November 3, 2009

Decorating Alien MuffinsA fun way to decorate muffins with dried fruit!

 

Paper Jack-O'-Lantern CraftPaper Jack-o'-lanterns are a fun and easy craft for Halloween. Watch this step by step video to see how they are made!

 

Cream of Broccoli and Avocado SoupNever tasted avocado in a soup before but it is delicious. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions and celery. Add the potatoes, broccoli florets, avocados, chicken broth and coriander.

 

Grits and Greens CasseroleThis recipe is cheap and different! It is tasty for breakfast, or as side dish for any other meal. I changed it up from much richer, version that called for heavy whipping cream.

 

Chicken Breyani with PineappleSpicy breyani and the pineapple gives a lovely taste. Boil rice with saffron, dhall and lentils separately and drain and set aside. Marinate chicken with ginger and garlic paste, chill powder, tomato and yogurt for 1/2 an hour.

 

Apple Chip Nut BreadBlend oil, sugar, eggs and flavorings in large mixer bowl. Add apples and nuts. Sift dry ingredients together and add. Pour into 2 well greased large bread pans or 4 small ones, and bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

 

Fruit CobblerThis quick and easy recipe was given to me by my daughter and I use it often. Mix flour, sugar and milk together with a mixer or a whisk. Pour into a round 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.

 

Football StewPut stew beef in bottom of Dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, and celery. On top spread potatoes. Mix sugar, salt and tapioca. Sprinkle on top, then pour tomato juice over all.

 

Cranberry FluffGrind cranberries; add sugar and let stand 2 hours. Fold in Cool Whip, marshmallows, pineapple, cranberries (use juice of pineapple and cranberries), and nuts.

 

Anything Tomato SauceMake "anything spaghetti sauce" with a blender. Throw in whatever leftovers you may have from other meals, with some tomato paste and seasonings. You get a very cheap marinara sauce, by pureeing the ingredients in a blender they can be added together to make a sauce.

 

Mom's Favorite Quick CakeTint the apple jelly with the red food coloring or to suit your color choice. Spread jelly between layers, then top cake with remainder of jelly and top with coconut.

 

Roasted Garbanzo BeansA simple, easy snack. Choices for your favorite powdered spice can range anywhere from cumin, cayenne, onion, garlic to cinnamon. Be creative!

 

Video: Decorating "Octomonster" CupcakesThese are a great cupcake design for a birthday party or Halloween.

 

Herbal Sachets for Fresh Smelling SheetsI don't like to buy all of the expensive softeners and perfumes to make my linens smell good because they don't smell natural. It's almost always chemical.

 

Wireless Handy Switch RecallI just came across this link via my weekly email newsletter from Consumer Reports about a recall of Handy Switch. For safety sake thought I should share this just in case anyone here at ThriftyFun has one of these and hasn't heard this news yet:

 

Line Brownie Pan With Aluminum FoilWhenever you bake brownies or other baked items, line the pan you are using with heavy duty aluminum foil. When completely cool, carefully lift out; then pull foil away from sides. This makes it easy to cut and to lift out the pieces.

 

Buckle Your Purse in Your Seat BeltTo guard against purse snatching, when I buckle my seat belt I also buckle at least one handle of my purse into it. This also comes in handy when I need something out of my purse while I'm driving.

 

Savory MuffinsNow we all love warm sweet muffins, but there are a group of muffins that never get any recognition. These savory muffins are great with soup or a main course meal.

 

Keep Clothes Looking New With Lint ShaverA friend gave me a lint shaver. It is battery operated and takes all those little pills of fuzz off of clothing. I keep it in the laundry room and use it all the time.

 

Fall Decorated Pumpkins With Mod PodgeMy daughter and I have recently discovered Mod podge semi-gloss (thanks to Martha S.). We used it on all assorted size pumpkins, and used glitter or crepe paper. Tonight we're going to use fall leaves from our yard.

 

Halloween Log Truck CostumeWe cut the stake body out of a photocopier paper box and spray painted it black. For the logs, we cut foam swimming pool noodles down to size and 'strapped' them in with a length of duct tape. We used a pair of suspenders to hold the box onto our son's back.

 

Binder for Great Thrifty IdeasThis may have been suggested before, but I have not seen it. After finding so many great ideas, some I wanted to do, or try, right away, and some I wanted for future reference, I came up with this plan.

 

Mitten BookmarkFelt mittens make handy bookmark. Draw a template of a mitten 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. Use it to cut four scraps of felt. (The palms of the mittens can be a contrasting color.)

 

Ikwezen (Pomeranian)Ikwezen is a 1 1/2 year old Pomeranian. We rescued her when she was just handed over to a person who can't take of her kids nor an animal. This person left Ikwezen (means little girl in Ojibwe) outside all night with no shelter because the step mom won't allow dogs in the house.

 

Sign and Date Your CraftsAlways sign and date your labors of love. I have homemade ornaments from many years ago. Some aren't signed and it's sad not to remember who took the time to create their "labor of love".

 

Video: Decorating Dracula MuffinsLearn how to decorate Dracula muffins for a Halloween by watching this video.

 

Does My Dog Sleep Too Much?I have a 7 year old Yorkie; he weighs 8 pounds. For some reason he sleeps all day. Does anyone have any suggestions please?

 

Restoring Color to Formica?How can I restore the color to 17 year old Formica counters?

 

Buying Small Jars and Bottles?I hope someone can help me with this. I make my own skincare products and would like to give these as Christmas presents to family and friends.

 

Tilex Left Spots on Wooden Table?My mother decided to be nice and was cleaning the ceiling fan in the kitchen when she was visiting. She was using Tilex. Well, some of it drifted down onto the corner of my wood kitchen table. Now when you see it at an angle, you can see the spots on the top.

 

Preserving Homemade Aloe Vera Gel?How do you preserve homemade Aloe Vera gel?

 

Pouring Paint Without the Mess?How do you pour paint from a can into a tray without making a mess?

 

Can I Clean Pots in a Self Cleaning Oven?My pans are greasy and spotted on the bottom. Can I put them in my self cleaning oven?

 

Sam's Club Artichoke, Spinach, and Jalapeno Dip?Recently, I got addicted to the artichoke, spinach and jalapeno dip at Sam's Club (it was in a hexagonal plastic jar, and white in color). Now I can't find it anymore, and I've been searching for a recipe that's pretty close to the commercial product.

 

Making Your Own Electrolyte Drink?I believe on the Dr. Oz show today he said to make this drink use: Agave Nectar - 1 tbsp., sea salt - 1/2 tsp., a bit of baking soda - 1/4 tsp., and good water - 4 cups. Is this correct? What portions?

 

Can I Sew Leather with Singer Model 99-31?I have an old Singer portable Model #99 (99-31 on manual). Can I retrofit this machine or utilize it as is for the sewing of leather?

 

Removing Wood Varnish from Carpet?I tried everything had nothing to lose but to replace carpet so I tried WD-40. I sprayed it on, let it sit for a few minutes, and pressed it out. It took a while and a few cans, but it was cheaper than replacing a whole carpet.

 

Having a Costume Birthday Party Other Than at Halloween?Okay, I didn't get to dress up for Halloween this year and my 17th birthday is at the end of November. Is it OK to have a costume party still? I don't want to be a freak.

 

Grease Stain on Suede?I placed my brand new suede handbag on the floor of a theater, a greasy spoon restaurant and at the end of the day there were several grease stains on the bottom. I don't know what to do. I'm afraid of making it worse by using the wrong products.

 

Can You Use Frozen Grapes to Make Jam?Can you use concord grapes that have frozen on the vines to make grape jam?

 

Elegant "Camo" Baby Shower?I have lots of time to shop and do crafts, but I can't think of anything. Any ideas?