A Great Homemade Natural Carpet Stain Remover That Works! :)

So I got this stain remover recipe from Youtube. Thanks Youtube!! And tried it out on the various stains I had consisting of food, dirt, glue and paint and who knows what else from my little munchkins. :) Not any really bad stains, but I wouldn't be surprised if it worked on hard ones as well, considering how fast it worked on the easier ones.

All you need is:

1. Hot water (I just turned my kitchen/bathroom faucet on hot and waited until it got very hot and then filled up.)
2. Distilled white vinegar
3. A cup or squirt bottle
4. A bristled sponge or brush
5. A dry towel

I didn't have any white vinegar so I bought a 32 oz. bottle from dollar tree. 
(Gotta love dollar tree!) :) They have squirt bottles too. I also bought some carpet sponges (2-pack) at dollar tree that worked incredibly well at agitating the stain from the carpet without tearing it apart. You could use anything that has plastic bristles.   

Directions:

Put hot water in squirt bottle or cup and fill 3/4 full. Add around 1/8-1/4 cup of white vinegar. Spray stain with vinegar water generously or carefully pour some from your cup. I did the pouring thing first and then switched to just dipping my sponge into the vinegar water and then scrubbing that way. You don't need a whole lot, just enough to wet it thoroughly. Scrub somewhat gently at first and then gradually stronger and watch your stain disappear from your very eyes! Lol! You can use your free hand to spread the carpet threads to reach the deeper part of the stain. After the stain is gone, You can wet the carpet with some clean regular temp water and then place the dry towel on top and step on it with your feet to draw up solution. Don't rub it just press on it with the towel. This will draw up the solution the best. Let it air dry and keep feet from walking on it and attracting dirt until it is fully dry.

Hope this works for you as it did for me!! 

The VERY BEST Way To Season Fish!!!! (In my opinion!) ;)

Check out this delicious way to season fish, given by Shoshanna Easling!! Enjoy!



My rendition of her recipe:

• Garlic powder
• sea salt
• black pepper (whole in a hand held grinder)
• fresh lime juice (1/4 - 1/2 slice of lime per fish piece)
• butter pieces
• dried basil 

---Because my fish is frozen in my freezer, I first rinse in cool water to remove ice crystals. Then, pat dry with paper towel and place fish in a lightly greased, oven safe dish. (I use a cookie sheet with foil sometimes too). Spray top of fish with a high heat oil like olive oil or canola. Next place in 450 degree oven for 4 minutes to "thaw" the fish. (The oil will protect it). Then pull out fish and season with above seasonings (no order necessary). Put back in oven (still at 450) for 8 more minutes. Or until it is flaky when poked at with a fork. Enjoy with some brown rice and favorite veggie!! Here is a picture (left) of mine I made the other night. We eat this about a couple times a week! :) So good! The buttery juices in the pan are really good drizzled over the fish! :)

Healthy Snack: Almond Butter and Fuji apples!

photo credit

photo credit

   






 
   So I bought some creamy, salted almond butter the other day, just felt like forking out the extra bucks for it I guess.... and now I am so glad I did! I pulled some celery out to put the almond butter on and we (me and the kids) enjoyed that yummy mess for a bit. Then I cut an apple up and somehow decided to take a dip into the almond butter with an apple slice..... it was like having carmel apples! Haha! Well close anyway... it was so delicious! No sugar in my almond butter and yet oh so sweet with my fuji apples! (Which are the best kind of apples by the way! At least from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods!)

So try this snack out with your kiddos, and enjoy! :o)

A Delicious and Simple Chicken Seasoning

This seasoning recipe was given to me by my mother-n-law.  She was cooking for my husband and I and was baking some chicken pieces. I of course was watching her every move! Ha ha! Just trying to see how she did things. When she went to season the chicken I was surprised it was this simple. The smell coming from the oven while it was baking was so good! Mouth watering really! And it tasted just like it smelled! I don't typically like to eat the skin on drumsticks, but this recipe was delicious!! From then on this was and is the only way I season my baked chicken and chicken in the skillet. It is perfect! Now I know why my hubby isn't too big on a lot of herbs, he is used to simple seasoning. :)

Baked Chicken

Ingredients: 

• Thawed chicken pieces with skin. (Frozen pieces will do, but you will need to drain some of the juice off during the baking time or else the chicken will be soggy on the bottom.) 
• Garlic Salt (includes garlic powder, salt and parsley)
• Black Pepper (in a hand held grinder is the best, but fine-ground is ok too, just be careful you don't put to much. That is unless you like a big kick!)

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Place thawed chicken pieces on a foil lined baking sheet that has a shallow lip. You don't want the juices from the chicken to run of the edge. :) Drumsticks you can just lay however, but do the breasts and thighs upside down. (The "meaty" part face down.) Next, take your Garlic Salt and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the chicken. Then grind some Black Pepper onto both sides of the chicken. (Amount is determined by your personal preference.) Place in oven and bake for 1 hr. and 10min. Flip all the chicken over after 45 min. of cooking. They are done when golden brown and the skin is a bit crispy. Enjoy! 

P.S. Sorry, I don't have a photo, but a close resemblance would be of my friend's photo here. Which her photo is of a recipe I gave her very similar to this one,  just different seasoning. Check out her blog and all her wonderful recipes! 

More Goodness from Shoshanna's Kitchen!

Photo Credit

Ok, so I'm not exactly following my idea of not blogging this summer.... but important and fun things keep coming my way!! And of course I just have to share them!! :o)

Check out these new video's from Shoshanna's Kitchen!!

Healthy Hair

Bentonite Clay Bath

Sunburn Relief

Herbal Hand Sanitizer!!

Enjoy this video on making your own herbal hand sanitizer from Shoshanna's Kitchen.
This sounds SO great! And SUPER easy!! What a great thing to have when you are out and about! I just love getting ideas and tips from Shoshanna's Kitchen!

Grass-fed Beef is the Best!

Here is a great clip from Food, Inc. explaining the way farming should be done! We have toured Polyface Farms and eaten their meat! It is super delicious and I know that it is 100% Organic, grass fed meat! I have read two of Joel Salatin's books on farming, and if the Lord allows us to farm one day, we will be following Salatin's model of farming. He is a Christian and a super smart farmer. Enjoy and be inspired! 

A little more from Shoshanna's Kitchen

   Ok so I was watching these videos a little bit ago and just had to share them! I learned things I didn't know and really want to make some myself now!  They are so easy to make! These would be nice to use after I give birth to Liberty! I am sure you girls will love watching these as much as I have! Hope you decide to make some of them too! They would be a great replacement for any store bought face wash/cleanse/scrub!
Blessings and enjoy!

~Strawberry Facial



~Milk Wash




~Healthy Mask/Scrub

Mexican Taco Stew

 I found this recipe in the Whole Foods Market free pamphlet of coupons and recipes. It has been a favorite of ours for a while now and is so versatile! I have passed it on to many of my friends and family. Hope you enjoy it!!

Ingredients

1/2 lb. of ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or 1 t. of minced garlic cloves)
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cups chicken broth (I do more broth, cause it makes it more soupy and not so thick. Plus I add more zucchini and corn, so I just make sure the broth is slightly above the ingredients. It comes to about 3-4 cups of broth.)

1 large zucchini or summer squash, sliced and then cut into small triangular cubes. (you can add more or less, I sometimes do 2 zucchini if I have them.)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I don't add these. I prefer fresh tomatoes, but not really in my soup.)

1 cup frozen corn kernels (or more if you'd like)

1 cup medium salsa

• 
  Note: The versatility comes in what you can substitute. Here is a list of what I have done:

• Beef or Turkey- substitute with cubed or shredded chicken

• Onion - substitute with 1Tablespoon onion powder when seasoning meat

• Taco seasoning - substitute with 2 T. of enchilada sauce or even just season your meat with your own seasonings. What I do: 2-3 teas. of cilantro (or parsley), 2 teas. of garlic powder or garlic salt, 1-2 teas. of black pepper and salt.

•  Black beans - substitute with pinto beans or Northern White beans

• Medium Salsa - substitute with mild or hot salsa, a mixture of different salsa's, a green chile salsa, or even make your own fresh salsa and use that. But just a side note, the salsa is the key ingredient to making this stew taste fabulous! :o)

                                                      Method
 

Brown meat in a large pot over medium high heat. Drain, remove and set aside. In the same pot you just cooked the meat in, saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add meat back to pot and sprinkle mixture with taco seasoning to blend. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.  I will always taste test the broth first. If it seems a bit flat, then I add some more salt. I will always add my salt last, because the cooking basically evaporates the salt flavor. Enjoy!!

I serve it with warmed flour tortillas, tortilla chips, shredded Mexican cheese, sour cream and lemon-salted cucumbers. 

  

Lemon-salted Cucumbers

To make the lemon-salted cucumbers, just peel and slice one or two seedless cucumbers or regular cucumbers and put in a medium sized bowl (or one with enough room to stir well.) Cut one lemon and squeeze the juice over the cucumbers into the bowl. Make sure you get all the juice, there should be about a 1/4 in. of juice in the bowl. Add more lemon juice if one doesn't give you enough.  Stir the cucumbers and lemon juice until all the cucumbers have been separated and coated with lemon juice. Sprinkle about 2-3 teas. of sea salt or Himalayan salt over the cucumbers. Mix up well and taste test to see if you need more salt. The lemon juice should become not as tart once the salt is added. Just sprinkle a bit more salt if they are too tart. 

If you have any questions, please comment below. :o)

FREE! - No Greater Joy Ministries Magazine

NGJ Magazine

    My husband and I have greatly enjoyed receiving the NGJ ministries magazine this past spring. 

Inside you will find their catalog of books, CD's,, and MP3's that they offer and a variety of articles to read. Some are written by Mike and Debi Pearl and some written by their children and friends. The articles are so encouraging, uplifting and convicting. They all have been beneficial to us in some way or another! There are recipes, fun things for kids to do and more. They send an issue every two months. You have the option of receiving it via email or in the mail. And it is totally free!! Click here to sign up to receive the NGJ magazine mailed to your home. You can also read some of the articles on their website here.

Here is their own description of their magazine: 

"No Greater Joy Magazine is a free, bi-monthly publication dedicated to successful child training, strengthening marriages and families, and supporting home schooling."

Hope you all enjoy the magazine as much as we have!

Shoshanna's Kitchen -- Bulk Herb Store

I just recently watched a few episodes from Shoshanna's Kitchen and absolutely loved them!!! Shoshanna is one of the daughters of Debi Pearl, (whom I posted about recently). Shoshanna has given me tons of things I want to do, but most importantly to start using more herbs in my diet!! Her smoothies look so yummy and quite simple to put together. I am glad she does offer herb mixes already made up at her store called, Bulk Herb Store. I hope of course to soon be growing some of my own herbs. Enjoy watching her videos!

Links:  
Bulk Herb Store
Bulk Herb Store YouTube Channel

Here is a video from Shoshanna's Kitchen:




And here is a trailer for her up and coming DVD set called, Making Babies. I definitely want to get this!

Homestead Blessings, with the West Ladies

A while back my husband bought me the Homestead Blessings DVD set, just because he loves me and wants to help me in my homemaking skills. :o) I have to say that I have loved it!!! I've watched probably every DVD at least a couple times. I thought I would post about what I have learned and enjoyed from the West Ladies. (I have posted the trailer for their DVD set down below.)

The DVD set includes the following; The Art of Sewing, The Art of Bread Making, The Art of Candle Making, The Art of Soap Making, The Art of Cooking, The Art of Dairy Delights, The Art of Gardening, The Art of Herbs, & The Art of Canning.

The Art of Sewing: I really like the rag quilt they show you how to make and I also like their pattern for a tiered skirt. It looks SO comfortable. I plan on making both during this next fall and winter.
The Art of Canning: This was a fun DVD to watch! Their canning set up outdoors looked so cool and fun! I love how they always have green beans and tomato sauce ready to use at anytime! Even in the winter! I hope to have my own system of canning from garden left overs to store up for the cold months.
The Art of Bread Making: On this DVD, they show you how to make bread from scratch along with a different types of bread. This is something I have been wanting to do, but just haven't taken the time too. :o) I love the taste of home made bread and hope to make some of my own soon!
The Art of Candle Making: I really enjoyed this DVD! Candle making looks so fun and easy! I hope to do this someday with friends.
The Art of Soap Making: This also was a fun one to watch. They give great ideas for gifts. Soap making now days is much easier to do. 
The Art of Dairy Delights: Here they show you how to make homemade butter, ice cream, yogurt and mozzarella cheese with other ideas and tips.
The Art of Herbs: I really like how they made their own herbal tea. I plan on growing some herbs this summer, hopefully!
The Art of Gardening: I so hope to have a garden like theirs someday! It was beautiful! And big too! They give great gardening tips and ways to be frugal with what you have. One big thing is saving your food scraps! They make great fertilizer! They show you how to make your own compost too. One tip that I thought was hilarious and cool  too, was that you can collect the bugs that are attacking your garden and blend them up to make bug juice and then spray it back on your garden and the bugs won't come back!! Crazy huh! Who would have thought? Bug juice! I love it!
The Art of Cooking: I have made their peach cobbler, pot roast, homemade gravy (the best gravy ever!), and biscuits (easier to do than I thought). Very yummy! They have some more recipes on their website that aren't in the DVD's.

Watch this trailer for the Homestead Blessings - 9 pack.



There are two new DVD's, The Art of Quilting and The Art of Crafting. You can watch their trailers on the Homestead Blessings website here.

Hope you have enjoyed hearing about the the West Ladies at Homestead Blessings!

"Special "Grilled Cheese Sandwich

"Special" Grilled Cheese Sandwich
The yummiest grilled cheese ever! I made this along with the Senate Bean Soup and it paired just nicely. It goes well with any "light" soup.

U.S. Senate Bean Soup

I tried this soup recently as well. I wasn't to sure what a "ham hock" was, (yeah sad I know), but I found it. It is a great soup and is served in the soup cart at Whole Foods Market. My husband described it as a very "country" kind of soup. The fact that it doesn't really have that much meat in it, I decided to pair it with a special grilled cheese sandwich. (Which I will post as well.)

Tuna-Vegetable Casserole

I made this a few weeks back from my "Joy of Cooking" cookbook. I remember my husband telling me his mother used to make it when he was growing up, so I thought I'd try it out. He absolutely loved it! :o) Actually we all did. And I'm sure you will too. I like it because it is pretty simple to make and doesn't require a lot of pairings. (Something I am still learning how to do.) I served it with steamed asparagus seasoned with butter and salt. Yummy! Any veggie would do, but a green veggie I think adds the best presentation.