We Like Making Our Own Stuff

This post is written especially for my homesteader friends--maybe you are raising pigs, or going in on a pig with someone--make sure you get that lard, and render it!  Not only is it great for cooking, but it also makes a nice bar of soap. Properly rendered lard should be white and fairly odorless.

Father's Day is this weekend!  Did you find the perfect gift for that special Dad in your life yet?  If the Dad in question has a sense of humor and likes to smell good, then I have a great idea for you: Smelly Balls Sounds gross, right?  Don't worry, it's not what you think!  These balls are made out of clay, and they actually smell good. You can infuse these balls with your favorite essential oils, and then use them to freshen any space.  They work great for dresser drawers, closets, cars, lockers, bathrooms, or even in shoes.  They are so fast and easy to make, and your favorite dad will likely get a good chuckle from the silly name.  They can also be personalized for the recipient; when I made these for my husband, I had each of our children dip a finger into some cinnamon, and then press it into the clay, so that each ball would have a child's fingerprint on it.

Whoopie pies, made popular by the Amish, are a dessert sandwich made by enclosing a vanilla frosting between to chocolate cake-like cookies.  This recipe has been modified somewhat from it's original Amish version however, mainly to substitute a healthier fat for the shortening that was initially called for.

Graham crackers have been on my "To-Do List" for quite some time, so I finally decided to tackle the project.  Fortunately, it wasn't even much of a project; graham crackers are surprisingly easy to make. By making your own graham crackers, you can avoid some of the less desirable ingredients used in most grocery store shelf, boxed products--namely the high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oils.  You also have the ability to adjust : The type and amount of sweetener used .  For example, you can use all honey if you'd like, or substitute molasses, which is a sweetener that would complement a graham cracker well. If you decide to try a different sweetener, keep in mind that you may need to adjust the amount of flour.  The type of fat used.   You could try coconut oil, lard, or tallow in place of the butter.  Perhaps you'd like to try olive oil?  Or even substituting half the fat with a fruit puree, like bananas or applesauce? ...

I purposely made extra meatloaf so that I could try this recipe out, it sounded so delicious.  It combines two of my favorites:  meatloaf and fried breading. The recipe should be useable for any meatloaf, as long as it holds its shape once chilled, so that it can be sliced and breaded.  The recipe we use is my husband's, and it came from his Betty Crocker cookbook .  He has modified it over the years, perfecting it for our family's tastes (the most important modification is the topping--ketchup, bbq sauce, and honey). So, the next day, when your leftover meatloaf has chilled into a firm lump, you can slice it up, bread it, and fry according to the recipe.  I served the meatloaf with a basic beef stock gravy, but I would imagine that a white country gravy would be just as tasty.  It also would be delicious served on homemade buns for sandwiches.  The recipe can be halved, double, tripled--whatever you need to do to get the right proportions for the ...

Are you a procrastinator like me?  There's nothing like last minute.  Luckily, time crunches can inspire great ideas. This Valentines Day card is very simple, requires minimal supplies, and above all else, is creative and handmade.  The ultimate display of affection is assembling something with your own massive, callused, hairy hands. All you will need is: Heavy paper (Use what you have:  card stock, a cereal box, a manilla folder, even construction paper will work in a pinch) Newspapers, magazines, junk mail (Anything with lots of big letters printed on it) Scissors Glue Markers  The assembly is quite simple: First, fold the heavy paper in half to form a card. Next, cut out letters from newspapers and such to make a message of your choice.  Since the card has a ransom letter look to it, you may want to make your message pretty ransom-ey. Cut out hearts from any kind of paper you'd like.  I used a combination of construction p...

It was one of the first things I learned when I began making my own soap; I read it in books and on the internet: "Always keep a jug of vinegar on hand when you are working with lye.  Vinegar neutralizes lye." Soapers, have you heard this?  Do you practice the habit of keeping vinegar nearby when you make your soaps?  So did I, until recently, when I read an interesting post on a soap forum, and then decided to research the claim myself.