June 4, 2009

Mushroom Barley SoupI'm a mushroom and barley lover. Very tasty. In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook the leek, celery and garlic in oil for 2 minutes.

 

Complete Meal in One DishThis recipe provides a meat, vegetables, and a grain, so the food pyramid is pretty much covered. If you'd like to make it 8 layers, sprinkle some grated cheese on top for the last 15 minutes of cooking time. Then you'll have the dairy part of the pyramid covered.

 

Cooked Potato Salad DressingIt is by far the best potato salad dressing I have ever used. It is tangy and sweet and just takes a few minutes to cook and it is well worth it.

 

Huevos RancherosIn heavy skillet or Dutch oven fry the bacon. Remove bacon and reserve drippings. Saute' onion in the bacon drippings until clear. Add peppers, stirring often.

 

Applesauce BrowniesCombine all ingredients and mix well. Put in greased 17x11 inch pan. Sprinkle topping ingredients over brownie mix and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

 

Cajun Pork RoastCombine all seasonings and rub well all over the surface of the roast. Place roast in a shallow pan and roast in a 350 degree F oven for about 1 hour or until internal thermometer is 155-160 degrees F.

 

Sweet Potato PuffsIf potatoes are unseasoned, add salt and pepper. Add beaten egg. Form in balls with marshmallows placed inside of each ball.

 

Pecan and Cranberry PieOne of our family favorites. not only delicious, but very pretty. Combine all ingredients. put in unbaked pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 minutes.

 

Keeping Track of Email CouponsThis suggestion is about received email coupons for restaurants and grocery stores. To keep better track of which to use up first due to expiration dates, I forward them to my email addy with the name of the restaurant and the expiration date in the subject bar.

 

Blue Glass Maiden StatuetteThis modern looking statuette seems to be made of glass beads, but it's actually Styrofoam at the core. This keeps the statuette cheap, easy to make, and light enough to put anywhere.

 

Mother's Day GardenFor Mother's Day 7 years ago, my husband and sons picked several rose bushes to plant for me in my "Mother's Day" Garden. It has bloomed beautifully since then and it was great to have all 4 sons and my husband work together on a project for me.

 

Drought Tolerant VegetablesThere is a growing movement among gardeners to be more water wise about what they plant. Here are some common edibles considered drought tolerant, and some tips that will help you conserve water when the weather turns dry.

 

Raised Beds Deter Carrot FliesA carrot fly can only get to a height of about 1 to 2 feet. If you raise a bed to that level, and then plant your carrot seeds in, they cannot get to them and you will have perfect carrots every time.

 

Building a Sleeping Loft in a ClosetWe have a little girl that stays with us most every weekend and school breaks. She likes having friends over sometimes and we needed another bed in the room with her without taking up a lot of space.

 

Prepare Your Freezer for Hurricane SeasonEach year preparing for hurricane season, I fill plastic containers (ice cream buckets, milk jugs), with water to freeze. Should we lose power, the ice can be used to refrigerate food and drinks while the other containers help keep the freezer cold.

 

Disposable Diaper TipsAs a mother of two and one due in a few days, I've used many diapers. Huggies seem to work the best. However they are one of the most expensive brands.

 

Scenery: Nevada SunsetI was pulling weeds out of my yard. The sun was setting and I grabbed my camera to take this photo..

 

Slow Video DownloadI have dial-up and AOL 9.0 version. I have Vista Home Premium. My videos from the web are so slow. They start, stop, start, stop. I cannot afford DSL or cable. Is there something I can do to make the video process go faster.

 

Use Brown Yucca Leaves as Sturdy StringI use the browned leaves on yucca plants to tie up things in the yard such as staking up iris plants or fastening together yard furniture to keep it from blowing away. They are very sturdy and freely available if you have yucca plants.

 

Use Pewter to Defrost MeatsAny type of solid pewter platter or tray can be used to quickly thaw even the thickest cut of meat, including roasts and Boston butts. Just set the meat on the platter and let it do all the work.

 

Save Money on Prescription DrugsWith the economy these days prescription costs are just one more thing people worry about. Did you know that you can pay a reasonable price on many of the most needed medications if you just do your homework?

 

Don't Procrastinate, Get That Cleaning Done!If you try to wait to clean, you shouldn't. Just get it out of the way so you can hang out with friends and family. Also, don't yell at your kids if they don't want to clean, because you remember being a kid don't you?

 

Managing Backup on My ComputerOnce my computer started automatically jettisoning information. The only way to stop it was to quickly press the OFF button. When this started, I hired a computer repair person to take a look at it.

 

Vegas (Siamese) and Reno (Siamese Mix)In this picture, Vegas was maybe 1 and Reno was 6 months. Vegas is a Seal Point Siamese and Reno is a mix breed with some Siamese in him. They are both male.

 

Making a Space Saving Kitchen Table?Does anyone have an idea or instructions for making a space saving kitchen table that attaches to a windowsill, maybe folding under the window?

 

Window Won't Open?I have a window I can't raise because it is stuck. What can I do to get it up?

 

Other Uses for Pierced Earrings?I have a lot of earrings that I don't use any more. What kind of a craft can I do, to use up the earrings and not throw them away?

 

Restoring Old Furniture Finish?Our bedroom furniture is over 50 years old and has never been refinished, just dusted with Pledge. Any suggestions on how to get rid of "sticky" and dull finish without completely redoing pieces?

 

Freezing Potato Water for Later Use?My favorite bread recipe calls for potato water. Has anyone tried to freeze potato water for a later use, such as an ingredient in homemade bread?

 

Powdered Substitute for Hot Sauce?I love hot sauce, especially the Tabasco brand. I'm looking for a powdered substitute, that comes in a shaker type bottle like seasoning salt. Any ideas?

 

Restoring a Washed Mohair Rug?Help. I've washed a mohair rug and ruined it. Any ideas about how to restore it?

 

Animals Made from Seashells?I am looking for ideas for animals made with seashells.

 

Detergent Too Sudsy?I am sick of the amount of suds the new concentrated detergents produce. I have cut the liquid down to nearly nothing and still have a mound of suds in the rinse cycle and feel the need to run that cycle again. Any suggestions?

 

Reusing Nestle Nesquick Containers?Does anyone have any ideas for recycling Nestle Nesquick Strawberry Mix containers. I use a lot of the the 21.8 ounce size and it is very difficult to throw them away. I appreciate any suggestions. Thanks. Diane

 

Puffy Eggs Prepared in a Double Boiler?Good Day. As a young girl, my mother use to make a puffy type of egg dish in the double boiler. I know it contained egg, milk or cream, but that's all I remember. The eggs were light as feathers and such a treat. Would love to find a recipe. Thank you.

 

Cleaning a Porcelain Baking Pan?How do you get burned food off a porcelain baking pan?

 

Arborvitaes Turning Brown?My arborvitaes are turning brown. Any ideas?