Luscious Gin Pops Recipe

 

 

When the trees stand naked under the dreary gray skies and the wind takes on a life of its own, chewing at tender skin in a tenacious attempt to whittle flesh to bone, I close the curtains and imagine warm breezes flitting across a gemstone sea, heat radiating from sugar sand beaches and the soft whisp of the palms.

In rebellion over the coming winter, I make these!

Note: if you’d like to make a vegan version, you can use condensed coconut milk with a copious amount of liquid sweetener of your choice, just adjust the other liquids accordingly. But unless you’re aiming to shrivel your taste buds, don’t forget the sweetener – condensed coconut milk alone creates quite the bitter pop, trust me.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  • 3/4 cup tonic water
  • 1/4 cup concentrated lime juice mixed with 3/4 cup water (adjust mix to taste for more tang up the percentage of lime)
  • 1/2 cup gin
  • 2 or more limes
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Small dixie cups

 

 

Directions:

Pour all the liquid ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and whisk together. Set the dixie cups out – this usually makes about 10 servings. Pour mix into the cups leaving space at the top for your lime slices, how much space depends on how thick you like your slices. Slice limes, this make take more than 2, depending on the thickness of the slices. Jab a popsicle stick through each slice as near to the center as you can – as you can see from my photos, they don’t have to be precise 🙂

Gently settle the impaled lime slices into the cups making sure that the sticks touch the bottom and the lime rests atop the liquid. Freeze over night and enjoy!

How to Make Cheap & Easy Laundry Detergent

 

 

 

My friend Sara writes a blog, Seeking Sanctuary, where she concocts ways to make her and her readers’ lives better. Earlier this year we talked about discovering new and rediscovering old ways to cut costs for our families and help the environment.

So, I spent the last few months perfecting a cheap, easy laundry system that cuts down our family’s use of plastic and other unnecessary laundry items. Next year, I want to take it a step further and eliminate the dish soap in this recipe by grating and dissolving soap bars instead. But, that’s for next year! This recipe is quick and easy for those of us who, at least for the moment, want to be friendlier to the environment, but don’t have a ton of time or a driving desire to grate soap bars 🙂

 

Liquid Laundry Soap:

  • 1.5 cups dish detergent – any kind, I use Ajax lemon because I like it
  • ¾ cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
  • Optional: ¾ cup Borax to help soften the water. If you already have soft water or don’t feel inclined to use it, you can try nixing this and see if it works for you without it
  • Water
  • Empty 122 oz. Container

Directions: 

Pop the pour spout off the old laundry container. Rinse if necessary. Dump the dish detergent into the container and set aside. Place the washing soda and Borax into a stainless steel pot, add 4 cups hot water, and stir over medium heat until the powders are thoroughly dissolved – do not boil or simmer, just gentle heat. Then pour that liquid into the container with the dish detergent and stir with a wood or stainless steel spoon.

Slowly, to avoid excessive bubbles, add enough water to fill the container, stir and – you’re done! So easy!

I don’t add fragrances because I’ve found that they don’t have much staying power unless I use a ton, which defeats the purpose of cheap.

Instead, I add fragrance to the drier cycle.

To stop static cling, I took aluminum foil and wadded it into 3 balls that I could fit in my hand – these are reusable, so you only need to make them once. Toss the balls into the drier with the clothes. Then, if fragrance is desired, I spray a piece of cut-up old towel with whatever blend of essential oils I happen to favor at the moment and toss it in. Run drier as usual. This eliminates the need for fabric softeners – extra savings and less plastic.

You can also use your favorite perfumes, my daughter uses her body spray to scent her clothes and that works just as well. And, of course, you can go scentless.

I’ll be posting more discoveries later. Enjoy!