December 17, 2010

Cinnamon RollsThese are great on Christmas morning (or any other time!)

 

Hazelnut Crescent CookiesThose of you who are familiar with my recipes know I am really not a big dessert baker, but I oh-so-love the flavor of these cookies - especially during the holidays!

 

Plum PuddingReally is very good! Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a 2 quart baking dish, stir together plums, 1 cup sugar, water, tapioca, and cinnamon. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

 

Reindeer PunchWhen my kids were little, we would make this for Christmas Eve, and we made sure there was enough for Santa to take to his reindeer! We used a old bucket that I decorated for them!

 

Onion Soup Mix (Copycat)This is great when you are out of dry onion soup. It is easy to make your own.

 

Italian Sausage and White Bean Spaghetti SauceThis recipe makes a great sauce for pasta or can be served as a bean stew. It is quick and easy to make.

 

Chocolate Peppermint DivinityThis recipe is made with crushed peppermint candy and milk chocolate bars.

 

Winter In ColoradoReturning home on my first winter trip to Colorado, I was in awe of the quiet, peaceful, beauty I was experiencing.

 

Lid as Cat ToyHere's another free cat toy. Save the cap from your dish washing liquid, thoroughly wash away soap, and give it a little kick across the carpet or tile. My cat Jack loves to chase these and thinks they're extra fun when it bounces against something!

 

Index Cards to Keep Track of Seldom Used ItemsWhen reorganizing my home, I used to forget where seldom-used items got redirected to. After some frustrations, I learned to keep a recipe card file of alphabetized note cards, one for each item I moved.

 

Wash Clothes with PlungerWhen I want to wash a separate article by hand or do not want to use the washer for a few black socks, etc., I use the "plumber's friend" or plunger. Just swish the plunger up and down like a washing machine.

 

Use Potholder to Store Rasp GraterTo store flat, rasp-style graters safely in the kitchen tools drawer, take a square, pocket style potholder and slide the graters into the pocket. Fold the potholder in half and secure with a rubber band.

 

Grace (Husky - Malamute - Timberwolf)Grace is a 2 year old Husky/Malamute/Timberwolf. One of our friends bred his dog and Grace was the puppy I fell in love with. We weren't looking for a dog at all, but I couldn't watch someone else take her.

 

Beaded BraceletsI will teach you in 10 or less easy steps how to make $25 dollars spread throughout your family and friends for this holiday season.

 

My Frugal Life: How I Make Ends MeetEvery day I take the opportunity to look around my home and decide how I can make a difference in the cost it takes to make my household run. It can be as simple as turning off a light when someone else walks out and leaves it on.

 

E-Cards For the HolidaysOne of the easiest ways to save some money this Christmas is to send E-Cards instead of using the traditional paper and post method. The trick is to achieve this without looking either cheap or uncaring.

 

Tip for Fall MumsIf you like fall Mums this tip is for you! This is a pass on tip, it's been recommended to me to trim your mums down to 4 inches on or close to the 4th of July.

 

Scenery: Sunrise (New Mexico)Coming over a hill in a tiny town in New Mexico; we saw the sunlight play on the other hills around us.

 

Store Puzzle Pieces in Ziploc BagsMy toddler grandson loves puzzles. We have many boxes of them - 35-55 pieces each. So the pieces don't get mixed up with other puzzles, I bag each puzzle in a zip locked baggy (sandwich size) and place it back into the puzzle box.

 

Old Cell Phone for EmergenciesI have an elderly mother who likes to work in her garden, often when I'm not at home. Rather than have her carry an awkward portable phone outside for emergencies, I wanted to buy her an economical cell phone, but was annoyed with all the charges and limitations.

 

Scenery: Corn MazeMy daughter and I went through a corn maze for the first time this past Autumn. We had so much fun and this is the picture I took, from inside the maze, looking up at the beautiful blue sky.

 

Tip for Smooth GravyHere's a tip from the worst cook in the whole world. This has gotten me a lot of laughs over the years but it really does work. I cannot make decent gravy (among many other things).

 

Keep Perfume Sample Cards in ClosetDo you use fragrance samples from magazines or do you ignore them? I stopped using perfume many moons ago, but use these samples in my closet. I have a canvas shoe holder and clip the sample card on a hanger near the shoes.

 

Beaded BraceletsI design jewelry; I found that I've ended up with several mis-matched, double-holed bracelet segments in the bottom of my "trove."

 

Reuse Baby Jars for CondimentsUse plastic baby food containers to hold condiments for lunch sandwiches or use to hold egg salad or tuna salad for lunch or picnic sandwiches.

 

Print Recipes in Letter FormatIf you print recipes from a website in letter or A4 format, you can put them into a plastic sleeve and put them on the fridge or other metal surface with a magnet. You can keep several recipes in one sleeve and swap recipes as you need them.

 

Bailey Grace (Lab Mix)Bailey Grace is my 13 month old Lab mix. Well, after too many Bailey's Irish Cream (I drink once a year!) at a work Christmas party, someone said they had puppies they were looking for homes for. So I brought home a six week old puppy at midnight!

 

Winter Care for HouseplantsThe onset of winter weather outside can take a surprising toll on indoor plants. Dry air, dust accumulations, and dwindling daylight, can quickly add up to less than ideal conditions for your plants.

 

Make Your Own Pet BedRecycle your old bed pillows to make your pet a bed. Put the old bed pillows through the washer and dryer to clean and fluff them up. Then use the pillow fill to make a custom bed for your pet.

 

Buy Unwanted Gifts At Garage SalesAll year long, I love to go garage sale hopping. If you go early, you get the best stuff. Many people get gifts that are just not their thing and sell them at the garage sales. These gifts are bath sets, unopened games, oh the list is long.

 

Bacchus (White Rat)Bacchus is a 10 month old giant, white rat. I adopted him, and saved him from being snake food. He likes to play with his toys, and snuggle with me. He loves to eat and play.

 

Scenery: Old Shacks In WinterThis are two old shacks that I ran across years ago. I just loved the way they looked with the old hide drying, and the snow covering them. It just looks so serene, and yet shows an old fashioned way of life.

 

Wildlife: SpiderI took this photo while trying out my new camera last spring. I wanted to see how good the images come out close up. So I was literally only the width of the camera and maybe another inch away.

 

St. Louis Bread Co. Granny Smith Apple Squares?Does anyone have the recipe for granny smith apples squares made at St. Louis Bread Co. in the '90.

 

Cleaning Ring Out of Toilet?I have an emergency. We have relatives coming soon. I need to clean a 19 year old ring out of the toilet now. I have used Comet, but it is doing nothing.

 

Selling a Doll Collection?I have a variety of porcelain dolls, from babies to Shirley Temple and would like to know how I would go about selling them? They all have authenticity and numbers on them.

 

Trouble Melting White Chocolate?Why do white chocolate chips "not" melt the same as semi-sweet ones? I make peppermint bark, and had no problems with the dark under layer, but the top (white) layer just won't melt right (sometimes). The frustrating thing is that sometimes it is OK, mostly not so much.

 

What Breed is My Dog?What breed is she?

 

Tips for Yogurt Production Process?What is the production process of yogurt?

 

Introducing New Dog to People and Other Dogs?I recently adopted a 3 year old American Bulldog from the animal shelter. She is the most lovable dog ever. From what I can see when other dogs approach her and they start growling she will growl and try to attack. I was wondering if there is any way to control this.

 

Tomato-Free Lasagna Recipe?I am allergic to tomatoes and related products. What can I add to mince to make lasagna?

 

Embroidery Tips?How do I embroider something on something quickly?

 

Can I Freeze a Baked Sweet Potato Pie?Is it OK to freeze a baked sweet potato pie?

 

Cleaning a Percolator?The instruction book for my percolator says to wash with dish detergent. I am worried about the after taste. Is there anything else to use that may clean it better? Once again thanks for your input.

 

Cleaning the Outside of a Discolored Pampered Chef Pan?How do I get rid of the copper colour on the outside (sides and outside bottom) of a stainless steel pot? I let water boil down on my wife's Pampered Chef pot. The outside is now a copper colour and I would like to know how to get it back to shiny silver.

 

Permanent Marker on a Plastic Car Tag?How do you get permanent marker off a plastic car tag?

 

What Breed is My Dog?Is my stray puppy a pit bull mix?