April 23, 2010

Broccoli with AlmondsFresh broccoli steamed with sautéed almonds makes a delicious side dish.

 

Quick Peach MelbaArrange cake slices on dessert plates. Top with raspberries, frozen yogurt, peaches and whipped topping. 6 servings.

 

Crockpot FajitasIn slow cooker, combine beef, peppers, onion, fajita mix and water. Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours or until meat is tender. Warm tortilla in microwave according to package directions. With spoon, lift meat mixture out of pot.

 

Sesame Citrus AsparagusPrepare asparagus and break into bite size pieces, if desired. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add sesame seeds and cook, while stirring, over moderate heat, until lightly browned. Add lemon juice, orange juice, and sesame oil.

 

Easy Beginning BreadThis is such a great easy recipe and a good one for folks who are just now getting started making their own bread. With a minimum of ingredients, this bread turns out to be almost as good as the artisan type breads that have become so popular.

 

Twinkie CakePrepare 1 box (2 layers) yellow cake mix as directed and bake in a 9x13 inch pan. (I prefer to use 2 square pans.) Cool. Remove from pans and cut in half lengthwise.

 

Butter Lettuce Avocado and Cilantro Salad with Lime VinaigretteYou can make this salad and vinaigrette ahead but be sure to keep the first four ingredients each in their own storage containers and refrigerate until ready to serve. To keep the avocado from browning simply lightly coat with lemon or lime juice.

 

Potato Onion SoupPeel and cube potatoes and chop onion. Put in 3 qt. kettle and just barely cover with water. Bring to a boil, then continue cooking until done. Mash slightly with potato masher to break up any big chunks.

 

Use Left Over Fries in StewI already had leftover pot roast to which I added cooked carrots and heated all in thinned leftover gravy. To this mixture, I added the cut up leftover french fries. Voila! The fries were just like regular potato pieces in the stew.

 

Storage Container for Inexpensive Cat ShelterHaving several cats that needed a place to sleep that was their own, I adapted a Sterilite storage container into a little shelter for them.

 

Automatic Refills at WalgreensI was constantly checking medicine bottles for refill dates. I discovered automatic refills at Walgreens. I set all of my husband's medications and mine on automatic refills and Walgreens e mails me when the prescriptions are ready.

 

Keikei (Orange Cat)Keikei is a 10 month old orange cat. He was rescued at about two weeks when we saw someone throw him out of a car window passing by. He was found in some bushes and has turned out to be the most loving of all of my cats.

 

Ceile (Golden Retriever)Ceile (pronounced KeeLee) is a 7 year old Golden Retriever. I got Ceile from a breeder. Ceile likes to catch things, balls, popcorn, etc.

 

My Frugal Life: Run Of Bad LuckWe have had an unbelievable amount of financial issues lately. This all happened in a matter of days. First our toilet seat broke off. The next day, our garage door opener broke so we couldn't get the cars out of the garage.

 

Environmentally Friendly Egg CartonsOne particularly useful household item normally finds itself in the garbage can, but it can be put to better use elsewhere. Before they find their ways into the garbage or recycling bin, catch those egg cartons and put them to one more better uses.

 

Use Cereal Liners in the KitchenRecycle your cereal box (bags) inserts. They come in very handy. Use them as freezer bags, storage bags, mini trash bags, or any other purpose that you would use a freezer or storage bag for. They are heavy duty, easy to see through, and best of all, they are FREE!

 

Pennsylvania BluebirdThis is a Pennsylvania Bluebird. He looks so smart and independent way high on top of my Apricot tree. A quick grabbing of my camera caught the great photo. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

Use Cooking Water for PlantsInstead of dumping water away from spaghetti, vegetable or even flat club soda, feed it to your indoor plants. This will give great nourishment to them for growth and greener plants. Make sure the water is cool.

 

Use Gmail for Multiple Email AddressesIf you have more than one e mail address, Gmail offers the option of having all email delivered to your Gmail address and it specifies which email address the email is coming from.

 

Grate Your Own CheeseWatch your prices on items such as cheese. In my area, I can buy a 16 oz. block of cheese far cheaper than I can buy an 8 oz.package of the same cheese grated. I take it home and grate it myself and save the difference.

 

Orange-Honey Sauce Recipe?Anyone have a recipe for a orange-honey topping for chicken?

 

Removing Wallpaper Paste from a Wall?After spending three days using fabric softener, scrapers, vinegar and water to get wallpaper paste off of the dry wall, a lightbulb went off in my head. I got my bottle of Krudkutter and sprayed it on the glue full strength.

 

Sterilize Your Sponge in the Microwave?I have seen comments regarding cleaning kitchen sponges in the microwave. How does one go about cleaning sponges with Teflon "scrubbie" on other side of sponge? Can you put that in microwave?

 

Sharpening Sewing Scissors Cheaply?I am looking for a good way to sharpen my scissors without going to a pro. I have tried the types that sharpen knives, but those work poorly. Thanks.

 

Insulating PEX Plumbing Under Tub?I have some bendable pipes (my husband said they are plastic ceramic pipes,?) that go behind my toilet and under our bathtub (one is red and the other is blue). In the winter time, they freeze when the temperatures get down below 0 degrees outside for a few days.

 

Cleaning Quartz Countertops?I have a quartz countertop with what looks like stains on it. Although it is dull black, after cleaning it I still see streaks. Help, please.

 

Reviews of Ice Crushers?I wanted something to crush ice for fruit drinks, etc. for the summer. I spent a lot of time reading reviews of blenders, smoothie makers, and ice crushers. For the time being I finally settled on a ice crusher. I have not used it yet.

 

Tree Removal Advice?Can I fell a sweetgum tree and uproot the stump by cutting through the roots and letting the tree's weight do the work?

 

Scratches on a Cellphone Screen?Can I remove a scratch from my cellphone glass?

 

Pit Bull Puppy Chews on Everything?My Pit Bull puppy is good most of the time, but he likes to destroy things. I try to get him out the habit, but it doesn't work. What do I do?

 

Craft Ideas for Vacation Bible School?I'm helping with a vacation bible school that has a "behind the scenes" like Hollywood theme. They have a red carpet set up for the kids to enter on, but we need help with decorations and craft/activity ideas that are more bible based than Hollywood-based.

 

Recipe for a Small One Layer Cake?I am looking for a one layer cake recipe. There are just two of us now. We can't get through a 9x13 inch cake before it gets stale.

 

Decorating Ideas That are Gender Neutral?I am 19 years old and recently married. My husband is in the army. We moved to Killeen, TX from Clarksville, IN. We live in a two bedroom, two bath apartment, and we also have a roommate.

 

MTD Briggs and Stratton Engine Won't Start?My MTD model Briggs & Stratton engine 42A707 (700) won't start but keeps spinning. It stops running and will not run again. I replaced the fuel filter, drained off the fuel, and replaced the Magnetron unit.

 

Ballpoint Pen on Skin?Is it possible to completely remove leaking ballpoint ink from clothes and skin?

 

Caring for an Orange Star Plant?I have an orange star plant that has quit blooming. Should I cut the long stems off? The pot it is in has no hole at the bottom. Should I re-pot it?

 

Ear Aches After Having Mono?I have suffered ear aches for about 5 years, ever since I had mono. My left ear will ache with the slightest cold breeze, along with the right but not as much. It is a deep inside ache.

 

Finding Out Where Child Support is Going?My fiance has been paying child support for a child he's not sure is his. He also doesn't know where the mother is located. How does he go about finding out where the money is actually going?

 

Listing of Discount Grocery Stores?Where do I find a list of discount grocery stores?

 

Choosing the Right Kitchen Countertops?I would like advice on getting new cabinet tops. What material is good and what is not?

 

Low Sudsing Laundry Detergent Recipe?I need a recipe for low suds laundry detergent. Thank you.

 

Brightening Up Dingy Laundry?I washed a yellow t-shirt in cold water with dark colors. It is now looking a little dingy. I was wondering if there is a way to get it back to it's original brighter color.

 

Permanent Marker On Car Headliner?My 3 year old colored on the interior roof of my van with red Crayola (non washable) marker. How can I get it off without wrecking the cloth of the roof? The roof is a light gray/tan color. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Dark Underarms?My underarms look very dark, as well my thighs. What can I do to remove the darker skin coloration?

 

Cleaning High Temperature Paint on Fireplace Trim ?I painted my brass fireplace trim with a high temperature paint, but now I have fingerprints all over the black paint from re-installing them. How do you clean brass once it's been painted? Thanks.

 

What Breed is My Dog?This is Zain, he is 5 months old. The guy that gave him to me says he is a Pit Bull, but I think he is a mix. Could someone tell me if he is or not? Ether way I love him, but it would be nice to know.