May 6, 2008

Macaroni Salad SupremeMix together and let set in refrigerator for 1 hour so flavors will blend! Enjoy!

 

Frozen Cherry Salad LoafDrain fruits. Let cream cheese stand till room temperature and then beat until fluffy and blend in sour cream, sugar, and salt. Fold in fruits, marshmallows, and pecans.

 

Cool 'N Easy PieStir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Mix cold water and ice to make 1 1/4 cups. Add to gelatin, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove any remaining ice.

 

Easy Meat LoafCombine all ingredients and mix well. Shape in loaf and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 1/4 hours.

 

Easy Red Beans and RiceServe with hot cooked rice and plenty of Louisiana hot sauce. Leftovers taste even better the next day! This serves 4 hungry people.

 

Bread CasseroleRemove crusts from 16 slices white bread. Place 8 slices flat in buttered 9x13 inch pan. On each slice, place 1 slice Canadian bacon and 1 slice sharp cheese. Place 8 remaining slices on top. Mix together and blend well:

 

Mexican-Style Deviled EggsI originally developed this recipe for a Cinco de Mayo's BBQ for last year, and have had friends ask for the recipe. It's yummy, and I hope you enjoy these eggs as we do. This recipe can be made to serve as many as required, but is to serve two with this recipe.

 

Better Vacation PlanningThe time is near to start planning this year's summer vacation. There are some great ways to save on trips such as airfare and pre-season hotel rates, yet there are some things that are worth the extra expense.

 

Make and Freeze Unflavored KooladeWe are all washing out and re-using single-serving sized plastic bottles, right? Even if you never have an occasion to buy such things, your friends will gladly save them for you, if you ask.

 

Baking Soda to Clean Outside of RefrigeratorTo clean the outside of your refrigerator and make it look like new, use baking soda. Take a wet rag, pour some baking soda on it and start cleaning. This cleans the textured parts of the frig, like nothing I have ever seen before.

 

Make Mother's Day Cards On A Dime and In No Time!Kids of all ages love making Mother's Day cards. Even if you're working with a large group of kids, this activity costs next to nothing and is lots of fun.

 

Tile TrivetsPurchase tiles of any shape or size to fit your decor. Purchase packs of cork, or rubber self sticking pads. Put the pads on the bottom of the tile and you have instant trivets/hotpads.

 

Ask Store For Promotional BackdropsIf you're getting married in a bland chapel (let's face it, most are pretty bland), a good way to spruce it up is with backdrops. Sometimes you can get them for free from a store! If you've ever walked by a Pottery Barn window, you may have noticed that they use a lot of large posters.

 

Use Ceramic Tile to Protect Work Surface When SolderingProtect your work table from heat damage with large ceramic tiles. When I'm soldering or using my heat gun, I use a 12 or 18 inch ceramic tile to help protect my work surface from the heat. These large ceramic tiles are resistant to heat, and can be found for under $2 at any Home Depot or hardware store in the flooring area.

 

Use Aloe Vera To Make Eyebrow GelHere is a great idea I found while searching (and searching...) on the net for a way to make my own eyebrow gel. The stuff out now is so expensive! Just mix a tiny bit of aloe vera gel (from the dollar store, of course :) with a dark eyeshadow that suits your brows.

 

Scrap Paper BookmarksMake your own bookmarks as inexpensive gifts using things found around the house. Cut one piece of paper into a 2 inch square. Stamp design onto this paper or stick sticker onto this paper.

 

Minnie (Terrier/Poodle)Minnie is 13 years old. She is a Terrier mix with Poodle. For fun, she likes to follow us around and likes eating carrots from the garden. She is very loving.

 

Make Your Own Cat Box Odor NeutralizerAfter reading the backs of several brands of cat box odor neutralizer, I've found they have basically the same 2 active ingredients BORAX and BAKING SODA. Here's an easy recipe that works to decrease cat box odor: Mix equal amounts of (20 mule team) BORAX and BAKING SODA together.

 

Product Review: Ped EggWith sandal season upon us I have a great tip if you suffer from dry, cracked heels use the ped egg. It is the easiest, fastest way to remove that dead skin from your feet.

 

Making Homemade Strawberry Pie Filling?I make a dessert that uses canned Strawberry Pie Filling. Does anyone know how to make Strawberry Pie Filling instead of buying the canned stuff. It's so expensive!

 

Making Your Own Tofu?Someone asked about how to save money on tofu. It has been 30 years since I last made some, and I have lost the recipe. It was in a book that I no longer have, because I can't digest soy products anymore. I did an email search and found only complicated, exotic-sounding recipes. So I am going to tell you as much as I can remember. It isn't a big deal, but you will have to experiment to get the temperature right. Don't let my vagaries stop you. It only costs the price of a pound of the dry soybeans to try this out.

 

Dealing With An Aging Pet?I have a 14 year old Basset Hound that is suffering from canine dementia, which is very similar to Alzheimer's. At times he is his adorable self. Other times he paces constantly, snaps at me, is withdrawn and is very anxious if he can't find me.

 

Recipes For Fruit Slushes?Last summer I found recipes for frozen fruit slushes on here but I can't find them now. I want to make them in a huge bowl and then freeze them in small containers or cups. I could wing it but I liked all the suggestions out there. Thanks for any help! We are fruit lovers around here.

 

Starting A Bulb Garden?I would like to start a bulb garden. I live in New York, I believe it is in zone 7a. I really want to do as little work as possible because I have to help maintain 4 separate gardens. I would love to plant them and forget them. I would prefer hardy bulbs that I do not have to dig up to replant later on. It doesn't have to be just bulbs, any flowering plant that I will never have to replant will do.