Sweet and Spicy Candied Bourbon Pecans

Sweet and Spicy Candied Bourbon Pecans 1 egg white 1 tablespoon bourbon 3 cups pecan halves 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line a large baking sheet with foil, parchment paper, or Silpat. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk egg white with bourbon until frothy. Stir in pecans, mixing until moistened. In a separate small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cayenne until combined. Sprinkle over moistened nuts (that felt dirty), stir to combine and spread onto pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes stirring every ten minutes. They burn quickly so keep an eye on them!

Lavender Cooling Spray

Lavender Cooling Spray 1/4 cup rose water 8 drops lavender essential oil small spray bottle Add rose water to the spray bottle. Add lavender essential oil. Shake the mixture vigorously prior to use. Spritz liberally to cool off. * You can make it with peppermint essential oil too, but this smells more like summer to me.

Cotton Candy Salad

1 Of my favorite recipes Cotton Candy Salad 1 can eagle brand milk 2 cups crushed pineapple, drained well 1 can strawberry pie filling 1 can cherry pie filling 12 oz. tub cool whip 3/4 cup pecans, chopped Fold all ingredients together. Chill and serve.

Home Remedies

Vodka for Smelly Feet Some people are just cursed with smelly feet. Generally speaking it’s men, but we aren’t going to unfairly profile here. Smelly feet are caused by bacteria growing on the feet during the day. It is not necessarily a sign of lack of hygiene, though that should certainly be your first line of defense in controlling foot odor. There are a number of products on the market that promise to get rid of that smelly foot smell for you. However, many people are sensitive to the ingredients in these sprays. A better alternative is Vodka! Apparently Vodka is good for more than just toasting. The extremely high alcohol content in vodka can kill odor causing bacteria on contact. Vodka also has a drying effect which helps eliminate the moisture on the feet. Simply wipe down your tootsies with a vodka soaked cloth. Dryer Sheet Magic Eraser Many people are simply amazed at the magic eraser products that came out a few years ago. Did you know that your common dryer sheet contains many of the same ingredients as the magic eraser? Using a few leftover dryer sheets can give you the same cleaning power as the more expensive products. All you need to do is wet the dryer sheet and get to scrubbing. The way that dryer sheet material is woven together gives it great abrasive power in your shower making it a far better soap scum remover than many soap scum removing products. To increase your cleaning power, you might want to use a new dryer sheet rather than a used one. Duct Tape for Warts Warts are gross, no argument there. But more disturbing than the wart itself are some of the methods and chemicals used to remove them. The thought of having something burned off your body with liquid nitrogen is just unpleasant. It seems that duct tape really can be used for anything, because among its myriad of uses, it is actually a very effective wart remover as well. You can cover a wart with a small piece of duct tape for a week. This can block oxygen to the wart enough to stunt the growth. After one week, remove the tape; clean the area by scrubbing it well with a pumice stone. Recover the wart and repeat once a week until the wart naturally falls off. Lemons for Morning Sickness Pregnancy is a joyful time, when you are not puking that is. Majority of women will suffer from morning sickness to some degree. However, many women find their morning sickness so severe that it interferes with their day to day life. When every activity is being interrupted with trips to the bathroom, pregnant women need relief. Most women are nervous to take anti-nausea medications during pregnancy, though. There is reason to be nervous too. Many over the counter anti-nausea medications such as Dramamine have very strong sedative effects that are not good for the fetus. For ladies hoping to take a more natural path aromatherapy can come to their rescue. The fresh, citrus scent of lemons can almost Immediately relieve nausea associated with morning sickness. Keep a zip lock bag full of fresh lemon slices for instant relief. Aspirin for Acne A common aspirin contains a substance called acetylsalicylic acid. This substance is very similar to salicylic acid which is the active ingredient in many acne treatments. A crushed aspirin can eliminate the red swollen appearance of pimples in about an hour. Simply crush an aspirin and then mix with enough water to make a paste. Apply the paste to the affected area and allow it to dry. When the paste become powdery again, rinse the area with water. (Consult the package before use – aspirin is often not recommended for use in those under the age of 19) Onions for Earaches Earaches are the bane of childhood, but also one of the most mysterious. You can never really know what is going on in that deep, dark tunnel of the ear canal. Most earaches are caused by fluid that has been trapped and thus caused infection. The antiseptic properties of onions can disinfect the ear canal, bringing quick pain relief. Boil an onion until it is soft. Once is has cooled enough to touch, squeeze the juice into a bowl. Using a medicine dropper, apply 2-5 drops of the warm juice into the affected ear. Toothpaste for Bug Bites A small dab of toothpaste can instantly relieve the sting and itch of an insect bite. Most likely it is the peppermint oil in the toothpaste that brings about the cooling affect. Peppermint essential oil can have the same, if not greater, effect. Peppermint oil has been used for hundreds of years to treat ailments. If you don’t have peppermint oil on hand, then give the toothpaste a try. Teabags for Burns Kitchen burns are one the most common home injuries. Even a small burn can be very painful. Luckily the kitchen is also the place to find soothing relief for that burn. You can apply a wet cool teabag to the burned area for quick pain reduction. Chocolate for a Cough Finally, there is a justifiable reason to eat chocolate! You have heard the old saying, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” Well two ounces of dark chocolate may contain as much Theobromine as most over the counter cough medicines. Theobromine suppresses nerves responsible for the cough reflex. When this nerve is calmed by dark chocolate you can get a break from your hacking cough. Yogurt for Yeast Infections Yeast infections are a result of an imbalance in your pH levels. These levels can be thrown off by several reasons including medications, sickness and personal hygiene products. When you eat yogurt, the naturally occurring good bacteria found in yogurt can bring these pH levels back into balance and clear up a yeast infection naturally.

CLEAN your dishwasher (cheap an easy)

CLEAN your dishwasher (cheap an easy) about time to share this little tidbit with y’all. It’s so simple & frugal – all you need is a lemonade flavored packet of Kool-Aid. Yes, it has to be lemonade so don’t try cleaning your dishwasher with grape Kool-Aid. It’s the citric acid content inside the packet that does the trick, and the lemonade version is the only one that contains it. Simply pour 1 packet’s worth of Lemonade Kool-Aid into the spot where you put your detergent for a normal wash. Make sure your dishwasher is empty. Turn your dial to ‘heavy wash’ – and start the cycle. Let it run just as you normally would. When the dishwasher is done, you’ll have one sparkling clean dishwasher! Repeat this as needed, about once every 1-3 months depending on how often you use your dishwasher. I use a packet once a month because we are pretty avid dishwasher users – running 1-2 loads per day. Way cheaper than the overpriced cleaners you see at the supermarket, and it works just as good!

Homemade Cinnamon Mouthwash for Bad Breath

Homemade Cinnamon Mouthwash for Bad Breath 2 lemons 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon-1 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons of honey 1 cup of warm water A bottle or jar with a tight fitting lid Put 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon into a bottle or jar with a tight fitting lid, and add the juice of 2 freshly squeezed lemons along with 1 1/2 teaspoons of honey. If you’d like you can also add in 1/2-1 teaspoon of baking soda and omit the honey, or use both. Pour 1 cup of very warm water (needed to melt the honey) into the jar, and stir well. When you need to freshen up your breath, give it a quick shake and swish/gargle 1-2 tablespoons for 1 minute. Why cinnamon: Unlike mint, which tends to just mask the smell of bad breath, cinnamon actually gets rid of the odor by killing off odor-causing bacteria. The International Association for Dental Research found that people who chewed cinnamon gum had a 50% decrease in oral bacteria versus people who chewed mint. Why honey: Honey makes everything taste better, but it also has antibacterial properties. If possible, get Manuka honey. Manuka honey is from New Zealand, and contains 127 times the amount of methylglyoxa, which is the antimicrobial agent that kills off bacteria, than acacia honey (the regular sweet stuff you usually see.) Always try to get organic raw honey. Why lemon juice: Lemon has a strong refreshing citrus scent that can help with nasty cases of bad breath. Why baking soda: Baking soda wipes out nasty things (like bad bacteria) and has been shown to help whiten teeth.

HOME MADE FABRIC SOFTNER

HOME MADE FABRIC SOFTNER 5 1/2 cups of water 15oz bottle hair conditioner 2.5 cups white vinegar 20-or-so drops of essential oil for fragrance {optional} Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl; whisk to combine. Use the same amount you’d normally use of store-bought fabric softener in the rinse cycle, or pour into a spritz bottle & spray on a wash cloth to throw into the dryer.