Bread & Butter Pickles

Okay everyone, this recipe is found in a video on the FOODNETWORK and it's about making your own pickles! I tried to get a direct link to the video, but no can do, just look for the "IN A PICKLE" video! It's funny, cause well it's Alton Brown's Show GOOD EATS!


So after watching the video you may notice a few things! 1. He doesn't say what kind of pickles are gonna be made. 2. He talks so darn fast if you want to make it you have to watch it about 5 times to get all the stuff written down!

I am posting this blog because I made these and they are awesome! Now to answer the question he didn't answer as to what type, well my title gave it away.. ha ha.. they are Bread and Butter pickles! Great on Hamburgers or by themselves.. which is how I have been scarfing the whole jar full! And of course, I have spent the time to write all those things down that Alton talks about in the video for the ingredients and how to make them!

Let's start by saying these are GOOD! They are tangy! Much more than any store bought ones! I love them! I made two batches at first and am ready to make a few more to give away and also to eat myself.... cause I am running low! They do take at least 24 hours to sit in the fridge before you eat them, and the longer they sit the better they seem to get! Here is what mine look like!

That's a picture of the ones I am snacking on as I write this blog... and actually they are all gone now! LOL! Yum!

Let's get started on making some for you!

What you need:

Ingredients:
2 Cucumbers (size matters here... as two filled two jars for me!)
1 Medium Size Onion ( I used a Valdilia onion)
4 cloves of Garlic - Smashed - easier to get the skin off after you smash it with the side of a knife
1 cup Water
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup of Sugar ( I used Organic Sugar from Cane Juice)
1 Tbsp of Salt
1 Tsp of Pickling Spice ( I bought some of this cause I didn't know I could make it myself.. when I run out I plan to make my own and will post the recipe here!)
1 Tsp Celery Seeds (whole)
1 Tsp Yellow Mustard Seeds (whole)
1/4 Tsp of Turmeric
1 Quart Mason or Kerr Jar

Okay, now what?
Instructions:
In a non reactive pot ( use stainless or glass), pour the water, apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pickling spice, celery seeds, mustard seeds and turmeric. Stir!
Heat to a boil.
Once the mixture is at a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Stir it once in a while.
Take it off the heat and let it sit while you process the vegetables!

Wash all the veggies!
Slice the cucumbers with a knife or mandolin into thin slices.
Chop the onions into round slices and then quarter them to provide julienned pieces..
And smash the garlic cloves with the side of a large carving knife or similar item, peel off the skin.
Then, as in the video, put alternating slices of cucumbers and onions in a 1 quart mason jar or you can use an old pickle jar. I would say make sure it is glass and clean before you put anything into it, including the lid! Once you get about half way up, add two of the cloves of garlic, then continue till you top off the jar, and add the final two cloves close to the top. Don't fill the jar to the top with veggies, you want to have the vinegar cover them so leave a bit of room!

Now take the heated mixture and pour it slowly into the jar until it covers the veggies, then seal the jar and place it in the fridge! Wait 24 to 72 hours before tasting them! Then ENJOY your homemade pickles!

I waited 24 hours and it almost killed me to have to wait that last hour! LOL! Once I tasted them I wanted to share them with the world, but also clarify what Alton Brown left out of his video, and I tried to find the recipe on the site but couldn't so I was obligated to make a note of this great recipe until foodnetwork decides to post it in print.

I think Alton Brown is hilarious, intelligent, explains things clearly and is an awesome chef. I like most of his recipes! So you might see a few more of these later on!

I used store bought regular old veggies here, I would have liked to get organic ones, but my idea was to try it, so I didn't want to waste money on the more expensive and better for you items if the recipe was gonna suck! Ha ha! Next ones will be organic and I bet the taste will be even better! I did not get into the cost of the items, but I am convinced that making my own pickles is the better way to go for taste if not health. Store bought pickles are bound to have preservatives in them, just like most things you buy now. So making them at home, I doubt these last more than a week in your home once you taste them! Assuming you like that Bread and Butter style pickle!

I plan to find a recipe for dill and sweet pickles so I can try to make those too! Problem is I can only eat so many pickles in a day! haha! So we will go slow on that, cause I am wanting to make some more of these now!

Oh one more thing! You notice Alton's pickles were just cut flat with no texture, so I was thinking I would use the fancy attachment on my mandolin, that is why you see my pickles with the grooves! You can cut them anyway you choose I guess, but since they are a bread and butter pickle, if you have a mandolin, I suggest using it... the pickles also stay on a hamburger better with the grooves!

Enjoy!

Pecans & Pretzels

Hi everyone! Today we will be changing it up a bit and talking about food instead of making your own cleaning products! I want to do both in this blog, as I like to make my own homemade condiments and enjoy the more flavorful taste, the healthier choice of knowing what is in my sauces, and to get away from SOY... if you read about it you will never want to eat it!

Okay the world is full of things we shouldn't be eating now, but hey that's progress right? Alright, so I usually will try to save money and make things from scratch, but these are so good and so easy I just have to share! Ok my sister's neighbor makes these all the time and they are sooooo good... you won't want to stop eating them! As long as you are not allergic to nuts that is! haha! No need to be putting people into shock here!

Ok as long as you can eat PRETZELS, ROLOS and PECANS.. you can make this recipe! Yep, just those three items!

Here is what you need:

Ingredients:

1 bag of Snyder's of Hanover SNAPS ( you won't use them all.. so you can snack on the rest)
1 bag of Rolos Candy - yes a bag, those little rolls will not do unless you want to limit your consumption. use as many Rolos as you want, the amount in the bag is your limit!
Pecans (one per Rolos Candy you have! )

 Instructions:
Heat your oven up to 250°F

Take the SNAPS and lay them on a cookie sheet - I covered mine with parchment paper.

Unwrap and place ONE Rolos candy on each one... see I started already! Yeah the hardest and longest part of this whole recipe is to unwrap like 42 of these things! LOL!

 Once you have a whole cookie sheet full of them, you just pop them into the hot oven and wait for about 1 to 1.5 minutes! You don't want to melt the ROLO you want to soften it.
Remove from the oven.
Place one PECAN on each Rolo and push down to get the Pecan to stick to the top and the Snap to stick to the bottom.

Let cool..
Store in the fridge so the don't get too soft. I suggest putting them in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers.. so they don't all stick to each other!

Last step: ENJOY!!!!

Not the healthiest thing to eat, but they make a great snack, kids love them and well so will you! Remember to limit yourself, it will be difficult, but at least share them with others! haha!

Until next time!

Dishwasher Detergent

Dishwasher detergent is so expensive these days and then add to that the liquid stuff you put in your dishwasher to make your glasses sparkle what a rip off!

Okay, so here I am again with a way to save some major money by making your own dishwasher detergent, and a replacement for that stuff that makes your glasses sparkle!

The recipe is plain and simple. You will need 3 ingredients: Baking Soda, Borax and White Vinegar!

Okay, this works for me let me know how it works for you! I have a pretty modern dishwasher with a dispenser for the sparkle stuff to be put in, and also two slots for the detergent: main and pre-wash.

You can make as much of this soap as you need, I keep mine under the sink in one of those little plastic containers you can get at the dollar store ( I think I got three in a pack actually), they come with lids and I use very little per wash!

This recipe is very simple but first I want to address the sparkle stuff... lol yeah I know the name of the popular brand, but I refuse to plug those products if I can help it! So let's just go with the name Sparkle Stuff for the rest of this blog! haha!

Okay, the recipe is real easy! Here you go:

Ingredients:

1 cup of Baking Soda
1 cup of Borax

Mix it in a plastic container, preferably one with a nice fat opening to dip a tablespoon into! Yes just mix it half and half! Make as much as you want or that your container can hold if you want to make a bucket of it go ahead! LOL!

To use it, you put 1 to 2 Tablespoons in the wash dispenser, since I do a pre-wash all the time I spread it out between the two dispensers. They are usually right next to each other so it's perfect! The newer more efficient dishwashers actually work better with less soap! So if you get any film on your dishes or glasses, try reducing the amount you put in the dispenser for each load!

Okay, so didn't I mention White Vinegar? You are probably wondering what that is for! Well here you go!

For the rinse cycle you usually are using that Sparkle Stuff, so after your Sparkle Stuff dispenser is empty, fill it with the vinegar! It will make your glasses sparkle just as well as the other stuff! If you don't have this dispenser then you should open your dishwasher during the beginning of the Rinse cycle and add a 1/2 cup of white vinegar.

Okay, there is another few things to know... the powder needs to be shaken once in a while to prevent clumping, not a huge problem, but you might notice it if your lid is not real tight and water vapor is allowed to get in. Not a big deal, the clumps break up easily.

Check that you always have vinegar in the dispenser, this stuff goes much faster than that Sparkle Stuff, or seems to in my dishwasher! I think I replenish it every two or three cycles, but I really have not been keeping track!

There is another recipe that you can use also that some say work better! You take my basic recipe and add to it 1/4 cup of salt and a 1/4 cup of citric acid (expensive) and like 30 drops of a citrus essential oil. Finding citric acid is hard to do, but you can substitute 2 packs of UNSWEETENED LEMONADE Drink mix. Don't use any other flavor or your dishwasher might turn red or blue or whatever color the drink mix is! LOL! That's be kinda cool if you wanted to have like a green tint to your dishwasher on the inside, but I like the white!! haha!

So there you have it! Dishwasher Detergent that will last a long time and costs under a dollar for 2lbs of it!

Cleanser

Hello everyone!

Okay, hopefully you have obtained some of the ingredients that I mentioned in my last blog as I would like to start off with a simple recipe to make your own cleanser! I think it works better than the store bought brands, but that is my opinion, once you try it I would love to hear your feedback!

Ok first thing to get is a container with some holes in it to store your homemade cleanser in, I use an old Parmesan, Ramono or that fake pizza cheese they make - container, it has 3 nice big holes for the cleanser to be dispensed from and it seals. Some larger spice bottles such as my ground mustard container also have caps with these type of lids also. The nice thing about using the old cheese container is that it is plastic and will not get wet like the cardboard containers that store bought cleansers use. And the closing lid keeps it from spilling over if you knock it over, like I have done on occassion! LOL!

I like using the cleanser in the shower cause it won't get wet inside, although the lid area gets a bit gummed up cause of the water vapor and the powder so sometimes it won't close all the way without cleaning the wet cleanser from the lid, but it will seal enough to keep water from getting inside. I also like the fact that I can put it on the shower shelf and not worry about it getting wet while I take a shower and then use it to scrub the shower after. I kinda like to kill two birds with one stone! haha!

If you haven't found the washing soda, which was the hardest thing for me to find, then look online! If you search properly you can find it in bulk for a pretty good price! The thing about these items is that you get a lot for a few bucks and you can use one box for making a multitude of cleaners and also use them as described on the boxes for the more common stuff! I will not get into those right now, but suffice it to say that I will have to devote one whole blog to each item individually to give you lists of the uses for all but the fels-naptha soap... I currently only have two uses for that stuff: Liquid Laundry Detergent or Powdered Laundry Detergent.

Okay  by now you are probably wondering how to make this cleanser! Well my recipe makes about 12 Oz of cleanser. The recipe is as easy as pie! Remember to wear gloves when handling this stuff, and yes even your household cleanser tells you to wear gloves when using it! I know a lot of us never do! And with the household ones we really should wear gloves cause they have more toxins that can get into your body through your skin than this does.. still for the health concerned people you might still want to use gloves. Always use gloves when you are scooping the ingredients from the boxes please, as washing soda and borax can be irritating to your skin. That kinda means you shouldn't get it on you! haha!

Okay, finally to make your own HOMEMADE CLEANSER that can be used on ANY surface that store bought cleanser is used on, and probably more... here is the easy, simple and best recipe.

Ingredients:
1 cup Baking Soda
1/4 cup Borax
1/4 cup Washing Soda

Instructions:

Scoop each ingredient into a plastic container with a lid, and shake to mix!

You can use a locking sandwich bag if that is all you have!
You can double, triple or make mass amounts of the stuff by simple mulitplication...

It makes about 12oz of dry powdered cleanser, that I think works better than store bought brands and doesn't stain my rags green or blue, and contains no chlorine. I use it on my sinks, shower, toilet, counter tops and on pots and pans sometimes. Basically you can use it on anything you normally would a store bought cleanser. Oh and one more thing, I find that i don't need to use as much of this as I do normal cleanser, maybe that is me or maybe it cleans better? I really don't know, but I do know a little goes a long way!

Please give me your feedback.  I welcome all comments!

Ingredients you will need for the cleaning recipes!

Hello to those of you that have already joined my blog as followers! Thanks so much to you!

Ok this blog post is going to be about some items you will need to create the cleaning products that I have made and currently use! You will need about 5 easily attainable items that are fairly inexpensive! Here is the list or basic items to make most cleaning products in the home!

#1 Baking Soda - OMG so many uses! I'll get into some of them in a bit! Buy it in bulk if you can, I buy the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in a 4lb box because it is the same price as the cheapest bulk I can find in my area, but I may look online one of these days to get like a 25lb or 50lb bag, not using that much yet, so the boxes work just fine! So, I get the boxes instead of having a plastic bag of powder that is unlabeled! haha! I pay about $2 for the 4lb box! I think Walmart sells it in 1lb boxes for $0.48 which is a little cheaper but I like the bigger box. This is also known as Sodium BiCarbonate, it's a natural salt that comes from the earth and any brand will do as long as it's 100%.

#2 Washing Soda - Ok this IS NOT THE SAME as Baking Soda, and why I listed it second because Arm & Hammer makes both! It is marketed as Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda! I had a heck of a time finding this at any local stores! So I have a trick for you, because I learned where I can get it in my area. I have discovered that I can get all of these items at a store called WINN CO. out here in California, but the other popular places - even Walmart - around here do NOT carry Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda in my area! I guess I could have gone through the hassle of asking for it from the store manager, but then I have to wait for it! I get a little impatient on things like that! I found it online for like $4.50 a box PLUS Shipping... another $5... so I said NO! You can get a big box of it for like $3!

Washing Soda is known as Soda Ash, or more specifically as Sodium Carbonate, notice how close it is in name to the Baking Soda - Sodium BiCarbonate! But they are not the same so pay attention please! Now so you don't have to go hunting all over town to every store you can think of like I did, I will tell you how you can get it if you can't get the Arm & Hammer brand. Here you go! Sodium Carbonate is used to raise the PH level of pools! So you can get a nice big jug of it for like $10 for almost 4lbs. Not bad if you can't find the Arm & Hammer brand.! My first jug of it cost me almost $20 cause I didn't think to look at Walmart or Home Depot! I know Walmart is nationwide, but not sure about Home Depot... but most any hardware store that has pool supplies will carry this! Make sure the container says 100% Sodium Carbonate.

I did eventually find the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda at Winn Co.. so that is where I will purchase it from now on.. it is the cheapest I have found, but my nice plastic bottle I got from the pool supply store is great for storage and keeps it from getting wet!

This little hunt for Sodium Carbonate took me many miles and who knows how many stops at various stores and lots of hours looking around store shelves and asking clerks for it... of course they looked at me like I was nuts, all but one young lady that actually knew what I was talking about! LOL!

#3 Fels-Naphta - This is a soap that has been used for 100 years for laundry, but since we all have Tide and Downy it's kinda been forgotten I guess... luckily they still sell it. I also found this at my Winn Co. store for like half the price I was paying locally at Stater Bros. ( a local area grocery chain). It's a yellow hard bar of soap like substance... lol I only use this to make my Laundry detergents. You can use ZOTE or even IVORY I suppose, but I like the Fels-Naptha.

#4 Borax - This should be in any grocery store around you. It is sold most popularly as 20 Mule Team Borax. This was the easiest item for me to find other than the next two items! LOL! I have no idea if anyone else produces Borax for sale! If you can't find it as borax, you can ask for Sodium Tetraborate.

#5 White Vinegar - Any brand will do as long as it's distilled, I suggest buying the least expensive, since this is the purpose of my blog! haha! Unless you are buying some ultra strength vinegar, regular table vinegar is fine and it usually has about 4 or 5% acid level.

WARNING - These are all chemicals, even though naturally from the ground! The best thing to do is to wear rubber gloves when handling the Borax and Washing Soda, as they can cause skin irritation. I just use some cheap rubber gloves from the local dollar store to handle this stuff. If you do get any on your hands or skin, just rinsing them will get it off without damage. Keep them away from children! Don't get them in your eyes and don't ingest them! (Well, vinegar and baking soda are okay to ingest, as they are used in cooking and other things but not the others!) Read the boxes for all warnings, it's just best to be safe, and I can say I warned you to be careful if anything happens to you!

I will not be responsible for your actions.. how can I be?? I use these products daily without issues, but some people are more sensitive to these items than I am.

Okay, so once you get these items you will have most of the items you will need to clean your whole house without chlorine and other harmful toxins!

That's all for now! My next blog should be about putting these items together in various ways to make some cleaning products!

Please comment on the blogs with the recipes for the cleaning products, I would love to hear about your experience with a recipe - good or bad... so far I have not had any issues with these things that I have created and use! I like them all... that is why I am sharing! But feel free to comment on any blog I write! If you have a question or something I will of course try to answer it!

The reason I am starting this blog!

Hi everyone, my name is Joe Turczak, but go by the name of Joe Punker, this is why you will see both names used in my blog! I hail from California, where we have everything!

My reason for starting this blog is mainly cause I need an outlet to share my weird ideas, such as, saving money by making my own cleaning products, getting a lot of the toxins out of my house and replacing them with other more natural items that work better or just the same... usually at some savings!

Ok, so my blog will be a random set of things that I have found on the internet, searching for various products or ideas and then I will try them out and give you an update on what worked, what didn't and well what I find to be bogus. I am not a professional writer or anything like that, in fact I never did like writing in school much! ha ha!

So hopefully I can keep you entertained with my trials and errors, and keep you interested in my blog by saving you money here and there.. my first money saving blog is going to be about making your own detergents and cleaners for various things! I will provide links to sites if needed, but I will try to provide instructions (aka recipes) for all the items that I currently make and have determined to work best for me. I have tried a lot of recipes myself from the internet already, and with everyone of the cleaning products I have had to make some tweaks to make them work better for me.. I will also be giving food recipes for a lot of things that taste great, are easy to make and will save you money! I will provide links when needed, like for the ketchup recipe I use, mainly cause I think it is copyrighted material since it was published in a magazine.... so in cases like that I will provide the link and my take on how it turned out, cost effectiveness (which will just be a guesstimate in most cases because prices vary from store to store), and mainly these will be items that I currently use and will continue to use in my daily life!

I have some food recipes to share, and will probably include pictures and/or links if available....

Mostly I hope to have fun here sharing my experiences.... failures and successes!