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Hello,
We are changing our request for Family Recipe Traditions to any Family Christmas Tradition. So if you have any traditions that you would like to share, recipe or otherwise, feel free to send them in. Also, if you have already sent in a tradition or recipe but didn't state that's what it was, let us know when it was posted and we will include it in our list.
Thanks for reading,
Susan
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Today's Tips
Today's Family Tradition... Candle Fun
Christmas gifts from children can be fun and not costly. I like going to yard sales and buying used up old candles that are partially used. The children and I shave the candles. You can use a knife or whatever you need to break the candle wax up into chunks.
Then place the wax in bags. Put the colors separate and once in the bag, you will break the chunks up a little better in the bag. Old jars can be reused. You place the wick in the bottom and have the children sprinkle different colors of shavings into the jar. Once it is filled, you place you jars in the oven and heat at a low temperature.
The candles look brand new and take on so many different designs. You can put some fragrance oils in as well to give the candles a nice smell. The family will love the personalized candles from the children and you can even have them to use silver and gold pins and write special messages to their loved ones.
This is my favorite gift that only cost an average of about .50 cents to make and looks much more expensive.
Judy from Ky.
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Pick one day a week to clean out your refrigerator and wipe the shelves out then you'll do less work and always have a cleaner fridge than if you always let it get gross. It takes longer to clean and you'll be tempted to throw out good tupperware from fear of opening items :) been there...
By Melanie
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Quick Barbeque Sauce With Ketchup and Cola
For a quick BBQ sauce mix one cup of ketchup with one cup of a cola soda drink. Mix over medium heat till thickened. Can double and triple this recipe. I usually put chicken breasts in the crock pot and let them cook till done, then drain the liquid off and pour the sauce in to coat the chicken just before serving. Can also grill or bake in the oven with this.
By Melanie
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Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F
Clean potato skins. Slice the potatoes open part way. Peel them slowly apart. Place butter, seasoning, and parmesan sprinkle cheese (Kraft is good) in the middle.
Close the potatoes. Get aluminum foil and place each potato on it. Close it up. Put in oven for 45 min. to 1 hour on a baking pan. They will be very hot coming out of oven. You will have the best oven baked potatoes ever.
Just top with sour cream
By Teresa Cangiano
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Get a bowl. Peel and slice up 1 or 2 cucumbers into cubes. Put them in the bowl.
Slice up 1 tomato in cubes and put in the bowl. (You can add anything you want like Green Olives and Onions.)
Put just a little bit of Italian Dressing in the bowl. And stir with spoon.
Put in the fridge to chill for a while.
It's great with Dinner. A simple salad without lettuce.
By Teresa Cangiano
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I desperately needed a new mattress and could not afford one. I had a piece of 1/2 inch plywood (not pressboard) cut to the exact size of my mattress and placed it in between the mattress and box spring. My mattress was almost as good as new and only cost $15.00 for the plywood.
By P. TORPEY
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Cook very slowly at low/medium heat in a large electric fry pan. Stir often, adding more milk as rice absorbs it. Cook for 4-5 hours. Near the end of cooking, add 1 cup half and half instead of milk. Turn into a casserole dish and top with real butter (melted) and sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon and sugar. Keep warm in a very slow (250 degrees F) oven until serving. This is sinfully rich and very good.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Stir all the dry ingredients together. Add the citron, currants, raisins, and suet which have been mixed with a little flour. Add beaten eggs and flavoring; beat thoroughly. Pour into well greased mold. Steam 2-3 hours. Serve warm with sauce. NOTE: To steam, put hot water in large kettle or a roaster with a tight fitting lid. Place mold in the water. Cover. Keep the water at an even temperature. Stick with a straw or toothpick to test for doneness.
Sauce:
Directions:
Dissolve cornstarch in a little cold water. Cream sugar and butter. Add boiling water to the sugar and butter. Stir. Add the cornstarch mixture slowly and while stirring. Cook in double boiler to the right consistency. Add vanilla.
By Robin
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Saving Money on Wrapping Paper
Tips for saving money on wrapping paper. Post your ideas.
Freezer Paper - Affordable Gift Wrap
For affordable Christmas gift wrap, I have used freezer paper and used lots of curling ribbon in red and green (pretty cheap) to decorate the packages. This looks good under the tree as well as the gift.
By Faye Lewis
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Peel, slice and cook apples along with sugar, cinnamon, and water until apples are partially tender. Mix flour, margarine, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees in a 9x13 pan for 25 minutes.
By Robin
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Crust:
Directions:
Mix well. Press in pie pan. Bake 4-5 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool.
Slice 1 banana on crust. Cover with 1/2 cup crushed, drained pineapple. Make up sugar-free instant pudding and pour over pineapple. Top with 1 cup sliced strawberries. Top with 1/2 cup Cool Whip; chill.
By Robin
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Add sugar and flavoring to creamed cheese and beat until smooth and fluffy. Fold creamed cheese mixture into the whipped cream carefully. Spread over bottom of baked pie shell. Cover with canned cherry pie filling and chill thoroughly.
By Robin
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dmaconsumers.org - Stop Junk Mail
Save the trees and remove Your names from junkmail ! To remove Your name from most mailing, telemarketing and e-mail lists go to the website of the Direct Marketing Association at http://www.dmaconsumers.org and then click on "consumer assistance". Wallah!
By Chell
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Cooking Frozen Pot Pies in the Microwave
If you buy a frozen pot pie, i.e., Banquet that requires cooking in an oven, you can pop this pot pie out of the tin plate and reuse a container i.e., Marie Callender's pot pie box with the browning circle inside and the browning pie plate. Put the Banquet pot pie in the browning pie plate and put in the Marie Callender's box and microwave for about 4-1/2 minutes.
By Syd
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Homemade Fabric Softener Sheets
Take an old wash cloth and cut into four pieces or reuse the purchased fabric softener sheets. Combine 1/2 ounce of liquid fabric softener with a pint of water. Put the cloth pieces or used sheets into mixture and squeeze excess liquid out and let dry and store. Repeat the process and you will have a ready supply on hand.
By Syd
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Take broken crayon bits in various colors and put them in a muffin tin. Melt them in the oven just until they've run together. After it cools pop it out and you have a multi colored scribble cookie that kids will love.
By Anna
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Homemade Windshield Washer Fluid
Ingredients:
Makes one gallon.
Optional: You can add some blue food coloring if you like!
Be sure to label the container as this will be toxic for the little ones. By Sy
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Heat a frying pan with a dab of olive oil, place an 8" tortilla in the pan, spread small amount of pizza sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and place another tortilla on top (put a dab of olive oil on it), heat for a minute or so, then turn over and do another minute.
Using a pizza cutter, cut into wedges.
If you had a tortilla maker, you could use that also!
By Syd
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For an easy Christmas gift, save your used children's clothes. Cut out as many squares and sew them together to make a front cover for a quilt. And just keep adding as they grow and when they are old enough they will have a quilt to remember them of their childhood.
By DonnaE.
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Do you want your kitchen floor clean? Give the kids cheap shaving cream, and some wash cloths. Your floor will be sparkly when finished, and kids love helping.
By Rebekah
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Instead of buying that expensive cut of meat, try this marinade with a less expensive cut.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Put in NON-METAL pan or dish overnight to marinade.
By Roberta
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Layer potatoes, beans and onions in alternating layers. Pour oil and vinegar over all Cover and bake for 1 hour.
Tasty and inexpensive
By Roberta
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Do Christmas Gift Giving Later
One way to save on Christmas gifts is to postpone your Christmas gift giving until right after Christmas. All the stores mark prices down tremendously and there is great savings to be had!
By Robin
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Put salt in the laundry water to lock in colors so they don't fade.
By Robin
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Gift Ideas for Someone That is Dying
Recently my dad was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Since Christmas is coming soon, I wondered if anyone would have any ideas for a Christmas gift for him? What does one buy for a dying person? Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you.
wshaaksma
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Recipe Ideas for French Toast Sticks
I discovered a rather large box of opened French Toast Sticks in my freezer.. Now that they are past their prime, I figure my kids will snub them. Anyone have any ideas for using these in recipes to make them a little more palatable?
Thanks!
Cindy Bailey in Greene County PA
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Mix the apples, cranberries & sugar and put in the bottom of a 9x13" greased pan. Mix the butter & sugar. Add the oats and pecans. Mix and spread on top of fruit mixture.
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Use Your Free Credit Report To Check Your Financial Health
By James H. Dimmitt
As of Thursday, December 1, 2004, one-third of Americans can now access their credit reports from all three main credit agencies for free. Passed in late 2003, the Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act creates a central source consumers can use to obtain a free annual credit report.
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Potato Pancakes
By Charlie Burke
Simple and versatile, potato pancakes appeal to everyone from kids to sophisticated diners. There are many recipes for them, and I find myself changing them according to the meal and to my mood. During the holidays, entertaining often means serving special meals such as rack of lamb, expensive cuts of beef and favorite recipes for fish and poultry. A crispy potato pancake helps elevate any of these, and with the addition of appropriate herbs it will complement any main course. Timing the cooking is easy because the pan can be pulled off the heat if finishing too soon and returned to heat up as the main course finishes. Cooking it ahead and reheating it at serving time works as well.
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