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.