March 17, 2008

Bread and Butter Pickles (Microwave)Mix together all ingredients in a 2 qt. microwave bowl. Microwave on high 7-8 minutes, stirring twice or until cucumber is crisp-tender and onion is translucent.

 

Nutty Apple MuffinsMy sister shared this recipe with me. With apples and coconut they are moist, chewly and very tasty. Enjoy!!

 

Do-Ahead Mashed PotatoesPrepare this easy and tasty side dish in advance to go with many main courses.

 

Texas Caviar DipMix mashed peas with dressing in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Use with various kinds of chips or crackers.

 

Dijon Pork ChopsHeat oven to 375 degrees F. Trim all visible fat from pork chops. Spray 9x13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place bread crumbs in shallow dish.

 

Chicken Salad OrientalMix chicken with pineapple, oranges, celery, olives, pepper, and onion. Mix mayonnaise and mustard; add to chicken mixture. Allow to set several hours. Just before serving, mix with noodles.

 

Rigatoni and Ham CasseroleWhat to do now that you have to finish up the ham. Kids really seem to love it. I really love this myself and it is something different from everything else when it comes to side dishes!

 

Masking Tape for Picking Up Small ItemsUse masking tape sticky side out for easy clean up for small items like broken glass, glitter spills, tiny paper pieces. It makes a great lint brush, too!

 

Summer Hat for Easter BasketHere's an Easter tip. When my children were babies, instead of Easter baskets, we picked out a cute summer hat and used it as a basket instead. We put little things in it a baby could use, like a small bottle of juice, a teething toy, a small book, etc.

 

No Gardening Yet in Maine!My gardening tip for Northern Maine is to wait a few more weeks until the snow is gone.

 

Link: Glycemic Index of FoodsEating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. This is especially true if you are overweight and sedentary.

 

Scanning Craft Patterns and InstructionsThis pertains to instructions for just about any craft item. I scan the instructions or pattern into my computer to enlarge and then print it out. This works especially well for cross stitch or counted cross stitch because this way you can actually see the graph better and easier to count.

 

Trigger (Malamute/Wolf)Trigger is 6 months old. He is Malamute/Wolf. I rescued him from a dirty and infested home. I got him when he was 3 weeks old

 

Use Food Processor For Spinach DipWhen I make spinach dip, I use my food processor. I defrost the chopped spinach, rinse and press or squeeze out the water well. Then put that into the food processor and pulse until it is chopped finer. I then add the soup mix, pulse again and then sour cream and/or mayo.

 

Repurposing a Cabinet for StorageI've been organizing and reusing items as much as possible. I have a laminated white cabinet made of particle board with holes drilled along the inside for shelves but the shelf pins I have didn't seem to work.

 

Cardboard Tube BunnyKids will love seeing these adorable bunnies adorn your holiday table. Roll equal lengths of colored paper around two cardboard tubes and glue ends. Glue the tubes together as shown in photo. Cut out two matching ears, color the inside of ears pink and glue between tubes.

 

Crocheted Easter Bunny BasketThis adorable Easter basket is crocheted over a 2 or 3 liter soda bottle. With a Sharpie, mark bottle 4 inches up from the bottom. Cut. Also cut one piece from below the shoulder of the bottle 1/2 inch wide for the handle. Round the ends.

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day From ThriftyFunHere are Susan's grandkids celebrating St. Patrick's Day in their very special hats.

 

Cheetos CarrotsJellybeans are expensive when you only need one color, except black. And the kids already get enough candy at parties. So I made 25 carrots out of clear party bags (taped at the bottom corners) filled with Cheetos and tied with green Christmas ribbon (the kind already curled for gift bows).

 

Using AjowanA member of the same plant family as cumin and caraway. It smells a lot like thyme. It has a much stronger but similar taste to thyme or caraway.

 

The Worst Age - A Joke"Sixty is the worse age to be," said the 60-year-old man. "You always feel like you have to pee and most of the time you stand there and nothing comes out."

 

Baking Soda and Vinegar Fabric SoftenerHere's a simple recipe for keeping your fabrics soft and fluffy. It's a lot gentler on your clothes, than commercial fabric softeners and much easier on your wallet as well.

 

Reusing Medicine DispensersHow many of you have extra medicine dispensers. The cup kind and the syringe kind? I have two young children so I have a lot. I have been letting them play in the tub with the extras and one day it hit me that I could use them to dispense shampoo and conditioner as well as meds.

 

Have a UPS to Protect Your Computer from Power SurgesRegarding surge protector power strips and computers, please be aware that a nano rated circuit interrupter is required to protect a PC from voltage surge.

 

Waves Near San Simeon, CAHi, this picture was taken near San Simeon, California. The trick to getting a good picture of the waves is to sit and be patient. The waves roll in and you find your self relaxed enough to enjoy them and wait for that special shot.

 

What Breed is My Dog? (Unknown)What breed is my dog? She is 70 pounds. She also has the stomach and chest like a greyhound.

 

Painting a Home Radiator?We have old radiators that have chipping paint and rust. We want to do something with them. Have been told to sandblast/not sandblast, darker color radiates more heat/not, etc. We were told that after sandblasting to not paint, that that would give the most efficiency.

 

Stenciling a Design on a Suitcase?I would like to use stencils to paint a design on my suitcases for easier identification in the airport. Do they make spray paint for use on textiles? I think using a stencil brush on that coarse sort of fabric might make it hard to get a good impression. What has anyone else done with their suitcases besides tying things to them?

 

Do I Need Two Apple Trees To Get Fruit?I just purchased a Granny Smith apple tree from the local grocery store. I've done some online researching and wanted to confirm whether or not I need to purchase another type of apple tree so they will both produce fruit. Thanks and regards!

 

Recipes Using Chicken Gravy?Does someone have a recipe to use up chicken gravy from an Industrial sized can?

 

Keeping Ham After 'Best By Date'?How long can you keep a ham slice after its best by date?

 

Having a Party With No Children to Invite?My daughter is turning 2 years of age in May. I want to throw her a birthday party, but I really don't know any toddlers to invite. What do parents do in this situation?