Minestrone Soup for Crock Pot

2 (15 1/2 ounce) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
6 cups chicken broth or beef broth
28 ounces diced tomatoes
2 cups sliced carrots
1/2 lb fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 large celery ribs, sliced
1 large chopped onion
3/4 lb red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
grate parmesan cheese

*  In a 6 quart slow cooker, mix together the chicken or beef broth, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, celery, onion, potatoes, dried basil, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper

*  Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the poatoes are tender

*  Stir in fresh basil and olive oil

Makes 4 pint size freezer containers & 1 medium container for the fridge
15.5 ounce servings

Favorite cucumber recipes

Refrigerator Pickles (Unique Cafe, Boscobel) These pickles are more sweet - I was getting to the end of the gardening season and didn't want to make a trip to the store to try the dill pickle recipes.  Maybe next year :)

When the Unique's regulars bring in mounds of surplus cucumbers to share, these sweet refrigerator pickles are the result.  "These go on the salad bar," says cook Annette Wagner.  "We use both the small pickling cucumbers and the regular ones.  The store-bought ones don't keep too well."

Although these could hardly be easier to make, Annette does specify that canning salt should be used.  Regular table salt typically has anticaking additives that don't dissolve as easily as canning salt and can cloud the brine.  If you like your pickles tangy, use less sugar.  Keep cold, the pickles will keep up to a year.  "But of course they don't last that long!"

7 cups sliced,  unpeeled cucumbers
1 cup thinly sliced onion rings
2 tablespoons canning salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspon celery seed

Mix cucumbers, onion rings, and canning salt well.  Let stand two hours.  Drain well (don't rinse, just drain).  Divide into 2 or 3 pint glass jars, if desired (avoid containers that are metal, as they can react with vinegar - - I actually used plastic containers)  Meanwhile combine sugar, white vinegar, and celery seed in saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Pour this over the pickles.  Refrigerate the pickles.  Makes 2-3 pints.

Cucumber Mix

1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp celery seed

Cucumber & Tomato Salad
One of my favorites of the summer - and honestly I really don't even love cucumbers

Peeled and cut cucumbers into smaller pieces
Grape tomatoes - cut into half
Italian dressing - I used fat free
Feta cheese - I used tomato and basil flavor
Green olives cut into pieces

Garden Pics

Before

After - as everything was growing like crazy

We might have went a little overboard for our first garden - but most everything grew awesome!

This year we had:

potatoes (red and brown), two different kinds of onions, red & green lettuce, romaine lettuce, green beans!!, carrots, cucumbers, snap peas - we planted too late though, soybeans (edaname - NUM!), celery, broccoli, acorn squash, tomatoes (cherry, grape & early girl)

We didn't do any canning this year, but I got some canning jars and lids at a garage sale.  Next year we will also do some canning and not everything in the freezer.

Easter bunny cake

I usually buy Devil's Food cake. I use 2-8" cake pans and follow the instructions on the box. You can also make a homemade cake. To cut the cake, just follow the instructions below.  I also use any kind of white frosting to frost the cake. For the ears, I use coconut and mix it with red food coloring. For the eyes, nose and also around the bow-tie I use jelly beans. And licorice for the whiskers and mouth. 

My favorite is using green food coloring and coconut around the entire cake for green grass and then sprinkling jelly beans on top of it.  However, I try and keep the whole center of the cake coconut free since there are coconut haters out there.  For this cake I just sprinkled a bag of jelly beans and some milk chocolate eggs around the entire cake.

Homemade Dog Biscuits

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup powdered milk
1 tsp. brown sugar (optional)
1 Tb. wheat germ
1 tsp. beef bouillon (granules)
6 Tb. bacon grease or meat drippings
1 egg
1/2 cup ice water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all dry ingredients.  Cut in drippings.  Mix in egg.  Add enough ice water for mixture to form a ball.  Pat out to 1/2" thick.  Cut out with a cookie cutter (I have one that is in the shape of a dog biscuit).  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Remove from cookie sheets and cook on wire racks.

Coupon Savings

I have been trying to figure out where the best coupon websites are.  There just never seems to be enough coupons in the Sunday paper.  Although my thought on the Sunday paper is that it pays for itself with coupons.  Plus - I like to look at all the ads without going to the actual store.  Here is a list of coupon websites and also some other websites for cost savings for internet purchases, etc.  And of course, free samples :)  I also read somewhere with coupons, if you get the same coupon from another coupon website - you should be able to double up the coupons at checkout and practically get it for free.  Don't know if it is true or not. 

Coupons

http://www.jillcataldo.com/ - I really like her tips and she also has a list of coupon websites
http://www.dsmcouponmom.com/ - very good site with lots of deals and ideas
http://www.coupons.com/ - one of my favs
http://www.redplum.com/ - also one of my favs
http://www.smartsource.com/
http://www.bettycrocker.com/coupons-promotions
https://www.pillsbury.com/coupons-promotions
http://www.shortcuts.com/
http://www.cellfire.com/
http://www.pgesaver.com/
http://www.couponmom.com/
http://www.coolsavings.com/
http://www.dealcatcher.com/
Target Coupons
http://mycoupons.com/
http://organicdeals.blogspot.com/ - organic coupons
http://www.mygrocerydeals.com/  - not necessarily coupons, but it shows the specials going on
http://save-a-lot.com/
http://www.hotcouponworld.com/

Free Samples

http://www.startsampling.com/
http://www.thunderfap.com/
http://www.shop4freebies.com/

Coupon Codes Website - haven't used, but is a neat concept.

http://www.currentcodes.com/
http://www.retailment.com/
http://www.couponmountain.com/
http://www.mydealfinder.com/
http://www.keycode.com/
http://www.dealalert.com/
http://www.rather-be-shopping.com/

Online Groceries - Free Delivery

http://www.alice.com/

Homemade Spray Cleaner

Alice's Wonder Spray
(I found in an article during green week last year, got me started on all the homemade cleaners)

This cleaner will kill 82 percent of molds and 99 percent of bacteria in a household, according to Ami Voeltz of Do It Green Minnesota. It costs only 14 cents, whereas a store-bought cleaner runs $4 to $20 a bottle. Making your own is kinder to the environment, and you save packaging by using your own reusable bottle.

1 cup white vinegar
2 tsp borax
32 oz (4 cups) hot water
20 drops essential oil, optional
¼ cup liquid dish soap

Directions: Combine vinegar and borax with 32 oz hot water. Add an essential oil (if desired, for fragrance) and dish soap. Place in a spray bottle and be sure to label it.

I use it all the time for household cleaning in my kitchen, bathroom.  I think it works great!


Some safety tips

1. NEVER MIX BLEACH AND AMMONIA TOGETHER! This combination is deadly! Also, never mix products together that contain bleach with products that contain ammonia. This includes dishwasher detergent (contains bleach). I would even go as far as storing them in different places just as a precaution.
2. ALWAYS check labels on products before combining ANYTHING. It's not worth making these cleaners if you wind up in the hospital or the morgue, so PLEASE BE CAREFUL!
3. KEEP ALL CLEANERS AWAY FROM KIDS - even though these are environmentally friendly, they are still not safe for children , so please keep these away from your kids.

General Uses For:
Ammonia - good grease cutter, wax stripper, and window cleaner. NEVER MIX WITH BLEACH!
Bleach - great for whitening anything, removing molds and mildews, and general cleaning. Best used diluted with water. DO NOT MIX BLEACH WITH VINEGAR, TOILET BOWL CLEANER, OR AMMONIA. The combination of bleach with any of these substances produces a toxic gas which can be hazardous. Baking Soda - Extremely versatile, baking soda is an all-purpose, nontoxic cleaner. It cleans, deodorizes, scours, polishes and removes stains. There are entire books out about the zillions of uses of baking soda, and the best thing about it is that it's cheap!
Borax - (sodium borate) It deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap. It also prevents mold and odors. Great alternative for those who do not want to use bleach.
Cornstarch - cleans and deodorizes carpets and rugs, you can use this to replace expensive "baby powders" also.
Ketchup - great for cleaning copper
Lemon juice - great for whitening items, but vinegar is cheaper . It also cuts through grease and stains on aluminum and porcelain
Pure Soap - cleans just about anything and is mild
Salt - believe it or not, regular table salt makes an abrasive, but gentle, scouring powder.
Washing Soda - (sodium carbonate) Cuts grease and disinfects. It will also increase the cleaning power of soap.
White Vinegar - very cheap and versatile, great for whitening, also fantastic for cleaning hard surfaces, windows and shining up metal surfaces. Removes mildew, stains, grease and wax buildup. This is another natural cleaner that whole books have been written on!