February 15, 2011

Snickers Fruit SaladThis is a variation of fruit salad with a surprise. It is a holiday favorite with my family. It is also extremely easy and reasonably inexpensive.

 

Cinnamon Flour Tortilla Chips and Berry SalsaYou choose your own favorite berry for this recipe! You might even want to consider making extra cinnamon tortillas, because they're yummy even after you run out of the berry salsa.

 

Potato and Broccoli CasseroleThis is one of the easiest casserole dishes that you can make. It's great for summer or winter, and serves as a satisfying meatless week-night dinner very well.

 

Teriyaki Chicken Wings Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Season the chicken wings with salt and pepper. Lay the wings in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until the skin gets crispy and the wings are cooked through.

 

Banana Crumb MuffinsPreheat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl combine the first 4 dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix the rest of the ingredients. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

 

Research Before PlantingI decided that this year I am going to add celery to my garden. I am glad I researched it first, because I found out I needed to start celery early. I also discovered that celery seeds that are 2-3 years old work better than younger seeds.

 

Philvester (Cat)My cat Philvester is my pride and joy. He's so loveable and my best friend in the world. Yes, I am a cat lover. I raised Phylvester from a very small kitten and I hand feed him. He shows love and he can meow out mama.

 

Spare Key For Car DoorI needed a spare car key in case I locked mine in the car. However, the price of a programmed key was over $100. So instead, I took my key to the local hardware store and got a regular key made, put it inside a magnetic box, and hooked it under the car.

 

Tied Kitchen TowelA hand towel hung within easy reach in the kitchen is a must. Make towels that hang over the oven handle with convenient ties to hold them in place. This project modifies new or existing kitchen towels that match your room's decor.

 

My Frugal Life: What Living Thriftily MeansMy 85 year old mother is a child of the depression, so when I was growing up I learned to shop at "discount" stores, but when it came to food it was store bought and brand name.

 

Pickle Juice for Sore ThroatWhen your kids have a sore throat and they don't want medicine, try having them gargle with pickle juice. They get the salt and vinegar in one go, and the kids usually love pickles.

 

Soda Crackers to Keep Salad FreshWhen having a salad, put the dressing on only the portion served. The remaining salad can kept fresh by wrapping soda crackers in a paper towel and placing them in the bowl. Cling wrap the container to seal out the moisture.

 

Miura (Italian Greyhound)Miura is a 2 year old Italian Greyhound. She love to harass the cats with her brother.

 

Getting Cat in CarrierHere's a slick trick for putting a willful cat in its carrier. First, try to put it in hind feet first to get it thinking that it had to struggle against it. Then, suddenly flip it around and quickly put it in head first.

 

Use Old Lotions on CuticlesI found an old jar of face cream in my drawer that I had forgotten about that is a few years old. Instead of throwing it away, I started using it on my cuticles. I rub it in well and then push back the cuticle. I find I now have fewer hangnails, etc.

 

Painters Tape to Keep Flour Out of SeamsWhen making homemade noodles, pie crust, or anything else you have to roll out on your table, place painters tape over the crack in the table to keep the flour from being pushed down between the leaves.

 

Sanitizing Wipes for Cleaning BooksI love to buy books for my young grandchildren, but the costs of good books makes it impossible for me to buy them at the book store. I go to garage sales and buy like new books for well under $1.00.

 

The Electric Bill BattleEvery month I open the electric bill and accept it with quiet discontent. However, this month the bill was too high to ignore. I stepped away from my desk and took a 360 degree look around my home. What did I see? A giant electric sucking vortex of wasted energy.

 

Sleeve as Bag DispenserA sleeve that zips out of a jacket makes a good plastic bag dispenser.

 

Keychain for Store Cards and Important AddressesI have too many store cards and other important information that I needed to keep on hand, like addresses for forms and kids school address and class numbers.

 

Ricco (Yorkshire Terrier)Ricco is our 11 year old Yorkshire Terrier (teacup). My husband purchased him for me as a present. He plays tug of war with his toys! In this current photo Ricco is in desperate need of his bath.

 

Inchworm LollipopI wanted to make a small item to put on top of my wrapped gift which is a birthday present for my grandson who turns 3 on Valentine's Day. This is what I came up with.

 

Chunky Monkey (Pomeranian) and Sissy...We're not sure of Chunky's age because we rescued her, but the vet thinks maybe 5 or 6. Sissy is 3. Chunky is a Pomeranian and Sissy is a mixed cat.

 

Discard Old Needles Inside Prescription BottlesWhen you are all done with a prescription bottle, save it to discard old craft needles or small knives in. Throw out the entire container. Wide containers also will hold a rotary cutter blade to dispose of.

 

Softer Line Dried ClothingDo you line dry your laundry only to discover when it's dried out that it needs ironing? Try putting 1/3 cup of vinegar in the washer. Vinegar will take the soap residue out of the laundry and your laundry will be lots softer.

 

What to Do About a Tooth Sensitive to Hot and Cold?My upper tooth is very painful down the front, it doesn't hurt to chew. It's gotten worse though and really hurts with hot and cold liquids. I'm confused though, as it's the front of the tooth and not the back or the middle.

 

How Can I Repair the Worn Bottoms on My Trash Cans?My curbside trash cans have the bottoms almost all gone from rubbing along the drive way on trash days. How can I replace the worn bottom on my non metal cans? I thought maybe shower pan vinyl or rubber car mats?

 

Burnt Cream-Based Soup?How do you get rid of burnt taste in cream of broccoli soup?

 

What is the Best Way to Preserve Fresh Chives?I grow chives in the summer and I always have more than I can use. Is it better to dry them or freeze them for future use? One year I chopped some chives then froze them in a plastic food bag, but when I thawed them out they were wet and kind of mushy.

 

Starting a Crape Myrtle from a Cutting?Where can I find diagrqms or pictures of crape myrtle hardwood cuttings?

 

Manual for Regal Bread Machine?Is a manual available for a Regal breadmaker #k6773?

 

Can I Buy Dishwasher Detergent With Phosphates?Where can you buy dishwasher soaps with phosphates?

 

Getting Spray Oil in the UK?Where can I get spray oil (not the pump dispense we have in the UK) without paying silly prices for shipping? Thanks.

 

Freezing Chinese Food?Can you freeze Chinese food?

 

What Material is Best for Making a Photo Blanket?Has anyone ever made a picture blanket? I heard it was possible to use the iron on transfers to make a picture blanket. My question is, what material do you use when ironing on a picture? What color material works best?

 

Why Can't I Email Photos Using Windows 7 and Dial-up Internet Access?I have Windows 7, I can't email family pictures. I do have dial up, no fast internet where I'm at. Windows Live will not let me email the pictures, I did change my email to hotmail.com, didn't work. Can any one tell me what to do?

 

How Do I Build a Kitchen Island?I just bought a fixer-upper and badly need a kitchen island, but with all the other expenses, I can't afford one. I have an antique table that would work, but it's not tall enough. Has anyone ever made a kitchen island, and what did you use to make it?

 

Why Do My Smoke Alarms Go Off When the Humidity is Low?Every time we experience low humidity (around 10%), our smoke alarms go off. It starts with one detector and all the others follow suit. The only way to stop them, is to remove all of them and take out the batteries. They are hard wired. They are about 12 years old.

 

Huskee Mower Won't Start With Key Switch?I have a Huskee mower with 12hp Briggs. It will not start with the key switch, but will across the solenoid. I put a new switch new solenoid on. It still won't start with key or cut off with the key after I get it stated across the solenoid.

 

What Can I Do With Failed Coconut Macaroon Batter?Against my better judgment, I tried a new recipe for coconut macaroons. It called for no egg or flour, and ran all over the parchment paper. I scraped it up and wonder if I could salvage the sticky coconut, vanilla, and sweetened condensed milk concoction for some type of dessert.

 

Recipes Using Raw Spanish Peanuts?Does anyone have a recipe or any ideas of how I can use a little over a pound of raw Spanish peanuts? I am not interested in peanut brittle, but maybe just roasting in the oven or something of that sort.

 

Donating Old Cell Phones?Does anyone know of who or what kind of organization may have a use for our old cellphones? I hate to throw them out!