Paying It Forward

There is a old saying that it's better to give than to receive.  This is true but sadly often forgotten.  I try to do random acts of kindness but I'll be the first to admit that there is always more to be done.  Always.  All to often people think this has to do with giving money or giving their time but it's not always the case.  Granted if you have the resources to give than that it fabulous but that's not all it's about.  How many times have you personally been having a bad day and the simple gesture from a stranger, comment from a friend or heck just a smile from the person walking by....these change a little bit of your world each and every day.  This is just a short list of ways that you can brighten the day of another and my challenge to you is to start small, maybe go out of your way to do just 1 or 2 of these today.  You don't need to do just the things on this list, add to your own but just do something, anything.  You never know when someone might reach out to you and put an unexpected smile on your face.

• Smile at someone.  Actually make eye contact and give a genuine smile.
• Hold the door
• Shovel your neighbors sidewalk
• Brush the snow off of a coworkers car
• Going to the break room for coffee?  Bring back a cup for the person next to you
• The mom with the crying baby in the grocery store...let her go ahead of you in line
• When walking into a store take that random cart that was left in the middle of the lot with you
• Put a quarter in the meter for someone who has run out of time
• See a car broken down on the side of the road but don't feel safe stopping to help?  Call the police to have them check on the people, make sure everyone is all right...that could be you some day with a dead cell phone.
• Say hello
• Clean out your closet and donate the clothes you never wear
• Instead of going direct to the big box stores, shop local once in a while.  It's worth paying a little more some times to keep those businesses around.
• Bake cookies and drop them off at your local ambulance or fire department.  
• Stop and let that j-walker safely cross the street
• Drop off your old paper and plastic grocery bags at the resale shops
• Support local fundraisers, give a dollar, go to the spaghetti dinner, buy a raffle ticket or just give the loose change in your pocket
• Write a simple note and leave it on a coworkers desk saying something you love about them but don't sign it
• Give a sincere compliment
• When in line at the drive through give the cashier a couple of extra dollars to put on the bill for the person behind you
• Give your leftovers from the restaurant to a homeless person
• Have a coupon that's about to expire and you don't need it....leave it on the shelf with the product or give it to a person in the store that you see buying that product.
• Got a gift card that you don't want to use?  Donate it to the church or mission.  

You get the idea here, just do something nice for others.  You never know when your gesture will help.

Useful Bits of Random Information

• A mixture of plain white vinegar and water (1:1) will help get ice off of your windshield.  If they are calling for freezing rain or ice during the night spray it on your windows before you go to bed and in the morning your windows are clean.  
• The same 1:1 mixture used for your car windows also works wonders for cleaning windows, good by glass cleaner.
• Run out of deodorant?  Spray your clean, dry arm pits with a spritz of body spray and it will hold you over for the day.  
• Looking to cute a few calories from your baking, switch out 1/2 of the oil in a recipe for unsweetened apple sauce.  You can't tell the difference.
• Save your drier lint, it makes a great fire starter for camp fires or a fire place.  And with that being said remember to clean our your drier lint once a month or so.  It's amazing what can get past that filter.
• If you get ink or marker on your skin simply wipe it off with rubbing alcohol.  
• Best hang over cure by far....headache medicine and sports drink.
• If you like iced coffee, brew up a batch and freeze it in an ice cube tray...poof!.....no more watered down iced coffee.
• When separating bulk cheese to freeze, add about 1 tbsp of flour to the bag and shake it around before you freeze.  This will help your cheese to stay clump free when you thaw it out.
• Bloody nose?  Roll a small piece of gauze or paper towel up and place it up between your upper lip and top teeth.  It won't be the most comfortable thing in the world but it will help put pressure on the blood vessels and slow down the bleeding.
• Cut your dryer sheets in half, they'll go twice as far and you won't notice the difference.

Zucchini Bread

Coconut Zucchini Bread

I'm slowly but surely trying my luck at gardening and while I still have a lot to learn the one thing that I managed to produce....zucchini.  With this crop I had plenty of opportunities to try different recipes with this new squash friend of mine.  This is my zucchini bread that I make and it's fabulous and well loved by everyone that I've fed it too (I had a lot to share).

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 c white sugar
2 c grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 c flour
1/2 c unsweetened apple sauce
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 c chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips (or just use the mini chips)

Preheat the oven to 325.  Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray.  Start by mixing together the eggs and sugar, add in the rest of the wet items, then the zucchini.  Slowly add the flour and lastly the chips.  Divide the  mixture between the 2 pans and bake for appox 60-70 minutes, I start checking the loafs at about an hour and go from there as ovens can vary.  Just insert a tooth pick or butter knife in the center, when it comes out clean you're good to go.  Cool the loafs in the pan for a bit then transfer to a cooling rack.  These also freeze pretty good if you have any left over to freeze.

*Another version that I will make from time to time is Coconut Zucchini Bread, simply leave out the chocolate chips and add in 1/2 cup of coconut.  A yummy twist :)

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies - Soft

We all have our favorite 'go to' chocolate chip cookie recipe and here is mine.  I love this, soft, salty, sweet and easy.  You can make them as actual cookies or if you're lazy or in a hurry they also work great as cookie bars.

3/4 c butter flavored shortening
1 1/4 c brown sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 3/4 c flour
1 Tbsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375.  Start by creaming the shortening and brown sugar, add the salt, milk, vanilla, baking soda and egg.  Slowly add the flour, when mixed well add the chips (more if you'd like because chocolate is good for the soul). If making cookie bars spread the mixture in a 13 x 9 pan that you will want to spray with a little cookie spray and bake for approx 12-15 minutes (or until they look like they're almost done).  For cookies spoon them out on either a sprayed cookie sheet or simply on a silicone baking mat on a tray and bake for 11-13 minutes.

Laundry Soap

So I'll admit it I have a love for Pinterest and of course saving money.  About a year ago I was just getting into it and one of the first items that I saw was a how to for home made laundry soap.  My first thoughts were that:  #1-It would suck, #2-It seemed like something that my great grandmother would do, #3-It would take hours of my time, #4-I'd end up with 20 gallons of the liquid variety and finally #5-It would suck (I really thought this would be the case).  Well since was really trying to expand my views on some of the simpler ways of life I thought that I would give it a go......and I'll never go back.  That's right I am hooked.  This is so simple to do, it takes up less room to store, honestly works the same if not better than the name brand soap, leaves our clothes smelling just clean without a lot of skin irritating dyes and scents and of course it's dirt (no pun intended) CHEAP!  I have been asked for my recipe a bunch of times and have heard nothing but good remarks for friends and family who have also made the change.  Here's how I make my trusted laundry soap.

2 cups Borax

2 cups Washing Soda

1 bar of soap (I use simple ivory bar soap)

Use 2 Tbsp per load of laundry.

I store mine in an plastic storage box and just keep an old measuring spoon right in there.  You can find the borax and washing soda right in the laundry soap section of your store.....be sure to buy washing soda not baking soda (I use Arm & Hammer).  When it comes to the soap I buy a 3 pack for roughly $1.50 - a quick hint, remove the soap from the wrapper a couple of days ahead of time so it can dry out a bit as this will make grating it much easier (but if you forget like I always do it's super easy to grate it fresh out of the package too).  I also picked up a cheap plastic food grater that I used just for laundry soap making.  Now to make the goods - simply measure out the borax and washing soda them grate in 1 bar of soap.  I will often double or triple my batch and typically this will last me approx 4-6 months.  I also found that this soap works best if you use warm water (no need for hot just warm) and put it in first when the water started then add the clothes as the water is still filling.