Recipes for Non-Cooks

Important Announcement

The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More

Reduce bacon shrinkage by running the bacon under water before frying. This should reduce shrinkage by about 50 percent.
Before opening a new package of bacon, roll it up like a jelly roll, then unroll. Slices won't stick to each other.

From Linda Carnation

If you don't have buttermilk on hand, sour your own milk. Measure 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup. Fill up to 1 cup mark with lukewarm milk. Let stand for 5 minutes before using.

From Marloah at http://recipecircus.com

Coffee and Coffee Cans Uses

+Dye fabric brown inexpensively. Soak the fabric in a bucket of strong black coffee. This technique is also a good way to cover-up an irremovable coffee stain on a white table cloth.

+ Fertilize a garden or houseplants. Work coffee grounds into the topsoil.

+ Repair scratched woodwork. Mix a teaspoon instant coffee with two teaspoons water. Apply to the scratch with a cotton ball.

+ Start a charcoal fire. Remove the top and bottom of an empty coffee can and punch a few holes in the sides of the can. Stand the can in your barbecue grill, fill it with charcoal briquettes, add lighter fluid, and light. When the coals glow, remove the hot can with tongs and set in a safe place.

+ Prevent dampness in closets. Fill an empty coffee can with charcoal briquettes, punch holes in the plastic cover, and set on the floor in the back of the closet.

+ Repel ants. Sprinkle dried coffee grounds outside doors and cracks. Coffee deters ants.

+ Relieve a hangover. Drink a couple of cups of coffee. Coffee acts as a vasoconstrictor, reducing the swelling of blood vessels that causes headache.

+ Spread grass seed or fertilizer. Punch holes in the bottom of an empty can of coffee, fill with grass seed or fertilizer, cover with the plastic lid, and shake the can as you walk through your garden.

+ Transport live fishing bait. Keep worms in a coffee can filled with moist coffee grounds.

+ Keep toilet paper waterproof while camping. Carry a roll of toilet paper inside an empty coffee can.

+ Protect baby tomato plants. Remove the top and bottom from coffee cans, place a can over each plant, and step on the can to set firmly in the soil. Remove cans when plants are a few weeks old.

+ Grow better melons. Raise melons off the ground by resting them on top of upside-down empty coffee cans pushed into the soil. The metal cans accumulate heat, making the fruit ripen earlier and repelling insects.

+ Keep paintbrush bristles from bending while soaking in solvent. Put solvent in an empty coffee can, cut an X in the plastic lid, and push the brush handle up through the slit so the brush hangs in the can rather than resting on its bristles.

From Simply Tim Ezine

Coffee and Coffee Cans, More Uses

+ Highlight brown or red hair. Rinse your hair with coffee for a rich and shiny color.

+ Deodorize the refrigerator and freezer. Place a bowl filled with coffee grounds on the back shelf.

+ Patch woodwork. Mix dry instant coffee with spackling paste until you achieve the desired brown tone, fill the crack or hole, and smooth with a damp cloth.

+ Clean a restaurant grill. Pour left-over brewed coffee over a hot or cold grill and wipe clean.

+ Wrap cookies and candies. Cover an empty coffee can with wrapping paper, fill with cookies or candy, cover with the plastic lid, then wrap.

+ Cover spots on black suede. Sponge on a little black coffee.

+ Make emergency lights. Wrap reflector tape around a couple of empty coffee cans and store in the trunk of your car for emergencies.

+ Make stilts. String rope through holes punched in the closed ends of two empty coffee cans.

+ Store nails, screws, bolts, and washers. Coffee cans make perfect storage containers.

+ Improvise a Jell-O mold. Use an empty coffee can.

+ Store cat box filler in the trunk of your car for emergencies. Cat box filler, stored in empty coffee cans, can be used for traction under the wheels of a car stuck in snow or ice.

+ Flavor spaghetti. Add one-quarter to one-half teaspoon of instant coffee to spaghetti sauce. Coffee gives store- bought spaghetti sauce brown coloring and a less acidic flavor.

+ Add a sprinkle of (instant) coffee as a secret chili ingredient (as well as a dash of cinnamon).

From Simply Tim Ezine

When cooking, have plenty of cloth towels on hand because cloth towels are versatile tools. Most chefs avoid single-purpose tools, preferring to use a knife (a good example of a multiple-purpose tool) rather than a citrus zester, garlic press, herb chopper, and other specialized tools. Cloth towels are inexpensive, easily laundered, and a professional chef usually makes sure that two or three are within reach at all times. A professional kitchen can go through dozens of towels in a single day. They are handy for cleaning cooking surfaces and kitchen tools, mopping up spills, wiping hands, prepping plates before delivery, and handling hot objects. How many things can you do with a pot holder? From http://www.worldwiderecipes.com

Kitchen Towels, More About

Kitchen towel's are the most useful tool in your kitchen.

These are easy to find and inexpensive to purchase.

I change my kitchen towels and sink wash cloths daily.

If I am preparing any raw meat, I use 1-2 cheap towels just for my hands. When finished, use a clean sink cloth to clean kitchen areas with your favorite cleaner. (A simple mixture of diluted bleach and water works great! Cheap small spray bottle.)

Kitchen towels are easy to find. Most grocery stores offer cotton style, (Best for drying dishes) and kitchen wash cloths. Hand towels are your choice. Keeping extra cotton drying towels available in your kitchen will serve your kitchen well.

Wash all these with your choice of laundry soap.

Hang these out on a line in the sunshine to help remove germs.

Empty box style Kleenex boxes will work great for holding glass bottles or jars for RV USERS. Push your glass in and it will be more secure. Of course, place all these in a box on the floor. It will be easy to pick up the box and remove your jar or glass.
--------------
Stuff empty Kleenex boxes with cotton balls for easy uses.

Additional comment from McClug:

You can also stuff plastic produce bags from the grocery store in the Kleenex box. Just pull one out when you need one. The next one will pop up as you pull it out.

Quick Potato Salad.

Oh no! No potatoes!...
If you have the cubed frozen style, even shredded frozen potatoes will work. Allow them to thaw; cook in water to cover potatoes. Cook for only 5 to 7 minutes. JUST UNTIL SOFT. Rinse and drain in COLD WATER. Use FOR ANY POTATO SALAD.

In the heat, there is one cool food we can always count on - cucumbers. The reason for the cukes�?cool persona is that they have an amazing ability to retain water and remain cool. In fact, the inside if a cucumber can be up to 20 degrees cooler than the outside temperature.
When shopping for cucumbers, look for firmness without any soft spots. They should have a solid green color with no yellowing. Avoid cukes that appear shriveled from lack of moisture.
Some cucumbers can be bitter, especially at the ends. You might want to cut off the ends because of this. In particular, cut off the blossom end of fresh cucumbers, as the blossoms contain enzymes that are bitter and cause excessive softening of pickles.
Cucumbers are great just peeled, sliced lengthwise and served as appetizers. Many like a bit of salt on these. My absolute favorite way of serving cucumbers is:

Sour Cream Cucumbers

Just peel and slice cucumbers very, very thin. Salt the cucumbers generously and set in the refrigerator for about two hours. Then squeeze out the excess water accumulated. Add a generous amount of sour cream. Mix together and serve.

From http://directrecipes.com

More Cucumber Tips

My family and I enjoy cukes for eye refreshing. They hold a mineral which is good for your eyes and supply cooling water refreshing for your eyes. My eyes are dry thanks to Guillian Barre, I need to add moisture to the eye itself for relief of a normal day's dryness. Simply cut the cuke into nice slices. Close the bedroom door. Make the room quiet and private. Lay down with a slice of cuke on each eye for 20 minutes. This might seem silly, yet my doctors and my eye doctor have told me to do this daily. Believe me, you will understand the relief and refreshment these simple cheap veggies will give your eyes.

Glen uses a manual hand-held cheese shredder to make his cuke salad. He uses the slicer side. Usually he peels the cukes and always adds raw onion along with sour cream. Onions and cukes like to live together. If sour cream is not available, full-fat mayonnaise and cukes are great also. This family also loves cottage cheese and cukes. This is everyone's favorite treat and it will keep well. It is better made the night before. You can use dried onions also. Simply omit the salt for your recipe. The dried onions are salty enough.

Cukes are great for facial rubs. Clean your face with the products of your choice. Cut easy finger held slices of cool cukes, 4 to 6 depending on your needs. Before final moisturizing, wipe your face with a cool cuke slice. Allow to dry. Rinse or scrub as needed. Follow with your favorite facial needs.

If you do not have ice for a burn, cukes will help cool the burn.

We keep 6 to 10 cukes in our fridge weekly.

Important Announcement The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
Recipes for Non-Cooks	[email protected]