Recipes for Non-Cooks

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Homemade Cleaning Recipes

Homemade Spray Cleaner Recipe

Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
In the kitchen, use vinegar-and-waterspray to clean countertops, lightly soiled range surfaces and backsplash areas.

In the bathroom, use vinegar spray cleaner to clean countertops, floors, and exterior surfaces of the toilet. For really tough bathroom surfaces such as shower walls, pump up the cleaning power by removing the sprayer element and heating the solution in the microwave until barely hot. Spray shower walls with the warmed generously, allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes, then scrub and rinse. The heat helps soften stubborn soap scum and loosens hard water deposits.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

A cup of BLEACH poured in all your freshly flushed toilet water. Allow to stand for about an hour. Use a SOFT BRUSH to run the Bleach water around and behind and everywhere. Either wipe dry with a throw away rag or wipe around with a water rag to remove bleach.
Flush twice.

Fabric Softener

Add one cup of undiluted white vinegar to the laundry rinse cycle instead of commercial fabric softener. White vinegar softens clothes and cuts detergent residue--a plus for family members with sensitive skin.

Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe

Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Strong Glass Cleaner Recipe

Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon clear, non-sudsing ammonia

Strong All-Purpose Recipe

Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 T clear, non-sudsing ammonia
1 T clear laundry detergent
2 cups water

Furniture Polish Recipe
Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice

Shake well and apply a small amount to a flannel cleaning rag or cleaning cloth. Spread evenly over furniture surface. Turn cloth to a dry side and polish dry. Lemon juice dissolves dirt and smudges, while olive oil shines and protects the wood:

One of the most useful items in the kitchen is Rubbermaid Lazy Susans. I have 12 of them; 2 in my refrigerator (for salad dressings and condiments), 5 in my cabinets (for spices, canned goods and baking products), 1 on my counter (for most used items like olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, etc.) 4 in my pantry (1 for coffee, tea, cocoa and related things, 1 for jams, honey, syrups, etc., 1 for stored condiments like ketchup, relish, soy sauce, etc. and 1 for seldom used products like bottled capers, odd seasoning mixes, clam juice, etc.) I can always find what I am looking for without moving stuff around to get to the back of a shelf.

The following is from Noncook, dianne11323 (The Bakenbabe), on 6/4/03:

LAZY SUSAN'S ARE NOT JUST FOR THE KITCHEN..

Glen has four in his garage.

Please do not ask me what he has in the plastic containers on these.. I just know he loves this idea and asked me to buy him at least four more...

I can tell you where he has these... In a cabinet... You know a guy thingy cabinet.. (My old kitchen cabinet.. Tee Hee...)

I have a Lazy Susan in my bathroom.. With all the GIRLS still living here... GIRL STUFF can be hard to find... Each one of us has our own Lazy Susan in the cupboard in the bathroom.. I also have one filled with different BAND-AIDS.. Believe me.. WE USE DIFFERENT SIZES OF BAND-AIDES IN THIS HOUSE!!! I also have one JUST FOR ASPIRINS... WHATEVER KIND OF STUFF.. You know what I mean... This one is in the kitchen.. I also use one for MY VIATMINS... A SEPARATE ONE FOR GLEN'S DAILY PILLS, AND ONE FOR WHATEVER ELSE THIS HOUSE NEEDS.. You know... WHATEVER... This one is also in the kitchen.

P.S from McClug: I wonder if anyone uses Lazy Susans for condiments at the dinner table. There probably won't be any of them left over for that!

Makeshift Bath Chair

This is one of the things we did when I came home from the hostipal 8 years ago in a wheelchair.

I needed a bath chair...We used a cheap plastic lawn chair. Glen drilled holes in the bottom of the chair for drainage. We placed this chair on a new BATH MAT... A good rubbered backed mat that will be for your choice..

Of course, you will need a railing or someone to help you in and out of the tub.

Deseed a Cucumber

To easliy remove seeds from a cucumber..

Cut it in half lenghtwise, then run a melon baller down the lenght of both halves to scoop out the seeds.

No garbage disposal? Or planning for COMPOST?

Before peeling and coring fruits and vegetables, line a dry sink with a few layers of newspaper or waxed paper.. (I use newspaper, just becasue I'm cheap).

Discard the scraps on the paper as you work. When finihed, cleanup is simple. Just wrap up the paper and throw in trash or empty into your compost bin...(Most of my stuff goes to the compost bin..

Here's another goody from our resident Chef Extrodinaire, Marcelle le Magnifique:

You can freeze leftover long-grain rice to use in stir-fries or for a quick meal (not short grain or wild rice...they get all sticky.) Cook and cool rice, package in resealable bags, and freeze flat.

Homemade Goodies

HOMEMADE SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes 1-1/4 cups or a 14 ounce can.
Keeps in the refrigerator.

"This recipe will save you lots of money over the years. Needs to be refrigerated."

HOMEMADE VANILLA EXTRACT

This makes a wonderful Mother's Day or Christmas present for someone youlove who loves to bake. Simply use the prettiest alcohol beveragebottle you can find, and remove the outer papering. Then decorate the bottle in the manner you wish, and add a pretty bow. It'll be a treasured gift never to be surpassed!

1 large vanilla bean
1 pint dark rum (light rum or vodka works as well)

Place vanilla bean in rum bottle and let sit in a dark place for a minimum of 1 month. The longer the vanilla sits the better the flavor is extracted from the bean.

NOTE: This is a never-ending supply of vanilla, because you just simply keep adding the rum to your vanilla as you use it.

HOMEMADE CHEEZ WHIZ

1/4 pound margarine
2 pounds Velveeta cheese, cut up
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon sugar

Melt together in a double boiler. Stir well . ..You could add pimiento, bacon pieces, or 1 teaspoon yellow mustard if desired . Makes 3 pints. You could halve this recipe.

HOMEMADE BISQUICK

1 cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon "Promise-lighter" margarine

Combine all, and store in fridg. I use this recipe in place of Bisquick all the time. It has never failed me.

Lighter Pancakes

Here's a well-kept secret:

DON'T TELL ANOTHER SOUL!!

Did you know that for lighter and fluffier pancakes you can use club soda instead of milk in the batter?

Noncook, Dianne 11323 says,

"Don't tell anyone about this either...CLUB SODA MAKE THE BEST HOME MADE BAKING POWDER BISQUIT'S!!! It's our secret!!!"

No-Spill Gelatin

When making gelatin, place the mold in the refrigerator before pouring in the last cup of liquid or fruit. This prevents the spills that often occur when transferring a full mold to the refrigerator

Store all your pastas in canning jars or glass pickle, or mayo jars, well cleaned. Pasta will stay fresher and jars stack nicely. You will be able to see what you need at a glance in your pantry for the grocery list..

Note from McClug:

Dianne, I love this idea for pasta shapes. I heard once you could store long pasta in those Pringles Potato Chip cans, but of course you can't see inside. Since I always break long pasta into two pieces before cooking it anyway, maybe it would fit in the glass jars O.K. I'll give it a try.

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