June 23, 2010

Rhubarb Pork Chop BakeIn a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper. In a bowl, combine the rhubarb, bread cubes, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and allspice.

 

Chicken DijonMelt butter in large skillet. Add chicken breasts and cook until done and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken to a warm platter. Stir flour into drippings in skillet and cook for 1 minute.

 

Apple-Raisin CornbreadA delicious change of pace for cornbread lovers. This recipe can be used to make afternoon tea muffins or cornbread for breakfast without changing anything other than the size and shape of the bake pan.

 

Easy LasagnaA simple recipe for this favorite main dish.

 

Lemon SaladThis is a cool dessert to enjoy in warm weather. Prepare gelatin as directed. Let chill until it is syrupy. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Refrigerate until set.

 

Chicken and Vegetables On A StickThis recipe reminds me of all the stuff you can get on a stick at the fair. It tastes wonderful and you can use any combination of vegetables.

 

Orange FloatRemember those simple yummy Root Beer Floats? Well, I haven't had one in decades and was craving one but didn't have any root beer on hand. I do keep orange soda, which I love, and vanilla ice cream on hand!

 

Soft Molasses CookiesCream shortening and sugar. Add molasses and sour milk. Mix dry ingredients with part of flour and add to batter. Mix in rest of flour to stiffen.

 

Get Yearly Exams For Breast CancerPlease tell all the women that you know to have yearly check-ups for breast cancer. My wife of twenty-five years passed away June 6, 2010 from breast cancer and we didn't know what was wrong until it was too late.

 

Size Hat with Weather StrippingMy husband has several hats that he wears out in the yard and garden to work in. Some of them were too loose on his head and the wind would blow them off. I took adhesive backed weather stripping that goes around the door and put it around the inside of each hat.

 

Use Soap When Sewing CanvasSewing heavy material like canvas can be as hard on the needle as it is on your hands. If, however, you rub the fabric well with soap before you stitch, the job will be a lot more comfortable and the needle will slip through the cloth without nearly so much danger of breaking.

 

Use Yoga Mat to Keep Dog From Slipping in BathTo help keep a dog secure during a bath, place a yoga mat in the tub before bathing the dog. This will provide a non-slip surface that will hold the dog in place during the bath.

 

Scenery: The Palm Island (Dubai)A photo of The Palm Island, taken from the clouds. It was foggy, so I had to edit the picture on the computer. I think it's an awesome picture.

 

Water Conservation TipsDuring the stormy season, keep barrels at the ends of the house for water run off. This can be used to water the garden, water the animals and other outside things.

 

Use Tea Strainer to Flour PansA quick, easy and efficient way to coat your buttered cake pans with flour, cinnamon or cocoa is to use your tea strainer. It is finely netted like a sifter and the spring action in the handle makes it easy to load with just the right amount of powder.

 

Scenery: Flower With RaindropsThis is just a artistic photo of some of my flowers.

 

Patriotic Wood StarLay your pattern on the best side of your wood, trace all lines using carbon paper. My pattern happened to fit on a piece of copy paper, but feel free to enlarge or shrink it as you want.

 

My Frugal Life: Cooking From ScratchWhen our children were growing up we had very little extra money. We got clothes and shoes from the thrift shop and only bought groceries that were on sale. We had barely enough each month to pay our bills.

 

Mr. V (Sulphur-crested Cockatoo) and Rocky...Mr. V the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is 5 years old and Rocky the Huntaway Cross is 11 years old. I think this was love at first sight. Mr V loves to feed Rocky and there is often a lot of teasing going on.

 

Preventing Dirt Under Your Finger NailsBefore gardening, scrape your nails over a bar of soap. This makes it really easy to clean dirt from your nails after gardening. This also works when wearing gloves.

 

Tuffy (Yorchi)Tuffy is a 5 year old Yorchi (Yorkshire Terrier and Chihuahua). He was given to me from a friend. For Fun he loves playing catch. Anything like a ball or toy will be a target for his obsession. I've even seen him bring me a stuffed animal twice his size!

 

Make Washcloth Mitten to Keep Shampoo Out of EyesMy littlest granddaughter (4) likes to have a washcloth for her eyes when she showers during the hair washing time. I took some washcloths, folded them in half, and stitched two sides shut.

 

Abigail (American Pit Bull Terrier Mix)My baby girl, Abigail is a 1 and a 1/2 year old American Pit Bull Terrier/mix (I think). But she is definitely 100% adorable! I got Abigail from the Camden County Animal Shelter in April of 2009.

 

Use Squeeze Bottle to Water PlantsAs much as I love my houseplants, I find it a messy chore to water the ones in high places. I've purchased several watering cans to minimize drips, but they left much to be desired - usually a splash from the well of the can.

 

Photograph ConfettiFor my 20-year reunion, I printed copies of all the pictures from high school that I could find onto photo paper. I bought large hole punches in a 1 inch and 2 inch size, and punched the pictures out.

 

Dishwasher DeodorizingI decided to add a little bit of vinegar to the machine after I unloaded it. Sure it would smell pretty strong for a while but then the smell would dissipate. Voila! For two weeks now my dishes have not smelled whatsoever.

 

Syringe Feed Parrots RegularlyWhen baby parrots are born, most of them are fed with a syringe by the breeder to make the babies bond to the human touch. It is recommended that you continue to feed your adult parrot in this manner occasionally.

 

Caress Soap as Adhesive RemoverRecently I read on this site that Caress soap keeps mosquitoes away, so I went out and bought the bar soap and bath gel. Forget it, it doesn't work on the mosquitoes in Houston! But I started using the bath gel and noticed something unusual.

 

Newspaper FlowersReuse old newspapers or magazines by making them into flowers. Choose a few of your favorite images or texts (old poetry works great). You can even dye regular newspaper using the water from boiling beets. Cut paper into different sizes of circles with wavy circumferences.

 

Homemade Butter SpreadMix equal parts of butter and unsaturated vegetable oil in a blender and chill to make a healthful, good-tasting table fat that's easy to spread and goes a long way. This is a good way to stretch your dollar in the dairy case.

 

Scenery: Atlantic Coast BarnaclesI love walking the beach, I found an area of coquina with barnacles all over it. It is beautiful as a whole but getting closeup really shows how spectacular Mother Nature is!

 

Ruffled T-shirtThis is a craft idea I came up with because all the clothing you see for the summer has ruffles.

 

Rose Of SharonHere is a Japanese beetle having a snack in my rose of sharon blossom. It is in my back yard. This year is the first year that the entire bush is covered with blossoms.

 

Exfoliate Before ShavingTo help keep razors clean and sharp when using them to shave under the arms, use a small circle size loofah (found in thrift shops) to remove any dead skin and deodorant in the armpit before shaving.

 

Mixing Ground Meat With VenisonIn this economy, even those of us that once had solid jobs have found ourselves out of work and needing to visit the local food bank to stretch our food dollars. Here in Missouri, frozen ground venison meat is often offered at food banks via a "share the harvest" program.

 

Garden: Seattle CourtyardTwo weekends ago I let Greyhound do the driving from here in Richland to spend a long weekend with my best friend, Cindy. She now lives in West Seattle and this is the beautiful courtyard view from her apartment on a typical lovely drizzly Seattle Sunday morning.

 

Dot (Mixed Breed)Dot is nine years old. Her breed is unknown, but if I had to guess I would say yellow Lab mixed with a Pit Bull. We found Dot at the Animal Shelter after our dog Osa died.

 

Use Candy Packages for Small ChangeYou can make little shallow containers for collecting pocket change or other small things, such as bobby pins or paperclips by re-using the colorful bottom trays some candy comes with or using the bottom of a candy box.

 

Homemade "Beehive" to Keep Bees AwayI saw a faux "beehive" in a gardening catalog that is used to trick bees into thinking there is already a bee colony/hive in a certain area. Bees are territorial and won't nest where another hive is.

 

Garden: Spring (Bel Air, MD)Taken this spring. Everything's in full bloom, the path called out to us to follow and we did. What a thrilling experience, the scents of the flowers, the sounds of birds singing, the trees rustling. I love spring!

 

Repairing a Switch and Trolling Motor?How do I troubleshoot a 5 speed switch and motor on a FW54HP MotorGuide trolling motor?

 

Hair Dye Stains on a Leather?How do I get hair dye out of my leather suit?

 

Will EVA Foam Mat Damage Vinyl Flooring?I installed new vinyl flooring in my kitchen and could not find matching throw rugs until I found a gray EVA foam mat. I plan to cut the mat to the desired size. Will the EVA foam hurt my new flooring over time?

 

Natural Energy Bar Recipe?I am looking for a recipe for a natural energy bar, without sugar, that uses honey or fruit for sweetener. Thank you.

 

Keeping Comforter Set Looking Tidy on Bed?How do you keep your comforter set neat and tidy on your bed? My pillows always go flat. My friend removes her pillows with shams and puts them in the closet at night and sleeps on another pillow.

 

Something is Eating My Impatiens?For years, I've planted orange impatiens around the perimeter of my landscaping. It's very shady on my lot and, at first, I had no trouble growing this annual. Now, it seems the pests are having a field day. . Any suggestions?

 

How to Cut 45 Degree Angles for Photo Frames?I want to learn how to make photo frames. I can't get the 45 degree cut right. Does someone have any ideas or a work-around for my problem? Thanks.

 

Getting Snake to Leave Enclosed Patio?We have a screened in patio with a stone koi pond inside it. We have a snake (black racer I believe) which is living in the stones. It is getting large and freaking me out. We like to leave our door to the patio open to our house, but now I'm scared to.

 

Planning a Rainbow Tea?I'm having a Rainbow Tea in church. What kinds of food should we serve?

 

Cooking for Two?Does anyone know of sites that cover cooking for 2?

 

Removing Wallpaper Border Before Painting?How do you get a wallpaper border off the wall so you can repaint?

 

History of Treadle Sewing Machine Cabinets?I am wondering if wooden treadle cabinets came before the veneer ones or vice versa. I thought they might have a catalog of the different cabinets

 

What Breed is My Dog?What breed is my dog? I know he's a Chihuahua mix, but with what?

 

Diabetic Cat Food Recipe?Does anyone have a recipe for cat food for a diabetic cat?

 

What is This Vine?I can't identify this vine. I want to know if I should take it out if its invasive. Currently it is just growing in our privacy bushes.

 

Pit Bull Puppy Plays Aggressively?I have a 10 month old pit bull. When we play she wants to put her mouth around my waist. Why does she do that?

 

Something is Eating Leaves on Grapefruit Tree?Something is eating away my new grapefruit tree leaves. I spotted a swallowtail butterfly caterpillar at one time and removed it, but there still seems to be something going on. I carefully inspect the leaves several times a week and can't find any evidence.

 

Do Foods Need to Be Heated to Boiling Before Placing on a Steam Table?I hope you can help with this one, don't know where else to go. I started working at a snack bar that sells hot dogs, chili dogs, etc. We make our own chili for the chili dogs. Once made and cooled we put it in containers, date them and freeze them to use throughout the week.

 

Dead Heading Roses?My roses have 3 buds per branch, but bloom one at a time. Do I dead head after each flower or wait for all 3 to bloom.

 

Will Snails Help Keep a Pond Clean?Is it a good idea to put snails into a pond? Would they help clean it up?

 

Sugar Free Recipes and Advice?I am a diabetic and have seen sugar free recipes with non fat dry milk in them, what is the purpose of this?