How to Make Laundry Detergent

Hello, there!

If you came from my YouTube channel, I'm slightly late in putting this up. Anyways, here it is for easy reference--my (or rather, my friend Mary's) recipe for dry laundry detergent:


LAUNDRY DETERGENT

Ingredients:

1 Full bar of Fels-Naphtha (or any laundry-style soap, or a regular bar of bath soap)
1 Cup of Borax
1 Cup of Washing Soda

Directions:

1. Add Borax and washing soda to container that you'll use EXCLUSIVELY for detergent.

2. Grate soap with grater that you'll use EXCLUSIVELY for this task into the powder mixture.

3. Mix well using a scoop.

Notes:

Let's see...what else can I add to this? It's pretty easy, keeps well, and does a great job! All ingredients, of course, are shelf-stable.

I use a child's shovel from a little sand pail for kids that I picked up in the dollar store. Hey, it works! :D

Last but not least, as I mention in my video, you can add a few drops of essential oil to the Rinse cycle so that you'll have a nice lemon/lavender/frankincense/whatever-you-add scent to your clothes and/or linens.

And if you need it for reference, here's a link to my video below:



https://youtu.be/9EPTfhqHtJg

See you next time!

Connie

Quick & Easy Beef Enchiladas

Here is my recipe for beef enchiladas! "Quick and easy" in that it's easy to prepare and you're using a canned enchilada sauce. You're perfectly welcomed to make your own, of course--and I've done that in the past and was pleased with the results. But if you're looking for something that's not very fussy, that you can whip up for the family in an hour or so, then that's a little short cut that can be taken.

Also, in light of all that is going on with the Corona Virus, I'd like to begin presenting some recipes on my YouTube cooking channel that may not be particularly fancy but that imaginatively use items (like canned goods) in your pantry. Recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, filling and nutritious. In addition to the pre-made sauce, I used ground spices and store-bought (Mission brand) tortillas.

If you've got a small family, or like us, it's just you and your spouse, you can always freeze the leftovers for a future dinner, or maybe a hot lunch that's a welcome change from a sandwich or soup.

Soooo here goes:

QUICK & EASY BEEF ENCHILADAS

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 sweet bell pepper (I used yellow), diced

1/2 onion, diced

1 large jalapeno, diced

salt, pepper, onion powder (or minced onion), chili powder, cumin (no measurements, sorry; I used the dash-of-this, dash-of-that method)

6-inch (small) flour tortillas (I used 10 of them, but depends on how much you fill them; can also use large tortillas or corn tortillas for gluten-free version)

2 cans of Old El Paso enchilada sauce (add one more for extra sauce)

3 cups of shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend, both thin and thick cuts)

2 tablespoons of olive oil, more later to cook vegetables in meat

DIRECTIONS:

1. Over medium heat, drizzle the olive oil and add the meat, cutting it up with your utensil and browning it. Drain meat and return to pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Add bell pepper and onion to the pan of meat, adding a little more olive oil, as needed, to cook until tender.

3. Sprinkle over salt, pepper, onion powder, chili power and cumin to taste, stirring meat well. 

4. Add about a cup of shredded cheese and half a can of the sauce, stirring into meat mixture. Remove pan from heat.

4. Begin assembling enchiladas, spooning desired amount of meat onto each and then folding into enchilada shape. Place each enchilada into a casserole dish (or dishes).

5. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas, then liberally add last two cups (or less, if you wish).

6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until sauce heats and the cheese melts.

7. Serve & enjoy!

Serving ideas?

Well, you can top with a dollop--or two!--of sour cream, hot sauce or your favorite salsa. We served with a fresh garden salad that included some avocado, but yellow rice and refried beans would work great, too. Kids--and adults, for that matter--would enjoy tortilla chips with melted, spicy cheese as a side, too. And, oh...

If you'd like to actually see the recipe being done, below is the link for it on my YouTube channel, Home Cooking with Connie Keenan.

See you next time!