Brussels Sprout Salad

 adapted from Food Network Kitchen recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/brussels-sprout-salad-recipe.html

Ingredients
For the Dressing:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 small clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Salad:
1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, leaves only (3 1/2 cups leaves)
1 tablespoon dried blueberries
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 tablespoons smoked almonds
1/2 ounce manchego cheese, shaved

Directions

Make the dressing: Whisk the olive oil in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the honey, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper.

Slowly whisk the oil mixture into the vinegar mixture until combined. Refrigerate at least 1 hour; store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Make the salad: Toss the Brussels sprout leaves, dried blueberries and cranberries, almonds and 1/4 cup dressing in a large bowl. Pile the salad onto a plate. Top with the manchego and season with pepper. Serve with bagel chips, if desired or eat plain!

Extra yumminess-sprinkle with crunchy crumbled bacon

Homemade Concentrated Laundry Sauce

Homemade Concentrated Laundry Sauce
adapted from Budget101.com Super Laundry Sauce for Dummies
http://www.budget101.com/myo-household-items/5-minute-no-cook-laundry-detergent-recipe-4075.html

 

What you'll need:

1 Entire 5.05oz Bar of Fels Naptha Soap (you can find this in most laundry isles of your local convenience stores, Menards has everything you need all in the same section of the isle)
3 c. water
1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax Powder
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not Baking Soda)
2 (1 qt) Mason Jars

Directions:

Unwrap the Fels Naptha soap and cut the bar in half. Take (1) half of the bar and slice it, cutting it into pea sized chunks. Place all of those chunks into a 1 qt mason Jar. Cut up the other half and place those pieces in the second mason jar.

Add 1 1/2 cups of Boiling Hot Water to each jar, cover and leave it alone overnight.

The next day (or several days down the road, depending on your schedule!), open the jar, use a butterknife to make a "criss-cross" pattern to loosen the gelled fels naptha off the bottom when you whip it. Add 1/2 cup borax and 1/2 cup washing soda to each jar.

Add enough hot water to bring the level up to the "shoulder" of the Jar (just where the bottle starts to narrow-about 2 inches or so from the top of the jar)

Carefully seat the gasket and blender blade onto the bottom of the jar. If the rubber gasket is wet or has any contents of the jar on it, it will get chewed up into your laundry soap.

Place the jar on the blender base and Whip until it is light and fluffy with the consistency of Creamy Mayonnaise.

To USE, add 1 Tablespoon to a load of laundry in any type of machine, conventional, Front Loader, High Capacity & High Efficiency (HE), etc. Do not add the detergent to the "detergent compartment" but instead directly with the dirty clothes. (It WILL get stuck in the compartment, I can assure you!)

1. start the water, (hot- Cold- or warm- doesn't matter)
2. Measure out 1 Tablespoon (literally) of super laundry sauce
3. stick the measuring spoon of detergent under the running water, let it fall off the spoon.
4. Close the washer lid, go away and do something else while the machine runs.
5. Do NOT Use Baking Soda or Oxyclean in this recipe hoping it will be an added "Boost". Your jars will likely explode within 7-10 days in storage