The best window cleaner

This is a different kind of recipe - and it works great.


Make a great all-purpose window cleaner by combining 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent, and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake to blend and spray on your windows!

From Care 2 make a difference

Chocolate cherry bombs

This Jello recipe looks fun - I think I'll try it

 WHAT YOU NEED
 1/3 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Cherry Flavor Gelatin
1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped
14 maraschino cherries with stems, drained

 MAKE IT
1 ADD boiling water to gelatin mix in medium bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved.
2 MICROWAVE evaporated milk and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until chocolate is melted and mixture is blended, stirring each minute. Add to gelatin; whisk until blended.
3 POUR into 14 (3 oz.) paper cups sprayed with cooking spray. Refrigerate 15 min. 4TOP with cherries, pressing in slightly to stick. Refrigerate 20 min. or until firm. Unmold to serve.

Perfect oatmeal

 I'm not an oatmeal fan - but I like this!

I just read today that it is highly alkaline - something heath experts are saying is very good. It also has omega-3 fatty acids as well as 109% of the daily value for manganese.

Perfect Oatmeal
(from WH Foods)

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups water
dash salt
1 cup regular rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 TBS flaxseeds
1 TBS blackstrap molasses
1 cup milk or dairy-free milk alternative

Directions: 
 Combine the water and salt in a small saucepan and turn the heat to high. When the water boils, turn the heat to low, add oatmeal, and cook, stirring, until the water is just absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, cranberries, walnuts, and flaxseeds. Stir, cover the pan, and turn off heat. Let set for 5 minutes. Serve with milk and molasses. Serves 2

More yummy tilapia - Balsamic baked

Balsamic baked tilapia

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced 1 red bell pepper, chopped 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste

2 (8 ounce) fillets tilapia fillets 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 cup crumbled blue cheese 4 cups mixed salad greens

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion and red pepper in the oil until onion is tender and golden, and peppers are slightly soft, about 10 minutes. Stir balsamic vinegar into the vegetables; season with salt and pepper.
3.	Rub tilapia filets with 2 teaspoons olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place fillets in a small baking dish, and top with the balsamic onion mixture. Sprinkle fish evenly with blue cheese.
4.	Bake in preheated oven until fish flakes easily. Serve atop salad greens. From Allrecipes

Cauliflower Soup

I made this last night and Reid loved it - so he posted the recipe. But I modified to make it lighter - I only used a few TBS of butter, just a drizzle of cream (didn't have half and half) and no sour cream at all. Also I only used 1 quart chicken broth because it seemed like too much liquid.  It still tasted great!




Ingredients: 
1 stick Butter, Divided
½ whole Onion, Finely Diced 
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Half-and-half
2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste
1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature

Preparation Instructions: In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown.Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly.Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.Serve immediately.

Homemade Ranch

Store bought ranch is never as good as from scratch. Here is my made up recipe that always tastes super fresh, and it is much healthier too.

Ranch Dressing and Dip

3/4 Cups Sour Cream

3/4 Cups Mayo

1/4 Cup of purple onion (a chunk with the skin off)

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 Cup fresh herbs, such as cilantro, mint, dill, and/or parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Blend up in your blender until smooth. Do less lemon juice if you want to make it a dip.

Other things I have used to make up this recipe. Greek yogurt, or cream cheese in place of either the mayo or sour cream. A piece of a red bell pepper instead of the purple onion.