Free Photo Christmas Cards!!!!

Hurry, hurry, hurry - http://www.seehere.com/ is offering 50 photo cards for free and shipped for free!  This is a fabulous deal!!!  The offer expires 11/21, so get your pictures uploaded.  They have some really cute backgrounds - I just ordered mine on Monday.  When you check out, use coupon code:  Freebies4mom-1109  

Flavors of Fall - Apple Butter and Banana Bread!!

Besides cleaning this weekend, I also had to catch up on some baking, etc.  I had purchased a large bag full of ripe bananas at the grocery store for $1.46 and several bags of apples. I made banana bread with the bananas, and was able to make 4 large loaves and 8 mini-loaves.  These are great to make ahead and freeze to share with friends and family.  Fall always bring with it apples and I love apples and the smell of apples cooking.  Since I was a little kid, I have always loved apple butter, so what better way to use the apples than to make a batch of crockpot apple butter!  This was my first time making apple butter, but absolutely not my last!  Check out the recipes below and Enjoy!

Banana Bread Recipe

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 to 4 bananas)

1/3 cup water

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour for these)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray  loaf pan with pam (or grease and flour pan if you are out of Pam, like I was! - Hence the flour around the edges of the loaf). Mix sugar and butter.  Stir in eggs until blended.  Add bananas and water and stir.  Stir in remaining ingredients, except nuts, until moistened; stir in nuts.  Pour into pan.  Bake 8 inch loaf for 1 1/4 hours, 9 inch loaf for 55 to 60 minutes; cool 5 minutes.  Loosen from sides and remove to cool on rack.

Crockpot Apple Butter

8 lbs apples (Gala, Fuji and Braeburn - not Granny Smith)

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoons cloves

1tablespoon vanilla

Peel, core and slice 8 pounds of apples (about 15 large apples).  It's best to use 3 types of sweet apples for a good flavor.

Place apples in crockpot on low for 6 hours with lid on.

After 6 hours, carefully mash the apples.  (I removed my apples and put them into batches in my blender).  Return cooked apples to crockpot.

Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, cloves and cinnamon to apple mash.  Simmer on low for 8 hours.  If apple butter is still too wet after 8 hours, simmer with lid off for 1 hour.  If it is too thick, slowly add apple juice until it is the right consistency.  Apple Butter is the right consistency when a wooden spoon will stand up in it.

This recipe makes 2 1/2 quarts or 5 pints.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

It's hard to believe it's almost Thanksgiving!  This is probably my favorite time of year! And for some reason I've been in the cleaning mood around our house, guess I have "fall fever" instead of "spring fever!"  One of my chores for this weekend, was to make our laundry detergent.  Last April, I decided to try a laundry recipe from the Duggars (the family who has like 19 children and has the TLC show).  Much to my surprise, it worked great.  It's really easy to make (takes about 15 minutes) and I only have to make it about every 3 months.  Plus, it saves me approximately $194/year.  The recipe (liquid laundry detergent) is listed below, along with the fabric softener recipe (which I also use, and it saves me $70/year). 

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

(Front or Top Load Machines)

4 Cups Hot Tap Water

1 Fels-Naptha Soap Bar (You can find at Walmart and various stores in Laundry Aisle)

1 Cup Washing Soda (at Kroger in Laundry Aisle)

1/2 Cup Borax (Found in Laundry Aisle at most stores)

Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with hot water (I usually cut it into blocks and throw it in the food processor vs grating).  Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap disolves and is melted.  (I have never got mine to melt all the way, but I usually let it heat up for about 15 minutes).

Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water.  Add melted soap, washing soda, and Borax.  Stir well until all powder is disolved.  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 mixture 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.  (Lavender, Rosemary, Tea Tree Oil).

Yield:  10 gallons

Top Load - 5/8 cup per load (approx. 180)

Front Load - 1/4 cup per load (approx. 640)

Fabric Softener Recipe

1 container of Name Brand Fabric Softener

4 inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour entire container of softener (I use Purex) into a 5 gallon bucket.  Fill empty softener container with water twice.  (2 parts water to 1 part fabric softener).  Add sponges to the softener/water mixture.  When ready to use, wring out extra moisture from one sponge add add tot he dryer as you would a dryer sheet.  Once used, put dry sponge back in softner/water mixture to reuse.