Brown sugar and butter pork chops

What could be better on pork than brown sugar and butter! Yum yum!  It is so good.
It is very easy to make!

All you need is some pork chops, brown sugar, butter and a little worchestershire sauce!


1 Tablespoon of brown sugar per pork chop
1  Tablespoon of butter per pork chop
A sprinkle of worchestershire sauce on each pork chop

Bake at 350 degrees for an hour!

Its yummy! My hubby loved it!

DIY Bath Jellies!

This is a simple recipe for luscious bath jellies. Sometimes you need to have something special to take away the day. These jellies smell so good and feel very luscious on your skin. The essential oils will take you to that special place.

When I made this recipe I used Dr Bronner's lavender liquid castile soap, I love the scent, and I used lemon essential oil. It smells so wonderful! There are many recipes out there, I like to make it my own.


DIY Bath Jellies

2 packets of unflavored gelatin

3/4 cup of water

1/2 liquid castile soap (I used Dr Bronner's lavender liquid castile soap, you can use unscented or any other scent)

15 to 30 drops of essential oils. ( I used 15 drops of lemon essential oil because I used lavender scented castile soap) If you use unscented castile soap use 30 drops of essential oils. (use any scent you enjoy)

1 teaspoon of salt

1-2 drops of food coloring (optional). I used 2 drops of red food coloring

Molds or ice trays of your choice.

Body safe glitter (optional)

Sprinkle body safe glitter in your molds (optional)

Boil water and add 2 packages of unflavored gelatin, whisk until dissolved.
Add your liquid castile soap, essential oils and food coloring (if using),whisk until dissolved.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt, stir until dissolved
Pour your mixture in your desired molds.
Place in refrigerator, uncovered, for a couple of hours.

Store in cool/dry place. I keep my in the refrigerator.

Now you can enjoy your luscious bath jellies!


More to come!
theblissfulhomemaker

Easy chicken casserole with one piece of chicken.

I enjoy cooking, but I don't want to spend all day in the kitchen. This recipe is easy and it doesn't take long to cook.

Chicken Casserole

1 piece of chicken boiled and shredded.
1 bag of Vigo yellow rice
1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1. Cook the Vigo rice according to the directions

2.  In a large bowl mix the cream of mushroom soup and a 1/2 a can of water until blended.

3.  Add chicken and rice mix well. Put in a casserole dish bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

You don't have to add spices to this recipe because the rice is completely seasoned.

Enjoy!

More to come!

theblissfulhomemaker  

How to save on meat and keep it from freezer burn!

Meat prices are outrageous! I always try to buy my meat on sale. Most of the time I buy my meat in bulk. Here are some things you can do to save on meat:

1. Buy your meat on sale or marked down. At walmart every day they start marking down their meat at about 7am. Wherever you buy your meat ask them when and if they mark down their meat, you can save a lot buying it this way.

2. Keep your meat fresh in the freezer by wrapping it in wax paper. Take your meat out of the original package and wrap it in wax paper. After you wrap your meat put it in freezer bags. The wax paper will provide an extra layer of protection from freezer burn. I have been doing this for years, I have not had a problem with freezer burn.

3. Use less meat per meal. Like spaghetti, use a 1/2 pound of meat instead of a whole pound. Make casseroles they usually call for less meat. Whenever I buy pork chops on sale, especially butterfly pork chops, I cut them in half instead of using the whole chop for one serving.


Just doing these three things you can save a lot on meat and keep it fresh in the freezer. I know I have saved a lot.


More to come!

theblissfulhomemaker

Valance made with a sheet in 30 minutes

Have you ever looked at the prices of curtains? They can be rather pricey,  I don't want to pay prices  like that for curtains.

I was in a store the other day looking in the clearance section and found a twin sheet on sale for two dollars, I thought wow this pattern will go perfectly in my kitchen. The sheet is big enough to make more than one valance. So, I can make some curtains or whatever out of the rest of it.

Pinned for hem

Making a valance out of a sheet is very easy. First I folded the sheet length wise, then at the top of sheet ,where it has a hem already, I measured 16 inches and marked it with a cloth marker. I made several marks, then I cut it out. The hem that is already in the sheet will be the bottom of the valance. I measured for a 1 inch hem where I cut the sheet all the way across, then I pinned it. I made a simple stitch with the sewing machine all across where I had it pinned. Then I measured from the hem I just made two inches, I pinned that all across it. I sewed it all across where I had pinned it. Now you have made a 2 inch pocket to put your curtain rod in.

Top of sheet/bottom of valance

Get rid of ant hills!

Let's get rid of the ant hills! I have a good way of getting rid of them. All you need is grits. I know this sounds silly, but it works. I use this method all the time. It is very cost effective.

I was very skeptical about using grits this way. I noticed some ant hills in my yard, I thought, why not give it a try. I tried it and the ant hill and ants were gone in a few days.

 I don't like buying things with a lot of chemicals in them, they are harsh. If you have children or pets the less chemicals you buy the better.

When you see an ant hill just sprinkle some grits on the hill, be sure to cover the hill completely. In a few days they will be gone. You need to use plain grits not the flavored kind.

More to come!

theblissfulhomemaker 

Cornstarch-5 unusual uses

Cornstarch is a simple ingredient that you use for cooking but, you can do so many more things with it. I was amazed at how many things you can do with it.

1. Face powder
    It will absorb excess oil. It works well, I have oily skin and I use it every day.

2. Untangle knots.
     Just sprinkle a little cornstarch on the knot, and the knot will be easier to untangle.
   
3. Soothe sunburn.
     Make a paste with water and cornstarch and apply to sunburn and let it dry and rinse
     with warm water.

4. Remove odors from sneakers
    Just sprinkle corn starch in your sneakers, it will absorb the odor.

5. Get rid of oily greasy stains on clothes and carpets
    Sprinkle cornstarch on stain let sit for a awhile and launder as usual or if on carpet
     vacuum.


Cornstarch is a natural starch derived from the corn kernel.


More to come!

theblissfulhomemaker

Faux painting with glaze

Have you ever faux painted? It is so easy to do. You just have to have an imagination and a paint brush.

A few weeks ago I painted my night stands, I found it hard to pick a color that i wanted to paint them. I have an oak bedroom suit and my night stands were just primed pine. So, i thought wow I can faux paint them to bring everything together.

There are many different kinds of faux finishing. When painting the night stands I chose to use glaze. When using glaze you will need at least 2 different paint colors, you can use more than 2 if you prefer.

I picked 2 dark colors, chocolate brown and a mustard color. I painted the night stands a chocolate brown color. When the paint was dry to the touch, I mixed the mustard color paint with some glaze and gave it a stir. I used a small container. You don't need to mix a large amount, it will go along way. Then I took  my paint brush and daubed the mustard color all over the top of the night stand. It looked kind of messy. I took a plastic bag, any type will do, and I started daubing the paint over the entire top. Then I mixed some glaze with the chocolate brown color and continued with the same process. You don't need to let the paint dry in between applications ( when faux finishing) , you want the paint to blend together wet. When I was done the top of the night stand looked like a piece of leather. It was beautiful.

I always use a high quality paint brush. I prefer to use a purdy paint brush. The better the paint brush the better the paint job. Good paint brushes are pricey, so you will want clean them after each use. When I clean my paint brushes, I rinse them in hot water to get out as much paint as I can, then I squirt Dawn dishwashing liquid on them and let them soak for a few minutes. When they are done soaking I rinse them in hot water. I lay them out to dry, after they dry I put them back in their covers.

What you will need for this project:

2 paint brushes ( you can use 1, but clean brush after each use)
2 colors of paint
glaze
2 plastic bags (one for each color)

All these products can be bought at your local Home Depot store 

Before

After

Caramel Apple Cake

I love caramels and apples! Yum! This cake is soo good!


               Caramel Apple Cake


1 cup     sugar

1/2 cup butter (softened )

1 cup self rising flour

1 cup milk

1(21oz can) caramel apple pie filling


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In a 1 quart baking dish or 9" square pan, cream together sugar and butter then add flour and milk until smooth.

3. Pour the caramel apple pie filling on top.

4. Bake 25-30 mins until center is done.


I really enjoyed this cake! I had mine with a hot cup of coffee and it was delicious!

Dr Bronner's magic soap

Have you ever tried Dr Bronners 18-in-1 magic soaps? Oh my, if you haven't you don't know what you are missing! They are wonderful!

Dr Bronners liquid castile soaps and bars are 100% organic and made with vegetable oils. They come in 8 different scents and have countless uses.

I mainly use the peppermint liquid castile soap in my shampoo and hand soap. Peppermint smells so good! It gives you a little tingly feeling. You don't have to use much of it at a time, like my Mom used to say "a little dab will do you".

When I mix my shampoo I use a 1:1 ratio, one cup of liquid castile soap and one cup of distilled water. I always use distilled water because germs will not grow in it. I just mix the shampoo  in a empty shampoo bottle. My hair seems like it is healthier and grows faster since I have started using this shampoo. 

When I mix my hand soap I use a 1:3 ratio, 1/4 cup of liquid castile soap and 3/4 cup of distilled water. I just mix the hand soap in an empty hand soap bottle. You can use these ratios when mixing any of the liquid castile soaps.

Dr Bronner's liquid castile soap may seem a little pricey but, it has countless uses. It will last a long time, these soaps lather very well.  These soaps leave you feeling clean and fresh.

Peppermint shampoo

1 cup Dr Bronner's peppermint liquid castile soap
1 cup distilled water

Mix in empty shampoo bottle and give it a little shake.

Peppermint hand soap

1/4 cup Dr Bronner's liquid castile soap
3/4 cup distilled water

Mix in empty hand soap bottle and give a little shake.

You can use these recipes with any of the 8 scents of the liquid castile soaps.

More to come!

theblissfulhomemaker

Keep your shower clean in less than 5 min a day!

I like to have a sparkling clean shower all the time! When I do my hard cleaning of the shower, I want it to stay that way. I have a great way of keeping the shower clean. It does not cost a lot!

I use vinegar and dawn dishwashing liquid! ( I keep these products on hand) I also bought a dish scrubber. I mix equal parts vinegar  and dawn in the dish scrubber. You can use any dish liquid you have on hand. 

When I first get in the shower, I give it a quick scrub. While I am taking a shower the water will rinse off the cleaner from the shower.

I do this everyday to keep that shower clean. It is easier to clean when I do my hard scrubbing once a week. Happy scrubbing!

More to come!

         theblissfulhomemaker

Getting rid of spiders

I don't like spiders!  I am so thankful spiders can't fly! Oh my if they did I would have to live in a bubble.

I like to use all natural products, so i researched a way of getting rid of spiders with something natural. Ooh there is a way!

I put some distilled water in a spray bottle and added about 12 drops of peppermint essential oil, then I gave it a little shake. Ta da spider spray!

It works great! I spray it around all my doors and windows. I have not seen a spider since I started  using the spider spray!

Spider Spray

1 cup distilled water
12 drops of peppermint essential oil.

Put in spray bottle. Give it a little shake and get rid of the spiders!




More to come!

            theblissfulhomemaker

cleaning on a dime!

When I look the prices of cleaners, I am in shock! There has got to be a cheaper way to clean!

There is! Baking soda  and Vinegar! It works great!

This is how I clean with baking soda and vinegar!, I put some vinegar in a spray bottle, then I sprinkle some baking soda on whatever I am cleaning, I can hear it cleaning already! It sounds like it is sizzling! I leave it for about 10-15 mins, then I get my scrub brush and start scrubbing. When I am done scrubbing, I give it a quick rinse and it is sparkling clean!

I clean my shower, toilet, sinks (bathroom and kitchen) and counter tops with baking soda and vinegar. They are sooo sparkling clean without having to buy those expensive cleaners!

Cleaning with baking soda and vinegar has its advantages, no harsh fumes, natural ingredients and easy on the wallet!




More to come!
         blissfulhomemaker
       

cleaning a cast iron skillet!

I have read a lot of things on the web about cleaning tips. There is so much out there! Sometimes it is overwhelming. 

I want to share with you some of the things that i have read and some tips that I have learned over the years. I like to think out side the box. Sometimes I look at things and im like,  there has got to be a better way to do things? Is there a easier way? 

 I often cook bacon in my large cast iron skillet. When i get the bacon out of the pan there is a lot of grease left in the pan. I do not  like to clean the grease out of the pan. It is very difficult. 

So, i was reading on the web about cleaning pots and pans. Trying to find a better way to clean that grease out of that pan. I found a picture of someone cleaning a cast iron skillet with kosher salt. I had to try it! Oh my it worked! 

I put the cast iron skillet under hot water got as much of the grease out that i could. I put kosher salt in the pan. I then grabbed my dish cloth and started scrubbing. I didn't have to scrub hard, just rubbed the salt in the pan. Then I put the pan under hot water again and viola it was clean! It only took me about 5 minutes to clean the pan! 


More to come!
          blissfulhomemaker