DIY Furniture polish

I had to take a time out from cleaning to share with you this recipe for DIY Furniture polish. I have to admit, I’m starting to become addicted to this whole DIY world. I love the idea of making my own all natural products at home. Besides for the fact that it’s better for my family’s health and the environment and it costs way less, It’s fun! This recipe doesn’t make a lot so you can double or triple it if you would like, but it goes a long way. I’ve been polishing everything in my house for the last two days. From my table, kitchen cabinets, granite countertops, to my stainless steel appliances. My kids better watch out I’m on a rampage ( a little olive oil and vinegar couldn’t hurt, right?) I came across this recipe in one of my Allyou magazines. I don’t think I will ever buy furniture polish again. It gave the wood a light shine but cleaned it at the same time and even though I could smell the vinegar, I didn’t mind. I buy olive oil and vinegar in bulk and I have a lemon tree in the back yard so this literally cost me pennies to make. So here it is, DIY furniture polish!

You’ll need:

• Funnel
• Measuring cup and spoons
• Plastic squirt bottle
• Microfiber cloth

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (or lemon oil)

Instructions:

• Using funnel, pour olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice into bottle. Shake well to emulsify. Squirt polish onto microfiber cloth and rub onto finished-wood furniture. Always go with the grain and evenly distribute polish. Remove any excess polish with a clean cloth.

 

Ricotta mini cakes

These are called mini cakes but are definitely a cookie. We all loved these! My mom said that my Italian great-grandmother used to make something like this, but she thinks that she used almond extract instead of vanilla. I wish I had all of my great grandmas recipes written down by her, for me to treasure forever but I don’t. So it leaves me searching. In my search I came across this recipe in an old Family Circle magazine and I knew that I had to try it. I might try almond next time but the vanilla is delicious! I added sprinkles to some of the cookies while the frosting was still wet, just for fun. Enjoy!

The ingredients are:

Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 Tablespoons milk

Cookies:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together; set aside.
2. Beat butter and granulated sugar together until blended. Add egg, ricotta and vanilla, beating until combined.
3. On low-speed, add flour mixture and beat until blended. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 13 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Let cool on sheets 3 minutes, then remove to rack to cool completely.

Glaze:

1. Beat cofectioners’ sugar and milk together until well blended. Dip tops of cookies into glaze and set aside (this is when I put on the sprinkles) until glaze has hardened.

Creamy Grape Salad

Last night we had family over for my daughter’s birthday. The food was so yummy and I have some recipes to share with you per quite a few requests. I made teriyaki beef and chicken skewers (will post that recipe later), corn on the cob, this Creamy Grape Salad, Funfetti cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting, and butterscotch cheesecake. My grandma made her Italian style pasta salad that everyone loves (will post this recipe as well), and my mom made a green salad with strawberries and fresh steamed golden beets (my daughter loves fresh beets). I’m posting this recipe first because my best friend wants to make this for her family BBQ today. Miss, I hope they love it as much as we did! This is so easy to make and soooo delicious! I made it earlier in the day, put it in the fridge till I was ready to serve it. Right before I was ready to serve it I sprinkled the brown sugar and chopped pecans over the top. I have to say I actually contemplated not putting the chopped pecans on, I was worried that some wouldn’t like the nuts. I am so glad that I put them on though, It really added to the dish and gave it a little texture. No one complained and even if they didn’t like nuts it was only sprinkled over the top so they could easily get some without. So here it is Creamy Grape Salad, (I got the recipe from Taste of Home).

The ingredients are:

• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 pounds seedless red grapes
• 2 pounds seedless green grapes
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla until blended. Add grapes and toss to coat.
2. Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans just before serving.

Yield: 21-24 servings