Snickerdoodle Muffins

preheat oven to 350
line muffin pans with cupcake papers ( I used the tulip papers)

1 Cup unsalted butter
1 Cup sugar
2 Tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 Tsp baking soda
3/4 Tsp baking powder
3/4 Tsp cream of tarter
1-1/4 Cup sour cream
2-1/4 Cups flour

1/2 Cup sugar and 1 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling

• Cream the butter and sugar until soft.  Add the vanilla.  Add the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cream of tarter.
• Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture in the additions.  Start with the flour and end with the flour.  Scrape the bowl occasionally.
• Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Place muffin into the muffin paper.  Depending on the size of your ims, you should get about 12 muffins.  
• Bake 25 minutes at 350 or until golden brown.

Diner style food

I love diner style food!  My favorite "blue plate special" is

MEATLOAF...

not just any old meatloaf, but the kind like

Mom used to make.

A thick slice was topped with buttery mashed potatoes, French fried onions and green onions.

I wonder...do people even eat meatloaf anymore?  I recently dug out the recipe that

is sure-fire, everyone loves it...kids will even it.  THAT is what we will

have for dinner tonight...and tomorrow meatloaf sandwiches for lunch.

Just in case you would like to try this out...I will share the recipe.

Combine: 2 eggs beaten

8 oz tomato sauce

3/4 cup cracker crumbs

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 green pepper, finely chopped

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. salt

1/2 t pepper

Add: 1-1/2 lbs ground beef

Mix well and shape into a loaf.

Place in a 9 X 5 loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

now for the best part...don't skip this

Combine 1/2 cup catsup

2 t mustard

2 T brown sugar..

Pour over meatloaf and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

dazzling....windows and glass

I suppose on a rainy day, it seems a little pointless to talk about the bright sunshine pouring through the glistening windows....however, I  just have to tell you about this 

glass cleaner that works!...really works with no streaks

...for just pennies!

I have tried many glass cleaners - commercial and homemade both but this bottle of homemade wonder is 

my top choice for sure!

here is the "formula"

2 quarts of water

1 pint of rubbing alcohol

2 tablespoons of Prell shampoo

 (i found the Prell at Rosauers)

HOMEMADE laundry soap

The laundry is folded and put away....smells wonderful.  Today was the day to try out the HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP. 
It works great!...I love it!  Why, oh why, did I not do this sooner.  Think of the money we would have saved!!!  This costs just pennies per load.


I chose powdered laundry soap just because I prefer it.  However, you can also make liquid laundry soap.  These products are all okay to use in the High Energy machines.

Powdered Laundry Soap
mix together...
(all available at Wal-Mart in the laundry section)
3 Cups Borax
2 Cups Baking Soda
2 Cups Washing Soda
2 Cups Fels Naptha (or Ivory) Bar soap
 (I grated this in my food processor.
Use 2 TBSP. per load
I put this great smelling concoction in a crock sitting on top of my washer.  BONUS...great smelling laundry area.


If you prefer Liquid Laundry Soap...
2 Cups Washing Soda
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Citric Acid
Fill 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full with warm water.  Dissolve Washing Soda and Borax in water by
stirring thoroughly.  
Fill to about 2 inches from top then add citric acid, stirring again.  
Use 1 cup per load.
(I haven't tried this one)

Maybe tomorrow...

 we will talk about making something to easily 

make your windows dazzle.  thanks for reading!

Back to the basics....

Know what this is?....not blue frosting.

HOMEMADE soft scrub...you know, the stuff you clean your sinks with.  

In the year and a half we spent at the Cancer Center with Eric, I did an abundance of reading about what the chemicals we have in our homes do to our bodies and our environment. 

SO...I have gone 

back to the basics and am using HOMEMADE cleaning products.

What is not to love about this? 

 It works and am even saving money - lots of it.  

Want to know how to make this soft scrub that really does do its job?

put 1/2 cup or so of baking soda in a small bowl, and add enough liquid Dawn soap to make it the consistency of frosting.  That is it....simple.

May this be true of me..

just peachy...

The peaches are at their prime....but evidently I am not.  

This morning I thought I will just can a few jars of peaches...oh my goodness, what a mess.  I even had to mop the floor that had already been clean.  It quickly came to me why I had not canned peaches for a long time.  

When we lived in the orchard, it was so easy. We did it like we did so many things...FAMILY STYLE....assembly line with lots of fun and laughter AND it was OUTSIDE.  Thus...no mess.

 And..each jar contained not only yummy peaches but a great memory of fun.

I think we had better savor these few jars because it won't be happening again.  This summer we will just eat our way through fresh peach season and I am sure I can find a terrific bargain on canned peaches for winter.

 Anyone need a couple of blue speckled very used caners?