Artistic Cleaners

Is Carpet Cleaning “Pet Safe”?

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 20:01:00 GMT

As avid pet lovers, we love each and every furry baby we meet at our cleaning jobs! Many households have struggled with cleaning while pups are potty training or as pets get older in age. We’ve dealt with that in our own home for years, so I understand how sensitive this subject is. You want what is safest for your pet, and what is best for your home environment. That balance is SO incredibly difficult! A common question that pet owners ask is this: Are treatments and detergents that we use during our cleaning process are safe for pets?

In short, YES! With hot water extraction (or steam cleaning), the ratio of water to detergent is about 99 to 1 (or less). Similar to the ratio of a bubble bath – the amount you need to fill your tub with bubbles is quite small! Having your carpet fibers regularly deep cleaned is a great way to maintain a healthy living environment for everyone in the house.

SPOTS & ODOR

As trained cleaning technicians, we study chemicals and treatments thoroughly. Pet spots & odor are what we specialize in – targeting the source of the odor, aiming to eliminate it completely, not just cover it up. Sometimes there are harsh chemical treatments needed in order to properly clean (and/or sanitize) the affected area. But unless necessary for cleanliness, we use our own preferred products that are less harsh. Even in those extreme cases where a stronger chemical is needed, the remaining moisture and product are extracted out after treatment. We do this so your carpets are as product-free as possible after we leave, which assists with the drying process.

ALLERGIES

If you’ve got pets AND carpet in your home, a thorough and professional carpet cleaning is recommended every 6 months. Some pets with skin conditions or allergies may be more sensitive than others. In these cases, you’ll want to check with your Vet to see if there are particular products you’ll need to stay away from. Make sure to let your technician know about this before your appointment. In all my years here at Artistic Cleaners, I’ve never encountered a customer whose pet had a reaction caused by the products used in our cleaning. This is because (in most cases) there shouldn’t be remaining product on your carpet after cleaning.

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Grilling Favorites

Wed, 12 May 2021 17:33:00 GMT

I’ve been absolutely drooling over the thought of grilling on the back porch again… I am beyond ready for that sweet smell of grilling season!

Here are a few of our Grilling favorites!

The ‘Sconsin:

You start with Brats, fresh from Lake Geneva Meats. Boil ’em in some beer, then seer on the grill. Slap that baby on a poppyseed bun and top it with fresh, thin slices of onion, green peppers, and cherry tomato. Serve with a side of Cucumber Salad: 3 cucumbers sliced thin (peeled if preferred), 1 small white onion sliced thin, 8-16oz sour cream (depending on how thick you like it), salt & pepper to taste. Let this bad boy sit in the fridge for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.

All You Need Is Cheese:

For this masterpiece, you’ll need boneless, skinless chicken breast. Cut ’em in half and stuff full with the good stuff – Gouda of course! Coat the outside with salt, pepper, rosemary & a bit of onion powder. Wrap it up in bacon and secure it with toothpicks. For the side, you’ll just slice some portabella mushrooms, toss ’em in garlic, parmesan & butter. Fold individual portions into tin foil squares so you can grill these right next to your cheesy chickadees!

Luxembourger:

You’ll need 1/3 lb beef patties (the best ones are from Festival believe it or not). Dose it up with a homemade seasoning mixture: 1tbsp. Paprika, 1 1/4 tsp. Salt, 1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper, 1/2 tsp. Brown Sugar, 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder, 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder, 1/4 tsp. Ground Cayenne Pepper. Smack ’em on the grill and top with Wisconsin Cheddar. Lightly toast some Brioche Buns on the grill, then spread on a pat of Truffle Aioli. A crisp leaf of butter lettuce tops this off nicely. Serve with Dill Pickle Spears, Original Kettle Chips & Deans French Onion Dip. If you want to take this luxurious lunch to the next level, snag some Vanilla Lavender Lemonade from The Sweetspot in Whitewater!

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Auto Fabric & Interior Cleaning

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 16:28:00 GMT

“We Clean It All, Just Call!” Our cleaning know-how covers a very wide variety of flooring, textiles & miscellaneous items. One of the services we provide is detailed Auto Interior Cleaning. We recommend first getting your vehicle detailed by an Auto Detailing service, then bringing it to us for a thorough fabric cleaning to follow.

What Our Auto Interior Cleaning Includes:

Thorough vacuuming of all fabrics
Deep mat & carpet cleaning
Deep cleaning of leather or fabric seats
Spot Removal
Surface cleaning of the entire interior cabin (including but not limited to: vinyl, cubbies, cup holders, electronic screens, door handles & buttons)
Car Wash

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Interior Design: Where To Start?

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 16:29:00 GMT

Achieving a comfortable, welcoming environment in your own home doesn’t need to be a hassle! How do you find items that represent your tastes with the plethora of options in stores? How do you arrange your furniture in a functional way when every space is so different? Start in your home, NOT in the store!

Take space planning into consideration as your first step. Know your room and map it out on paper. Having a solid idea of where your items need to be will give you a logistical footing while shopping. Whenever I start designing in the store , I become easily distracted and make gut purchases that almost never work out in the space!

What to Consider When Space Planning:

Sizing

Get out a measuring tape & write down the measurements of your room. That will be necessary for finding furniture pieces that are the correct proportion for your space. If you’re decorating with an area rug, how big would you like it to be? A good rule of thumb is to make sure the rug is big enough to completely fit under the furniture pieces. I also like placing just the front legs of the furniture on the rug and leaving the back legs on the bare floor. If your rug is too small to stretch underneath the furniture, it’s probably not a good selection!

Purpose

Think about the purpose of the area. Functional decor is ideal in most spaces. If you’re designing an office space, consider dual-purpose shelving which can contribute to the aesthetic while storing necessary work supplies. If you’re struggling with your entryway, consider stylish hooks for coats & purses or a bench with patterned storage bins beneath it.

Light

Consider how the light from the windows comes into the room. Will it reflect off the TV? Will it land in your eyes while relaxing on the couch? Does your space lack natural light? If so, consider compensating with brighter bulbs & fresh plants.

Builder’s Finishes

Pieces like drawer handles & faucets are not permanent pieces! They are actually quite simple changes you can make that will transform your space more than art or cluttering decor.

Know Your Style

Define your look before purchasing. I like to grab booklets & swatches from the paint store while selecting a color scheme. I bring these swatches with me while shopping to properly color coordinate! Make sure to do your research and create a list of do’s and don’t for this style. For example, say I’m creating a rustic chic living room with main colors of blue and orange. My personal Do’s & Don’ts List would be this:

Do’s: gold accents, patterned pillows, weathered wood, genuine antique pieces. Don’ts: patterned furniture, solid woods, industrial piping.

Keeping these things in the front of my mind while designing has kept my head on straight numerous times! I hope it does the same for you. Do you have tips that will help in decorating a home? Post your interior design tips below!

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Cleaning Your Hardwood Floors

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 16:03:00 GMT

Hardwood Flooring is a much-coveted feature in both homes and in vintage designed businesses, but maintaining its beauty can be a bit of a pain! There are 3 methods to keeping your Hardwood Floors in top shape. Regular Maintenance, Intensive (or Deep) Cleaning, as well as Protecting & Refinishing. Let’s talk about why each step is crucial, and how often it is necessary!

Regular Maintenance

Get into a good routine by sweeping once or twice every week.

You guessed it, I’ll be recommending you to sweep your floors on the regular! I know, it’s not the most pleasant task, but it is absolutely essential to protecting the floor from scratches.

Dirt, debris, hair, crumbs, and dust. These are all quite small particles, but also very abrasive and sharp. Have you ever had dog hair lodged into the heel of your foot? Man, that hurts! For your hardwood flooring, those pieces are being scraped, scrubbed, and scuffed along its surface all day ! This causes the finish to wear down, and the wood to be scratched. By limiting the majority of dry soiling, you will decrease the amount of damage that the surface of your hardwood floor takes.

Most homes require weekly sweeping & vacuuming. But for homes with pets, it may be best to do this twice a week!

Intensive/Deep Cleaning

As a general rule of thumb, you should have your floors deep cleaned every 3-6 months. Scrubbing the flooring will not only remove built-up dirt and contaminants, but it penetrates beyond the surface you clean while mopping. A deep cleaning process removes dirt, residue, dust, grease, hair, allergens, and the like.

Since you’re going further into the floor for a deep clean, it’s extremely important to go about it properly. Using the wrong product or method could be damaging! Cleaning and maintaining to prolong the wear of the textiles and furnishings inside your home is important, which is why we recommend hiring educated, professional cleaners for this process.

Refinishing & Protecting

The finish on your hardwood will eventually wear down to the point of needing a full refinish. This step shouldn’t need to be repeated often, usually 6 times throughout the life of the floor, or every 7-10 years. Refinishing will restore a uniform sheen to the floor and creates a beautifully clean look. The protective coating helps to smooth light scratching, which will protect it from further damage and extend the lifespan of the floor!

Another great way to protect natural floors is to use rugs in high traffic areas.

Whether you’ve just installed your natural, hardwood flooring or you’ve purchased a new place with this gorgeous staple, it’s key to understand how different it is from other flooring types. Maintaining it doesn’t have to be difficult!

Have fun decorating with handmade rugs – our favorite local shop is Ginger Blossoms (located in Richmond, IL)!
Get into a weekly sweeping routine, along with regular mopping.
Hire trusted professionals for the deep cleaning at least twice a year, and get it refinished as needed.

With these steps, you’ll be sure to get the most of your wood floors.

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What’s Your Cleaning Personality?

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 23:20:00 GMT

Every time I clean my house, I ask myself HOW on earth I plan on making sure it’ll stay clean this time. For my family, I’ve narrowed down the problem. I wonder how many others have the same issue.

Our Problem:

My husband and I are opposite kinds of cleaners. He’s an “I’ll clean that later-er,” while my line of thinking is “just get it done.” Let’s say our toddler wipes peanut butter on the walls. My husband would say “let’s close the door to this room and go finish what we are doing. Then we can come back and clean it up later.” Meanwhile, I’m having a minor anxiety attack wondering if the peanut butter smell will sink into the drywall or if the dogs will get into it (inevitably make things worse). Now, to some of you, it may seem like the “right” thinking between the two is obvious. But there are actually equal pros and cons to both mindsets!

Him:

His mindset prioritizes the current task, giving more attention to what we are doing. When the situation requires immediate cleanup (ex. a Gatorade spill on the carpet or a big diaper-y mess, etc.), he’ll clean no more than what is necessary so that we can get back to the scheduled program. I love how he gives continued attention to our kids, even when a major mess is made. He can focus, despite messy setbacks. Whether that’s family time, work, or projects – he can commit! However, this dubs the task to a later unknown time, where he will most likely forget it needs to be taken care of until the situation worsens. He may also waste his time redoing what he did before because it wasn’t cleaned fully the first time.

Me:

My line of thinking takes care of things immediately, so there’s no chance of the situation worsening or of forgetting about it. I’d much rather clean up the mess in whole, properly, and completely. That way I don’t have to come back and re-do it later. This mindset allows me to get things done to the absolute best of my ability and maintain my home instead ofspending hours cleaning. One con, I also end up abandoning what I was doing before the mess happened… When I notice the kitchen needs to be cleaned, I will rearrange my entire schedule to make sure it gets done first (whether or not that was really the priority over what was planned). So, my time on some days could definitely be better spent if I took a moment to prioritize.

Moral Of The Story

I thought this topic would be perfect for Motivational Monday! It really emphasizes that there are equal pros and cons to both these mindsets. Nobody can tell you when to clean, or how to make the best decision .

Sure, I hate that my hubby leaves things for “later,” but I admire his ability to stick with the plan. And yes, Josh gets frustrated when I impatiently do something that he was supposed to do, but he appreciates how well I keep up with the house (or try to!).

So, Find Your Rhythm.

Is it easier for you to dedicate a set time for cleaning?

Try finding a 30minute time slot in your day to do the required tidying, cleaning, and organizing. If you’re a morning person, wake up 30 minutes earlier to fix things up before your day. If you’re a night owl, schedule these 30 cleaning minutes before your bedtime routine. For those who work at home, you could do this right after lunch to stretch your legs and refocus.

Do you want to clean up the messes as they are happening?

Allow yourself time for that. Say it takes you 15 minutes to prep lunches – you’ll want to plan on 20 minutes so you have time to clean-up any mess you made while prepping the food. If it takes you 30 minutes to get dressed in the morning, allow for 40 minutes because you might make a mess deciding what to wear or drop a glass of orange juice during breakfast! In essence, plan for your spontaneous tidying and cleaning.

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Are You Vacuuming Wrong?

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 19:47:00 GMT

I know, I know… you’ve been vacuuming for a long time! How could you possibly be doing it wrong? Honestly, it’s very common. Most people have learned how to clean by watching their parents as they grow up, without really learning the proper techniques. This applies to all forms of cleaning, but today we’re gonna re-learn how to vacuum! Let’s kill those bad habits that you didn’t even know you had.

The 3 Keys to Clean Carpet

There are 3 main keys to vacuuming: having proper formation, repeating your strokes, and maintaining your vacuum. We’ll learn how to do each of these things, but most importantly I’ll explain WHY it matters. Knowing why something is important is crucial to the follow through!

Formation

How: Think clean lines! When the room is finished, you should see horizontal and slanted lines across the entirety of the carpet. So, start at the furthest side of the room and work your way out. Line yourself up about 4 feet from the farthest corner of the room, and line your vacuum up parallel with the wall. Tackle a single stroke at a time, about 4 feet long or 3/4 of your height. Make sure to push and pull the vacuum in straight lines, keeping it parallel to the wall with each stroke. When you’re done with one section, make sure to overlap the next stroke about 2″.

Why It Matters: Without maintaining clean lines, you will miss sections of the carpet without even noticing. Vacuuming all areas of the carpet is crucial to thoroughly rid it from the dust, dirt, debris, hair, crumbs and bugs (yes, bugs!). Traffic areas are not the only sections that require vacuuming. It’s true that the most commonly walked on sections of carpet will get the most dirty. That is because the soil grinds into the carpet with pressure and the carpet fibers wear down over time.

However, all areas will get soiled! Think about it… Dust falls EVERYWHERE. When you walk, you kick up dirt into the air and it falls in surrounding areas. Bugs tend to crawl where there isn’t heavy foot traffic. So although only one section of carpet may look dirty, in reality, it all is!

Repetition

How: Go over each stroke 7 times. I can’t repeat this enough…! Forward one, back two, forward three, back four, and so forth.

Why It Matters: It may sound excessive but it’s the amount of suction needed to extract the soiling deep inside your carpets fibers. The suction on vacuums is the whole reason that they work. No matter how powerful your vacuum, repetition is needed.

Maintenance

How: Every vacuum is different, but the maintenance is basically the same. Empty the bag or canister as soon as it is full. If your vacuum overheats of stops working, fix the problem before continuing.

Why It Matters: Without space in the bag/canister, the dirt has no place to go. It cycles back out onto your carpet and you end up exerting yourself for absolutely nothing! Some vacuum bags are a pain to change out, but to be honest there isn’t a point in vacuuming if the vacuum isn’t doing it’s job anyway!

That’s it! Now you’re ready to vacuum, educated with proper techniques. Look at you, all grown up… I’m so proud!

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When Are Chemicals “Necessary?”

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 15:25:00 GMT

Us millennials sure hate processed foods, sulfates, red40, plastics, and oh so many chemicals… for good reason! It’s important to know what is contributing to your health in the atmosphere. Indoor Air Pollution is the root cause of many health problems. This time of year, it is particularly good to re-evaluate what we are bringing into our home since we are about to spend the next few months indoors!

The majority of chemicals in the home come from two places – cleaning products and grocery stores. The good news is, we have control over both those things! But then begs the question – when are chemicals more beneficial than they are harmful? When does it become “necessary” for health to use things that are typically viewed as harmful?

Why Chemicals In The First Place?

Ok, so who decided to put these chemicals in everything? While it had a hugely negative effect on people, there was a reason for that choice, right? Yes!

For example, chemicals in laundry detergents can help them to perform just as well in cold water as they do in hot water, which enables consumers to save both money and energy when washing their clothes. Highly concentrated liquid laundry detergents generate less waste, and they don’t need as many packaging materials. Those pros certainly seem nice! You know, hug a tree and all that. Do these benefits outway the importance of a clear and natural laundry detergent?

That all depends on the user! If you were to trade out your name brand or generic laundry detergent, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets for a no-chem or low-chem detergent and dryer balls – most people would notice a difference in as little as 1-2 months. For us, our daughter’s eczema came to a screeching halt and my daily headaches reduced drastically. It was clear that for our family, the cons of “regular” detergents and fabric softeners far outweighed the pros.

Risk Levels

Fact: Any chemical can be toxic if too much is ingested or absorbed into the body. The toxicity of a substance depends on a few factors, including which way they were exposed to the substance, how long they were exposed to it, and how much of it they were exposed to.

If each person viewed chemicals as what they are – potentially hazardous yet useful substances, I believe there would be a lot less toxicity! Chemicals need to be handled appropriately in order to protect your health. If you follow all the safe handling instructions, there should not be negative effects! If you don’t plan to follow the instructions, then find a product that better suits your needs.

So, who’s to say the risk outways the need? To be honest… only you! The best advice I can give you is to do your research and don’t trust just anyone . The ACI provides a summary of the hazard and exposure data collected as well as a summary of screening-level risk assessment results. So, be proactive by researching the products you purchase and the places you purchase from beforehand.

Case And Point

Health is always a factor when you make decisions for your home. Here are some problems we have had, along with what the least risky chemical choice was for our family. Yes, these are all true stories!

Problem : Something sprung a leak in our home and now mold is growing on the carpet and trim in the basement.

My “Least Risk” Solution : Ventilate the area & mask up – shield our lungs and protect ourselves from the negative effects of mold. Get professional advice and use commercial grade microban – having to rip out our carpet AGAIN later on because we didn’t fully rid the area of bacteria growth is too much of a risk for us. Microban will be the one-time chemical use that can protect us from mold and a potentially failed project!

Problem : I don’t have time to disinfect my counters and I’m worried my little ones will get into the chemical containers (like they do everything else).

My “Least Risk” Solution : Mechanical cleaning with quality microfiber is the quickest and safest way to clean the most surface area! I keep only 1 disinfecting chemical in the cleaning closet. I have it thoroughly researched and it’s tucked away on a top shelf, only for nasty and “necessary” situations (those happen approximately every other month in my crazy house).

Problem : Our cat is stressed and has found an area of our carpet to use as a bathroom!

My “Least Risk” Solution : Temporarily using Vet’s Trust on all affected surfaces, and steam cleaning carpeting as much as possible. Once the cat is de-stressed, we will replace our carpeting with LVP, and replace the trim.

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Why Clean Your Carpets?

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:46:00 GMT

Every so often, people ask me if we are able to keep busy here at work. The answer is always, yes! What keeps us in business is the fact that health will always be a concern. Some don’t realize the impact that a deep carpet cleaning can have on your health. You may wonder, ‘aside from removing spots or stains, why should I have my carpet cleaned by a professional? Especially on a regular basis… I mean, is there really a need for that? Doesn’t the vacuum do a good enough job?’ The facts say no! Vacuuming is essential maintenance for your carpets and your home. However, much like a sponge bath – vacuuming alone won’t reach all the places it needs to!

Five Reasons To Carpet Clean:

Traffic lanes wear down over time. What we carpet cleaners call a “traffic lane” is simply an area of the floor where there is heavy foot traffic, like a hallway or the entry of a room. The heavier the foot traffic, the more ‘wear and tear’ that your carpet takes. You may even see an obvious line of dirt outlining this area. A regular carpet cleaning will revive the fibers, help reduce the impact of wear, and extend its longevity!

Bacteria, dust mites, allergens, and viruses fight to make a home in your carpet. They withstand regular vacuum cleaning, and much like your grown children, require an expert to successfully kick them out.
The condition of your carpet has an impact on the home value.
Bacteria & allergens prosper inside your carpeting. The tight fibers make a warm little home for bacteria, allergens, dirt, dust & dust mites, and even other bugs! Those nuisances contribute to bad air quality, allergies, and health problems, which makes a big difference seeing as your home is, well… where you live!
Odor (even if you don’t think it’s there…) is everywhere. Some odors, like from pets, can be quite obvious and intrusive. But others are subtle and grow with time, making it hard to detect for the home-owner.
Sometimes you forget what color your carpet actually is… It’s more common than you think! Dirt, dust & debris will cover your carpet in a layer of muck, distorting its color. If you’ve had furniture sitting in the same place for a long time, you can look for the color difference yourself! Choose the piece of furniture that has remained unmoved the longest, like a China Cabinet or thick bed frame. Move the piece about 3 inches over (get help for this part, don’t hurt yourself!). If the carpeting looks the same, you’ve done a good job maintaining your carpet! If the difference in color is obvious, just go ahead and call the emergency cleaning line… (just kidding! But, yeah, you need to get that cleaned!)

With all these factors, deep carpet cleaning is recommended every 6-18 months for the average home. Commercial businesses may choose to get their locations cleaned more often depending on foot traffic. When it comes to the health of your family or your employees, there’s no messing around!

Results:

This 1-minute video shows what filters through our equipment on the average residential cleaning. The owners had only just moved in, and thank goodness they got their carpets cleaned, could you imagine breathing this stuff in?? Click here to watch!

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Wisconsin’s Homiest Autumn Recipes

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 19:50:00 GMT

Our WI Family’s Top 5 Fall Recipes

Our family is German, Panamanian, American & French, so we’re quite eclectic! Regardless, the best fall recipes are German and American (that good southern kind of American cookin’!)! If you live in Wisconsin, I’m sure you’ll agree with me. I was hesitant to divulge the recipes at first, but phenomenal foods deserve to be eaten!

I just hate when you search online for a recipe and have to scroll down the blog through someone’s life story just to find what you’re looking for! So let’s skip to the good part, ‘ey?

#1. Grandpa Fred’s Chili

The absolute best thing about this recipe is how well it freezes! In hunting season, my Grandpa Fred would bring home loads and loads of meat. Too much meat! So, he’d make his chili in massive batches and freeze it. Grandpa used different kinds of meat from his hunting trips, but I like sirloin best for this chili. Every time I went to Grandma & Grandpa’s, I’d go shopping in their freezer, always taking home a big bag of chili! Grandpa Fred passed in 2018, but I plan to keep the recipe in the family for many years to come!

Ingredients:

2 large onions, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 14.5oz. cans of diced tomatoes
3 8oz cans of tomato sauce
1 6oz. can of tomato paste
2 4.5oz. cans of chopped green chiles, drained ( I recommend Old El Paso )
3 14oz. cans of Bush’s Chili Beans in Chili Sauce
2lbs ground sirloin ( use fat, coarsely-ground beef, or sirloin)
1pkg McCormick Chili Seasoning

Directions:

Oh, ya know, just use your big ol’ stew pot and cook it up real good. If you don’t have one, get one – it’ll be worth it. You could also use a big cast-iron pan and a crockpot. Now, if you don’t own those… you don’t belong in the kitchen anyway.

Sautee the garlic ‘n veggies until tender.
Add yer seasoning and meat. Brown the beef. You could drain some of the fat if you want, but why would you want that?
If you’re using a stew pot, dump in the rest. Cook on low for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. If you’re using a pan, now is the time to dump everything in the slow cooker. Cook on low up to six hours.
Add your favorite chili toppings and dig in! I like shredded cheese, sour cream, a few diced raw onions, and Townhouse Original Crackers. Yum!

#2. Creamy Skillet Cornbread

The only way to make cornbread is the southern way… and with cheese, please! Would the southerners approve of my Jiffy Mix??

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 8.5oz boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 14.75oz. can cream-style corn
4oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425. Put the vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet and keep it in the oven while it’s preheating.
Combine the butter, eggs, Jiffy Mix, buttermilk, and corn in a large bowl.
Once the oven is preheated, remove the hot skillet from the oven. Carefully pour the batter into the skillet, without splattering the hot oil! Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 15-25 minutes.
While that’s baking, cut the cream cheese into small pieces. Once the bake time is up, pull out the skillet. Sprinkle the cream cheese cubes and shredded cheese evenly over the top.
Bake for another 5-10 minutes. Serve warm!

Tip:

Bake until golden brown and just until the edges of the cornbread start pulling away from the edges of the skillet.

#3. Dessert-Is-A-Side Dish (Sweet Potato Casserole)

Louisiana is home to the BEST food in America, hands down. I found this recipe while traveling in NOLA, and I’ve never been more obsessed with food! Despite all the sugar, I swear, this is a side dish! Don’t go skipping dessert just because you had some of this sweet, sweet potato casserole. That’s just not the way to live your life…

The Crust:

1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup chopped nuts (preferably pecans)

Sweet Potato Mix:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 egg, well-beaten
1/4 cup butter

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the crust and set it aside.
In a separate bowl, combine all sweet potato mix ingredients thoroughly. Make sure to follow the order listed.
Butter a baking dish and pour in your sweet potato mixture.
Sprinkle the crust mixture evenly over the top.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I know it smells delicious, but make sure to let it sit for another 30 minutes before serving!

Tip:

You’re gonna want to make at least 2 batches of this. When you’re at the store, get enough ingredients to bake a casserole every week in October!

#4. One Hot Apple-holic Punch

White wine, spices, and that sweet aroma of hot apple! Wine not?

Ingredients

4 cups apple juice
2 sticks cinnamon
5 whole cloves
1 cup of sugar
1 bottle of white wine
Optional: (1/2 cup brandy)

Directions:

Combine apple juice, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar in a pot. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer just a little bit longer.
Just before serving, remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Add the brandy, and drink responsibly!

#5. The Jammin’ Goat (Grilled Cheese)

Obviously, there’s a cheese recipe in this mix. I’m a born and raised Wisconsinite! To do this recipe justice, use a cast-iron pan, get freshly baked sourdough from a good bakery near you, and for goodness sake, get the good cheese!

Ingredients

Sourdough Bread
Goat Cheese
White Goat Cheddar
Butter
Briar Patch Jam
- NOTE: This Jam is a combination of Black Raspberry, Blackberry, and Raspberry Jams. We get it from Barb’s Garden & Pantry Jams, which sells at Farmers Markets in IL & IA. They also sell online, but you could swap it out for a different brand of blackberry jam from wherever you shop!

Directions:

Heat up your cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
Cut the bread into thin slices, approximately 1/3 inch. Lightly butter one side of each slice.
Grate the cheeses and mix them together: 1 part Goat Cheese, 2 parts Goat Cheddar.
Once your cast-iron skillet is warm, place 2 slices of bread on the pan, butter side down. Once the butter on the bottom side is all melted, and it is a light golden brown, flip it over.
Sprinkle the cheese mixture on both slices of bread. Wait until the bottom side is golden brown and the cheese is melty. Then, carefully fold the slices together and press down with your turner.
Plate the grilled cheese. Using a butter knife, spread 1 scoop of Briar Patch Jam on the top of your grilled cheese. Enjoy!

Tip:

Grilled cheese is best cooked slow. Keep the skillet on medium and be patient while that cheese melts! There are no measurements to this recipe because there can never be enough cheese. Just pile it on there until it starts falling off, then you’ve got it!

Happy Fall & Happy Cooking!

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