August 30, 2007

Maple Walnut Ice CreamIn a small saucepan, heat half and half to 175 degrees F; stir in sugar. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes.

 

Sour Cream PotatoesPlace potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

 

Berry Tossed SaladIn a large salad bowl, combine the greens, strawberries, kiwi, onion, feta cheese and almonds. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Drizzle desired amount over salad and toss to coat.

 

Horseradish DipWhile looking for an appetizer to go with my home made pita chips, I ran across this recipe on the Net. Although I haven't tried it yet, it was listed as Family Circle's All Time Favorite and it's really easy.

 

Strawberry Orange SmoothiePlace half of each ingredients in a blender; cover and process until blended. Pour into chilled glasses. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

 

Apple Walnut MuffinsPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease muffin cups or line with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder and soda, spices, and salt. Stir in chopped apple.

 

Fudgy Pudgy CakeIn a small bowl, combine cocoa and hot water until smooth; cool. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

 

Wedding Candy Has Double DutyMake items work double duty. Take personalized candy wrappers and use them as place cards and favors.

 

$40 Bedroom MakeoverBy shopping at thrift stores and making do with what I had, I spent under $40 redecorating my daughter's room. Elly's new room took me two days work, 15-30 minutes at a time, resting about 1-2 hours in between. It took me about one day to put the paint on the walls.

 

Garden ArborThis is a garden arbor my boyfriend built for his mom for Mother's Day. She was thrilled when it was finished. It took him 3 days. He built it from a picture that was in our local newspaper. It turned out beautiful.

 

Avocado And Mayonnaise Conditioner For HairAvocado and Mayonnaise Mask is a very good conditioner. This deep conditioner works wonders on dry and damaged hair.

 

Oriental Trading Company For Birthday GoodiesSince schools do not allow homemade goodies for birthdays and holidays anymore, Oriental Trading Company has various items in their catalog that would be fun to hand out instead of candy or sweets.

 

Use A Butter Knife To Get Rid Of HiccupsTo get rid of hiccups, pour cold water in glass and put a stainless steel butter knife into the glass. As you drink the water, the hiccups disappear almost instantly!

 

Check On Repairing Instead Of ReplacingWhile we have central air conditioning that we primarily use, in summer months. At one time, we only used a "swamp cooler" (an evaporative cooler), but not your basic one.

 

Donkey Ride On The BeachInstead of taking the kids to the funfair on holiday, spend time on the beach with them. A little tent is ideal for putting up and stowing all kinds of things. A donkey ride is just as much fun as many of the kids rides - and a lot cheaper and greener too.

 

Country Wedding BackgroundHere's an eyesore made into a photo op. This ugly storage shed was in the yard where I had my wedding. With some hay bales, country collectibles and fresh cut sunflowers I had a great background for pictures. It tied in just right with my country wedding theme too!

 

Coffee and Dessert Wedding ReceptionHave a Coffee and Dessert reception. This is only a possibility if you hold your wedding at an appropriate time of day (either in the afternoon before dinner, or in the evening after dinner) when you are not obligated to feed your guests a complete meal. We had the following:

 

Have Friends Bring Cookies For Wedding ShowerAt my daughter's shower, I wanted homemade desserts. So when people asked how they could help, I asked them bring 12 homemade cookies. Some of them brought more and I was given fancy trays with doilies.

 

Ideas for Goody Bags and Food for Pamper Party?I am hosting a pamper party for my sister's 22nd birthday. I was wondering what should I put in the goody bags, and also what food to serve. I have 2 friends coming who will be supplying the treatments.

 

Ideas for Different Themes for Combo Rooms?I have a living room, dining room, kitchen combo. We want the living area and the kitchen area to have separate themes. In the living area we want two main colors. greens and browns. The theme in the living area we want is medieval/renaissance. We do not yet know what we want in the kitchen. What is a good way to separate the themes?

 

Yellow Jacket Stings?I was stung 42 times by yellow jackets 1 week ago. All of a sudden, yesterday, the skin started peeling off of each sting. The skin looks burnt. what should I do? it doesn't really hurt, but looks awful.

 

Tips on Getting Kalanchoe to Bloom?I need tips on getting kalanchoe to bloom? I started a kalanchoe plant from a cutting this past winter. The plant is huge and beautiful, but it has yet to bloom. The last time I started cuttings, I got blooms in a few months after they rooted. Any suggestions?

 

Severe Itching Caused by Okra Plants?Every year I have my vegetable garden and I always plant okra, which I love. When I get around the plant and start picking, I start itching like I have gotten into poison ivy. I use long rubber gloves for my hands and part of my arms, but my neck, face and the rest of my body itches so bad....

 

New Vinyl Flooring Not Laying Flat?I need help with my new floor. My husband and I put down vinyl in our kitchen and it is not laying down. We are on a fixed income so there is no way we can hire anyone. Any help would be good. Thanks so much.

 

Ideas for Rascal Flatts Birthday Party?I need ideas for my 7 year old daughter's birthday. She loves Rascal Flatts and wants to have a Rascal Flatts birthday party. Any ideas?

 

Carnival Party for a 13 Year Old Boy?My son is turning 13. I am thinking of turning my whole yard into a huge carnival. Would he be to old for that?

 

Need Ideas for Blank Fabric Canvases for Baby's Room?I am looking for ideas for three blank square fabric canvases. I'd like to do something on them for a baby's room (the theme is jungle stuff and the colors are primary). I'm a little crafty, but not that great of an artist. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

Avoiding Static Shocks on Metal Chairs with Microfiber Seats?We purchased some kitchen chairs that are metal with microfiber seats. I was wondering after we bought them, of course, if these are going to give us static electricity shocks during the winter when the heat is on. Any suggestions to avoid this situation? Thanks

 

Scrapbook for Student Assignment?I've heard about the scrapbooking craze but have not been involved. My 13 year old son has been given a school assignment to create a scrapbook about himself. His instructions were to take each letter of the alphabet and give 2 words beginning with that letter to describe himself. He said the teacher suggested they use buttons "and stuff" to put on it. The project is due in about a week, so I assume it's not expected to be too grand. We've already come up with his words, and I thought about writing them in calligraphy form on the pages. Any quick or easy suggestions out there for what to use for the book/pages, decorating, etc.? Any ideas are welcomed!