Of sandpaper & early autumn stew

Volume III, No. 9

Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005

When you do some act of charity,
Do not let your left hand know what your right is doing;
Your good deed must be secret,
& your Father who sees what is done in secret
Will reward you.

Matthew 6:3-4
This is a traditional Jewish teaching, as well.






HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

Before starting to use a sheet of sandpaper, attach clear self-adhesive vinyl such as Con-Tact® to the paper side of the sandpaper sheet. You’ll get much more life from the abrasive.

Before you assign chores to your kids, find out which potential chores they hate -- & assign them to someone else. Helps with the morale!

Get ready for your garage sale with a 5-pocketed apron for bills & coins. All you need to do is to bring an apron’s hem up 5-6” from its previous hem, attaching the right sides together. Sew channels to make 5 pockets ($20, $10, $5, $1, & loose change). You’ll be safer than if you were to use a money box, & it will be more convenient to make change.

If you have on hand both a left-over lemon & copper-bottomed cookware (or other copper), you can put them together to yield a shine like Shirley Temple’s smile! Just cut the lemon in half & apply salt (preferably, kosher salt) on each half, & scrub the copper. You’ll be able to see your face in the copper!

A use for at least one of those pesky tabs that seal loaves of bread in the supermarket: Do you wear dangling earrings that are not balanced by the earring backs alone? Cut out a circle from each of 2 tabs (a tad bigger than the existing earring backs), & (with a needle heated as you would do to sterilize something) make a hole in the center of each. Press them into service between the earring posts & their original backs.

Don’t give in to the nay-sayers. Dryer lint really IS good as stuffing for pillows or animal toys. Just gather it from the machine each time you dry clothes, & store it in a shopping bag.

If you hear your car brakes squeaking, check them out at a garage that you trust. The squeaking may be a sign of impending serious damage, & you’ll save dollars the earlier you catch the problem.

Another use for half an apple – if you’ve baked a cake, it will stay fresher longer if you put the apple into the cake’s container.

RECIPE:

Early Autumn Stew

1-3/4 c frozen & thawed black-eyed peas, having been baked according to the instructions in the 9/10/04 issue of this blog (or a pound can of black-eyed peas, drained & rinsed)
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
½ c pearl barley
4 carrots, in 1” thick slices (or, you can use a pound of baby carrots, which someone gave me – why pay for the “baby” carrots when all should know that they are simply mature carrots sliced elegantly by a machine?)
¾ lb summer squash (about 2), in 1” thick slices
3 dried Chinese mushrooms (if you live near an Asian market – these are quite cheap), rinsed, & soaked in 4 oz water for an hour (add the liquid to the pot) OR a 4 oz can of mushrooms, drained & rinsed PLUS 1 tsp liquid smoke
1 lb fresh greens (kale, mustard, collard, or even spinach), chopped OR ½ lb frozen chopped greens, thawed

Put all ingredients in a stockpot. Add water just to cover. Stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves 8 hearty eaters.

Of washing dogs & peppers stuffed with potatoes

Volume III, No. 8

Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005



O praise the L-rd.

Praise the L-rd out of heaven;
Praise Him in the heights.
Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His host.
Praise Him, sun & moon;
Praise Him, all you shining stars;
Praise Him, heaven of heavens,
& you waters above the heavens.
Let them all praise the name of the L-rd,
For He spoke the word & they were created;
He established them for ever & ever
By an ordinance which shall never pass away.

-- From Psalm 148






HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

To keep drains from getting clogged if you have a dog to wash, stop up the drain with a piece of steel wool (a soap pad such as Brillo® is OK.).You may well save the high cost of a repair. (You can use the pad in the future for the same purpose – just squeeze out the liquid. Store it in a sandwich bag in the freezer.)

An old chamois can get a new lease on life. Put a teaspoon of olive oil in a bucket. Add warm water so that the container is about halfway full. Soak the cloth for 15 minutes. Stir the water thoroughly about 5 times as the chamois soaks.

In the wake of the Katrina tragedy, everyone should be careful to have stored at least 3 days’ worth of water (1 gallon per day per person) & food & medications.
Many people, including me, store much more, trying to have enough to get through a month or longer without having to pay price-gouging rates for black-market supplies. The tricks are to always purchase an extra item that you are buying on sale, & to rotate all of your food & water supplies, so that what you have is always fresh enough to retain its nutrients & good taste. (As to the water, refill every plastic jug -- that has a cap -- that you have with fresh water, & mark the date upon which you filled it, to ensure an ample supply.)

Did you ever yearn for a sanding block that would conform to all the curves of a piece of elegant furniture? Here’s how to stop dreaming. Take a deck of cards, wrap it with the sandpaper in your chosen grit, & you’re done! A flexible sanding block!

Save energy & nutrients when cooking veggies by steaming them. Add some herbs or a little citrus juice to the steaming water for a taste treat!

Are you a homeowner – or a renter with a yard – who wants or needs to move a shrub or tree? Use a shovel to sever the root ball (to a foot’s depth). This will cut the feeder roots. Do not move the plant for a week. The shrub or tree will suffer less shock if you move it in this way.

You can use your caulk again & again without the tube’s opening drying out. Just mosey on over to an electrical supply store or the appropriate aisle of a hardware store, & pick up a 10-gauge or 12-gauge wire nut. Thread it on the tip of the tube & you’re cooking with gas!

You can avoid the purchase of a new broom by the simple expedient of washing its straws by soaking it in a bucket of a little ammonia & water. Tie the straws together during their phase of being dried.






RECIPE:

Peppers Stuffed with Potato Pudding:

6 medium green peppers, tops cut off & reserved, seeds & ribs removed
6 medium or 12 small potatoes, unpeeled if you can bear it as all the nutrition is in the skins, mashed in about 1/3 c of their cooking water (no butter or milk is needed) – it is best to cook them in a Dutch oven, so that you can mix all the ingredients in it & won’t have to wash a large bowl.
3 eggs
¾ c flour, matzo meal, cornmeal – whatever you choose
¾ tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp ready-ground black pepper or freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 c canola oil
1 tsp EACH sage & thyme

Mix all of the ingredients thoroughly. I find that the potato masher does an excellent job of this. Set upright the 6 green peppers (without their lids) in a 9x13” pan (sprayed with oil). Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a large cooking spoon, place about ½ c of potato mixture in each pepper; then press down the mixture so that you can add more to each pepper. Replace the top of each pepper. With what is left over, use a round cake pan to bake a regular potato pudding.

Bake plain potato pudding for 30 minutes. Keep the peppers in the oven for an additional half-hour (for an hour in total).

The plain pudding serves 2 as an entrée. With the 6 stuffed peppers, you’ll get a total of 8 servings from this recipe.

Much on dishwash detergent

Volume III, No. 7

Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005


Which of you delights in life
& desires a long life to enjoy all good things?
Then keep your tongue from evil
& your lips from uttering lies;
turn from evil & do good,
seek peace & pursue it.

From Psalm 34






HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

If you have a sink or container filled with soapy water, you can wash your hands at any point in its life, by simply rinsing your hands in it & drying them off on a tea towel (never paper!). Take advantage of the resource, & keep your water bills down.

When shopping for frozen groceries, be sure to select items that are kept below the “load line.” It’s indicated in most stores as a painted line on the side of the freezer.

A mop is a kind of brush, right? And you know enough to soak the mop in water & cleanser thoroughly & then squeeze it out before mopping. How about doing something similar with your paint brushes? You can soak them completely with water (for latex) or turpentine or paint thinner (for oil-based paint) & then gingerly smooth away the liquid from the brush, before you apply the paint to it. This method will use less paint than if you try to affix paint to a dry brush.

For those who DO prefer a new car to a used one, be aware that new cars come with ample rust-proofing. Sales personnel may try to sell you rust-preventative chemicals, but Just Say No.

Take the skin off poultry before cooking, & you’ll save half the calories. BUT – you’ll also be wasting money on a price-by-serving basis. BETTER FOR YOUR WALLET: Cook the chicken, turkey, or other poultry with the skin on. Then remove the skin before serving (when making stock, refrigerate the pot so that you can easily skim off the solid fat the next day). PLUS you’ll have a flavor boost over cooking without any fat at all.

A cheap burglar alarm is this: Place a strip of plywood between the top of the door & its frame. Set on the wood a number of empty tin cans with a hole in the bottom & a short length of rope knotted securely inside each can as well as being attached to the wood. Every time the door is opened, you -- & the burglar – will hear an alarm. This will likely make the criminal move to a quieter house.

Avoid this scene: You are suddenly in the dark in your car, so you reach over to the glove compartment to get out the flashlight. Oh, boy! What terrible news! -- The flashlight doesn’t work. The on-off button must have accidentally gotten switched on. To prevent this from happening in the future, use a piece of tape such as duct tape to keep the light securely in the “off” position. You can easily remove the tape when you actually do want the light to be on.

Don’t wash your car with dishwash detergent, lest you remove the car’s wax finish. Instead, spring for a bottle of soap at the discount auto supplier. Also, wash your car right after an (acid) rain or snow storm, to avoid having the acidity ruin the car’s finish.








RECIPE:

Ground Meat Stew with Seasonal Veggies:

(A recipe for the Crock-Pot ®)

1 lb frozen (yes, NOT thawed) ground meat (I use turkey)
2 ears of corn, with the corn cut off the cobs (you could use a cup of frozen or canned corn, but you lose everything in the taste department)
4 small potatoes, cut into quarters
½ lb fresh green beans, trimmed
2 carrots, cut into large slices
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 tsp EACH salt, onion powder, thyme, & marjoram
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp ground black pepper or freshly-ground pepper to taste

2 c water

Place the frozen ground meat at the bottom center of the Crock-Pot ®. Place all veggies around & on top of it. Sprinkle seasonings over all. Add the water. You do not need to stir the stew.

Cook on High for 4 hours. Remove bay leaf. Serves 6.

Of torn socks & a dish like lasangna

Volume III, No. 6

Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005

Death is not the end;
The earthly body vanishes,
The immortal spirit lives on with G-d.

Union (Jewish) Prayerbook, 1940





HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

The easiest way to repair pantyhose or a sock that has a tear in the hole is to cut across the hosiery in the foot portion before the tear, & then zigzag on a sewing machine or blanket stitch with a hand needle across the new toe.b

Who wants to throw out produce that has gone bad? In the case of limp celery, there is something simple that you can do. Just put it in a bowl with a couple of slices of raw potato, cover with water, & wait a few hours – it will be crisp!

A nuisance that you can end easily is a door that squeaks. You could of course use a lubricating oil to fix it – but then you’ll most likely end up with a stain on the wall or floor. A much better solution? Rub the hinges with petroleum jelly.

If the fitting room in a thrift store has too long a line, or there isn’t any fitting room in the 1st place, the way to get clothing for yourself that will fit is to know the labels & what size you take in a manufacturer’s garb. This may take some exploratory trips to a department store as homework. Also, you can try on the garment OVER your clothes. If it looks like it will cover you but just barely, it will most likely fit fine when you’re dressed normally. (Don’t try to zip up a garment you’re trying over your clothes. You may well break the zipper & have to pay for a damaged garment. The same goes for other closings such as buttons or frogs.)

If you want to drink chamomile tea to relax at bedtime, here’s the best way to avoid extra liquids which can cause bathroom trips at night. Just put up ¼ c water to boil. Put 3 chamomile teabags in a mug. Cover with the boiling water & let steep for 15 minutes. Voila – strong chamomile impact with very little liquid! (It will taste harsh – just giving you a head’s up – but you can always add honey.)

Cars manufactured after 1980 are computerized. You can’t do a tune-up yourself – in general. BUT you can still change the oil & brake fluid, check the levels of most other fluids (look in your owner’s manual for a list of which fluids you can change yourself), & change the air filter.

You’re savvy enough to know, before I tell you, that dry cleaners & shoe-repair stores generally will sell goods that have not been picked up by their owners – often at a price no greater than what the owner owed on the repair ticket!

I have a surprise for dog-owners. I’ll bet that you never heard that your dog will accumulate fewer fleas if you walk him or her on the sunny side of the sidewalk pavement. Fleas prefer grass, & they prefer the shade….

Here’s what I do immediately, if not sooner, when I am at home & get a stain on something washable. I wet the spot with water, apply a thick coat of mild hand soap like Ivory®, & rinse off thoroughly. Most stains come completely out with this procedure.

You can root many plant cuttings in water. So that the leaves don’t get wet & rot, put aluminum foil over the glass that you’ll be using. Cut a small X in the center of the foil, & insert the stem in the hole. Be sure that water reaches most of the stem. Once you see roots, plant the cutting in soil.

When one of the ingredients in a recipe is walnuts, almonds, or other expensive nuts, you can substitute peanuts – or even sunflower seeds!

Do NOT buy a new broom just because the one you have is cruddy with dirt & dust Stand the broom up against the wall, placed in a bucket with cleaning solution – ammonia in water is generally best. Keep it there for a couple of hours, then rinse thoroughly. That’s it – a broom as good as new!

RECIPE:

Sauced Macaroni Florentine: This is like a vegetarian lasagna.
1 lb pasta of your choice, UNCOOKED

1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T water
2 T canola oil

In a Dutch oven, saute the veggies in the liquid until they have browned slightly.

1 – 6 oz can tomato paste
1 – 29 oz can tomato puree
1 – 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 T dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ready-ground black pepper or freshly-ground black pepper to taste.

Add to Dutch oven, mix thoroughly, & cover. Reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a lasagna pan with cooking oil. (A roasting pan will do nicely – this recipe yields a bit too much food for a 9x13” pan, so, if you don’t have a lasagna pan, use a square pan in addition to the 9x13” one.)

1 lb cottage cheese
2 eggs
10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed

Mix in a (separate) bowl.

8 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced in half the long way & then sliced in about 1/2” pieces

Spread ½ of the sauce thickly on the bottom of the pan(s). Cover with pasta in one layer (do not overlap.). Spread the cottage cheese mixture atop. Reserving some tomato sauce for the top layer, spread the rest of the pasta (without overlapping) over the cottage cheese mixture. Place the mozzarella cheese over the pasta. End with tomato sauce on top.

Cover with foil & bake 45 minutes. Remove foil & bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Wait 5 minutes before cutting. Serves 12.