March 18, 2008

Double-Decker DeliciousBelieve it or not, summer will be soon coming, and this is the greatest dessert to serve and eat. Prepare and bake brownies as directed on package using the oil, water and eggs. Cool completely in pan.

 

Using Amchur (Amchoor)Amchur is made from unripe sun dried mangoes, which come in whole or powdered form. This spice is used in many Indian cuisines. Amchur is similar to lemons in flavor, but a bit milder, it adds a tart, sour taste to dishes.

 

Barbecue Beef or PorkBring to boil and simmer for 3-3 1/2 hours. Could put in crock pot for 6-8 hours. Could use sauce on ribs.

 

Microwave Hawaiian Ham BallsCombine meats, crumbs, egg, milk, chives, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Form 1 inch diameter meat balls. Place on cooking grill. Cook in microwave on full power for 5 minutes.

 

Honey Lemon Herb ChickenCombine all ingredients except chicken. Brush half sauce on chicken. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until thoroughly cooked, brushing on remaining sauce halfway through baking time.

 

Apricot Pecan SaladDissolve gelatin in boiling water. When slightly thickened, combine with other ingredients and mold as desired.

 

Squash DelightCook, drain, cool and mash squash. Add rest of the ingredients. Top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

 

Cherry Chocolate Biscuit BakePreheat oven to temperature given on biscuit tube. Put pie filling in a baking dish or pie plate (glass works best). Sprinkle with chips. Quarter biscuits, sprinkle over mixture.

 

The Cost of Buying a New Car"Take cars, as another example. Say you put $4,000 down to buy a new car worth $24,000. You finance $20.000. Say you are charged 10 percent interest for 48 months. Your monthly payments are $507.20. You have paid not $20,000, but over $24,000.

 

Clothespins for CampingWell I have a strange tip, but a good one. My husband and I camp. We had bags open with food in them and had forgotten to bring things to close them with so I grabbed a couple of clothes pins the kind with the spring you squeeze to open. They are fantastic, work great and the nice thing is that they are cheap.

 

Scenery: Thieving DeerMy pet thieves? Notice the deer shaking the bird feeder to empty onto the ground?

 

Easter JarsThese are little Easter jars. The first was filled with preserves and the other with spaghetti sauce. I got a dollar stamp from Michaels and some spring paper and made these jars for Easter for the grandkids.

 

Great Low-Cal Frozen TreatIf you're watching your weight but have a craving for chocolate, try freezing several of the Yoplait brand yogurt "Whips". This type of whipped yogurt has lots of air whipped into it so when you freeze it, it comes out fluffy and tasting just like ice cream.

 

Candy SharingIf you only have a few Easter baskets to make you either end up with a lot of leftover candy or your baskets don't have a good variety. To fix this, ask a friend if they are interested in "candy sharing."

 

Using Last Year's CalendarLast year's calendar makes a great chore chart or reward chart for young kids. For example, to motivate a child for potty training, let them put a sticker or draw a star in one of the boxes each time they use the toilet. When they have filled up a month's worth of boxes, they get a prize.

 

Plastic Egg BunnyYou'll want to make lots of these cute bunnies from those inexpensive plastic eggs. Great project for kids. Cut a heart shape from the fun foam for the feet. Glue the egg to the feet with the point in the back.

 

Craft Project: Easter Deviled Eggs TrayWhen we do dyed eggs for our grandchildren I always end up making deviled eggs to go with our Easter ham or leg of lamb. I love to set a beautiful table so I decided this year I was going to try and make myself an elevated egg stand.

 

Family Photo: "Nanna, whatcha doin'?""Nanna, whatcha doin'?" This is four of my grandsons "helping me" write my articles for Thrifty Fun.

 

Skwiskwis, Charlie and Venom (Shih-Tzu)Charlie is a year and a half, Venom is almost 2 and Skwiskwis is 12 days old. They are Shih-tzus :) We got Venom when he was a baby, and Charlie we got a few months ago. We rescued her from a family that malnourished and abused her. And Skwiskwis is their new baby. The only one out of 8 that survived because the vet messed up :(

 

Boxes From Bottled Water To Prevent Paint SpillsI buy small bottles of water by the "case". Our water comes in a shrink-wrapped, cardboard box. When we open it, we only poke a small hole in the plastic, on the front-side of the box, just big enough to reach your hand in to take out a bottle. When we've finished all the water, I'm left with a cardboard box with a plastic covering that goes over and under the box.

 

Automatic Dishwashers Save WaterMany people don't realize that dishwashers actually save hot water and save money. You will notice that a dishwasher cannot hold much water. Washing dishes by hand uses much more hot water that what can be held in the bottom of the dishwasher.

 

Keeping Your Stove Looking NewAs a Virgo, things seem to keep newer looking longer; my electric stove is at least 12 -14 years old; my secret? Soak all the knobs and wash well, wash back panel of stove with a good all purpose cleaner, and then apply a good coat of Sonofagun, (for car dashboards) or Armorall, wow, like new!

 

Baseboards in a Red Room?Do any of you have advice on baseboards for red rooms? I painted my family room Ralph Lauren Duke Red (5 coats over pink primer - agony!). My floor is travertine tile. I have two sets of stairs into the room; both are varnished oak. I am seriously confused about baseboards.

 

Appraising Inherited Rings?My husband inherited some rings from his mother. She had small fingers so the size doesn't fit me, and there is no other family member left. I would like to sell them but the cost of appraising is $85 per ring at the jewelers in my neighborhood. The antique stores scare me because I don't know if I can trust them. I not even know if the diamonds are real or how old the rings are.

 

Game Ideas For a 'Messy' Party?I'm having a very messy party but the only problem is I can't think of any messy games. For example, slime slides, paint fights, etc. If you have any ideas please share them, it would be terribly helpful. Thank you.

 

Liquid Potpourri Concentrate?Where do you obtain your liquid potpourri concentrate? I cannot find it in my area. Thanks for an answer.

 

Plants That Produce Unusual, Distinctive Seed Pods?I have a local friend who farms and she is interested in branching out into growing everlastings, but she is looking for plants that produce unusual, distinctive seed pods. She is not looking for seeds so much as the names and recommendations of plants to try. She makes arrangements and wreaths and so forth mostly for the fall and Christmas season. Thank you.

 

Using Terramycin Powder Instead of Ointment For Cat?I have a cat with an eye problem, she has had for a long time. I have taken her to the Dr. several times for it and it always comes back. She was on terramycin ointment. I bought some terramycin powder when she ran out of it, I just am not sure of how to give it to her. Any suggestions?

 

Using Color Stripper to Fix Bleached Shirt?I was just hoping someone can help me. I damaged a navy shirt with bleach, now it has red blotches all over it. I was thinking of stripping the color with a color fabric stripper hoping the remainder of the shirt where it is still navy will become red. Will this work? If so what type of color stripper would I use and where can I purchase this?

 

Removing Smoke Smell From Wood Table?I recently received a solid wood dining room table that has survived a house fire. Any ideas on how to get the smoke smell out?

 

Degreaser On Windows?My son put degreaser on my windows and glass door. Now they are very badly smeared. I tried vinegar, baking soda and dawn dish detergent. It didn't help. Any ideas?

 

Calming Spray For Cats?Can anyone recommend a calming spray for cats that works? Or even a recipe so that I can make my own. This would be for spraying rooms, carpeting, etc. - NOT the cats! We adopted a male cat (approx. 6 yrs. old) a little over a month ago. Our two females (11 and 6) are still not totally accepting of him. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Spray Painting a Recliner?I would like to know if I paint a reclining chair with floral spray paint will the paint rub off on clothing? Thanks.

 

Cleaning Artificial Calla Lilies?I have a bridesmaid bouquet from my sister-in-law's wedding. It's calla lilies. They have this almost velor-type nap to them. The problem is that we had a couple of flies get in the house every once in a while last summer and they loved that bouquet.

 

Making Solution Used in Braun Shaver Cleaning System?Does anyone have a formula for the cleaning solution used in the Braun Electric Shaver Self Cleaning System?

 

Recipes Using Pine Nuts in Cookies?I need recipes using pine nuts in cookies or hard biscuits.

 

Stove Top Recipe for Rice Pudding?I need a simple stove top recipe for rice pudding.

 

Using a Deluxe EZ Bowmaker?Does anyone have instructions on how to use the Deluxe EZ Bowmaker? I recently purchased one at the local Goodwill but it did not include instructions.