Super Easy Air Freshener Recipe, Smoked Pork Recipe in Progress....and meeting Neil Gaiman!

So, this past week I was on VACATION, which was really a STAYCATION where we planned to get so much done.... ha, ha, ha!!  I had lofty plans of blogs, and perhaps breaking down and cleaning the house.  I didn't accomplish either of those entirely.  I did however go to Saratoga Springs, NY to see Neil Gaiman on one of his book signing tour stops!

While there they taped an episode of OFF THE SHELF: Authors in Conversation with Joe Donahue
- Neil Gaiman presenting THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE. (Neil Gaiman is on the right)

I'm totally going to geek out for a moment... I was just so excited.  He is such a great writer, and a wonderful speaker.  I love when he narrates his own audio books too, he's just great!  So, my inner fan girl made an appearance, and after waiting in line for a couple of hours I got Mr. Gaiman to sign my copy of his new book, and my Kindle!

Okay, fan girl moment over.... as I mentioned at the top of the blog, I didn't really do any blogs this week, and I felt bad.  So, after a pathetic power push on cleaning, and realizing that my sleep schedule is completely blown and I'm going to be a walking zombie in the morning, I decided to just do a quick blog whilst cooking dinner.  I would have made dinner the main recipe of this weeks blog, but it was a weird experiment that I feel I might improve upon.  Instead this weeks main blog is an air freshener recipe that's been all over the internet and takes only a few minutes to make.  Just because it's so simple, I also threw in pictures and the recipe I made tonight.  If you try it, or have any suggestions, let me know.

RECIPE ONE:

THE LAZY DIVA'S SMOKED PORK AND BRAISING GREENS EXTRAVAGANZA

INGREDIENTS:
Smoked Pork
Braising Greens and Mustard leaves (?)*
2 tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbs. Garlic
1 tbs. Butter.

I cooked the pork for a bit, slapped some butter and garlic in the pan, added the braising greens with mustard leaves (?) and then the Balsamic Vinegar.  Voila!

*There is a question mark because I am part of a CSA, and I get things sometimes and totally forget exactly what the name is... I know the braising greens, just not sure what 'mustard' item they mixed in!

My Husband gave it his seal of approval and said he really enjoyed it, but sometimes I think he enjoys things simply because he didn't cook it!  LOL!  

RECIPE TWO:

THE LAZY DIVA'S SUPER EASY AIR FRESHENER

INGREDIENTS:
Baking Soda
Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil

Pour Baking Soda into a container, slowly add 10-20 drops of Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil while stirring and either add a lid with wholes, or sheer fabric.  Shake it up ever few days to keep it working.  
After about a month or when the scent fades, just make a new one.

In the first version I used a mini mason jar, and added some orange and lemon essential oils.  (I picked these up from a local Arts and Crafts festival the previous weekend.  I'll do a little plug and share their website since their products have a wonderful scent, are affordable, and being in the next state over, their pretty close by and the owners seemed nice in our brief conversation...www.scentastics.com.)  Since I have CRAZY animals, which is why I love and need to use air fresheners, I need to cover them up.  For a more decorative look, I grabbed some sheer fabric I had kicking around and placed this over the jar.  It lets the scent through nicely, and it keeps the critters out of it.  In the past I've used baby jars too, and just pounded wholes in the lid.

In my second version, I did some upcycling of a KFC single serve container.  I just cut a few triangles in the lid and that was it!  It's going to be upstairs in the bedroom, so A) I used Lavender to promote sleep and B) Don't care what it looks like, because no one else is going to see it!  

As demonstrated these are super easy, and you can use pretty much anything to put them in.  If you don't have pets that get into and knock things over, then you don't even need to cover them up!  In a month or so, when the scent is faded, you can pour them down the sink, follow with some vinegar and hot water and clean  your pipes.  Or, sprinkle on your carpets, wait a bit, and then vacuum it up. (A bit of a warning, this can clog up your vacuum over time, so if you do this, be aware you may need to clean it depending on which type you have!)  

(Sorry if some of the photos are a little blurry... had to fight the dying batteries!  My Neil Gaiman picture taking spree really wiped them out!)

As Always, Thanks for Reading!