Grape Salad

I tried this recipe recently at a bridal shower and it has quickly become one of my favorite recipes. How did I survive all this time without it?

4 lbs red (or green) seedless grapes
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Start by washing the grapes and picking them off the stems.
2. Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar until well incorporated.
3. Mix sweet mixture together with the grapes and stir until blended.
4. Sprinkle pecans and brown sugar just before serving.

The grapes can be chopped in half if desired. Store leftovers (if there are any) in the refrigerator.

Homemade laundry detergent

So I heard about people making their own laundry detergent and it working better than store bought. Plus knowing that $30 worth of products should last an entire year was definitely enticing. I was able to find everything at my local grocery store. The laundry soap bar might be hard to find in some areas. Amazon sells all these products.

1 (4 lb 12 oz) box of Borax
1 (3 lb 7 oz) box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 (3 lb) container of OxyClean
3 (5 1/2 oz) bars of Fels-Naptha soap or 2 (14.1 oz) bars of Zote soap
1 (4 lb) box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
1-2 (55 oz) bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener - optional

1. The first step is to finely grate the bars of Fels-Naptha. It's a little time consuming but this is the worse step. Etsy sells some already grated.
2. Find a container big enough to hold all the ingredients and mix everything together. It is a years worth of laundry detergent after all.
3. Measure 1-2 tablespoons per load. This is good for high efficiency machines as well. I use the scooper that came with the OxyClean.

I made a lavender scented and unscented batch and put in mason jars to give out as Christmas gifts.