Jihyun Ryou - a Korean artist about her storage solution for vegetables

Frugal Dad's Top Frugality Blogs of 2011

Thought I'd share a great post by Frugal Dad that I'm only just finding: Top Frugality Blogs of 2011. I told myself that today I MUST go out and get some more short-sleeved shirts before the warm weather is upon us for good. Yet, here I am surfing for ways to save money instead. I hate shopping!!
   In hopping back and forth to check out his frugal picks, I happened upon this site that I'll be checking out next: Budgeting with the Bushmans and their Extreme Frugality Festival.
   If interested, I did post a few pics on my Flikr site this morn. I wish I could share the potluck photos with you here!

No such thing as leftovers around here, by golly!

Eggplant Parmesan becomes Eggplant Pasta with the addition of penne, fresh tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Such slight changes are the equivalent of the "spoonful of sugar" that makes the leftovers go down for Hubby. Luckily, he will eat most anything without complaint, but he seems to feel a bit better about leftovers if they are transformed into something new.

Are you like me...one of those people who can eat the same thing over and over and be perfectly fine with it? Or do you HATE leftovers?

Freezer love!

   Hubby doesn't actually hate them, and he's not one to complain. BUT he's not exactly enthusiastic in coming to the table when leftovers are on it. My mom claims to be able to eat the same thing over and over, but their refrigerator tells a different tale, cram-packed as it is with leftovers destined for the trash can. Oh, the waste!
   Around here, leftovers mostly morph into something else. Sometimes soups, which Hubby will eat the first day and I eat on daily until gone. What won't easily transform goes into the freezer, to be eaten anew another day.
   Okay, okay, I'm admittedly not perfect. Leftovers sometimes languish undetected behind something bigger and get tossed. *SIGH* But I'm better about staying on top of things than I used to be. Gotta love that! (Check out 10 Tips to Reduce Your Food Waste over on Slate.com.)
    As Hubby has gone to the farm for the day, I get to eat some leftover soup. What'll it be at your place today: leftovers or original issue?

P.S. Tomorrow is Ten on Ten. Won't you join us??

Morphing Amish friendship bread starter; Sweet potato invasion

Hey, I found my original Amish Friendship Bread recipe! Just had to try it, tho' I think I should try Annie's recipe sometime. As our freezer is already loaded with the basic recipe loaves, I added blueberries, which meant Hubby scarfed down this loaf in no time!

Figured it was asking too much of Hubby that he eat Amish Friendship Bread for breakfast every day for the rest of his life, so I decided to try the starter in sourdough bread. EUREKA!! Hoping to make some cinnamon rolls today. I hate wasting food, even bread starter, but that stuff takes over my life! If I ever mention again that I'm starting a starter, please STOP ME!!

Final sweet potato harvest...yikes!!
Care to share any ideas for sweet potatoes besides oven fries and baked??

This bad boy weighed in at only slightly less than our grandbaby!

Maybe the easiest way to get an all-veggie meal past the hubby is to announce I'm not cooking! Then I just make whatever sounds good to ME guilt free, which in this case meant veggies. LOVE an all veggie meal myself, and truthfully got no complaints from Hubby either!

Addendum to yesterday's post: Here's where I fess up to not being up on the lingo regarding child custody. Seems "non-custodial parent" means more than I'd thought. Our dear son in law has joint custody, though his daughters do not live with him and DD.
   Now, it's time to go visiting everyone else's blogs. The introvert in me enjoys blog-hopping as much as the extroverted side of me enjoys parties and get together's. (Last night we had a great time at a family get together. Remind me sometime to share my sister in law's cheeseball recipe!)
   Here's hoping your Sunday is as introverted/extroverted as you wish!!

Mending my Amish bread recipe and my belt; Pioneer village

Amish Friendship Bread. This is my second baking; first recipe didn't have enough sugar in it to suit Hubby. This recipe is still not as moist as the one I used years ago...and lost along the way. I'll keep tweaking the recipe 'til it's the yummiest ever! Any advice??

Some stitching on one of my belts came out; for $10 bucks, it was good as new. Took it to a joint in town called Raine's Shoe Hospital. ALWAYS leave that place with a smile on my face, because the owner/operator always has a smile on his face. Somewhat of a cobbler philosopher, he says things like, "My daddy always told me that life's only hard if you take it hard."

Why NOT use every last bit?
It's paid for and what's fun about spending money on toothpaste!!

Met DD and the grandgirls at a local park on Saturday to check out a free event at its pioneer village. This re-creationist found her milk strainer at Goodwill. She said no one there knew what it was. Well, I didn't know what it was either. Does milk fresh from a cow have to be strained???

Couldn't get the grandgirls to try out this yoke, but this little fella was game!

   As camping days ARE cheat days, I'm hoping to be sitting around a fire roasting marshmallows sometime soon. Raining, raining for now. Wish me luck! Whassup in your neck of the woods?

Flopped pizza dough made a fine focaccia!

Thought I'd share the rest of the story about the other half of my pizza dough from the other day. First half didn't raise much, so I ended up with a thin crust pizza, which tasted great btw. Left second half of the dough out to see if it would raise if given more time, and guess what? I FORGOT it!! By that evening the dough was only slightly raised and somewhat crusty on top. Having nothing to lose, I went ahead and patted it into a pan and poked holes in it for focaccia. It worked!! (Usually sprinkle focaccia with oregano, but I ran out last week and haven't had the chance to replace it.) 

Sweet Potato Harvest 2011. Hubby says there are about 40 more potatoes out there waiting to be dug!

Hope to get in some camping this week! Anything fun on your agenda??

A good day: Spent it cooking while admiring my new dishwasher!

Posting this just because I get such a kick out of seeing what others are eating! My lunch today centered around foods that needed to be eaten: roasted yellow squash, cabbage and onions with crumb topping; baked beans that let me use up some leftover black beans and leftover cane syrup, plus a tomato and yellow pepper; and finally, tomato and cottage cheese sprinkled with seasoned salt.

Soo proud of myself because I managed to cook up all the yellow squash that was in the fridge. Hubby picked loads of it a few days ago...sure didn't want to waste it! Several squashes went into the oven roasted veggies; cooked four lightly for freezing; and I cut one up into a veggie soup for tonight's dinner.
   On the one hand: YEA, I used up the last of the squash! On the other: BOO, the garden with all its fresh gifts is petering out!

New dishwasher finally arrived. We bought a better brand this time. (Translation: more $$$.) SURELY (Shirley!) a dishwasher should last more than five years! Hubby took the old one out last night. If he's not too tired when he gets home from working on my folks' replacement windows, maybe he'll install the new dishwasher tonight. Drying beside the food processor are my new pie shields I bought the other day. Still kicking myself for spending money the other day on NEEDS not WANTS, but these pie shields will save me from having to use aluminum foil on the longer baking pies.

The new dishwasher. Just having this gorgeous creature waiting in my kitchen (instead of on back order) is enough to make me swoon!

Hubby went dishwasher shopping without me. Sure HOPE he compared yearly operating costs before deciding which to purchase! That's his Cherries and Cream Parfait thawing...I froze what was left from our family gathering, so I wouldn't eat them!

And because I'd rather end a post with food than an energy tag, here's my lightly cooked yellow squash. Once they cooled on the counter and released as much water as I thought they might, I drained them. They'll cool completely in fridge, then head to the freezer for future use.

Managed to sneak a pepper and a tomato into my baked beans this time.

   Yeah, Wan, baked beans again!! ;)
   What's waiting in your fridge that needs to be used up? Or is everyone more efficient than I am...do you manage to use most of your produce as soon as it's picked or brought home? Wish I did!!

Not making my bed, well, not right away; Garden update

When the top part of this set of sheets wore out, I gave them to Mom to use for quilt fabric. She replaced the worn fabric with new material and gave them back instead! She even used the same material to put some little decorative touches on the pillowcases. I really don't think new sheets feel as good as the ones they used to make, so I was tickled pink with the make-over.

   Ever since I was a little girl, making my bed was something I'd do the minute I hopped up in the morning. Not anymore! I read some book on homemaking that recommended a wait of at least an hour before making the bed, to allow the bed to air and any night-time sweat to dry. The author even talked about HOW MUCH sweat accumulates in our sheets overnight, though I can't remember how much.
   Well, gross, I've had the willies ever since. For the last couple of years, I've been waiting at least an hour to make my bed every morn...all because of a book whose title I can't remember.
   This annoys me greatly, because I like to do the annoying little chores first thing and then not have to think about them anymore. I did mention I'm lazy, didn't I? ;)

By June 28 last year, our little western Kentucky garden was putting zucchini, Yukon golds and yellow tomatoes on our plates.

     This year, the zucchini plants are succumbing one by one to some predator bug, and Hubby refused to plant any potatoes due to potato bugs. On the bright side, we've eaten several zucchini and yellow squash, plus our first precious few yellow and red tomatoes, and with the help of a little fencing, the rabbits are no longer competing for our Swiss chard. Best of all, Hubby just ate the first two ears of corn. I call dibs on the next ones picked!
   How're things looking in your garden these days? Safer topic than asking about your beds, eh? ;)

What frugality, peak oil and preparedness have in common

Besides water, food and shelter, written in gold way up on the list of our most important basic needs are health and physical fitness. But in this cushy era, a time when everything needed sits on a grocery shelf or at a take-out window, we are hard pressed to find reasons to work toward our ultimate potential for fitness, both mental and physical.
   I mean, who besides a Navy Seal faces general requirements to meet certain standards in the 500-yard swim, 2-minute timed push-ups, 2-minute timed curl-ups, pull-ups and a 1.5 mile run. Still, considering that exercise boosts job performance, trains our brains, lowers health care costs and slows the progress of many diseases, as well as builds psychological resilience, you'd think we'd all get moving. Why, according to Money Magazine, buying running shoes is one of the 50 Smartest Things to Do with Your Money! Since there are myriad reasons to whip ourselves into shape, it doesn't take too much of a stretch to imagine the impact of fitness on these scenarios:

• A catastrophic event wipes out all resources for water, food and electricity for 48 hours at the least, THAT'S THE DAY we're gonna wish we had exercised regularly.
• Peak oil ends the era of cheap gas and we're required to get everywhere under our own power, THAT'S THE DAY we're gonna wish we had exercised regularly.
• All the credit cards are maxed out, bankruptcy sounds like a good idea, words like "downsizing" start being thrown around and that dream job is in jeopardy, or the doc throws down the "change or die" ultimatum, THAT'S THE DAY we're gonna wish we had exercised regularly.
• The realization sinks in that a sweet little baby--a precocious child who looks up to us for everything that's important--silently watches and intuitively learns from our every move, daily developing skills that will see him/her through to the future, THAT'S THE DAY we're gonna wish we had exercised regularly.  

   We have a loved one in the hospital. Nothing like spending a few days/nights visiting at the hospital to remind me of the importance of staying healthy. Fortunately, this close-to-home scenario is destined for the best possible outcome. THIS IS THE DAY you'll find me smiling as I take the stairs on my way in and out of the hospital.

Second hand, not second rate!

May not look like much but my 25¢ cent cheese slicer
is exactly what I needed. (okay, wanted.)

Egg slicer bought at yard sale ages ago still turns the trick!

My heart beats a little faster every time I find some old kitchen gadget at a yard sale. The quality of old kitchen tools is often soo many times BETTER than those I can buy new at Macy's or Target.
   I tried to shave some Parmesan over pasta not too long ago and was not please with the way my slicer worked. And the vegetable peeler that I then tried didn't turn the trick either. So, I was ultra thrilled to find this antique cheese slicer/grater at a garage sale for 25¢. Works like a charm!
   Hubby's weed eater went kaput yesterday. Needed a new fly wheel (I think that's what he called it). Anyway, online the new whatchamacallit part costs $70 bucks, so he wondered if he was going to have to break down and buy a new weed trimmer. A few calls around town and he found the part for $50 bucks...cheaper than buying a new trimmer, since his trimmer is heavy duty, well made and would cost much more to replace.
   But when we got to the parts shop, the owner went out and came back with a used part and offered to sell it to Hubby for $20. Evidently it didn't take Hubby long to replace the part, 'cause I hear the distinctive whine of a weed whacker out in the yard now. Yea!
   Anyone else brake for yard sales? I think they call 'em boot sales in Scotland. What do they call them in your neck of the woods? 

Sifter handed down when Mom bought a new one.
I don't mind rust as long as it doesn't affect the food.

Not buying it: cream of celery soup;Still buying it: sweetened condensed milk

What is a can of "cream of celery soup" if not celery gravy?

Have I told you about my love affair with author Michael Pollan? He had me at "Eat Food. Mostly Plants." So, my heart sank when I came across this line in one of Pollan's writings: "If you're the kind of cook who starts with a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup all bets are off.” Y'mean all those mystery ingredients in the canned stuff might be bad for me?
   From then on, I've been making my own "cream of" soups. Don't think it hasn't been a struggle. What could be easier than opening a can of condensed soup to get supper on the table asap?

Chicken Asparagus Casserole
May not look like much now that it's gotten cool, but we liked it.
One chicken breast and one leg made enough casserole for two meals.

Why I now make "cream of" soups from scratch every time I have the 10 or so minutes to spare:

1. If I believe in Pollan's essential message that home cooking like our great grandma's served up is the basis for good health, why buy canned soup?
2. If I am sincere in my desire to reduce my packaging waste, why buy canned soup?
3. If I truly believe that small economies add up to a better standard of living for my family, why buy canned soup?

   In a pinch, I might still buy a can but homemade tastes better. I just sautéed some minced celery in butter and olive oil; seasoned it with pepper, celery seed and onion salt; added flour, stirring to cook the flour a bit; and then slowly stirred in enough milk to make the equivalent of one can of condensed soup.
Still buying it: Sweetened Condensed Milk

Sweetened Condensed Milk experiment I was so hopeful about!

Oh, my, was this ever an experiment gone wrong!
   I made some cherry ice cream the other day and not having any sweetened condensed milk, I dug out my Aunt M's mock recipe I'd been meaning to try. Not "tasting as you go along"...BIG mistake!
   What a waste of precious, hand-picked cherries...my cherry ice cream tastes like powdered milk. UGH!
   Anyone have a sweetened condensed milk recipe that doesn't include powdered milk? Am I the only weird one that doesn't like to taste as I cook? (I only taste at the finish line and adjust seasonings then.)
   And if you've got one, feel free to share your experiment gone wrong!

Looked promising but did NOT pass the taste test!

Not buying it: Chili oil for Asian cooking

Repurposed bourbon bottle now houses Chili Oil.
I'm not a bourbon drinker, but I'm told
Jefferson's Reserve is a fine sippin' whisky,
if you're into that sorta thing.

Love this Chili Oil recipe I found in Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province, a library book I will definitely be checking out again. Wish I had a copy of my own, but I am really trying to become more of a minimalist. Y'know, save a tree and all!

Not buying commercial chili oil = less packaging waste.

Chili Oil (la jiao oil)
1 cup of Dried Chili Flakes with seeds
2 and 1/4 cups of Peanut Oil
Place dried chilies in a glass preserving/canning jar. Heat the oil in a pan over high heat until it reaches 350ºF. Remove from heat; let the oil cool down to 225-250ºF then pour the oil into the jar containing the chilies, stirring a couple of times. Let cool in a shady place for at least 24 hours. I transferred the chili oil from the canning jar to a bottle with a stopper (once Hubby and assorted company drank all the bourbon, that is!). I refrigerate the oil until needed.

   Hubby and I made Dunlop's recipe for General Tso's Chicken one night, and it was absolutely fabulous! If interested, you'll find that recipe in NPR's piece on Dunlop's book (click NPR link then scroll down).
   If interested in an Italianized version of chili oil, check out Giada's recipe on the Food Network site. Please let me know if you try that one as I haven't...just found it.
   Haven't uploaded the pics yet to prove it, but I have eaten WAY too much sugar on my 4-Hour Body cheat day. So much so that I'm more than ready to go back to eating healthy! Who'd have thought that possible? ;)
   Have you been in healthy or cheating mode today? Feel free to fess up either way. Love hearing from you, if you've the time to comment. Great weekend...the SUN came back to see us, well, for part of the day at least!!

Cheater salad dressings and some links to share

Cheater dressings: cheaper than commercially prepared, less packaging waste.

Okay, okay, I know I'm trying to make more of everything from scratch, but all this rain, rain, RAIN has me feeling very lazy. So today we'll be topping our salads with a cheater dressing: semi-scratch Italian made using a package of seasonings plus my olive oil, water and red wine vinegar.
   To console myself on not making the dressing completely from scratch, I remind myself that these cheater dressings do reduce packaging waste. The little seasoning packet tossed today is better than the big plastic bottle that packages a ready-made dressing.
   Same goes for the semi-scratch cheater Ranch Dressing, made with seasoning I buy in bulk, along with my mayo and milk. And there has to be a lower carbon-cost of shipping these seasonings without the added weight of the liquid ingredients.
   Tho' we recycle all plastic containers, using less plastic is always a good idea. Besides, we can expect high oil prices to raise the prices on all petroleum based or packaged products!
   I managed to visit the library yesterday. Brought home and skimmed through The New Frugality: How to Consume Less, Save More, and Live Better by Chris Farrell, the Economics Editor of Marketplace Money, an NPR broadcast. I say 'skimmed' 'cause I'm less interested in investing than I am in frugality. Aside from the usual "buy used, reduce, reuse, recycle" advice, the book shares several links to frugal sites.

   Please let me know if you visit any of these and come across any new frugal ideas!
Frugal Link Love from The New Frugality
Frugal Living on About.com
Frugal Village
Sustainablog.org
World Changing
Simple-Green-Frugal
1Green Generation
The Daily Green
Inhabitat
Green Yahoo
Greener Penny
Freecycle
TreeHugger (Love this site!)
Green Money Journal
Slow Food USA
Happy link hopping!!

Quiches are great for using up leftover stuff

Smoked Salmon Asiago Quiche

We've been eating quiches around here ever since I discovered the recipe in my 1976 copy of Laurel's Kitchen. It contained a quiche recipe that is soo easy to adapt to whatever ingredients are on hand. And quiche works beautifully for a minimal meat meal (2 to 3 oz. smoked salmon in this quiche) or with leftover veggies as a vegetarian meal.
   Storming here in Kentucky and looks like we're in for another week of rain/storms to come.
   I'll share my favorite zucchini quiche recipe another time. Care to share your favorite quiche combination?  
   What's cooking over at your place? As always, feel free to leave a link to a post you'd like to share. I'm always looking for new ideas for ways to use leftovers.
   Hope you're having a fantabulous weekend!!

Here is the Laurel's Kitchen recipe slightly adapted:
Basic Quiche Recipe
3 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup grated cheese
1/4 to 1/2 to 1 cup leftover proteins or veggies
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
pinch freshly ground pepper (or to taste)
sprinkling of ground nutmeg
butter
9" or 10" unbaked pie crust
Sprinkle cheese over bottom of pie shell; then sprinkle with the cooked leftover of your choice. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over the cheese and leftovers into the pie crust. Sprinkle with ground nutmeg then dot with butter. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

1/3 c. liquid (half water/ half vodka) makes 2 crusts easier to handle but still flaky.

I always try to make two pie crusts, 2nd to freeze for later.

Uncooked quiche with dots of butter floating on top.

On my mind: Meeting green halfway works for me and my budget

Okay, I'm trying to buy greener products, but they don't always suit me. So I've decided to meet green halfway and guess what? IT WORKS!
Underarm Deodorant 
    I'm a big believer that "layering" underarm deodorant makes it work better, but never foung a "green" deodorant that seemed to work. I tried three different brands: Kiss My Face, Tom's and Jason's, but even if I applied the natural deodorants at night and in the morn and then reapplied yet again a few times during the day, I seemed to smell of lavender AND sweat. UGH!

Add water to baking soda for a thick paste.

   So I decided to go halfway green: I apply a natural deodorant at night after my shower and in the morning I use a standard commercial antiperspirant/deodorant. Works great!
No 'Poo Shampoo
   Never found the time to give the "no 'poo" baking soda shampoo the days supposedly required for my "natural oils" to kick in, so I've been using the baking soda paste every other shampoo or so (about 1 1/2 teaspoon for short hair). Works great!
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
   The cleaner greener homemade dishwasher detergent I made a few weeks back is working for me too. Still using it every fifth time or so and there hasn't been any of the buildup I'd been warned about with the green recipes. Works great!
   Until I can find my way to natural products that work, meeting green halfway not only eases my budget but also eases my guilt about the environmental impact of commercial products.
   Are there any ways you are meeting green halfway? Any recommendations of natural products that DO work would also be appreciated!

Make over: Candle holder from a soda can

Okay, I know I already made a post today but just came across some creative repurposing I had to share!
   Meanqueen over at Life After Money makes the cutest little tea light candle holders out of aluminum cans. We don't drink many sodas, but we do save them until we get enough to recycle. So if I wanted LOTS of little tea lights to brighten up an outdoor party, this can repurposing would be the no cost way to go!

Pretending 'this may be my last' saves me money

In the Great Depression, people learned to "Make Do, Make Over, Do Without" because when there's scarcely enough money for food, everything else becomes a luxury. Though most of us reading this don't worry about where our next meal may come from, consciously trying to make things last still helps our budgets and our planet!
   So, I play a little mind trick on myself before tossing/re-buying anything. I ask, 'What if this _____ is my last?" If this were my last pencil, I'd make do with a dull point to use all the carbon before sharpening it again. If this were my last tea towel, I'd durned well make it over instead of tossing it into the rag bag.
   The more I learn about the environmental impact of the products we use, the more I'm motivated to apply the 'this may be my last' mind trick. This past weekend I discovered a fascinating series produced by the Sundance Channel called Eco-Trip, and its episode about the impact of a cotton t-shirt really got me thinking. Evidently the use of pesticides in growing cotton make it the world's 'dirtiest' crop. So, I'll be looking for organic cotton, I'll be trying to buy from companies with ethical practices, and I'll be working even harder to make sure anything made of cloth that I do buy is well cared for.
   And if there's anything to this Peak Oil business, the ole ditty "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" will really come in handy.
From rags to riches
   Did I mention I have an amazing mom? She revamped these years-old kitchen linens of mine by sewing like-colored lace and little patches over the holes. Don't know where she got the "moda" ribbon that she repurposed to make some patches from, but at least four of my kitchen towels now sport this new "logo." (Including the one I accidentally burned recently!)
     Patched kitchen towels suit me fine. I'd much rather buy new clothes than new kitchen towels, wouldn't you? Sporting any patches over at your place?

Free maps equal free fun, plus Cane Syrup Granola

When Hubby and I travel, I always keep an eye out for giveaways that will keep the grandgirls entertained when they come over. On this last visit, the girls had great fun with the free maps of the United States that I snagged at some visitors' center. At these ages (G1 is 6 years old; G2 is 5), the girls just had fun highlighting things on their maps, but hopefully they will learn a little about maps and the U.S. each time they play with these freebies.
Granola Variation
   If anyone has access to cane syrup, it makes yummy granola. Just sub out cane syrup for the honey in this Honey Almond Granola recipe posted previously.
   I once attended a conference in New Orleans and came home with this syrup. (Yeah, foodie souvenirs are my favorite!) I'd been told folks down south love cane syrup drizzled on their biscuits and scones, but that didn't do it for me.
   Seeking a way to use it up, I tried it in homemade granola...and LOVE it! Now, I beg anyone going to Naw'leans to bring me back some cans.
   Is there any regional ingredient you love but can't get at home? And what kinda freebies do you look for when traveling?

Oh, yes, I used every last lip-full!

Back before I ever worried over packaging waste, I started using a lip brush to get every last smidgen of lipstick from its tube. Why start this oh-so-frugal practice? Because they discontinued my favorite color lipstick! Wish I had every not-entirely-used up tube I'd ever bought...that last little bit seemed to last forever!
   The metal tube pictured here has finally been used in it's entirety, so Hubby removed the plastic insides and tossed the metal part in his scrap metal bin.

   In case you're wondering what's worth getting all dolled up over...Why, Chewy Peanut Butter Bars!

   Easy-to-make peanut butter cookies are always worth smiling over!


Chewy Peanut Butter Bars 
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cream together the sugars and the butters. Add remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Pat into a 13"x9" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

It's cloudy and raining here in Kentucky. Hope you're finding something worth smiling about in your neck of the woods?!

Win some, lose some: Fabric adventures

Ooh, I hate it when I do something like this! When I was trying to light my candle the other day to refresh the wax on top, I broke a match on striking it. The flaming half dropped onto this tea towel. UGH, of all the goof-ball stunts!
   My fabric-refreshing went a little easier. A little de-pilling salvaged this tank top that I wear under a couple of tops that are a little too low cut.
   Durned undershirt started pilling after only a couple of washes. Trust me, I will be ever wary of buying any 92%Modal/8%Spandex fabrics in the future.
   I was reluctant to even try the fabric shaver on this relatively thin fabric, but the top was reaching the unwearable stage (I HATE pilled fabric), so I really didn't have anything to lose. I stretched the fabric completely taut before de-pilling, to reduce the chances of any folds getting caught and little holes being formed.
   The fabric shaver pictured here is slow and steady...I bought one another time that whirred like a motor boat & chopped plenty of small holes into the fabric as it mowed away the pills. Yikes! Used that one only once!
   Hope you're having more wins than losses these days!!