Homemade Oreos

Today is my little brother's birthday (Happy Birthday Bro!), so I thought it fitting to post the cookie that he chose for his birthday treat this year. Technically, he chose "dipped Oreos" but one first needs Oreos in order to dip. He did mention that the Oreo's didn't have to be homemade, he just wanted different flavors of dipped cookies. The hubby said asking me to send commercial Oreo's was like asking Gordon Ramsey to send a Big Mac. I snorted in derision and told him I was probably more like Guy Fieri sending take-out from a diner, drive-in, or dive he visited. In the end, I opted to make the Oreo's before dipping them. 

The Best Homemade Poppyseed Dressing

-plus 5 recipes to use it on!

What, what? Poppyseed dressing in the hizouze! That's right, I can talk extensively about something as boring as a simple salad dressing.

It's true, salad dressings are pretty effortless. They're just a mixture of a few ingredients, emulsified together ambitiously to create an effect hoping to make people forget that what they are chomping on is indeed nutritious but most likely, not delicious. Or at least, not the filet-mignon-and-roasted-garlic-mashed-potatoes-all-covered-in-cheese kind of delicious. But sometimes, you run into a salad dressing that takes you far away from the norm. That makes even lettuce taste good. That doesn't taste like any dressing you've bought at the store before. I'm here to tell you, this Poppyseed Dressing has managed to maneuver its way to the top of my list in about 2 years. I discovered the recipe, yep, 2 years ago and a bottle of it has been in my fridge ever since. I keep it on hand 100% of the time now, and I'll tell you why-

Lately: Fall 2015

Oh my gosh y'all. It's been forever, 2 months, 3 weeks, and 5 days since I did a Sunday post. In fact, my last "Lately" post was February 1st. Holy Superbowl Sunday Batman! I've got lots of pictures to share, you know, cause I haven't in a million years. Let's dive right in-

Oh, and if you don't like pictures of things like puppies and Chihuahuas, you may want to skip this post :)

DIY Glass Cleaner

I have a recipe for you this Sunday, but I definitely wouldn't recommend eating it!

You might think I've gone off the deep end, that I've taken my lifestyle to a crazy, hippie kind of place. You might be right. Despite all of that, I'm here to tell you that this stuff works. Better than Windex. Better than anything I've tried. And there's no harmful, toxic chemicals. AND it's super-cheap to make using ingredients you probably already have in your house. Intrigued?

First off, how did I get to a place where I'm making my own cleaning products? It's the result of 2 interests in my life colliding- saving money and slowly ridding the house of chemicals. I've been on a DIY kick for quite awhile. I've been trying different cleaning concoctions, and to be honest, not having much luck. As much as I want to kick that nasty bottle of 409 to the curb, it still does an amazing job. However, one homemade cleaning solution has passed the test of time. Again, and again. And it's this glass cleaner. I found the recipe on a very helpful blog I follow, Crunchy Betty. Crunchy Betty is all about making healthy, conscious choices. And not in a boring way :)

It's easy to make, using only 3 ingredients. The 4th ingredient is water. You mix all the ingredients together, and voila. Homemade glass cleaner. If you aren't fond of the smell (vinegar mixed with alcohol, yum yum!), you could mix in some lemon or orange essential oil. I have a feeling you would need a citrus oil to mask this scent. I'm kind of fond of the smell, it just smells clean to me. I was skeptical upon first using this, but wow. I was quickly converted. This is the least streaky product I've ever tried. Make sure to give this a good shake before each use, as the cornstarch settles to the bottom. My expert cleaning tip is to use this with old newspaper. I use one piece of newspaper to rub it all in over the glass, and leave it kind of damp. I use a second piece of dry newspaper to capture the residue. Using a dry material to finish is key with this cleaner. I think the dry newspaper mopping up the cornstarch is what really makes glass shine when using this.

Some of you might be saying that you use cloth to clean glass. Here's why I'm not a fan. Yes, cloth is good for the environment and reusable. But cloth leaves fibers over my glass and mirrors, and that annoys me. I don't feel bad using newspaper, because this newspaper promptly gets shredded and put in the compost. Yep, you heard me right. Put it in the compost. I was researching this very topic, to see if my DIY cleaning product is compostable. Sure is. Water? Check. Cornstarch? Check. Alcohol? A natural antiseptic, but it evaporates in the air so fast, it won't kill the bacteria in your compost. Check. Same goes with the vinegar, which dissipates a little slower, but is still compostable. Check!

Just a little Washi tape and some labels!

Now, the decorated bottle? Completely optional :)

I don't know about you, but I enjoy cleaning so much more with pretty things. Maybe I am that crazy hippie? LOL.

I highly recommend trying this solution. It's not one of those DIY cleaners that you are going to be disgusted with, and immediately tossing in the trash. I'm almost betting you'll end up a convert, like me. Never buying Windex again.

Happy Sunday friends!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup alcohol

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 cups warm water

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a  spray bottle. Shake to incorporate. Shake before each use, for best results.