May 13, 2010

Hoisin Beef And NoodlesBring a large pot of water to a boil. Add soba noodles (or spaghetti) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.

 

Three Bean CasseroleDrain beans, brown bacon; drain. Brown onion in bacon grease; drain; combine all ingredients. Bake 1 hour at 375 degrees F in greased casserole. Makes a one-dish meal by adding large pieces of ham.

 

Pink Shrimp SaladMix shrimp, celery, peas, olives and Miracle Whip. Bring soup to boil. Add cheese. Cook carefully over low heat. Do not scorch. Soak gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water for 5 minutes.

 

Honey Mustard DipYou can use this dip for any food item your heart desires.

 

Banana Split DessertWhat's not to like, makes my mouth water thinking about it!

 

Chicken with Shallots and Sun Dried TomatoesQuick and Easy. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes each side until well browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

 

Black Bean SoupBrown beef in oil in large kettle. Add onions. Cook for 5 minutes; drain off fat. Add water and remaining ingredients. Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

 

Busy Day CasseroleBoil noodles until tender, add margarine, egg and mix well. Combine with diced ham and grated cheese (to taste). Season with salt and pepper. Heat through at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes.

 

Strawberry DessertDissolve one package gelatin in 1 cup hot water;chill until partially set. Fold in ice cream (softened). Pour this over cake slices arranged in 8x10 pan. Chill in freezer. Dissolve remaining package gelatin in 1 cup hot water; add thawed strawberries.

 

Control House Spiders With Chestnut OilNeed to keep spiders from entering your house? Chestnut essential oil works! Dab onto a cotton wool ball and smear along window edges and doors to stop the blighters from coming inside. They hate the smell.

 

Repurposing Store Display RackI got a free display rack with a bunch of poles that I disassembled. I hung them flat but 2 inches from the wall out and added a ledge to support the weight and a bar across the top to prevent them from falling forward.

 

Keeping Dogs Out Of Flower BedsHaving four dogs running around my garden, I found that the best way to avoid the trampled plants, bent branches, and other fun stuff that happens in a garden when pets run rampant is to work out where they like to run and make them their own racing track.

 

Acronyms Make Learning EasierAcronyms make learning easier. For example: HOMES is used for learning the names of the Great Lakes

 

Dog Obedience Advice: Use a Squirt BottleI am a mad 'critter' lover of all types, but have always had a problem with some methods of disciplining pets that I have read. I often consider them cruel. About the best, and most friendly, is a simple spray bottle with plain old water and perhaps a drop of citrus oil.

 

Garden: LilacOur lilac bushes gave us bountiful blooms this year, the first time in ten years. I took several pictures and used my photo editing program to do a watercolor image on it. It's also my screen saver.

 

Morel MushroomsThe buttery rich flavor is unbeatable and they are free!

 

Emmy The DogEmmy is about 9 months old. I fostered 5 rescue puppies from Haven Humane in Redding, CA. My niece fell in love with her. Her name at the time was Delaney. My niece cried until her dad agreed to keep her - they named her Emmy and call her (among other things) EmmyLou.

 

Garden: Cactus BlossomIt will be hard to tell you what this little cactus blossom means to me. The cactus is a "direct descendant" of plants my family had when we worked in our family greenhouse in Knoxville TN. many years ago.

 

My Frugal Life: Save Energy At HomeHow I save energy in my home is really easy. I start with the fridge since it is one of the items in the home that uses the most energy. When I take a jug of milk out, I replace it with another filled with water.

 

Remove Blackheads With GlueRemove blackheads easily with plain old white glue. Yes, not only is it fun to peel dried glue, it works great on areas such as the nose, chin, and forehead to remove blackheads and is much more effective than the usual peel off mask and it's less expensive. Happy peeling!

 

Use Baking Soda To Stop BleedingI discovered baking soda works great to stop bleeding of small knicks when you don't have a band-aid or don't want one. I had a knick on my hand that kept bleeding. I blotted and lightly covered it with baking soda.

 

Save Time With Your CrockpotA wonderful addition to any kitchen is your crockpot! If you are having a gathering, have big eaters, or just want to have your meal cooking while you are working during the day or away having a life, get all of your crockpots going.

 

Save Newspaper With Birth AnnouncementWhen a new baby is born in the family, keep the local newspaper that the announcement appears in. Hopefully, this will occur the same day the baby is born. Sometimes the announcements are the next day, depending on the time of birth.

 

Elzie (Chihuahua Mix)Elzie (pronounced L-Z) is 2 years old now and luckily no terrible twos, even though he can be a little runt sometimes! He is a chihuahua mix. However, I am unaware of what he is mixed with he is a little bigger than most chihuahuas, he goes up past my knees when standing.

 

White Paws, Blue Eyes, Missy And Diggs (Cats)I came home from work one evening and found 3 of them (the original 3rd cat died of FIP) sitting at my door. Two of them ran off into the woods but the Siamese just stared at me. I started feeding them and the rest is history.

 

Getting Your Garden Ready for the Growing SeasonSpring is finally here! Well, for most of us anyway. The weather is warming up, the birds are starting to nest, the leaves are starting to unfurl (or at least the buds are starting to swell), and after a long winter's nap, you have the irresistible urge to dig in the dirt.

 

Scenery: Silver Lake (CA)Opening Day of trout fishing April 24, 2010. For the last 50 years, my husband has fished Silver Lake in the High Sierra's. This year the scenery was spectacular! What a treat!

 

Plastic Recycled PouchI just couldn't resist those bright bags, they were calling me to do something with them. I had the 3MM plastic and fabric from my quilting stash so I thought this would be fun.

 

Scenery: San Jose, CANear the end of the day, after going for a walk around the pond in San Jose, CA. This is an unofficial dog park. Dogs are welcome off leash and those that like can dive into the water. Best dog park ever.

 

Is Goat's Milk Safe for Puppies?Does goat's milk harm puppies?

 

Getting Tree Trunk To Stop Seeping?I have a big maple tree in my front yard and from spring through summer it seeps sap everywhere. It makes a mess of my car and my neighbor's cars. Would tapping it in the spring reduce the amount of sap that seeps?

 

Cleaning Rust And Dirt From A Steam Iron?How can you take rust off your steam iron?

 

Ideas for Making Handicrafts That Will Sell?I am a housewife and I am very much free in the evening for like 5 to 6 hours. Sometimes I feel that instead of wasting of my time it is better to do some handicraft and earn some money.

 

Butterscotch Pie Using Coffee Creamer?Years ago, I made a butterscotch pie using powdered coffee creamer from a recipe on the back of a powdered coffee creamer jar. Does anyone have this recipe? Thanks.

 

Hanging Socks on Clothesline to Dry Without Stretching?When you hang out socks on the clothesline, which is the best way to do it so the tops don't stretch out?

 

Getting Rid of Poison Ivy?What's the best way to get rid of poison ivy? Unfortunately, it's popping up even where we planted grass. We live in a very wooded area which we cleared out. I hope to find a natural, no herbicide, way to get rid of the poison ivy.

 

Begonias Not Blooming?I planted my hanging begonia bulb in February. It's growing beautifully, but has no sign of blooming. It bloomed beautifully last summer. It gets light from the north east.

 

Removing Ink From a Document?How do I remove a typo on a document? I need to know how to remove ink from a document without damaging the document.

 

Collard Greens Harvest?I planted collard greens about a month ago. They look ready to pick, how will I know?

 

How Do I Repair a Leaking Toilet?I have a power flush toilet that started leaking. We finally found the leak, it is water shooting out of the flush lever. Any advice?

 

Buying an iPod?I want to buy an iPod but I have no idea where to begin looking. I just need something basic. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

Killing Tree Stumps?I have a bottle of spirit of salts I want to use up. Can I use it to rot out some old tree stumps by any chance?

 

Problems Housebreaking a Dog?I have a Dutch Mastiff (Pug). He's house broken for the most part. We feed a mix of dry and Alpo Selects canned. We walk him from half an hour to an hour after eating and walk him on a regular basis. He only poops when it's convenient for him.