ratio of hot water and the vinegar.
Mop away to your hearts content. Allow floors to dry. No need to rinse.

Here are a few more finds I found with this amazing ingredient:

First Aid

• Relieve the itch from poison ivy and reduce swelling by applying directly to the affected area.
• A cotton ball soaked in cider vinegar held to an insect sting brings relief.
• Soothe a jellyfish sting by dousing the area with vinegar.
• A quick dose of vinegar on a burn will prevent blistering.
• Apply directly to the skin as an antiseptic for cuts and abrasions; reduces swelling and promotes healing. Vinegar is a natural antiseptic.Use a washcloth soaked in vinegar and place all over your sunburns, takes out the sting asap - I personally have done this back in the days when I used to sun - it totally works. - Might sting just a bit but only for the first few seconds, but instantly cools down and sting is gone.
• Mix equal parts honey and apple cider vinegar together to soothe a sore throat.

Cooking:

• A tablespoon of vinegar added to eggs before scrambling adds zest.
• A few drops of vinegar in pasta as it boils makes the pasta less sticky.
• Soak your favorite dried beans in apple cider vinegar overnight and rinse completely to lessen the gas they create.
• A little vinegar in the water will keep egg whites from running out if it cracks when boiling.

Cleaning and Deodorizing Gear:

• Use a half and half solution of vinegar and water to clean up tough stains on plastic or on metal kitchen utensils.
• Clean and deodorize plastic coolers with vinegar and water. Follow with washing in soap and water.
• Remove stubborn stains in pots by soaking in vinegar for thirty minutes. Ditto with cleaning your coffee pots. Wash using hot soapy water. Another method; fill the pot with a solution of 3 tablespoons of vinegar to a pint of water. Boil until stain loosens and can be washed away with soap and water.
• Wash your hands with vinegar after cutting onions, garlic, peppers or cabbage to remove the smell.
• A cup of vinegar added in the rinse cycle will deodorize clothing smelling of campfire smoke or other odors.
• Have any seriously burnt pots and pans? Soak pan with enough vinegar to cover the bottom completely. Let soak for at least 6 hours, burnt crusty food particles remove with little effort. I personally saved a 60 year old pan the other day that had belonged to my mother and I thought the pan was a goner, I was super relieved when I remembered and used this trick she taught me

Gardening

• You can put vinegar in a spray bottle, and squirt at your hearts delight on weeds to destroy them naturally without ruining underground water. Simply spray into the crevices and cracks on the cement and your on your driveway cracks to rid of weeds naturally.
• You can spray vinegar on your sand box to help keep your kitty from doing their business where your children play.
• Add a couple of tablespoons to flopping cut flowers with fresh water in a vase will help perk up the cut flowers.
• Cleaning your hummingbird feeder with vinegar is way healthier than leaving any soap deposits which is actually very harmful to hummingbirds.
• Speaking of birds, you can also use a 50/50 ratio of vinegar and water to clean out a bird bath and bird feeder to keep everyone happy and chirping strong.

Laundry:

• Using 1/4 to1/2 cup in your wash not only brightens whites, it attacks harmful mold and mildew.
• Vinegar is a natural fabric softener - don't use toxic laundry sheets anymore! Pour 1/4 cup into your final rinse to leaves clothes soft and free of soap compounds.
• Remove winter's melting snow salts on your boots, by wiping them down with a solution 50/50 of vinegar and water.
• Need to clean those antique white linen napkins especially if they have ketchup or red wine spilled on them? But them in a large pot of water, and add 1 cup of vinegar. Slow boil for one hour, then rinse and put them out in the sun to dry. My mother did this all the time and those linens were always crisp white!
  

There are so many more uses for vinegar is almost ridiculous and impossible to mention all of them here. One thing to note is that vinegar is a safe alternative to clean virtually anything with around you, your family and home safely without harming you, your family, your pets and the environment.

I have a squirt bottle now that is at the ready at any time I may need it. It is filled with 50 percent water and 50 percent vinegar and I use it almost daily as I go about my business in keeping my home clean and our environment healthy.

This is a great solution too for those who are super sensitive to cleaning products and who have allergies. Using white vinegar is a huge win-win solution in my book, try it today! You will be glad and healthier when you do!

Butterscotch-Coffee Dessert Sauce Recipe

I went all out last night, after purchasing some coffee ice cream, I got to thinking - why not try my hand at making up a butterscotch/coffee/caramel dessert sauce... well this is it! Sauce thickens upon cooling even more, serve over your choice of ice cream/pound cake/brownie - you get the idea - over anything! A little warning, if you are a lover of coffee, this sauce is easily addictive.

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup coffee (I used my left over freshly ground hazelnut coffee.)
3/4 cup light corn syrup
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 heavy skillet over low heat
whisk and one good arm

Directions:

Produces about 2 cups of sauce. Serve it over ice cream/pound cake, etc.
Put both cream and coffee together and stir, then set aside.
Careful while cooking sugar, as this will be very hot.
Put sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in skillet or deep heavy pot.
Caramelize the sugar in the heavy skillet over low heat stirring constantly.
Let sugar melt completely and then remove from stove top.
With pot off of heat, carefully pour in both cream and coffee.
Return to heat and boil slowly until thickens or until it reached 228 degrees.
Remove from heat once again and add vanilla.
Let cool down a bit before serving.

Now if you only wished to make a butterscotch sauce, you can use 1 cup of cream versus the 1/2 cup of coffee and 1/2 cup of cream as the recipe calls for. This is a delectable dessert sauce that is so much better than anything you could buy in the store - and frankly at roughly 50 cents per serving, it is not only way cheaper, but you know every ingredient you have put in to make this delicious sauce.

To store, I normally reuse a clean glass jar with lid (like a jelly jar) and keep the sauce in the refrigerator. This will keep for at least three weeks, though I doubt it will last that long in your refrigerator once the word gets out.

Leah's Easy Italian Bread Recipe

I made this over the weekend with the 'rapid-rise' active dry yeast with super excellent results, I can't keep my paws off the loaf. The olive oil and honey made this bread slightly sweet, yet light and airy. Not dense at all.

A great easy recipe to make allowing the bread machine to do all the hard work in making the dough while you go about your chores, you let it rise only once after you shape it, and yet you get the homemade taste we all seek and crave.

An amazing smell will assault your kitchen, a warning to the wise.

Ingredients:

Cooking time does not include the time it takes your bread machine to run through its dough cycle, mine takes an hour and half.
I let my dough rise once shaped into a baguette shape, maybe 30 minutes, until it doubled - though it was a nice warm day today in the kitchen.
While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. - You will be baking your bread for 25-30 minutes.
3-1/4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons Rapid-Rise Yeast - its a super active dry yeast (its packaging is bright yellow and pink)
2-1/2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons olive oil.
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg - for an egg wash right before you bake your bread, it leaves a beautiful shine to your bread and helps to allow the sesame seeds to stick.
lots of sesame seeds (optional but oh so good)
1-1/3 cup warm water (120 degrees)
Cookie sheet and parchment paper
Clean dish towel
If you have a gas oven (ONLY) use of one or two ice cubes. Do not add ice cubes to the floor of your electric oven, you could actually ruin your oven.

Directions:

My bread machine requires the yeast to be added last, if your requires the yeast to added first, then do it in that order then add the flour and lastly the 'wet' ingredients.
Select the dough cycle on your bread machine.
Add warm water, then add honey, olive oil, salt.
Add flour, then make small well, and add yeast.
Turn on bread machine.
Be ready once bread machine has finished its dough cycle, turn out dough onto floured surface.
Turn on oven to 375 degrees.
Let rest five minutes.
Put parchment paper on cookie sheet.
Then grab dough and knead for five minutes, then throw between hands as you see the pizza makers do, to soften the gluten in the dough.
You can either roll (or do what I did) stretch out into rectangular shape with your hands, then roll up, into baguette shape.
Place rolled dough with ends under and seal down onto the parchment paper on the cookie sheet.
With knife, make diagonal slices onto top of bread.
Cover with clean dish towel and let double in size - this can take anywhere from 30-100 minutes depending upon warmth in your kitchen.
Break egg in bowl, and whisk.
Uncover doubled bread dough, and using beaten egg, wash bread dough with egg wash all over, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. The more sesame seeds the merrier I feel.
Place into your preheated oven and let bake for 25-30 minutes.
If you have a gas oven, add 1 or 2 ice cubes to bottom of oven to help create steam in your oven during the first 10 minutes of cooking - helps create a super tender loaf of bread.
Photo is of actual load I baked, roughly 4-5 inches tall and at least 14 inches long before I started eating it...lol.