Recipe Wednesday: A Brand New Twist on the Same Ol' THANG!!!

 We just LOVE our potato salad around here! In fact, the caramelized onion and bacon potato salad is one 

of the highest rated recipes on The MotherHOOD!! 

As it is often stated "Necessity is the mother of invention." A necessity brought about an invention: My VAST collection of dips mixes was about to expire & since they get all weird & clumpy when that happens...I thought, 

"WHAT IF?" 

Enter In

CILANTRO & JALAPENO POTATO SALAD
 ~You could use any dip mix you have: Garlic, Bacon & Sundried Tomato, Dill, Ranch, Chipotle Bacon....the possibilities are as endless as your pantry contents!

Menu Mondays: June17-23

 I don't know what is about Summer and Mexican Food, 

but it seems to go together like: 

• peanut butter & jelly, 
• cereal & milk, 
•  kool aid & sugar, 

it just fits! 

I love the unique taste of cilantro, the tang of lime, 
smokey heat of the chipotle tempered with the cool 
& creamy finish of an avocado!

Yum, YUM! If you love Mexican food like my family does you will appreciate this week's menu!

 

Mexican Cole Slaw W/Lime and Cilantro

Menu Mondays June 10-17,2013

Breakfast Options:
English Muffins, Organic Vegetarian fed brown eggs cooked to preference, Melons, Strawberries, Keifer, Chai & Flax Seed Smoothies, Cold Cereal, Bagels w/cream cheese, Yogurt, or Toast points.

TEACH ME TUESDAYS: YOUR GARDEN MEDICINE CABINET- WILD STRAWBERRY

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Wild Strawberry has a long history of being used for all sorts of remedies from using the root for stomach ailments, jaundice, and extremely heavy menstrual cycles. 


Even esteemed botanist Linnaeus is quoted in study journals as using the wild berries to treat gout.

Menu Mondays: June 3-June 9, 2013

I am going to have to find a new opening line, since "IT has been ages since I wrote..." is getting monotonous! 

So I am posting this week and hope to plan more menus, because the more I don't plan the menus the more we eat out and spend more money on less satisfying and less nutritious food.

BREAKFAST OPTIONS:

Granola, Keiffer Smoothies, Fruit, Pancakes, Toast Points, Cold Cereal, Waffles, Egg of Choice, Yogurt

LUNCH CHOICES:

• Peanut Butter & Honey On Whole Wheat w/Carrot Sticks & Dippings
• Black Bean Burgers w/Tahini Sauce,Veggie Chips, & Cottage Cheese
• Chicken Nuggets w/Honey Mustard Sauce, Veggie Chips w/Hummus, Fruit Medley
• Falafel w/Tzatziki Sauce on Pita w/pickled Onions, Tomatoes, & Feta Cheese served w/Beet Slices, toasted pita crisps, Fruit, & Yogurt
• Ham & Baby Swiss Montecrisco Sammies w/Carrot Sticks & Fruit
• Supper Left over of Choice  

New Posts to COME!! PROMISE!!!!

Ok my loyal followers, I apologize upfront for not posting as regularly as I have in the past. I made a schedule this week so I can keep all my projects running smoothly and each one gets a piece of my attention and I get to SLEEP occasionally even! How cool is that?

I am sure every mother has this dilemma when you have one child that is exceptionally ahead the learning curve 

and the other one is delayed across the board, 

you get split in 2 and end up feeling guilty no matter which child you give attention to the other is needed you too.

The Magical Baby Girl and The Brokenhearted Woman

This is the story I tell my daughter every year about her birth story, the essence of the story is true, my hubby and I waited nearly a decade for the promise of parenthood to be fulfilled. 2 & 1/2 years before Kissi was born we suffered the loss of 3 babies consecutively and the heartache and loss nearly swept us away. It was only the loving hands of our Lord that kept us intact and the lessons we learned during those lean years still aid us in our walk today....

Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

This is Soooooooooo Good! 

Even my 2 year old son was begging to eat my portion after devouring his own!!

TEACH ME TUESDAYS: YOUR GARDEN MEDICINE CABINET- Rose Hips

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Rose Hips- Rosa Canina

Plant Facts:
The Dog Rose, is the main source of the rose hips, it grow up to 10 feet high and bears the most delicious scented flowers! The "hips" emerge in the fall after the flower have faded and petals have fallen off

Parts Used:
Can be used fresh or dried, make wine, or jellies, and purees. Because of it's acidic nature never store in metal containers will give rose hips an "off-flavor".

Fun Facts:
Rose Hips are so rich in Vitamin C that just 1 T of the pulp has 60mg! The adult recommended Allowance! Pretty cool, huh? It also contains health-promoting carotenoids, the yellow-orange pigments with antioxidant powers- think carrots! Great health benefits from such a small fruit and to think you probably have in your backyard NOW!

RECIPES:

No 'Poo Hair Helps: #1 Prewash Rinses...Good even for those NON- NO-POO'ers!

So you decided to try the latest craze and go NO 'Poo?  Though you have read convincing Blog posts touting all about the "joys" of  using all natural baking soda and water with apple cider vinegar rinses- 

you are not exactly thrilled with the "mess" you see.

And now your husband who thinks your nuts anyway, because of  going "green" & making your own household cleaners, thinks the "No-Poo" is off the charts WEIRD....

Is NOW snickering in the background....

Ohhh that is just me ? 

 

 If there is anyone out there who is determined to stick with this, I am planning on posting some treatments that have helped me or I seen help others. 



I will post them regularly and plan on giving you 3-4 in each post, so as not to overwhelm you with too much information...PROMISE!!






By the way even NON-No-Poo'ers WILL LOVE these!!

Stuffed Marsala Chicken Deliciousness

Saw this on a TV cooking show and thought this would be a great hit in my house with a few tweaks to make it mine. 

My family just loves to find things "stuffed" 

in their food; 

like meatballs, cupcakes, burgers,  

you name it!

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Not super simple but SUPER YUMMY!! My mom used to make stuffed chicken breasts all the time and stuffed pork chops, with seasoned bread crumbs. I just forgot until I started getting into doing this and she reminded me, only back then there wasn't Pinterest to spark creativity as there is now-a-days!

Menu Mondays: April 8-12, 2013

Pain Perdu...DELISH!!

BREAKFAST OPTIONS:
Cold Cereal Hot Cereal 
Eggs made to order
Granola Bars
Fresh Fruit w/Yogurt
Keifer
Pancakes
Toast Points
Pain Perdu

LUNCH TIME CHOICES:
Macaroni & Cheese, Raviolis, Tuna Fish Bundles, Felafels & Tzaziki Sauce, Black Bean Burgers, Barley & Beef Soup (From left over Roast), Chicken Nuggets
WITH SIDE SELECTIONS OF:
Cottage Cheese, Yogurt, Cheese Slices, Fresh Fruit, Carrot Sticks, Steamed Veggies, Humus, Ranch Dippings, Veggie Chips, Rice Cakes, Pita Crisps, Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars, Pudding, Jello, Canned Fruit Cocktail or Mandarin Oranges.

MUNCHIES:
Apples, Grapes, Bananas, Dried Berries, Carrot Sticks, Cheese Chunks, Granola Bars, Humus, Veggie Chips, Cottage Cheese, Yogurt, Keifer, Graham Crackers, Cheese & fruit Plate, Pop tarts, Rice Cakes, Woven Wheat Crackers,

SUPPER OFFERINGS:

SUNDAY:
Crock Pot Creamy Mushroom & Onion Roast, Mashed Garlic Potatoes, & Buttered Corn w/ Ice Box Yeasty Dinner Rolls & Caesar Salad

Kinda like mine, Will post Soon!

MONDAY:
Monterrey Jack Crispy Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, Quinoa Pilaf w/ Chopped Salad and Homemade Ranch Dressing



TUESDAY:
Lemon Pepper Baked Swai, Baked Potato, & Grilled Asparagus w/ Romaine Heart Salad, pickled red onions, sun-dried tomatoes, toasted pine-nuts and feta cheese

WEDNESDAY:
Chicken & Broccoli Bow-tie Pasta Bake w/ Chopped Salad and Balsamic and EVOO Vinaigrette Dressing

THURSDAY:
Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs and Homemade Noodles, Caramelized Brussels Sprouts w/Bacon, & Romaine Heart Salad w/pickled Red Onions, sun-dried tomatoes, toasted almonds, and Balsamic & EVOO Vinaigrette Dressing

FRIDAY:
Take in- PIZZA NIGHT!! & Family MOVIE Night!!! Yay!!

SATURDAY:
Left-over Buffet!

Pizza'ritto: MotherHOOD style!!

Pizza'WHATTO??? 

Exclaimed my daughter yesterday as I came up with this from the tidbits left in the pantry and fridge...

You know what? I had no left overs and the kids were happy, I was happy, and it is tasty enough to place in the blog...

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Tortillas, Mozzarella, Pepperoni, a bit of pizza sauce....and BLAMMO!!! 

Lunch....she is served!! 

 

Teach me Tuesdays: Your Garden Medicine Cabinet- Calendula

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History:
Calendula Offinalis- Latin for "The first day of the Month" refers to the bloom's extremely long season, in some parts of the country May-November!


IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO MARIGOLDS YOU WILL BE ALLERGIC CALENDULA 

How it works:
Calendula is known for its strong antiseptic properties both topically and taken internally.

Externally:
It's known in healing salves,
great for painless healing of minor wounds- Think diaper rashes!
reduces inflammation and and pus formation.
It improves blood circulation, alleviates skin ulcers, burns,bruises, and reduces scars,

Internally:
can be used as gargle to relieve sore throats
stimulates digestion, and bowel function.

My Own "Chopped" Basket Menu Mondays!

I just totally love that show "Chopped" I love it when Alex Guarnaschelli gives the chef with the egos a redressing or when Amanda Freitag does the one eyebrow raised when she is not happy with the arragance of some chefs. I always pull for the underdog and I cringe when the souffle flops, the ice cream is watery goo, or the GOD FORBID the Pork is dry!

I watched recent episode and found our why my pork gets dry sometimes, it's because I leave it too long in the crock and it "boils", That is Marc Murphy told one contestant, "Your pork got boiled that is why is it so dry & no amount of sauce will help..." Owwwwwww, I will have to adjust the times in my crock pot recipes bc that is what happens a lot to me. 

Have you learned any tricks from watching "Chopped"?

One more thing, don't you just love how sincere Todd Allen is when the contestant gets chopped? I think he sounds so sad unlike that dork who judges CupCake Wars! Grrr, he is irritating and NOT funny, I practically don't watch it anymore bc he is such a smuck, IMO...

Ok enough chit chat on with the show! SO I totally over spent at the grocery store last Wed, and I now am on a STRICK budget. So to make it fun I am going to treat Easter Dinner left overs like a "Chopped Basket" Get ready for some round #2 Recipes... In the basket you will find honey and brown-sugar glazed ham with a fruit sauce, Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup, Corn, Chibatta Rolls, Citrus Butter, Strawberries, and Mashed Potatoes

RECIPE WED # 20: African Chicken Recipe

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Been thinking of trying this recipe, sounds good, I would omit the slimy okra, I only like okra deep fried, so that would be a "no-go" plus the apple slices, we don't like apples with our chicken dishes...so all the rest sounds YUMMY!! 

Have you tried a "new" recipe to to celebrate the New Year yet??  

This one is the "first new" recipe I am going to try, upon my research of this recipe I learned  Africa is the birth place of "Asian-fusion" cooking of course according to one web site, uhh, interesting?

Menu Mondays: March 25-31

 This will be a LONG week! So I have utlized my crock pot and one pot wonders! Somewhere between the grueling work load and research I have to get Kissi caught up and remotivated in school... I can do it, I can do it!!

No real big menu just honest food that is quick tasty and little mess!!

RECIPE WED: Chicken Tortilla Soup-Crock Pot Version

Chicken Tortilla Soup 

My delish version of a recipe I saw online, very delish and you can use your slow cooker!!

DELISH LOOKING SOUP

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (16 ounce) bag frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or  bottle dark amber beer
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with diced onions, undrained
• 1-lime juiced
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning {or homemade seasoning click for recipe}
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

Teach Me Tuesday: Your Garden Medicine Cabinet- WOODRUFF

Welcome to the first insallment of 

YOUR GARDEN MEDICINE CABINET

I have researched for years the healing power of hearbs and even applied that knowledge to aid in the pregnancy issues modern medicine was unable to help me with. 

In that vein I would love to share some of the knowledge I have gathered over the past  2 decades from various books, online searches, and personal usage with you. May you find good health in this installment and all future installments!

A couple of GREAT authors who are the herbal authority in the Herbal community are, there are other authors that are reputable, these are the ones how influenced me the most: 

Menu Plan Mondays: March 18-24th

I don't know if my days could seriously get any busier! There are days I think, 

"What am I doing?"

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I wish I could duplicate myself like my daughter's favorite super villain "Lady Redundant Woman" on PBS hit cartoon: "Word Girl" and make duplicates of myself to achieve all that I desire to accomplish in a day...

Until then I have quick, tasty, and easy meals on this week's menu that will not only satisfy all those requirements but they 

are easy on our very tight budget!

Chicken Schnitzel w/Flavorful Mushroom Sauce

I LOVE Veal Schnitzel, but with veal prices on the rise I find a frugal alternative in Chicken Breasts. I typically purchase Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts on sale for $1.99/Lb and under if lucky!

A great tip I picked up from Chef John over at All Recipes.com is to

 place the flour in a sifter/fine mesh strainer  

in place of using up a large amount of  flour when dredging the flattened breasts in. This way the flour doesn't get contaminated by the raw chicken and you waste a large amount of flour.

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Plus I season the chicken breasts, the panko bread crumbs, and the eggs...each step has flavor and seasoning which equal to a flavorful crispy chicken even the kids will each up!!!

EASY CROCK POT CHEESY CORN AND POTATO CHOWDER

I love this recipe, it is sooooooo delish! 

PIC CREDIT

 Though this hardy chowder doesn't need it, you can add 1 Lb Diced smokey ham or 1 Lb left over moist chicken pieces and make your meat loving family even happier...

RECIPE WED #21: Greek Chicken

This recipe to me says "SUMMER" and right about now I am summer dreaming, so to have little summer on my plate brings sunshine to my belly!!

Meal Plan Monday: March 11-17, 2013

Sorta fell off the organizing wagon for awhile...but I am back on it again!! I had to use up the freezer pantry and it wasn't pretty...

Thankfully there was as SUPER MEAT sale one of my local markets and I bought:

• 30Lbs gr beef, 
• 50 Lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, 
• 4 whole Roasting Chickens, 
• 40 Lbs Beef Roasts, 
• 15 Lbs Pork roasts, 
• 10 Lbs of Country Pork Ribs.

Kim's Cut-Out Cookie Recipe

Kid-approved!

 Kim's Cut-Out Cookie Recipe
My high school friend gave me this recipe....

We LOVE this cookie recipe, super soft thick
and very tasty!

Frugal Fridays: 3 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN PURCHASEING A Freezer

It has been way to long since I have been posting "Frugal Fridays", 

I really have been juggling quite a load lately. 

The household needs some SERIOUS TLC with all the surgeries, recovery periods, and now learning to cope with chronic pain "while homeschooling a precocious preschooler and special needs toddler, who only knows 2 speeds FAST & FASTER" & receives therapy 1-2/week for speech, occupational, & physical needs.

III YIII YII!! Some days I just wish we never needed rest or at least could feel refreshingly rested even after less than 4 hours of sleep...some women make that look easy, yeah, I am SO NOT one of them, I NEED 7 hours of sleep or I am one grumpy, unfocused, dingy, bear...

So ANYWAYSSSSSSS, Sheesh, I found some old frugal files from back in the early part of 2000's....

Each week I thought I would share some of the cream of the crop so to speak! :-)

Recipe WedCrock Pot 40 Clove Garlic BEEF

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I know we are all used to the 40 Clove Chicken recipe, but since we LOVE the recipe so much and I GET SOO BORED making the same thing all the time, this is fresh & different take on a classic recipe!

MYO" Land o' L**kes"Flavored Butters-my secret weapons of FLAVOR!!

SHHH, 

This is VERY SECRET!!!

I have an addiction I have to admit to...

 

 MY Weapons of FLAVOR!!

I have 2 major passions OBSESSIONS when it comes to food: 

Flavor ENHANCERS and TASTY beverages. 

I love my condiments, they are small tools that offer a big punch of flavor and when I want a party in my mouth and (Between you and me:-) in the past I have spent a small fortune on dressings, flavored butters, & marinades...  

The other day I just saw a commercial for Land O' L**kes flavored butters, "Saute Express" that offer consumers an easy start to a meal. The price of a 6- 1 oz cubes is equivalent to 1 WHOLE POUND OF BUTTER!! 

SERIOUSLY??? How interesting...

RECIPE WED # 14: Rich Sour Cream Devil's Food Cake with Caramel-Chocolate Chips Trifle

Necessity is the mother of invention, right? So it goes with this tasty little ditty. 

I had made this cake for my chocoholic 4 year old daughter's birthday and because my blasted oven is so stinking hot ( I know buy an oven thermometer all ready will ya?) the outside edges were over baked before the center was cooked through. 

So I cut off the crunchy parts and we snacked or I should say CRUNCHED on them while I took the rich and delicious center and layered it with frosting making a trifle. Based on the dab of cake left in the bowl I would say it was a hit!

Recipe Wed: Butter Chicken, my way!

Yummy classic recipe I often tweak to fit our needs and ingredients on hand:

Fantasy Makeup...Having Fun with make-up and your kids!!

I had such a fun time these past 2 years at our community Fall Family Fun Day. The area park system sets up a hay ride, a bon-fire, a treat trail where the families learn about animals in the area in their natural habitat and get to receive treats along the way,  painting pumpkins, games, face painting...

Now I know I can apply make up I have done so for my chosen profession for 20+ years so I knew i could watch a few You-Tube Videos and learn some tricks...

The first year, my daughter 

was very into Avatar, 

plus she loves dinosaurs & princesses....

so we did a combo...

RECIPE WED #8: MYO Ortego-like TACO SAUCE!!

I am a sucker for MYO mixes and sauces that taste just like the ones that cost $$ at the grocery stores, and I stumbled upon this taste-alike recipe from THE Make Your Own Zone blog and am going to give this recipe a try since we really enjoy the taco sauce. Now I am on a quest to find a good taste-a-like MYO HEALTHY Catalina dressing, since I really like Catalina dressing on my taco salad along with taco sauce...

 

6 Lbs of tomato puree = 4 days worth of meals!

This is my base for a Ragu/Bolognese type sauce that I convert into several dishes or I freeze into smaller portions for "Sunday Gravy" later in the month when time is short.

I make Fresh Tagliatelle Pasta (recipe here), and the KIDS eat it up, they especially like when I add in meatballs (What can I say I have carnivores!)

I then make a variety of meals from this base, this week I decided to concentrate on soups and since it is the cold of winter, soups are just the ticket!

Fugal Freezer Cooking Friday: Winter Cooking Session 2013

My SIL is having major surgery in about 2 weeks, and I want to make her a few meals so her family won't have to think about dinner the first few days. Plus my freezer stash is down to a few meals from my major cooking session in June, so it is time for another Batch Cooking Session! 

Last session I made a CRAZY amount of food plus the kind folks at my church brought me meals for a few weeks, & it has thankfully, lasted me a fairly long time. 

PIC CREDIT

 
 As is the normal, I am going to be making these meals in sessions according to protein type so as to avoid any cross-contamination plus make is easier with the little ones running around! I will attempt to make these in 3 days time max each protein group, the

RECIPE WED #22: Bubbles & Squeak

A perfect warm up dinner in the winter time!!

This is a dish my momma 

would make often!! 

We loved it, she would change it up with what was available in the garden, grocery store, or even fridge. 

Kinda like a Shepperd's pie. 

My momma never called it "Bubbles and Squeak" 

but as I grew up I realized it wasn't just a "made up dish" it actually had a name...

Isn't this head of cabbage lovely?! This pic is from this blog.

Medicine Cabinet in your Pantry Thursdays: MYO Cough Syrup

PIC CREDIT

IT'S that time again....COLD & FLU season!! The hacking and coughing upper respiratory junk has hit my household this morning with a vengeance! So I pull out my YUMMY Cough/Sore Throat Syrup Ingredients and whip this up!



 It contains only 5 ingredients and we all pretty much keep these on hand

Teach Me Tuesdays: MYO Natural Triple Butter Whipped Super Lotion

 

 Winter Time Remedy for Chapped 

& Red Hands

I saved 6oz baby food jars from son (they were FREE otherwise I made my own baby food) and I pour the mixture in them. This way I don't have to worry about contamination and each batch stays fresh. I store the unused portions in the fridge if I happen to run out of room I place them in the closet in my bedroom which remains cool 9 months out the year.

This make so much & is so rich you 

only need a small amount- you can make  

some for yourself and  

give some for gifts! 

I use my Cricut die cutting machine to cut adorable tags and labels then I use adhesives to affix labels when able or tie on tags with pretty ribbon.

Frugal Fridays: REVIEW of DIY formulas in 2012

As I head into the 2013, I look back to the previous year and take inventory of what goals I have met and what I am striving towards in the new year.

2013 GOALS

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I reviewed my Goals of 2012, overall I have achieved as much as I could, the major surgery ended up being more major than any of us really planned for. 6 months and counting of healing put a tremendous strain on the financial, mental, overall health of our extended family & any goals I had planned on acheiving fell by the wayside

Ice Box Yeasty Dinner Rolls

I have had this recipe for years and 

it is such time saver, super savory, and a real crowd pleaser every time. 

Your dinner guests will never believe this is such an easy recipe to make, no kneading required, just mix up and refrigerate. You can make ahead up to 4 days in advance, shape, then let rise and bake for perfect rolls every time!!

Heat's Kitchen Awesome rolls from my recipe!! Gr8 Job Heather!

Ice Box Dinner Rolls
Makes 24 Rolls

1 C warm water (105-115 Degrees F)
2 Pkgs Active Dry Yeast (Or 4 & 1/2t)
1/2 C Butter, Melted (1 Stick)
1/2 C Sugar
3 Eggs
1 t Kosher Salt
4-4 1/2 C Unbleached All Purpose Flour
Additional Melted Butter

1. Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl. Let mixture stand until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes
2. Stir in butter, sugar, and salt. Beat in Flour one cup at a time, until dough is too stiff to mix (Some of the flour make not be needed). 
3. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or up to 4 days!
4. Grease a 13X9" Baking Pan.
5. Turn the chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 6 rows & 4 columns making 24 even & equal pieces.
6. Roll each piece into a smooth round ball; place in even rows in prepared pan. 4 Rows & 6 Columns.
7. Cover and let Dough Balls rise until doubled (About an hour, I place my pan in my gas oven with heart off but light turned on.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake until rolls are golden brown about 15-20 min.
9. Brush with melted butter, if desired. 
10. Break apart Rolls and wrap in a clean tea towel and place in a gorgeous hand woven basket or crock.

 

Teach Me Tuesdays: Miracle Soap Scum Remover and MORE!!

This is such a simple formula- so simple in fact, I nearly didn't try it 

even though I knew about it for 

about a year!!!

I have struggled with soap scum in my bath tub for 2 years & 1/2 years- pretty munch since I was injured during the birth of my son and was unable to scrub my tub. 

I was in hosp in ICU on life support for nearly a month bc of that injury and had 12 months of recovery & during that time span a house hold plumbing job went awry and a faulty plumber torch valve caused a fire in my bath tub! Yeah, I know, who does that happen to?? The same people who get injured so badly during childbirth they nearly die "in the 21st century" apparently... Anyhow-The soap scum that had accumulated during that time was then "burned" into my enamel clad cast iron tub. 

What a nightmare, right? 

I couldn't take a bath for nearly 12 months, I could only do sink "baths" so I saw the mess but didn't really "see". Let's be honest I had a new born, a 2 year old, trying to survive life threatening injuries, an open wound the size of a foot ball in my abdomen that was 3" deep- requiring a wound vac, visiting nurses 3X's/wk and a faulty ileostomy pouch to deal with... yeah, UMM,  do you think I was even concerned about the soap scum??

The spray waiting to be wiped away!

Fast forward 2 years, after my 4th surgery in about 25 months time span and a 5th one possibly looming in the horizon, I AM SICK OF LOOKING at that 

      GROSS Soap SCUM!! 

Grrrrr, it grosses me out, I can't give the kids a bath totally yet, I have ways to work around it, but the wound in my abs can be excruciating at times and it is right smack dap where my belly button USED to be {SIGH!}...ANYWAYS.... I look at that icky soap scum and think what else is clinging to the tub besides soap scum???

I can't stand strong chemicals, since that birthing injury also caused my left lung to collapse harsh chemicals really affects me, the strongest "chemical" I can stand is Dawn Dish soap {Which incidentally is all we used to clean the soot from the ceiling, walls and surfaces after the fire...IT WORKED amazing, in fact that was all I used to clean my house until I noticed it left a film if I didn't rinse well, which took too long!} Soooooooooo, as I was saying, I have tried all my DIY remedies and was resigned to buy a bottle of Soft scrub with Bleach....I know, "Say it isn't so!"...BUT I was sooooo going to...

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 Then I remembered a year or so ago seeing a pin about dawn and vinegar working miracles on soap scum, so today I tried it. I was thinking perhaps this would work on a typical soap scum, but not only do I have soap scum isses bc of using all natural bar soaps and gels but some was "welded" on to the surface from the fire so I wasn't hoping for much.

Boy am I every glad to be wrong (for once LOL!), it really worked! All I had to was use a wash cloth no real scrubbing, I can't handle that yet, and no abrasive brushes, or pads like I thought I would. It just wiped off slick as a whistle.....REALLY COOL!  

Now I do see a little darkness in the bottom of the tub, this pic makes it look darker that it is in real life. The fire was in there, not as bad as it could look considering the whole torch was on fire in my tub for about 90 minutes melting kids bath toys and a plastic curtain to the bottom of the tub. 

You can barely see the darkened area on the tub, it isn't soap scum, but the left over from the fire...

All you need is equal parts Dawn, the original blue kind, & distilled HOT vinegar. That is it. The super concentrated dawn that is out there now will cause way too much suds in the rag/cloth you use to wipe it down with, {AKS ME HOW I KNOW!:-) I could barely rinse it out with the super concentrated kind. LOL! Here is the amount I used:

1/4 C (2 oz) Hot Vinegar {microwave 1 min}
1/4 C (2 oz) Original Blue Dawn 

Mix in Spray bottle. Spray onto surface allow to stand 2 hours or overnight. (Some ppl report using this formula as a base- or just the ingredients for oven cleaner, carpet cleaner, glass cleaner, bug remover, stainless steel cleaner, Whole house cleaner, wool cleaner, and so on...

Well I saw this post with this wand that you use for dishes with the "magic" potion inside...

Mmm, there are possibilities in that idea only the one key factor in making this work is the heating of the vinegar. 

I think this still has potential, I know some blogs I read said their family members know use the wand filled with this "magic potion" after each shower or face "their wrath"! Not sure how it works without heating vinegar, unless for upkeep perhaps it is not as necessary?

The only way I can see it working properly with hot vinegar is either I would have to figure on a way of heating it up b4 each use, or only make small amounts fresh each time, adding dawn last? I will think on it, bc the wash cloth I used to wipe down the tub is still bubbling! I think my hubby is going to throw it in with his GRIMY AWFUL STINKY WORK clothes and we might be posting a new launder aid from this... LOL!

Now excuse me while I take a bath in my sparkly clean tub, I know the 1970's lavender color, lime corroded water spout and handles (I am still looking for natural formula for that one) and tile surround make you soo jealous, you wished you had one just like it right? Well until we come into our millons, this one works and now that it isn't covered in soap scum it is clean, sparkly and fresh!!

Really Look at how SHINY it is! I know there are some really dark places in the grout in the corner, it isn't mold, its from the fire. Hubby calked the edges of tub to help w/the stains and used a grey grout to help as well... ONE day it will be new, like I said I am happy for now!!