Best Mac n Cheese Ever

I have never met a person that didn’t like good ol’ macaroni and cheese.  Growing up, mom always made Kraft from a box. I wanted to try to make things from scratch so I could feel good feeding it to my young children.  This is a family favorite in our house.

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (We like shells, but any shape could work.)

1/2 pound cheddar cheese

1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter (Margarine is fine.)

1 teaspoon black pepper (More or less according to taste.)

1 teaspoon salt (More or less according to taste.)

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of water, add uncooked pasta, turn burner down to medium heat, stir           occasionally until pasta is tender.

2. Grate cheeses, mix them together.

3. Drain pasta and place into a large mixing bowl.

4. Add cheese (reserve 1/4 of the cheese for the top), milk, salt, pepper, and butter, stir           well.

5. Pour the pasta mixture into a baking pan.  I like to spray the pan with a little cooking             spray, but it is not necessary.

6. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place into a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

7. Remove the foil and return the dish to the oven for an additional 5 minutes to cook the         top until it is golden brown.

Fall Bean Leaf Project

This is an easy and fun craft that you can do with your kids.

Supplies:

Assorted beans (I like to buy a bag of 15 bean soup mix)

Glue

Poster Board

A copy of the leaf template posted below.

Steps:

1. Print out the leaf template and cut out the paper leaf.

2. Trace the leaf pattern onto your poster board.

3. Cut out the leaf pattern.

4. Spread a thin layer of glue on the poster board leaf.

5. Arrange the beans on the leaf.

Pan Dulce (Mexican Sweet Bread)

I lived in San Diego from 1989 until 2005.  Living in Southern California gave me a deep appreciation for the culinary delights for all foods from South of the Border.  This is a recipe for a simple pastry that goes very well with a cup of coffee.

Sweet deliciousness.

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 2/3 cups white bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 5 large eggs

Toppings

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions for Dough:

 1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water.  Let stand 6-      8 minutes.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups bread flour, salt, sugar and shortening and              blend thoroughly.

3. Add yeast mixture and 2 eggs.  Mix completely.

4. Add remaining eggs and mix.

5. Add remaining bread flour and mix until the dough forms a loose, soft, and elastic               dough.

6. Liberally butter your baking pan and hands.

7. Using your hands roll out 12 equal sized dough balls.

8. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for at least an hour to an hour and a half.

Directions for Topping:

You can use a food processor or stand mixer for this.  If you do not have a mixer you can do this by hand, be prepared to be stirring for a while.

1. Add the butter, shortening, vanilla, and powdered sugar, mix well.

2. Slowly add the flour, mixing well before adding more.

3. At this point you can add food coloring if desired.

4. Separate the topping into 2 parts.  Add cinnamon to half, leave the other half plain.

5. Roll each topping into a log shape and wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap.  Refrigerate         until ready to use.

6. Once the pan dulce rolls have risen remove the topping from the refrigerator and cut           into 1/3″ sections and press flat.

7. Place the flattened topping circle on top of the dough.

8. Using a sharp knife cut a crisscross pattern into the topping.

Preheat the oven to 350 and bake for 10-15 minutes.  Keep an eye on them because they over cook quickly.

A Few Pretty Wallpapers

Here is a little collection of pretty wallpapers that I came across while browsing.

Found at: http://wallpaper-s.org/45__The_Beautiful_Enigmatic_Flower.htm

Found at: http://wallpaper-s.org/90__Beautiful_Purple_Flower.htm

Found at: http://wallpaper-s.org/42__Alive_With_Color,_Beautiful_Sunset.htm

Found at: http://thanksgiving-wallpapers.com/wallpaper/beautiful-thanksgiving/

Soap Suds (make your own laundry soap!)

Have you ever stood in the aisle at Target looking at the price of suds for your duds? After having kids, I found myself in that aisle a lot more. I had a serious Tide addiction. And at $10+ for a bottle, it had my pocketbook in a death grip. OK, maybe not a death grip per se, but it definitively cut into my shoe budget. I had heard of people making their own detergent, but always thought it HAD to be a long, hard process. This past spring I decided to give it a try. Making a batch only took me 15 minutes and the entire start up cost was less than what what one bottle of Tide cost. After using this formula for the past 6 months, I can attest that it works well. My clothes always come out clean.

Materials:

1. Soap (Fels Naptha ~ find it in the laundry aisle. Or you can use Ivory.)
2. Washing Soda (NOT baking soda! You can also find this in the laundary aisle)
3. Borax (Found in ~you guessed it!~ the laundry aisle)
4. Bucket or any sort of large plastic container.
5. Old liquid detergent containers. (Optional, but useful)

Now on to the fun part!

Recipe:

~1/3 bar of Fels Naptha OR one whole bar of Dove. (One of the other NOT BOTH!)
~1/2 cup Washing Soda
~1/2 cup Borax

1. Grate the soap and place it into a large sauce pan.
2. Add 6 cups of water and place the pan on the stove, medium heat, stirring occasionally until the soap shavings melt.
3. Add the Washing Soda and Borax, stir until they are dissolved. Remove from heat.
4. Pour 4 cups of hot water into your bucket or container.
5. Add the contents of your pan to the bucket. Stir.
6. Add a gallon of water plus an additional 6 cups of water to the bucket and stir.

At this point your detergent is finished and can be placed into your old liquid soap containers or you can just leave it in the bucket. Either way, it needs to sit for 24 hours. The liquid starts to gel, and when you use it, it needs to be stirred or shaken to break up the globs. This is why I prefer to use old soap containers, it is easier to shake it up and pour it into the wash.

Use 1/2 cup of soap per load.

This soap does not make many suds, but suds do not clean your clothing, the ingredients do. And this soap leaves your clothing clean with very little scent. If you prefer some scent, you can add 1/2 to 1 ounce of your favorite essential oil. Lavender is nice.

Total cost for materials?
~Fels Naptha soap: $1.
~Washing Soda: $4.
~Borax: $3.
Keep in mind that after making this recipe you will still have plenty of washing soda, soap, and borax left over. even after making this 3 times, you will only have to buy another bar of soap, there will still be a ton of washing soda and borax left over!

The cost per load of this soap is less than .03 per load!

Happy cleaning!

Greetings and Salutations

Life is sometimes hectic.  As a mother to two rough and tumble boys, I am always looking for ways to save money, have fun, and eat well.  In the coming months I am planning to share money saving tips, recipes, and craft ideas.  Sounds boring right?  Don’t all household blogs do the same thing?  Pretty much.  But here is where your gal, Dizzy Dolly, is going to do things differently.  I love art, writing, photography, and combing the web for interesting things.  In my down time, I will be your own personal concierge of interesting reads and beautiful images to peruse.  Do YOU have an idea, image, craft project, or anything interesting that you would like to share?  Contact me at dizzydollyblog@gmail.com and lets talk!