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Uses for Lemon Juice and Lemons
 
 
SOME IDEA'S YOU CAN USE LEMON JUICE OR LEMON'S FOR..
-----------------------------------
Remove ink spots from clothing.
While ink is wet, apply Lemon liberally to the spot, then wash the garment in normal cycle with regular detergent in cold water.

I will say, this works best if you can line dry your garment in the sun.
I use Real Lemon juice FROM THE STORE!!! The stuff in the green bottle..
--------------------------------------------

Remove rust and mineral discolorations on cotton t-shirts and briefs.
Use one cup Lemon juice in the washer.
Again, best if you can SUN DRY THE GARMENT'S...

----------------------------

THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE, AND I DO THIS ALL THE TIME!!!!!
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Clean a microwave oven.
Add four tablespoons Lemon juice to one cup water in a microwave-safe, four-cup bowl. Boil for five minutes in the microwave, allowing the steam to condense on the inside walls of the oven. Then wipe clean.
 
 
 
6/22/2004
Grocery Shopping List
 
 
I do a lot of my grocery shopping on line and I have found it helpful to have a grocery list posted with a magnet on my refrigerator door.  I check things off as I need them.  I created a grocery list for myself which you can see by going to Our Cookbooks, then clicking on Documents, then on Shopping List.  You can open my list and then download it and edit it to suit yourself with Microsoft Word.  It will fit on one letter-size page.  I have also included it in today's General Message Board posting as an attachment.
 
These sites will deliver nonperishable groceries anywhere within the continental United States.  They carry almost everything you might think of.

Reply from dianne11323 on 6/24/04:
 
This is a GREAT idea..
I do not do my grocey shopping on line.
For those of you who do not..
PRINT OUT HER LIST AND PLACE ON YOUR FRIDGE, OR WHEREVER IS YOUR BEST SPOT.. (Believe it or not, I have a grocery list in the bathroom, right next to the "MOM OR WHOEVER NEEDS TO DO WHATEVER DAILY MESSAGES.." Everyone in this house goes in that room some time during the day.. A small corkboard bullentin board.. Message pad's, pins, and pen's available...) We also have a list by the fridge..
When a family member takes the last of something, remind them to check THE LIST..
If your are concerned about the cost of ink for your printer's.. PRINT A COUPLE AND CUT TO FIT FOR THE GROCERY STORE PRINTING MACHINES. 
I already have my families favorites printed out and on the fridge and in the bathroom.. And, believe it or not.. THEY DO CHECK IT OFF AS THEY EMPTY SOMETHING, OR WANT SOMETHING BOUGHT..
Doing all this on line would be easier than going to the store..
Yet, I find the STORE is where I run into everyone and TALK, TALK, AND TALK SOME MORE..
Besides.. It's 50 yards from the garage to the house.. Up and down 5 step's.. I like the little exercise..
WONDERFUL IDEA!!!!
Dianne.
 
 
 
6/23/2004
Vanilla, Booze and Raisins
 
 
 
( I’m not sure I believe this one...)
    
 
Edie James of Iberia, Ohio says, “If you are running short on vanilla, you can mix it half-and-half with whiskey and nobody will be the wiser!�?

Reply From dianne11323

I'm not sure I believe this one either, YET.. I KNOW MY REALLY OLD COOKBOOK'S DO SAY YOU CAN USE COFFEE, WHISKEY, RUM,  OR BRANDY IN PLACE OF VANILLA..
I find the booze DOES HELP THE VANILLA FLAVORINGS THOUGH.. I usually add coffee as the liquid for all my chocolate baking, a splash of booze if I think it will taste great. AND IT ALWAYS DOES.. I seldom use beer for baking, BUT I ALMOST ALWAYS USE BEER FOR COOKING..
VANILLA HAS ALOT OF ACHOLOL AFTER ALL..
A SWEET ACHOLOL..
Growing up, Our cook always USED  DRUNKEN RAISINS!!!! SHE  MADE THEM EVERYTIME SHE USED RAISINS FOR ANY TYPE OF BAKING.. (Personally, I think she liked the raisins.. Tee Hee.. We ALWAYS HAD OF BOWL OF RAISINS IN THE FRIDGE!!)
I still leave my raisins in  a bowl of pure rum overnight in the fridge.. I THINK SHE IS COMPLETELY RIGHT...Now that I think about it..
My recipe has VERY LITTLE VANILLA IN IT.. It says, "VANILLA, IF YOU HAVE IT"; USE JUICE FROM RAISINS AS VANILLA..
This just might be true...
Dianne.
 
 
 
6/25/2004
Cooking Bacon
 
 

Here's a tip for cooking bacon:

     

Instead of frying bacon, lay strips on a jelly roll pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Prepared this way, bacon comes out crisp and flat. Plus, the pan cleans easily, and there's no stove-top spattering.


Reply from dianne11323

If you own a GEORGE FORMAN GRILL. Cook your bacon in it.

We usually cook an entire pound of bacon and crumble. USE FOR SALADS. Our family eats a lot of salad. A SPRINKLING OF REAL BACON ON IT IS GREAT.  I use this as a wonderful addition to a quick potato thingie..

If you live alone, PUT SMALL SERVING SIZES IN FREEZER. KEEP ONLY WHAT YOU WILL USE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS IN FRIDGE.
--------------------
If you prefer to fry single slices every morning, (The smell is wonderful!!) REMOVE THE ENTIRE POUND OF BACON FROM WRAPPING BEFORE YOU FREEZE OR STORE IT.
Place single pieces BETWEEN WAX  paper or tin foil ( I use resealable tin foil..) Seal in a double bagged baggie.. If you need to unthaw to remove, just a few seconds in a microwave will be enough to remove your single serving choices. You  should be able to pull your choices away easily..
 
THE BACON IS REALLY GREAT ON THE JELLY ROLL PAN. THINK ABOUT A BROILER PAN. SPRAY IT, LAY  IT, AND BAKE IT. (ALL BACONS OR SIDE PORKS) 
 
 
 
6/26/2004
Gift Wrapping Ideas
 
 
Gift Wrapping Ideas.
---------------------------------
Leftover pieces of wallpapering...Use to wrap any gift..
Heavy duty tin foil makes a pretty package...Wrap a shoe box top and bottom seperatly with either wall paper or tin foil and you have a nice easy-open gift box.

Popcorn tins make an easy package for something that needs a round container. (Look for these at resale shops and garage sales!!)

The colored comics from the newspaper works nicely also.
The smooth colored JUNK STUFF in the newspaper is great!! ( I often wrap all our Christmas presents in newspaper... TONS OF WRAPPING PAPER FOR THIS VERY LARGE FAMILY!! I also use as many  reuseable containers as I can. No need to throw away something I can use for many years to come; ie, baskets, popcorn tins, pencil boxes...)

Use leftover yarn pieces for bows... Cut to desired length. Secure with a small rubber band and then glue to package. Again, you can find leftover yarn at almost any garage sale...

Cut off gallon jugs (milk, bleach, laundry soap..), well cleaned. Glue leftover fabrics outside and inside for a nice open gift package. If desired, Add a little filling by stuffing a couple of old nylons behind the fabric before gluing to jug.  Add a quick pocket...(Really great idea for baby/wedding shower..) 

All little girls love purses. Fill an old purse  with WHATEVER.. Two presents in one.. (Again, resale shops and garage sales!!!)

Small decorative tin or wooden boxes make an easy
package. (RESALE SHOPS AND GARAGE SALES!!)

Old backpacks can be filled with some really cool stuff, you know!!!

ANY AND ALL BASKETS WILL BECOME A GIFT PACKAGE WITH A PRETTY BOW AND A FEW SHEETS OF THIN PRETTY PAPER.

Save those small boxes that have secure lids.. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED SOMETHING FOR A QUICK GIFT BOX WRAPPED IN TIN FOIL/ OR WHATEVER.... I wrap mine in the heavy duty tin foil before I put them away in the large covered plastic container I keep for all my reuseable gift giving stuff. That way they are ready when I need something quickly; the same with a few shoe boxes.  A great way to use up those LAST FEW PIECES OF REAL WRAPPING PAPER YOU CUT OFF FROM THE ROLL...

FABRIC LEFTOVERS ARE WONDERFUL GLUED ON ANY CONTAINER!!!!!  No need to use glue, though. Old Sheets and draperies make nice, QUICK wrappings. SECURE FABRIC ENDS together for weird spaced thingies with a rubber band. Then spray on a little glitter. You can find this at a craft store. OR.. Glue on a few bows here and there.
(That spray-on glitter stuff is great!!)
 
 
 
 
6/26/2004
Soup Bones
 
 
 Just thought of a GREAT SOUP IDEA..
---------------
BAKE YOUR SOUP BONES
---------------
I DO THIS ALL THE TIME.  BAKE ALL THE BONES FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES OR SO.  IT WILL HELP WITH THE FLAVOR OF YOUR BROTHS. THE BROILER PAN REALLY WORKS GREAT FOR THIS IDEA.
 
 
 
6/26/2004
Uses for Baking Soda
 
 
 

 
There are 10 Common Uses For Baking Soda:
  1. Make a paste of baking soda and water and rub on insect bites to relieve itching.  
  2. Remove coffee and tea stains by scrubbing pots or cups with baking soda and a plastic scouring pad. 
  3. Add 1/3 cup baking soda to a wash cycle as a bleach booster or to the rinse cycle for cleaner smelling laundry. 
  4. To remove black scuff marks from floor, rub them with a paste of baking soda and water. 
  5. Clean fiberglass showers and tubs with baking soda sprinkled one sponge. Sponge clean and wipe dry. 
  6. Soak sour smelling dishcloths and sponges in water and baking soda solution. 
  7. Use a solution of water and baking soda to clean and deodorize the inside of your microwave. 
  8. Put a few spoonfuls in a cup of water in the microwave, boil for two minutes, then wipe down the inside with a sponge. 
  9. Sprinkle a little baking soda into the laundry hamper to minimize odors.  
  10. Remove crayon marks from walls by scrubbing gently with an old toothbrush and a paste of baking soda and water. 
 
 
 
6/26/2004
Clean Recipe Cards
 
 

 

If you are following a recipe from a card, you know how it can get very dirty and splashed with exotic ingredients.  To keep it pristine, put the card in the prongs of a fork and set the fork in a glass in front of you....
 
...and don't touch it again until you have washed your hands!! 
 
 
 
 

Reply from dianne11323:
 
You can also place your precious recipe card in a CLEAR NOTE BOOK. The type kids use for SCHOOL TERM PAPERS..
Remove their papers, store in folders in underbed clear plastic containers. Wash covering inside and out
Keep a few in the kitchen to simply LAY YOUR RECIPE UNDER WHILE YOU FOLLOW RECIPE. WASH EVERYTHING.
 
A LARGER PICTURE HOLDER WORKS GREAT TO HOLD RECIPES (Not the frame, just the holder).

If you have some really favorites and have a way to LAMINATE THEM...KEEP A BOX OF FAVORITES LAMINATED. SIMPLY WIPE OFF YOUR RECIPE WHEN FINISHED. I had all my favorites laminated at our local Library. The laminate machines are available almost everywhere.. 

CLOTHESPINS WORK GREAT ALSO!  Glen made me a recipe holder out of an old piece of wood with a clothespin attached.  IT'S REALLY EASY TO DO. CUT THE WOOD OR WHATEVER, ADD A BACK HOLDER SO YOUR RECIPE IS EASILY VISABLE. ATTACH WITH A CLOTHESPIN. Mine is not glued on. I keep a few on the counters for closures for almost every bag in this house, as well as for holding recipes. USE THE CLOTHES PINS.. AND wood.
 
 
 
6/28/2004
Inexpensive Containers
 
 
Storage containers do not HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE..
-----------
CHEAP PLASTIC SHOE BOXES MAKE A NICE PICTURE ORGANIZER; FOR CHRISTMAS CARDS, ALL-OCCASION CARDS, ENVELOPES...Use cheap different colored note cards to divide catagories.  ALSO GOOD FOR THREAD(spools and all), LEFTOVER YARN,  CRAFTING ITEMS, ALMOST EVERYTHING, PAPER, NYLONS, SOCKS. YOU NAME IT.
CHEAP SWEATER OR UNDERBED PLASTIC CONTANERS WORK FOR EVERYTHING IN EVERY ROOM OF THE HOUSE!!!
These should be clear so you can see what's in them. MARK THEM ON TOP AND ON ALL SIDES .They stack nicely on top of each other and are very easy to move off each other to get to the bottom one. I love these for closets without shelving. Closets with shelves, storage sheds, GUYS' STUFF IN GARAGES, GIRLS' STUFF IN GARAGES, SPICE CONTAINERS...THE SKY IS THE LIMIT!!!
 
 
 
6/28/2004
Fresh Parsley
 
 
 
  
 
This tip is from Maidie Cohen via http://www.worldwiderecipes.com   (I was very glad to see this because my parsley always wilts before I can use it.  You have to buy such a big bunch of it at the grocer and I usually just use small amounts at a time.) 
 
When I buy a bunch of fresh parsley I chop off a tiny bit of the stems and put the parsley in a glass or vase of very warm (almost hot) water to keep on my kitchen counter.  The warm water revives the parsley.  I remove any leaves in the water, and change the water every few days, or when it gets cloudy.  Not only is it good to look at, especially in the winter, it's also always handy to use when I want small amounts to chop and sprinkle on something, or a stem or two to throw in a pot. My experience has been that it keeps on the counter just as long as it does in the fridge.  If it's very fresh when I buy it, it'll last a couple of weeks.
 
Chopping Parsley: Using a chef's knife and holding down tip end, cut back and forth across whole parsley sprigs. Also use this method for chopping other fresh herbs such as cilantro, basil or sage.
 
 
 
6/29/2004