I've discovered the joys

of making some of my own food stuffs. Of late I've been making the
mistake of reading labels on food containers and have been increasingly
appalled with all the crap they put in things. About the only peanut
butter you can get any more that doesn't contain sugar or corn syrup is
Adams, and when you are on a very tight budget that can get expensive
if you like to eat a lot of peanut butter. The other option is to use
the grind your own there at the store, if they have the option. It runs
a bit cheaper per pound and while not as creamy as Adams, it is just as
tasty. I decided to price out bulk peanuts and grind my own peanut
butter at home. Cheaper still, esp since I already have peanut oil to
add as we like to do stir frys for dinner. My first attempt turned out
pretty good, tho not creamy like Adams, I think I'll have to pulverize
the peanuts finer, but creamier then the stuff we ground at the store.
The added bonus is I have peanuts on hand for munching and adding to a
nice stir fry for somehting a bit more special

So, we are now considering a bread machine so we can have fresh
homemade breads that aren't full of preservatives. I am already making
my own salad dressings and will be looking at condiments such as
ketchup, mayo/salad dressing and such. As much as I like the convience
of just buying it at the store, I am really beginning to prefer making
it from scratch, using ingredients I am sure about and avoiding fillers
and such that have no place in the item in the first place. Besides, I
love to cook, most of this type of stuff doesn't take that long to make
in the first place and I know we are eating a lot healthier.

And speaking of making my own stuff, I have had pretty good success at
making my own laundry soap. For the cost of a bottle of the Sun Free
(or actually less then the cost) liquid laundry soap, I've made up a
batch that will last me quite a number of months. The recipe is simple:

1 bar Fels Naptha soap
1 cup (or 1 1/2 cups if you have hard water) washing soda

Grate Fels Naptha into fine flakes, put in pot and add 4 cups water.
Cook over medium heat, do not let the mixture boil, until all the soap
flakes are dissolved. Pour mixture into 5 gal bucket and stir in
washing soda (this is found in the laundry aisle of the grocery store,
usually in a bright yellow box. Do not mistake this with baking soda,
they are 2 totally different critters) and add 4 gallons of hot tap
water, stirring constantly. Allow to sit overnight, it will turn into a
gel. If there is liquid in the bucket, not to worry, it sometimes
doesn't always gel completely. I use about 1/4-1/3 of a cup per load
(the directions I read said a couple of tablespoons, but our laundry
can get pretty grungy) . I find my laundry comes out smelling cleaner
then it did with the commercially bought stuff. Next time I need to
make a batch all I have to do is buy the Fels Naptha, I already have
the box of washing soda. Pretty nifty stuff

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