August 6, 2008

Easy and Cheap Dinner RecipesWith times so tight, I am glad that my family enjoys budget friendly meals. Here are some of my fave recipes that have my families stamp of approval (and they are easy and cheap!). Recipes include: Sausage Goulash, Impossible Vegetable Pie, Company Pasta and The Best "Beefaroni" Ever.

 

Egg CasseroleMelt margarine in medium saucepan. Add flour and salt, stirring until smooth. Add milk and cheese. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly.

 

Almond BarsCream together: 1 cup soft butter, 8 oz almond paste.

 

Sante Fe SoupBrown meat and onion until tender, drain. Add all other ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Top individual servings with grated cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and tortilla chips if desired.

 

Cauliflower-Avocado SaladCombine first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Blend mayonnaise and Italian dressing in bowl. Toss vegetables with dressing until well-coated. Chill for several hours before serving.

 

Cheesy ChowderCook vegetables in butter in Dutch oven until tender but not brown. Add broth and pepper. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Blend milk and flour in bowl until smooth.

 

Creole SteakSpicy, southern seasoning make this steak, veggie and rice dish delicious.

 

Hair Clip OrganizerTake apart a wire hanger. Bend it with pliers into the shape of a head making loops on the side for eyes. Tie the wire together with a few pieces of yarn. Now unravel some yarn. You can wrap yarn around two chairs or someones hands.

 

Use Invisible Thread for Top Machine ThreadIf you sew a lot and do mending or alterations, use invisible thread for the top thread and change bobbins for different colors. You will save a lot of time by not having to re-thread the needle every time you do a different colored garment.

 

Homemade Avocado Deep Conditioning TreatmentHere's a homemade hair conditioner with step by step instructions.

 

Get a Cold Drink Right After You Flush the ToiletIn this hot weather, do you hate wasting water by having to run it so long before it gets cold enough to drink?

 

Chicken Breasts Baked In GravyNot necessarily a new recipe, just one that may get forgotten.

 

Garden Photographs for Winter EnjoymentToday I went outside and was enjoying my garden so much, and I had an idea. I went around with my cell phone and took pictures of my favorite flowers in bloom. I have about 8 pictures that I can use as wallpaper on my phone. These pictures will to remind me of my lovely flowers in the dead of winter. I also managed to get a picture of a beautiful yellow monarch on our butterfly bush. What a treat!

 

Link: SynthaSite.comThis tip is for anyone who has ever thought about making a website, but didn't know how. I lost my little freebie website at ecrafts. I guess the webmasters took it down. At any rate, it has disappeared. I found the greatest place to build a site to take its place. You do not have to know HTML code, and can make a beautiful site.

 

5 Steps to Creating A Landscaping PlanLandscaping around your home can seem like a daunting project-especially if you're starting with a blank canvas. Whether you're building a new house, cleaning up after a storm, or planning a complete renovation of your existing landscape, sometimes the hardest is part about creating a plan is knowing where to start.

 

Garden In OntarioThis is a picture of our garden.

 

Reuse Shower Curtain Rings For Keys or ClothesIf you have left over shower curtain rings, don't toss them. I put two on the hanger that my jackets are on, then hang the matching slacks or skirt, and top, on the rings. It saves time and room in the closet.

 

Rotate Your Kids ToysKeep the toy box fresh and "new" for your kids, and have fewer toys to clean up. You can do this by putting away half of their toys. When they tire of the toys they have out, begin to rotate the toys by putting a few "new" ones out.

 

Use a Bundt Pan For Lasagna PolentaTo make a really good presentation when making "Lasagna Polenta" (recipe can be gotten on line), try using a bundt pan when poring the layers. Use the bundt pan the night before, remove the formed polenta then fill the layers horizontally. Photo is before placing in oven, cheese will melt then cut like a cake.

 

Use Foam Swimming Noodles as BumpersA friend of ours made "bumpers" for a rowboat he had newly painted by cutting up a foam swimming noodle and stringing a pair on some nylon rope.

 

LuLu (Maltese/Shih Tzu)LuLu is 11 months old and a Maltese/Shih Tzu. Lulu was born in August 2007. Through volunteer work that I do, I had the opportunity to visit a home. Lulu and her siblings had been born a few days before. I had been searching for the perfect puppy for my granddaughter, Ashley.

 

Save Grocery Money By Shopping From A Planned MenuI make a monthly menu and create a shopping list from it. I buy only from that list this way everything gets used and there is nothing thrown away (particularly produce because people tend to buy and think they will use) and no buying things that never get used.

 

Eating The Greens On Broccoli?Can you eat broccoli greens, cauliflower greens, and the outer large leaves of cabbage? Has anyone done this and lived to tell?

 

Reviews Of Sleep Number Bed?Does anyone out there have a "sleep number" bed? What do you think of it? Is it any good for reducing severe back pain? Thanks.

 

Composting At An Apartment?Can I use a Rubbermaid barrel for a compost pile? I rent my apartment and the owner doesn't want any contraptions.

 

Using Line Drawings From Craft Book?I have a Christmas craft book with line drawings and I do not know how to use them for crafts. They are nice Christmas pictures like angels, ornaments, etc. and I would like to use them for stockings or cards, but what do you do? They are in heavy black ink but there are pictures on both sides of the paper. Do you just use tracing paper or what?

 

Recommendations For Seed Companies?I am looking for recommendations on what catalogs or companies are good to buy seeds from.

 

What Is This Plant? (Velvet Leaf)What is this plant? It suddenly sprouted up in our backyard by the pool. My kids were eating sunflower seeds out by the pool a while ago, could it be a sunflower seed plant? Thanks!

 

Anyone Tried The "Defiant Child Program"?Has anyone tried the "Defiant Child" program? It's the Total Transformation Program and they say you can turn a kid's attitude around and get back control. I don't get much info from their web site and wonder if anyone has tried this or knows more about it? Thanks.

 

Orchid Leaves Are Rotting?I have several orchids and most of them are doing great. I have one though that one entire leaf turned almost black and mushy and fell off. Now the same thing is happening to the other leaves along the edge of the leaf - a darkening and softening. Other orchids are fine. What could this be?

 

Prepaid Cellphone Coverage In Utah?I'm looking into getting a prepaid cell phone. I'm wondering if any central Utah residents can tell me which prepaids have better signal coverage out here in the Sevier County, San Pete, Fishlake County areas.

 

Low Salt Cookie Recipes?I am looking for a tried and true recipe for cookies that have little or no salt. Looking especially for oatmeal type cookies. They are for my dad who just had a heart transplant and is on a very limited sodium intake diet. Thanks!

 

Tiny, Colorless Bugs That Bite?My house and car are filled with these tiny flying insects that bite. They are barely perceptible to the naked eye and only when standing next to a light and there is a dark background.

 

Keeping Embroidery Threads In Place?I have a bag that is embroidered and the thread is getting caught on items and it is also starting to get fuzzy. Is there anything I can spray on it to hold the thread in place. I thought about hairspray? Would that work? Any suggestions? Thanks!