just some pics of life around here lately.

Thought I'd pop in for a minute to post some photos from life around here this month.  Enjoy! :)

Last week, we got tickets to the symphony for the whole fam for free through Matt's work.  We picked David up straight from work and headed to Phoenix.  It was great. :)

Here's me at Symphony Hall, with one of my new outfits from our Goodwill run on our anniversary.  (I was pretending to be perusing the symphony program.)

Some Monday morning craziness a few weeks back.

On Mother's Day, with David & his friend Everett. (the dress I'm wearing here is from that anniversary day Goodwill visit, paired with a tank top I already had.)

David treated us to Mother's Day lunch at Subway.  :)

Marissa decorated this mug for me for Mother's Day.

Mother's Day roses from Matt :)

Sweet words from Naomi. :)

Jesse did this watercolor for me on Mother's Day.

Been doing a bit more canning... these are tomatoes, and I also did 6 1/2 pints of strawberry jam this week.

Been doing some cleaning/organizing projects this week.  All of us.  And here's the boys' room on Monday night, after they sorted/organized/cleaned.  Ahhh... :)

The girls' room on Monday evening, after they cleaned up.  Their room wasn't as bad to start with, but it still needed a perking up.

Jesse was my tortilla-making helper for lunch the other day.  He was a quick learner!

Our roses are still holding out, despite the 100+ degree temps we've been having lately. :)

Did this painting, hoping to sell it in my etsy shop.  No nibbles yet...

Dinner the other night.  Pepper & garlic tofu with veggies.

Making tortillas on Sunday.  Did you know that authentic Mexican tortillas don't have a leavening agent in them?  This was my first attempt at making them like that, and it was really, really tasty. :)  Flour (3 c.), warm water (1 c. or so), and salt (1/2 tsp.).  (Of course, for all of us, we need at least a double batch.)  That's it.  :)

If anybody out there is interested, I found this lady online who is amazingly encouraging about helping people get more organized, getting their life to feel less chaotic due to clutter in their homes.  She is *so* cheerful about it.  You can sign up to get her emails, and they are really helpful.  I'm not fully doing everything, but just reading the emails has helped encourage me in our home organizing/de-cluttering efforts lately.

She calls herself the FLY Lady (FLY=Finally Loving Yourself, as in realizing you're worth loving, and how your own perfectionism can get in the way of getting your life less chaotic.)  Here's the link.  And here are her "Baby Steps", one per day, just to get you started.  She's always saying that you're not behind.  You just need to start where you are. :)

Well, that's it for now.  I've got things to do.  Finishing up the school year with the youngest three kiddos.  Starting to work my way through the mending pile.  Supervising the kids' cleaning jobs for the morning.  Oh, and my laundry is ready to change loads now, too.

See you later!

homemade laundry detergent.

On Saturday, I needed to make soy milk, so I shared the recipe I use for that.  Well, today I'm out of laundry detergent and need to make that.  So I thought I'd share that recipe here today.  :)

For the last year & a half, I've been making my own laundry detergent.  I got the idea from my cousin Heidi, and then started using the following recipe.  The lady who published this recipe on her blog calls herself the "Practical Saver".  She's a Christian homeschooling mom who lives in Arizona and travels around teaching people about couponing and other ways to save money.  Marissa & I went to one of her couponing seminars about a year ago, and it was the coolest thing.  She doesn't advertise it as a Christian event, but we totally felt like we were at a Christian ladies' conference.  Very fun. :)  We first saw Kara on a news clip on one of the local TV stations, sharing about homemade cleaning solutions as a way to save money.  I've tried several of her cleaning concoctions, and they work well.  But the one I use every day is this one.

Anyway, all that said, here's the link to her recipe, just so we can give credit where credit is due.  And without further ado, here is the recipe, with a few little "tweaks" from me:

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:

• 3 Pints Water
• 1/3 Bar Fels Naptha Soap, Grated
• 1/2 Cup Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer, but not baking soda)
• 1/2 Cup Borax
• 2 Gallon Jugs (I use the jugs I get vinegar at Sam's Club in; some people use commercial laundry detergent jugs.)
• Hot Water

Methods/steps:

Mix grated Fels Naptha soap in saucepan with approximately 3 pints of water, and heat on medium until dissolved.

Stir in Washing Soda and borax. Stir until thickened and remove from heat.

Add half of soap mixture to each jug.  

Fill jugs to top with hot water. Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens (note from Amy: I don't wait the 24 hours to use it the first time.)  Before each use, give it a good shake to mix and then pour.  Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load. Use 1/3 cup in front load washers.

Recipe from the website Practical Saver

making soy milk.

After my post about our dietary changes and eating almost exclusively plant-based foods, I've gotten some requests for recipes.  I thought I'd try posting some links to good ones I've found on the internet, which has lately been my cookbook of choice.

Something I didn't realize was that you can make your own soy milk. Duh, right?  I mean, I make our own bread and many other things, but I guess I just never stopped to think that you can make your own soy milk.

So I realize soy milk really is an acquired taste, and it doesn't actually taste like milk.  But over the past several months, I've come to realize that I actually like soy milk.  It started with a little in my tea and coffee, and using it in recipes where I'd normally use milk.  Then about a month or so ago, I realized I actually liked drinking it by itself.  It doesn't taste as "beany" once you get used to it and stop trying to think of it as "milk".  It's really kind of its own thing, but it can be used in recipes, in drinks, and in our oatmeal in place of milk.

Early on in my internet browsing around for plant-based recipes one day, a website mentioned okara, which is the leftovers from making soy milk.  I thought, "WHAT?  You can make your own soy milk??".  

The reason that is so earth-shattering is that a good price for soy milk is $2.50 per half gallon!  Per HALF GALLON!  We had only bought a couple half gallons at that point so far, and I had been pretty much hoarding it to make it last as long as possible.

Soy milk in progress.

After a quick online search, I found recipes and directions how to make soy milk.  Below is a link to the one I used.  She has photos and everything, and explains it really well.  When she says to watch out for the mixture suddenly rising, she is so right!  I've had my pan overflow more than once, and it's quite a mess!  I stand there and babysit that pan until the water/soybean mix has done that twice, sometimes three times.  After that (and the heat is turned down to medium), it's okay to walk away from the pan.

Recently, I made a couple small changes to the recipe to make it taste more like the store-bought soy milk.  I always make one gallon (her recipe is for a half gallon), and I use 3 cups of soybeans for just a hair less than a gallon of water.  After it's all done, I put in 2-3 tablespoons of stevia, a tablespoon of vanilla, and it tastes really good. :)  Oh, and it doesn't have any "extra" stuff like the store-bought (you know, preservatives & the like), so it's actually better. :)

Oh, and as for cost, I get soy beans for 99 cents/pound *not* on sale, so a gallon of soy milk costs about $1.50.  With the beans on sale, I can make that for even less! :)

More recipes and links will come with time.  I often make up my own things when it comes to mealtimes, so there aren't always recipes to post.  But I'll try. :)  

healthy recipes found online.

Thought I'd post a few recipes I found somewhere in my online wanderings in the past several months.  I've made all of them enough to make them "regulars" in our family, even favorites.  So I thought I'd share them here.  

I wish I had photos to make this look more interesting, but somehow we don't seem to have any.  Photos or no photos, they are still well worth trying.  :)

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 3/4 c. white flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 T. oil (I use olive oil)

1 c. water

Mix dry ingredients.  

Add oil and water, and mix by hand.  

Heat griddle on stove top on medium heat.  

Divide dough into eight balls; cover with damp towel to keep moist while you roll out the tortillas.

On lightly floured counter top, roll each ball into a circle about 8-10" in diameter.

Cook on hot griddle for a couple minutes on each side.  For me, by the time I have the next tortilla rolled out, it's about time to flip the one before it.

I always make a quadruple batch for our family so we have enough for one meal and then a good amount of leftovers.  (VERY time-consuming but *so* worth it the next day!)

Heart Healthy Biscuits

2 c. flour

3 t. baking powder

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 t. salt

2/3 c. skim milk

Mix dry ingredients together.

Add oil and milk; mix well.

On lightly floured counter top, roll dough out to about 1/2-3/4" thickness.

Cut out biscuits using a drinking glass.

Bake at 425 degrees 10-12 minutes.

I usually make a double batch for our family of seven.  These are so tasty... the whole wheat flour adds a really nice taste to it.  Definitely our new favorite biscuit recipe.  :)

Balsamic Vinaigrette

This one I remember I found online attributed to Emeril.  We have actually stopped buying already-prepared salad dressings because we like this one so much better.  :)

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

2 t. brown sugar

1 t. chopped garlic (lately, I've been using granulated garlic we picked up in a big container at Sam's Club in the baking/spices aisle)

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

3/4 c. olive oil

Mix all ingredients together in container with tight-sealing lid.  
Shake well to combine.  
Store in refrigerator, and give a good shake before using on your salad.  
The flavor in this is so full and rich; it's hard to even compare store-bought vinaigrette with this.  :)

A couple recipes I use *all* the time

I've been meaning to share these recipes for a while, so here they are!

Pizza Crust (also makes excellent breadsticks)
I discovered this morning, after I posted this here, that I actually have posted this recipe on my blog before.  Oh, well... I guess it really *is* one of my favorites!!

This recipe was passed along to me from my dear friend Heidi, in Foster City, Michigan.  One Sunday afternoon when I was on pregnancy bedrest, she & Steve and their (many) kids drove up to see us.  They brought several pizzas made with this recipe and ate lunch with us.  Afterwards, they left us a nice, deep rectangular pan and this recipe.  It was a recipe Heidi got from her friend Gina, and I am ever so thankful that she passed it along to us!  :)

2 c. flour (half whole wheat is delicious!)

1 t. salt

1 t. sugar

2 T. oil (I use heart healthy oil, like canola or olive)

1 T. yeast

2/3-1 c. hot water

Mix dry ingredients, then add oil & water.  Knead or mix in mixer about 5 minutes.  Let rise 10-15 minutes, covered.

Spread dough onto greased pan.  Add desired toppings and bake at 375-400 degrees about 15 minutes.  When I make breadsticks, instead of pizza toppings, I spread heart healthy oil on the crust, sprinkle with kosher salt and an herb (yesterday for our church dinner, I used oregano).  Delicious!  :)

A few notes:

• I usually make a double recipe for our family of seven, more if we're having company.
• I love making this recipe with half white flour and half whole wheat flour.  
• I get our white flour in 25 pound bags at Sam's Club, which are $7 and some cents.  Wal-Mart and Fry's also have good prices on their 25 pound bags of flour.
• I haven't found a really awesome price for whole wheat flour here in AZ yet, but the best I've found is at Wal-Mart, $2.58 for 5 pounds.
• I buy bulk yeast at Sam's Club for a really incredible price, hands down a *much* better deal than anywhere else I've ever seen.  Four dollars and some cents for 2 huge 1-pound packs that make those little 4 oz. jars at the other stores seem tiny.

Whole Wheat Bread

This is a recipe I adapted from a white bread recipe in my Better Homes & Gardens "New" Cookbook I got as a bridal shower gift in 1990.  Thought I'd post the revisions I've made to it, both ingredient-wise and process-wise.  It's almost like a whole new recipe, really.  

This recipe makes four loaves... two regular-size and two smaller-size (it's just the size of pans I have in the house).  I make this recipe every other day during the week, and the kids & I usually use one small & one large loaf per day at lunchtime. 

Mix together in *large* bowl:

3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

2 c. white flour

1 T. salt

4 t. sugar

Dissolve 2 T. yeast in 4 1/2 c. hot water; add to flour mixture, along with 2 T. oil

Mix together with hand-held mixer, then blend at high speed 3 minutes.

Add 6-7 c. more white flour, mix with spoon and knead several minutes.

Let rise (covered with towel) in greased bowl 'til double.

Punch down, divide into loaves, put into 4 greased pans.

Cover pans with towel, allow to rise until the appropriate height/size (1/2 hour-ish)

Bake at 375 degrees 40 minutes.

Pull out of oven and put on racks, brush with butter or oil.

Bread slices best if allowed to cool first.  But it's so tasty fresh out of the oven, so it's up to you! :)

See notes above under the pizza crust recipe on where I find the best deals on ingredients for both recipes.

Guess what I found at the grocery store this weekend??

Yep. Rutabagas... the very vegetable I thought we weren't able to buy here in Arizona! The other day, when I was grocery shopping for other things, I saw them right before my eyes. Rutabagas, $1.49/lb.

I promptly bought one and we had pasties again for dinner. :) This time, Marissa accidentally left the sugar in the crust recipe, and the crust turned out even better than before. I was in crust heaven... and those rutabagas with their slightly sweet flavor made it taste even better than before, too. :)

An Upper Peninsula delicacy...

That would be pasties. The "a" is pronounced with a short vowel sound. (Never mind about what it would mean if pronounced with a long vowel sound. Let's just say, shall we, that it's not "nice".)

We've been looking forward to our upcoming trip to Michigan, and part of the time will be spent in the Upper Peninsula, where pasties rule supreme. In anticipation of our upcoming trip, Marissa and I made pasties for dinner one night last week. They turned out pretty well, so I thought I'd post the recipe and a few photos here today.

Michigan Pasties--Keweenaw Bay Style (recipe from a friend's family cookbook)

1/2 lb. ground pork, raw
1 lb. ground beef, raw (I used all beef, but it would be more authentic to use the pork/beef mix)
1/2 c. rutabaga, cubed (sadly enough, as they are cold climate veggies, in Arizona we can't get them)
3 c. potatoes, cubed
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 c. carrots, cubed
2 tsp. salt

Mix beef, pork, onion, rutabaga, carrots, potatoes, salt & pepper. Place about 3/4 c. meat mixture onto each rolled pastry (recipe below). Fold pastry over top to make a half moon shape and crimp edges together. Make 3-4 small slits in top for air vents. Bake on ungreased pan 15 min. at 400 degrees, then 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with ketchup.


Fool Proof Pie Crust (from same family cookbook, she uses this recipe for the crust)

Mix well:
4 c. flour
1 T. sugar (I left this out since it wasn't going to be a sweet pie)
1 3/4 c. shortening
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together, then cut into flour mixture:
1 egg, beaten.
1 T. vinegar
1/2 c. water

Chill 1/2 hour before rolling. Divide into 8 pieces. Roll each into large circle, then follow directions in pasty recipe.

Yum!

We enjoyed our pasty dinner very much last week, but it just whets the appetite for going to Jean-Kay's when we get to Marquette in four weeks! Mmm... we can hardly wait... :)

Grilled Pizza

Last night, I tried grilling pizza for the first time. I had read about it on The Happy Housewife's blog, and it popped into my mind this week because the heating element in our oven is broken.

I looked online for tips on grilling pizza, made my favorite pizza dough recipe, and fired up the grill. It was a success, and I think Matt likes it better than regular oven-baked pizza!

The only thing I didn't like so much was that because I had to grill it on the top rack, the pizzas had to be smaller and I had to do the whole meal in two batches. But overall, it really didn't take too long to do.

Thought I'd post my recipe and the process, in case anybody wants to try it out...

Step 1:
Make the dough. Here's my favorite pizza crust recipe (I usually make a double batch):

Pizza Crust
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
2 T. oil
1 T. yeast
2/3 - 1 c. warm water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix above ingredients, knead for about 5 minutes, adding a bit more flour if too sticky. Cover with plastic wrap, let rise approximately 10 minutes. (If baking in the oven: Pre-bake before adding sauce & toppings 5-10 min. Top with desired toppings, then bake another 10-15 minutes.)


Step 2:
Break dough into pieces and roll out to about 1/2 inch thick, about 9-10 inches in diameter (to fit the top rack of the grill). A double batch made 7 for our family, one per person, but we had 1 1/2 pizzas left. :)

Step 3:
Brush grill rack with olive oil

Step 4:
Put rolled out dough onto top rack of grill. Close lid, but check often. Let the first side cook a couple of minutes, then flip over and let the other side begin to cook. Close lid, but again... check frequently.

Step 5: Add sauce, cheese & desired toppings.



Step 6: Watch closely, being careful that your bottom crust doesn't burn. Cook with lid closed until cheese melts.

Step 7: Repeat process until all your little pizzas are cooked.

Step 8: Enjoy! :)

Scones

As much as I like breakfast foods, I have never made scones. I have eaten them once or twice in a bakery, but never had I made them myself. Yesterday morning, Marissa wanted to make breakfast and chose scones, a pleasant surprise. :)


I was impressed! They taste every bit as good as a bakery's scones!! :) Marissa chopped up the last bit of a Hershey's bar that she had saved, and that made a nice touch to the flavor/texture.

Here is the final product and the humble cook. :)

Batch number two just got put into the oven a moment ago, and we'll be eating them on the way to our next hike for our hiking club. This time, we're hoping to do the hike with our fellow hiking club members. We shall see...

Just in case you wondered, here's the recipe for these delicious scones, courtesy of my Better Homes & Gardens "New Cookbook" which I received for a bridal shower gift in 1990 (it's the *best* basic, all around cookbook I own!):

Oatmeal-Raisin Scones
1 c. flour
3 T. brown sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/3 c. margarine or butter
1 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. raisins, coarsely chopped, currants, or miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
1 beaten egg
1/4 c. milk
Milk

In a bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Cut in margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats & raisins, currants or chocolate pieces. Combine egg & 1/4 c. milk; add to flour mixture. Stir just till moistened (will be sticky). On a lightly floured surface, pat dough into a 7-inch circle. Cut into 12 wedges; place ona baking sheet. Brush with milk. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or till light brown. Serve warm. Makes 12.