Lemon Bars

2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
4 TB flour
1 tsp baking powder
6 TB lemon juice
2 cups sugar
3 eggs beaten

Mix 2 cups flour, powdered sugar, and melted butter together until well blended. Pat mixture in bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Combine sugar, 4 TB flour, baking powder, lemon juice and eggs until thoroughly blended. Pour over partially baked crust and bake an additional 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove for oven. Cool slightly. Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar if desired. Cut into squares and serve.

Green Cleaning Supplies

So just in time for spring cleaning. I found this on www.care2.com. I thought I would maybe try a few. Save money and not use harsh chemicals. I have also been interested in maybe making other cleaning products.. If I do I will post the recipes on here. Here is the LINK I also just copy and pasted this so it's her writing not mine..

How to Make a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit
Shopping List:
Baking soda
Washing soda
White distilled vinegar
Natural liquid soap or detergent
Tea tree oil
6 clean spray bottles
2 glass jars
Optional:
Vegetable glycerin
Fresh lemon
Additional essential oils

Non‐Toxic Formulas:
CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER
Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture‐like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a
sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit. Note: Add
1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as
you need at a time.

WINDOW CLEANER
1/4‐1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle
Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is
important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

OVEN CLEANER
1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent
Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white.
Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the
grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash
the remaining residue from the oven.

ALL‐PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

FURNITURE POLISH
1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

VINEGAR DEODORIZER
Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5% vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for
cleaning. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and
wipe off.

MOLD KILLERS

Tea Tree Treasure
Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. Note that the
smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days.
2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water
Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.

Vinegar Spray
few hours.Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82% of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy
area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours.

www.care2.com

Oreo Truffles and Cake Balls

I have been wanting to make these for Valentine's Day. The stores have been closed due to snow, and roof repair, and I didn't want to venture further down the road... But I did want to get this recipe on before Valentine's day so that anyone who is looking for an idea might still have time to do this.

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg (1lb 2 oz) Oreo cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg (8 oz) Cream cheese, softened
2 pkg (8 squares each) BAKER'S semi-sweet chocolate, melted

MIX 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.


How to Easily Dip Truffles
To easily coat truffles with the melted chocolate, add truffles, in batches, to bowl of melted chocolate. Then use two forks to roll truffles in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove the truffles with forks and allow excess chocolate to drip back into bowl before placing truffles on prepared baking sheet.

Special Extra
Sprinkle truffles with colored sugar or sprinkles in addition to or in place of the cookie crumbs.

How to Soften Cream Cheese

Place completely unwrapped package of cream cheese in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 10 sec. or just until softened. Add 15 sec. for each additional package of cream cheese.


I plan on using Golden Oreo's because Kyle likes them. You can use what ever melting chocolate you want. (you could also use choc chips with a little bit of shortening)

Or if you would rather you can do:


Cake balls

1 pkg (18.25 oz) chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients on box)
1 container (16 oz) prepared chocolate frosting
1 bar (3 oz) chocolate flavored confectioners coating (or you can use melting chocolate)

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended.

Melt chocolate coating in glass bowl in microwave, or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Use a melon baller or small scoop to form balls (or roll with your hands) of the chocolate cake mixture. (If they are too sticky you can place on cookie sheet/waxed paper and put in freezer until cold, makes them easier to work with) Dip balls in chocolate using a toothpick or fork to hold them. Place on waxed paper to set.

These are a little easier if you don't have something to make crumbs out of the oreos. Plus you can make all sorts of variations: red velvet cake or carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, white cake with mint choc chip frosting, german choc cake with coconut pecan frosting, etc.. and you can do all sorts of colors with the melting chocolate.