Homemade Pound Cake

I like to cook, and I like to bake. I am, however, a recipe gal. I wish I could be a kitchen wizard like my BFF, Hannah, but alas, I've not reached that level yet. 

My gorgeous hubby, Jerry, is an auto-mechanic. 

Here's a pic of my handsome hubby and I at my sister (and his brother's!) wedding (more on that later). 

As I was saying, my hubby is an auto-mechanic. He works at a place run by a wonderful Christian man, and the atmosphere is more like a family business. Jerry's boss feeds his workers breakfast and lunch and he even cuts Jerry's hair! Amazing, I know! 

I like to bake something sweet "for the guys" once a week. This week I thought I'd try an old family pound cake recipe. It's the first time I've not used a box mix, and I must admit, I was a mite nervous. 

It turned out very well!! Here's the recipe: 

Very simple, right? My kind of recipe! (Remember, I'm not a kitchen wizard yet. Anything with more than ten ingredients gets my panic mode rising!) I also made a simple glaze I found on Google. Here's what the finished product looked like: 

Quite pretty, if I do say so myself. Once it cooled, I sliced it up and arranged it real pretty on a plate.

Or, sort of pretty anyway. There was a slice of uh-oh cake. You know uh-oh slices...the ones that "crumble" and "don't look pretty" causing you to, of course, have to eat it yourself. Heehee. I usually have a few of those. Tasting my uh-oh piece, I found it to be wonderfully moist and super fluffy. 

Try it out! Tell me what you think!

Much love,

Krystan

The experimental housewife

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I had a VERY busy day today! I went grocery shopping, made homemade laundry detergent, and made my first homemade pound cake (more on that in a later post). I'm rather proud of myself! ☺️

I found the laundry detergent recipe on Pinterest, but adjusted it just a tad. I'm rather particular about my clothes-I want them to smell good, but more importantly, I want them clean! I've been playing around with various detergents and finally decided to just make something myself. 

These are the ingredients I used: 1 (4 lb) box of baking soda, 1 (4 lb) box of borax, 1 (3 lb) box of washing soda, 1 (3 lb) box of Oxy Clean, 1 (48 oz) container of Purex crystals (whichever scent you prefer- I personally love "Fresh Spring Waters), and 1 (14.4 oz) bar Zote soap. Shred the Zote soap with a cheese grater (the soap is super soft, making it easy to shred). Mix all the ingredients in a large bucket, such as the one pictured here. 

I tried to be dainty and lady like and use a large spoon to mix it, but my patience didn't hold up real well. I used my hands instead and mixed, and mixed, and mixed, and, well, you get the picture. 

It smells amazing!! I haven't been able to use it yet (can you believe in actually anxious to get a load of laundry done?), but as soon as I get a few loads going, I'll put a review post. Here's a close up so you can see how pretty it is. I wish you could smell it!! 

I even put some in small containers for my MIL and sister to try. 

If you decide to make it, let me know how it turns out!!

Much love,

Krystan, the experimental housewife