Quick and Easy Pizza

Running out of ideas for the nights you need to make a quick meal? This is a simple go-to recipe that is quick, easy, and a taste-tester favorite! Use your favorite ingredients or what you have left in your refrigerator before your next grocery shopping event. I'll give you some ideas but the secret is to put it  together using your own favorites!
Putting it together:
1 loaf of french, ciabatta, or Italian bread
1-2 cups pizza sauce, your favorite kind
1 pound ground beef, vegan meat crumbles, pepperoni, Canadian bacon or sausage. (Use any combination or no meat if you want vegetable pizza).
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
Olives, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, any toppings you like
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
I started by browning my ground beef in a pan over medium heat. Add Italian seasoning and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Slice your bread loaf in half lengthwise and spoon the pizza sauce on both halves. I used approximately 2 cups of pizza sauce. Layer your ingredients and top with shredded cheese. Bake in a 350F oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and slightly brown. Remove from oven, slice into pieces and serve! We had leftovers so I froze them for the next time! Yummy!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Homemade "Soft Scrub"

This recipe is adapted from the momsaware.org website to make your own soft scrub. I love it! It makes my sinks and tubs sparkle, cleans up my outdoor furniture and my greasy, grimy, stove and burners! You may have to adjust ingredients according to what size container you use.  It should have a similar consistency to the real "soft scrub."

• 1/4-1/2c liquid castile soap-we like Dr. Bronner's
• 1/2-1 c baking soda
• optional: 5 drops of Tea Tree oil (a natural disinfectant/antifungal) or essential oil of your choice
• Add enough water to make a thick paste

I found my bottles at the Dollar store but have seen them in the grocery store also. Add liquid soap first then add soda, add enough water to make a thick paste and shake well to mix.  You will need to shake well before each use. Use directly on surface or put on wet sponge first to clean.

~Simply Angie

Lotion Bars

I recently found some recipes on Pinterest for lotion bars.  I found several sites with similar recipes. I made this batch with coconut oil. I love the smell, but it is a little greasy. I hate to waste ingredients so I decided to remelt them and add more beeswax, they were a little less greasy...but still greasy.  I wouldn't recommend using them on your hands during the day because of the "greasiness factor" but I gotta say, they are really working great on my feet. I don't want to sound like an infomercial but after a couple nights of putting this on my dry cracked feet when I go to bed (I'll spare you the before and after photos)-this really has been helping! It would be great for feet, elbows or dry skin patches, my niece said it even works when her babies have diaper rash.

Here's the recipe, I used equal parts-of course I just eyeball it, I didn't have a way to measure the beeswax because it was a block that I just chipped away at.

• equal parts coconut oil AND almond oil (I have also seen recipes using cocoa butter or shea butter instead of coconut oil, that would be much less greasy...future blog post coming!)
• beeswax I used slightly more (than equal parts of oils)

I melted my ingredients in a pyrex bowl over some boiling water. It's my makeshift version of a double boiler. Then I poured the melted mixture into some mini muffin tins with paper liners and a silicone mold tray I bought at my local Discount store for $1.25.  You can use anything you have. I've seen some blogs using empty deodorant or glue stick containers. That would be super handy!

~Simply Angie

Fall Pumpkin Decorating Project

It's time to decorate for fall! I went shopping yesterday looking for the perfect fall decorations and came home with one white pumpkin. I haven't shopped for fall decorations lately and after a couple of hours I knew I needed to go home and start my DIY project. Do people really spend $35 for a fake pumpkin? I love white pumpkins and decided to use different shades of white and textures for my project. I used items from my mantel that I already had and found an old resin pumpkin in my fall decoration box. I also found a cute glass pumpkin that I used for candy and decided I would use that for something. I didn't really know what I was going to do with it yet but a quick call to my sister always helps! After tossing around several ideas, we finally decided I should Mod Podge doilies around it. I grabbed an old cake plate from the donation pile and I was ready to start my decorating project!
Let's Get Started:
1 white real pumpkin
1 glass pumpkin
1 resin pumpkin
Antique white acrylic paint
Mod Podge
3 doilies or lace
Bling of your choice such as crystals and pearls
Cake Plate
Re-purposed candle stand

1. I started with the real pumpkin first because it had the least work. I cleaned it with water and added some pearls around the top and wrapped the stem in pearl-like beads.
2. I painted the old orange resin pumpkin with antique white acrylic paint. When it dried, I applied some crystal bling that I bought at the craft store for $3. It already has adhesive on the back and as long as your paint is dry, it sticks well. I can't help myself - I must have bling!
3. I started the glass pumpkin base by measuring my doily, I realized I would need to cut it in half. I applied the Mod Podge to the pumpkin base (with a paint brush) and placed the doily over the top. I worked quickly so I could reposition the doily before it started to dry. I did the same thing for the second half of the doily. 
4. I wanted different textures so I used 2 doilies for the top of the glass pumpkin. I started with a larger doily and cut the top so it would fit over the pumpkin stem. I applied the Mod Podge and placed the doily over the top. The second top doily fit over the stem so I placed it over the first doily (I didn't use any Mod Podge for this step).
5. I applied Mod Podge to the stem and wrapped some of pearl-like beads around the stem.
6. Arrange the pumpkins and enjoy your inexpensive DIY fall project!

 

 

 Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi