New Use for your crockpot!

If you want to strip paint from metal without the nasty fumes and mess of chemical strippers, just fill a slow cooker with water and set the dial to high. The heat and moisture will soften the paint, and often it will fall off as a single piece.

Some paints will loosen within a couple of hours, but for best results, plan to cook the hardware overnight. If the paint doesn't fall off by itself, scrub lightly with a stiff plastic brush. The paint will harden as it cools, so scrub the hardware as soon as you pull it out of the water.

(I found this on the Family Handyman blog)

Peeling Hard Boiled Eggs

Have a hard time peeling your hard boiled eggs? 
Over time I have learned that the fresher the egg the harder it is to peel. If you can, don't make your hard boiled eggs the same day you buy them. You would think that the fresher the egg the better, but that's not actually the case. Eggs that are a week old work best but of course make sure they are not past the expiration date. 
If you are using the hard boiled eggs right away, it also is easier to peel them under cold running water right after they have boiled.

Scratches on Wood Furniture?

Scratches on your wooden floor or a piece of wood furniture driving you nuts? You can have a quick fix to this problem with a Brazil nut or a pecan.

Break open the nut and rub the raw part where the scratch is. The natural oils that are so tasty do a double job by darkening the wood and making the imperfection blend in. Wipe with a soft cloth to remove any residue from the nut.

Going Green

Checking out at the grocery store recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. I apologised and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

Actually she was right about one thing -- our generation didn't have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then…?

After some reflection and soul-searching on "Our" day here's what I remembered we did have.... Back then, we returned milk bottles, soft drink bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that young lady is right. We didn't have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Victoria. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right. We didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

(I borrowed this from a friend on Face Book)

Quick Fix for a Broken Fingernail

Find a new tea-bag and empty the tea out of it. Cut a small piece of the paper bag to fit your crack. Apply a base coat polish on the split nail and when it's still wet apply the cut piece. When the base coat is dry, apply your favorite polish!

Easy Cinnamon-Apple Rolls

Put a can or homemade cinnamon rolls on the bottom of a round pan, a can or homemade apple pie filling over top, bake at 400º and watch for bottom to be done: about 20-25 minutes. Drizzle with icing. Delicious!                 

Do spices get old?

Actually, spices won't spoil, but they will lose potency over time, and in general, they're best if used within six months of purchase. They should be stored in a cool, dry place, and if you're unsure of a spice's freshness, take a sniff -- if there's no smell, toss it and restock.

Kitchen Conversions

Green Onions

The next time you have green onions, don't throw away the white ends. Simply submerge them in a glass of water and place them in a sunny window. Your onions will begin to grow almost immediately and can be harvested almost indefinitely.

Quick Tip for Freezing Hamburger

Place ground beef in big freezer bags- use a ruler to create divisions within the food, forming individual portions. This way when you freeze the entire bag, you’ll be able to quickly break off just as much as you want to use, no more.

Baked Potatoes in the Crock Pot

It's easy to bake potatoes in the slow cooker!  Cover each potato in aluminum foil and place in a crock-pot. Easy way to have baked potatoes ready when you get home from work! Cook on low for about eight hours. Load them up with your favorite toppings, serve with a big salad and dinner is served!

Do It Yourself Dryer Sheets

Take your favorite liquid fabric softener and soak an old hand towel or flour cloth completely with it. Wring it out and let it dry completely, then throw it in with your next load. This mega-fabric softener sheet should be good for at least 40 loads of laundry, stretching out softener use and lessening waste.                   

Another Quick Holiday Snack

Ranch Oyster Crackers

1 (1 oz) package ranch dressing mix
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 t dried dill weed (or to your taste)
1/2 t garlic powder (or to your taste)
salt to taste
1 box or bag oyster crackers
Preheat oven to 250°.
In a large mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients and mix well. Stir in oyster crackers mix to coat. Pour crackers onto a large cookie sheet.
Bake 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
Cool and add to a covered container.

Use Honey Instead of Sugar

Honey is twice as sweet as sugar, so you can substitute honey for half what sugar the recipe calls for.  And, if you do, just reduce the other liquids in the recipe by one-quarter cup for every cup of honey added. Lower the baking temp by 25 degrees, too, since honey browns faster.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon sugar
Pinch cayenne pepper
4 to 5 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar
1-1/2 cups olive or other salad oil
4 teaspoons hot water
Directions:
In a small bowl, beat together egg yolks, salt, mustard, sugar, pepper, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, until very thick and pale yellow. Add 1/4 cup oil, drop by drop, beating vigorously. Beat in 1 teaspoon each of lemon juice and hot water. Add another 1/4 cup oil, a few drops at a time, beating vigorously. Beat in another teaspoon each lemon juice and water. Add 1/2 cup oil in a fine steady stream, beating continuously, then mix in remaining lemon juice, water, and oil. Cover and refrigerate.

Homemade Mustard

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry mustard
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:
Dissolve mustard in vinegar. Stir in remaining ingredients until combined, and cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly, until it reaches the desired thickness (about 10 minutes). Pour into a container, cool, cover, and keep refrigerated.

How to Fold a Fitted Sheet

1. With the sheet inside out, place one hand in each of two adjacent corners.
2. Bring your right hand to your left, and fold the corner in your right hand over the one in your left, so the corner on top is right side out. Next, reach down and pick up the corner that is adjacent to the one that was in your right hand (it will be hanging in front), and fold it over the other two; this third corner will be inside out.
3. Bring the last corner up, and fold it over the others so it is right side out.
4. Lay the sheet flat, and straighten it into the shape shown above.
5. Fold the two edges in, folding the edge with elastic in first, so all elastic is hidden.
6. Fold the strip into a smaller rectangle.
7. Continue folding until rectangle is the size you want.

Chocolate Time Line

1824: John Cadbury, an English Quaker, begins roasting and grinding chocolate beans to sell in his tea and coffee shop. In 1842 Cadbury's Chocolate Company in England creates the first chocolate bar.

 1875: A Swiss chocolate maker, Daniel Peter, mixes Henri Nestle's con- densed milk with chocolate and the two men found a company to manufacture the first milk chocolate.

1894: Milton Hershey adds a line of chocolate to his caramel manufacturing business. Soon he invents the Hershey Bar by experimenting with milk chocolate. Hershey's Cocoa appears next.

 1896: Leonard Hershfield invents the Tootsie Roll, named after his daughter.

1897: Brownies are first mentioned in print, listed for sale in the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue.

1900 (approx): A machine called the enrober is invented to replace the task of hand-dipping chocolate.

 1930: Franklin Mars invents the Snickers Bar.

1939: Nestle introduces semisweet chocolate morsels.

1940: The Mars company invents M&M's for soldiers going to World War II.

Homemade Ketchup

Ingredients:
1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in purée
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Blend tomatoes and purée from the can in a blender until smooth. In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, Cook onion in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until softened (about 8 minutes). Add puréed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt. Simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until very thick (about an hour). Purée mixture in a blender until smooth. Chill, covered, for two hours before serving.

Some Uses for Vodka

I found these uses for Vodka on the internet this weekend....

1.  To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. It will dissolve adhesive.

2. To clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers, fill a trigger-spray bottle with vodka, and spray on the caulking.  Let set five minutes and wash clean. The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.

3. To clean your eyeglasses, simply wipe the lenses with a soft, clean cloth dampened with vodka. The alcohol in the vodka cleans the glass and kills germs.

4. Spray vodka on wine stains, scrub with a brush, and then blot dry.

5. Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.

6. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-ounce bottle of shampoo. The alcohol cleanses the scalp, removes toxins from hair, and stimulates the growth of healthy hair.

7. Fill a sixteen-ounce trigger-spray bottle with vodka: spray bees or wasps to kill them.

8.  Pour one-half cup vodka and one-half cup water into a Ziploc freezer bag. Freeze it for a slushy, refreshing ice pack for aches, pain or black eyes.

9. Fill a clean, used mayonnaise jar with freshly packed lavender flowers; fill the jar with vodka, seal the lid tightly and set in the sun for three days. Strain this liquid through a coffee filter, then apply the tincture to aches and pains.

10. To relieve a fever, use a wash cloth to rub vodka on your chest and back as a liniment.

11. To cure foot odor, wash your feet with vodka.

12. Vodka will disinfect and alleviate a jellyfish sting.

13. Pour vodka over an area affected with poison ivy to remove the oil from your skin.

14. Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth. Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain.

......Silly me! I've only been drinking the stuff.