August 27, 2009

Brussels Sprouts SkilletIn large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring often until onion is softened. Add green onion and red pepper. Cool until tender.

 

Mom's Soft Raisin CookiesCombine raisins and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes; remove from heat and let cool. (Do not drain). In a mixing bowl, cream shortening; gradually add sugar.

 

Blue Cheese Lover's Potato SaladCut potatoes into 3/4 inch pieces, leaving skins on. Cook in boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until tender; drain. Combine potatoes, onions, 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt and pepper, tossing gently.

 

Apricot and Mustard Grilled Pork Tenderloin Summer's not over yet so there's still time to grill this tasty tenderloin before Winter sets in ;-)

 

Broiled Cherry TomatoesA mixture of cherry and grape tomatoes from our garden about to go in the oven. Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and broil for a few minutes in the oven or put on the grill in aluminum foil.

 

Buffalo FriesI love hot flavors even if my tummy doesn't always like them ;-)

 

Bubba's Burgers Place burgers on grill. Sprinkle with Lemon Pepper. Splash on some Lea and Perrins brand Worcestershire sauce

 

Keep Track of Children When in Large CrowdsI'm a foster mom and mom, and when I take kids to someplace with lots of people or opportunity to get separated, I write my cell phone number in ink on each child's arm so if they get lost, they can have someone call me!

 

Touching Up Permanent Press ShirtsTo ensure my permanent press shirts really do look ready to wear: I remove them immediately from the dryer when it is finished. Then with a little spray bottle filled with water, I spray the collar, button hole placard, and the sleeve edges.

 

20 Year Class Reunion IdeasWe are having our 20 year class reunion. We are having tailgating party, and tour of school at a home football game on Friday night. Alumni preordered class T shirts to wear to game.

 

Recovering Sandals With Suede FabricI have a pair of sandals that I got about 2 years ago at the thrift store. I wore them so much, they got pretty ratty on the part where you put your foot in and the foam part of the padding started coming up.

 

Ice Cream Bucket Perfect For Storing BreadI had an a-ha moment recently when I compared the height of a 5 qt. ice cream bucket to the height of the bread pan for my automatic bread machine.

 

Scenery: Wildflowers In the OzarksAugust in the Ozarks.

 

Annuals and Biennials ExplainedSome gardeners plant only annual flowers in their gardens, while others argue that planting only perennial plants is best. Throw some biennials into the mix and things start to get really confusing; especially if you're new to gardening.

 

Use Faded Dish Towels for Kitchen Hand TowelsAfter I have used my dishtowels for awhile and the the design is fading, I use them to dry my hands on in the kitchen instead of paper towels. And they are also great to use to clean up spills on your carpet instead of using paper towels.

 

Rocking Horse And Cart PlanterI saw this lovely planter as I was going down the road today.The person had taken a regular spring rocking horse, painted brown and white and it looked real, and had dismantled it from its rocking assembly, the springs and such were off of it.

 

Garden: Weird ZucchiniWeird zucchini from the great beyond! I have found strange vegetables in my garden before: heart shaped tomatoes and potatoes, tomatoes that look like they have a nose, carrots that look like they have 2 legs and cucumbers that look more like bowling pins.

 

Puree and Freeze Excess VegetablesIf you have an excess of carrots, or some that are wilting, cut them in slices and boil until tender. Then puree them in your blender, using a bit of the water. Freeze the puree in ice cube trays and use it as baby food, or as a substitute for pumpkin in muffins, etc.

 

The Can OpenerIn our house, the Can Opener is King; that's just all there is to it. Now I like to think of myself as a decent housewife or at least an adequate one, but I do admit that most of my cooking skills depend on the contents of a No. 2 can.

 

Uses for Prescription BottlesI have seen several people ask about uses for pill bottles and decided to give my assorted uses for them. I have many of various sizes in my sewing box to sort out the different sizes of snaps, safety pins, and buttons.

 

Vincent Van Goat (La Mancha)Vincent Van Goat is approximately 1 year old. He is a La Mancha (earless breed) goat. We rescued him from an animal shelter when he was a baby.

 

Mini Sticky Notes for Calendar AppointmentsI have a friend that uses very small sticky notes to mark her calendar of important appointments. That way, if the appointment changes, she just lifts the sticky note to the new date without marking up her calendar.

 

Virtually Free Broth From TrimmingsSave and freeze all meat trimmings and bones. Also save the celery tops, onion skins, pepper seeds, tomato skins, etc. When you have enough bones and meat trimmings of the same kind, add them to a pot with a bay leaf and some of the celery tops and onion skins.

 

Garden: Pumpkin PatchI made this pumpkin patch for my grandkids even if the plants don't make it I can go buy pumpkins and put them in the patch they think grandma can do anything

 

Stone and Grass DecorationThis natural and artistic piece is a great way to add some dimension and class to a room. The round stone base and graceful grass top create a unique planter looking decoration.

 

Disinfect Your Telephone Receiver With ListerineTo clean and disinfect the telephone receiver, apply Listerine mouthwash with a soft cotton pad or rag to clean the crevices use a q-tip. Do not rinse off.

 

Toby (Registered Bichon Frise)Toby is 2 years old and is a registered Bichon Frise. I bought him from a breeder when he was 8 weeks old.

 

Saving Money on College BooksOne of the worst "visible" expenses I had to deal with at college was books and supplies. If you're a freshman, you will be knocked directly on your butt at the cost of a semester's worth of "educational materials."

 

Advice for Vacationing in Chicago?Can anyone help me plan a getaway trip for approximately 2-3 nights? We want to go to Chicago and stay in town so we will not have car rental fees. Any ideas of clean, nice, moderate priced place to stay?

 

Green Tomato Recipes?Do you have recipes for green tomatoes?

 

Peeling Onions?Is there any easy way to peel silver skin onions?

 

Substitutions for Crisco?Can you substitute canola oil for Crisco? This is for a flat bread recipe.

 

Toaster Oven Recipes?I got a Convection Toaster Oven, but there was no book with recipes in the box. Does anyone have any recipes for using with a toaster oven? Thanks. Wanda

 

New Fuel Pump Car Still Stalls?I have a 1998 Chrysler Sebring that stalls out when driving. I have got it pin pointed to no gas. I just changed fuel pump relay, what else could it be? Why, while driving does the fuel pump shut down?

 

Sweet Tomato Preserves Recipe?I have lost my mother's recipe for Tomato preserves, that is sweet enough for using on toast. Does anyone have a recipe you would like to share? Tomato preserves ranks at the top of my list, but I have not found a commercial one to buy. Thanks a bunch.

 

Maple Nut Goodies Recipe?Does anyone have a maple nut candy recipe, like the Maple Nut Goodies candy? My father loves those candies and I was hoping to make him some for Christmas.

 

Using Lock and Lock Containers?Has anyone used the Lock and Lock containers to keep potatoes? I just bought an assortment of them after reading a review in TF and I can't wait to start having my veggies stay fresh longer. Thanks to everyone who posted tips about these containers.

 

Buffing Laminated Wood Flooring?What kind of buffer can be used on laminated wood flooring?

 

Buying Crocheted Pot Scrubbers?Where can I buy some crocheted pot scrubbers?

 

Kenmore Washer Error Code F 02?We own a Kenmore HE4T front load washer/dryer set. We have had it for 3 years. We are now getting a message of F 02 on the washer board. The warranty expired of course and we are looking for some advice.

 

Repairing a Nick in Corian?How do you repair a rather substantial nick in a Corian countertop?

 

Making Picture Frames from Log Slices?How can I make picture frames from log slices?

 

Share Photos of Your Wedding?I am getting married in August next year; I've picked the colours silver, ivory, pink, and blue. I would be grateful if anyone has any pictures of weddings in these colours and would be willing to share them. Thanks.

 

Inexpensive Facial Toner?I am looking for an inexpensive face toner.

 

Getting Rid of Land Crabs?I have land crabs in my front lawn. How do I get rid of them?

 

What Does The Phrase "Pie in the Sky" Mean?Does anyone know what the phrase "Pie in the sky" means? Please reply, thank you.

 

Who Makes This Ice Cream?Does anybody know who makes Walmart ice cream? They were out of the premium Homemade brand and I bought the Walmart brand that turned out to be delicious.

 

Boppy Pillow for Geriatric Patients?I was wondering if anybody who worked in a geriatric setting had ever made a homemade Boppy pillow for positioning of geriatric patients? If so was it successful?

 

Keeping Animals Off the Roof?I am looking for a device to deter animals (not squirrels) from the roof?

 

Is Joan Kennedy Alive?Is Joan Kennedy alive?

 

Soap Solution for Flies on Grape Vines?We have small flies on our grape leaves. We have about 1/3 of an acre and so far about 5 plants are infected. Can you recommend a soap mixture that would get rid of the flies and not hurt the grapes?

 

Preserving Acid Paper Books and Documents?How can I turn old yellowed book pages whiter again? I have a number of antique documents, books, and old comics that all have yellowed, brown, or darkened colored pages. For collectors, this can reduce the value if it is very colored.

 

Preserving Permanent Marker on Silicone?I have a silicone cell phone skin that was signed by Patty Smyth of Scandal, with a permanent marker. I'd love to keep this on the skin permanently, but it's rubbing off already. Does anyone know how to preserve it permanently (if it's not silicone, it's rubber)?

 

Choosing Colors for Kitchen Walls?I have yellow kitchen walls on top of walls, chair railing, then beige walls on bottom of walls. The counter tops are beige Corian with a beige back splash. I would like to change the color in the kitchen. I just painted the top walls yellow. What would go with yellow?

 

Dogwood with Seed Pods?I have a wild dogwood tree in my yard. The leaves are turning a lovely red and there is what looks like a cluster of seed pods on some of the branches. I've never seen this before. What are they?

 

Cross Breeding Dogs?My dog is 3/4 min pin and 1/4 chihuahua. If I breed her with a full bred chihuahua will her puppies be considered a min pin chihuahua mix, or mutts?

 

Freezer Storage Time for Cabbage Rolls?I prepared cabbage rolls and froze them in vacuum Ziplock bags. How long can I keep them in the freezer? I was hoping to use them in 4 weeks. The meat and rice are uncooked and the cabbage is blanched.

 

Becoming a Professional Craftsperson?How does one become a "professional crafter"?