New Year's means new experiences and new adventures! I was in Rural King on Thursday, Jan. 3rd getting layer feed for my chickens and decided to just stroll though the aisles, looking at random stuff since the girls were being good and sitting nicely in the cart. I made it down the aisle with cleaning supplies when I can across the bars of Fels-Naptha Heavy Duty Laundry Bar Soap. I remembered reading a blog post about a homemade laundry detergent recipe that used Fels-Naptha so I grabbed several bars. I tried remembering what else was on the ingredient list and pulled Borax and Washing Soda off the shelf as well.
When I got them home, I was excited to make up a batch of Homemade Laundry Detergent. I searched the internet for recipes that used all the ingredients. I came across the Living On A Dime blog. I scrolled through and read her instructions, seemed easy enough to me so I got to work on making the detergent. This is the first time I have attempted anything like this, so I was both excited and unsure of what to expect. I was praying that it turned out right.

This batch didn't have the honey like consistency that the recipe suggests that it would, I think it may have something to do with the fact that I changed the temperature several times because I got it too hot and it boiled over once, hehe. 
The Homemade Laundry Detergent recipe made 2 1/2 bottles of my regular laundry detergent and cost only a few dollars per bottle to make as well! What a deal!

I've been using this detergent since then and I have to admit that I LOVE it! I love the smell and I love how clean and fresh my clothes come out! This may be something I will be sticking with from now on! Whahoo!

Has anyone else tried Homemade Laundry Detergent? Do you use the same recipe that I found on the Living On A Dime blog or do you use a different recipe? If you use a different one, please share yours in the comment, I would LOVE to try it out!

Have a lovely day dear followers!

I'd been craving carrots one day (about a month or so ago), so I bought a couple of 2 pound bags of Green Giant Baby Cut Carrots. On the back of one of the bags there was a recipe for a stir fry that sounded really good. I was missing a couple ingredients, so I changed it a little to work for me. Here is my modified recipe:


Ingredients:
2 cups of uncooked penne pasta
4 pieces of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
1 cup of Green Giant Baby Cut Carrots, quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup of water
2 cups of Sugar Snap Peas
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons shredded Mozzarella & Provolone mix cheese (Sargento makes a good combo)

Directions:
1. Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain and cover to keep warm.
2. Mean while, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, until hot. Add bacon, cook and stir4-6 minutes or until browned and crisp. Remove bacon from skillet and set aside.
3. Leave 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings in skillet. Add chicken strips to skillet, cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until browned.
4. Add carrots and water, then cover and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Add sugar snap peas, garlic powder, and salt, and mix well. Cover and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and chicken is no longer pink in center, stir occasionally.
6. Stir in cooked pasta, bacon, and 4 tablespoons of shredded Mozzarella and Provolone. Cook and stir until cheese is melted.
7. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, let melt, then serve warm!

Makes 4 (1 3/4-cup) servings

You can find more delicious recipes on www.greengiantfresh.com
You may even be able to figure out which recipe I modified to fit my own ingredients!

This recipe was super yummy and I can't wait to try it again! It was a BIG hit in our house with everyone, which is huge since we all have a wide range of likes and dislikes when it comes to food!

Happy cooking dear followers!