Filthy Dirty Martini

Admittedly, I've probably never really had a proper Dirty Martini.. So, for those of you who have, maybe this post isn't for you.

One day, a long time ago, when I was a complete Martini-Virgin.... I kept hearing about "Martinis" and specifically a "Dirty Martini" Curiosity got the best of me so I started looking into what was in this oh-so-distinguished beverage... It was love at first sight.. Gin and Olive! What more could I have ever wanted in an adult beverage!?!?! Where have you been all my life? How have we not met sooner??? I was instantly full of regret - calculating the years I have been missing out on such a wonderful creation.

Of course, I ended up at the liquor store... it's like Toys-R-Us for adults. I can browse for hours reading labels and getting lost in all the pretty bottles! Bombay Sapphire was already a tried and true friend of mine along with his bff Tonic water.. So, I spared no expense and started martini experience that very night! It was basically a glass of Sapphire with a touch of olive juice right out of the jar - PHEW! That was a tough first drink......

Needless to say, years later and lots of Dirty Martini recipes and research.. I finally found the perfect mixture for my taste!!!

1. Fill up your Martini Glass with ice, preferably crushed to get it nice and chilled
2. Fill your stainless steel shaker with crushed ice
3. Drizzle a little Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth over the ice in the shaker
4. Add in your shaker 2 shots of Burnett's Dry Gin* and 1 shot of Dirty Sue**
5. Put the lid on the shaker (both parts) and Shake-Shake-Shake till the outside of the shaker gets icy
6. Dump Ice out of your, now chilled, Martini glass
7. Spear as many jumbo green olives as you can on a toothpick, set in your chilled glass
8. Strain your Filthy Dirty Martini into your glass over the olives....
9. Drink up, buttercup!

Notes:
* If you're having a dirty martini, don't waste you money on the best gin, Burnett's isn't the cheapest but good enough to make this drink work!
** If you haven't been introduced to Dirty Sue, please stop by and introduce yourself. It's basically Premium Olive Juice just for martini lovers like myself - who always run out of olive juice! I purchase it from Amazon.com  I love the subscribe and save option!!

DIY Dishwasher Detergent $.01/load

How awesome?! I just added, yet another, homemade and really cheap household product to my existing recipe book and it really really works! I run my very cheap dishwasher a lot and I abuse it..  I hate rinsing dishes and this works better than finish or cascade that I've used for years!!

Dishwasher Detergent Recipe ($13.94 total cost)

1 Box Arm and Hammer Washing Soda ($3.24/box)
1 Box Borax ($3.38/box)
2 Bottles of Lemi Shine $3.66/each x 2 = 7.32)

Combine the Washing Soda, Borax and Lemi Shine - Mix up really really well! Store in an air tight container (or several containers this recipe made enough to fill 2 - half gallon ball canning jars and 1 quart jar) Use about 1.5t per load - I sprinkle a little in my prewash compartment then 1t in for the regular wash. The recipe will make about 20 cups of Dishwasher Detergent, using 1.5t per load, will wash 960 loads of dishes at $ .01 a load - - - R U KIDDING??  I just triple checked my math - $13.94 total cost /960 loads = $0.01452083 per load!!

Dishwasher Rinse Aid Recipe

Use Distilled White Vinegar as you would any other rinse aid. If you would buy one bottle of jet dry or other rinse aid each month for $5 - one gallon vinegar is only $2 and would last you a whole year - saving you  $58/year!

DIY Asparagus Beetle KILLER!

Dirty Rotten Asparagus Beetle

O-M-G! For the past 5+years we've been growing Asparagus and I've been exclaiming how very easy it is to grow... But this year I've been proven wrong :( We have a horrible infestation of Asparagus Beetles, the kind with the red spots on their backs.. they eat away at your baby asparagus, opening the tight flower heads, leaving trails cut into the stalks and planting little egg things all over the plants.

We have 2 raised asparagus beds (1) 4ft by 8 ft and (2) 4ft by 8ft which gives us a total of 96 sq/ft of asparagus. The thing about growing Asparagus is it slowly increases in quantity year by year. You can't even pick any asparagus until year 2 after you planted the crowns! Then year 3 you pick all the asparagus for a week or two then let the ferns grow (they need the top plant to feed the roots lovely vitamin D sunshine! - bigger root system, more asparagus) Year 4, you pick 3-4 weeks, Year 5 you pick 5-6 weeks, etc.. you got the concept right? Each year the roots have grown/expanded and are sending up more shoots. We've been enjoying asparagus from our first (smaller) bed for about 4 years now.. the larger bed we started a couple years later so which we just really started harvesting last year... SO It's a complete bummer when I go out every evening (yes you have to pick asparagus every day or else it flowers and is yucky) that all my beautiful asparagus is chewed up and covered with bugs.. the darn bugs are even eating the tiny ferns that are from very new/young roots... remember if the plant can't send out it's solar panels to collect the sunshine it can't keep growing roots, the plant will die...

I started researching how to kill these Asparagus Beetles, between my gardening books and the internet, the solution is simple, Insecticidal Soap! Great, I thought, I can do that! Look out bugs here I come! Insecticidal Soap is just soap in water... it's not scientific, it's not precise.. or so I thought! I grabbed one of my spray bottles, filled it 3/4 of the way with water then added about 1T Seventh Generation Dishwashing Soap gave it a little shake and out the door I went to kill some bugs!

Asparagus Beetles 1, Hayley 0..... I failed. None died, So back to research.. ok so I added more soap 2T and 1T olive oil - oil is supposed to help coat the bug/plant to make it stick better.. Asparagus Beetles 2, Hayley 0.. Failed again... Back to research again... someone swore by Dr Bronners Peppermint soap in their insecticidal soap - Great! I have it.. I started over water, peppermint castile soap and olive oil.. Asparagus Beetles 3, Hayley 0.. this sucks.

Ok, everyone searching for an Organic/Natural solution comes to a point where the question the hassle of the direction they are going.. is this worth it? what is the cost to loosing all this Asparagus? Sometimes I almost wish I didn't know how bad things like Roundup, Sevin Dust, etc are us and are planet.... times were simple 10 years ago I sprayed weeds with round up and dusted everything with sevin dust, gardening had little frustrations... but I can't forget what I know and there has to be a solution!! And with complete honestly, I can't imagine spraying a chemical on my asparagus to kill some bugs with all my chickens standing right next to me.. in the overspray.. looking for bugs and worms all around the asparagus.. breathing and eating such horrible things.. because we eat their eggs and we eat their meat.. I don't want to eat contaminated meat and eggs or feed them to my friends and family!

Yet again, I set out looking for more ideas to kill these bugs and save my asparagus.. I saw references to cayenne peppers, essential oils, garlic, etc added to insecticidal soap. I decided that I might have to really make up a formula that's a little more complex that soap in water.. and that's ok. I've come to accept that if it takes some time this year to figure out a fool-proof solution, it will provide me with years of beetle free asparagus.... and I've got to admit it's kinda fun to be a mad-scientist running tests to find a cure! I mixed up a recipe that I thought was covering every option I've read about, filled my sprayer and even took some paper plates to collect beetles on and watch them (hopefully) die.  It was a success! I found a solution!!!!! Here's my recipe:

Asparagus Beetle-Killing Insecticidal Soap
3 cups water
1t crushed red pepper
2 cloves of garlic
3T Dr. Bronners Peppermint Castile Soap
1T Olive Oil

*Warning, do not put everything in a pot and bring to a boil, it will get foamy and boil over, making a big mess on your stove!

Bring the water to a boil, remove pot from burner. Add in the crushed red pepper, garlic-no need to peel, just coarsely slice, soap and olive oil. Let everything marinate until the liquid is cool then fill up your sprayer (don't drain the peppers/garlic out, leave it in) This should be enough to fill a standard dollar store or recycled spray bottle (roughly 24-30 ounces)

I've yet to test this mixture on a variety of bugs, but I did kill 2 tent caterpillars with it too!!!

DIY Powered Laundry Soap $ .03/load

I love knowing our Laundry Detergent for the next year is only costs about $10! and I won't run out or have to buy any.. it's all stored neatly in 2 jars in my cabinet above the washer! I hate spending our hard earned money on household supplies, and knowing that they are so damaging to our environment! So, for few years I've been making my own Laundry Detergent and I think it's pretty amazing! There are lots of recipes on the internet and I've tired many of them.. previously I was using a liquid form but it's a lot of extra work that isn't necessary. I came up with a recipe for a powder that is quick and cheap. I use this in my top loading washer, but you can also use it in a front load washer (since there are virtually no suds) only use 1/2 the amount per load... which means its even cheaper!!!!


Powered Laundry Detergent (Beginners Single Batch Recipe)
1c Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2c Borax
1 bar Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap

Grate the bar Fels-Naptha on regular cheese grater and combine with washing soda and borax, mix well. Use 1T per load, recipe yields about 3 cups of detergent which will do 48 loads of laundry for just $1.69

When I make my laundry detergent I like to make a bunch at once - I try to make enough to last us at least a full year! Here's my Large Batch Recipe and modified instructions:

Powered Laundry Detergent  (Large Batch Recipe)
1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, 55 oz
3c Borax
6 bars Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap

Same instructions as above or to eliminate hand grating the bar of soap..
In food processor or blender: 1/2c of washing soda, 1/4c Borax, and 1/2 bar of soap, coarsely chopped... on low-medium process into a find powered. This grinds the soap and mixes it up all in one step - Repeat for each 1/2 bar of soap.

I found that putting the soda/borax in the bottom of my Vitamix blender and the soap on top, grinds it up more efficiently (if you are using a large capacity food processor you may be about to put in a full bar of chopped soap/1c soda/1/2c borax all at once - experiment to see what works best with your equipment!)

This large batch recipe will make enough laundry detergent to do 288 loads of laundry, using 1T for each large load - for us this will last us a year (we do 5 to 6 loads of laundry per week on average) 

Don't forget to check out my blog post on Homemade Fabric Softener!

DIY Fabric Softener

I've been doing without Fabric Softener for over a year, but last week when I was changing from the winter-fleece to spring organic cotton sheets on our bed, I wanted to make sure they were soft and smelled pleasant! So, I looked around for some ideas for homemade fabric softener.... the most common is a mix of conditioner (for your hair) and vinegar. That didn't sound appealing to me for many reasons..... SO I determined that the vinegar is what makes the clothing soft and the conditioner is used for scent, so I figured I'd just use white distilled vinegar and some essential oil!

Oh - and don't worry your laundry won't smell like vinegar - the vinegar smell dissipates. Just ask Ray, I frequently smell like salad right after my shower (between using it as a facial toner and a hair rinse) but once I dry the vinegar smell is completely gone!

Lavender Essential oil is great for relaxation, so that's the scent I felt would be best for the sheets in our bedroom, why not get the added bonus when using a scent and help with a restful night's sleep?? Here's my Recipe:

1 Gallon White Distilled Vinegar ($1.99 at my local shop and save!)
Lavender Essential Oil or other essential oil for scent as desired

Simply add the essential oil to the gallon of vinegar then use Use 1/4 to 1 cup per load -depending on size of load - added to the rinse cycle (if your organized enough to remember to add it - I am not :) Thank goodness for my fabric softener dispenser that came with my washing machine and Thank Goodness Ray didn't let me throw it away when I stopped using fabric softener!!)

Don't forget to check out my blog post on Homemade Laundry Detergent!

Flour Tortillas from Scratch

I've been wanting to make Homemade Flour Tortillas for years and I even remember my husband, Ray, talking me out of it at one point (before I got some of my cooking techniques perfected). I must say these are pretty amazing!  Here's my recipe:

2c Organic All Purpose Flour
1t Sea Salt (fine, not coarse or kosher)
1/4t Baking Powder
1/4c Butter, softened to room temperature
2/3c warm water (not hot)

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl with a wisk, then cut in the soft butter in to very tiny pieces (smaller than pie crust style - it should all be crumbly) Then make a well in the flour mixture then slowly mix in the water with a spoon, once it is loosely incorporated turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes, adding flour as needed, kneading until not sticky but smooth. Don't over work the dough, as long as it's not sticky and fully combined it will be fine. Divide into 8 equal pieces and roll each into a ball and return to the mixing bowl coated with flour, cover lightly with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

After resting, roll out the first tortilla with a rolling pin into a circle that will fit into your cast iron skillet which you heated  to medium (no fat!! dry heat) Put each tortilla in the skillet for about 1 minute, ideally cook but avoid burning with just a few spots of browning then turn with tongs. I stack on a plate until your ready to use them, if they have cooled you may need to heat them slightly to make them soft enough to roll.

For dinner tonight I topped a tortilla with some taco seasoned Grass Fed Ground Beef and Organic Raw Milk Longhorn cheese from the Family Cow (www.thefamilycow.com) and broiled it in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.. then added some diced hydroponic tomato we bought at the Morgantown Farmer's Market, shredded lettuce and chopped onion from our garden, cultured sour cream and homemade guacamole.. rolled it all up.. So good I had to have 2!

Honey Balsamic Salad Dressing

I love a creamy and tangy Balsamic Salad Dressing and here's the recipe we've been enjoying for the past couple years.....

1/2c Organic Balsamic Vinegar
1/4c Onion, chopped (I used 10 Freshly Foraged Ramp Bulbs!)
1T Organic Tamari (Gluten-Free Soy Sauce)
3T Local, Raw Honey
1T Organic Sugar
1T Dijon Mustard
2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled
2/3c Organic Olive Oil
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper, to taste

Put in blender and blend till smooth! Yum -Yum! I love this dressing on a spring salad with lots of feta cheese!

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

It spring and our garden if full of lovely lettuce, radish and onions. Of course we eat lots of salad this time of the year, so as I make homemade salad dressings I'll be sure to keep you updated with the recipes.

We eat lots of Italian Dressing (oil/vinegar base) but sometimes it's nice to have something a little different and sweeter .. What's better than a Poppy Seed Dressing on delicate spring lettuce - especially in a few weeks when you can toss in a handful of fresh picked ripe strawberries!

3/4 c Organic Sugar
1/3c Apple Cider Vinegar (I only use Braggs' Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar!)
1/8c Onion, Chopped (I used 5 freshly foraged Ramp Bulbs!! Shallots or scallions would be good too!)
3t Ground Mustard
1t Poppy Seeds
1/2t Sea Salt
1c Organic Sunflower Oil
1/4c water

Put everything in your blender and blend till smooth!! It's super yummy, while I've been writing this post - you know I keep "tasting" the dressing out of the bottle.. I'm counting down till dinner to have another big salad!

DIY Deodorant

I guess I finally crossed the line this time, I decided there has to be a better option than the natural deodorants for sale.. and I came up with my own! It's so super easy and I think it works so much better than any natural brand I've tried.... You can buy empty new deodorant containers or you can just recycle used ones you've cleaned out.

My recipe made enough to fill 2 deodorant containers, I made one for me and one for Ray - only changing the essential oil scents. Here's my recipe:

Over medium heat, melt together in a small pot - I have a old pot and spoon that I only use for beauty concoctions :)
1/8 cup Cocoa Butter
2T Melted Bees Wax (I keep it melted in a recycled can and heat it in a pot of hot water)
3T Coconut Oil

Remove heat, Then add:
1/8 cup Baking Soda (aluminum free)
3T Arrowroot Powder (heaping tablespoons)
2T Kolian Clay

Once the dry stuff is mixed into the melted stuff, fill your deodorant containers.
Since I make 2 different scents - I just add in my essential oils into the liquid in the deodorant containers then stir with a wooden stick...

Hayley's Deodorant - 10 drops grapefruit essential oil
Ray's Deodorant - 5 drops teakwood and 3 drops cedar wood essential oils

Allow to cool in the fridge until solid!

How to Peel Fresh Hard Boiled Eggs

If you think it can be challenging to peel a hard boiled egg from the store, you can't even imagine how difficult it can be to get a fresh egg to peel nicely. For the first couple years we had fresh eggs from our own chickens, my only way to get an easier peel egg was to let our eggs age in the fridge for a month before even attempting to hard boil and peel... But I've finally came up with a process that works pretty darn good!

1. I age all of our eggs for a minimum of 24 hours at room temperature in the kitchen before putting them in the fridge.

2. Put eggs in a pot and fill with cold tap water

3. Add some white distilled vinegar (I just pour some in, maybe 2T)

4. Bring to a boil over high heat

5. As soon as the water comes to a full rolling boil, put a lid on the pot and turn off the heat.

6. Let them sit for 10 minutes - set a timer or you'll forget about them like me!

7. Drain the eggs, put the lid back on the pot, and swirl the eggs clockwise to gently crack the shells

8. Rinse eggs with cold tap water, changing the water to chill the eggs quickly. Let them sit in the cool water (or put in the fridge to keep cold to peel later)

9. Peel! 

I've had success with very fresh eggs - like get them from the coop in the evening and then hard boil first thing in the morning with great peeling success!