Counter Spray

Here in the Sacoolas household I make all our cleaning supplies (we haven't purchased pre-made cleaning products in almost two years... how liberating!) We use homemade counter spray, dishwasher soap and laundry soap- all of which we love! All three are made from very similar ingredients making for a wonderfully simple cleaning cupboard and the joys of not having all those chemicals in our house.

Since we have done the switch over to homemade products, we have been very happy with the results. I find they work just as well as products purchased at the store, although you might need to bring a little elbow grease for tough stains and grime. AND, you can customize your own scents, making your home smell wonderful!

Below is the recipe I use to make our counter spray. I make two batches at a time, one to keep in the kitchen and one for the bathroom. For the kitchen I like to use a combination of Lemon and Orange Essential Oil and for the bathroom I use Lavender. The recipe below makes a little over a cup of cleaning solution, which lasts us well over a month.

Counter Spray

1 c. hot water

1 tsp. borax

1/2 tsp. washing soda (I have only been able to find this at Winco)

1/2 tsp. Dr. Bronner's Liquid soap

2 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil (a natural anti-bacterial)

*Kitchen- In addition to the tea tree oil, 4 drops orange essential oil and 2 drops lemon essential oil

*Bathroom- In addition to the tea tree oil, 2 drops lavender essential oil

Whisk hot water, borax and washing soda (I mix mine in a large pyrex liquid measuring cup). Add soap and essential oils and pour into spray bottle. Give a little shake before use.

**Above is my little bottle that I keep in the kitchen, behind it you can see our rag bag. I made it from an old kitchen towel and it is filled with cut up kitchen towels that were past their prime and old t-shirts that were way past their prime... both make the perfect little rags, especially in a house that is paper towel free**

Grams' Meat Loaf

(Grams' Meat Loaf, Baked Potato, Green Salad with Mimi's Dressing)

With the cold weather still holding on strong, David and I thought it appropriate to sneak in one more comfort meal before our many nights of dining in the garden. My grandmother's meat loaf is a go-to recipe when we want something warm and comforting. As soon as I started to saute the onions and celery the house began to hold that enchanting smell, taking me back to all the wonderful meals I grew up with and those I knew my mother grew up with as well.

This recipe is one that I love to make and one that is very dear to my heart. I love it for many reasons, some as simple as the fact that it is so easy it can barely be called a recipe, but other reasons are far more sentimental. As I mentioned, this is Grams' meat loaf, my mother's mother. Whenever I make it I can just imagine her in her little house on Jerris street, kids running up and down the stairs and that same wonderful scent coming from the kitchen.

I grew up with this meat loaf, and the ever anticipated meat loaf sandwiches the next day, and I know that one day my children will be enjoying the same comforting meal. Last week when I made the dinner above, David and I commented that we knew Papa was licking his chops up there, looking down on us with envy over our dinner to come :)

Grams' Meat Loaf

1 1/2 Lb ground beef

1/2 tsp. dried sage

3/4 c. quaker oats (I use homemade whole wheat bread crumbs)

1 stalk celery

2 slices yellow onion (I usually use half a large onion, or a whole small spring onion)

2 eggs (Ha! or 4 from our little girls)

1 1/2 tsp. season salt (or a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder and kosher salt)

scant cup milk

pepper

Sauce:

1/4 c. ketchup (homemade makes it all the better)

3 Tbs. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. dry mustard

Heat oven to 350. Brown celery and onion in a little bit of butter, salt and pepper. Mix all together and top with sauce. Bake 1 hour.

Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Be sure to save some for those infamous sandwiches!

*Grams always made hers in a loaf pan... David loves the crusty end pieces the best, so I make mine free form on a half jelly roll pan.

Friday Date Night

David and I made a New Years Resolution this year... Friday nights would be dedicated to date night. We do tend to be those people, who make a resolution, only to have forgotten it by the 3rd of January, but not date night! We look forward to it all week long and usually start talking about where date night will take us on, oh, about Tuesday! We trade off weeks, my choice one week, his choice the next.

So, where can you find us on these date nights? Well, here is the list of our most recent visits...

Hall Street Grill (we love their happy hour burger)

Cafe Mingo

Cheerful Pitstop

Fire On the Mountain (best wings in Portland!)

Old Market Pub (David's go-to when it's his choice and he can't think of anything he'd rather do than sit back with a local organic beer and a good burger)

Pizza (homemade)

De Carli

La Hasienda Real (a Salem favorite that just opened in Beaverton!)

Laurelhurst Market

Helvetia Tavern (our guilty pleasure, we have been driving out to Helvetia for about 5 years now!)

A Pizza Scholls

Where should we go next?

What have we been eating lately?

Spring Risotto with mushroom and leeks

Braised Radishes

Green Salad

Whole Wheat and Strawberry Jam muffins... the snack to sustain us this week

Homemade Pasta with Italian Sausage Bolognese

and our standard Green Salad

Homemade Garlic Hummus & Guacamole

Veggie and Cheese Sticks

Blue Corn Chips

Sliced Pear

Off to Work...

A peak at what I take with me every day. Always a cup of coffee (with whole milk of course) and my favorite basket filled with the items that will sustain me until I get to come home again. Each day I tuck the following into my basket: my purse, lunch (including an after school snack), water bottle, and my daily tea (a mixture of Red Clover, Raspberry Leaf and Nettles).

What do you take with you each day?

Sunday Bread

About a year ago we tried to eliminate store bought bread from our grocery list. While we are still suckers for a crispy baguette (because we have such wonderful local bakeries around here), we have been quite successful in our efforts. It has been a long time since store bought sliced bread has passed through our doors and we have loved the change.

Sunday is my bread day. The recipe I use, from the Tassajara Bread Book, makes two loaves. I either freeze one for the next week, give it away to another bread lover (the latest recipient was my mother), or I use 1/2 of the dough to make little buns that we later use for hamburgers or sandwiches.

I really like the rhythm bread making brings to the kitchen. Sundays have always been my farm chore day and this is one farm chore that I look forward to each week. I like to start the bread early in the morning and revisit it between chores throughout the day. Then as an afternoon snack, nothing beats warm bread and butter.

Whole Grains and Meal Planning

I recently took another class from Monique Dupre and it was, of course, wonderful. The class was titled Whole Grains and Meal Planning. Throughout the two hour class, Monique walked her students through what kind of grains are available, how to prepare them and how to meal plan in a whole foods kitchen.

Above you will find our whole grains shelf. This picture is not very telling, as those jars up there are shelved about four deep. But as you can see, we do not have a lot, if any, canned food. Over the course of the last few years David and I have realized that meal planning is a huge part of staying organized and prepared in a kitchen where most things are not ready to eat and will not be ready to eat for a few hours. Enter... the meal planning class. Monique reassured me on many planning tricks that are already taking place in the cozy cottage kitchen and I learned quite a bit about how to stay ahead and always have something ready.

This is the second class I have taken from Monique and I have truly enjoyed both classes. Next on the list? Most likely Fermented Food and Condiment Making... what fun!