Simple Lime Shortbread Tea Cookies

Shortbread is one of my favorite building blocks for baking treats.  Press it into the bottom of a pan and cook for a few minutes... BAM! Awesome dessert crust/bottom for dessert bars. Use to make thumb print cookies or dip half of a baked cookie in chocolate and make a decorative treat!

This is what I did:

• 3/4 pound (1 1/2 cups or 3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla and lime juice.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together.
3. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and bring everything together with your hands. Wrap each piece in plastic and chill until ready to bake.
4. I chose to make mine into tiny rounds and roll them in powdered sugar once they came out of the oven :)

DIY Liquid Handsoap

I LOVE creamy hand soaps. The rich, delectable lather- the fragrance! If only there was a way to create our own... it get's expensive to buy depending on which kind you choose as your favorite! So I set out to find the perfect recipe... and guess what, ladies and gentlemen?! I have found the best one ever!
Recently I've looked at quite a few recipes, and thought I would try the one that has the least amount of ingredients (because I didn't have any liquid glycerin and I didn't feel like going to town just for that). I found one that just requires a bar of your favorite soap and water!!

What you will need:

1 bar of soap (I used what I had on hand to test it out.. Yardley- Lemongrass Verbena)
4 cups of water (I ended up using almost another gallon of water!... )

Start by grating or finely chopping up one bar of soap. Bring four cups of water to boil and then turn off the heat.  Place shavings in the hot water and stir up to dissolve.  (The soap will dissolve faster if you grate it)

Let it cool and check your handiwork! I had to heat it up slightly to make blending easier and I added more water. (Two different times! lol) It was way to thick... it was jelly for your hands! :( But PROBLEM SOLVED with more water!! :) I don't know if it was the type of soap I used or what... but I'm going to be experimenting with different types and find out! So to be safe, stick with four cups of water at first.


Another recipe I came across was one for Meyer's liquid soap... and I'm sure ya'll know how expensive Meyer's can be!! For a 4 dollar bar of soap, you can make 50 dollars worth of liquid hand soap!

1 bar of Meyer's Clean Day soap (any scent)
1 gallon of water
2 Tablespoons liquid glycerin

Using the same method as above, grate your soap and add to hot water to dissolve.  Add two tablespoons of liquid glycerin (found in the band aid isle) at the end and stir up really well.  If your soap is still too thick once it cools, use the same technique as above to loosen it up some.  Pour into a cleaned gallon milk jug to store.

Easy Jello Pin Wheels

Attention all kids, adults and anyone else:

This is so quick and easy! Fun is definitely the definition of these tasty treats :) Whip these out to impress young and old alike!

What you will need:

1 Package Jello (You choose the kind... I used Lime)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows or 12 regular sized ones. (I used a jar of marshmallow fluff because that's what I had on hand)

Put 1/2 cup of water into a small bowl and place in the microwave for 1 minute.  Add the package of Jello and stir well.  Heat again for 1 minute to ensure that the Jello is dissolved; stirring until it is all melted. Place the marshmallows in the bowl and return to the microwave for 40 seconds or so, until they are slightly melted and puffed up. Remove from the microwave and whisk together. Set aside. Get a 13x9 pan and LIGHTLY spray it with a non-stick cooking spray. Take a paper towel and use it to spread the Pam around really thin. Pour the prepared marshmallow/jello concoction into the pan and spread it around with a spatula or a spoon. Stick it in the refrigerator and chill until set up.  Once Jello is chilled run a spatula around the edges to unstick. Roll into a log and cut with a knife or use string to cut it into sections.

Ta da! PRESTO! It's all that you have to do and it is so easy and good! Most of these things are supplies that you will have in your kitchen.

Tater Tot Casserole

Things You Will Need:
Hamburger (I used elk burger- YUM!)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of frozen corn
Generous amount of tater tots :)
Johny's seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown your hamburger in a medium skillet or non-stick pan and drain excess fat.  If you are using wild game (Hello! THE best possibly of all time!) do not drain... leave all the good juices and such... since wild meats are low in fat this will help keep things juicy! :)  Spoon the cooked meat right into the bottom of an oven-safe deep casserole dish or 9x9 pan.

2. Open up a can of cream of mushroom soup and pour directly onto the meat. Do not mix with milk or water as directed on the can... leave it just the way it is~ creamy goodness!

3. Toss in the frozen corn.... and a few tater tots.  Toss everything up like a wild woman (or man... lol).

4. Top with the rest of the tater tots and pop in the oven to bake until bubbling and the tots are crispy- 20 minutes roughly.

New Property

11.5 acres.  A LOT of work. Summer is coming, along with dryer weather - boy oh boy!! I'm so excited! There are all sorts of possibilities and options for what is to come- and I'm ready to get started! I took some pictures the other day when we were out walking Toby and letting him run-a-muck and chase sticks. It was a beautiful, bright and sunny day... made me think of summer time! :)

Got a little bit of mud on the tires :)

Chocolate Raspberry Tarts

Ingredients:

Large container of raspberries

1 box of double chocolate oreos

Raspberry jam

1 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup Peanut butter

I don't ever measure anything, but I'll try to give you correct measurements ;)

Take roughly 10 oreos and place inside of a zip lock bag.  Crush up to a fine dust with a rolling pin. This becomes your "crust" so the finer you can get the cookies, the better.

Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Take a couple heaping spoon fulls of peanut butter (should be roughly 3/4 cups) and heat it in a small saucepan until it is creamy and easy to work with.

Remove from heat and mix with crushed oreos.  Us a spatula to get all of the peanut butter mixed in.

Scoop a fair amount into your tart pans and use your fingers to press first on the sides, then the bottom of the pan.

Place the raspberries on top of the oreo crust.

Place 1 cup of chocolate chips into a small sauce pan and melt.  Place into a small plastic baggie and set aside to cool down a little bit.

Place a 1/2 cup or so of raspberry jam into a small plastic baggie and cut off one of the corners just a tad.  Squeeze zig zag lines across the top of the dessert-

Repeat with the chocolate.

Enjoy!!

1,000 Page Views!

Yeowza! I just hit 1,000 page views today!

Thank you all so much for being diligent in following my posts... leaving me comments and giving me feed back on my Facebook! This is so awesome and I never thought that I would get this many views so fast!
Please feel free to comment on posts and let me know what you think, things you would like to see more of, things you don't care for even, and projects you think I should tackle!

Thank you, again, it is a blast!

xo ~ Maleah Rae

Marinaded Chicken With Lemon Penne Pasta

The crew!!

Lemon chicken marinade:

• Olive oil
• Juice of four lemons
• Dijon
• A tiny bit of honey
• Italian seasoning
• A dash of salt

Pound four chicken breasts until they are a uniform thickness...then marinate them in the above concoction for about 12-24 hours. 

Slap those puppies on the BBQ...

Make pretty grilling marks, because the world will love you for it :) Set the chicken aside and slice later to put on the lemon basil pasta.

Pasta Sauce:

• 4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced
• 1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente
• 1/2 stick Butter
• 3 whole Lemons, Juiced
• 3/4 cups Heavy Cream
• 1/4 cup Half-and-half
• 1-1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped
• Handfull of cherry tomatoes, halved

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons. Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot. Shred cheese and dump in and whisk until melted.

Add salt and pepper. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Saute cherry tomatoes- then toss in with the pasta. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top, then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!

Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups

I think every kid loves fruit roll-ups.  My hand is definitely raised to this one... I love fruit leather! I hate the prices that are tagged on store-bought fruit snacks, and they have alot of added sugars and preservatives.
Include your children in this one.. this can become a fun and very special treat for them!

What you will need:
Choose your fruit: I used nectarines, strawberries and raspberries for mine.
Sugar (Optional)
 Baking sheets
Parchment paper
Sauce pan

Let's start with the nectarines.  Start by washing, halving and pitting them up.  If you are using strawberries and raspberries (or any other fruit) cut into smaller pieces to make it easier for them to cook down.

Yum! Ripe strawberries :)

Washed, and cut- ready to cook down!

Place In a saucepan and cook on a medium high heat for 15 to 20 minutes until your fruit cooks itself down into an apple sauce texture.  There is no need to add any water- as long as you keep stirring, it won't burn.  At this point, take a pair of tongs and take out the skin from the nectarines and throw it away. Be careful if little ones are helping- this will be VERY hot!!

Add some sugar if desired- this also helps to create a thicker sauce for your fruit leather.  The natural sugar in the nectarines will be enough though if you choose to not add any additional sugar.

Smash and mash everything up super, duper good.  Use an immersion blender if you have to- get the fruit as smooth as you can.

Line your baking sheet (I used sheets that had a lip on them in case of any spills) and spoon the cooked fruit right onto the parchment paper. Make sure the fruit gets spread as close to the edges as you can, and try to make it thin.  The thicker you spread it, the longer it takes to dehydrate.

Strawberry!

Nectarine :)

Turn your oven on to the lowest setting it has to offer.  (Mine was 170 degrees) Leave it on until it beeps, saying that it is to temperature.  Turn off the oven, letting it cool almost all the way back down.  Keep turning the oven on and off until the fruit is tacky to touch. (2-3 hours)

This is the hard part- trust me! You will start smelling the goodness and your mouth will start watering after just the first few minutes! :)

After your fruit leather is tacky, take it out of the oven and let it cool.  Take kitchen scissors and cut it into strips length-wise and roll it up to make your fruit roll-ups! Store in the fridge.... and eat when you are craving some goodness!! :)

Laundry Detergent

I am stoked! Not even just a little bit.  I'm so excited to share this with ya'll... I've practically told EVERYONE that I come in contact with!!  I found THE BEST recipe of all time online-

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT!!

I am tired of paying high prices for laundry detergent that is basically filled with fillers and fragrance.  When I broke it all down I realized that alot of the agents in laundry soaps are sudsing properties. So, online I went- to search for that perfect remedy.
Needless to say, I found it! So- hold on tight-  here we go!!

THINGS TO BUY:
2 gallon bucket (for mixing it up in... I used a $5 cereal bucket and it has a pour spout, too!)
Cheap, Dollar Store cheese grater
Inexpensive sauce pan
1/3 Bar Fels Naptha soap (I found mine at Wal*Mart) You can also use Ivory or Zote, but use the whole bar
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (NOT regular baking soda)
1/2 cup Borax

Start by grating 1/3 of the Fels Naptha soap.  If you choose to use a different type of soap, grate the whole bar. 

Bring six cups of water to a boil in your large sauce pan.  Take off the heat and add the soap shavings. Melt all the way down until you have milky, soapy water.

Add the 1/2 cup of Borax and washing soda.  Dissolve in the hot water. 

Pour four cups of hot water into your waiting bucket. (The bucket you will use to store the soap)

Now pour in your soap, Borax and washing soda mixture and give it a good stir.  You should start to see it thickening up on top.

Add 1 gallon, plus six cups of water and stir to your heart's content.

Let your creation sit for at least 24 hours.  You may need to give it a stir if it starts to separate if you have to much water on the bottom prior to use. If your soap turns out way to thick, add some more water and beat it up.

Use 1/2 cup per load of laundry.

If desired, add 1/2 to 1 ounce of essential oil for scenting it! :)