Homemade Liquid Dishwasher Soap

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I was going to start my mission to find a homemade liquid dishwasher soap. I really do prefer liquid soap over powdered soaps. Since I love the Simply Liquid Laundry Detergent (also on our Most Popular Posts) so much I knew there had to be a liquid dishwasher soap that we could make and that works. I found a recipe on http://choosingsimplicity.blogspot.com.and tried it. I read the reviews and as it happens with everything, some people had issues and some people loved it. It seems that part of the problem with homemade dishwasher soap is water type...do you have soft water, hard water, well-water....you know what I mean? And then there is the whole what to put in the rinse aid container? Lemon juice, vinegar, inexpensive rinse aid, expensive rinse aid...? SO what I'm trying to say is that there doesn't seem to be a perfect dishwasher soap. But I wanted to save money and I wanted a liquid soap, so I tried it anyway. I figured it would be worth a try because even the dishwasher soap I buy at the store leaves my dishes with streaks sometimes. I know that part of my problem is that I don't wash my dishes everyday so I think they are sitting in the dishwasher too long. So if you're ready to make a change from the expensive brands, here is an option for you. I have been using this for 2 weeks and I am happy with the results. Make sure you use your sanitize cycle for the best results. This recipe made 4 quarts.
Ingredients:
16 cups water (total)
1 cup borax
1 1/2 cups washing soda (NOT baking soda)
1/2 c Dr Bronner's liquid castile soap (I used Dr. Bronner's tea tree castile soap)

Pour 8 cups water in a large pan on medium heat on the stove, heat until it boils.
Remove from heat and add borax, washing soda and liquid soap. Stir until dissolved.
Add the other 8 cups of water and stir. (I did not heat this water, it was room temperature).
Let the mixture cool, uncovered, so it can gel.
It took mine about 24 hours to reach "gel-status" then pour into containers. (I used quart glass jars).
I shake it in the jar a couple of times before I use it.
The amount that works best for my dishwasher is about 1/8 cup, I use a coffee scoop to measure it. But once again, you will need to experiment the amount you use based on your water type, you may need a little more or less.

I still had some store bought rinse aid in my dishwasher so I used that. Once that is gone, I will try white vinegar in the rinse aide and let you know how that works. Good luck!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Grandma's Bread Pudding and Caramel Sauce

I was trying to think of something for dessert last night and homemade bread pudding was my choice. Our Dad was not a dessert lover but bread pudding was one of his favorites. Our grandma made the best bread pudding, hope you like it! Ingredients : 5 cups slightly dried out bread, any kind. I used Italian bread. 1/4 cup raisins (optional) 2 cups milk 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 T vanilla 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon Caramel Sauce Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tsp vanilla Directions : Cut the bread in cubes. I cut some of the crust off (on about half of the bread). Place bread into a greased casserole dish or an 11x9 inch pan. Add raisins. Microwave milk and butter about 4 minutes on 60% power or heat in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Slowly add the mixture to the egg and milk an...

Grilled Orange Roughy

My favorite food choices are often related to family memories, so I wanted to share one of our favorite grilled fish recipes. Our Dad used to take us fishing and we grew up eating the fish we caught ourselves. Then came the time when we had to start buying fish, I searched for types of fish that didn't taste too "fishy". It's hard to accomplish that in the Midwest, we don't always have many choices. We were introduced to orange roughy during a trip to San Diego where my great-uncle treated us to some of the most wonderful seafood we had ever eaten at an establishment called Anthony's. It was the first time we had eaten orange roughy and it was white, flaky and not too fishy tasting. After a few experiments, this is my favorite method to prepare it at home. Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers! Ingredients: 4 orange roughy fillets 1/4 c fresh cilantro, I use a small handful * if you are not a cilantro fan use fresh dill, about 1/4 c chopped 2 tsp garlic powder o...

Homemade Goulash

Last weekend I made meals for the freezer. It takes a few hours but this will save you time during the week (in case you have nights like I do when you don't feel like cooking) and your family will love it! I adapted this recipe from Paula Deen (it's called Bobby's Goulash). I used organic ingredients but use the products of your choice. I would have liked to use fresh tomatoes from the garden but my tomatoes weren't quite ready. You can also make it gluten-free by using gluten-free elbow macaroni. It's so tasty - my family loved it! Ingredients : 1 pound ground turkey 1 pound lean ground beef 1 -2 small onions, diced ( I used red onions) 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice 3 cups water 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 T Italian seasoning 3 bay leaves 3 T soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce 1 T seasoning salt course ground pepper to taste 2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked) Putting it together: Brown meat and onions in a lar...

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