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Homemade Coffee Liqueur

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A while ago, we reported on the blog that we made coffee liqueur with used coffee grounds. The result was a strongly flavored coffee liqueur. I used this for a mix in many drinks, but it was pretty strong and not quite the same as the Kahula brand of liqueur. Part of it is likely because I used vodka to make the liqueur rather than rum. We had run out of coffee liqueur and wanted to either get or make some more. We have a friend who makes a wonderful homemade coffee liqueur, so we asked him for the recipe and gave it a try. This was a more mild liqueur that makes a better mixer than the previous recipe we tried.  What are the benefits of making your own liqueur? First, you know what the ingredients are. Second, you control of the quality. Third, it is much more economical than purchasing a brand name liqueur, especially if you use an economical brand of rum. Just remember, though, that the quality of your ingredients will affect the quality of the results! Here is the recipe we use...
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A Thrift Store Find and Using Heirloom Pieces

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When my husband and I first got married, we bought a very inexpensive set of china (think much less expensive than a regular set of dishes) so we could have enough dishes to host our families during the holidays. One of the first times we used it, our guests made fun of us for serving them on such nice dinnerware. They insinuated that we were showing off by using nice dishes. I was hurt and became reluctant to use the dishes again. This was the only set of dishes big enough for larger family gatherings, however, so we used them on occasion. I found myself feeling the need each time to explain why we were using our china set – we weren't trying to show off, they were just the only dishes we had enough of to serve everyone, and even though they looked expensive, they were really in expensive, etc. There was no reason we shouldn’t use our dishes, but that early experience made me wary of the criticism that would come with simply enjoying the use of something beautiful in our home. W...
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Deep Cleaning Linens

We have had a few questions about how we deep clean our kitchen linens since posting about it in the newsletter a few weeks ago, so we thought it worthwhile to make a blog post for all of you. I don't know if this is the best method out there, it is just what we have tried that works well for us. How to Deep Clean Linens : Heat water in a large stockpot. (We do not measure an exact amount, we just put in how much water we need for what we are going to clean - approximately half of the stockpot.) Add approximately 1/2 c. of baking soda. Add linens when the water nears boiling temperature. (It works best if there is room for the linens to move in the pot. Too many linens at a time will decrease the efficacy a bit.) Use a spoon to move the linens around to make sure they are completely wet. Keep water on high or med-high for at least ten minutes, stirring frequently, to make sure the fabric is agitated and can release the oils. (The water needs to be hot, but does not have to boil dur...
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Making Homemade Ketchup

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We have a recipe for homemade ketchup that I copied down several years ago but never tried. We were curious to see how it tastes, so we tried it this past week.  While it wasn't just like the flavor of the commercial brands, it was quite nice and made a nice ketchup sauce for hamburgers. We made this batch with honey. We will likely make the next batch with cane sugar and compare the taste. Homemade ketchup Homemade Ketchup 6 oz. tomato paste Just under 1/3 c water 2 T vinegar 1/4 t. onion granules 1/4 t. garlic granules 1/4 t. dry mustard pinch of cinnamon pinch of cloves pinch of allspice pinch of cayenne 1/4 t. sea salt 1/8 c. sugar or 1 - 2 T honey Whisk ingredients together until smooth. Do any of you make ketchup? Feel free to share your favorite recipes in the comments below!
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More Uses for Pine Products

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We had a blog post a couple of weeks back about ways we have used pine. We knew there had to be more ways pine, so we did bit of research online.  We found several more uses: Pine needle infused cooking oil - Infuse chopped pine needles in cooking oil and try it in your favorite dishes. Pine resin salve - This website has instructions for making pine resin salve.  Pine soap - This was such a fun one to research! As it turns out, there are many soap recipes out there that include using different parts of the pine tree - pine needles, pine resin, and pine tar. Pine Needle Soap : We found this winter spice soap recipe that sounds amazing. I would venture to guess that it smells as wonderful as it sounds. We like that we can put pine needles Pine Resin Soap :  We also found a pine resin soap recipe. We like this link because it directs you to use the resin to make an infused oil rather than adding the resin directly to the soap mixture. We also love this link because it i...
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Ten Unconventional Ways to Use Jams and Jellies

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Homemade jams and jellies have been a part of our life for many years. Both Husband and I had homemade jams at home when we were growing up and only on a rare occasion had store-bought jam or jelly at either of our houses. When we married and had children, we continued this tradition. I would can berry jams, and in the early years of our marriage, Husband's grandmother would send jars of grape or apple jelly each year. It was a sad day at our house if we had to buy jam or jelly from the store. Many years later, both of our daughters ended up marrying men with celiac. Early on, when I would send jars of jam or jelly home with them, they would thank me, then kindly remind me that they don't eat a lot of bread and wouldn't likely use it up very quickly. I knew jams and jellies are not only used as a topping for toast or a filling for a sandwich, but I had never really taken the time to list all the ways we have used jams or jellies outside of topping bread.  Why bother coming ...
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Ways We Have Used Pine

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At the beginning of the month, we put pine and fir needles in vinegar to soak as preparation for making our own cleaning solution. This reminded me one of our mottos: "Harvest what you have." We have a lot of pine and fir trees around (I love evergreens!) and we have used them for several projects. Here are some of the uses we have personally tried for pine tree products: 1) Pine needle infused vinegar for cleaning - Pine needles have anti-bacterial properties, and when combined with white vinegar can be used to create a cleaning solution for many household uses.  To make the vinegar cleaning infusion , simply cut up pine needles, place in a jar, cover with white vinegar, and infuse in a dark place for at least two weeks.  To use as a cleaning solution : Use a ratio of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Add to a spray bottle and use for general cleaning. For greasy areas, you can use a stronger solution of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water.  2) White pine tincture . - White ...
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