Pinterest FAIL! Homemade Gel Freshener

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Disclosure of both the good, the bad and the ugly is something I enjoy seeing in blogland.  So, I’m here today to share my most current Pinterest FAIL! 

We have two stinky boys in our house.  I mean seriously…what IS it with boys?  And mine are still little boys…is this going to get worse?  ugh. 

To fight the stinky fight, I’m a big fan of the store bought smelly things that don’t require electricity.  Why no plugin's?  Well, once the boys turned one of my Glade oil diffusers upside down and the oil leaked all over the floor.  Not pretty.  Pretty smelling, but not pretty to look at or clean up. Especially since the oil was Harvest Apple…which is RED!

Those smelly dodads add up.  So, homemade gel freshener? Why not!  Sounded like a great idea to me.

Here’s the original Pin…

Source: tipnut.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

It sounded simple enough.  I followed the directions and putting it all together went really well.  Until I took a peek inside of one of the jars this week…

EWWWWWWW!  Mold! 

I checked the rest of the jars and they all had mold. It didn’t help that the food coloring I chose was a bright great either.

This all happened in less than two weeks time and since there is a significant amount of mold, I assume the molds been in them for at least a week.  Yuck!

Supposedly the addition of salt will keep mold at bay, but I added salt and STILL got this science project.  I know some recipes called for alcohol and maybe that would help.  Until then, Glad and Febreeze will be getting some moo-lah from us for the time being.

Any suggestions on this one?  Any unwanted science experiments in your home?

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Happy Birthday to My Beloved D-man!

Pin It Superdad.

Superhubs.

Superstripey Superfriend.

Supercute.

Superfunny.

Superstud Slip-n-Slide Extraordinaire. 

Happy Birthday to my wonderful hubby!  I’m making him his favorites for dinner tonight…baked manicotti and his yearly chocolate pie. 
Hope you have a SUPER day babe!  We love you!Pin It

Back to Bread Making – Challah Recipe

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We’ve had a little cold snap here, a sure sign that fall officially starts tomorrow.  So, I’m embracing this crisp fall weather and making my Italian Tortellini Soup tonight.  And what goes better with soup than homemade bread?

I wanted to try something new and saw this lovely challah recipe over at one of my favorite blogs, Dinner A Love Story.  Jenny used her cousins recipe that seems to be a proven winner and I had to give it a try.  

Challah is basically a beautiful braided yeast bread that has a slightly sweet taste and contains eggs.  Now, I didn’t do the traditional elaborate double braid seen in the original recipe.  Shoot…I have trouble making a normal looking regular braided loaf (see the sad bump in this current loaf below).  I blame it on having boys.  And the fact that I don’t braid my own hair either.  And my mom didn’t braid my hair much (sorry mom, but true).  We’re a long line of non-braiders.

I digress.

Bread.  Beautiful, shiny challah bread.  On the menu tonight at our house.  I was delighted at how easy it was to put together. 

Here it is right before baking…

And the resulting yumminess…

Don’t mind her bump…it all tastes the same.

I think I’m becoming more confortable with yeast breads.  They don’t scare me.  Nope. 

Oh and I followed the directions and let all the kneading happen in the mixer.  Worked out perfect.  Love that!  Hate kneading.  Evidence?  Here and Here.  I also cut the recipe in half, which makes one nice loaf. 

 

Jewish bread with Italian soup? Sure, why not!  I’m only a few days past Rosh Hashanah.  Thanks to Jenny at DALS for introducing me to a home run once again!

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Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

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We are blessed to be able to visit my in-laws’ lake house each summer.  I can’t thank them enough for the long lazy memory filled weekends they have given to us over the years. 

So, one thing I can do is cook and I usually try to bring something to enjoy on each visit.  On our last visit, I made these delicious Cranberry Cheesecake Bars that I found in Redbook magazine of all places.  Actually, it was a nice little segment using a simple crust recipe five different ways.  I had all of the ingredients on hand for this particular bar and got busy.

Super simple and delicious!  They were like little mini cheesecakes and one was seriously not enough.  Beware!

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars (from Redbook magazine)

Ingredients

Orange Crust

• 1 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 3/4 cup(s) (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
• Yolk from 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

Topping

• 2 package(s) (8 ounces each) light cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup(s) light sour cream
• 2 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1 can(s) (8-ounce) jellied cranberry sauce

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 13- by 9-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil 2 inches beyond pan at both ends. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Beat butter and remaining mixture of ingredients with the paddle attachment of a mixer on medium speed until soft and creamy, about 2 minutes. On low speed, beat in flour mixture, scraping sides of the bowl until dough comes together. Drop small clumps of dough evenly into prepared pan. With floured fingers, press dough into even layer.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until surface is golden and set. Remove crust, keeping the oven on.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
5. Use the paddle attachment of a mixer on medium speed to beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy and smooth. On low speed, beat in eggs, then sour cream, flour, and vanilla until blended and smooth.
6. Whisk cranberry sauce in a small bowl until smooth. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake batter until blended. Pour the remaining white batter over the warm crust, then spoon small dollops of the cranberry batter over the white batter and drag a small spatula across the surface until it looks marbled.
7. Bake 36 minutes or until surface looks dry and is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until firm and cold.
8. Lift ends of foil to transfer to a cutting board. Cut lengthwise into 6 equal strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Cut each strip into 6 bars.
   

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