We were eating pizza and my eldest was systematically removing the pepperoni from the top of her slice. Under her breath I heard her mutter, “I don’t eat dots.”

40 min | 15 min prep | 12 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup Shredded coconut
2 eggs, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and spices if using, into bowl and whisk together until well blended. Add coconut to flour mixture and stir to coat; set aside.

2. In separate bowl whisk eggs until very creamy and add the sugar in several additions whisking vigorously until thick. Add melted butter in 2 steps whisking again until well mixed. Add sour cream and again whisk vigorously until well combined.

3. Fold flour mixture into batter until just incorporated, you will see some small spots of flour, do not over mix. Batter may be refrigerated over night or for several hours, dough will develop more flavor.

4. Make optional crumble topping by mixing 1/2 c Flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup cool butter until crumbly.

5. Spoon dough into muffin tin and top with crumble topping if using.

4. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes until light golden brown and toothpick test comes out clean. Suggest preheat oven at least 30 minutes to get maximum burst. Oven rack middle of oven.

Well, the initial reports back from the laundry detergent are not good. My mom said her whites lacked their normal bright clean look, and she ended up running them through the washer again with some bleach. She’s going to try it again with double the detergent and will report back with her findings. I’m hoping that the issue was too little detergent for her large capacity washer.

I was so excited about that DIY laundry detergent. Phooey.

In other news, I found a simple overnight recipe for my steel cut oats.

Breakfast Porridge:

2 cups of steel cut oats.
2 cups warm water.
2 TBSP plain yogurt (or substitute kefir, whey, buttermilk, or lemon juice)
1 tsp sea salt.

Mix all ingredients together the night before and let it sit overnight on your counter. Add 2 cups of water in the morning, and cook. Be sure to stir constantly. It only takes about 5 minutes. Top with butter and drizzle some maple syrup and raw milk over the top for added flavor.

As an aside, I cut this recipe in half if I know it’s just going to be the girls and I in the morning eating breakfast. Two cups of steel cut oats is just too much for us.

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Another, very similar recipe is from The Family Homestead.

1/3 bar Fels Naptha.
(If you use Ivory or Zote you will need to use the whole bar.)

½ cup washing soda

½ cup borax powder

~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

If you’re using the soap for cloth diapers, you may consider leaving out the borax. It’s a brightener and as a rule I try not to use brighteners on my cloth diapers.

If you prefer not to have a liquid soap you can use two to four tablespoons of washing soda with a cup of soap flakes (Ivory or Zote) to your wash. You just end up using more soap this way. It also adds an extra step to laundry-time.

Another option to have available for hand-wash items is mix one-quarter cup grated soap flakes, one cup of water, and one-quarter cup borax over a low heat in a saucepan. Stir until homogenized. Use two tablespoons of this mixture in a sink full of hot water for delicate items.

ETA: A link to different commercial detergents that list whether they contain enzymesm, brighteners, dyes, fragrance, or softeners. Borax is listed as not containing brighteners. Which means it might be a great option for cloth diapers. Another thing that Suzanne brought up is that soaps can sometimes bind with minerals in hard water and affect cloth diapers. I’ve heard really good things about using fels-naptha and washing soda for cloth diapers… but want to caution you to do your own research before you commit your fluffy stash to fels-naptha, ivory, or zote.

I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but am excited to give it a go. It’s a turkey based sausage free of preservatives that a friend has shared with me:

2 lbs ground turkey
1 1/2 t salt
1 t dried sage
1 t pepper
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t ginger

Mix all ingredients together. Cook on oiled pan. I use coconut oil. I cook them in 1 ounce patties and then put them in the fridge. Then I can just pull out a couple for breakfast and reheat them.

I ran around like a mad woman trying to get Christmas cards mailed. First I went to the closest post office, only to find that it was permanently closed. Who knew? Then I drove to our city post office, only to find they aren’t open on Saturdays. Frustrated, we drove over to the NEXT nearest post office and got there after twelve-noon. So, by the time we arrived, they were also closed. Their automatic stamp machine was also out of order.

Gah.

Frustration.

On a good note, I found a whole hoard of boxes behind Linens and Things that were in excellent condition. I plan on using them to wrap up the girl’s doll cradles and a few other gifts. I am feeling quite satisfied by my card-board box find and wanted to share my success with anyone else who might be dumpster diving and looking for clean, undamaged card-board boxes.

My other success for this morning is that I re-signed up for KerryAnn’s Menu Mailer. You may remember me lamenting a few weeks back about how my subscription had expired. Anyway, she’s having a holideal sale right now. So, if you’ve been thinking about it, rush over and pick up your mailer subscription before January 2nd. If you sign up for 13 weeks or more you can also get a free back issue. I’m thinking about asking for the week of Thanksgiving. (Or possibly Christmas week, considering I missed that boat.)

Anyway, I need to type and run. There is a TON of things around this place that need worked on. And this is the first child-free moment I’ve had mid-day in over a week! Eek!

Tonights dinner was Greek Beef over Potatos and steamed green beans. Both girls cleaned their plates AND asked for leftovers. (Wonders never cease!) My mom suggested I place a star next to the recipe and add to our meal rotation more frequently. May not be a bad idea.

Speaking of meals. My subscription to the Menu Mailer has expired. I’m more than a little sad about it. I LOVED that thing. I need to just bite the bullet and order at least another 13 weeks. Although, I’d LOVE to get a full years subscription. Maybe I’ll compromise and go with 30 weeks? Hmmm… Decisions, decisions. I could just cycle back through the 13 weeks I already had. Except, it’s been so nice having fresh new meals each week.

In unrelated randomness, tomorrow is LLL. I’m looking forward to the morning. Not sure what Dh will do. He isn’t feeling to hot-to-trot right now. I’d suggest he go to the movies with DD1 and see “The Bee Movie” but I’m not sure how he’d get there.

I made pumpkin cookies tonight, and am now systematically eating every last one of them. Sigh. I seriously need to stay away from sweets!

I’m watching my niece and nephews tonight, and gave each of them a cookie to eat. Half the kids devoured them, the other half didn’t care for them. Then 20 minutes later they ALL wanted more cookie. *scratches head.* Why are kids so unpredictable?

And why do I love them so much?

Seriously, I really must have some sort of sugar addiction.

This morning the girls and I made lacto fermented veggies. Also known as “Sauerkraut.” I thought about making it with a more South American twist, but wasn’t sure that my girls would like the red chili’s. Having never tasted Cortido, I chose instead to make more traditional sauerkraut. Adding three carrots and half an onion for flavor.

The girls had a ton of fun pounding the cabbage and carrots. But then, anything that involves pounding and noise is a hit in this house. lol.

I used kefir whey for this batch and am hoping it ferments correctly. I used a trick I found online involving a gallon size ziplock bag filled with water to help keep oxygen out. I guess we’ll see in three days how it worked!

*insert excited “eek!”*

Tonight we’re having the acorn squash with mustard-maple glazed chicken and quinoa. I’ve got the quinoa soaking on the counter and need to prep the chicken so that when the girls wake from their nap, we’ll already be half-prepared for dinner.

Last night’s dinner was pork with root vegetables. I didn’t read the recipe directions correctly and cut the pork up instead of cooking the tenderloins whole. Plus I think I added WAY more thyme than I was supposed to. Thankfully it turned out. Although, I’ll admit that I’m not a giant turnip fan. The turnips were “okay,” I just would have rather added potatoes or even sweet potato as a substitute. I will say, though, that the parsnips were delicious. My mom said I would love them and I was skeptical. Turns out I love parsnips and am looking forward to making something else with them!

You should have seen us at Cox Farms trying to find all these vegetables! It was like a scavenger hunt. LOL. Parsnips, Turnips, Acorn Squash, Boc Choy, ginger root… The lady at the store had a hard time not laughing at me when I asked her what squash would be a good substitute for “acorn squash.” (Seriously, none of the signs said “acorn squash”) She pointed at a roundish green squash and said, “Why not just get the acorn squash if you need acorn squash?”

Ha!

How was I supposed to know? They had it labeled “spaghetti squash.” When I asked her about it, she just smiled and pointed to a larger yellow squash and explained, “That one is spaghetti squash and this one is butternut…”

Dh and I have resolved to do a little more vegetable research before our next grocery run. He called it “Veggie Recon.” Hee Hee.

In a change of subject: The girls and I have new shoes! We needed them. Because, you see, we only own sandals. And winter is coming. It’s practically upon us. Not to mention we’re headed to Colorado in 3 weeks and will definitely need warm shoes there. DD1 got shoes with lights on them. She loves them so much she wore them all day yesterday. Clomp, clomp, clomping around this place trying to make the lights sparkle as she walked.

I finally made her take them off before bed and she asked me if she could put them in my room for safe keeping. Because, “Eh-nee wants my shoes, and she no can have my shoes!”

When I went out to the living room this morning I found that she’d snuck into my room to get them when she woke, and was sitting on the couch with both shoes in her hands. Talking to them, kindly. Apparently, according to DD1, they had been worried where she went all night.

She’s now wearing her new shoes again. Clomp, clomp, clomping…