Aunt Betty's Penny Pincher Fabric Softener

Do you remember Aunt Betty?  She is a lovely and fun Aunt to have.  Actually she is my husband's Dad's brother's second wife and we love her.  Both Uncle Gene and Betty were widowed and met, and fell,  and you know the rest of the story.  Gene is one of the luckiest men I have ever seen to have been married to two such WONDERFUL ladies!  She is now quite famous for having given us all "Aunt Betty's 1-2-3 Cake in a Mug."

Anyway I am fortunate enough to have her occasionally share tidbits, recipes, helpful hints, and so forth with me.  This one comes from one of her daughters who I hear is quite frugal, an admirable trait in these times especially!

I made this up yesterday and tried it today.  It is terrific.  I used Suave hair rinse and hot tap water and plain old white vinegar.  I expect it made a little over 3 quarts and I have under $2.00 in it.  Wow!

Here is the ingredient list and directions for Penny Pincher Fabric Softener:

6 C. very hot tap water
2 C. inexpensive hair conditioner
3 C. white vinegar

Combine the hot water and hair conditioner and whisk until the conditioner is dissolved.  Pour into a washed and rinsed 1 gallon plastic milk jug.  Add the vinegar and shake well.  Use about 2 T. softener with an extra large load in the rinse cycle.  Less for smaller loads.

It has occurred to me this is a wonderful way to use up amounts of leftover conditioner as well as that received as a gift that one might not want to use but not want to waste it either??  I also want to add that years ago when there were 5 of us living here I used to add 1 C. of white vinegar to my rinse cycle to cut down on the amount of lint in the dryers lint filter.  You would be amazed and the difference it makes. 

Happy days.  I love to save anywhere I can so I can splurge somewhere else.  If you try this I would love to know how it works for you. 

Fresh Peach Pie Season in Indiana

Fresh Peach Pie

I always think of my Grandma making this kind of pie for some reason?  Don't know why, but it is a REALLY GOOD pie.  Brian said he wanted on and since I have a bounty of fresh peaches this year I was happy to make it for him.  Our youngest son Joel was happy to see it on the counter waiting to cut.  Here is how I made it.

Prepare your favorite pie crust or one of mine, Cherry Pie and Crust, 7/710  or Pastry for three Pie Crusts, 2/12/12.

Prepare 6 C. fresh ripe peaches (peel, pit, and slice)
1 lemon juiced
4 T. flour
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 to 3/4 C. sugar (depends on sweetness of the fruit) + more for sprinkling
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
2 T. butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.   Roll the bottom crust, draping into the pie plate but do not trim.  Set aside.

Squeeze the lemon into the bottom of a large bowl and toss the peaches well in the juice.  This will prevent the peaches from becoming dark.  Add the flour, both sugars, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.  Stir together until well combined and spread into the waiting crust.  Dot the fruit with bits of the butter evenly.

Roll the top crust and either cut vents into a solid crust or cut into lattice.  Place the top crust and crimp the edges, then trim.  Sprinkle the top with sugar and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 350 and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until the fruit is seen to be bubbling.  Remove from the oven to cool.  Serve warm or cold, plain or topped with ice cream or whipped topping.  Serves 6-8.

Slicing Brownie Bar Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches for Dad's Day

Just cut the layers to size and serve them up to waiting smiles.

My husband and our children and Grandchildren all love ice cream and anything that has ice cream in or on it.  It only seems fitting that in this season of 90 degree days home made ice cream sandwiches would be fitting.  I had thought of doing this before using brownies but never quite got to it.  Several article's on ice cream treats caught my eye in Martha Stewart's Summer Special Edition of Everyday Food this past week while waiting for one of my Grandchildren at their Golf lesson.

Here is my adaptation of their recipe:

1 stick of melted butter + more to butter the pan
1 C. sugar
1 large eggs
1/2 t. salt
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. unsweetened cocoa
2 pints softened ice cream  ( oh my what flavors to choose?)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and butter a half sheet pan 12" x 15".   Line the pan with parchment paper and overlap 2 " on all sides.  Butter the paper.

Using a medium sized bowl whisk the cooled butter and sugar together then add the salt and eggs.  Add the flour and sugar and stir just until combined.

Spread evenly on the prepared pan.  Bake 10-12 minutes until done and starting to pull away from the pan.   Cool for 5 minutes.  Using paper overhang transfer onto cooling racks.  Cool completely.

Move the brownie to a work surface.  Cut in half crosswise.  Cover the pan with a large sheet of plastic wrap and place one cake half on it.  Spread with softened ice cream then invert the remaining brownie half upon it.  Wrap the large ice cream sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. 

At serving time unwrap and cut into 12 pieces.  To store, wrap each sandwich in plastic and return to the freezer for up to 1 week.  If you want to freeze for longer place the plastic wrapped sandwiches in a freezer storage bag and freeze marking with the date and contents.

This recipe will certainly make me "Brownie Points" with the family.
 ( My bad.)