Sunday, September 21, 2014

WOW Who Knew


I found this on facebook today posted by one of my friends and thought it was a good idea to share.  There are so many uses for Dawn and really so many of them I never knew.

You will want to pass this one on to your friends and doing so will save it on your timeline for later use! Your welcome!
ORIGINAL BLUE DAWN . . . IT’S NOT JUST FOR DISHES ANYMORE
Wild Life
Ever wonder why Dawn Dishwashing Liquid is the wildlife cleaner of choice after an oil spill? According to the International Bird Rescue Research Center, Dawn effectively removes grease but does not cause harm to the skin of the birds. It’s also biodegradable and contains no phosphates.
BUBBLES
According to Bubbles.org, Dawn dishwashing liquid makes great homemade bubbles. Here is the Giant Bubble Recipe used in bubble makers at many children’s museums: 1/2 cup Ultra Dawn 1/2 gallon warm water 1 tablespoon glycerin (available at any drug store) OR White Karo syrup works too! Stir gently. Skim the foam off the top of the solution (too much foam breaks down the bubbles). Dip bubble wand and get ready for some good, clean fun!
GREASY HAIR PROBLEMS
Kids get into the darnedest things! Like Vaseline and baby oil rubbed into their hair! Dawn is mild enough to use on their hair and strong enough to remove the most stubborn grease.
HAIR PRODUCT BUILDUP
Once a month use original Dawn as you would shampoo. It will remove excess oil from your hair and scalp and strip away any build-up of styling products without any damage. Perform this once a month and you won’t have to buy expensive salon products that do the same thing.
MANICURE SECRET
Soak fingers in full-strength blue Dawn. It makes the cuticles soft and easy to work with. And it removes the natural oil from the fingernails, which allows the polish to adhere very well.
REPEL HOUSEPLANT INSECTS
A safe, effective way to repel insects from your houseplants, including aphids, spider mites and mealy bugs. Put a drop of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid in a spray bottle, fill the rest of the bottle with water, shake well, and mist your household plants with the soapy water.
CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS
Try this recipe from Merry Maids: mix 3 drops Dawn in 1 gallon water and fill a spray bottle with the solution. Spritz and wipe as you would with any window cleaner.
PETS AND PESTS
Use it to bathe the dogs. It kills fleas on contact and is much cheaper than expensive dogshampoos.
CLEAN AUTOMOTIVE TOOLS
After you have finished your automotive repair project, soak your dirty tools in Dawn before you put them away to remove all the oil and grime. Dawn also helps prevent rust from forming on the tools.
ICE PACK
Partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times. It will conform to the place you need an ice pack.
TUB AND SHOWER CLEANER
Take a spray bottle and fill it halfway with white vinegar. Heat in the microwave. Fill the rest of the way with blue Dawn. Put lid on and shake to mix well. Spray on your tub and shower walls. Allow to sit for a few minutes and rinse away. It will totally melt all the gunk, slime, sludge and other stuff that builds up including a bathtub ring.
REPEL ANTS
Spray counter-tops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn spray.
STRIPPING CLOTH DIAPERS
Add a squirt or two of original Dawn dish soap to your washer and run a hot wash, then rinse until there are no more bubbles. Dawn is a degreasing agent and helps stripping by removing oily residue. Be sure to rinse, rinse, rinse until the water runs clear.
UNCLOGGING TOILETS
A cup of Dawn detergent poured into a clogged toilet allowed to sit for 15 minutes and then followed with a bucket of hot water poured from waist height will clear out the toilet.
POISON IVY
Poison ivy spreads through the spread of the oil within the blisters. Washing the affected area with Dawn, especially on children who keep scratching the blister’s open, helps dry up the fluid, AND keep it from spreading.
DRIVEWAY CLEANER
If you have gasoline or motor oil stains on your driveway, you can use the kitty litter method to clean up the excess oil and then use a scrub broom and a solution of biodegradable Dawn dishwashing detergent and warm water to safely and effectively remove excess motor oil from the pavement.
OILY SKIN
Dawn makes a great facial cleanser for oily skin. A drop or two combined with warm water will do the trick.
PAINT OR GREASE REMOVER FOR HANDS
Dawn combined with corn oil makes for the perfect paint or grease remover. Simply combine a little bit of both in your hands then rub it over affected areas. The corn oil and the dishwashing liquid both help to dissolve the grease and paint – yet leave skin soft, unlike harsher paint removers.
CLEANING THE KIDDIE POOL
Plastic wading pools can get very gunky, very fast. Dump the water, then scrub the pool with Dawn and a sponge. More potent cleaners like bleach will weaken and dry out the plastic in the sun.
MULTIPURPOSE CLEANER
Merry Maids recommends using a drop of Dawn in water to clean ceramic tile and no-wax/linoleum floors. You can also use the spray on:
• Bathroom and kitchen counters and sinks.
• Woodwork, e.g., baseboards, shelves, and wainscoting. (Dry as you go–wood doesn’t like prolonged contact with water.)
• Tubs and toilet seats.
LAUNDRY PRE-TREATER FOR OILY STAINS
For oil-based stains such as lipstick, grease, butter, motor oil, cooking oil, and some pen inks, simply apply some Dawn dishwashing liquid directly to the stain and scrub with a small brush or toothbrush until the oil is removed, and then launder as usual.
NON-TOXIC LUBRICANT
Sliding glass doors, door knobs, hinges etc. It lasts much longer than any aerosol type spray that I have tried. And Its non-toxic! It does a great job of cleaning the parts that its lubricating as well!
SIDEWALK DE-ICER
For icy steps and sidewalks in freezing temperatures, mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 gallon hot/warm water and pour over walkways. They won’t refreeze. No more salt eating at the concrete in your sidewalks
POOL CLEANING
Squirt Dawn down the middle of the pool and all of the dirt, suntan lotion, etc. will move to the edges of the pool for easy clean up! AND it makes the pools sparkle.
EYEGLASS DEFOGGER
Simply rub a small drop of Dawn on eyeglass lenses, and wipe clean. It will leave a very thin film that will prevent them from fogging up.
SHOWER FLOORS
Cover greasy footprints on shower floors with a coating of Dawn; let sit overnight. Scrub away the gunk in the morning with a stiff brush.
APHID CONTROL ON FRUIT TREES
Mix two tablespoons Dawn to a gallon of water and put in your sprayer. Try to get spray both sides of the leaves, branches and the tree trunks. Let sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse the trees THOROUGHLY!
USEFUL !
Hope you find this list useful, I know I did and will be trying some of them.
Have a great day, thanks for stopping by and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things You L♥ve.
Donna

Friday, September 19, 2014

7 up biscuits



I made these the other night for my grandson and his family.  They are the ones that just had the beautiful baby boy in the last post.  I had made a pot roast is the slower cooker at their house so they would have a nice dinner and not have to worry about cooking.  I saw these biscuits on pinterest and knew I wanted to try them.  I have also made them when I just cooked a turkey breast for the family.  They are so light and yummy.  A must try for sure.


~~ 7 UP BISCUITS ~~
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups Bisquick
1 cup sour cream
1 cup 7-up
1/2 cup melted butter
**I added about 1/3 cup shredded colby/jack cheese*
DIRECTIONS:
Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7 up. Dough will be very soft - don't worry. Knead and fold dough until coated with your baking mix. Pat dough out and cut biscuits using a round biscuit / cookie cutter. Melt butter in bottom of cookie sheet pan or 9x13 casserole dish. Place biscuits on top of melted butter and bake @ 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until brown.
I think the next time I make these I am add some herbs and garlic and see if I can get them to taste like Red Lobster biscuits.
Have a great day everyone, and thanks for taking time to stop by.  Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things You L♥ve.
Donna

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Apple crumb cake


I made this cake for my oldest grandson's birthday, he turned 22 on Sept. 7, he celebrates that day with my mom (who is no longer with us).  Lately he has not been much for desserts so I thought this cake would do just fine.  It was a big hit and people have asked for the recipe.  I used sweetened condensed milk made into caramel for the caramel part.  It's easy you just take a can and immerse it in water, bring it to a boil then for 2 hours your cook it on a slow simmer.  Do Not open it while it's hot.  I have included the recipe for the caramel from the site that I found this recipe at.  Hope you try this is a great cake and a nice change from the ordinary birthday cakes.

adapted from here

For the Batter
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large Granny Smith apples (cored, peeled, and sliced)
Streusel Topping (recipe follows)
Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350° F (About 180° C). Grease and flour a 9-in (22.5 cm) springform pan. Reserve.
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the apples; sauté for 5 minutes or until softened.  Remove from heat; cool completely (about 30 minutes).  Meanwhile, prepare the Streusel Topping and Caramel Sauce. Reserve 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce to drizzle the cake with just before serving.  At medium speed, beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Beginning and ending with this flour mixture, add to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beating at low speed until well blended after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.  Pour batter into the prepared pan, top with apples, drizzle with 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce; then, sprinkle with Streusel Topping.  If using a dark, coated springform pan, bake at 325° for 45 minutes (if using a noncoated shiny springform pan, bake at 350° for 45 minutes). After these 45 minutes, cover loosely with aluminum foil in order to prevent excessive browning; bake for additional 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set (note: wooden toothpick will not come out clean due to the caramel).

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes; remove the sides of the pan.  Then let cool completely on wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours).  Drizzle with 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce and serve.
For the Streusel Topping
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg**
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract**
1/4 teaspoon salt
** These ingredients are not part of the original recipe. They were added by me.
Directions:

Directions:
Stir together all the ingredients until blended.  Let stand for 30 minutes or until firm enough to crumble into small pieces.
For the Caramel Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract**
** This ingredient is not part of the original recipe. It was added by me.
Directions:
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring brown sugar, butter, whipping cream, and honey to a boil , stirring constantly. Let boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the vanilla, stir, and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. In order to reheat, microwave at high power for 10 to 15 seconds or just until warm; stir until smooth.

the original recipe was adapted from Southern Living

thanks for take the time to stop by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things you  love.
Donna




Monday, September 1, 2014

Our newest family member

This is Eli, he arrived August 29, 2014 at about 11:20.  He was 7 lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long.  What a beautiful baby boy.  Was a long day and a half waiting on him but well worth the wait.  Here are some pictures of him and his new family.
proud daddy
Eli, dad, grandma, grandpa and uncle

Uncle AJ and Eli



grandpa and Eli
 Mammy, Great Aunt Winnie and Eli
Great Aunt Winnie and Eli


Mammy and Eli
 Welcome to our family little man, it's going to be wonderful to see all the changes as you grow.  Will get pictures of Eli and Mommy today.