Facebook share test: clean microwave

I'm sure you see them all the time....those facebook post that tell you "share this so it saves to you wall!" it's either a recipe or fun, easy trick. I got one on my newsfeed today, about cleaning your microwave. and I thought..."hmm...not a bad idea..." because THIS is my microwave:

yuck....

Lots of left overs and four growing boys to feed...along with a full time job for each parent, endless loads of laundry, and a house that just won't clean itself...the microwave never crosses my mind. Until I saw that facebook post tonight and took a peek. gross. So this is the facebook post going around:

"CHECK this out!! We all know the microwave can get out of hand!! Who loves to scrub that bad boy?? NOT THIS GIRL!

Try this! --- SHARE IT TO KEEP IT ON FILE!!!

1 c vinegar + 1 c hot water + 10 min microwave = steam clean! Totally works. No more scum, no funky smells."

Well, this girl, also, does not like to scrub anything...so I grabbed my pretty pyrex cup and measured out the water and vinegar and let 'er rip for 10 minutes:

After the 10 minutes timer beeped, I grabbed some paper towels. And indeed, while it didn't come out perfect like the photo showed, it was pretty close. And everything came off easy, just a quick wipe down!

Much better....

I had put aside the hot cup of water/vinegar mix, so I dipped my paper towel in to wipe off the pesky remaining spots. Came off easy--took no more than 5 minutes! I'd guestimate about 3.5 minutes, tops. Not bad for a microwave that hasnt been clean in at least a year and a half...good call, facebook....

More pork: honey glazed!

I tweaked the last pork recipe I posted a few weeks ago. I defrosted pork last night to cook today, and as I was taking it out to cook, I decided I wanted something different. So I took out the honey and poured some onto each slice of pork. I sprinkled with thyme, like I did last time. I cooked at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. For a side, I cooked fresh pea pods straight out of our garden! In a skillet on the stove top, I heated up about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and poured them in. I heated them for about 4 or 5 minutes, while moving them around a bit. We had a very good lunch! It was very satisfying to have contributed to the meal by picking veggies out of a garden instead of buying at a store. :) I can't wait for my green beans, tomatoes, and pumpkins to grow in!!!

ingredients! :)

finished product!

Peanut butter m&m Cheerio treats!!

We just recently were given two huge box of generic cheerios. I had just bought 12 boxes of the "good stuff" (cinnamon toast crunch, reeses puffs, trix....ect). How was I supposed to feed a bunch of kids under 6 cheerios while we had all this good stuff? I started by giving them bowls of half cheerios and half yumminess. Then my baby sister suggested on facebook "make cheerio treats!." I've never even made rice krispy treats, but I was up for a challenge if the result was yummy! Here's what I used:

1 bag marshmellows

3 tablespoons of butter (I used the real stuff!)

5 cups Cheerios 

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup white chocolate m&ms (these I got cheap at easter, you can use any kind!)

Special ingredients!

I melted the marshmallows and butter together in the microwave for a minute and a half. I was paranoid about burning the marshmallows since I had never done it before, so I pulled them out and stirred every thirty seconds. When it was melted, I added the peanut butter in and stirred until it was blended.

omnomnom!

Then I just mixed in the cheerios and m&ms

and using a spatula, I scooped it into a greased 9X13 glass pan. I spread it even, making sure to press it into the shape of the pan so they would be even when I cut them out.

I put it in the fridge for a few hours. The result?

SUCCESS!!

As a side note, I would love to try this with honey nut cheerios! I have the new medley ones in my "snack closet"....maybe those next?? so many options!!