Dishwasher Powder #2

In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup washing soda
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid
30 drops essential oil

Put all of it in the container, shake it up.

NOTE: I use this recipe as I wasn't comfortable using borax on our dishes.

Dishwasher Powder #1

In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda (alternative - 1/2 cup baking soda & 1/2 cup washing soda)
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid
30 drops essential oil

Put all of it in the container, shake it up.

Dishwashing Liquid

1/2 cup Lux flakes (or any soap flakes)
1/4 cup washing soda crystals
1/4 cup citric acid
1/4 cup salt
4 & 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup glycerine
Optional - Essential oils

Dissolve the flakes, washing soda, citric acid and salt in the hot water then once the mixture cools down add glycerine and any essential oils. If its too thick once its completely cooled down slowly mix in more hot water.

Oven Matters

Wet a piece of cloth with ammonia, put in warm oven for a few hours; this will loosen any burnt food that is sticking to the surfaces.

For a super-disgusting oven place a glass bowl with ammonia into the oven and leave it overnight. Next day wipe out and just used a salt and baking soda scrub to get the last determined bits off.

While the oven is still warm, sprinkle salt on a spill. If the spill is completely dry, wet lightly before sprinkling on salt. When the oven cools down, scrape away the spill and wash the area clean.

Drain Cleaner

Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain. Add 1/2 cup white vinegar and cover the drain if possible. Let set for a few minutes, then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to flush it.

You can also use 1/2 cup of salt and 1/2 cup baking soda but leave it overnight. Also good just to keep the drains clean.

Citrus Scent Shells

Cut an orange in half and either remove the pulp and pack the shell with salt or cover the pulp with salt. Tuck in the back of your fridge or in your toilet or whereever you want bad odours absorbed while releasing a lovely orange scent.

Dishwasher Tips

Substitute white vinegar as rinse aid in your dishwasher.

You can use baking soda to deodorize and remove some of the buildup from a dishwasher's interior; simply pour a cup of it into the machine and run the rinse cycle.

Handworks

Wipe your hands with vinegar after chopping. It will remove strong scents like onion and garlic, as well as stains from fruit juices.

Drizzle some olive or vegetable oil over dirty hands that are covered in grease (from vehicle repairs, mechanical parts, etc.). Work the oil in a bit by rubbing it all over then wash hands in hot soapy water as usual. The grease will wash away much easier.

Berry Stains : Soak fingertips in the juice of a fresh lemon. You can either squeeze the juice into a shallow bowl to soak fingers in, or you can try soaking them directly in the lemon. Just soak for a few minutes then, sprinkle a little salt on hands and wash with warm soapy water. You may need to try this a few times to remove the stains. You can also try raw potato juice. Rub the cut side of a raw potato on fingers, and then wash hands in warm, soapy water.

Dishwashers & Sinks

You can use baking soda to deodorize and remove some of the buildup from a dishwasher's interior; simply pour a cup of it into the machine and run the rinse cycle.

Grinding the peel of an entire lemon through a garbage disposal will freshen its blades and the drain below.

Kitchen Tips #1

To remove stale smells from food containers, rinse out with hot water and baking soda. If the smell persists, let the container soak overnight in the baking soda and water mixture.

A box or small bowl of baking soda in the refrigerator, freezer, or any cupboard will keep away unpleasant odors. 2-3 slices of white bread absorbs refrigerator odors too.

Substitute white vinegar as rinse aid in your dishwasher.

Wipe your hands with vinegar after chopping. It will remove strong scents like onion and garlic, as well as stains from fruit juices.

To clean your microwave, use a microwave-safe bowl of 1/2 cup vinegar/lemon juice and 1 cup water, and cook long enough to boil. In addition to removing any lingering odors, this will loosen any baked-on food from the microwave's walls. Repeat as necessary to remove all baked on food (this works wonders btw I do it all the time as our microwave gets soooo disgusting!!).

To remove coffee or tea stains from china, clean with a mixture of vinegar and salt.

Cooking Substitutes

Low Fat substitutes:
Lard – Olive oil, Canola oil, sunflower oil
Salad Dressings – Oil and vinegar, lemon juice
Full fat cheese – low fat cheese; ricotta, cream cheese, Jarlsberg, cottage cheese
Full fat ice cream – frozen yoghurt, sorbet
1 egg – two egg whites

Low Carbohydrates substitutes:
Balsamic Vinegar – Red wine vinegar
Brandy – Brandy essence and water
Fruit juice (when cooking) – brewed spicy herb tea

Everyday Food substitutes:
Allspice - cinnamon and ground cloves
Arrowroot - same amount of corn flour or double of plain flour
Baking powder- baking soda and cream of tartar
Buttermilk- 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Capers – chopped olives
Cheese – If wanting to substitute the dairy content you can try soy cheese or goats cheeses.
Chilli sauce - tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, ground cloves and allspice (all mixed together)
Coconut Milk - milk (with a dash of coconut essence if you have it)
Corn syrup - For 1 cup mix 1 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water
Cream cheese - Part skim milk ricotta cheese or low fat cottage cheese beaten until smooth Cream of tartar - lemon juice or vinegar
Croutons- Squares of crustless white bread fried or roasted
Curry powder – turmeric, cardamom, ground ginger, and cumin
Egg – one egg can be substituted by any of these depending on the use: 2 tbsp cornflour, 2 tbsp arrowroot flour; 2 tbsp potato starch; 1 tbsp soy powder + 2 tbsp water; 1 tbsp soy milk powder + 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water; 1 banana (in cakes.)
Jam – There are a number of no or low sugar jam substitutes available such as compotes, sauces such as cranberry can be used in place of jams.
Mayonnaise - yoghurt and salad dressing, salad dressing, sour cream, yoghurt, cottage cheese pureed in a blender
Milk – Rice milk and soy milk are good non-dairy substitutes for cows milk
Oregano - marjoram
Plain Yoghurt - buttermilk, cottage cheese blended until smooth, sour cream
Rum - rum extract and water S
esame Seeds - finely chopped blanched almonds
Sour cream - non-fat dry milk powder, warm water, and vinegar (mixture will thicken in refrigerator in a few hours), plain yoghurt, milk and lemon juice and butter or margarine, cottage cheese and lemon juice, pureed in blender
Tomato sauce - tomato paste and water
Tomato soup - tomato sauce and water
Vanilla Extract - Grated lemon rind, orange rind, cinnamon or nutmeg combined with a small amount of water to make up the amount of vanilla needed.
Wine- water, lemon juice and sugar mixed

I just adjust the quantities til I'm happy with the result

Preserves Tute

Preserves (if they're sealed properly) last forever. The benefits are cost - preserving costs less, it means less recycling, alot of satisfaction and getting rid of the wads of seasonal fruits that otherwise end up wasted and/or in the compost! I got my smaller Agee jars off my MIL and the others from secondhand stores. Sally army store for example sells the large bottles for $1 ea. Don't forget to buy the screwtops that come with them. Also you need to get seals from your supermarket which the staff should be able to direct you too if you ask for preserving seals.

I dissolve 1 cup of sugar to 3 cups of water, heat and add quarter, peeled, cored fruit. Simmer til semi-soft so the fork goes in but the fruit doesn't fall apart. Meanwhile your washed jars should be in the oven staying nice and warm. Pull one jar out at a time and put somewhere dry (hot glass cracks when in contact with cold stuff) then pack the sliced fruit in (keep the fruit on heat coz it has to stay same temp as bottles). Now put your seals into boiling hot water (do it too soon and the water cools down). Next step ladle the syrup into the glass jars. Slide a knife down the sides to release any air. Top off with syrup until it overflows. Get your seal from the hot water and pop it on the jar and put the screwband on. Put it aside and move on to the next jar. The seal should suck down on your jar so when you push the lid its firm.
I know these may not be the clearest instructions lol I've only just taught myself how to do it so not an expert as yet but its heaps of fun :)

Dishwashing Liquid Extender

If you use dishwashing liquid I recommend getting the 2L budget stuff, tipping half into another container and topping the bottle up with a tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of washing soda crystals and water. Theres a few benefits - makes it last way longer and the salt works as a scrub, the washing soda works as a water softener (which means using less detergent) and the washing soda is also a major grease buster!