From Farm to Table

My husband & I try to make it back to the farm as much as possible. This time of year happens to be very busy for the Dodsworth's because it is wheat harvest (and the garden is over flowing with produce). Here are a few pictures of a delicious zucchini bread recipe that is made from scratch with as much from the farm as possible.

This is the garden. It has everything from beets, sweet corn, lettuce, radishes, rhubarb, strawberries, carrots, snap peas, winter peas to squash, zucchini, pumpkins, peppers and more!

My MIL sent me home with some awesome produce!

B harvesting the wheat and transferring it from the combine to the grain cart on the tractor.

Me getting some wheat from the grain cart!

Grinding the wheat in my Magic Bullet...probably not the best idea, but I was anxious to try out the new wheat berries!

Adding the zucchini to the bread dough.

Getting ready to go in the oven!

Finished product. Great recipe! Click Zucchini-Oat Bread to see the recipe!

Wedding Projects on a Budget

Only 27 days until the Big Day!  I, Susanna (the middle sister of the three) am overcome with excitement as the countdown ticks away.  Throughout the summer I have been tackling various wedding related "projects."  My wedding will be black and white, with "pops" of yellow.  It is an afternoon/evening affair so I wanted an elegance feel to the day. 

These signs are going on the back of Marshall and I's chairs at the reception.  They are still missing bows.  I found a wooden background and wooden letters at Hobby Lobby for next to nothing.  Turns out, a little paint and Modge Podge glue goes a long way.  

Most of the tables at the reception are not reserved, but a couple are.  I found this frame at the Dollar Store for...$1.  I then typed up and printed "Reserved" to go inside the frame.

The fabric/pattern that inspired so much of the decor.

The centerpieces!  We bought a bolt of fabric from an online store.  We measured, pressed, cut, and stitched up 20X20'' inch squares.  Soon these will be decorating tables!  

Homemade Laundry Soap!

Laundry Soap is ~$2.06 per batch. My batch for my husband & I has lasted since June 2010, so over a year and still have about 1/4 of the 5 gallon bucket left!

Ingredients:

Quantity	Ingredient	Price
4 cups	Water	Free
1 Cup	Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda	$5.58 / box (55 oz.)  [6.87 batches]
1/2 Cup	Borax	$4.09 / box (4lbs. 12oz.)  [~18 batches]
1 Bar	Fels Naptha bar soap	$1.05 / bar (1 batch)

Instructions:

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)
*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

Oreo Truffles

The word truffle sounds expensive.  Truffle oil or truffle chocolate, either way it is going to cost you.  Here is a recipe for fun and delicious truffles made with 4 ingredients.  Not just 4 ingredients, but 4 inexpensive ingredients.  You can decorate them up with fun sprinkles or use white chocolate for contrast.  Perfect for a little gift bag or just perfect for your fridge.

What You Need
1 (1lb 2oz.) pkg Oreos
8oz. cream cheese, softened
Chocolate-Flavored Almond Bark
*1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional- may add other extracts to enhance flavor)
*Crisco if needed (to thin almond bark once melted)

What to do 
- Crush Oreos using a food proccessor, or even by putting them in a plastic bag and using a rolling pin. 
- Add softened cream cheese and vanilla (if desired) and mix until smooth.
- Make small balls out of the mixture
- Chill mixture in fridge or freezer until firm.
- In microwave-safe bowl, melt the almond bark. If you want a slightly thinner coat of chocolate on each ball, add about a teaspoon of shortening (non-flavored).

- Drop Oreo balls into melted almond bark. Make sure to coat the entire surface then use a spoon to place on wax paper or aluminum. Let almond bark harden (you can use the fridge to speed this process up). ENJOY!

Coupon Trick of the Trade

Coupons are everywhere!  You just have to keep your eyes peeled!  I often do best with the coupons you can tear off a pad.  This particular one has a picture of BIG SLICE, but you can get any of their Kraft sliced cheeses with it.  So I always choose that which you can get the highest oz/dollar.  This happened to be on sale for 1.99 this week (from 4.99, YIKES).  So they came down to 99 cents a pack.  That equals 12 cents/ ounce and under 2 dollars a pound, which is WAY cheaper then buying in bulk, even with a good sale!  I use it for all cheese recipes and just shred it with a knife if I need shredded, it's SO cheap. YAY.  Also found SOOO many people out couponing today.  Sometimes I inadvertently give them the "evil eye."  You weren't out here before the "Extreme Couponing" show came out!

Email these Companies, get these coupons!

Well, I think I will start with a master list of companies to email and they will send you coupons or samples through the mail!  It's always fun to get coupons in the mail!
UPDATE:  You are able to email by going through their "contact us" page and email through most appropriate subcategory.  

Companies that DO Mail:

Playtex

MAM Baby

Heinz

Skinmate

Snapple

Kelloggs

Jose Ole

Purdue

Bumble Bee Tuna

Tidy Cat

Dove

Crest

Nivea

Aquaphor

Ellas Kitchen

ConAgra

Apple and Eve

Medela –And Samples!

Lansinoh – And samples!

Johnsonville Sausage

Arizona Tea

Lipton

Hunts

Nutro Dog Food

Cascadian Farms

Boogies Wipes

Hawaiian Tropic

Kashi

Morningstar Farms

Plum Organics

Campbells

Glade

VIP – Frozen veggies n fruits

Mario Olives

Purina

Ragu

Pull-Ups

Seventh Generation

Dial

Smuckers

Airwick

Cottonelle

Fresh Express

Mama Marys

Pop Chips

Unilever Qs-Bertolli,

 Breyers,

 I can’t believe it’s not butter,

 Hellmans,

Dole

Clorox

4C Juice

Pepsi

Coffee Mate

Viva Towels

Beech Nut

Purina

Egglands Best

Lysol

Downy

The Greek Gods

Palmolive

Cheez-its

Duncan Hines

Daisy

Bar S

Biore

Kettle Chips

Hostess

Fizzy Izze

Turkey Hill

YoBaby

Pediasure

Charmin

Ore Ida

Ziplock

Sweet Baby Rays

Utz

Petes Coffee

Danon

V8

TGI Fridays Frozens

Bushes Beans

Edys

Wymans

Kozy Shack

Ball Park

Kandoo

Del Monte

Chobani

Jif

Welchs

New York Toast

Kings Hawaiian

McCormick

Johnson

Avoderm

Kimberly Clark

Puffs

Hefty

KC (Windex)

Renuzit

Soft n Dri

Soft Scrub

Purex

Nexxus

Thomas Bagels

Head and Shoulders

Michelinas Frozen Dinners

Quilted Nothern

Glad Air Freshner

Aunt Jemima

Blue Bunny

Birds Eye Viola

Boudreauxs butt Paste

Tillamook

Pictsweet

Dr. Pepper - will say no but send you some anyways.

Pistachios

Monster - sends stickers!

Silk Soy Milk - 1 per year

Companies that have said NO

Orajel

Kellogs Nutri Grain

Hill Science Diet

Annies

Stride Gum

Cream of Wheat

Dr. Browns

General Mills

Motts

NUK

Boppy

Tommee Tippie

Hersheys

All

Barilla

Starkist

Campbell

Charmin

Del Monte

Ben and Jerrys

 Starbucks

Venus Razors

Con-Agra

Nivea

Head and Shoulders

Hit and Miss Companies

Huggies

Similiac – Unless you need a special kind

Gerber -Unless you need a special kind

Enfamil -Unless you need a special kind

Pampers

Juicy Juice

Aveeno

Baby Magic

Coke

Pepperidge Farm

Earths Best

 Kraft Mac n Cheese

 Chiquita

Scrubbin Bubbles

Venus Razors

Get busy emailing away!