Of oil in sand & vacuuming scents

Volume III, No. 13 (October 23, 2005)
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005

Glory to G-d, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:20





HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

Recycle some of the oil from your car engine by using it to keep tool blades & teeth sharp. Just mix it into a bucket of sand.

I’m quite certain that when you have to clean your carpeting, you rent the equipment to save money. But did you know that you can also save time & hassle by renting DRY-CLEANING equipment instead of a wet-dry vacuum?

Make the most out of those tubes of toothpaste, antibiotic cream – even glue. Use a clothespin horizontal to the bottom of the tube as a clamp, so that you can roll up the empty portion of the tube.

When putting in the sweat equity to paint your own house (interior OR exterior), you may want to throw out a brush because the bristles are too stiff with left-over paint (after you have applied paint-thinner [for oil-based paints] or water [for latex paints]). But all you have to do is reach for your liquid fabric softener (for the laundry). Fill a basin with water, add 2 T of the softener, & immerse the brush for an hour. Then rinse thoroughly -- & there you have it!

One use for the mesh bags that produce often is wrapped in, as a sponge-scrubber. Just put a sponge inside sufficient mesh, & either use a rubber band to close the doohickey, or be elegant & sew it shut.

Regret your folly in having purchased a gas-guzzling SUV, given today’s prices? Try contracting out the trip by placing a newspaper ad or notice: “I need to go roundtrip from my home in __________ (general neighborhood), to my workplace in _________ (general neighborhood). Fee expected. Phone ______. (Do NOT give your name, for security purposes.)

Baskets are a staple in thrift stores. They are so useful around the house; it seems as though you can never have too many of them! It is best to select natural-colored baskets, so that you can clean them without fear of running colors. To clean, use warm water & a mild soap, scrubbing with a toothbrush (that you’ve set aside for cleaning purposes). You should then find a place in your house that has good ventilation as a site for the baskets to dry.

An easy way to fill up a savings account: As you pay down debt such as a credit card, continue to pay the same amount monthly that you have now cleared into savings. For example, if you had been making a $100 minimum payment, but now are only being charged $50 monthly, put the other $50 into savings. Similarly, any amounts that you save on the grocery bill should be put into savings. A money market mutual fund is a good savings vehicle for many people.

Don’t buy an extended warranty. Statistics tell us that fewer than 20% of those who purchase one ever have cause to use it! Worse yet, the company frequently requires buyers to take the electronics into a repair shop yourself, get a receipt, & try to be reimbursed. I say “try,” because the company often claims that there was a power surge or that you had abused the electronics.

If your house has wallpaper that is not washable, what a pity! But you can fix the problem. Go to a wallpaper store, & purchase “wallpaper sizing.” Apply it to the walls, & then go over it with a coat of shellac. You’ll be sitting pretty!

To get much more juice out of your citrus fruits, immerse them in hot water for 15 minutes before you squeeze them!

If you are on a truly tight budget, a suggestion for making certain that you don’t overspend yourself at the grocery store. Bring along a roll of masking tape & a pen. As you choose items from the shelves, mark on each what the price is (assuming that your store does not label items, which is generally the case these days). You’ll be able to calculate your total, & see how much you need to put back on a shelf, to arrive at a total price that you can afford. This will avoid embarrassment at the check-out counter. An additional benefit is that you will be able to catch any check-out errors.

To save big dollars on car maintenance, rotate your tires every 10,000 miles – even better is every 5,000 miles. Check the alignment frequently, to avoid having to buy new tires repeatedly for a car with low to medium mileage.

If you have a hospital stay to face, try a little poetry. So many interruptions in your days & nights – let alone how the medications make you feel – you very well will find it hard to concentrate. An anthology of short poems will meet your needs, especially if you choose a paperback (to avoid arm & wrist strain).

Use newspaper as a waste holder when you are cutting produce. You can just discard it without having a bowl to wash out.

Want to get a fresh scent while vacuuming? There are 2 methods. The first is to put some potpourri or the contents of an herbal teabag into the vacuum cleaner bag. The second is to lightly dust your carpet with baking soda. Either or both will make “good scents.”

Of flower arranging & franks slaw

Volume III, No. 12 (Sunday, Oct 16th, 2005)
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005



From the writings of the Hasid, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov:

The light of the Infinite One is without form & only takes shape – for good or for bad – in the recipient. Therefore, it is up to us. We have to do our best to shape G-d’s light into blessing, not curse.





HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

You can put up an elegant set of shelves (for shelves destined to carry light weights) by installing decorative long brackets UPSIDE DOWN.

When you have a bunch of flowers to arrange, always use a knife to cut off the stems at an oblique angle. Using a scissors will compress the stems; using a knife will allow water to flow into them.

Instead of having to accept collect calls from your collegiate kids, arrange with them to have you phone them at a given time. Saves big bucks!

If the prices & features of 2 computers or other electronic wares are comparable, spring for the one that is accompanied by the more generous manufacturer’s warranty.

Use antifreeze in your car’s engine even when it’s not cold outside. The antifreeze keeps your engine running better in hot weather, too. This is because its boiling point is higher than 212 degrees Fahrenheit (the boiling point of water at standard elevations).

Don’t have a double boiler for making that sauce? No worries – IF you have a small metal bowl. Just set the bowl in a larger pot, & fill the pot so that the water reaches 2” below the top of the bowl. Cover with the pot cover if the recipe so specifies, & you’re in business!
To be able to reuse a can – such as a tuna can as a biscuit cover, or a coffee can for baking a pudding or making Monkey Bread – you need edges with no burrs. Keep a metal nail file in the kitchen for this purpose.

Avoid draining your flashlight batteries by covering the flashlight switch with a strip of duct tape.







RECIPE:

Franks Slaw:

We often put relish on our hot dogs. Here’s a more nutritious “relish,” chock-filled with cabbage, & with the dogs an integral part of the slaw.

8 frankfurters (chicken or turkey), cooked as described on the package, each cut horizontally into fourths
½ large or 1 small green cabbage, cut into fine pieces
1 large or 2 small carrot(s), grated
2 green onions (“scallions”), both white & green parts, cut fine
1 stalk celery, cut fine

Combine in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine:

2 T ketchup
heaping ½ tsp dry mustard
¼ c mayonnaise
scant tsp salt

Stir this mixture thoroughly into the slaw. Serves 4.

Of October bargains & basil bake

Volume III, Issue 11

Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005


My favorite psalm -- The 121st Psalm:

If I lift up my eyes to the hills,
Where shall I find help?
Help comes only from the L-rd,
Maker of heaven & earth.
How could he let your foot stumble?
How could he, your guardian, sleep?
The guardian of Israel
Never slumbers, never sleeps.
The L-rd is your guardian,
Your defense at your right hand;
The sun will not strike you by day
Nor the moon by night
The L-rd will guard you against all evil
He will guard you, body & soul.
The L-rd will guard your going & your coming,
Now & for evermore.





OCTOBER BARGAINS:

One for November 1st – candy, gobs of it!
Really in October:
Apples & pears
Winter squash
Pumpkins

Last year’s automobile models (i.e., 2005 models now)
Silver & silverware
Clothing, & fabrics in high-end stores







HOUSHOLD HINTS:

You might think that, in order to sell a car, new tires would enhance the auto in the eyes of prospective buyers. ‘Taint true – once you have paid for the tires, you won’t get equal value from the buyer.

Use wadded-up newspaper to absorb odors in any empty container (including thermoses, lunch-boxes, coolers, or storage boxes).

You don’t have to discard window shades that have seen their better days. Just remove the shade from its roller, staple what had been its bottom to the top rod, & glue a bottom hem just wide enough to be able to encase its wooden straightening stick.

Has someone brought you flowers? Be sure to cut off all of the leaves that are below the water line, so they don’t succumb to disease. Change the water every other day for the same reason. Rot smells bad, but flowers are supposed to smell pretty, right?

Speaking of diseases, how about preventing mold on cheese? You just need some cheesecloth & some vinegar. Soak the former with the latter & wrap the cloth tightly around the cheese. (I’m not talking about cheese where mold IS the gourmet experience, as it is with blue cheeses.)

Call your auto insurance carrier to have your premium reduced if:
You are a policyholder for 2 or more kinds of insurance with that company;
You have had no prior claims (during a period exceeding a couple of years); or,
You have a compact car (especially important in this age of SUV’s).

Hint for a seamstress: If you find that you don’t have wide enough elastic for a garment, just use 2 narrow strips, zig-zag them together, & treat them as 1 when threading through the casing with your bodkin.






RECIPE:

Cottage Cheese, Basil, & Spaghetti Bake:

This dish has the dual merits of being delicious & cheap.

1 lb cottage cheese
1 bunch fresh basil (about 4 oz), scissored or cut into 1/8” slices (no stems, please – you can save the stems, as with all leftover veggie parts, to use in soups for extra flavor)
1 lb spaghetti, cut into thirds, cooked only up until the minimum time stated on the package. BEFORE DRAINING THE SPAGHETTI, take a 1-cup Pyrex measure, & scoop out 2 T of the cooking water – reserve it. Then you can drain the pasta.
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ready-ground pepper OR freshly-ground black pepper to taste
2 T flour
2 T olive oil
paprika, to dust


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray oil on a THREE-quart casserole dish.

In the pot in which you had cooked the spaghetti, replace the 2 T of cooking water. Add the salt, pepper, flour, & olive oil. Place on a medium flame. Stir vigorously to unify the ingredients, until the resulting roux is slightly browned. Remove from flame. Stir in the cottage cheese, basil & spaghetti. Transfer to the casserole dish.

Dust with paprika.

Cover casserole dish (with aluminum foil if necessary – remember to recycle the foil) & bake for 25 minutes. Remove cover & bake for another 15 minutes. Serves 4-5.

Of Jewish High Holy Days & French Ground Turkey

Volume III, No. 10

Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005

Jews everywhere commemorate the ten Days of Awe this week & next. The New Year, Rosh haShanah, is celebrated at home with a challah (egg bread) baked round instead of the standard braid. Apples are dipped in honey for a sweet year. There are also special synagogue services for these 2 days. There is a custom of throwing bread crumbs into a lake or other body of water, to cast one’s sins away.

Next week, the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur will fall on the 13th. This is a fast day (no liquids, either). Some people wear white that day, the color of purification. Synagogue services are nearly continuous. At the end of the day, the ram’s horn is sounded for the final time during the Days of Awe, & everyone breaks the fast in a festive atmosphere.





HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

When purchasing women’s clothing, look for wide hems & seam allowances. You’ll be able to let out the hems & seams if styles change. However, circular skirts (gored or full) need to retain narrow hems to flare properly.

Use the liquid left in a pickle jar to flavor veggies. I put thin carrot coins in. A week later, I stir them & enjoy! (Keep these in the fridge.)

Do you have an umbrella stand in your home or office? A major nuisance is pouring out the accumulated water. Try this: Put sponges (glued together to fit) in the bottom of the stand. It is much easier to wring out the sponges periodically than to pour out accumulated liquid

Another use for those pesky bread bag tabs. If you knit, use different colors of the tabs as markers for the stitches & rows. (By the way, do you know why the tabs come in different colors? Each color is coded for a “pull date” to indicate to grocers how fresh the bread is. Unfortunately, different bakeries use different codes ….)
While it’s true that putting hot leftovers into the fridge to chill uses up a lot of energy, cooling down the food quickly is essential for avoiding food poisoning. Best bet: Place the pan of food into a larger container (such as a dishpan) filled with cold water, & wait until the pan has cooled before placing it in the fridge.

To be able to reuse a food can (such as a tuna can for cutting out biscuits or a coffee container for steaming Boston brown bread), you need to be certain that the edges are completely smooth. Use a metal nail file (from your nail-care set) to take care of this.

Recycle a plastic milk jug to make a handy case to weave through your belt, to hold your electric drill or otther tool that you want to keep close at hand. Just
remove the neck from the bottle & then cut it diagonally, ending at approximately the half-way mark.

In the market for carpeting? Before you spring for new carpets, inquire around to determine whether there is used floor covering for sale. You might post an ad, or phone local dealers to see whether they have what you are looking for. To get a better price yet, check with remodeling & construction companies, as well as agencies that rent furniture, or, landlords of short-term “suites” for business people who plan only short stays in town. You get the picture!

To keep produce fresher longer in the crisper drawers of your fridge, thoroughly wet a clean sponge, & then squeeze it relatively dry. Put one in each crisper drawer. When it gets dry, repeat.

Want to save on the cost of facial cosmetic powder? Store it in a flour shaker (large version of a salt shaker). Whenever you want to use it, shake out the amount you desire into your palm, & apply it with a make-up brush.

Do you have tiles in your bathroom (whether floor or wall) that are ugly, because their grout is stained? Sandpaper can come to the rescue! Just smooth the grout with a light application of the sandpaper. Naturally, you can do the same with kitchen tiles.

Heavens, do you know why professionals always mat art that they are framing? It’s because the artwork needs a chance to breathe, so cannot be flush against the picture glass. If you frame your own art, be sure to use a mat.


RECIPE:

French Ground Turkey

3 stalks celery, including leaves, chopped fine
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c olive oil

Saute, in a Dutch oven, on medium heat, for about 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned.

4 medium fresh tomatoes (about 1 lb.), sliced, OR a 14.5-oz can of tomatoes, UNDRAINED, cut into small pieces with a pair of kitchen shears (while still in the can)
3 small (“boiling”) potatoes, in 1” cubes

Add. Cook for 12 minutes on medium, stirring occasionally.

1 lb ground turkey (thawed if frozen)
1 tsp EACH sage, & thyme
½ T (1-1/2 tsp) salt
¼ tsp ready-ground black pepper, or freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Add. Turn to high, stirring continuously, for 5 min. Turn heat to medium, cover, & cook for 15 minutes more.

Serves 5-6.

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