March 16, 2010

Crunchy Barley SaladCombine the first 7 ingredients. In a bowl, combine the Italian dressing mix, sugar, oil and vinegar. Mix very well; pour over first 7 ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Chill several hours or overnight.

 

Orange Sherbert SaladDissolve Jello in boiling water. Add sherbet and mix well. Let stand until mixture is of the consistency of egg white. Add fruit. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan and chill until firm. Serves 10-12.

 

Pumpkin Pie SquaresMix graham cracker crumbs and 1/3 cup sugar. Stir in melted butter and pat in buttered baking dish, 9x13 inches. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Sour Cream PieBeat egg yolks, add sugar, sour cream, cloves, and raisins. Cook until thick in double boiler. Pour in pie crust and cool. Top with meringue.

 

Corned Beef and CabbageDon't forget Soda Bread served with honey and a glass of Irish cream or Irish Coffee to tipple, too. Happy St. Paddy's Day!

 

Easy Peanut Butter FudgeI could never make fudge that I didn't have to put in the freezer and eat with a spoon until I tried this, now I have finally got it right.

 

Sauerkraut CasseroleSaute bacon and onions until tender. Combine all ingredients into a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 1-1/2 hours or cook in a crockpot on low for 4-5 hours.

 

Springtime Lamb StewSeason lamb with salt and pepper. Brown in butter. Add gravy, water, and mint. Cook over low heat 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

 

Garden: Snow in AlabamaThis is a picture of my garden when it snowed in AL. We don't get snow very often here, the snow and flood stunted the garden, but it could be worse.

 

Uses for Veggie Rubber BandsMy fresh veggies at the grocery store often come with nice reusable rubber bands binding the produce. I save them and one helpful way I use them is: Slip them on your refillable drinking bottles/mugs.

 

Organizing in Advance for TravelingGetting ready for a trip used to be such a hassle for me. Trying to gather up all the necessities, hoping I didn't forget anything, invariably finding out I did forget something. Then I decided to get organized.

 

Separate Laundry by ColorWhen I do my laundry I separate the clothes by color. I put the greens with greens, reds with reds or pink, purple and blacks with black, etc. This way the colors of the clothes circulate throughout the wash and thus preserving the colors in your clothes.

 

Store Cling Wrap In RefrigeratorThe best way to unwrap cling wrap (to wrap your food, etc.) is to store it in the refrigerator.

 

Poor But Proud is on the Move, Again!I planned to spend a year in VA, but fate stepped in and changed the plan! I am flying back to Oregon on Wednesday, so I will be "home" before this is posted.

 

Jean Draft StoppersI made two draft stoppers from a clean pair of my husband's old worn out jeans by cutting off both legs. I stuffed them full of white rice. I also made two sleeves so they could be thrown into the washer, when they got dirty.

 

Emerald Baubles RingShow your Irish spirit for St. Patrick's Day with a unique, handmade ring setting of emerald beads. This is a great way to use all those beads most of us already have to make St. Patrick's Day rings for kids, friends and yourself.

 

Wash Potatoes and Carrots Before PeelingI've found when peeling carrots or potatoes, it's best to wash the veggie first and wet the peeler, that way it'll be smooth peeling from there on out.

 

Never Store Plastic Containers in the OvenOnce, when I was younger I was having a small dinner for a few friends and didn't have time to wash all of my storage containers, so I stuffed them into the oven out of sight. The dinner was a success and everyone was happy with the spaghetti and salad.

 

Jesse and Willis (Shippoos)Jesse was born on Sept 30, 2008 and Willis was born on Sept 30 2009. So I guess Jesse is a year and a half, and Willis is about 6 months old. They are both Shippoos. We got Jesse because our cat needed a playmate. We got him from a breeder in a town near ours.

 

Starting and Keeping a Worm BinWe like to go fishing, but worms have become very expensive. We have built our own worm bed outside, and it saved us from running to the store. We can dig our worms any time we want. We took wood and made a bottomless box that sets on the ground.

 

Marinating SteakI have a steak marinade that we love to use, and a special treat for us. I use a fork to make holes in a steak or two. I coat both the outsides of each steak with a black peppercorn dry marinade, that includes the plastic bag. I massage this into both sides of the steaks.

 

Paper Plate LeprechaunThis inexpensive craft will keep little ones busy for while. Once it's dry, hang on a door or display it on your fridge.

 

Keep Scissors Straight When Cutting PaperWhen cutting paper with scissors, always turn the paper and keep your scissors straight for a much more controlled and smoother cut.

 

Scenery: Sunset in OhioA lovely sunset to end the day. As spring gets closer the sun sets directly in my back yard. Each one more beautiful than the last.

 

Use Clean King Copper Cleaner For BathtubsUse the Clean King, it's for scrubbing copper pans. It got my bathtub so white.

 

Sunken Top on Quick Bread?I bake quick breads and recently, a recipe for carrot and raisin quick bread that I've used before, sinks in the middle just 2-3 minutes before it finishes baking.

 

Decorations for Glass Blocks?I am looking for large decals that are used on glass blocks. I've seen a large Santa face, a cowboy boot, and others. Can anyone tell me where to purchase these decals?

 

Repairing Lawn After Excavating Broken Water Main?Recently, we were in need of emergency excavation on our property. This was due to a water main break. This was a first time experience for us. So the proper precautions were not taken.

 

Corned Beef and Cabbage Using Canned Beef?What brand of canned corned beef should I use for corned beef and cabbage?

 

Easter Gift Basket for Husband Who Loves Books, Video Games, and Cooking?I'm making a small gift basket for my husband for Easter and am running low on ideas. We don't have the $ for me to go out and buy the video game he really wants, but I'd really like to get him some small inexpensive things. He's so hard to buy for.

 

Painting Vinyl Car Trim?I'd like to paint the vinyl trim on an old car. The product sold works well, but is very short lived. Can I use a a primer and plain paint?

 

Keeping a Tan Longer Using Olive Oil?Has anyone heard of using olive oil to help your tan last longer? I was coming home from the Bahamas and a gentleman who was one of the crew members told me to use an olive oil lotion to make it last longer. So do you think using regular olive oil instead of in lotion form might work, too?

 

Making Panels with Knifty Knitter Loom?I'm using a Knifty Knitter loom; I want to do 3 panels lengthwise and keep them the same length? How do I do this?

 

Discontinued Wallpaper Border: Borders All Around the House #5810525, Coca Cola With Covered Bridges?I am looking for wallpaper boarder, from the book, Borders for All Around the House. The pattern is #5810525, it has Coca Cola with covered bridges. I am looking for 4 rolls of the paper. Thank you.

 

Cabinet Color Advice for Kitchen With Dark Mahogany Floors and Blue Granite Countertops?We're creating our kitchen. The floors are a very dark wood, African Mahogany. We've chosen a blue granite counter top, close to Blue Persia.

 

Altering Misses Size Pants Pattern to Petite?How do you alter a misses pants pattern to fit a petite person?

 

Deleting a Downloaded PDF Document?Can someone tell me what happens to a downloaded pdf document once it is printed? Does it remain as a file? I'd like to delete it, but I can't find where it is downloaded.

 

Discontinued Wallpaper: Village #5815500?Need to find a roll of Village Wallpaper #5815500. Any help out there?

 

"La Salute E Nella Cotta" Terracotta Cookware?How old is a "la salute e nella cotta marchio depositato" piece of cookware?

 

What is This Fruit and How Do I Prepare It?I bought some little fruits at the store on Saturday. They are the size of a pear, with skin much the same as a pear, but with no stem. They are very juicy, but bitter like a very sharp dill pickle. What on earth are these things and how do I prepare them?

 

Squirrels Dug Up and Ate Sunflower Seeds?The day before yesterday I planted over 50 sunflower seeds against our fence post in the back yard. Later that day and the next morning I noticed a squirrel over by the fence. I checked and do you know he dug up and ate all of my sunflower seeds all down the row of the fence.

 

Buying Cheap One Gallon Glass Bottles?I am looking for cheap one gallon glass bottles. Anyone know where I can pick these up cheap?

 

Cleaning a Finch Cage While She is Sitting on Eggs?Is it OK to pull the bottom of the finch cage out to clean it, when there are eggs in the nest and the female is sitting on them? I'm afraid she might abandon the eggs.

 

Defrosting and Cleaning a Freezer?What is the procedure for cleaning and defrosting the freezer?

 

Caring for a Pothos Vine?I don't know what kind of plant this is, but I also need to know how to take care of it, too.

 

Pears Falling Off Tree Before They Ripen?I have a pear tree that by the time the pears start to ripen they fall off the tree. Why would this be?

 

Organizing a Small Bedroom With Sloping Knee Walls?My room is 12' by 10'. My wall does a dreadful slant, leaving me not being able to stand in more than half the room nor put furniture in.

 

Weed Killer for Clover?What is the best weed killer for a small leaf type clover. The roots are approximately 2'' long.

 

What Breed is My Dog?I just adopted a dog from the pound and I have no idea what kind of dog he is. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Thanks.

 

Brightening Up a Drab Bedroom?My room is very, very dull and bland. I have a white comforter, a rainbow polka dotted body pillow, and many stuffed animals. I have lime green rugs and white walls with a Snoopy from the Peanuts poster, and a peace poster.

 

Keeping Chickens Out of Flower Beds?Any ideas on how to keep chickens out of the garden and flower beds?