Duped Project 14/50: Dawn, Wizard of Kitchens

This is the size of Dawn I buy. Just kidding. Maybe.

I just recently wrote up this review of the guilt-factor on one of my favorite things: Dawn Dishwashing Fluid. It's all a part of my new motto: "Trying always to be socially and environmentally conscious, and making it at least halfway since 2010."

Dawn is fantastic. There's at least a couple dozen uses for it, and I intend to try them all. In the meantime, I thought I would repost the list from my other post on my other blog, so that you can find them on both sites. I believe that this qualifies as a dupe for a few reasons:

1. It's a big help in of reducing the number of cleaning products you need (use, buy, store). This multi-purpose wonder makes it possible to cut out several of the other bottles you need to make your house run. That cuts down on packaging, shipping, cost, and generally wasteful practices.

2. Dawn is so effective at cutting any kind of grease, you can use significantly less. It's also popular enough to be sold in bulk at your local grocery (in other words, you don't need to have a pricey annual membership to some builk-buying warehouse to cut down).

3. Even though this is a commercially-available product, you can avoid the dupe by getting the Original Blue Dawn (what I affectionately refer to as "True Blue"). All the other versions (different colors, scents, formulas) mess with something that doesn't need to be change. Introducing additional ingredients can mean introducing phthalates or other toxins, or could worsen the environment impact).

I usually don't repost to both blogs, but this will have to be an exception, since I think it falls right in the center of the imaginary venn diagram in my head. Enjoy this (somewhat hastily) assembled list of uses for True Blue Dawn.

---

Uses of DAWN Dishwashing Fluid: A quickly compiled list

NOTE: Original Blue Dawn. Not anything else - no other brand, scent, version. I'm pretty serious about this.

Sources: One Good Thing, Life Crafts & Whatever, Modern Day Moms

Freezer Packs
Partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times. It will conform to the place you need an ice pack.

Carpet Cleaner/Stain Remover for any Cloth
1 part Dawn with 2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide. Mix together and pour directly on the stain. Add light scrubbing.

Spot Treatment/Pretreat
For oil-based stains such as lipstick, grease, butter, motor oil, cooking oil, and some pen inks, simply apply some Dawn dishwashing liquid directly to the stain and scrub with a small brush or toothbrush until the oil is removed, and then launder as usual.

Flea Dip and Dog Shampoo
Use it to bathe the dogs. It kills fleas on contact and is much cheaper than expensive dog shampoos.

Bubble Solution
1/2 cup Dawn, 1/2 gallon warm water, 1 tbsp glycerin or White Karo syrup. Best. Bubbles. Ever.

Greasy Hair Disasters
If your kids get into the vaseline, or maybe (like me) you're doing a super-cradle cap treatment with mineral/baby oil, you'll want more than shampoo to cut through that mess. Use it just like shampoo and rinse well.

Clean Automotive Tools or Spills, or "Mechanic Hands."
After you have finished your automotive repair project, soak your dirty tools in Dawn before you put them away to remove all the oil and grime. Dawn also helps prevent rust from forming on the tools. Spill oil on the driveway or garage floor? Start with cheapo kitty litter to absorb, then finish up with a scrub of dawn and a stiff bristled brush. It's also the best cleaner for oily, greasy mechanic hands.

Soap Scum Remover
Heat up a cup of vinegar in the microwave to 1.5-2 minutes and add to a spray bottle with an equal amount of Dawn. Little to no scrubbing is needed.

Repel Ants
Spray counter-tops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn spray.

Stripping Cloth Diapers**
Add a squirt or two of original Dawn dish soap to your washer and run a hot wash, then rinse until there are no more bubbles. Dawn is a degreasing agent and helps stripping by removing oily residue. Be sure to rinse, rinse, rinse until the water runs clear.

** New to cloth diapers? Here's my post on cloth diaper savings, and another about how we cloth diaper. You can also make your own detergent, which is super effective and safe on cloth diapers

Unclogging Toilets
A cup of Dawn detergent poured into a clogged toilet allowed to sit for 15 minutes and then followed with a bucket of hot water poured from waist height will clear out the toilet. Apparently, human waste is grease-based. Yikes.

Poison Ivy Treatment
Poison ivy spreads through the spread of the oil within the blisters. Washing the affected area with Dawn, especially on children who keep scratching the blister’s open, helps dry up the fluid, AND keep it from spreading.

Sidewalk De-Icer
When walkway is clean (right after you did all that crazy hard work) pour on a mix of 1 tsp of Dawn, 1 tbsp of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 gallon hot water. They won’t refreeze.

Repel Pests from House Plants/Aphid Control on Fruit Trees
In a spray bottle, combine 2 tablespoons Dawn in a gallon of water. Try to get spray both sides of the leaves, branches and the tree trunks. In the case of fruit trees, let sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse the trees thoroughly.

The Duped Project 13/50: The Best Deodorant Ever

Unlucky 13! I've been avoiding you. But now, I have the ultimate dupe to write up (plus weeks of trial to back up my claims). Take that! Kapow!

Nothing ruins a good day like smelly pits. Remember the SURE deodorant commercials where the rocker chick at the once-in-a-lifetime concert can't cheer for her favorite band because she has to keep her arms glued to her sides? Her day was ruined by pit stink. And I'm here to make a confession - I have had a day or two ruined by pit stink as well. I think we all have. Whether real or perceived, who among us is immune from feeling less than daisy-scented? Let down by the deo. After all, they're called pits, not floral valleys.

When I began looking into DIY toiletries, some of them were obviously good ideas: hand soap, moisurizers, etc. Spa fodder. But there's a few products you simply don't want to fail. To me, homemade deodorant sounded more crazy than I could handle. It's one thing to look like a tree-hugger. That's hip. But smell like one? No thanks! Yet, for YEARS I've been hearing bad things about aluminum and other nasties in store-bought deodorants, so when I came across this recipe on Homestead Revival (and I already had all the ingredients from some other DIY toiletries) I decided to give it a go.

Yowsers, I am so glad I did. I have always been picky about deodorant - only a couple would work for me at all. But this simple, cheap, super natural DIY deo takes the cake. I've been using it for a couple months now, and it remains the best performer out of anything I've ever used. I'm talking August-in-South-Texas-at-a-midday-football-game kind of good. Literally. That was actually a scenario in which this deodorant was tested. At the end of the day, my team one, and I smelled amazing. Win-win.

One note: This recipe, along with several others that I looked up, all pointed out that this is not an antiperspirant, but a deodorant. You will perspire, but you will not odor. What? Well you get it. At first that was on the con list for me, but in the end, my thought was: aren't I supposed to sweat? Isn't that a pretty healthy function? If it doesn't smell, who cares?

For the recipe, an awesome tip on storage, why you should probably throw away the stuff you've been using, and more pit(hy) banter, click to jump!

The Duped Project: Have you been Duped?

If you've enjoy the first dozen projects, now's the time to share the love! Share this ad, and include this link to get them straight to the good stuff!

http://farbeyonddesigns.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Duped%20Project

fine print reads: All name brands are ®. None of these products, tutorials or recipes are manufactured or distributed by the makers of these name brand products. Names are listed for comparison purposes only. 

The Duped Project 12/50: Dishwashing Detergent with Rinser

If you are slowly working your way toward a DIY cleaning supply, you will begin to find there are some ingredients that show up over and over. In this one, you'll find ingredients from two of the other projects: super washing soda from powdered laundry detergent and white vinegar from DIY orange cleaner. Washing soda has awesome grease-busting abilities, and vinegar is a natural acid, making it a perfect rinse agent. Farewell to chemical residue on the dishes that feed your family, and hello to more dollars in the grocery budget. Who needs coupons?

Why rinser, you ask? Well you certainly don't need it, but the idea is to have our DIY version compete with the commercially available detergents out there. The rinser, like jet dry, will keep water spots and residue at bay.

Again, thanks to Elisa and Elisa Loves for this idea! I have combined my rinser ingredients in advance in a squirt bottle to keep it simple enough that my husband won't complain. Oops! My marriage is showing! Follow the "read more" link for this easy recipe.

The Duped Project 11/50: DIY Orange Cleaner

I love Earth. I do not love the smell of vinegar. For years, these two things were in conflict, and my cleaning products continued to cost me too much simply because I preferred the smell of bleach or "clean linen" fragrance (which never smells like linen, by the way).

Recently, I decided it was time to give homemade all-purpose cleaner a shot when I came across this idea from Little Brick Ranch to harness the power of citric acid by essentially pickling orange peels. The claim: you won't smell the vinegar AND you'll get the added cleaning from the fruity goodness.

So did it turn out? Yes ma'am. I'll admit, there's a bit of a vinegarishness to the concoction, but nothing I can't handle. It cleans very well, is healthier for my family and the environment, and like any other homemade cleaning product, reduces packaging and fattens your wallet.

Ready to try it? Read on, dupers!

The Duped Project 10/50: Powdered Laundry Detergent

This project isn't as big as I would like it. I planned a huge scheme, including 3 recipes, each tested by 5 households and rated on a predetermined scale. I bought all of the ingredients I could find, but in the end, I was missing one ingredient, and I ran out of time. And my old detergent.

On the up side, I see a plus to making your own: you will not run out. You may run out of ingredients after, I estimate, about 2 years, but when the container is empty, it will take all of about 5 minutes to refill with a fresh mix. Very important when your kid's uniforms are ALL dirty, or your puppy peed on his dog bed that he won't sleep without. Dogs crying are worse than kids. Seriously.

I've been using this recipe for about a month. So far, awesome. I'm super pleased with it's cleaning ability. No fancy smell, but it's economic, space-saving eco-friendliness will make up for that. (Still want scented laundry? There's DIY Febreeze in the works. Just you wait.) But I digress - this recipe, like many others I have heard about, performs like the stuff in the store, but costs less than a fourth of the price. Bonus: It's also free of some of the ingredients that I'm not too fond of in commercial detergents:

• Optical Brighteners
• Dyes
• Artificial fragrance
• Bleach

Find out how to make this little gem after the jump!

The Duped Project: Unbreak My Heart?

Duped Project: So. Back I see. Just here to pick up your things, I guess?
Me: What? NO! I came to post some more projects.
DP: Oh, don't lie for me. It's fine. I'm a grown project. I can take it.
Me: Really, baby, I wouldn't walk out on you like that.
DP: You could have called.
Me: I'm sorry, I just got so busy that I...
DP: DEADBEAT!
Me: Don't say that! You know how much I love you!
DP: Why don't you just delete the blog and get it over with!!
Me: Sweetheart, no! Never! I have not abandoned you! I swear! I have at least 6, no 7, projects already completed. I just need to write them up!
DP: (sniffle) Please. Don't make me laugh.
Me: I dooooooo... (whining) I'll make it right, I promise!
DP: Um, prove it.

While I patch things up with my beloved, please know that I haven't abandoned you either, reader. I truly have become super busy and distracted, but I've been keeping up with my goals in reality, if not in cyber-reality. Stay tuned! They're on their way! Here's a preview of what we've got to look forward to:

• Homemade Dishwashing Detergent
• Homemade Laundry Detergent
• Refilling Foaming Soap Pumps
• All-Natural Orange Cleaner
• Homemade Dog Treats
• Carpet Cleaning without Chemicals
• and more (at least 41 total, they say)

The Duped Project 9/50: Re-Crayons

First, my apologies for my absence. We got a new puppy. Bad excuse, but it's the truth. I'll have a lot of catching up to do to get back on my 50 projects in 365 days plan!

Normally I start out my posts with a rant about why the commercially available product is A) Hazardous B) Unhealthy C) Overpriced D) All of the Above. Crayons, however, are rather wholesome. They are non-toxic, inexpensive, and generally fun for all ages. There are brands with a higher wax-to-pigment ratio (that's fancy talk for they don't write as well), but even the super-cheapo crayons that they give your kid to distract them at chain restaurants aren't all that bad.

The dupe here is that they break. Lots. It doesn't matter if you get the big thick ones, the triangular ones, the ones with the sharpener. They are going to break into a million little pieces that even the smallest hands can't use. It's wasteful, I say!

Have you seen the commercials for the Crayola Crayon Maker? Here it is:


It's all jazz man. Don't get me wrong, I would love to play with one for a couple hours, and I know that the bright colors and shiny national marketing strategy are just what the doctor ordered for a bored kid. Unfortunately, those same cool factors are what's driving the price up to a suggested retail value of $35 plus tax. We can do something ALMOST as cool at home, with stuff you probably already have.

You'll Need:
Compartmental Baking Pan (muffin tin, mini muffin tin, silicon teddy bear candy mold, you name it!)
Crayons that have known better days
Exacto knife or sharp scissors (if your crayons still have paper, optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 200 F while you take all the paper off. I had a lot of crayons that came out of the package broken (grumble grumble) so I used my exacto knife to slice carefully down the crayons long-ways.

2. Break bigger chunks into shorter pieces (small enough to fit into your pan's compartments). Overfill to make sure that your crayons are big enough - the melted wax will fill in all the spaces between your pieces.

3. Group however you want! Some ideas:

• Rainbow Swirls (beautiful, but not too practical to color with)
• Cool/Warm Colors (cool makes beautiful water! stay in the lines)
• Similar Colors (this is what I did, since I had a lot to work with)
• Go the Crayola route and do silly themes. (Brown, pink and white are "neopolitan." Cornflower, Goldenrod and Periwinkle make "bouquet")

4. Melt in the oven for around 20 minutes. Be very careful removing the pan, especially if your compartments are very full or you'll get some unintentional swirlage.

5. Let cool. It takes a long time, especially in rigid (not silicone) pans, but eventually they will pop out if you turn the pan over and deliver a swift hit to each compartment.

We used a mini muffin tin and grouped similar colors so that my daughter could use her new crayons on her coloring books without accidentally getting green in Dora's hair or orange on Elmo. They turned out great, and she loves them. I will never throw away a broken crayon tip again. Photo time! These are some of my favorites yet:

What I learned:

• Crayon brand name and quality makes little difference when recycling. The only difference? the cheap wax rises and is much paler on paper.
• You don't have to use a flexible silicon pan, but you do have to cool a long time with a metal pan.
• Kids think round crayons are cool

---

Update: Re-Crayon'd 2.0

Several months ago, I found a cheap ($1, to be precise) ice cube tray at Target. Ice cubes? Nay! Crayons! They turned out even better than the round ones, and were much easier to get out of the pan. Plus my crayons automatically come with 5 perfect points on them now. :-) Happy mommy, happy kiddos.

The Duped Project 8/50: Stovetop Mac 'n Cheese

We woke up on President's Day with a sick little girl. One of my daughters got the other one sick, as always, and she had a fever and a serious case of the whinies. Very understandable. I decided to use one of my favorite recipes for some comfort food. Mac 'n Cheese time!

When I first found this recipe (or I should say, when my friend Nicole first found it and shared it - thanks bud!), I was pretty astonished to read that it was important to use freshly shredded cheese. Why? Because when you buy pre-shredded cheese in a bag, you aren't just getting cheese. You're getting an anti-caking agent, most commonly cellulose-based, that makes your cheese less likely to mold and keeps it from clumping together. How pretty. On the down side, it's more expensive to produce and harder to melt. Also, existing anti-clumping agents are hazardous to worker's health, and sometimes, these additives can contain gluten and other allergens (Source).

I'm a purist when I can be. The way I see it, a cheddar by any other name tastes just as scrumptious, and it takes a whopping 60 seconds to shred, so I've stopped buying the bagged stuff all together. It melts better, is cheaper, and gives you more options on how to use it. Another plus: I use less. How many times have you come across a recipe where the amount of cheese required just happens to be 2 cups - the standard amount in a bag of shredded cheese? I've found that you usually don't need nearly that much. Don't get me wrong, I'm a total cheese-a-holic, but it certainly is one thing that could use a reduction in my diet. So if I can cut down the cheese by an ounce or two in a recipe, that's gonna make a big difference in the saturated fat in my finished meal.

There's another side to this story. It's a story of love, loss and loving again. It's a story of my love affair with Velveeta. Sound silly? I don't think you know how seriously I take my mac 'n cheese, folks. And for many a year, me and the orange box were close and personal. Do you know what the industry calls Velveeta, in an attempt to make it sound edible without lying? Processed cheese food. Heave. I have many guilty pleasures, but I was looking for a way out of this relationship, fast. Then along came this recipe.

Quick, easy, and filled with real food, this stovetop mac and cheese hits the spot without baking. From start to finish, it takes me about 25 minutes, including boiling the water. Find the recipe after the jump.

The Duped Project 7/50: Party Decorations

Lots of coordination, lots of cash

When my oldest turned two, I did the Party Superstore thing. I went to the warehouse-style, we've-got-it-all store and spent nearly $60 to get cake-toppers, balloons, streamers, plastic ware, banners and table toppers in her theme. Honestly, it just wasn't worth it. The guests probably noticed, thought "Oh cute," then moved on. All my coordinating colors were not worth all that cash, cute as they were.

More importantly, I was really disappointed in the store itself. Yes, the prices and selection were better than just about anywhere else, but that's to be expected of a nation-wide party decoration chain. But the service -- oh, the service.

Me: If I pick up the balloons the day before, will they stay inflated for, say, 24 hours?

Party Store Employee: Oh yeah. no problem.

12 hours later

In their defense, they replace the balloons for free, but only after I called 3 times and demanded to speak to a manager, and after that manager broke policy to help me. Also, when I went to pick them up, they were not ready (though I called ahead) and the staff was giving me the "Oh, you're the b*tch" look. Lovely. I was definitely duped. 

Then I realized: I am a graphic designer. What am I doing? I can do this jazz myself. Shoot, I could do this if I wasn't a designer. All it takes is a little ingenuity. After all, what's more impressive: spending money on coordinated, copyrighted characters on paperboard-and-staples centerpieces OR doing it all yourself? Oh, I think you know.

When I decided to throw a baby shower for a couple friends who are expecting, I did all the decorations myself, and I decided to share all those decorations with you, in photos and files that you can print out for your own baby shower. You only have to pay what I did. Nothing.

For photos, ideas, and free printable cupcake toppers and banner pieces, read on!

The Duped Project 6/50: Creamed Soup

I was born and raised in North Carolina, but you wouldn't know it from the way I talk. My dad is from Illinois, and when I was a year old, my paternal grandparents relocated from Springfield, IL to southern NC to be near their only grandchild. Growing up, I was at Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner at least 2 times a week. The contrast of Grandma's supper to the food I got practically anywhere else was stark. It was what I am fond of calling "yank cookin'."

This romantic casserole photo must
have been taken by a midwesterner.

Apparently, my mother's preference for northern men was hereditary, because I married someone from a part of the country so far north, he's practically Canadian. Hailing from Michigan, my husband moved southward in his teens. He also noticed the distinct difference between the homecooking of the mid-west and that of the Carolinas. To him, a casserole tastes like home. To me, it tastes like my Grandma's cooking. Two very positive associations mean that yank cookin' makes it to the table many nights in my house, especially in the winter.

What makes a yank dish so special? I'll tell you one thing: It's not a lack of saturated fat. That aside, there's a few ingredients that seem to pop up over and over. Sour cream, cheddar cheese, and egg noodles as ingredients are all distinctly midwestern to me - but one food reigns supreme yank ruler in my eyes. Cream of Something.

Something seems artificial in my soup.

Those union folk are always creaming something. Chicken, broccoli, celery, potato, and my personal favorite, mushroom. But (big surprise) there's a lot more in that can of soup than the wholesome steamy bowl on the label would have you think. Even the low sodium versions are busting through the salt ceiling, and try as I might, I could find a single dairy ingredient in something that starts with the word "cream." I did find a plethora of sugar and soy products though.

I knew I could make my own soup, but aside from starting my own cannery, I didn't think this was practical. After all, the whole point is to have all the ingredients on hand so you can just add a few fresh things (like meat or veggies) to the mix and have a ready meal. Then I came across this post (from One Orange Giraffe), detailing how to make your own "Cream of Something" dry soup mix.

Knowing absolutely nothing (hey! stop snickering!) I dove in. Find out what happened, catch the recipe,  and read about how I managed to screw it up completely, after the jump.

The Duped Project 5/50: Cloth Diapering

CLOTH DIAPERS?! YUCK!

Ok, now that's out of the way. Take a deep breath and let go of what you think cloth diapers are. Clear your mind of the poop and pee fest that you were thinking about. Come back to base camp. Are you there? Good!

Poop and pee?!

I have two little girls under 3 years old. The older is STILL not potty trained (we've been working on it since March) and so I have 2 girls in diapers. Since I am only semi-crunchy, I still use disposable diapers - usually for longer trips out of the house, or when laundry piles up. But even with two littles and all their messes, I change at least 10 cloth diapers each day. I believe this makes me an expert. I have been cloth diapering for almost 2 years (including CDing at home when I was working full-time...don't let anyone tell you it's not worth it if you work!). Why, you may ask?

• Cloth diapers are not the safety pin and washcloth system that you might think they are. Modern cloths are equipped with velcro, snaps, microfiber, fleece liners, etc and come with a variety of awesome accessories like diaper sprayers, reusable dry pail liners, and eco-friendly super detergents that could clean a zoo cage liner to cuddle status.
• The environmental impact of disposable diapers is horrifying. 1/3 of the non-biodegradable trash in our landfills is diapers. It's not certain, but some estimates say that a disposable diaper may take between 250-400 years to decompose.
• Disposables are full of awful stuff. Dioxin, for example. Banned in every country but the US and touted as the most carcinogenic compound by the EPA.
• You. Will. Save. Major dough. I saved $600 last year, when I was diapering one child. I am reusing those same diapers on #2, saving me hundreds more this year. For a full breakdown, check out this post from my other blog.
• Cloth diapers are adorable. Yes that is a major factor! Of course! Check out the photos after the jump for proof positive.

I can't reproduce these stats from the Real Diaper Association because they are copywrited (???) but this fact sheet (click the image!) will take 10 minutes to read if you take your time. It's the best information on why to use cloth diapers that I have ever seen (and I've seen a lot). Please read this!

I would say that disposable diapers are most definitely a dupe. Wanna know how my family outsmarts this one? More after the jump!

The Duped Project 4/50: Spice Mixes

One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen, besides avoid the dishes, is experiment with familiar flavors. For example, I love greek food. So what makes greek food taste greek? What makes Mexican food taste different from Cuban food? Why does an italian tomato sauce taste so different from a tomato? SPICES! (Um, duh).

Of course, the easiest way to get that taste is to buy the "spice blend" at the supermarket. Italian blend - basil, oregano, marjoram, all perfectly proportioned. Or Ms. D's classic Garlic and Herb, which makes just about everything taste fantastic. As a general rule, these spice blends are not that much more expensive than buying the individual spices. In fact, if you use them sparsely, you might even save a few pennies and avoid waste. So why make your own?

1. Knowledge. I know that most people don't care, but I love to know that thyme is that taste on those potatoes I love, and that rosemary is not my favorite even in a blend. I also love knowing that cumin is just as important in Mexican flavors as cilantro or chili powder. Geekery, perhaps, but knowledge is power. And when I want to make my quiche into Santa Fe quiche...too easy.

2. Dietary Restrictions. There are a growing number of spice blends on the shelf with low or no salt in the mix, but take it from someone who's always looking for them - they aren't consistently there. Maybe you've got someone in your family (or coming over for dinner) who is gluten intolerant. There could very well be wheat flour in that taco seasoning. When you've put it together, you know.

3. Monosodium Glucamate. MSG is a real deal breaker for a lot of people, and just like the low sodium seeker, you may find a blend without any MSG. Then again, you may not. FDA requires that any food containing MSG list it on the label, but chances are that the pesto blend that's MSG-Free and Low-Sodium are not the same packet. For more info on MSG and what's so bad about it: Mayo Clinic Article

So I'm on quest to make my own! Good thing I've been saving small glass jars for a while. More, after the jump.

The Duped Project 3/50: Hummus

Ah, Greece. Home of the Acropolis, Birthplace of philosophy, and creator of my all time favorite foods. I fell in love with Greek food during my 4 years in Germany. Strange, I know, but Germany is significantly closer to Greece than anywhere else I had the opportunity to fall in love, and the Greek food there is often cooked by immigrant Greek families. It's fantastic. I am drooling just remembering it.

But those were different times. Living in a foreign country, two incomes, no kids. We ate out all the time. Now, even if we could afford to eat out all the time, our young children make it less than a picnic (am I confusing my food metaphors?). But there is one thing I cannot give up. Hummus. Or is it Hommus? I never know.

Here in Texas, I'm continually shocked at how cheap some groceries are. Hummus is one of them. Back home in the footlands of North Carolina, a decent grocer will charge you as much as $5 for a 10 oz tub of hummus, but here in San Antone, the great and illustrious HEB carries several varieties for around $3 for 12 oz. That sounds like a real steal until you realize what hummus is. Chick peas (or garbanzo beans for you city folk), spices, olive oil. Pow. I have a food processor (well technically, I have an attachment for my blender) so I thought I'd give it a go. Turns out that it IS as easy as it sounds like it would be. See how, after the jump.

The Duped Project 2/50: Detergent vs. Soap

Summer

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what got me started on making my own soap. My family has super sensitive skin, and I love to make a gift for someone that they can actually use. Maybe that was it. Either way, last mothers day, I hit etsy.com looking for a supplier for my newest project: Soap for mom.

First I looked at making soap on my own, but making the base for the soap is complicated, labor intensive, and can release some not-so-great fumes, which presented a problem since I was pregnant at the time.

Then I found Lather and Lotions, with a whole array of "melt-and-pour" soap bases that totally eliminated the need for me to do it myself. I also found some spectacular photography of some artisan-quality soap (I've included some of my favorite shots - soap for every season!). I was convinced. I messaged the shop owner, and Christine responded. It was a great customer service experience. I asked questions and told her what I wanted, and she put together a wonderful array of supplies that would include everything I could need - all for less than $10 per gift.

Autumn

I knew I wanted to talk about soap when I did the duped project, so one of the first things I did was contact Christine again and ask her if she would lend this blog some of her great knowledge. Specifically, I asked her what the dupe is in soap. Here's what she said.

"...Commercial soap is a detergent with the glycerin stripped out. That is why commercial soap is so "bubbly" The melt and pour soap I sell is made out of oils and has a creamier, foamier feel to it. It does bubble nicely but feels much richer. "

Spring

She goes on to explain what makes difference. "When real soap is made the lye reacts with the oils to make glycerin. This process is called Saponification. Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin (instead of it just being in the soap), that is why so many people feel a big difference in their skin when using handmade soap. The glycerin creates a thin layer on the skin and is absorbing moisture."

Wait, so when I buy commercial soap, I'm not getting soap at all? I'm getting detergent that has the moisturizing part stripped out of it? No wonder I need lotion.

Winter

And don't just take her word for it. Take mine (after all, you are reading my blog). Last month, I finally replaced my bar soap in the shower (in the middle of winter, when my skin is usually cracking-dry) and not only does it feel better, it makes my skin feel completely different.

Unfortunately, I ran out of soap. Perfect timing! Now I can show you how easy it is. After the jump, of course.

The Duped Project 1/50: Homemade Cornbread

What's the hurry? Well, when dinner's gotta be on in 30, there's always a reason to make things happen fast and easy. In a Jiffy, you might say. Hardy har har. Yeah, sorry about that one. It's a curse.

I grew up with Jiffy in my grandma's kitchen - and the printing on the box is exactly the same as 20 years ago, as far as I can tell. So what's so fast about Jiffy? And what's actually in the magical blue box? 

Well, as it turns out, the stuff that's inside is actually rather wholesome. In fact, it's pretty much exactly what's in cornbread if you make it from scratch, minus the "wet" ingredients (egg, milk and butter) with two crucial exceptions: there are a few preservatives, and it contains animal fat (lard) and/or hydrogenated solids (so that you don't have to have butter on hand when you bake it). Yuck-o. Thank you, but my veins are happier without those trans fats. Let's see what we can do about that.

My dear husband went through a stage a while back when he had some spare time (long since a memory now) of cooking from scratch. There are several "legacy items" in our pantry left over from those spur of the moment trips to the supermarket, including 4 kinds of cornmeal. I'm not kidding. I guess he just kept forgetting he had already bought it. Anyway, this kind was "course ground," which just sounds yummy. And conveniently there was a recipe for cornbread on the back. Game on. (after the jump!)

The Duped Project: An Introduction

The other night, my husband surprised me. We were winding down for the evening, getting ready for that much-anticipated time of the day when both our girls are sleeping and we are still awake. Grown-up time. At this exact moment, one kid was down for the count and the other was getting seriously heavy-lidded, and hubs says, "I have a surprise for you. Guess what we are watching next." Insert a lot of very bad guessing on my part. The answer, as it turns out, was the movie "Julie & Julia," which was exciting for me because I had mentioned that I wanted to watch it a few days prior and hubby had remembered and found it on TV. Can we say brownie points? Atta boy.

So we watched. And because he is the amazing, empowering, encouraging spouse that he is, he says, "You can do that with your blog!" Eh? What's that you say? I couldn't hear you over my own eyes rolling. Excuse me, superman, but I can't do that! She did over 500 recipes in a year! That's, like, 2 a day, most days. I'm lucky if I shower every day.

"Well, what about one a week?"
"Maybe. MAYBE. But what would I do? What would be my goal?"
"Do what you already do. Find ways to do something yourself instead of buying a ready-made product."

Ok, so admittedly I do find a lot of pleasure in doing this. I hate the idea that I have to pay someone exponentially more for something I could have easily accomplished myself. And I relish showing them I am, in fact, highly capable of removing their middle-man tushes from my life. Not that there isn't a time and place for buying a good frozen pizza, for example, but knowing that I could have made the pizza completely from scratch is very satisfying (or maybe that was the extra slice of pepperoni...).

2012 is still a new year, so with 52 weeks in a year, I set a goal for myself: 50 projects in 50 weeks. With one week of this year already gone, my resolution still leaves me a 7 day vacation. Gulp. Can I do it? Sure, why not. I do this stuff already! But what am I going to call this project? Do It Yourself. Over done. Hey I can do that? Too cheesy. Wait, what did hubby say? "So many of the things we do, we do because we don't want to be duped." I like. So here it is. Welcome to the Duped Project, Week 1.

A note on how this will work: If you want to see all the posts on this site for Duped Project, just click the tab at the top. If you want to see them sorted by subject, there's a tab for that too. If you want to follow me, click that button on the bottom. If you want to send me cookies, just let me know, and I will surely make arrangements.

I hope you'll follow me. Maybe I'll have resounding success like Julie did. It was a real story after all. Maybe by the time I ring in the new year again, I'll have fans galore. Or maybe I will just send off my projects into the sunset. I hope not, because that seriously decreases my likelihood of actually finishing this crazy thing. Either way, I will have accomplished my goal. I will have told off those middle-men and all their preservatives and their synthetics and their high-fructose poly-carbonate pre-washed for your convenience bull. That makes me a winner. Right?

I'm crazy to do this. Lordy.