From mybakingaddiction

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

October 17th, 2011

Yield: 4 pints

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 12 hours

Ingredients:

Directions:

From Nomnivorous

makes four pints

• 3.5 pounds apples
• 3.5 pounds pears
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste [or extract – or a spent vanilla bean pod]
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

directions

1. Place all ingredients into a large slow cooker [6-8 quarts]. Turn the slow cooker on low and cover. Walk away for twelve hours.
2. Now return to the slow cooker. Using an immersion blender or potato masher, puree the fruit mixture until smooth.
3. Prop the lid partially ajar using a wooden spoon or chopstick. Keep the slow cooker on low. Let cook for up to twelve hours.
4. Around eight hours in the second cycle, return, stir and check the taste and consistency. [You can adjust the salt, sugar, and add any spices if you’d like then.] I like to let the fruit butter get very dark and cooked down, but you can adjust to your liking. My final product cooked the full 24 hours.
5. Store in the refrigerator for 2-4 weeks or water bath process. Ladle the butter in to hot, sanitized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Sesame Chicken for slow cooker

1 1/2 pound boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dried onion
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds

Put chicken into crock pot. Combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, and garlic. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and return to crock pot – can leave chicken in and simmer on low or serve. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice.

From www.diynatural.com  visit their site for more great info!!

A simple solution:

• 1 gallon white vinegar
• 30-40 drops of essential oil

Lavender-scented softener is one of my favorites, or a combination of sweet orange and lemon when I need a pick-me-up on laundry day!  A third suggestion is to use peppermint for an invigorating minty scent.

To use:

Just shake well before each use and it’s ready for the rinse cycle. For small or average loads add 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle, or a little more for large loads. (UPDATE: A helpful reader with an HE washer advises that about ¼ cup works perfectly for full loads.)

Note: Once clothes are dry you will not notice the scent of this homemade fabric softener. Many readers have asked, “So why use them?” One benefit of including the essential oils is that many contain antibacterial properties and will help disinfect laundry. (Lavender, sweet orange, lemon, and peppermint [and many more!] are all antibacterial.) Essential oils like lemon and sweet orange have also been known to brighten laundry and fight stains. Feel free to leave out essential oils if you wish…vinegar is also antibacterial. I’m a sucker for essential oils in my laundry mainly because I enjoy the aromatherapy the oils provide during this mundane chore! 🙂

Dryer Sheets are easy too

Over the past few years we have researched many alternatives to commercial dryer sheets. Why? Because there is evidence that toxic fragrance chemicals can be present in commercial dryer sheets that can be absorbed into your skin when you put your clothes on. This was enough to convince me that commercial dryer sheets might not be the best choice for my family, and the cost savings of do-it-yourself dryer sheets was an added bonus. You will love experimenting with different scents along the way, and will never have to put dryer sheets on your grocery list again! (Note: These dryer sheets will not soften laundry, and are mainly for added scent. Use vinegar in the rinse cycle of the wash to soften and decrease static.)

Cut cotton cloth into small squares. I use 5-inch squares of cotton t-shirts that I’m retiring. Add 3-5 drops of essential oil to your cloth and throw it in the dryer with your next load. These cotton dryer sheets can be used for 2 or 3 loads, each time adding 3 more drops of your favorite essential oil. Wash the cloth after a few uses and experiment with a new fragrance the next time! Some of my personal favorites are lavender, lemon, or grapefruit.

From www.diynatural.com  visit their site for more great info!!

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups boiling water
• 1 Tbsp borax
• 1 Tbsp grated bar soap (use castile bar soap, homemade soap, Ivory, or whichever natural bar you prefer)
• 15-20 drops essential oils, optional

Directions:

1. Heat water to boiling.
2. Combine borax and grated bar soap in a medium bowl. Pour hot water over the mixture. Whisk until the grated soap is completely melted.
3. Allow mixture to cool on the countertop for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Dish soap will gel upon standing.
4. Transfer to a squirt bottle, and add essential oils (if using). Shake well to combine.

Now you’re ready to use your liquid dish soap just as you would use any commercial brand!

From www.diynatural.com  visit their site for more great info!!

• 1 bar (or 4.5 ounces) of shaved bar soap
• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of washing soda

Thoroughly stir together for 5 minutes and enjoy the results!  That’s it folks…seems too good to be true, but it is true indeed!

Use 1 Tbsp per load (or 2-3 Tbsp for large or heavily soiled loads).