Quick Eggs & Pancake IN THE MICROWAVE

Have you ever heard of the Pampered Chef microwave egg cooker? It is one of my new favorite things. It allows you to cook eggs in the microwave either fried, poached, or scrambled. You can make eggs for a breakfast sandwich, and they come out perfectly round. This has definitely made breakfast much easier for me, especially on mornings I am going to work. I can eat at home for a fraction of the cost of a fast food breakfast sandwich. I recently discovered that I can also make a pancake with the egg cooker. How cool is that!?

Here's how to make a pancake and fried eggs at the same time:

You need:

1/2 c pancake mix (like Aunt Jemima just add milk)

Milk

2 eggs 

Butter

Put a pat of butter in each well of the microwave egg cooker. Heat in the microwave just long enough to melt the butter. Now mix the pancake mix with enough milk to moisten it. Pour the pancake mix in one well and crack the two eggs in the other well. Use a knife or fork to pierce the yolks but don't break them. Cover the egg side with a paper towel and microwave for 60 seconds to start. Check to make sure the eggs are done enough for you and if the pancake is done it will not stick to your finger when you touch the top. Cook in 30 second intervals until it is done. 

Use a rubber spatula to remove the egg and pancake onto a plate. Enjoy!

One more thing, you do not need to use soap on the microwave egg cooker. Since it is stoneware, you want it to retain it's nonstick surface. Over time it will become more and more slick but if you use soap you are preventing this from taking place. Trust me, as long as you wash it when you are done with it, use hot water and scrub well, it will be clean.

If you feel like Pampered Chef is a little on the pricey side :) do like I do! I have a catalog party for a friend. It's easy and I get free Pampered Chef!!

Super Homemade Laundry Soap

I have made homemade laundry soap many times. So far I have liked them all. The liquid version I made worked well, but it was more time consuming and hard to make. 

I was almost out of soap today and thought I would just make my own since I had everything on hand. 

This is what I used:

1 bar of laundry soap (Zote or Fels Naptha)

1/2 box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 box of borax

1 container of store brand OxiClean

Process the bar of soap in a food processor to grate it up. I used the shred blade and then switched to the regular blade to mix in the powder. The soap will still be a little chunky but processing it with the borax helps brake it down further. 

The borax is usually a little clumpy so this is the one I added to the food processor with the grated soap. I chose only this one because it will not all fit in my processor. After the soap and borax is smooth, add them to a large container. Mix in the remaining ingredients. I put the lid on my container and shook it up to mix it.

That is it!! Use 2-4 Tbsp per load. I measured and found that the scoop that came with the OxiClean was 2 Tbsp so I will use that. I put a note on my container that says: 1 scoop for small loads and 2 scoops for large loads.

Loaded Baked Potato Chowder

I love finding good, easy recipes that my whole family loves. Another thing I like about it, it gives me a good meatless meal that my husband will eat (he likes meat with EVERY meal). I have been using my Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker like crazy. It is a marvelous, little magic pot that cooks great in the microwave (yes, even meats) and in the oven. I love it!!

I found a video on YouTube made by Pampered Chef for this soup. You can search on YouTube for it. Here is the link to the PC website with the recipe:
http://www.pamperedchef.com/recipe_search/recipe.jsp?id=88790

This is a quick, easy, go to meal with very few ingredients. The bonus, it cooks in the microwave! How simple is that? I will also say, this potato chowder is better than any potato soup I have eaten at any restaurant. That's right, I said it! Now you should really try it.

Let me know what you think!

Crispy (Un-Fried) Roasted Okra

Things have been busy around our house lately. My classes are starting back up and the girls have gone back to school after winter break. We are still cooking at home as usual, to keep from eating out and wasting money. I love making meals for my family, that they love. Plus, we don't have to spend over $40 a meal to eat what someone else makes at a restaurant. On that note, here is a new side dish to try that the whole family may love!

If you like fried okra, here is a healthier version for you. My hubby only likes okra DEEP FRIED, and he actually liked this. I have been roasting different vegetables this way lately and it is my new favorite thing!! But, the okra is really a lot like fried okra because of the crispy, saltiness it gets from roasting.

You need:
I bag of frozen cut up okra
Sea salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Put the frozen okra in a bowl. Drizzle in some olive oil and toss to coat. Spread the okra in a single layer on a large cookie sheet with sides. Season with salt and pepper. You can add pretty much any seasoning you want at this point. (Garlic would be good, or Cajun seasoning, chili powder, etc)
Place in the oven and roast for about 25-35 minutes. The okra will shrink up in size and will become browned.

Enjoy!!

Yum yum EGG CUSTARD

Have you ever tried egg custard? I had never tried it and really did not think I would like it. I found a recipe on Pinterest, of course. This has become one of my go to places for new recipes. The first time I made it, it was okay. The custard was a little bland and boring. It was a little too egg-y! It needed some richness and depth to it. So, as usual, :) I changed it up. I was a little weary about it and wasn't sure if it would mess it up to change the ingredients. However, eggs are only $0.39 at our favorite grocery store and milk is only $0.98/gallon. I decided it would not be a big deal if it was a flop.

I have made it many times since then and I tweak it every time. This is probably how I will continue to make it!!

Shayla's Egg Custard

4 eggs
1/2 can of eagle brand milk
Skim milk
About 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Dash of sea salt

Whisk eggs by hand until well blended. Whisk in sugar, salt and vanilla. Pour eagle brand milk into a big measuring cup. Add skim milk to make 3 cups total of milk. Microwave milk until scalded (just under boiling). SLOWLY whisk hot milk into egg mixture. If you go too fast you will cook the eggs. Keep whisking slowly until you have added all the milk. Pour egg mixture into ramekins and place them in a larger pan. Fill the outside pan with warm water to surround the custard cups. You can sprinkle with nutmeg if you like. I like it better without, however the picture below has nutmeg. Bake at 350 for 30 min, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. The custard may jiggle a little bit, but test it with a knife. The custard will set while it cools. I leave it in the water bath for about 15 more minutes once I remove it from the oven. Then I remove them to a hot pad to cool.
Store in the refrigerator after they cool, I just cover the ramekins individually with foil.
With the sweetened condensed milk, this is so creamy and just right!!