Using Leftovers: Mini Egg Casseroles

source

Makes six 6 oz. mini egg casseroles

6 eggs
A little milk
Cheeses

butter or margarine
Vegetables such as zucchini, onion, peppers, tomatoes
leftover meats, such as ham, turkey, sausage
herbs such as thyme or basil
bread to cube

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the bread into cubes and set aside. Chop the whatever vegetables you have on hand. Butter the inside of the ramekins and coat them lightly with Parmesan cheese. Add the bread cubes to each, making sure not to overfill as there will be more additions. Grate and or chop your other ingredients and mix them into the bread in whatever combinations suit your fancy.

Whisk the eggs with enough milk so that they are a bit thinner than the consistency you would use for making a scramble, but not too thin. Pour the egg custard into the ramekins leaving a bit of room at the top. Use a fork to mix the ingredient around and let sit 5-10 minutes to make sure the bread absorbs the eggs. Top each with cheese and bake for 25-35 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Allow to cool slightly and serve with a salad.

source: Imagine Childhood

June 26: For National Chocolate Pudding Day: Homemade Chocolate Pudding & Vanilla Pudding Mix

In America, chocolate pudding is a chocolate flavored custard. In Britain, chocolate pudding is more of a dense cake, and the word "pudding" itself can be a generic term for "dessert."

June 26 is America's National Chocolate Pudding Day, so make some mix to have ready. I have included a Vanilla Pudding Mix, too-just for fun.

Chocolate Pudding Mix
3 cups cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups unsweeteened cocoa powder
5 cups sugar

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Store in a large airtight container or jar.

To Prepare Pudding: Stir mix before using. Measure out 2/3 cup of mix into a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups milk, one teaspoon vanilla and one tablespoon butter. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking and stirring for one minute. Remove from heat and let cool.

Vanilla Pudding Mix

3 cups instant nonfat dry milk
4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups cornstarch

Combine milk, sugar, salt and cornstarch in a food processor and process until uniform. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches. Store mix in airtight canister or a closely covered jar.

To prepare pudding: Stir the mix in the canister before measuring out 1/2 cup mix into a pan. Add 2 cups milk AND 1 teaspoon of vanilla and cook over low heat, stirring until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Continue stirring for 1 minute, remove from heat and pour into individual serving dishes. Pudding will thicken further as it cools. Makes 8 cups of milk.

Spray for Dusting

Natural cleansers cost a lot and I have found them to not work that great. I found this recipe for from Stephanie and thought that I would give it a try. I find that this works at least as well as the regular cleansers you can buy at the store, and better than the natural ones.


For wood surfaces.

3-5 ounces rubbing alcohol
@26 ounces water
essential oil(s) of choice
Put all in a spray bottle.

Scouring Powder

Natural cleansers cost a lot and I have found them to not work that great. I found this recipe from Stephanie and thought that I would give it a try. I found that it works at least as well as the regular cleansers you can buy at the store, and better than the natural ones.

Will not deteriorate grout.

2 parts baking soda
1 part borax
few drops essential oil, your choice
The baking soda will absorb the fragrance over time, so it is better to make smaller batches. I put mine in a cheese shaker that has a plastic lid I bought at the grocery store.

All-Purpose Cleanser

Natural cleansers cost a lot and I have found them to not work that great. I found this recipe for natural cleanser from Stephanie and thought that I would give it a try. I find that this works at least as well as the regular cleansers you can buy at the store, and better than the natural ones. The tricky ingredient is liquid castile soap, which can be bought easier in the cities, but not in the rural area I live. I bought mine on the 'net in large quantities to make the most of my shipping charges. "I make up one with a citrus scent for the kitchen and one with mint for the bathroom. Choice of scents are up to you!"

3 Tabs. lemon juice or white vinegar (The lemon juice smells better but leaves an unpleasant looking layer at the top of lemon pulp. You can put it in a non-see-through bottle, or you can use food coloring to color the cleaner, which makes this layer less obvious, but my daughter objects to the coloring as being unnatural. I suppose an all-natural food color?)
1 1/2 tea. borax
2 1/2-3 cups water
1/3 cup castile soap
essential oil(s) of choice.
a spray bottle, about 26 ounces

In a large measuring cup, put in borax and add hot water to dissolve the powder. Add the lemon juice or vinegar. Pour into the bottle. Add the castile soap and water. Shake well. Add essential oil.

Automatic Dishwasher Powder

I found this recipe from Stephanie and thought that I would give it a try. I find that this works at least as well as the regular cleansers you can buy at the store, and better than the natural ones. The tricky ingredient is citric acid which can be bought easier in the cities, but not in the rural area I live. I bought mine on the 'net in large quantities to make the most of my shipping charges.

In a plastic container with a snug-fitting lid, mix:
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax
1/3 cup salt
1/3 cup citric acid
30 drops essential oil of your choice: (lemon, grapefruit, tangerine are really good choices)

Fill your compartments with the powder. You will need to rinse your dishes well before loading as it does not contain food disolving chemicals.

Laundry Soap

This recipe is adapted from the one here. Most homemade laundry soaps call for Washing Soda, which is not found around here, so I chose to use this one that does not use it. It is much cheaper than the detergents you find in the store, but more importantly to me, I know what is in it.





1 bar of soap, grated with a cheese grater. Fels-Naptha is good for stains, but I use whatever I have on hand. In the picture is Dial.
2 gallons of water
2 cups Borax
2 cups Baking Soda
Essential Oils; use Teatree Oil for its antibacterial qualities
A pot large enough to hold 2 gallons or the largest pot you have and a bucket that will hold 3 gallons
2 large empty laundry jugs; this is not necessary if your bucket has a lid.

I have a large soup pot I use for this. Use your largest pot and put in as much water as you can and comfortable stir, but make sure you measure it. I can put all 2 gallons of water in, so I do. If you can only put a quart in, that is fine. You will add the other 3 quarts later then. Put the grated soap in the pot. On medium heat, heat the water until all the soap has melted. It takes a little while. I usually do this while I am cleaning the kitchen in general, so it doesn't seem that long that way. Once the soap has melted, add your borax and baking soda and stir until dissolved. If you could not fit all 2 gallons in your pot, then you will need to transfer the soap mixture to a bucket and add whatever remaining water you need to in order to make the 2 gallons of water. This additional water can be cold. Add essential oils and stir. Using a funnel and a large measuring cup transfer the laundry soap to your jugs, or if you are keeping the laundry soap in the bucket, put a lid on it.

Use 1/2 cup per load or 1 cup for large or heavily stained loads. Stir or shake before pouring out as it tends to separate.