31 Pins: Day 12

3-2-1 Cake!

My mom actually found out about this one, gave me the recipe, and a premixed bag of the ingredients.  I was keeping it up my sleeve for a day like today.... busy!  I found a pin the next day so I could try it out. ;)

Original pin:

There are only a few ingredients to this quick, simple cake.  The dry mix requires a box of angel food cake, and a box of whatever regular cake mix you prefer (chocolate, white, yellow, etc.).  My mom mixed carrot cake mix in hers.  You will have quite a bit of mix, so it could be given out as a gift or kept on hand for a craving fix. :)

The other things needed are: a mug, spray oil, and water.  That's it!!

You are probably wondering why it is called 3-2-1 cake...  That is the cool part!     

Mix 3 Tablespoons of cake mix with 2 tablespoons of water, 

and microwave for 1 minute.

3-2-1 Cake!

Looks like a sponge...

...but is not bad for a quick fix!  It certainly would have been better with some cream cheese frosting, but not necessary.  I look forward to trying different flavors of cake with this one.  The strawberry in the original pin looks yummy!

Expense rating: Inexpensive (2 boxes cake mix)

Difficulty rating: EASY

Home Made Hand Soap

What Initially Inspired me to make handsoap?  Well, it was a nice visit with my friend, Erin (& hubby).  She mentioned how easy it was, and I couldn't get it out of my mind... had to try it out.

Went to Walmart the other day with the intention of buying some Tom's of Maine soap (with a coupon, of course), but they didn't have any. :(  In any case, I picked up one of the cheapest I could find, which ended up being Ivory.  While there, I also picked up a bottle of glycerin (first aid section).

I used an old cheese grater to shave the bars down - easier for melting. 

The recipe I found called for:

10 cups of water

1 cup of soap shavings

2 Tablespoons of glycerin

(that's it)

I put all of those ingredients into an old pot to melt.  No need to boil, just heat so that all of the shavings are dissolved.  I also added some tea tree oil (which has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, etc. qualities) which I had on hand.

Then you remove from heat and let set for 8-10 hours (overnight, whatever).  It will get cloudier and thicker as it stands.

Then use a funnel to get it into soap dispensers (use empties or I found some for $1.88 at walmart with designs).

It doesn't foam up quite as much as what you buy in the store, but I know my hands are clean and moist after use. :)

Great for people on a budget! Thanks, Erin!