Laundry Room Redo!

I have been updating everyone on Facebook as we have been redoing our laundry room, but do to requests ;), I'm going to do a blog post.

Our before. Blah and plain. Plus, a dryer that barely worked! Bonus! hahaha

First, I painted it a bright and cheery yellow. LOVE!

Bought a roll of contact paper for $7.99 and went to town! I already had two of the black shelves that are beside the window, and the boards I used for the shelf under the window and sock sign, as well as the jars! Curtain was $5.99

As you can see, we also got a new washer and dryer which I am in love with! We needed the upgrade.

 Alright, so here is the finial cost breakdown for the laundry room.

• Roll of contact paper $7.99
• Pack of two L brackets $3.99
• Curtain for the window $5.99
• White baskets $2.99 x3 = $8.97
• Laundry room sign bought from Amazon $7.79
• Total : $34.73 + washer and dryer

I'm super happy with it and the room is so much brighter now! And, I'm staying on top of the laundry room, which is just a bonus, hahaha.

Homemade Animal Crackers

So along with making my own gold fish crackers, I have started making our animal crackers as well. These are so much better then store bought! My kids love them, my husband loves them, and I love them! (And how rare is it that everyone in the family likes the same thing?)

*Pictures to come later*

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat flour from hard white wheat as that is what I had available)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar (You can use white or brown sugar, I usually use brown)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Over a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and mace. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, slowly add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, stopping the mixer once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Stop the mixer and add half of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until most of the flour has been absorbed. Add the remaining flour and beat until all of the flour has been absorbed and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 equal balls. Shape each into a disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
5. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. If the dough cracks while rolling, let it stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes more.
6. Preheat an oven to 350°F.
7. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Dip cookie cutters into flour just before using and cut out the shapes. Gather up the left over dough, reroll, and cut out more cookies.
8. Bake the cookies until very light golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool to room temperature.
9.  To store, once completely cooled, I just put in a covered container on the counter. :-)

Homemade Gold Fish

Recently, I have been making our gold fish crackers instead of buying them from the store. Why you might ask, well, it's simple. They are way yummier and they are better for you! So here you go, here's the recipe:

This is the cookie cutter I use. Now, you can use any cookie cutter you want, don't feel trapped in that it must be a small fish. A circle will work just as well. :)

6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* I just use all whole wheat flour (from hard white wheat) as that is what I keep in the house. If all you have is all-purpose, then use that and they will still turn out great!
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, running the machine until the dough forms a ball, about two minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. Use the cookie cutter, dipping it in flour from time to time to ensure a clean cut. Gently transfer crackers to an ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet with a 1/2 inch between them. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are barely browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

Look at all those cut out fish! Just mix the dough back up and roll it back out and use your cookie cutter to make more fish!

Finished product. They really are yummy and a favorite around here.

To store, I keep them in a sealed container on the counter, if they last that long. :-)

Canning Green Beans

Fred Meyer had a good price on fresh green beans, so I picked up about 10lbs of them the other day and thought it would be good to can them. I asked you guys on facebook if you wanted me to blog how to can them and the number of private messages I got of you all wanting to see, with pictures, was great! (Went back and counted and it was 7 of you!) But, you guys don't have to be shy, you can post and let others know you want see how to do it. ;)

Alright, first off fill one side of your sink with water (Left side above) and one side has the beans (right side). Rinse the beans on the right as you move them over to the water on the left. This will get them clean and the leaves, etc. off of them.

While working at the sink (or you could sit down at the table if you wanted to), I got two bowls, one for the good beans and one for the broken ends. So, pull your beans out of the water and break them. Easy right? Yes, but does take time, especially if you have a lot to do. Thank you so much Jen for coming and helping me today! I appreciate it so much!

After you have broken you beans, move them to a pot of water, bring it to a boil, and boil your beans for about 10 minutes blanching them.

Fill your jars with your hot beans and hot water. Leave a one inch head space and be sure to get those bubbles out!

Place into your pressure canner and can them. 10lbs pressure for 25 minutes. 

 

 

I'm so excited to have fresh green beans, especially this winter! I bought 10lbs green beans and got 6 quarts and 1 pint out of the bunch. This number could vary though depending on your beans and if you get any bad ones you have to toss. I think I am going to go back and get more beans. Anyone up for a green bean canning party?

**Thank you Momma for the refresher course the other night when I called!**

NEW: Pizza Crust Recipe

So, the last pizza crust recipe was great, but this one is better! It's full proof and so easy to work with.

In your mixer, add:
1 1/2 C warm water
2 tsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Let sit for a few minutes so the yeast can work. Add in:
4 C flour and start mixing with your dough hook
2 tsp. salt (add in after flour has started mixing in so you don't kill your yeast)
Knead for 10 minutes
Get a clean bowl and pour in some olive oil. Roll your dough in the oil, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes.
Divide in half and stretch to fit two pizza pans.
Top with you toppings
Cook 10-15 minutes at 500*

This really is the best pizza. The next time I make it, I'll take some pics for you guys and add them in.

I'm back!

So, I apparently have dropped off the Earth and haven't been posting! Sorry guys. Things have really gotten busy this summer!

Elijah has been doing soccer and has been LOVING it! His last game is Thursday.

Rozalynn is almost potty trained! Great news right? She has the peeing down, but the pooping, well, needs work. :/

I have gotten involved with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and I'm loving it. If you are local, we would love for you to join us. If you are not local, then check one out near you! I have also been going to a Bible study that is on spiritual gifts. I'm LOVING it and I'm learning so much! This study is really helping me figure out who I am as a person while I'm trying to figure out my gift. (which I have a good idea on what it is, but I won't say just yet ;) I want to get more into the study first. ) 

So with all these activities, plus playgroups and other gatherings, my days have been busy. I'm hoping I can get back on here and post more. If you guys want me to blog about anything specific, please let me know. :)

Everyone enjoy the summer as winter isn't to far off. God Bless!