September 23, 2008

Ginger MuffinsBeat together oil and sugars. Add molasses and egg; mix well. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Stir into the molasses mixture, alternately with the water. Fill greased of paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 full.

 

California Blend Vegetable CasserolePut vegetables in oiled casserole, pour soup over them. Melt butter; stir in bread crumbs. Cover soup and vegetables with buttered crumbs.

 

Greek Cinnamon Rice PuddingThis pudding recipe is also delicious and preferred by many cooks because it does not require careful attention, as no eggs are used.

 

Honey-Dijon Pork TenderloinFlatten pork slices to 1/2-inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook pork in oil in batches until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.

 

Homemade Soup NoodlesI think a lot of people are afraid to make noodles, but it'd be hard to mess this recipe up! You just need to start ahead of time. It's fun to measure the milk with the egg shell, feels so 'homemaker-ish'.

 

Blueberry Dessert PieCombine graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar in bowl, mixing well. Press into two 8 inch pie pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. Dissolve gelatin in 2 cups boiling water in bowl.

 

Dirty (Pitbull)Dirty is 6 years old and is a pitbull. We bought him 2 months ago. He likes to play tug of war with my two sons.

 

Old Clothes CraftsThese are just a few ideas of what you can make using the fabric from clothing you no longer wear. What you see is one draft catcher and three pillows/chair cushions.

 

Melting Wax to Cover JamsSome readers have pointed out that using wax for sealing jars has fallen out of favor for food safety reasons.

 

Glamorous Bathroom Wall TreatmentThe walls in my bathroom were not in super good shape when I bought my 100 year old house, they had the old bumpy type plaster. After several attempts at painting, I finally came upon a solution.

 

Use Car Keys for RememberingSo you don't "forget" that important item from work that you want to take home, put your car keys in it or on it. You won't forget the item

 

Advice from Surviving Hurricane IkeHurricane Ike devastated Texas, Kentucky National Guard were deployed to assist. The Louisville, Kentucky area was hit by Hurricane force winds, leaving a trail of downed trees, wrecked homes, power outages and devastation.

 

Changing Washing Machine Hoses to Avoid Floods at HomeI clean clothes dryer vent systems and do a little bit of insulation work. One thing that most people don't even give a second thought is the black rubber hoses on the back of their clothes washer. I can safely say that maybe one out of twenty five homes have the stainless steel mesh hoses.

 

Use Nail Brushes for Cleaning Small SpacesI keep a couple of them by the sink in the laundry room and have found they are great for scrubbing small spaces - a little larger than an old toothbrush and smaller than a traditional scrub brush. They have come in handy time and time again.

 

Memory Gifts For ChristmasEvery year the adults in my family draw names and buy a gift for just one person instead of a gift for everyone. Sometimes we have themes for the gifts. One year we did memory gifts (I saw this one on TV)...

 

Scenery: Glacier Bay, AlaskaI took this picture in Alaska's Glacier Bay this past July. Just looking at it makes my imagination go....

 

Recycled Can for Filling Freezer BagsI just made a discovery and have got to share it. I have been wishing for a gadget to hold my Zip Lock Freezer Bag open while I fill it. I thought about the tin can and went to my recycling bin and pulled out a 28 oz. Hunt's Tomato can.

 

Reuse Prescription Bottles As Plant FillerI am on several different medications and every month I would throw the bottles away, because I did not know of any use for them, other than beading. The other night, I thought maybe they can be used in the bottom of plant jars, along with rocks.

 

Christmas Card With DogsThis was my last years Christmas Card. I made the card using Adobe elements after taking some classes. It was so much fun.

 

Use Small Children's Clothes Hangers for PantsWhen my son was younger I loved the small kid-sized hangers to hang up his clothes. When he grew out of the small hangers and into the larger hangers, I didn't know what to do with them.

 

Preserving Star Fruit?Do you have a recipe for preserving star fruit (star apple)?

 

Device for Finding Keys?I am misplacing my keys a lot. Does anyone know of any device that could help me locate my keys when I can't find them? Something like when you misplace the handset to a phone and you can push the find handset button so you can locate it by the noise.

 

College Grant Advice?Are there any grants or scholarship available for those high school students applying for college who don't qualify under financial need criteria?

 

Getting Raccoons to Leave Neighborhood?How do I get rid of raccoons? We didn't know it at the time, but a neighbor family was feeding some wild raccoons. All we knew is that we had raccoons that were multiplying and becoming more and more curious and aggressive about their search for food. Before those neighbors fed the raccoons, the raccoons stayed up in the hills away from neighborhoods, but now they scour the neighborhood looking for food, getting into the trash, getting into people's garages, destroying things on people's decks, and so on.

 

Blocked Caller Getting Through?Is there a way someone can still call my phone number when I have blocked them? Somehow they got through.

 

Cleaning Oak Chairs?How can I clean grime off of Oak wooden chairs? It is on the top back where we pick them up to move them. It is sticky. I don't want to damage the finish.

 

Wood Treatment That Won't Stain Clothing?I have a vinyl-ish plastic coated metal hook on a wooden dowel stick that is probably 40 years old from a desert climate (Phoenix, AZ). The wood had a finish, but it's showing signs of drying up. I'd like to moisturize or oil it, but don't want the emollient to stain cloth as it is used to pull clothing out of the dryer and washer. Any suggestions?

 

Removing Glue From Silkscreen Image?My daughter got a smear of glitter glue on the (silkscreen) picture part of her shirt. Unknowingly, I washed it, luckily it hasn't been through the dryer. I am nervous about trying the usual glue removal remedies since I think they may damage the decal.

 

Super Glue on Cellphone?My husband accidentally got super glue all over the back of his cellphone where the battery is. Does anyone have any idea what I can use to get this off?

 

Semi-Permanent Room Divider?How do I divide a bedroom, semi-permanent? I have a 13 yr old boy an a 14 yr old girl sharing a 10 x 11 bedroom. I'd like to provide them with some privacy and a quiet space to escape to. Something more noise dampening than a curtain; but ultimately removable, as we are renters. I'm thinking dry wall and some kind of brackets to attached it to the existing wall and ceiling? Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

Discontinued Wallpaper Border: Sweetwater BH52034DC?I am looking for a discontinued border by Sweetwater BH52034DC. Can anyone help?

 

Transplanting Climbing Rose Bush?How and when can you move (transplant) a climbing/trellis rose bush? I don't know the name of it, but it has beautiful, bright magenta roses about the size of a tennis ball when it blooms. We have it at the end of our house but want to move it in order to pour a patio. Any advice is much appreciated!

 

Printing Your Own Wedding Programs?My daughter is getting married. We are wondering if you have to go to a printer to do wedding programs, or if anyone has a way of making them? I do want them to look nice. Is there a special program to do this? Same thing with little cards for the favors. Can you do them yourself or do you need a professional?

 

Raised Water Mark on Wood Veneer Table?How do I remove a raised circle on a pecan veneer table left by a water glass? It is not a white circle.

 

Free Printout of Stratego?Does anybody know where I can get a free printout of Stratego?

 

Toddler Bangs Head During Tantrum?How can I get my 2yr old to not bang his head when he has a tantrum?

 

What Is This Plant? (Locust Tree)Does anyone know what this plant is? It appeared in my flower bed this summer. It has very fragile stems and leaves and has just started to get small yellow flowers

 

Website For Reviewing Doctors?Does anyone have any advice about how to get free information on doctors (such as profile, patient reviews, etc.)? I'm looking for something free and simple just to check out a doctor prior to going to them.

 

Keeping Food Budget Down for Large Family?I would like any info on getting my food bill down to $20.00 a day for 2 adults and 4 kids 13,10,5,3. Is it possible? We will be adopting 2 or 3 more kids (they will be placed with us within 4 months). I need help keeping my food budget down. My husband needs meat. He's in construction. I can get away with maybe 1 meal a week no meat. Thanks.

 

Product Review: Vicks Vaporub?Vicks Vaporub works great on sore muscles and dry skin. I used it for back pain. Also great on dry skin on feet, at night rub in and sleep with white cotton socks. Amazing how soft dry spots become. Be sure not to use on open sores.

 

Recipes Using Soy Milk?I am able to buy soy milk at 30-50 cents a quart (our cow milk is now almost $6 a gallon, so this is a huge savings). My family won't drink it straight (even though it is flavored) but I would like to try cooking with it. Does anyone have any recipes to share that use soy milk?

 

Fixing Electrical Wiring?I need to know how to fix hot/ground reverse on electrical wiring for home.

 

Putting Greeting on Seed Paper Card?Looking through crafts, I found an article about making seed paper by Ellen Brown. I am going to try this, but want to know how to put a greeting on the front of the card?