Store Bought or Homemade???

Amazed. Perplexed. Aggravated. Frustrated. Words that don't seem to go together until you see the mountain of laundry that grew at my house in three short days.  How in the world can I be nearly caught up on laundry, (half a load of towels in the washer, and everything is clean...) the washer drain freeze and back up into the furnace, and we lose heat on the coldest day of the year, on Thursday and here it is Saturday and I am behind by more than eight loads.  Needless to say, since I felt safe to do another load of laundry without fear of ruining everything again, I have been a washing machine!!! Now to only fold and iron and put away all of this laundry! I know that we wore more layers due to the cold, but really, eight loads of laundry in three days?  I know the laundry battle is never ending, but I didn't realize that I was washing this much.  Maybe that is why laundry detergent seems to have a hole in the bottle and never last as long as I think it should.  I might resort to making my own, but that seems like such a hassle.  After watching my favorite show, "19 Kids and Counting," I have been intrigued about making detergent. On one of the shows they made a batch and it lasts in their home for about six months. If I used their recipe, I think that we might be using the homemade detergent for about five years! Anyway, it is a thought. I would be interested to know if any of my friends have tried to make their own detergent.  Since I have skin allergies that act up with various preservatives, I am tempted to try.

Tonight we had a family favorite for dinner.  Ribs, baked beans and slaw.  I thought that banana pudding would be the best compliment for our dinner, but we are fresh out of Nilla Wafers.  I know you know where this is going...I made homemade Vanilla Wafers. These crunchy cookies were so good, I don't know I will buy the boxed ones anytime soon.  They were so easy, tasty and economical, that this might be a new keeper creation. I must confess that I made my banana pudding with the sugar free instant pudding to save a few calories, but feel free to use these with your favorite pudding recipe.  Scott enjoyed them with a scoop of ice cream, and the Little Man just enjoyed them.

So I leave you with this thought, I know that the convenience of buying items already prepared is a necessity at some times in our lives; however, is this truly better, or only what we have become accustomed to?  I am curious to hear your thoughts...

Until next time...

Sarah

Homemade Vanilla Wafers

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly mixed and all flour is incorporated.  Drop by half teaspoons on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  I used a pastry bag to make sure mine were uniform, and piped them onto a Silpat liner.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Allow to cool on pan slightly and remove.  This made a ton of quarter sized cookies.  I would estimate around 12 to 13 dozen cookies!


Grandma Bernice's Slaw

I learned to make this slaw as a young girl when I would stay with my Great-Grandmother Bernice.  I can remember her shredding the cabbage with a grater that fit over a plastic bowl. She always used the same bowl, and seemed to either make this for us, or always take this with her when she needed a covered dish. I must confess that she never measured, and would taste the dressing to make sure it had just the right combination.  She would also use whatever vinegar she had on hand, sometimes this was cider or plain distilled.  Use your imagination. I like to make mine with either rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar.  This is a sweet slaw similar to that at KFC.  I hope you enjoy.

1/3 cup real mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
pepper to taste
1 bag shredded slaw mix

Mix together mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar in a mixing bowl.  Add pepper and slaw mix.  Stir until well combined.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.  Stir well before serving.