Homemade Laundry Detergent

I had pondered for a long time whether or not I should make my own laundry soap.  I had seen it made on "19 Kids & Counting" in liquid form, however making two 5 gallon buckets of the stuff did not interest me, especially since my laundry room gets quite chilly in the winter here in Maine, and I didn't want the stuff to freeze.  So, I went searching online and on Pinterest until I came up with this recipe.  It combines a few of the recipes that I have seen and makes the best use of my local resources and my family's preference.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:

1 bar Fels-Naptha soap

1 bar Zote Pink soap

2 cups Borax

2 cups Washing Soda

large bowl

micro grater

Just a few easy ingredients.  Total time is only about 30 minutes from beginning to end.

Grate the Fels-Naptha soap with the micro-grater.  The bar is hard so it is fairly easy to work with.

Use your hands to break down the shavings even farther.  Soap will turn into a rough powder.

Grate the Zote Pink bar with micro-grater.  This is a big more challenging as Zote Pink is waxy and not hard unless you leave it sitting for a while in a cupboard.  Someone also suggested freezing the bar first, although I haven't tried this due to the condensation that could form and ruin the powders in the batch.

Work with the Zote - Fels-Naptha mixture until it is as combined as you can get it.  Try to break the Zote shavings down as much as you can, it will be easier for it to dissolve in your washer.  

After it is combined, add Borax and Washing Soda.

Combine with hands, grinding the mixture between palms to combine and use powders to further break down the Zote Pink Shavings.

This is the finished product.  It is a wonderful smelling powder that can be used in any washer.  I use 1 tbsp for small loads and 2 tbsp for large loads.

Store in airtight container to help keep out contaminants.

My family absolutely loves this laundry detergent!  It is inexpensive and works great.  I am a bit sad however that my local Family Dollar store informed me that they are not going to be carrying the Zote Pink bars anymore.  So, if this happens to you and you cannot find Zote anymore, just eliminate it and add in a second bar of Fels-Naptha.  I loved using Zote because of the smell and the pretty florescent pink color.  You can also half the recipe and do 1 bar of soap, 1 cup borax, & 1 cup washing soda.  Happy Washing!!!

Dog Food Dip

In my family, we all love fall.  There are so many fall activities we take part in.  Apple picking, pumpkin picking, corn mazes, and fall arts & crafts are some of the favorites.  However, when fall arrives, the first thing I think of is FOOTBALL!  That's right!  When September rolls around, football takes over our household on Sundays and one of the best parts of watching football is the food we get to indulge in!  Whether it is at our house or someone else's, Sunday is a time to relax, enjoy the game, and pig out!  Within reason of course.

However, our family has also become weary of carbs over the last few years, and making low carb snacks for football has become a challenge for me.  One of our favorite lower carb options is our Dog Food Dip.  It is something my husband and I concocted one day by just grabbing things out of the fridge and saying "this might be good!"  So, Dog Food Dip as our friend calls it, has become a football favorite!  There are many variations, but this is our favorite so far.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 1 pkg cream cheese
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 lb. ground beef
• Seasonings to taste

Directions:

1. Fully cook ground beef with favorite seasonings.  We like onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and a little bit of cumin in ours.
2. Next, drain ground beef and pour back into pan.  
3. Add cream cheese to ground beef and cook on medium.  Note, it is easier to melt the cream cheese if you leave it on the counter for an hour or so to soften.
4. After cream cheese has combined with the ground beef, add salsa and shredded cheese and stir while cooking until cheese has melted and mixture has combined.  
5. Remove from heat, pour into serving dish and scoop with your favorite dipping medium.  Our family likes tortilla chips (on those days when carbs aren't being watched) or a big bag of pork rinds which are carb free and add a porky flavor to the mix.  Enjoy!

Halloween Milk Jug Ghosts

I've been saving our milk/water jugs for weeks to do this one! My friend texted me this pin and I immediately fell in love with the idea! What a wonderful way to get into the spirit of Halloween. I love light up decorations of any kind, but over the years, lighting with flame has become more and more dangerous. It is so nice to have all of the battery powered light options that we have today with wonderful LED lights that will last for years. Halloween decorating has become more affordable and practical which makes it more enjoyable for my family for sure!

Supplies needed:

• Milk/water gallon jugs
• Scissors
• Battery powered or plug in white lights or chosen color
• Black Permanent Marker

To create these wonderfully cute decorations, just follow these few easy steps:

1. Gather several milk/water jugs, make sure they have been thoroughly washed out and dried.
2. Cut a hole in the back of the milk jug and insert a string of white lights, or and other color you would like.  A friend also suggested cutting holes out of each side of the jugs so that you could string lights through each jug sideways into the next one like a string of pearls.  I haven't tried this, but I am sure that would work out fine as well.
3. Use a permanent black marker to add details to each ghost like spooky faces or words such as "boo, eek, ahh" etc.
4. Place them out on your porch or front lawn and enjoy their ghastly glow!

Note: If you don't want ghosts, try a green string of lights instead and add funky faces for a collection of goblins!

Spooky Glowing Halloween Eyes!

This Halloween, I have been inspired to decorate my house more than I have in past years. With my children getting older, it is easier to have them help me with my projects to decorate the house with inexpensive, mostly homemade, decorations that will get everyone into the Halloween spirit!  This year, Pinterest has been my best friend with helping me find affordable ways to get in the spooky frame of mind.

One project I found is both quick and cheap, only a few dollars in supplies and you will have a fun, creepy outside decoration to freak out passers by and your unsuspecting neighbors!  I apologize to the farmhouse across the street, as you become my ever willing guinea pigs!




Supplies Needed:

• Paper towel or toilet paper tubes
• Glow-sticks or glow-stick bracelets/necklaces
• Scissors
• Tape

Directions:

1. First, use the scissors to cut spooky eye holes out of the paper towel/toilet paper tubes.
2. Next, wait until dark, then crack the glow-sticks and shake until entire stick has lit up.
3. Place glow-stick inside tube and tape in place.  If it is a calm night, tape may not be required, but here in Maine it gets windy and is a necessity!
4. Place in bushes, among your Halloween decorations, or even in a pile of leaves to surprise bystanders!  

Jelly Ketchup Meatballs

http://recipes.howto-get.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Grape-Jelly-Meatballs.jpg

This recipe has been in my family for years.  I originally was introduced to these wonderful little meatballs of bliss at a company pot luck.  I ate about 6 of them and went looking for the chef to find out what was in them.  When I found her, she surprised me by saying, "don't get grossed out when I tell you what's in them, okay?"  That at first made me nervous, but when I found out, I shrugged it off and ate them anyway.  When you try them, you will understand!

There are many variations on the internet and in many of my friends and families' homes, however I think the original is just fine.  You can however add spices, chili sauce, or anything else that suits you, but I like mine original, on a bulky roll, with some shredded cheddar cheese sprinkled over the top.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg frozen Meatballs, Italian or Sweetish is fine
• 1 bottle ketchup
• 1 jar grape jelly

In a crock-pot, arrange frozen meatballs evenly on the bottom.  Pour grape jelly over meatballs.  Pour ketchup onto meatballs and stir combination well.  The grape jelly will not really combine with the ketchup, but do not worry, after it melts it will all come together.  Turn crock-pot on high and leave for 1 hour.  Stir ingredients and by now the sauce should be on its way.  Continue cooking until meatballs have thawed completely and sauce has thinned.  Total cooking time is between 3-4 hours.  The sauce will thicken over time so if you are making these for an event or as a football snack, turn the crock-pot to "keep warm" and these will sure be a crowd pleaser!

Buffalo Ranch Dipping Sauce

So, over the weekend, my brilliant husband concocted a wonderful sauce that can be used on either chicken or pork with great results!  The best part is that it has only two ingredients!  Buffalo Chicken is a favorite in our household, we usually have it at least a couple of times per month.  Usually I make a Buffalo Sauce for our chicken out of Frank's Red Hot Sauce and butter.  However, one night my husband decided to make his own spin on things.  If you are a fan of Buffalo Chicken, this sauce is a must!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
• 2-3 tbsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Mix two ingredients together for a bold, spicy buffalo sauce with no need for two dipping dishes!  Add a bit more Red Hot Sauce for a spicier result.  It was even a hit with the kiddos!  Not only is it tasty, but it is quick, and stores well in the refrigerator for days!

Welcome to Lickety Splits!

I decided to start this blog so that I could share quick and easy recipes, craft projects, and other things with people whose lives are as busy as my family's.  With the world moving so quickly, even a stay-at-home home-school Mom like me can fall behind.  I am frequently looking for quick and easy ways to improve the lives of my family and friends.  So, I hope that everyone who visits this site finds something that they can use in their own lives!