Sunday, June 30, 2013

Southern Creamy Pralines Recipe

Southern Creamy Pralines



Ingredients:


3 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 quart pecans

Directions:


Combine sugar, buttermilk, corn syrup and salt in a very large pan (it will foam considerably when soda is added) and bring to a nice rolling boil. Add soda, stir and cook until soft ball is formed when dropped in cold water.

***at 235° F on Candy thermometer, the syrup is at the “soft-ball” stage. That means that when you drop a bit of it into cold water to cool it down, it will form a soft ball.***

Then remove from heat and add vanilla. Beat until color changes and candy thickens. Stir in pecans. Drop by teaspoons on a well greased cookie sheet, foil or wax paper.(DO IT FAST before the candy hardens)


Friday, June 28, 2013

20 ITEMS TO KICK START YOUR FOOD STORAGE PLAN


1.  20 pounds of Rice.  As boring as it may sound, rice is one of the backbones of every food storage plan.  It is filling, nutritious  and with the use of  varied seasonings and condiments, highly adaptable in a variety of tasty meals.  The choice of white, brown or a combination of the two is up to you.  White rice has a longer shelf life but brown rice has more nutritional benefits.  In my own household, I like to combine the two along with some Jasmine, Basmati and Calrose sticky rice.

2.  20 pounds of Pinto Beans.   Like rice, beans are the backbone to every food storage plan.  You may substitute white, kidney or other types of dried beans but honestly, pintos are one of the least expensive dried beans and in my opinion, one of the tastiest.  Need help cooking beans? when you are done here be sure to read Survival Woman Learns to Cook Dried Beans and you should too and  Respect for the Lowly Pinto Bean.
3.  20 cans of Vegetables.  Green beans, peas, corn and canned tomatoes are good choices.  Let your taste and budget guide you.  Buy what you currently eat and enjoy.
4.  20 cans of Fruit.  Peaches, pears, pineapple, fruit cocktail – again, this is your choice.  Fruits add a nice sweetness to life and these days we all could use more of that.
5.  20 cans of Meat.  Chicken, tuna, shrimp, salmon, Vienna sausages, beef stew and yes, even the ubiquitous Spam will satisfy this requirement.  Did you know that you can even purchase canned roast beef? Again, let your taste and budget guide you – there is lots to choose from.

6.  4 pounds Oats.  Remember when you were little and Mom warmed your tummy with a nice comforting bowl of oatmeal?  That is what we are talking about here.  A bowl of oatmeal topped with canned fruit can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
7.  2 large jars of Peanut Butter.  Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein, with plenty of calories for energy and sustenance.  Besides, who can resist the taste of a gooey spoonful of luscious peanut butter?
8.  2 large jars of Tang or other powdered drink mix.  The only requirement here is get something you like and something fortified with Vitamin C.  I am not going to preach and tell you to avoid artificial sweeteners.  If Crystal Lite works for you in normal times, go for it.
9.  5 pounds of Powdered Milk.  Milk is a great source of protein and other nutrients.  In addition it is filling and can be used to top your oatmeal cereal or stirred into your coffee as a flavor enhancer.
10.  5 pounds of Salt.  It goes without saying that salt is an essential for survival plus it has a lot of uses other than as an enhancement for food. That said, our bodies need salt to survive.  Read more about salt in the article Reasons You Need Salt in the Prepper Pantry.
11.  10 pounds of Pancake Mix.  An all in one pancake mix (such as Krusteaz) only requires the addition of water to make up a batch of batter.  As with oatmeal, a big plate of pancakes, perhaps with some honey or jam, will make a satisfying meal that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
12.  2 pounds of Honey and 2 large jars of Jam.  We all need some sweetness in our life, even with Mother Nature or life deals us a blow.  I choose honey and jam over sugar but at the end of the day, you can make a substitution or simply mix and match.
13.  10 pounds of Pasta.  Pasta is familiar and easy to fix.  Pasta is a dense form of wheat but so much easier to deal with when you are first starting out.  Besides, it is a fabulous comfort food.
14.  10 cans or jars of Spaghetti Sauce.  Cheap yet satisfying, canned pasta sauce on a bed of pasta creates a satisfying meal that can be put together in minutes.
15. 20 cans of Soup or Broth. The beauty of canned soups and canned broth is that they are a budget friendly.  Soups are an all-in-one meal solution. All you need is a can opener and a spoon and you have a meal ready to go.  For an extra satisfying meal, try using a can of soup as part of the cooking water for your rice.  Yummy!
16.  One large jug of Oil. Choose olive oil, coconut oil or some other cooking oil, but definitely get some.  Oil is essential for good health, fueling our energy stores and providing support for fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients as they work their way through our system. Not only that, but a bit of fat in your diet adds flavor and makes you feel satisfied when you are done eating.
17. Spices and Condiments. Adding some spices and condiments to your food storage pantry will allow you to vary the taste of your storage foods, thus mitigating some of the boredom that is likely to occur over time.  The exact mix of spices and condiments is up to you but some suggestions include  garlic, chili, Tabasco (hot sauce), salsa, oregano, thyme and black pepper.
18.  5 pounds of Coffee or 100 Tea Bags.  There are those that will say that life without coffee is not life at all.  Whole bean (assuming you have a hand grinder), ground or instant – take your choice.  Or substitute tea.  Green tea and many herbal teas are quite therapeutic so if you like tea, this may be a good way to go.
19. 2 large bags of Hard Candies.  Hard candy can go a long way toward making an unpleasant situation bearable.  Butterscotch drops, peppermints and even lemon drops are good.  Have fun with this and pick up a couple of bags of your favorites!
20.  Mini LED Flashlight and Extra Batteries.  Okay, this is a cheater item.  It is not food but it is all important and so it will not hurt to stash a miniature flashlight or two along with the edibles in your food storage pantry.  My top pick of the moment in the Blocklite.  This thing just goes and goes and goes plus, it does not take up any storage space.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Fish Pond Accessory - Neat idea!

This is AWESOME! The instructions said, "use a gal jar and a type of stand place the jar in 

the water on it's side, let it fill with water (completely submerged) then tip it up slowly 

bottom up, and place the jar mouth into the stand, making sure to keep the mouth under 

water. The fish can swim up into the jar as they wish.


Hiking Solo Tips For Woman

What is the number one rule to hiking? Never hike alone. That’s what I was taught in hiking classes, warned by friends and family and scolded by society.

Look, you’re going to do what you think is best for you. If you think that hiking alone might be for you, then follow the words of advice put together in the photo above to help you out. Gender should never limit someones experience of the great outdoors. Staying safe is always a priority and in the end  always listen to your gut. It will never let you down.


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Glow In The Dark Pots For Planting

Buy a flower pot that you really like and use Rustoleum's Glow-in-the-dark paint to paint the pot. During the day, the paint will absorb the sunlight and at night the pots will glow.


Monday, June 24, 2013

RECIPE: Apple Pie Bits

 APPLE PIE BITES


1 tube Crescent rolls
1 Slice apple per triangle
Sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar
Roll up & Bake for 11-13 minutes at 350 degrees.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

How to Make Sure Your Vehicle is as Prepared as You Are

The average American spends up to 12 years in their car, and that means that you are probably going to be spending oh… around a sixth of your life in your automobile in various stages of transportation, idling, and using colorful language to describe your frustrations to your fellow drivers.

While I can’t help with making the daily grind pleasant, in this article we’re going to explore some things you can do to make sure that the events that happen in and around our cars are less stressful – and that’s a good thing, because less stress = longer lives = more time spent in cars.

With that in mind, let’s think back to Understanding Emergencies and Everyday Carry. We can apply these same templates to our vehicles, to make the most unpleasant moments on the road a little more manageable.




Emergencies

The vehicle has unique problems that are particularly challenging. That’s okay, though, because these challenges still fall into our previously established categories of emergency “types.” In doing this, we can maintain some consistency, while only modifying our metric of how protracted the event is.  So, in evaluating how we’ll address our needs, we’ll first define our most likely emergencies by their types.

Type 1: High Intensity – Short Duration

There’s probably no better example of this kind of emergency than a car wreck. These happen in the blink of an eye and produce an overwhelming amount of pandemonium – and then they’re over. Car accidents take on a variety of levels of severity, but we can easily say that if you’re in a car accident, the accident doesn’t “last” for hours (even if the impacts do).

However, even though the quintessential Type 1 Emergency is the auto-accident, there are others:

- Carjacking
- Car fires
- Submergence
- Environmental emergencies (earthquakes, floods etc.)

All deserve to be considered when we pack our cars with gear and our heads with the skills to mitigate these emergencies.  Keep in mind that these lists are going to be extremely short, as our everyday carry (EDC) structure will take care of quite a few of these problems.

Equipment

- Medical kit (discussed later)
- Water (potable)
- Flares
- Defensive tools
- Fire extinguisher (such an overlooked necessity)

Skills

- First Aid
- Defensive driving
- Good situational awareness
- Vehicle defensive skills

There are a few occurrences that will show you the ‘weak points’ in your defensive driving curriculum. Your ability to manipulate things like your seatbelt or clutch are likely to suffer, so it’s important to make sure you have a mental outline of what you’re going to do, and practice it.

For example, I don’t wear my seatbelt if I’m going under 20 miles per hour. If something happens, I want to be able to exit quickly and not fuss with it. While I don’t advocate this, it’s a part of my baseline from when I worked patrol. Establish one for yourself as well, based on your vehicle and your comfort level with the above situations. No matter what happens, there are a few basic things you’re going to want to do:

Stop the vehicle from moving (if you can)
Safely put the vehicle in neutral, and utilize the parking break. Note: This allows you to keep the vehicle running, in case you need to move again quickly, and minimizes the chances that the vehicle won’t start again if you’ve been in a collision.
Safely exit the vehicle
Move to a safer location (off the road, etc.)
So, for me, my order of operations is as follows:

Move out of the area of whatever put you in danger (i.e., get the heck out of Dodge)
Put the vehicle in Neutral and engage the parking brake
a) Release your seatbelt slowly, cautiously, and without an excess of movement (this is a relatively small activity that can turn into a fine-motor-skill nightmare if you don’t practice it – especially if you’re hanging upside down, or some road-raged freak is trying to punch you through the window – both of which have happened to me)
b) Remove your seatbelt deliberately and without any ‘sudden’ movements. This generally will cause the belt to “lock” and resist your movements. Don’t get trapped by being in a hurry!
Do a mental sweep of the vehicle and the surroundings. Grab any equipment that you must have.
Exit the vehicle after a second quick spot-check in the mirrors.
Move away from any hazards, and place yourself behind something solid (jersey barriers, telephone poles, etc.)
This way, regardless of the emergency, I can get in and out quickly, am aware of the potential hazards before I get out, and I have anything I’m going to need to treat injuries or move on foot (second-line equipment) – which opens us up to address our second type of problem:

Type 2: Moderate Intensity – Moderate Duration

Before we start, it’s important to keep in mind that “intensity” is relative. There’s really not much about a flat tire that’s intense, and it’s usually resolved in a matter of hours. This seems really “ho-hum” because it’s common in our lives. You get used to being shot at or bombed, too, if it happens enough. So when we look at these problems, the key point is that these situations (like our “original” Type 2 Emergencies) expose us and increase our likelihood of finding ourselves in a situational Type 1 Emergency (such as being struck by another motorist while changing a tire. Ouch.)

So, what are our Type 2 Vehicle Emergencies?

Things like:

Flat tires, overheating engines/coolant issues, fender-benders, dead battery, empty fuel tanks, and the like. These are mundane and inconvenient, and that combination makes them uninteresting. It’s also where the majority of our planning and equipment takes place. In everyday life, the Type 2 Emergency challenges our resourcefulness and our ability to adapt and provide for ourselves. In and around our vehicles, it simply asks of us, “What have you done to prevent or mitigate this?”

So, what should we carry for these emergencies?

Water
Coolant
Motor oil (2 qts)
Jumper cables
Food (I throw a couple MRE’s in the back)
Emergency blanket (Mylar, poncho liner, sleeping bag – whatever you like)
Flashlight (headlamp type – it’s ridiculously inconvenient to try to hold a light and work)
Spark plug (appropriate to your vehicle)
Vehicle tool Set
- Screwdriver
- Ratchet set with appropriate attachments for your plugs
- Crescent wrench
- Multimeter
Fuses
Tire iron and jack
Gas can
This is going to depend on your level of skill and comfort with working around common automotive problems, but being able to take care of some of these ‘easy fix’ issues will go a long way in getting you out of the Type 2 hold-up and on your way to bigger and better things.


Skills:

Be able to change your tire, test your battery, and if necessary, knock corrosion off it. Be ready to tighten wires. Know how to check your spark plugs and change them if necessary. Be able to check your oil, and know how to check your engine for blown seals.  Your goal with this type of emergency is “Get myself home” – if you are stuck, you’re not going to dry out, starve, or freeze.

By the nature of the “Understanding Emergencies” structure, there is no framework for a “vehicle-specific” Type 3 Emergency. At that point, it’s simply a Type 3 Emergency. But, there are things you can do to prepare during the intermittent 12-year stretch of life that you’re going to be spending on the road, just in case you’re away from home and something significant happens.

Type 3: Low Intensity – Long Duration

The third line equipment is generally your backpack and contains the type of equipment you’ll probably not use unless you’re displaced; a benefit of this line of equipment is that it’s easy to pack and keep in your car, and it’s portable in case you have to move away from your vehicle.

However, keeping a kit in your car also allows you to quickly move in case of an emergency such as a flood, fire, riots, or earthquakes – all of which could potentially be Type 3 Emergencies. However, there’s always the risk of car prowlers and theft. For this reason, I isolate my vehicle third-line kit into two categories:

My backpack
A bin
The backpack contains equipment to cook, collect, and purify water, build shelter, and stay warm. These are core proficiencies that will keep you alive; the notion is that with these supplies, I can scavenge for food and collect what I need from the environment. With that in mind, the bin is a mobile supply point. This is where I keep two categories of supplies:

Consumables (water, food, and fuel)
Environmental supplies (such as clothing, blankets, etc.)
Between these two additional resources, you can use your vehicle third-line kit to tailor your mobile third-line to your specific needs, if you find yourself in an emergency.

Vehicle Third-Line Contents:

Food – (MRE x3)
Water – 1 gallon; 1 quart canteen w/cup
Cyalume chem lights x2
Medical kit
25 yards of paracord
Long underwear (2x shirt, 2x pants)
Socks x3 pairs
Sleeping bag
Poncho liner

Part II: Everyday Carry and Your Vehicle

The first consideration for EDC and your vehicle is a proverbial double-edged sword. Our vehicles can carry more than we can, but we can maneuver in places our vehicles cannot. For this reason, when I think about my vehicle equipment, I break it into a couple categories:

Vehicle-specific equipment: This is the stuff that is carried to keep the vehicle moving for as long as possible over as much terrain as possible. This includes your spare parts, tools, some coolant, water, and the like.
Augmented equipment: The equipment we can use immediately that will be no great loss if we have to leave it behind.
The vehicle is a solid place to keep your third-line equipment. This is the “get home” equipment that you could live off for several days without any scavenging or energy-intensive labor.  Of all your equipment, the third-line setup is the easiest to exaggerat, and make unappealing to carry. It’s also the most dependent on your level of skill and savvy with packing energy-dense foods, lightweight equipment, and water.

For this reason, please (x3) get some training. I don’t care if it’s from a Boy Scout – learn how to start a fire, collect and purify your water, and build a decent shelter. If you can do that, everything you carry will just help to assist.

Also, adjust according to your location. If you’re in Alaska, you should probably not try to survive with just a Mylar bag and extra set of socks. We can go over individual kits for your vehicle here, or if you want to tailor a specific set of equipment to your circumstances, here.

Part III: Sustenance

Keeping yourself fed, especially by the time you realize there’s an emergency, is going to start becoming more and more tricky as the demand for food articles increases. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, for example, looting cleared the shelves of anything potable and palatable in short order. If you didn’t steal, you were left with what you stocked on your own.

While it’s nice to have some things stuffed in the pantry, having some in your car is a good bet as well. There are a lot of different lines of logic on this, but my thought here is that you need food articles that conform to some very specific standards:

Calorie dense
Lightweight
Long shelf life
For this reason, I like canned tuna, Clif bars, Military MRE’s/Mountain House meals, and trail mixes. Water is a bit trickier, as not all plastics are food-grade, and in thermal extremes, you begin to get leaching where the container actually starts depositing chemicals into your Dihydrogen Monoxide.

This applies to both aluminum and plastic containers, and this is speculative on my part, but I don’t trust BPA-free containers either. For this reason, I restock my water out of my home each day, and carry my water containers to and from.

In addition to this practice, I keep a Katadyne filter in my vehicle kit. This way, if there is an emergency, I can ditch the contents of my typical carry bag (books, etc.) and grab the necessities. With that said, I still keep all the 1st, 2nd and 3rd necessity items in my bags at all times – so I have a bare minimum of equipment even if I’m walking around campus, grabbing lunch, or hiking.

Layering your equipment in this way will supply you with a fast, reproducible, and modular way to organize and use your kit.

Conclusion

It is highly recommended that after reading this article you evaluate your current vehicle preparedness supplies and everyday carry items based on your skills and possible needs.  And regularly check on the condition and quality of your preps stored in your car, as they are subjected to considerably harsher conditions in Summer and Winter while enclosed in your vehicle compared to sitting on a shelf in your garage or home.

http://www.theprepperjournal.com/2013/06/19/how-to-make-sure-your-vehicle-is-as-prepared-as-you-are/



Thursday, June 20, 2013

DIY - Key Organizer

Most people have to keep track of at least a few keys. The easiest way to do that is to just keep them all on one key ring. But the more keys that you have, the more they fan out on the ring. If you have a lot of keys, then your key ring can get pretty bulky and impractical to carry in your pocket. Here is an alternate design for holding and organizing your keys that is a little more efficient.

The design of this key holder is very similar in construction to a Swiss Army Knife. The keys are arranged on two parallel bars. Each key can be rotated into the handle for compact storage and rotated back out for use. So here is how to make a Swiss Army Key Ring.










Materials:
Two pieces of wood (about 1" x 3.75" x 1/8" each)
Thin sheet metal (about 2" x 3.75")
Two #8 machine screw lock nuts
Two #8 machine screws, 3/4" long
Ten #8 machine screw washers
Glue that is able to bond wood to metal (not pictured)
Wood stain (optional)
Polyurethane (optional)

Tools:
Drill and bit set
Tin snips
Sand paper/sanding block
Small binder clamps
Pencil
Ruler

Source Tips:
Paint stir sticks are a good size to be used for the wood pieces. These are generally free at the paint section of most hardware stores. For the sheet metal, I used a baking sheet that I found at dollar tree for $1. This yields about 13" x 9" of metal.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Recharge Your Towels

Great for all the pool towels this summer!

Over time, towels build up detergent and fabric softener, leaving them unable to absorb as much water and smelling funky. Recharge them by washing them once with hot water and one cup vinegar, then a second time with hot water and half cup baking soda. This strips the residue and leaves them fresh and able to absorb more water again. Works like a charm!


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Growing Potatoes In Containers

Potatoes can easily be cultivated in containers simply as easy as in a classic technique of growing plants. half barrels, Terracotta pots, trash cans and also a burlap sack,or trash bags are all excellent options of containers to raise your potatoes in. The one factor that you require to keep in mind when developing potatoes in a container, is that the vase of your option could not really be to deep, 12 - 18 inches is a great depth. The cause for this depth is that sun energy is essential for vegetable progress, plus even though potato plants could expand to a level in the place of 2 - 3 feet, they require to be hilled or protected as they grow.

Growing your plants in a bag enables you to pull the sides up as the vegetable grows, in a container or other sort of pot you will always have to hill the plant as it gets taller. That can easily done just by placing a 2 foot tall wire mess close to the inside of the pot as the plat develops and covering the plant with hay, potting media, or compost. When you have you have the pot of your option, make sure there are enough drainage gaps in the bottom or the lower sides.

At this point is it the moment to get ready your potatoes for seeding. These potatoes may be seed potatoes from a garden company, or potatoes that you possess on hand that are beginning to develop. Cut the potatoes so that there are three eyes on each piece, two eyes is good if the numbers is not going to work out. I have even grown all of them with one, and they did just good. As soon as the cutting is finished, you will require them to stay for around a day to create a dry covering around the cut area.


When you are looking for the potatoes to dry, you might begin filling your pot using potting media combined with an healthy fertilizer, and pre soak the media so that it is moist. Once ready, put the potatoes that you have cut in the pot with the eyes facing up. In the regular container,with a size around twenty inches, I put three items spaced apart evenly, protect them with about 2 - 3 inches of media, plus water until the media is moist. To avoid wasting time, you could pre soak the media before you plant, and get it available for covering the potatoes at planting time.

Caring for your potato plants is pretty easy. Put them in a place that obtains a minimum 6 hours of direct sun and is not opened to winds. Examine the moisture content of the media, and water everyday if necessary. Pots dry faster that soil in a classic garden, so they might require watering each day.

When the plants obtain to a height of about 6 inches, you will have to hill the potato plant by masking the plants using more potting media, giving about 2/3 of the plant exposed. Keep on hilling till the plant halts from increasing, or begins to blossom.

Reaping your own potatoes can begin any moment after the plant blossoms, youthful potatoes are tiny, but tender. If you decide not to picking them early, simply wait till the plants begin to change yellow and gently spill the media out of the container to gather your new crop of potatoes.barrels, Terracotta pots, trash cans and also a burlap sack,or trash bags are all excellent options of containers to raise your potatoes in.


Monday, June 17, 2013

DIY Tip to keep critters out of your garden

If you finely chop citrus rinds and sprinkle them on the mulch in your garden, they keep neighborhood cats, dogs and other critters away from your veggies. Animals don't like the smell of the orange oil.


Sunday, June 16, 2013

Many uses of Aloe Vera

There is nothing on this planet that offers the amazing variety of healing benefits granted by aloe vera. In a single plant, aloe vera offers potent, natural medicine that:

• Halts the growth of cancer tumors.
• Lowers high cholesterol.
• Repairs "sludge blood" and reverses "sticky blood".
• Boosts the oxygenation of your blood.
• Eases inflammation and soothes arthritis pain.
• Protects the body from oxidative stress.
• Prevents kidney stones and protects the body from oxalates in coffee and tea.
• Alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits.
• Cures ulcers, IBS, Crohn's disease and other digestive disorders.
• Reduces high blood pressure natural, by treating the cause, not just the symptoms.
• Nourishes the body with minerals, vitamins, enzymes and glyconutrients.
• Accelerates healing from physical burns and radiation burns.
• Replaces dozens of first aid products, makes bandages and antibacterial sprays obsolete.
• Halts colon cancer, heals the intestines and lubricates the digestive tract.
• Ends constipation.
• Stabilizes blood sugar and reduces triglycerides in diabetics.
• Prevents and treats candida infections.
• Protects the kidneys from disease.
• Functions as nature's own "sports drink" for electrolyte balance, making common sports drinks obsolete.
• Boosts cardiovascular performance and physical endurance.
• Speeds recovery from injury or physical exertion.
• Hydrates the skin, accelerates skin repair.

Truly, there is nothing else that compares to the medicinal potential of aloe vera. And yet most people only know about the topical applications of aloe vera gel. They think it's only good for sunburns. In reality, aloe vera is useful for both external and internal use. 

Full article:http://www.naturalnews.com/021858_aloe_vera_gel.html


From Organic Gardening: Squash bugs are grayish brown bugs up to 3⁄4 inch long; nymphs are similar, but do not have wings. Feeding by adults and nymphs causes leaves to wilt and blacken. Hand pick them and drop them in a container of soapy water. Also destroy their red-brown egg clusters on the undersides of leaves. To trap adults, lay boards on the soil at night; the squash bugs will tend to congregate beneath them, and you can destroy the pests the next morning. Planting radishes, nasturtiums, or marigolds among your squash plants may help repel squash bugs. If plants are heavily infested with young squash bugs, try spraying insecticidal soap.


Happy Father's Day

FROM ALL OF US HERE AT 
HOMESTEAD CROSSING INC!

Friday, June 14, 2013

DIY - Ultimate Stain Remover

The ultimate stain remover that actually works on a seriously set in stain! Never buy oxy clean again!

The mixture is

1 tsp. Dawn dishwashing detergent
3-4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide
couple tablespoons of baking soda.
Scrub on with a scrubbing brush


Thursday, June 13, 2013

No bake lemonade pie

1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip or whipped cream
1 graham cracker crust (I buy this all ready made)

Use mixer and mix all ingredients until fluffy. Pour into ready made crust. Refrigerate until firm. I let it set overnight. This can also be made with limeade too. Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip and garnish with lemons.


The 19th Annual Old Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival


 The 19th Annual Old Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival!!

Will be held in the Historic Downtown area in West Plains, Missouri.  

Get details at

Check out the schedule at:

The events include music on two
stages, workshops,  cooking demonstrations, mule jumping, quilt exhibit,
turkey calling, spinning, weaving, candle making, basket maker, flintnapper,
gunsmith, Melodrama, harmonica gathering, and much more.....see the complete
schedule and plan your weekend!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

How to How to clean your cookie sheets

How to clean your cookie sheets--Kitchen "Miracle" Cleaner! You put about 1/4 cup of 

baking soda in a small glass bowl and squirt in hydrogen peroxide until it makes a nice 

paste. Then you rub it on the offending dirt/stain/grease...whatever! You can usually just

 use your fingers...but you can also use a small sponge as well.



Heart of the Ozarks Farmers Market - West Plains, Missouri

There will be cucumbers and fresh green onions at Heart of the Ozarks farmers market today. We are open 11 am - 4 pm in the parking lot at Lost Treasures, between Dairy Queen and Highland Dairy.

1755 S. US Hwy 63, West Plains, MO.
417-293-8306/417-293-7904

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Campfire Brownies in an orange

Remove the orange (save for eating!) Fill the orange cavity with cake or brownie mix. Cover with foil. Bake in your coals for about 20 minutes or until the cake is done! (Share from Camping Survival)

Thursday, June 6, 2013

DIY - Outdoor Shower

This outdoor shower is one of the ways you can conserve energy. The sun heats the water in the black-painted tank on top for a shower each day. After showering,  refill the tank with the garden hose and the sun heats the water for the next day’s shower.

 Spend about $140 on the project. This tank is an old water heater that is stripped down and painted flat black. There is an overflow vent on top to let you know when it is full, and also to prevent airlock. Also, is added a shut-off valve just before the shower head.

The base is a recycled shower base. The walls and door are two pieces of privacy fencing that is cut down to fit. The floor is made from treated lumber.



Caution: Be sure to build the platform for the water tank stout enough to hold the tank full of water. A full 50-gallon tank weighs about 400 pounds. Check the water before getting in to be sure it’s not too hot


DIY - Dresser to Bathroom Vanity

What a money saving cute idea!


DIY - Frozen Mango, Kiwi, Raspberry Pops

Frozen Mango, Kiwi, Raspberry Pops



Summer is on the way, and we must prepare properly … with fresh fruit, of course. What we have here is a cool recipe for the hot summer days. You can get from using fresh fruit all you need and more .. vibrant colors and fresh flavors. You can use any fruit you wish.


Ingredients:

9 tbsp water
2 tbsp sugar
5 oz kiwi, peeled
6 oz mango, peeled
6 oz fresh raspberries

Servings: 4

Make a simple syrup by combining water and sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil; boil for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Set aside.
Puree fruit separately in the blender. Set aside in 3 small bowls.
Divide the simple syrup between the fruit purees and mix in.
Equally fill four small 5 oz cups with the kiwi puree and place in the freezer; freeze one hour.
Add mango puree and freeze 20 minutes. Insert sticks and freeze at least 2 hours. Add raspberry puree and freeze overnight.