December 28, 2010

Brighter Day Cheese Ball Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread out chopped pecans on a cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes or until toasted, tossing once.

 

Greek Browned Butter And Kasseri PastaThis simple dish includes Greek Kasseri cheese and butter. Serve with a balsamic vinaigrette dressed salad and slightly toasted baguette slices, drizzled with sauteed minced garlic in extra virgin olive oil and then sprinkle with a bit more cheese.

 

Deborah's Pumpkin Yule Log TreeIt is a mouth watering, I want more, log tree I made for a Christmas banquet.

 

Spicy Walnut and Apple CookiesAnother super easy cake mix cookie that is delicious and a great addition to a Christmas cookie assortment. Just the perfect touch of spice and fruit for the Holiday Season. They freeze well too.

 

French Bread AppetizersA small loaf of inexpensive french bread makes two different appetizers from everyday items.

 

Sour Cream Chocolate CakeHeat oven to 350 degrees F. Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Mix half minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.

 

Easy Chocolate Chip Mint CookiesThis is an easy recipe using a sugar cookie mix as a base. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color, and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.

 

Crock-Pot SpaghettiBrown beef in skillet, drain, and place in crockpot. Add all remaining ingredients except the dry spaghetti. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3 1/2 hours.

 

Eggnog BreadPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom of loaf pan. Beat eggs; add sugar, eggnog, butter, rum, and vanilla. Blend well. Add flour, baking powder, and nutmeg.

 

Apple-Pear DessertPeel, remove core, and dice the apples and pear into small pieces. Add lemon juice and water (or apple juice) Simmer on low in a small saucepan until soft, about 20 minutes.

 

Keep Yarn in Tissue BoxWhen knitting or crocheting, put your skein/ball of yarn in an empty tissue box. It keeps the yarn in place, and helps keep it from rolling around and getting tangled. It also keeps it cleaner, since it won't fall on the floor.

 

Primrose Felt PincushionThis fun project makes a large pin cushion that would also be pretty just sitting in your sewing room. Any sewing enthusiast would be thrilled to receive a handmade gift such as this.

 

Add Oil to Pasta WaterTo keep pasta from sticking to pot, add 1 tsp. of cooking oil to boiling water.

 

Keeping Marshmallows SoftStore marshmallows in a tightly sealed plastic bag in the freezer and they won't dry out. They are easier to cut when frozen also!

 

Night Blooming CereusLook at this night blooming cactus (cereus). It began with two sprigs from my best friend, Eddie, who propagated it for me. Two years and an abundant amount of leaves/cacti, it bloomed!

 

Leaf Patterned Glass Table TopA glass top coffee table can be changed to match the seasons. Every few months. I gather leaves from either my cedar or oak tree and lay them atop the glass. I give it a light coat of spray paint, remove the leaves and once dried, flip the glass over.

 

Insulate Windows With Bubble-wrap Year RoundInstead of expensive window insulation kits that are hard to install and can be used only one year, try this: buy bubble wrap. Cut it to fit each window.

 

Product Review: Zout Stain RemoverI want to share with my fellow Thriftyfun readers a product I have been using for years. "Zout" is the most amazing stain remover. My husband had back surgery and blood leaked through his bandages onto several different articles of clothing. "Zout" took it out.

 

Bird Sharing Food With SquirrelIt is most unusual to see a bird and a squirrel together, but here is a bird and a squirrel sharing seed from the bird house that my husband built.

 

Gatto (Cat)This is Gatto. He is, we think, about 6 years old. He was adopted from the local ASPCA a year ago, along with his friendemy, Moggie, who is also a tabby. We don't know how he managed to jump into the thorny rose bush without getting one prickly sting.

 

Annie (Boxer)Annie is 3 year old boxer. We got her by a friend around the first week in June. Annie usually plays with her chew toy that looks like a pig!

 

Squeegee to Clean WindshieldIf your car is parked outdoors overnight and you have to clean frost from your windshield, start your defroster then use a mini bathroom squeegee to scrape the window.

 

Uses for Juicer PulpWhen juicing, save the pulp and freeze to add to baked goods later on.

 

Keep an Inventory List of Your Freezer ContentsOne great tip I've found very useful is to make a list of what I put in my freezer and place it on the front of my refrigerator with a magnet.

 

Help for a Tight BraSometimes bras need adjustment, especially if you have an in-between size (for example, a bigger overall measurement with a smaller cup size, or perhaps you have some pricey bras that used to fit, but are a bit tight now).

 

Tuckerman (Boxer - Pitbull Mix)Tuckerman is 10 years old. He is a mix of boxer from the neck down and pitbull on the face. I got him from the rescue shelter. Nobody wanted him because he looked kinda scary and he was old.

 

Winter Ice in Cooler for Food StorageWe have had some brutally cold snowy weather already here in NE Ohio. I had my husband bring in a cooler from garage to use for the extra storage I needed for holiday leftovers, but I realized I didn't have enough ice for the cooler.

 

Dollar Bill for MeasuringEvery piece of US paper money in your wallet/purse is 6 inches long. Folded it in half, and you have a 3 inch measuring stick, and so on. I can't tell you the number of times I've used this trick at Home Depot to get a rough idea of the size of something.

 

Baking Soda Mixture For Fleas On CarpetGot fleas? Try this. Mix everything together. Shake a dusting on bedding, carpet, upholstery. Let sit for 24 hours, then vacuum. Wash bedding and other linens in Dawn dish detergent. Even bathing your pet in Dawn will remove fleas.

 

Orange Blossom (Manx)Orange Blossom is a 4 month old Manx kitten. I have the mother, she had a small litter. He likes to run around the house, and play with his sister and mom! He is a special little critter, very loved.

 

Homemade Dye Remover RecipeI've just accidentally washed new white tops (which contain slight splashes of color design) with a blue skirt. Now the main body of both white tops are a pale blue. What can I do?

 

Removing Stuck Food From a PanHave you ever been washing dishes and come across that pot with the caked on food? Rather than burying it in the dishwater, try this. If you are having trouble removing food from a pot, place about half a cup of water in the pot and place it on the stove.

 

Storing Cooked Meats?Can I store cooked turkey and cooked ham in the same Ziploc bag?

 

Black and Decker Gizmo Can Opener Will Not Charge?I have a Gizmo can opener made by Black & Decker. It will not charge. Do you have any ideas what might be wrong? It has a nickel-cadmium battery, d-aa600x22.4v. I would appreciate a answer if you have one.

 

Removing Nail Glue from Walls?How do I get nail glue off my walls? The lady that I bought my house from used nail glue to glue ceiling tiles on the walls, I'm not sure why. I was able to get the tiles off, but now have gobs of glue everywhere

 

Water Not Completely Draining From Front Load Washer?I have a front loading washer and after each cycle is finished, I can spin the tub and hear water sloshing.

 

Paint Color Advice for Kitchen and Great Room with Granite Counters and Maple Cabinets?I have a new house and need to know what paint color would look good in the kitchen and great room. It needs to go with granite counter tops and maple cabinets.

 

Diabetic Dog Food Recipes?I am looking for a recipe for homemade dog food for a diabetic dog.

 

Fudge Does Not Form Soft Ball?When I try to make my mom's old fashioned fudge, it never forms a ball. As many pans as I've tried, it's either gummy or hard when I pour it on the buttered platter, what am I doing?

 

White Clothing Dyed Blue?How do I get blue dye out of white clothing?

 

Homemade Hairball Formula Cat Food?Does anyone have a recipe for cat food for hairball problems?

 

Eggs After Their "Sell By" Date?How long do eggs last after the expiration date?

 

Grease Stains on a Wool Blend Coat?My daughter got grease on her new coat. It's 25% wool, 55% polyester, and 20% nylon. The lining is 100% polyester. Please, can you tell me what can take this out?

 

Suggestions for Sewing Curtains Using a Stretchy Fabric?I am trying to make cafe curtains from cotton fabric that looks like thermal or "old timey" dish cloths. It stretches up and out at the top and down and out on the bottom edge. I read about using a Teflon presser foot, ball point needle, and tissue paper.

 

Substituting Evaporated Milk for Whole Milk in Recipes?Can I use Carnation (or store brand) evaporated milk the same as whole milk in a recipe? Or is there some "rule of thumb" to go by when cooking with canned evaporated milk? Does it need to be diluted?

 

Ideas for Winter Wreaths?What kind of wreath would you do now until spring?

 

What Breed is My Dog?I have a new puppy and I am trying to find out if she is mixed with Pit Bull. I know she is part Lab, but I'm trying to figure out what else she is mixed with and all my friends that have had Pit Bulls are telling me its definitely a Pit.

 

Steamed Carrot Pudding Too Dry?I made a carrot pudding using my mother's recipe, but it came out too dry. It is a traditional recipe containing steamed carrot, potato, suet, flour, raisins and spices. Did I steam it too long, not enough? Cover it right? (waxed paper, then cloth).

 

What Breed is My Dog?What breed is my dog?

 

What Breed is My Dog?I got my dog Bella when she was 2 weeks old. The people we got her from said she was a Border Collie Boxer mix, but she looks nothing like either. I think she is some sort of Belgian Malinois, but I don't know. We've had suggestions from Pharaoh Hound to German Shepherd.

 

Eliminating Cat Box Odors?How do I eliminate cat odors? I clean kitty litter 2-3x a day, vacuum at least every other day, clean surfaces daily, and wash curtains, etc. weekly. I do use lemon grass oil to keep spiders away which scents the air, but doesn't always clean the air.

 

Shelf Life of Wilton's Candy Melts?I bought Wilton's Candy Melts last year. Is it still good today as the bag has not been opened yet?

 

What is This Plant?This is a houseplant I have had for many years. I would like to cut it back and see if it will root. What is this?

 

Plant Dropping Leaves?Sorry, but I do not know the name of my plant. It was strong and healthy when I bought it and the shop owner said that dark and cool conditions would be ideal. She also said water it every 3 weeks. That I did, then problems started, leaves dropping, up to 10 a day.

 

Cleaning Fabric Softener Dispenser?How to you clean a fabric softener dispenser in a 10 year old Whirlpool clothes washer?

 

Adding Additional Decorations to a Tinsel Wreath?I have a silver tinsel wreath hanging from my door left over from Christmas. I was thinking about adding some decoration to it to make it a little more artsy or chic. Any ideas? Thanks. :)

 

Visiting Dogs Pee on Everything on the Deck?I have 2 dogs myself and have someone staying with me indefinitely, with 2 dogs. They both cock their leg to pee on anything: outdoor furniture, outside doors, and cupboards. It has been 4 months now and it is driving me insane. Any tips on how to stop this?