It smells like Lye Soap, but not meat greases. I save all of the following greases and oils: Bacon Grease Hamburger drippings from my grill pan Ground Beef grease Shortening and/or oils used for frying meats. Oils used for any kind of fast frying (donuts, french fries, etc). Meat greases rendered from roasts (beef, pork, etc) and so forth. I don't fry very often, but I still save the oils and grease. It adds up faster than you might think! NEVER dump grease and oils down drains. Not only does this stop up sewer lines and septic systems, but it is a major cost to the public in city sewage systems repairs and maintenance and sewage processing plants. It pollutes the land and water systems...kills fish and other wildlife, creates algae in water ways, and more. Awful stuff. The chemical action in the soap making process removes the smelly odors of meat greases. Make sure you strain it well to remove all the bits and pieces. I just use my kitchen sieve. The soap will not LOOK like commercial stuff. Those are mostly detergents. This soap is wonderful. Leaves your skin soft. Gentle on clothes. The two commercial soaps that I know that are REAL SOAP are Castile and Ivory (or Ivory used to be real soap anyway). For JUST hand soap, you can add a little glycerin (found at all RX drug store counters), and omit the Kerosene. OPT. - Kerosene is not necessary for the recipe to work, but it makes the laundry soap better. Boosts the cleaning power. As mentioned above, you can add coconut oil (and/or other fancy oils) to make it more sudsy and feel softer. But, the purpose of this topic is HOW TO USE old MEAT GREASE that you should not put in your compost. There are all kinds of soap recipes on the internet. I've tried a few. The thing I object to in these NEW recipes is the cost and waste. Those fancy oils are EXPENSIVE. Cheaper to buy commercial soap and be done with it. Hope this explains my purpose in posting this topic: ***Recycling old meat grease rather than throwing it into the garbage that will go into land fills*** We can greatly reduce the amount of trash and garbage that goes into land fills (millions of tons of garbage dumped on the land and in the ocean )just in America) just by practicing the three "R's" of waste management for good conservation - REDUCE -> REUSE -> RECYCLE -> Don't waste food! Use those leftovers and compost your kitchen garbage. Many household items that most Americans tend to just toss in the garbage daily can be REDUCED, REUSED, and RECYCLED, including clothing, buttons, zippers, snaps, hook and eyes, and other items just in our households alone. Good conservation practices not only saves the Earth by preventing pollution and conserves our natural resources, but it will save each of us MONEY, not only collectively as a society, but in each household! There is an old Mormon saying: "A woman can throw it out the window with a teaspoon faster than a man can pitch it in the front door with a shovel." - Brigham Young, 1860. This is so true. ~Annie

Not too early at all! We started with a floor plan Jan 2008, and made many, many changes to it with the builder's designer (a very patient guy!!). Everytime we made changes, we kind of sat with the changes for a few weeks and 'lived' in the house on paper (if that makes sense). We found that having the time helped us greatly to think everything single detail out. We also made selections for fixtures, flooring, cabinets, and got price quotes from various sources. Only then (in November) did we sign a formal contract. With our current home which we also custom built, we signed a contract too quickly and then once the build started, we incurred numerous costly change orders. We did not realize that we had signed on a very low bid for the home, with inadequate allowances for almost everything. This time, we were well armed with what it would actually cost for all items. That way, we could discuss/negotiate with the builder before we signed on a realistic price for the home. So far, (we broke ground in nov.), there have been no plan changes or other finish changes (that would constitute a change order plus upcharge). So, spend the time....if the builder truly wants your business, he should be more than willing to be patient with you. And only after you are 100 % happy with the floor plan and all the various selections should you send it out for bids. Good luck!

If you capture a wild yeast, you can let it sit for a long time. I've let them go for several weeks in the fridge. After a couple months it can be iffy as to whether they'll kick in, but usually they do. Years ago I owned a French bakery. We'd mix up our dough for croissants and put it into the cooler until the next morning. Most pizza places do that too. So don't chain yourself to someone's directions unless they can explain with precision why the direction can't be modified. FWIW - I'm in complete agreement with the above. No need to worry about overnight.

I'm not sure about the peanut butter cookies, but you can freeze the ginger cookies. To make sure they stay absolutely fresh, I'd double wrap them in ziplock freezer bags. Here's a really good recipe that a girlfriend passed on to me - I know they freeze well because we made ice cream sandwiches out of them last summer :-) Becky * Exported from MasterCook * Giant Ginger Cookies Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups shortening 2 cups granulated sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup molasses 3/4 cup coarse sugar or granulated sugar 1. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; set aside. 2. In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds to soften. Gradually add the 2 cups granulated sugar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and molasses. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour mixture. 3. Shape dough into 2-inch balls using 1/4 cup dough. Roll balls in the 3/4 cup coarse or granulated sugar. Place about 2-1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. 4. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until cookies are light brown and puffed. (Do not overbake or cookies will not be chewy.) Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Makes twenty-five (25) 4-inch cookies. http://www.bhg.com/recipe/desserts/giant-ginger-cookies/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : To create the chewy texture, be sure to make them with shortening, not butter or margarine.