November 19, 2009

Chicken SkilletI love those skillet dinners in the freezer section, but they can be expensive and filled with salt. This is quick, easy, and cheap.

 

Unstuffed "Stuffed" PeppersThis a family favorite. Having the peppers mixed together in the sauce, instead of stuffed, gives it a lot more flavor. Any leftovers can be frozen and reheated. It can be easily adapted for a crock pot by reducing some of the water.

 

Cucumber Sushi BitesI absolutely love California rolls and cucumber rolls, but traditional rolls are so time consuming to make at home and tasty ones are expensive in restaurants, so I decided to try this for a quick fix.

 

Spanish String BeansIn saucepan, cook beans, covered, in small amount of boiling salted water till tender, 15-20 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, cook green pepper and onion in hot oil till tender, but not brown.

 

Pumpkin Chiffon PieTo slightly beaten egg yolks, add 1/2 cup sugar, pumpkin, milk, salt and spices. Cook until thick in double boiler. Soften gelatin in cold water. Add to hot pumpkin mixture; mix and cool.

 

Garvin's Delectable Sweet Potato PieSouthern comfort food that has a smooth custard texture that fills the home with the aromatic smells of the holiday. This pie takes me back in time when I spent the holidays at my Grandparents' home.

 

Cheap and Easy Potluck PleasersPotluck dinners are great get-togethers, and they offer affordable ways to feed a large gathering of people. Over the years Ive collected some great large volume recipes at our family reunions and work buffets.

 

Lentil Sausage Soup with SpinachVery healthy. Wash lentils and place in large pot with water and tomato sauce. Bring to boil; lower heat and simmer as you continue preparations. Remove casing from sausage; saute, breaking up with spoon.

 

Apple-Basted TurkeyPreheat oven to 225 degrees F. Spray bottom of roaster with non-stick spray. Remove skin from turkey and place in roasting pan. Pour 1 cup of apple juice over turkey. Bake, covered, basting every 30 minutes with apple juice and drippings.

 

Hamburger Bean CasseroleCook bacon; drain and crumble. Brown hamburger and onion; drain. Combine bacon, hamburger and onion with the rest of the ingredients; mix well. Place in casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.

 

Clean Scotch Brite Pads in Dish WasherI use those little green pads. (Scotch Brite), to scrub the dishes, pot and pans and kitchen sink. If they are not too gross, I clothespin them to the rack of the dishwasher along with a load of dishes.

 

Use Netflix for DVDsThe thing that is saving me the most money is Netflix. It is $8.99 a month versus $4.99 a movie at rental places, and we were renting 2 per weekend.

 

Personalized Wood FramesI went to Michael's craft store and bought those plain wood frames for $1 that you can paint, I also bought some cute kid decals for decorating them.

 

Watering Tomatoes Underground With PVC PipeThe best way I found to water tomatoes underground is some PVC pipe with holes drilled in it and then covered with one leg of panty hose and buried as deep or deeper than you bury the roots of your plants.

 

Freeze Excess CranberriesCranberries are cheapest now, and unavailable at many times of the year. Buy extra and just stick them in the freezer as is. Frozen berries can be used in all recipes calling for fresh.

 

Recycling Packing PaperI order a lot online and recently i have noticed that instead of "peanuts" the pkg. are arriving now packed with a generous supply of very nice brown paper. very much like butchers paper.

 

Questionnaire to Get to Know Kids BetterHere is an idea for youngsters you care about but aren't readily accessible. I printed this out a couple times and gave it to my kids with a diary for each of them. This gives you a way to know more about these young people; things to do, gifts to give.

 

Molly and Oliver (Dachshunds)Molly and Oliver are Dachshunds! They are best friends. They play together all the time. They are so funny together! They act just alike.

 

Office Supply Gift Box for KidsConsider giving a child you know a box of "office" supplies as a gift. You can fill it with things like a stapler, tape dispenser and tape, glue, notebooks, colorful pens and pencils, scissors, erasers, paper clips, self-stick note pads, stamps and stamp pads, etc.

 

Yumi (Pembroke Welsh Corgi)Yumi is about 6 months old born on March 25, 2009. Yumi is a pure bred Pembroke Welsh Corgi. We got Yumi when she was 11 weeks old, we've been wanting to add a new member to our family so we started researching on the net.

 

Leftover Thanksgiving Meal ContainersI buy the throw-away aluminum baking pans with lids to send leftovers home for my guests. Example: for my three children, I buy 2 pans for each family; one for the main meal leftovers and one for desserts.

 

Watch Price Tags for Sale ItemsDid you that you can get a bargain at Sam's Club? Sam's doesn't have sales. So to know if you are getting a true bargain look for things ending with .01 cent. For example $10.81. Those are their markdowns.

 

Frying a Turkey Breast?How many minutes per pound do you fry a turkey breast?

 

Restoring Shine to Laminated Hardwood Flooring?Any suggestions for restoring shine to laminate hardwood flooring? High traffic and kids cleaning have left it rather dull. Anyone tried liquid or paste wax? That is what I have thought about using.

 

Can Mold Grow Under Laminate Flooring on a Concrete Foundation?I have a mildew smell in the small garage apartment next to our house. It is overpowering after being closed up. This apartment was constructed inside a new metal barn/garage over concrete floor.

 

Comforter Too Narrow for Bed?My comforter is too narrow, so the mattress shows. Pulling it down on one side puts the other side up on top of the bed. I thought about just getting something longer and letting it hang down on the sides under the comforter. Any other ideas?

 

Purchasing a Castro Convertible Ottoman Mattress?Where may I find a Castro convertible ottoman mattress?

 

Removing a Fabric Dye Stain on Linoleum?My dog's bed was outside and got soaked in the rain. I put it in my bathroom to dry out and the dye ran out of the bed and onto my linoleum floor. I have tried everything I could think of and nothing is getting it out. Any suggestions please?

 

Deck is Slippery When Wet?Does anyone have any solutions for a deck that is very slippery when wet?

 

Transplanting Roses?I want to know if it is too late in the fall season to dig up my friends roses and replant them in my yard. She is going to throw them away and it is now Nov. 18th.

 

Men's Dress Shirt Baby Carrier?Does anyone have a pattern for a man's dress shirt baby carrier? The sleeves have rings on them for over the shoulder convenience.

 

Cleaning Up Baby Powder Residue on Floors?I use baby powder after my daily shower and to cool down in between on hot days. Not surprising, it drifts throughout the house leaving a dusting of powder over everything.

 

Sweetening Coconut ?How do I sweeten coconut?

 

Discouraging Cats From Using Yard as Litter Box?My son and daughter-in-law just purchased a house and the cats around their house seem to think that it is their own litter box. Is there something that can be put out to repel them, without harming them.

 

Feeding a Large Crowd Cheaply?I have to feed a group of 15 for a weekend. Does anyone have any recipes for nutritious, inexpensive, easy to prepare meals?

 

Pens That Won't Work?How do you get the ink to work in a pen that is old, but has not been used at all?

 

Low Suds Dishwashing Detergent?What brand of dishwashing detergent is low suds?