Scones or Fry Bread

Where I come from Fry Bread is called Scones.  On this post, they can be used interchangeably.

Quick and Easy Scones

4 C Flour
8 tsp Baking powder (I use a lot less)
1 tsp Salt
1 C Dry milk
2 C Hot water

Mix ingredients.  Knead well. Let stand 10 mins.  Fry pieces in hot oil.

A Good Fry Bread Recipe
4 C flour
1 Tbsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp powdered milk
1 1/2 C warm water

Mix ingredients.  Knead for about 10 mins. Rise for 30 mins.  Form scones and fry in hot oil.


Fry Bread my Grandma claims is "the best one"

2 1/2 C warm milk
4 C flour
2 heaping Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 C potato flakes

In large bowl add potatoes to warm milk.  Add the rest of the stuff.  Knead dough till soft and elastic.  Cover and rise for 30 mins.  Form scones and fry in hot oil.


Toppings!
Honey, butter, and Jam
Chili, Cheese, and Sour Cream



Recipes come from Blue Mountain Home Cook'n

Windows and Mirrors

I have a friend who once owned a window washing business. He laughed at the thought of buying expensive cleaning products.

The thing that got windows (and mirrors) the cleanest... soap and water.  Yup, that's it.  A little soapy water and dry with a microfiber cloth (or a paper towel).

Now that's a cleaning product I can afford.

Hand and Face Wipes

Hand and Face Wipes

Moisten strong paper towels with water.  Store in an air tight container.  Safe and gets the remains of lunch off a little one's face.

Oatmeal Facial

I have never had a facial, but I knew you could do them at home and wanted to try. I experimented with different facials and face scrubs.  For blackhead I bought a scrub and did not like it. I tried a baking soda mixture, but it stung; perhaps I rubbed to hard. I even tried the elementary trick of drying glue on your face.  Gross!  It smells and is ineffective.  It may even be bad for your skin, I know inhaling it is bad for you and it takes forever to dry.  Anyway, I tried a honey one.  I guess it was nice, but very, very messy.  And then there was the day I washed my hair...

I have also been looking into homemade or alternatives to shampoo and conditioner.  Oatmeal was one of them.  Some sites suggested putting baking soda in it. I love baking soda, but did not want it on my head. Instead I used finely ground oatmeal with a dab of honey.  The mixture was fairly runny.  As I poured it over my head I thought, "Did I really just pour breakfast on my hair?"  The results as I began working it through my hair were frightening.  Knowing unless some magic happened when my hair dried that I would never try this mixture again, I decided to go all out. Scrapping the last remains out of the bowl, I began to rub the oatmeal on my face and what I experienced was amazing!

It was soft, it didn't sting, I wasn't afraid of getting it in my eyes, and it made my skin feel great.  Unintentionally, I have discovered the best facial mixture.  My skin was less dry after my shower too, and the desperate need for moisturizer was gone, so perhaps it moisturized as well.

The Best Facial
Finely ground oatmeal and a dab of honey.  
Mix with warm water until desired consistency. 
Rub over moistened face.  
Wash off.  
Pat dry.



Let me know how it works for you.

Mouth Rinse

While talking with acquaintances from Japan, the topic of mouthwash came up.  (You'd be surprise at how many random topics can creep into a conversation.)

My friends thought mouthwash was a strange concept.  When another friend asked what they use, they simply replied, "Salt."

It made me think of all the money I spent on mouthwash and how a simple solution of salt could be doing perhaps better than many of the mouthwashes out there.


Salt Mouth Rinse
1/2- 1 tsp Salt
1 C water

Store in a bottle with lid for future use.

If you prefer mouthwash ACT fluoride is a good alcohol free choice.  Once again I'd buy the generic version.

Food Posioning

"I don't do fish!" as a wedding planner once said.

Yes, I have cooked fish on rare occasions. No, I will never post a recipe.


I believe fish was the culprit for a horrible bout of food poisoning I had.  Either that or the Chinese Buffet   Either way, it was fish or something like it, that made my insides turn.

Refrigerate leftovers within an hour and don't keep leftovers longer than 3-4 days.

Here is a link discussing leftovers
mayo clinic- How long can you safely keep left overs


And another discussing storage times
Food Safety


I have, however, kept other foods for up to a week, and just reheated till they were hot (over 160 degrees) before serving.  This kills any bacteria that may be growing.

Update:
Ha!  Turns out it was the 24 hour flu my husband (who ate neither) got it the next day and my extended family (who watched my daughter) got it the following day after him.

Germ Killer

Vinegar is great for disinfecting things, but if your really want a germ free zone a mixture of bleach is the way to go.  And it's virtually free.

Fill a 16 oz spray bottle with a cap full (about 1/2-1 TBSP) of bleach and water.  Use it to get a really clean hard surfaces.

WATCH OUT: This will ruin clothing and other fabric.  For hard surfaces only!  Keep away from children!

Every new day you want to use it make a new mixture as bleach does tend to break down in the water.

Update:  I have learned even bleach sitting in its container breaks down once exposed to air.  I have also learn hydrogen peroxide is an effective cleaner.

Someone suggested spraying a surface with vinegar and the the peroxide for a super powerhouse clean.  Haven't tried it, but might be worth it.

Two Power House Cleaners

If I could only use two items to clean my house for the rest of my life I would chose baking soda and vinegar  (And not just because they are great in cooking too)  That being said, please use different baking soda and vinegar for your cooking and cleaning.   The thought of cleaning up messes and then making something good to eat is kinda gross to me. 

These two power houses do wonders on their own
baking soda cuts through grim and grease and freshens as it goes,
vinegar disinfects and freshens too.

And more, but when combined they become a super power.  It's like the Power Rangers. On their own they are tough, but when they combined their robotic animals they became invincible and could beat any foe.  (Did I really just compare cleaning to Power Rangers?)  Turtles are better, but they don't have a super robot....Back to the topic.

Besides really cool volcanoes, vinegar and baking soda are and acid and a base.  (Which is the reason for the volcanic reaction)  That reaction is also great for wiping away grime.




All purpose cleaner

1/2 C Vinegar (White)
1/4 C Baking Soda
1/2 Gallon Water


A great site for homemade cleaners is:
http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm


I will be posting more later.

Strawberry Dip

Delicious Strawberry Dip

Mix sour cream with brown sugar.  So good!  I like mine more sugary so I mix about 1 Tbsp of each (a little less on the sugar, sometimes half the amount.)
You can mix it completely or just sprinkle sugar over the cream.  Happy eating!

Mixed is more kid friendly while I think unmixed looks better.

Eye Make Up Remover

Olive oil on a cotton ball or moist cloth

Yup, and nourishing to hair and skin too.

Goodbye expensive cosmetics.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread (From Blue Mountain Home Cook'n)

This has only two bananas per loaf for more bread and less banana.

1 C shortening
1 1/2 C Sugar
4 eggs beaten
3 1/2 C flour
3 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
4 c Mashed Banana (I only use 4 bananas total)

Cream the first three ingredients.  Mix in the rest.  Bake in 2 greased bread pans at 350 for 1 hour.

It's good, although I still prefer my mom's recipe  I also made it once without eggs (used a substitute  it is not as good that way.

Sunscreen

I admit, I was originally intrigued by the idea.  Before I continue I feel it important to note my family are not big sunscreen users.  Only a day in prolonged sun would constitute the need. (camping, biking, trip to the zoo, etc)  That being said here is my experience and opinion.

I began researching different homemade sunscreen recipes and discovered I did not have all the ingredients for any of them and the SPF on all of the was controversial.  If you have lower than SPF 15 it doesn't do much.  None of the homemade sunscreens could grantee that kind of protection.

Furthermore, if I am going to spend the day in the sun, I certainly want more that SPF 15.  Although according to skincancer.org SPF 15 blocks out 93% of sun's harmful rays, SPF 30 blocks out 97%.  Don't be fooled into thinking higher SPF's above 30 protect you a lot more than that.  They don't. According to the same site SPF 50 only blocks 98% of the rays.  So, if it cost more money for a higher SPF save your pennies.

After researching both options, if you want an everyday light sun protection, homemade might be the way to go.  If you want protection from hours of sun exposure, I would recommend an SPF 30 for best protection.  Plus sunscreen companies have researched and formulated the perfect amounts of each ingredient and tested their product for safety and accurate SPF's.

Once again, I have no say on if one brand is better than another.  I'd go with the generic of your favorite kind.  For babies or people with sensitive skin, the baby sunscreens are probably the safest route to go.  Feel free to look into the different kinds as I know many companies put various chemicals into them.  The product to buy is your choice.

Happy researching.

Toilet Paper

Unless you have a whole lot of extra time and saw dust laying around, just buy it.

Toilet Paper, as we know it, was invented in 1857. (Put on rolls in 1860) Before this time people would use whatever alternative was available.  Newspapers were a commonly used item.  Royal families would use soft cloth, wool, or even lace centuries before our paper on the rolls.

Personally, I am grateful we don't have to use old newspaper, and I also feel this is one area it is okay to spend money on.  Get the kind your family likes.  Of course, buy it on sale in in bulk to save money but don't rub yourself raw trying to save a few pennies.  It's just not worth it.

Fortunately, for you even cheap brands can be good.  Our favorite is a generic brand, so don't be afraid to try them out if a sale (or coupon) arises.  And be grateful you don't live in 1856.

Update- Some people go cloth here too- just cut up some flannel into 5X5 squares, and there you go.  If you're willing to wash to save a lot of money go for it, but my position on this one remains the same- I'd rather buy.

Diapers

Call me lazy, but I'm all for disposable.  My husband talked a lot about it and determined that was the best for us.

Cloth diapers are a big expense up front.  Then there is the storing and cleaning of dirty ones.
They can be reused for multiple children, and for a friend of mine with three little ones under the age of two, they were worth it to her, but the time, supplies, and cost just weren't balancing out for us.
They can also be bulky on a newborn.

Having chosen disposable, we chose wisely.
For a new born-  We used a brand name with an umbilical cord cut out. Sorry, I can't remember if it was Pampers or Huggies that had the deeper cut for the cord which was a plus in our book.  Guess I will need to research that again.

When it came to after the cord was gone, my favorite during the day was Luvs.  Cheaper than Huggies and Pampers and still held it all.  For the first while we used a brand name (which ever was on sale) during the night until night wetting became less frequent.

We had bad experiences with store and generic brands  so I cannot recommend the hassles, and messes, being worth the money you would save.

In all it comes down to your preference and what you are willing (or not willing) to put up with and the individual needs of your little one.

Happy Parenting.

UPDATE
As our little one grew older, I found an awesome deal on cloth diapers. The upfront cost was not as big as I first thought.  Looking back now I do not regret keeping a newborn in disposables but I cringe at the wasted money of diapers for an older infant.  I would wholeheartedly recommend cloth diapers!  I even have a recipe for cloth diaper detergent.  Post on cheap diapering to come soon.