DIY Oven Cleaner

My oven was...gross.

I forgot this last winter to run the self cleaning option (because in Phoenix there is no way I am running THAT cycle in the summer.)  Let's be honest it's not my favorite.  Basically it creates an environment so hot that hopefully it all turns to ash and you wipe what's left out.  Not a big deal unless your oven is REALLY bad.  Then you run the risk of setting the fire alarm off as smoke billows from your oven and the fire department shows up because they are pretty sure they deciphered the SOS in the plumes.  Oy. That's where I was.  Gosh, sometimes smoke would start coming just with the preheat of the oven at 400.  No bueno, amigos, no bueno.

I have been highly motivated as of late to get our house clean and myself on a schedule.  Especially since we will be starting school in...oh, look at that...17 days!  The girls like to help so we are working on those aspects.  They are seeing the effects of "many hands make for light work" and merry hearts make for merry work, too.  Although today, I'll admit, I was not so merry.  I know that I set the tone and I reaped what I sowed today.  More on that later.  Back to being motivated...

Yesterday, after most of the rest of the house had been worked on earlier in the week I tackled a couple of problem areas in my kitchen.  I was faced with the oven once again.  I finally said, "That's it.  It just needs to be done."  So, I went to my friend's blog where I saw her recipe for a DIY oven cleaner.  It was a little different than another one I had and I wanted to try it. (Note: the Melaleuca a. is tea tree oil)

It was pretty amazing!  You could barely see through my oven door and now you can TOTALLY see through it.  The door took some extra elbow grease but totally worth it.  But the inside pretty much just wiped out.

I will say, make sure that you oven is just warm.  Not hot.  Mine was too hot and I think it messed with the paste a little.  If you have an electronic temp that shows up on your oven maybe let it get to 100 or 120 and then turn it off.  The lowest mine would go was 170 and I didn't let it cool enough.  Which in turn made for a crazy mess to clean up this morning but still worth it in my opinion.  Next time I know.

It was hard to get to the top of my oven because the broiler elements and the angle.  But I think for what's left the self cleaning will do nicely.

Here are my before and after photos -

Before (top) and After (bottom)

After (top) and Before (bottom)

Foaming Soap Recipe

I like foaming soap.  I am not sure why but I do.  We use a popular name brand foaming soap when washing baby bottles or a quick scrubbing of a needed pan.  THAT gets a little expensive.  So, I searched for recipes from people who are more adventurous than I am in trying to DIY household goods.

I originally found a recipe at iDreamofClean and tried that out.  She says to use about 1/8 of a cup of regular dish soap and the rest of the foaming soap container with water.

I tired this combo and felt like it was still a little too watered-down for my taste.  So, I increased the mount of soap and it was a little better but still not exactly what I was wanting as far as a dish soap goes.  I may try increasing the soap again or I will go back to using the regular name brand recipe for bottles and the homemade stuff quick dishes, etc.  Maybe I have just become a soap snob in that respect.

However, this combo, I believe, is PERFECT for hand soap.  I read another article somewhere about using Dr. Bronner's soap for this very purpose.  Well, wouldn't you know we have a bottle of that stuff sitting around waiting to be used.  So, that will be my money saver for the week (month, and maybe the year!)  I am sure that I will need to work out the ratio a bit for that but I did read that a 4:1 ratio is good (water to soap).

I know that you can buy refillable dispensers but I really like how Method has designed their soap bottles in that a) they don't tip over very easily and b) they have the best design as far as getting all the soap out of the bottle (and that goes for their "regular" hand soap as well.)  So, I think that I will be heading to the store soon to buy some foaming soap and when they run out then out will come the Dr. Bronner's.  Yippee!

Other options to try are doing this with your little ones bath soap if they have a thing for using a lot of soap.  It will make it go a little farther if they like to play with the soap.  Miss L is one of these people so I will be trying this out with her at some point.

One thing to remember though, don't use soaps that are "creamy" as they do not infuse well with air to make the foam and will clog your dispenser.  I didn't do this but I have read about a LOT of people that have.

Have you made your own foaming soap?

Ham Fried Rice

I have been meaning to post this recipe for awhile now.  By that I mean probably about two week after Easter when I made this with left over ham.  I think you could substitute the meat protein with whatever floats your boat, including tofu (blech).  Sorry if you are a tofu fan -- I am so not there.  I found the base recipe on Allrecipes.com but have made some adjustments to make it my own.

However, I did learn why sometimes when I have tried to do this recipe it always came out funny.  It was because I would use freshly cooked rice that was still warm.  The trick is to start with your rice cold.  The rice doesn't get mushy and holds the texture well.  So, there's your tip for the day.

Ham Fried Rice


2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
2 C cold cooked rice
1 carrot chopped
1 C peas
1/4 C corn (optional - or add more if you like)
1 1/3 C diced fully cooked ham
1 tsp garlic powder (you can add more if you like)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
dash of pepper
1 dash chili pepper (as you like for your family)
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

In a skillet, cook and stir eggs in oil over medium heat until eggs are completely set.  Remove and set aside.  Add carrot, cook for a couple of minutes.  Add corn and peas.  Cook until carrots are just soft.  Toss in the rice, ham, garlic powder, ginger, pepper, and chili until heated through.  Add the soy sauce and worcestershire sauce and reserved eggs..  Stir well.  Serve immediately.

This stuff went fast in our house!  Was a hit with tiny mouths :)  

Spices

Confession time.

I have some OLD spice in my spice rack.  I think I have a hard time with "wasting" them and throwing them away.

Sigh.

The reality is the fact that they are old is a waste and does nothing to help me in seasoning my food with tasteless herbs.  Ultimately, my "no waste" mantra is a waste.  A waste of time and energy to make my food taste good!

I need to go through my stash and toss what I know is waaaaayyyy old -- as in I brought this into our marriage almost five years ago and I am pretty sure I had it for quite some time before that!

I found Still Tasty as a helpful resource.  It addresses all sorts of issues on shelf life including how to and how long to keep spices among other things.

I have a spice rack like the one that is pictured above.  I think that I am going to get rid of it.  While I like that I have a few spices near my stove the heat compromises the integrity of the spices and it takes up room that I could use other wise.  While I love the family that gave it to us for our wedding I found that it's not something that really fits how I want the flow of things anymore.  I think that's okay and sentiment should not hold me in bondage!  HA HA HA!!

I read that the light can compromise spices, too.  So, I like that they will all live in my pantry.  I will need to restock some basic spices.  I have looked around to see what different places suggest as a "basic" spice to have in any spice rack.  I have my own thoughts based on what we use the most.

What are your basic spice rack must haves???

Monkey Bowl

My dad calls this a "monkey bowl" and I am not really sure as to why.  I think it's made of bamboo.  I also think that they may actually be older than me.

Either way, it's my favorite fruit bowl.

I ripen avocados and bananas in this bowl and it always does the trick.  It's my version of the paper bag that I mentioned in the previous post.  Miss L knows that her favorite goodies are kept here.  So much so that she has a hard time comprehending that it is ever really empty.  I have to pick it up and show her.

We have two other sizes and I am not really sure what to do with the smaller ones.

Thoughts?

It's funny that when my dad first brought these bowls to me I thought that they would just end up in the Goodwill pile.  Now... I think I shall keep them forever.  

Kitchen Hints

I was going through some old cook books and realized that one really could be done away with as several of the recipes included Velveeta and as long as my Husband is head of this household Velveeta shall not pass over the threshold.  ha!  It's a funny and altogether funny story as to why I originally kept said cook book around and then realized it needed disappear.  The story will not be posted here but if inquiring minds want to know I can e-mail it to you.  HA HA!!

While said cook had horrible recipes (minus a few) there were some pages that had "Kitchen Hints" on them.  I read through some and thought I might try them.  Some I had already tried and knew if they worked for me or not.  Others were some that I would never use because I...well...just wouldn't be making the stuff that called for said tip.  I'll post those later.

For now, here are the ones that I know work (for me):

• To remove the core from a head of lettuce, hit the core end once (hard) against the counter sharply. The core will loosen and pull out easily. (Emphasis mine.  My Papa taught me this one)
• A slice of soft bread placed in the package of hardened brown sugar will soften it again in a couple of hours.
• No more tears when peeling onion if you place them in the deep freeze for four or five minutes first.
• To hasten the ripening of garden tomatoes or avocados, put them in a brown paper bag, close the bag and leave at room temperature for a few days.
• To determine if an egg is hard boiled, spin it.  If it spins, it is hard boiled; if it wobbles and will not spin it is raw.

These are pretty basic.  However, there are a couple of my own that I have learned that seem to work for me as well that relate to a couple of the items above:

• Place a piece of bread in your mouth while cutting onions and tears will be kept at bay.  Hold it on your tongue.  Eat the bread when you are done or throw it out.
• To make cookies soft again, add a slice of bread to container over night.

I have a different take on adding avocados and other fruit to paper bags.  But that will be for another day.

What are some of your favorite kitchen tips?