Quilts

Fun quilt

Pattern
Another pattern

Homemade Cleaning Supplies

I went to a bridal shower for my youngest cousin's bride.  At the bridal shower the assignment was to share a recipe, family tradition with the bride to be.  My cousin's wife Jessica doesn't like to spend a lot of money on home cleaning supplies and she shared these recipes with the bride.   I asked for a copy because it is nice to save a few cents here and there.  She graciously shared the recipes that she has collected.

Homemade Cleaners

Warning: never mix ammonia and bleach!

Fake Windex

Here's what you need:

1 Empty Windex Spray Bottle

1/8 Cup (1oz) White Ammonia

1/4 Cup (4oz) Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol

1 Drop Laundry Detergent

Water - To Fill The Bottle

Note: These are all written for 24oz Bottles, Divide or Double (etc.) as needed

Laundry Soap

Box of Borax

Box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda

1 tub of oxy clean or a generic brand

2 bars of fels nap soap grated fine

1 bottle of Pyrex laundry enhancer

Mix all together. Store in a med. Storage bin. Use a ½ c. per load.

Dish Washer Soap

1 cup of Borax

1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

2 packets of no sugar added Koolaid Lemon Aide

Mix together well and add 1 tablespoon to each load!

(If you are making your laundry soap you already own everything except for the koolaid)

Cost to make this is $0.78 a batch and does 32 loads of dishes!

Rinse Aid

Never Buy Rinse aid again use White Vinegar (Works perfect with no smell)

Rinse aid runs $3.99 you use about $.04 of Vinegar

Fabreeze

1/8 Cup of Your Favorite Fabric Softener

2 Tablespoons Baking Soda

Hot Tap Water - To Fill the Bottle to the Top 32oz bottle

Shake it up in your Spray Bottle and you're ready to go and fight those Stinky Dog smells.

Fabreeze anywhere from $5.69 Our cost $.15 cents for 32 oz.

Clorox Cleanup

1 Empty and Rinsed-Out Bottle of Clorox Cleanup/Empty Plastic Spray Bottle

1/4 Cup Bleach

1 Teaspoon Laundry Detergent

Fill the rest of the bottle with Water and Shake

Clorox Cleanup $4.99  Our cost $0.02 (The little bit of bleach you use from the gallon that cost 1.00)

The Cure-All

5 oz. of Rubbing Alcohol

3 oz. of White Vinegar

1 tsp. of Laundry Detergent

1 tsp. of White Ammonia

2 drops of Essential Oil

Fill the remaining space with Water

Use on bathroom and kitchens

Homemade Stain Remover (Shout)

• 2/3 cups Dawn Dishwashing Liquid

(I had Palmolive on hand, so that’s what I used)

• 2/3 cups ammonia

• 6 Tblsp baking soda

• 2 cups warm water

Mix everything together and pour into a spray bottle. Before you go to use it…if it’s been sitting for awhile…give it a good shake…it does tend to separate a bit. But after a quick shake it’s good to go. You might have to clean out the sprayer as well. To use: spray on stains as you normally would.  I usually let mine “soak in” for a few minutes at least.  Then launder as usual.

Floor cleaner:

Here is the recipe:

• 1/4 cup white vinegar

• 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap (I use Dawn and it’s pretty concentrated/sudsy….so I cut this back to 1 TEASPOON)

• 1/4 cup washing soda

• 2 gallons very warm tap water (I think I added closer to 3 gallons to my bucket. I like to give the floor a pretty good soaking!)

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients into a bucket and mix well until sudsy.

2. Mop the area with the solution.

3. Not recommended for waxed floors.

Furniture Polish

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 cup of white vinegar

1 cup of warm water

Stir shake to mix well.

Use a squirt bottle for optimal useage.

Grandma Toronto's Coconut Cream Pie

Every year on my youngest brother's birthday he ask my mom to make Grandma T's Coconut Cream Pie.  The recipe has gone on vacation, been relocated, filed in an unknown spot for the past two years.    My mom loves to plan elaborate meals for his birthday, after all he is her baby and a bachelor, but most of all she loves him dearly.  Anyway to help out I have attempted to make a pie to replicate grandma's.  2 years ago I made an ok pie, but not very memorable.  This year I thought I nailed it!  My husband whose favorite pie is also coconut cream pie loved it!  But alas, my younger brother enjoyed it but I think he would prefer being the official recipe.  It dawned on me this year that, oh yeah my Aunt Maria just may have this recipe and have it documented somewhere, she's the historian of the family.  So I now have the recipe and I will place it here so mine doesn't go on vacation either.  With no further delays here it is.... along with a few other favorites...

Grandma T.'s Coconut Pie

RECIPES - Coconut Cream Pie Filling

Coconut Cream Pie - Grandma Ila's Recipe (Found in Christensen Family Recipe Collection -- Happiness Is Homemade!)

6 tablespoons flour	Combine in double boiler. (I think the whole recipe can be done in a regular saucepan -- watching and stirring so it doesn't get scorched.)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk	Add to pan and stir until smooth. Cook over boiling water 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Cover and cook 10 min. longer.  Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 tsp.  vanilla and 1 T.  butter.
2 egg yolks
1 cup cocoanut (spelling in recipe)
2 egg whites	Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar. Beat until stiff. Fold egg whites into cocoanut cream mixture.  Cool. Turn into pie shell.
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup coconut, toasted	Sprinkle with toasted cocoanut. Serve with whipped cream.

This was Uncle Chris' favorite Home Night refreshment.

Coconut Cream Pie From Betty Crocker (1991 edition - heritage recipe) this is the one I tried this year and loved it!

9 -inch Baked Pie Shell
2/3 cup sugar	2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup cornstarch	2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt	3/4 cup flaked coconut
3 cups milk	1 cup sweetened whipped cream
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten	1/4 cup flaked coconut
Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks. Stir this mixture back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in margarine/butter, vanilla and 3/4 cup coconut. Pour into pie shell. Press plastic wrap onto filling. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until set.
Remove plastic wrap. Top pie with whipped cream and 1/4 cup coconut. Immediately refrigerate any remaining pie.
Sweetened Whipped Cream:  For 1 cup whipped cream: Beat 1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream and 1 tablespoon granulated or powered sugar in chilled bowl until stiff.

Cream Pie Filling via Joan Taylor

2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar	3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup flour	1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt	2 tablespoons butter
2 cups milk	1 cup cool whip
	Cool  whip for top
In saucepan combine sugar, flour, salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture boils and thickens. Cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir small amount of hot mixture into yolks. Return egg mixture to the hot mixture and stir. Cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Add 1 cup cool whip and coconut or bananas or pineapple.  Pour into a baked pie crust and chill for several  hours. Top with cool whip. This filling cream pie filling can also be used for cream puffs.