Oatmeal Cake Recipe!

This is one of those recipes you don't want to miss out on! It is soo moist and decadent and is is always a hit. Making the day before is even better. After some research, I found that the ingredients or amounts seldom vary . Which tells me it is perfect just the way it is.When you combine perfect with simplicity, you can't lose. It has just the right amount of spice. With a wonderful coconut, pecan frosting you spread on while the cake is still hot. Placing it back in the oven to toast the coconut a bit! I love it! One of my C.S.A share holders said "Oatmeal cake was the requested cake by her father for his birthday every year". I figured it was worth looking in too. It has diffidently won a spot in my next cook book. Thank you, Tiffini Goesel!


Oatmeal Cake Recipe

1 1/4 cup boiling water, Add one cup quick oats, mix and let stand awhile, then add one cup of brown sugar. In a separate bowl. Cream together 1 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup of shortening (or butter) and 2 eggs. Sift 1 1/3 cup of flour,1 tsp. Baking powder,1/2 tsp. salt,1/2 tsp.cinamon,1tsp. of vanilla. Add all ingredients together, being careful not to over mix. This causes the cake to be tuff. Pour into a 9 by 13” greased and flowered, pan and bake for 40 min. Or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.If you decide to go with two 9" cake pans bake only 25 min. No need to broil the icing ,but do pour in on when cake is hot.

Topping for cake:
1 stick butter,1 cup brown sugar,1 cup coconut, 1 cup of nuts( I like pecan) , 5 oz. of evaporated milk( not sweetened condensed) 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Heat on top of the stove the above ingredients, until butter has melted. When cake is done pour topping over cake and place back in the oven until it bubbles around the edges.You can serve it warm with ice cream or cool. It is great the following day as well. Seems to get better with time. Great for times when you are entertaining. Traveles well for church events ,picnics, pot luck, every one will request this clasic.

Every Day Dishes

After doing some spring cleaning I realised ..I hardly ever use my" Special dishes" After all isn't every day special? So I thought about just throwing out the every day dishes and use the special dishes.Where have all of the butters dishes , relish trays,snack plates....gone? Something about a butter dish that says "I Love You".That you would go through all the trouble to fill and wash a butter dish ....as opposed to just cutting right off the stick. My husband and  kids just wouldn't have it. After all our every day dishes are  special too. Apparenlty they have grown rather attached . My husband thinks the mismatched glasses and coffee cups look homey. It is like pulling teeth to replace the silver ware. Every one having thier favorite spoon or fork. So we made a comprimise. They can still use every day dishes.....once a week we will use the special dishes ! I love pretty dishes, it is almost a sickness. I get this from my mom who has wonderful taste in dishes .She just can't get enough either.

Home Made Laundry Soap!

The weather has been gorgeous this week. It has got me thinking about hanging clothes on the clothes line! I love the process of hanging clothes out. The smell and the satisfaction of knowing you are being greener. Last year I started making our Laundry Detergent, both liquid and powder. Cost is . 7 cents per load! It is nice to save money, but I want laundry clean and stains gone. I had to see for myself if it was actually worth it. I have 6 children and 4 grand children, and we live on a farm. So I know a little about stains! Most people are in the mindset that if it there is not allot of suds, then it isn’t clean. Not true, it actually more clean. This is a great soap for High Efficiency Washers too! All of the ingredients are made in the USA, Yeah! Also are safe for your family and our environment. I also love the smell... there are many recipes you could try. But I have already done the trial and era process for you. I tried less water (for concentration) more water to see if I could stretch the dollar more. Anyway I like this recipe the most and I think you will too! I bought all I needed for this soap at Ace Hardware. If you can’t find what you need request that your local store carry it.( Hint: share the recipe maybe it will speed things up!) I was so excited to get ready to make mine, I could hardly wait! Some recipes call for Dove soap, Tote, and my favourite Fels-Naptha! It smell soooo clean, I sometimes add essential oil to the wash. If we are picking berries, or working in the garden, riding horses, then I might add citronella oil. This help ward off insects and, chiggers hate it. Otherwise I just love the smell of the Fels-Naptha. It is a great idea to keep a bar handy in the laundry room for stubborn satins. Just rub on stain and throw in the wash or laundry basket. Another green alternative for softening clothes is vinegar in the rinse cycle. The smell does rinse out. For all of you soapers out there, you can grate your own soap to replace commercial bar soaps. Castile soaps are a great choice! Remember the finer the cheese grater the smaller the soap particles. This is good for the liquid because the time for the soap to melt takes less time( you do not want clumps, be sure to dissolve all the way.)


#1 Powdered Laundry Detergant

I triple this recipe due to large family! It is hard to get use to the small amount you use, but commercial laundry soaps are full of fillers.

1 c grated laundry soap bar (which is about 2/3 of a bar) Fels-Naptha
1/2 c washing soda ( pure baking soda, not the one you bake with,
1/2 c borax

Grate the soap with a cheese grater or food processor. Add all ingredients into a bowl that has an airtight lid. Stir or shake to mix well. Store the air tight container. Use 2 Tablespoons per load.

#2 Powdered Laundry Detergent

12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (grated)

■Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
■Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.
Now you have 2 choices, either liquid or powder detergent. Powder is simpler, Both are good.

Liquid Detergent Recipe

1. Borax
2 .Washing Soda(Related to Baking soda, and can be found in most laundry detergent sections of the grocery store. Washing Soda does not give off harmful fumes, but you must wear gloves while handling it.)
3. Fels-Naptha

1 quart water (boiling)
2 cups bar soap (grated)
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda

1. Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
2. Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the borax and washing soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
3. Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
4. Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Once it’s cool, add 5 - 7 drops of your favourite essential oil per gallon(optional) Stir the soap each time you use it (it will gel).