Cleaning Bath Toys

Some of us have young children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc that love to take baths and play with toys. Do you want to know how you can keep those toys clean and disinfected?

Visit this website We Love Being Moms. If you can't get to it here is how you do it.

Vinegar Cleaning

Vinegar is a wonderful natural disinfectant and is safer than bleach and so I gave this a try first. I mixed 1/2 cup of white vinegar with a gallon of water and let the toys soak for an hour. I scrubbed the toys down with a sponge and squeezed the water out of each toy and let them dry. This released some of the mold but not all of it so I repeated it again with the same results.

Bleach Cleaning

I also soaked the toys in 3/4 cup of bleach with one gallon of water. I let the toys soak for an hour, scrubbed them down and squeezed the water out and let them dry. This seemed to release more mold than the vinegar. I rinsed the insides of the toys multiple times to rinse the bleach off.

After spending a couple hours cleaning these bath toys I put a little bit of glue on the holes of each toy to prevent water from getting in them and me from having to clean them again. This has been wonderful!!! It has now been 3 months and the glue has successfully stayed on all but one bath toy. This is seriously the best thing you can do...I would do it as soon as you get a new toy and then you won't even have to worry about cleaning the toys!

Breakfast Pockets

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 1/2 tblsp yeast
• 1/2 c warm water (110 degrees)
• 3/4 c evaporated milk (110 degrees)
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 c flour

Filling

• 1 lb bulk sausage
• 1/2 c onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 c frozen hashbrown potatoes, thawed
• 7 large eggs
• 3 tblsp milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Dough 

1. In a bowl, dissolve yeast in the water.
2. Add milk, oil, sugar, egg, salt, and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth.
3. Add enough flour until it makes a soft dough but do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Filling

    4.  Cook the sausage and onion over medium heat until browned. Drain. Add the hashbrowns,

         eggs, milk, and spices. Cook and stir until set. Sprinkle with cheese and keep warm.

Assembling the Pockets

     5.  Preheat oven to 350°.

     6.  Punch down the dough and cut into 16 equal pieces.

     7.  Roll each piece into 7 in circle on a floured surface. Top with 1/3 c filling, fold, and pinch shut.

          Bake for 15-20 minutes.

To Freeze

     8.  Allow to cool on the baking sheet. Once cooled, place in the freezer until frozen. Store in a

          ziploc bag in the freezer for 3-6 months. To reheat, place on a paper towel and microwave for 1

          1/2-2 minutes.

DIY: Cleaning Fruit & Veggies

Summertime means fresh fruits and vegetables. I love to eat fresh fruits and vegetables all the time. I found this amazing link that explains how to clean fruits and vegetables. I'm never sure if using just water always got rid of the bugs and bacteria, etc on the fruit. Then I found this D.I.Y. Solution and gave it a try. It really works and I couldn't believe how clean and shiny my fruits have been. It even helps them last a little longer.

Give it a try!!!

Here's How-To:

Make sure your sink is very clean.

Fill a sink halfway with lukewarm water.

Add 1 cup of white vinegar.

Mix.

Add your fruit. Don't over fill your sink with fruit.

Soak for about 10 minutes.

Rinse well.

The Result: Clean. Fruit.

Peach Chicken

By: Hillary Congdon via Taste of Home

Ingredients:

1 can (15 ounces) sliced peaches in extra-light syrup

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 cup peach preserves

1 tablespoon chicken broth

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)

2 tablespoons butter, divided

2 green onions, chopped

Hot cooked pasta (I use brown rice instead)

Directions:

1. Drain peaches, reserving juice. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and reserved juice until smooth. Add preserves and broth; set aside.

2. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, cook chicken in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.

3. In the same skillet, melt remaining butter. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken and peaches; heat through. Sprinkle with onions; serve with pasta or rice. Yield: 4 servings.

Cleaning Kitchen Appliances

Do you have kitchen appliances that  you have had for a while now? Have they started to get all oily and sticky and gross? If so then this is the place for you to go. I found this on pinterest and absolutely love it and have found it works great. The blog is called A Real-Life Housewife.

To clean and shine stainless steel, all you need to do is mix 1 tablespoon Cream of Tarter with a couple drops of water. Then rub the mixture onto appliance with a sponge and wipe clean with paper towel.

Give this a try and watch the magic work!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

By: All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.

2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Bug Bite Itch Solution

Some of you may know this already, but I figured with it being summer and bugs are out I'll share this little tip my parents taught me growing up.

TOOTHPASTE

If you apply a small amount of toothpaste over the bite and let it dry, you'll no longer have a desire ti scratch that itch. I remember getting a bug bite and running into the bathroom and putting dobs of toothpaste all over my arms and legs. The itch was gone and i no longer had a desire to scratch it and possibly risk the chance of getting and/or leaving a scar.

So give this a try this summer and tell me what you think!!

Teriyaki Chicken

By: Hillary Congdon via Becky Burton

Ingredients:

• 2-3 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp ginger
• sliced almonds (optional)
• rice

Directions:

1. Brown chicken in oil and transfer into slow cooker.

2. Mix the remaining ingredients togther well.

3. Pour over chicken, cover and cook on high for 1 hour.

4. Reduce heat to low and cook 4-5 hours or until meat is tender.

5. Shred chicken.

6. Sprinkle with almonds if you want and serve with rice.

*I normally double the mixture so I have more flavor and leftover juices to put over my rice*