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.
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.
posted by THE PENNY ORCHID -- "Thrift with Flair" at 12:23 PM
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