August 18, 2005

Chocolate Pan CakePreheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, melt 1 cup margarine; stir in 1/4 cup cocoa, then water.

 

Warm Berry CompoteThis delicious compote can be served so many ways. You can top waffles, ice cream, pound cake, or even cheesecake with it. Top it all off with some whipped cream.

 

Neiman Marcus CakeThis is a delicious recipe using a yellow butter cake mix and several other ingredients easy to keep on hand. I got it out of our church cookbook that was printed in 1987, and I have used it more times than I can count. It is always a hit and so easy to "make and take."

 

Snickers CakePrepare cake mix as directed on box. Pour 1/2 of batter in 9x13 inch greased, not floured, pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt caramels, butter and milk in double boiler.

 

Salad Dressing CakePut first 5 ingredients in bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Mix all ingredients. Bake in 9x13 inch cake pan at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

 

Coffee Cocoa CupcakesCream sugar, shortening and egg together. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt.

 

Rosemary Garlic Mashed PotatoesCook potatoes, garlic and rosemary in a large pot in liberally salted water to cover 25-30 minutes or till tender when pierced with a fork. Remove and reserve 1 cup cooking water.

 

Panhandle Pudding CakeUse a deep oven safe bowl to mix the first 3 ingredients together.

 

Church Decoration - LatticeThis is the decoration inside the front door of our church. We liked it so well that we decided not to change it for my daughter's wedding. Not the same colors but it still looked so nice!

 

Quicker TeaIn our house we don't drink coffee, but we go through iced tea like crazy. It takes so long for water to come to a boil on the stove, so I started making my tea differently. We bought a 10-cup coffee maker which makes tea a lot faster!

 

Soy Sauce SteakI buy a pack of thin cut steaks at the grocery store and cut them up into strips to make soy steak. In a frying pan over high heat, put in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. In a mixing bowl add your strips of steak with some garlic salt, pepper, and about 3 tablespoons of soy sauce.

 

Mousepad for ManicuresA mousepad with gel wrist rest is perfect to support your hand while doing nails. Just don't do it near the keyboard!

 

Tips for Taking Pictures of PeoplePhotography - It isn't about the background, but more so about the subject, so fill your contents with the subject of the photo. If not, the subject might get lost in the background.

 

Single Parenting: Dealing With Dead-Beat DadsMy heart goes out to the innocent children who are dragged into Talk Shows with two cursing, yelling parents letting the world know they have a problem with support for their child. Children have feelings too, and the bitterness only produces frustrated adolescents. Then parents wonder why kids go off the deep end and commit crimes in an effort to get someone to listen.

 

Homemade Birthday BannersI recently recieved a catalog in the mail that had everything you could possibly want for a child's birthday party. But the cost of the stuff was crazy!

 

Scooter (Chihuahua) and Toby (Chihuahua/Min Pin)Scooter is an 8 month old, full blooded Chihuahua. Toby is 1 1/2 yrs old and is a Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher mix.

 

Longer Life For Dryer's Heating ElementTo give your dryer's heating element longer life, take out the lint catcher and clean with dish washing liquid and a scubbing brush. Fabric softner & dryer sheets put a flim on the lint catcher that you cannot see that blocks air from flowing through it.

 

Pasta Bites for BabiesInstead of buying the expensive Gerber pasta bites for my 11 month old daughter, I buy a can of store brand cheese ravioli. I store it in the fridge in a Rubbermade TakeAlong container that I bought at Wal-Mart (two containers were only 98 cents).

 

Be Satisfied with Your PurchaseIf you get a carryout meal, only to get home and it's not exactly what you ordered, by all means, keep your sales receipt. Stop back in and tell the management about your purchase. They'll most likely make it to your liking.

 

Cat in Crawl Space?A young cat has gotten under our house crawl space. I have lured it out with food, but was unable to block the hold before it quickly went back under the house. Any suggestions for luring it out long enough to block the hole?

 

Reupholster a Recliner?I just bought a used recliner. it looks like a mid century modern, it has a label that says it is "Design Environment" N.C. The chair is great except that the straps under the seat cushion have all just fallen apart.

 

Huge Ants?We have recently built a garage. We put slag [cement?] right in front of the garage door and now we have ant problems. I am not talking about normal ants, these ants are huge. Can anybody please help me get rid of these?

 

Randy Reindeer Crochet Pattern?I am trying to locate the randy reindeer crochet pattern. All i know is that it was published in america.

 

Sharpening Paper Shredder Blades?I think the blades of my paper shredder are getting dull. Has anyone ever sharpened theirs?

 

Taking Down Blinds?I was pleased to see the items on cleaning blinds. However, what I want to know is how to take them down!

 

Kielbasa with Cola?I've been trying to find a recipe for kielbasa made with Coca Cola.

 

Color Faded on a Rayon Shirt?I ruined my favorite shirt and tried to buy another one, but they don't sell it anymore. I can't even order it. It is dark purple and made out of rayon. It has a huge light pink spot on it in a couple of places.

 

Navy Blue Streaks on Red Clothing?I would like to know if anyone can help with a laundry problem. I take my red, maroon, and pink clothes to my mother's to wash because when I wash them at my house I get a navy blue streak on them. This has happened to towels, shorts, t-shirts, you name it. We are on well water, and she is not.

 

Dog Licked Up Spilled Grease?My Dog licked up some spilled grease and now has vomited once and acts uncomfortable. What home remedy can I give her or does she need to go to vet?