Daily Thrifty Tips
Volume Three, Number 53, June 2, 2004
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Today's newsletter contains:
Today's Tips:
- Put Straw on Top of Your Potatoes
- Keep Rice from Sticking
- Shampoo for Ring Around the Collar
- A Quick Supper From Leftovers
- Homemade Solution for Rough Skin
- Featured Feedback: How to Save Eating at Restaurants
- Featured Feedback: Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Today's Recipe: Rhubarb Crunch
New Requests:
- Color Advice for Painting Kids Room
- Pill Bugs in Garden
- Mosquito Bites and Keeping Mosquitos Out of the House
- Neighbor's Cats Using Sandbox as Their Litter Box
More Reading:
- How to Recycle Those Old Towels
- Simple Family Field Trips
- Controlling Dust Mites
- Recycling Clothing Using Your Sewing Skills
Thanks for reading,
Susan
Today's Tips
Put Straw on Top of Your Potatoes
Since it is gardening season, here is a gardening tip. When you plant potatoes, layer straw on top. The plants will grow through and make potatoes on top of the ground. Layer straw about 2 feet deep as it will shrink down during the summer. The potatoes are easy to find, and are huge. This is the only way I can grow potatoes, that my husband likes to dig them. The straw doesn't blow away and we live in KS where there is wind from 0-50 mph all in one day some days. By Glenita
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Keep Rice from Sticking
Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to each quart of water used to cook rice. It will prevent it from sticking together and won't effect the color of the rice.
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Shampoo for Ring Around the Collar
The easiest way to get rid of ring around the collar is to use shampoo. Just use a small paintbrush and paint it on the stains before washing. By Dee
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A Quick Supper From Leftovers
Keep a large plastic container in your freezer. A gallon jar with lid or a plastic ice cream bucket. Or even a large Zip lock bag will work. Instead of throwing away the celery leaves when you trim celery, tuck them into the container. That spoonful or two of leftover peas, corn, carrots, etc. Small amounts of meat or chicken when there is not enough to store in the fridge, a little leftover gravy, a dab of rice. Throw it all in there.
When the container gets full, put it into a large pot, add anything else that you would use if you were making a pot of vegetable soup, perhaps a can of tomatoes, more veggies. a couple cans of beef broth. Simmer slowly. If you have a large slow cooker, that would be a perfect vessel.
Have a good meal from it, and take any leftovers and pour a serving or two in a ziplock bag. Expel as much air as possible and seal, Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. When they are frozen stack them into a plastic shopping bag and set them on edge along the side of your freezer where it is easy to slide one out for a quick supper later on.
By Harlean from Arkansas
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Homemade Solution for Rough Skin
For rough skin try 1 part witch hazel and 2 parts glycerin. My husband likes this during the winter when his hands crack.
By RoseMary
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Featured Feedback: How to Save Eating at Restaurants
The best way is to cook extra on the weekends and freeze it into individual or meal size portions. when you don't feel like cooking, whip out your own "prepackaged" meal from the freezer and into the microwave! You know what's in it and it doesn't take long to prepare.
You can also clip coupons - buy one meal get one free, for instance. There are eating establishments that are reasonably priced: Ci-Ci's charges $2.99 per person for all-you-can-eat pizza. Panchos has an all-you-can-eat buffet that is reasonable, as does Ryan's. We usually go to one of these places and/or use a buy-one-get-one-free coupon when we go out. Good Luck!!
Tracy
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Featured Feedback: Chicken Tortilla Soup
I teach a cooking class everyday and the following soup recipe is one of my client's favorites, It's also inexpensive to make.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 3 Skinless, Boneless chicken breasts, Cooked and diced into 1/4" inch cubes
- 1 28oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
- 1 28oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 28oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2-3 cups frozen whole kernel corn
- 1 envelope taco seasoning mix
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6-8 large flour tortillas
Toppings: Sliced black olives, diced green and red bell pepper, chopped onion, shredded Mexican cheese, sour cream or guacamole.
Combine all soup ingredients except flour tortillas in slow cooker. Stir to mix. I like to leave this in the fridge overnight, it gives better flavor. Cook on low 5-6 hours or high 3-4. When hot- Cut tortillas into 1 by 1/2" strips. Place to cover bottom of serving bowls. Pour hot soup over tortilla strips and serve with toppings. Soup can also be made on top of the stove. Combine the same as above and bring to a boil. Let simmer 15-20 minutes. Serve as above.
Note: If you boil the chicken and add 1/2 teaspoon Better Than Boullion to the water the chicken will have a better flavor. The soup will be thick. If you desire- add a little water but it will taste better if you don't. Serves 4-6 hearty servings.
J Walker
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Today's Recipe: Rhubarb Crunch
- 3 1/2 cup rhubarb (cut into 1" pieces)
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 6 tbsp butter
Stew rhubarb in water until tender, being careful not to scorch. Combine sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch, then gradually mix into rhubarb. Cook over medium heat until mixture is very thick and clear.
Prepare crunch mixture as follows; combine flour, rolled oats and brown sugar. Cut in butter. Mix until crumbly. Put half of the crunch mixture on a greased 8" by 8" pan, spread on the rhubarb, and then top with remaining crumbs.
From http://www.CanadianCountryGifts.com
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New Requests:
Color Advice for Painting Kids Room
I have a little boys room that they have dark blue headboards. What would be a good color to paint their wall?
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Pill Bugs in Garden
In our garden, we have a huge infestation of pill bugs. In fact, it is so bad that if you stick a small shovel in and pull out a little bit of dirt, you uncover about 20 ants, 40 -50 pillbugs, and 1 or 2 worms. I know the worms are good, but I'm worried about the pill bugs. Does anyone have a cure? Oh, I've heard about how you could grind the pill bug bodies and mix with water to make an insecticide, is that true? Please help. -Packy
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Mosquito Bites and Keeping Mosquitos Out of the House
I am in desperate need of some help. We have an abundance of mosquitos in our yard and they have found a way to get into the house. Of the four of us in our family, our youngest daughter, age 3, seems to win the most attention from them. She awoke this morning with at least 5 bites on her face, not to mention others all over her body from previous encounters. My question is how do I get these beasts out of our house? I think I know how they are getting in, but I don't know how to remove the ones already inside. Also any tips for relieving the itch would be appreciated. I've already tried applying Listerine, but it doesn't seem to help her much. Oh, and any ideas on how to control the outside population would be a blessing too. We've already tried to remove any standing water that was around. Thanks in advance. Donna in Kansas
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Neighbor's Cats Using Sandbox as Their Litter Box
My neighbor's cats use my kids' sandbox as their litter box. Is there something I can do to keep the cats out that is also safe for my kids? MB in WY
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More Reading
How to Recycle Those Old Towels
By Teresa Higginbotham
I look at our old towels and start to see the telltale strings at the side. I know it's time to throw them out. I certainly can't use them for guests but I can see a perfectly good towel still in the center. To throw this towel out now would be a waste of money and resources. Here are a few ways to keep using that towel, but in a different form.
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Simple Family Field Trips
By Deborah Taylor-Hough
Family field trips are a simple, fun, and fairly inexpensive educational enrichment activity you can enjoy regularly with your children. Here are some quick ideas to get you started:
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Controlling Dust Mites
Control of dust mites can be difficult, time-consuming and expensive. For people who are extremely sensitive, the following measures should be taken:
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Recycling Clothing Using Your Sewing Skills
If you have sewing skills and have the use of a sewing machine, you can turn little- or never-used textile items into usable additions to your family's wardrobe or home. Some basic sewing skills are needed for repairing, changing or customizing a garment. More advanced skills are needed to remodel a garment or re-cut it for use by another family member. Before you start a recycling project, ask yourself the following questions:
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Thanks
Susan
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