All My Eggs

Living Simply and Frugally

Homemade Laundry Detergent

One of the ways that I save is by making my own powdered laundry detergent.  Not only is it less expensive to use, my clothes are very clean, and all of the products used to make it are right in your cupboards.  It is also more ecological than most other detergents.

I use the following ingredients:

1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 cup grated bar soap (fels naptha, Ivory, Zote or any bar soap that you would like to use)  I usually use Zote.

I mix all of these ingredients together, and keep it in a jar.  I usually make several batches at a time so that I don't have to do it too often.

I use 1 tablespoon of detergent for a regular wash load.  If the clothes are extra dirty, I use 2 tablespoons.  This detergent also works for delicate laundry.  Also, it doesn't suds up, so it works well in the 'he' washers.

October 11, 2008 Posted by inonebasket | Cleaning, Frugality, Homemade | , , , | Comments Off

Easy Spaghetti Sauce

I love homemade spaghetti sauce.  It is so easy to make with your slow cooker, much healthier than what you can purchase in a jar, tastes better, and is so much more economical! This can also be used on pizza.  I don’t put any meat in it now, but I add meat later if I want it.

Here is how I generally make my sauce. Now if you have a garden, you can use fresh ingredients, which makes it even better!

sauce ingredients

sauce ingredients

I purchase a #10 can of either whole tomatoes, that I will crush with my hands, or pureed tomatoes, which is what I have here.  Make sure your slow cooker can hold this amount, otherwise you will have to adjust for your cooker’s size.  Mine will hold 5 quarts of sauce.  I then also add a 15oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice, a small can of tomato paste, I like my sauce thick.

I use 1 medium to large yellow onion – chopped.

chop onions

chop onions

I used one large size garlic (there were 8 – 10 large cloves) chopped (of course do to your taste);

chop garlic

chop garlic

And I used about 2 medium size green bell peppers – chopped;

green peppers

green peppers

I used dried spices that I can get at the Sprout’s farmers market (actually a great grocery store we have here).  I used about 1 tablespoon each of basil and oregano, and put in a couple of bay leaves.

I then put the slow cooker on low and cook for about 12 hours.

finished sauce

finished sauce

The finished product!  I got 5 quarts of sauce.  I put it in plastic containers and freeze it.  You can also can it if you like.

When I use it, I will add meat such as Italian sausage, ground beef or ground turkey, which I cook first, add to the sauce, and simmer for a short time.  Yummy! Great for fall!

October 5, 2008 Posted by inonebasket | Food, Homemade, Seasons | , , , | Comments Off