January 25, 2007

Cherry-Banana CakeCream the sugar and shortening until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, eggs and bananas. Sift the dry ingredients, combine with the cherries, and add alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition.

 

Cheese FillingCombine these ingredients and beat until smooth. This makes a light and fluffy filling that serves wonderfully well to put between layers of brown bread when 3 layer party sandwiches are being made.

 

Leftover Ham Potato SoupI made this with leftover ham, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes from Christmas. It would be a good Easter leftover recipe too.

 

Thai Basil ChickenThis is my re-creation of my favorite Thai takeout recipe. The fish sauce is the key to making it taste authentic. Tiparos is the best brand I have found. If you want, you can substitute soy in its place but it won't have that tangy Thai flavor.

 

Imperial SaladCombine lemon Jello and hot water. Stir until dissolved. Add pineapple juice (with water to make 1 cup, if needed). Stir in vinegar and salt. Cool slightly. Add remaining ingredients. Turn into slightly oiled mold and chill until firm.

 

Dutch Apple PiePeel the pastry and line pie tin. Peel and cut the apples into eighths. Mix 1/2 cup of the sugar with the cinnamon and mix with apples; spread into pastry. Sift remaining 1/2 cup sugar with the flour.

 

Hot Dog Bun SandwichesMix all ingredients together. Hollow out the center of a bun, pack with filling, and put top back on. Wrap each bun in foil. Place on cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degrees F oven for 20 minutes.

 

Department Store Bags for Laundry OrganizingDon't throw away those department store handle bags. Store them in your linen closet and use them to carry the various loads of wash to the laundry room and then put the clean clothes back in them to carry them to the areas in the house where the items are stored.

 

Verizon's Poor Customer Service Earns Sniveling Ninnie AwardWe've been having problems getting our newsletters to Verizon subscribers for months. We had problems before, it was fixed for a few weeks, then they stopped delivery again.

 

Grow Your Own MushroomsStudies have shown that when Shiitake, Oyster, and Enoki mushrooms are eaten as part of our regular diets, they can lower cholesterol, moderate blood sugar levels, reduce stress and enhance our immune systems.

 

Maggie the Cat (Calico)Maggie the Cat (Calico). Maggie is a 3 year old Calico Cat. A friend gave her to me when she was a kitten.

 

Do-It Yourself Liquid Fertilizers & TeasOne of the fundamental principles of organic gardening is to "feed the soil, not the plant." The idea behind this concept is that if you start with healthy soil in the first place, you won't need a lot of additional fertilizers.

 

Recycle Old Clothes As Quilting SquaresWhen I no longer need an item of clothing, I cut it apart at the seams and use the pieces to make quilt squares. I only use 100% cotton, that has been washed many times and will no longer shrink.

 

Recycled Fruit Nets For Scouring PadsI like to recycle the red nets that fruit comes in sometimes and use them as scouring pads. They work great in scrubbing your kitchen sink out with baking soda, as a pan scrubber, and are even good at scrubbing stickers off items!

 

Allergy AlertsIf you or someone in your family suffers from allergies, both Nasonex and Claritin have allergy alerts that tell you the level of pollen in your designated area and even what they are.

 

Houseplants That Are Easy to GrowWhat houseplants would be easy to grow? I have a little sun exposure, and I have not had good luck with plants. They always die, except for aloe vera.

 

Downloading Audiobooks From The LibraryI am an avid reader, but with not a lot of time to read, I have turned to recorded books on tape or CD. I always had a difficult time getting things back on time. I learned that my library now has a web site for recorded books that I can download to my computer.

 

Mulching Azaleas?I recently replanted azaleas that are approximately 2 years old. Should I leave the leaves that have collected around them for extra insulation or remove them all and just mulch them real good?

 

Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet)?Do you happen to know the name of this plant? Common and/or scientific would be great. However, I'll take whatever you can give me.

 

Low Income Apartments in North Carolina?How do I find an apartment in NC to rent on my social Security supplemental income? I am younger than 46 and I am widowed. I have 2 cats.

 

Lava Bonsai Plant is Withering?Lava Bonsai Plant is Withering. My lava bonsai plant in withering up, is it too cold?

 

Is their a plant that repels all bugs?Is their a plant that repels all bugs? There isn't one specific plant that will repel all insects, but in general, strong-smelling plants seem to work better than odorless plants.

 

Droopy Peace Lilies?I just repotted my peace lilies and now they are very droopy, what can I do?

 

Red Lion Amaryllis Advice?Red Lion Amaryllis Advice. My husband gave me a Red Lion Amaryllis as a pre-X-mas gift. It did bloom and 1 bloom has died, at the lower end of that bloom there is a bulb thing.

 

Storing Tools in an Apartment?Any ideas on where/how to store "garage type" items (tools, drills, staple gun, spackle, electrical supplies,etc) when you live in an apartment and have no garage?

 

Mold on a Tablecloth?I had a New Year's Eve party and l did not wash straight away because it was raining for a few days so my cotton tablecloth with a design on it now has mould on it.

 

Snakes In a Crawl Space?Does any know how to get a snake out of your crawl space under house?

 

Locating Salvage Stores?I am interested in opening a bent can food store, plus health and beauty aids. How can I find these salvage suppliers?

 

Cracked Biscuits?My biscuits have cracks on top of them. What am I doing wrong? I use White Lily flour, crisco shortening and buttermilk.

 

Sock Bunnies?I am looking for directions for making stuffed animal bunnies out of infant/toddler children's socks. I lost the directions.

 

Bamboo Fabric?Does it itch, pill, machine wash, fade, last a long time? I saw something made out of it on the internet (can't recall where) and it sounded interesting.

 

Dry Erase Marker on Wood?What can I use to remove dry erase marker stains from wood?

 

Doing Sit Ups Without Straining Your Neck?When doing sit ups, how to keep from straining one's neck?

 

Engaging Core Muscles When Exercising?How do you know you are engaging core muscles when exercising?