February 1, 2011

Spiced SeedsCombine pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds, soy sauce and oil. Toss gently and season with celery salt, pepper, and onion powder. Spread in shallow pan.

 

Buffalo Chicken DipHeat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch or blue cheese dressing. Cook stirring until well blended and warm.

 

Tuna Spaghetti CasseroleIn a 1 1/2 quart casserole blend soup, milk and minced onion. Stir in tuna, cooked spaghetti and green beans. Circle top with buttered crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

 

One Skillet MealIt is simple to make and has a variety of options so it can be changed from person to person.

 

Roasted Rotisserie Style Chicken And GravyThis takes a long time to bake but the slow roasting and seasonings makes for a flavorful, tender and juicy fall off the bone chicken. Be sure to serve with mashers dressed with some of the gravy!

 

Chili con WienerIn large skillet, lightly brown meat and onions in hot fat. Add chili, hot dogs, soup, chili sauce, and salt. Heat thoroughly. Add green pepper. Garnish with some of the hot dog slices and ripe olives.

 

BrowniesCombine melted butter, cocoa, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend dry mix into moist mixture. Add nuts, and pour batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F degrees for 35 minutes or until it just starts to pull away from sides.

 

Butterscotch Pecan PieA delicious creamy pie with easy meringue and flaky crust, which is easy and not too expensive to make.

 

Jelly Highball PunchVery good. Garnish with orange slices. Beat jelly until soft; add sugar, juices, and water; beat until well blended. Pour over ice in tall glasses, add the carbonated water or ginger ale.

 

Baby Face (Dog)My little partner is always ready to give or receive kisses. I found Baby Face running on the streets of Tampa, eating out of garbage cans. She was dirty and leery of strangers. We had an instant bonding. She is my best friend and protector.

 

My Frugal Life: Furnish Your Home With Used ItemsSo you are young and getting ready to make your own home for the first time, whether an apartment or your first house. Of course, you want to decorate to impress as well as to express your taste.

 

Craigslist for Lost PetsWe found a cute little Dachshund in the backyard yesterday morning. It had a sweater on, so we knew it belonged to someone in the neighborhood. I made some signs to put up, but also checked Craigslist.org and posted a notice.

 

Making Your Own Baby FoodMy husband and I had our first child while he was (and is) still in school. We chose to make our own baby food. This was no small task, given that I work full time and he goes to school full time. But it was worth it!

 

Wildlife: Sandhill CraneThese three gorgeous Sandhill Cranes decided to have breakfast in my front yard today. I must have a lot of bugs in my grass because they stayed for almost an hour.

 

Corn Bread Dog FoodWith money in short supply due to our economic times, the ones most likely to go without is our dogs. My tip is to buy a bag of cheap cornmeal and follow the directions for cornbread.

 

Paper Plate FrogsMomma Freita and Li'l Feta. On those snow days this is a fun project to do with the kids; one the boys would even like. After all boys-frogs, a natural right? As for the girls they will have fun with li'l Feta for sure, she is so cute, well sort of.

 

Bubble Wrap to Protect Stacked PotsPut bubble wrap between your pots and pans to protect them from scratching each other.

 

Organizing Craft IdeasI am forever coming across ideas for different crafts I want to make. Many I will email to myself, but invariably I will delete it after a while for one reason or another. Or if I print it out, I'll lose it among all the other paperwork on my desk.

 

Freeze Onion Before ChoppingBefore slicing or chopping an onion, put it in the freezer for about 45 minutes. It won't burn your eyes since the liquid will be partially frozen!

 

Dawn Detergent To Unclog DrainIf your kitchen sink is clogged with grease, the best thing I've ever found is Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. I plug the drain and put a huge squirt, maybe 1/2 cup, in the sink. Then I fill the sink with boiling water. Once it's full I pull the plug.

 

Love Potion Bubble BathThis bubble bath will put you in a romantic mood. All of the ingredients are considered known aphrodisiacs - so look out!

 

Store Steel Wool Pads in FreezerYou know those not-so-wonderful steel wool pads that after a few days become rusted and yucky. Well after each use, add a little liquid soap (if you want to but not required), place it in a small freezer bag, and freeze it.

 

Keeping Blender Buttons CleanTo keep food particles from getting trapped in and around the buttons on my blender, I cover them with a plastic sandwich bag and secure it with transparent tape. When the bag gets worn out, I just throw it away and replace it with another.

 

Colorful TulipsThese tulips were an obvious subject for my daughter's photography class. She asked the grower for permission to enter her yard and take several shots of these beauties.

 

Kermit, Blue and Jimmy Bean (dogs)Kermit, Blue, and Jimmy Bean are all 4 years old. They are a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Lab mix. Their Mama dog was a given to me from my Aunt.

 

Scenery: Sunset (Rhode Island)"Do, Do, Do, looking out my back door." Actually, this was taken from my front door, lol. I did not use a filter, this is the actual color of this beautiful Rhode Island sunset.

 

Scenery: A Rainbow in a Raindrop (Hawaii)While visiting the Thurston Lava Tube in Hawaii, I was able to capture this amazing photo of a rainbow in a raindrop. This was a rain forest atmosphere so there were drops of rain falling here and there.

 

Travel: Scarecrow Competition (Uphill, UK)Here in Somerset we have an annual Scarecrow competition in the village of Uphill. Here are a few pictures of some of the entries. I look forward to it every year. Some are so ingenious!

 

Use Spaghetti in Mouse TrapMy tip is for those people that still use mouse traps, the kind that snap shut. When I had mouse problems, I used peanut butter instead of cheese. Then I took a one inch piece of spaghetti and stuck it in center of the peanut butter.

 

Make Your Own Saline SolutionI checked with an experienced pharmacist on the correct ratio/proportions necessary to make a nasal saline 0.9% isotonic solution. Use 250 ml (1 cup) of distilled water. To this, add 1/3 or 2.25 grams of non-iodized canning or pickling salt.

 

Prevent The Banana Slices From Turning BrownTo prevent the sliced bananas from turning brown, just toss them with lemon juice. Or, dip into 1 quart of cold water mixed with 3 Tbsp. lemon juice. Pat the slices dry with paper towels before using.

 

Link: Online Instrument TunerMy hubby just found a ukulele at a thrifty shop for me! I am now learning how to play it and tuning is a big issue. Imagine my surprise when I found an online tuner.

 

Bella (Domestic Shorthair)This is Bella, my 6 year old kitty. I went to a local shelter and she was about 2 months old, a tiny little thing (hard to believe I know, lol). She was found at about 6 weeks old alone in a park.

 

Rubber Band to Extend WaistbandTo extend the waist a little bit on a pair of pants, take a rubber band and attach it to a button hole. Bring the rubber band through the hole and bring it back through its own "loop" to secure it. The button you your pants will now go through the loop on the rubber band.

 

Voldo (Mix Dog)Voldo is a 7 year old Shepherd, Chow, and Wolf mix. My husband had him when we first met. He got him from a friend at work. He loves to play with his squeaky ball. He will catch it then try to hide it by putting his paws over it or he will hide it in his food dish.

 

What is the Best Lightening for a Craft Room?What is the best room lighting, that mimics natural sunlight, for a craft room?

 

What Causes Bad Breath in Dogs?Why does my dog have bad breath? It isn't the food he has. Could it be something else serious?

 

Baking a Frozen Apple Pie?How to bake a frozen apple pie?

 

What is the Gas Tank Capacity of the 2007 Chevy Malibu?How big of a gas tank does the 2007 Chev Malibu have?

 

Can I Use Butter Instead of Shortening?Can I use butter instead of shortening?

 

Paint Color Ideas for Kitchen with Hickory Cabinets and Blue Countertops?I would like suggestions for what color to paint my kitchen walls. I have hickory cabinets, country bluish countertops, and the vinyl floor has cream and blue. The adjacent breakfast nook is a light taupe. Would a yellow or reddish color work? Suggestions?

 

How Do I Clean Antique Copper Pennies?I have some old copper penny coins. What is the best way of cleaning them? Some are really dirty being from the Victorian era.

 

Snacks for a "Sweet" Themed Birthday Party?My daughter is having a "sweet" themed birthday and I need to think of some snacks, can anybody help me?

 

What Breed is My Dog?Is my Pit full blooded? Please let me know what you think. I was told he was, but everyone argues with me.

 

Typewriter Accidentally Plugged into 230 Instead of 110 Outlet?I plugged in my Smith Corona electric typewriter (color gray and portable) into a 230 volt socket and it needs only 110-120 volts. It turned off suddenly and smells bad, but no smoke came out. Can it still be fixed? If yes, what does it need to have replaced?

 

Advice for Paying Off a Payday Loan on a Tight Budget?I am at a loss. I don't have that much actual debt, but I have a payday loan, that I have to keep borrowing month to month to make ends meet. I can't pay that off and leave it or I can't pay my other bills.

 

Repairing a Burn Hole in a Faux Leather Couch?I have a medium/dark colored couch. On one end there are about five small cigarette burns on the arm rest. Also, where you sit, on the same side under this arm are about five holes. I actually want to fix it. I think this material is called faux leather.

 

Nail Polish on Carpet?How do I remove dry blue fingernail polish from tan carpet?

 

Sleepover Party Ideas for Girls?My daughter having her 12th birthday soon and she is going to go to the mall and 3/4 of the girls are coming back to our house for a sleepover. What games should I do for activities?

 

Where Can I Find Information on Cat Breeds Including Photos?I have 3 cats we've rescued from here, there, and everywhere. I can't seem to figure out any breeds for them. Where can I find this information?

 

Should I Get a Second Veterinary Opinion Regarding Parvo Treatment?I have a 5 month old Rottie. I found a bad smelly diarrhea in his bed when I went to feed him on Saturday morning. On Sunday I found the same thing so I rang the vet. He under their care, but is still vomiting and his diarrhea has now become bloody. Do you think I should get a second opinion and move vets?

 

Christmas Cactus is Dying?I got my mother's Christmas plant just after she pasted away in March of 2010. The plant was doing great until I got it. I water it about once a week and give it plant food about once a month. Can someone help me with my dying cactus?

 

Can I Use Homemade Fabric Softener to Make Dryer Sheets?I have read the posts on how to make your own fabric softener. Can you then, instead of putting it in on the rinse cycle make your own sheets as others have recommended and use the homemade softener on a sheet in the dryer? I always forget the rinse cycle. Thanks.