Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

To: nw_arizona_granny; DelaWhere; All

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/cavuto-dont-believe-good-news/

Missed Friday’s Cavuto? Catch “The Deal” right here on FOXBusiness.com

I’d like to interrupt this rally with some reality.

Nice rally. But based on no reality.

Here’s the deal:

I really hope I’m wrong on this deal.

I really hope I’m out to lunch saying the market’s out to lunch.

That this rally today is based on a false premise today.

That we’re assuming a housing boom where there is none.

And a strong economic turnaround where I’d be hard-pressed to find one.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, we’re through the worst of this.

Recessions end, and this one is ending.

But I prefer recessions ending naturally.

Not forcibly.

And therein lies the difference.

And herein lies my argument.

Many of the good economic numbers on which the markets are seizing are artificial.

They’re fake.

Housing credits that surprisingly boosted existing home sales by more than 7% last month.

And cash-for-clunkers that not-at-all surprisingly boosted auto sales these last two months.

Giving away something for nothing does that.

People are stupid not to take advantage of it.

Like those huge half-off department store sales.

You’ll bring out the buyers.

But what happens when the sale signs go down, and there’s no more cash for clunkers, or tax credits for home buyers?

Then what?

I’ll tell you what.

People will stop buying.

And in perfectly Pavlovian style, they’ll hold out ‘til the next sale, the next cash for clunkers, the next credit for homebuyers.

That’s what’s bad about the government trying to do some good.

Good deeds do not go unpunished.

That’s why I fear what happens to home sales “after” those credits are exhausted.

Or there’s no more free money for car buyers.

I hope I’m wrong. Human nature tells me I’m right.

I’m happy for the market’s rally.

I’m just tellin’ ‘ya...It’s based on something that ain’t real.

1,541 posted on 08/22/2009 6:30:54 AM PDT by Eagle50AE (Pray for our Armed Forces.)

HINTS & TIPS:

Over 70 Uses for Vinegar - Health, Cleaning & Pets

Using Vinegar for BEAUTY, HAIR & BATH
1. In your bath water.Add ½ cup of vinegar or so to warm bath water when
bathing and get double benefits – softer skin and a cleaner bathtub with
less work!
2. Hair Conditionervinegar makes a simple, inexpensive conditioner for
your hair and helps remove the sticky stuff shampoo can leave behind.
About a tablespoon will do it.
3. Dandruff Treatment Simply pour a few Tablespoons of vinegar on your
hair and massage into your scalp. Wait a few minutes, then rinse and
wash hair like normal. Try this for a few days until you see results.
4. Weight Loss. Vinegar naturally helps to remove fat from the body -
apple cider vinegar is especially good for this. Drink some in a glass
of water a few times a day, and add a little lemon or honey for a nicer
flavor. This will also help reduce your appetite.
5. Cracked, dry skin. Smooth a little vinegar on dried skin to help it
heal..
6. Clean dentures Soak dentures overnight in Heinz White Vinegar, then
brush away tartar with a toothbrush.
7. Facial Spritzer mix 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 1/2 water into a
spray bottle. Refreshing!
8. Hair Cleanser Take 1 cup of vinegar and warm water into a large glass
and use to rinse your hair after you shampoo. Vinegar adds highlights to
brunette hair, restores the acid mantel, and removes soap film and sebum
oil.
9. Longer lasting pantyhose Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the rinse
water when washing and your pantyhose will last longer!
10. Toenail Fungus Treatment (Submitted by Donna) Another use for
vinegar..... ...Soak your feet in a strong solution of vinegar and water
at least daily to get rid of toenail fungus.

—————— -———— -———— -———— -———— -———— -
Using Vinegar for CLEANING
1. Cleans Glass. Mixed with water or simply sprayed full-strength on
glass and mirrors, vinegar does a great job quickly and easily. Simply
wipe windows dry with crumpled-up newspapers and watch your windows sparkle.
2. Clean your car. Use it full-strength to polish car chrome with a
cloth and see it shine! Use it on your car’s windshield and windows, too.
3. Cleans drinking glasses. Soak cloudy drinking glasses in warmed white
vinegar for a few hours to remove the film, simply wipe clean, rinse,
and dry..
4. Clean your washing machine. Periodically run a gallon of distilled
vinegar through your washing machine to clean it thoroughly, get rid of
soap scum, and clear out the hoses. Run the machine through the warm
water wash cycle empty and then add the vinegar during the rinse cycle.
5. Furniture Polish. Make your own furniture polish with one part
vinegar and three parts lemon oil or olive oil.
6. Remove price tags or stickers Paint them with several coats of
vinegar and let it soak in. Depending what you are removing them off of
is whether they’ll slide off easily or require a little heavier rubbing.
7. Clean your IRON Put vinegar in the water holder and let it steam
itself clean. Remember to flush it with water when you are done.
8. Clean paintbrushes Simmer paintbrushes in pure vinegar, then wash in
hot soapy water.
9. Wash walls. Wipe down your walls with a vinegar-water mixture and it
will help absorb odors and clean the surfaces.
10. Remove spots from glass.Use a vinegar-soaked cloth to remove spots
from any glassware or crystal.
11. Unclog drains Pour boiling white vinegar down clogged drains to
remove the clog!
12. Clean jars. Remove odors and stains from jars by cleaning them out
with vinegar.
13. Clean an old lunchbox. Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and let it
sit in the lunchbox over night.
14. Clean and deodorize a garbage disposal Make vinegar ice cubes and
feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through
15. Teapot cleaning Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in the teapot.
Wipe away the grime.
16. Dishwasher cleaning Run a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle
once a month to reduce soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on
glassware.
17. Microwaves Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water
in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.
18. Remove smoke smells from clothing Add a cup of vinegar to a bath tub
of hot water. Hang clothes above the steam.
19. Clean eyeglasses Wipe each lens with a drop of vinegar.
20. Remove stains from furniture and upholstery Remove stubborn stains
from furniture upholstery and clothes. Apply Heinz White Vinegar
directly to the stain, then wash as directed by the manufacturer’ s
instructions.
21. Natural air deodorizer Heinz Vinegar is a natural air freshener when
sprayed in a room.
22. Remove rust Soak the rusted tool, bolt, or spigot in undiluted Heinz
White Vinegar overnight.
23. Toilet bowl Pour in one cup of Heinz White Vinegar, let it stand for
five minutes, and flush.
24. Brighten fabrics Add a 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
25. Natural cleaning wipes A cloth soaked with vinegar for sanitizing
kitchen counters, stove, and bathroom surfaces. This is just as
effective as the anti-bacterial products and does not promote resistant
strains like the commercial products can, this is also a cheaper and
greener way to protect your loved ones.
26. Remove lint from laundry Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
27. Remove grease from suede Dip a toothbrush in vinegar and gently
brush over grease spot.
28. Remove perspiration stains from clothing Apply one part vinegar to
four parts water, then rinse.
29. Clean coffee or tea stains from china A mixture of salt and vinegar
will clean coffee and tea stains from chinaware.
30. Clean coffeepots and coffee makers Vinegar can help to dissolve
mineral deposits that collect in automatic drip coffee makers. Fill the
reservoir with vinegar and run it through a brewing cycle. Rinse
thoroughly with water when the cycle is finished.
31. Fabric Softener Replacement (Submitted by Cathrine) I use vinegar in
place of fabric softener in my laundry. I use the same amount as fabric
softener plus twice the amount of water (so 2 parts water, 1 part
vinegar) and put it in my fabric softener dispenser. Clothes come out
soft and scent free.. It also helps reduce static (I still have some but
not enough for me to go buy fabric softener!).
32. General Household Cleaner (Submitted by Cathrine) I also keep some
vinegar diluted in a spray bottle. I use this for wiping down counter
tops (at night only so smell goes away) and cleaning up carpet stains in
combo with Oxygen Cleaner (generic OxyClean).
33. Removes smoke stains from walls (Submitted by Kathy) To remove
nicotine from walls before painting, always use vinegar in hot water.
Will remove stains and the nicotine will not bleed through the paint. It
is especially good in bathrooms, where there is a lot of steam from
showers. Be very careful to use rubber gloves because the nicotine will
absorb into the skin and you will get the same effect as smoking.

—————— -———— -———— -———— -———— -———— -
Using Vinegar for FOOD & COOKING
1. Cheese Storage Cheese will last longer if you store it in a
vinegar-soaked cloth.
2. Whiter Cauliflower Add a teaspoon or so of white vinegar to your
cooking water while cooking cauliflower - it will retain a whiter color.
3. Ketchup Only have a little ketchup left in the bottle? Add a bit of
vinegar and give it a good shake and you’ll have a bit more!
4. Boiling Eggs Add a bit of white vinegar to the water you’re boiling
your eggs in, and the shells won’t crack.
5. Cooking Cabbage Add a bit of vinegar to the water you’re cooking your
cabbage in to remove that stinky cabbage smell.
6. Fluffier Meringues Add 1 teaspoon vinegar for every three egg whites
and you’ll have fluffier meringues.
7. Tenderize Meat Soak in vinegar over night.
8. Unsticky Rice To cook rice without sticking add a spoon full of
vinegar in it.
9. Remove onion odors from skin Eliminate onion odor by rubbing vinegar
on your fingers before and after slicing.
10. Disinfect/clean cutting boards Clean and disinfect wood cutting
boards by wiping with full strength vinegar.
11. Make buttermilk Make buttermilk. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to a
cup of milk and let it stand 5 minutes to thicken.
12. Potato Cooking Water (Submitted by Mary) Add 1 teaspoon to the water
when you are boiling potatoes to avoid them going black. Note this does
not apply to potatoes that are freshly dug or new. This works on
potatoes that have been in storage over the winter.

—————— -———— -———— -———— -———— -———— -
Using Vinegar for GARDENING & YARD
1. Clay Pot Cleaning Remove white salt buildup on old clay pots by
soaking them in full strength vinegar.
2. Kills grass. Undiluted vinegar will kill grass between bricks and
sidewalk cracks.
3. Kills weeds. Spray full strength on weeds - be careful not to spray
it on the surrounding grass as it will kill that too.
4. Deter Ants Spray vinegar around doors, appliances, and along other
areas where ants are known to gather.
5. Keep Cats Away Keep cats away. Sprinkle vinegar on areas you don’t
want the cat walking, sleeping, or scratching on.
6. Freshen Cut Flowers Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar
for each quart of water.

—————— -———— -———— -———— -———— -———— -
Using Vinegar for HEALTH
1. Suffering from a sore throat? Mix a teaspoon vinegar with a glass of
water. Gargle with the mixture and then swallow.
2. Remove calluses Try soaking your feet in a combination of white
vinegar and warm water nightly and watch your feet soften noticeably.
3. Soak a washcloth in vinegar and gently apply it to sunburned skin for
cool relief. Reapply as needed as it evaporates. Besides sunburn,
vinegar also soothes the itch and irritation of bee stings!
4. Arthritis Tonic. Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of
water, several times a day.
5. Jellyfish Stings Dot the irritation with vinegar and relieve itching.
6. Sinus Infections and Head Colds Add 1/4 cup or more vinegar to the
vaporizer.
7. Wart Removal Mix one part Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar to one part
glycerin into a lotion and apply daily to warts until they dissolve.
8. Soothe an upset stomach Drink two teaspoons Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar
in one cup water to soothe an upset stomach.
9. Mosquito bites Use a cotton ball to dab mosquito and other bug bites
with Heinz Vinegar straight from the bottle.

—————— -———— -———— -———— -———— -———— -
Using Vinegar for PETS & ANIMALS
1. Pet’s drinking water. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to your pet’s
drinking water to encourage a shinier coat, and reduce odor.
2. Remove skunk odor Use vinegar straight to remove skunk odor from your
pet’s fur.
3. Stop your cat’s scratching furniture Sprinkle or spray vinegar on
areas you don’t want the cat scratching on.
4. Fish bowl cleaner Eliminate that ugly deposit in the gold fish tank
by rubbing it with a cloth dipped in vinegar and rinsing well.
5. Remove pet stains from carpets Blot up urine with a soft cloth, flush
several times with lukewarm water, then apply a mixture of equal parts
vinegar and cool water. Blot up, rinse, and let dry.
6. Clean pets cages I use a mixture of 50% White Vinegar and 50% Water
in a spray bottle to clean my pet cages. It disinfects and deodorizes it
and is much cheaper than the commercial products. I actually got this
tip from the owner of a pet store.
7. Stops dogs scratching I read the cat scratch tip and it works for
dogs as well.

Struggling2Survive@yahoogroups.com

1,542 posted on 08/22/2009 10:09:09 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

Re: Grilled Brisket
Posted by: “KittyHawk”

I found this one....

Texas-Style Barbecued Brisket

Advance preparation:

4 to 8 hours for curing the meat (optional); also, allow yourself about
6 hours cooking time.

6 cups hickory or mesquite chips or chunks, soaked for 1 hour in cold
water to cover and drained

1 beef brisket (5 to 6 lb), with a layer of fat at least 1/4” thick,
preferably 1/2” thick
1 Tbsp coarse salt (kosher or sea)
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin

Rinse the brisket under cold running water and blot it dry with paper
towels.

Combine the salt, chili powder, sugar, pepper, and cumin in a bowl and
toss with your fingers
to mix. Rub the spice mixture on the brisket on all sides. If you have
time, wrap the brisket
in plastic and let it cure, in the refrigerator, for 4 to 8 hours (or
even overnight), but don’t worry
if you don’t have time for this—it will be plenty flavorful, even if you
cook it right away.

Set up a charcoal grill for indirect grilling and preheat it to low. No
drip pan is necessary for
this recipe.

When ready to cook, toss 1 1/2 cups of the wood chips on the coals (3/4
cup per side). Place
the brisket, fat side up, in an aluminum foil pan (or make a pan with a
double sheet of heavy
duty aluminum foil). Place the pan in the center of the hot grate, away
from the heat. Cover the
grill.

Smoke cook the brisket until tender enough to shred with your fingers; 6
hours will likely do it,
but it may take as long as 8 (the cooking time will depend on the size
of the brisket and heat of
the grill). Baste the brisket from time to time with the fat and juices
that accumulate in the pan.
You’ll need to add 10 to 12 fresh coals to each side every hour and toss
more wood chips on
the fresh coals; add about 3/4 cup chips per side every time you
replenish the coals during the
first 3 hours.

Remove the brisket pan from the grill and let rest for 15 minutes.
Transfer the brisket to a cutting
board and thinly slice it across the grain, using a sharp knife,
electric knife, or cleaver. Transfer
the sliced meat to a platter, pour the pan juices on top, and serve at
once.

Barbecue Sauce, the Texas Way

The best Texas style barbecue sauce combines the sweetness of Kansas
City style tomato sauces
with the mouth puckering tartness of a North Carolina vinegar sauce.
I’ve come up with my own
version mix together equal parts of the Basic Barbecue Sauce and the
North Carolina Vinegar Sauce .
Serve this with barbecued brisket. For a really good sauce, add some
meat drippings or a little
chopped brisket.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Darlene

Linda wrote:
>
>
> When we visited my Uncle & his wife in Houston she made what she
> called a Texas Style Barbecue. It was a regular Beef Brisket that she
> cooked on the grill & then sliced as if it were corned beef. OMG it
> was to die for delicious. Does anyone have a recipe for doing it this way?
> Linda

1,543 posted on 08/22/2009 10:47:32 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

>>> I am missing something here!!! <<<

>> No, according to a news article, the Alabama closing ( along with a potential Texas closing ) are flying under the screen.. will post the article if I can find it. <<

Ha, before I could find it , it went down, late yesterday
( total closings yesterday = 4)<<<

Thanks....

I suspect that these are the figures for each state and not the country, as they want us to believe.

If we know that our bank is next, then we stop buying and that will cost the reporters their jobs, as the ads will stop.

Kinda reminds me of Sambo the Tiger, who chased his tail around the tree, until he turned to butter.

Or some such. LOL, if the above fable is wrong, don’t blame me, I worked at Sambo’s restaurant.

1,544 posted on 08/22/2009 11:26:55 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

Recessions end, and this one is ending.

But I prefer recessions ending naturally.

Not forcibly.

And therein lies the difference.

And herein lies my argument.

Many of the good economic numbers on which the markets are seizing are artificial.<<<

Our entire country and indeed the world have become artificial, or that is the feeling that I get.

They don’t have a clue to what is going on and I think we have only glimpsed the tail end of the truth.

It reminds me of the Bulgarian post of yesterday, “there was no money, but we were more worried about food”...

I am reading some of the groups that I haven’t had time to read lately and I find scattered here and there “I felt the call to stock up on storage food for my family.”

Thank you for watching the stocks and banks, for there is so much we need to make a full picture of the weeks events.

1,545 posted on 08/22/2009 11:34:18 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

[From 2006, I did not check the links...granny]

http://www.tucsonheartscenter.com/WheretoFindIt.html

Where to Find It

Spiritual:

Hearts Center Prayer Book $15, look under miscellaneous items https://www2294.ssldomain.com/heartscenter/order.aspx
Water:

Water Storage Containers:

5 gallon: 25 Gallon Water Box Kit $29.95 at www.emergencyessentials.com . Store your water in sturdy boxes. Each contains mylar water bags, strapping tape, and 5 sturdy boxes. Five gallon containers can be found locally. Try Sunflower Market, Wild Oats or other natural food stores that sell water or camping stores. In Tucson WaterStreet Stations sell 5 gallon containers for $14.95 and they will fill them up for FREE twice. Make sure that your containers are made for long term storage. Do not use cloudy milk type containers; they break down after 6 months.

55 gallon containers. Farmers supply stores. Don’t use garbage cans the plastic is treated with chemicals.
Various Sizes
http://beprepared.com/category.asp?start=12&c=160&name=Water%20Storage
http://www.martensurvival.com/Products/WaterStorage
http://www.survivalunlimited.com/waterstorage.htm
Water purification
Food grade hydrogen peroxide: Local health food stores.

Aerobic Stabilized Oxygen 35% http://www.survivalunlimited.com/waterstorage.htm

ION Stabilized Oxygen FDA approved http://www.countrylivinggrainmills.com/Ion.html

NSF certified food grade Chlorine: Pool supply stores. Make sure to ask if its NSF certified
Iodine: Local camping store.

Saint Germain’s Elixir of Life (coral minerals) look under miscellaneous items https://www2294.ssldomain.com/heartscenter/order.aspx

Water filters

Aquarain Gravity Water Filter $183 http://www.homestead-products.com/aquarain.htm & http://www.everythingkitchens.com/aquarain.html

British Berkefeld® Gravity Water Filter http://www.survivalunlimited.com/waterfilter.htm

Guardian “Viral Guard” Micro Water Filter $79 Purifies 200 gallons of water. Replaceable filter. http://www.martensurvival.com/Products/WaterPurification

Food:

Three weeks of food: Local grocery stores. In Tucson consider Tucson Cooperative Food Warehouse for buying in bulk.

Alternative Cooking Methods:
Coleman Micro Butane Stove$19.74 http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4722923

Coleman Propane Camp Stove $36.84 http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3657606

Solar Oven $179.00Pictures and how to http://www.survivalunlimited.com/solaroven.htm

Solar ovens reach an inside temperature of 350 degrees F. or more on an average sunny day, so most oven dishes in your cookbook are appropriate! Casseroles and stews, roast meats and vegetables, breads and cakes are all easily prepared in a solar oven just like a regular oven.
Additional Cooking and Heating Resources
http://www.safetycentral.com/cookersheaters.html

Recipes

Apocalypse Chow; How to Eat Well When the Power Goes Out by Jon & Robin Roberston www.amazon.com
The Storm Gourmet Daphne Nikolopoulos www.amazon.com

Recipes Online
http://waltonfeed.com/grain/y-rec/index.html
http://waltonfeed.com/grain/cookin/index.html
http://waltonfeed.com/grain/passport/index.html
http://www.thefamily.com/recipes/foodstorageind.htm
http://www.simplyprepared.com/page7.html
http://www.nursehealer.com/Recipes.htm
http://www.foodstorage.net/recipes.htm

Food Storage Supplies

http://www.survivalunlimited.com/buckets.htm -Mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, diamatomaceous earth

Sprouting Set http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_FG%20S350_A_name_E_Kitchen%20Sprouter%20Set

Food Storage Containers http://beprepared.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_440_A_name_E_Food%20Storage%20Containers

Food Storage Calculator divide by 12 to get one months supply http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm

Food Storage Planning Software< color: rgb(19, 109, 39);”> http://www.revelar.com/fsp.html. Grocery Lists, recipes, inventory tracking and more.
Fuel

Propane Bottles, liter: Camping stores, hardware stores, Target, Walmart $4.54 for 2

Propane Bottles, 20 pound: Hardware store, Walmart, camping RV supply stores. ~ $43.00 refillable or exchangeable.

Camping Hose Adapter Enables your camping stove or propane lanterns to use the 20 pound propane tank instead of the liter bottles. Can be found at hardware stores (Ace, True Value, etc.), camping stores, RV supply stores. Never use 20 pound tanks inside your home.

Propane Safety Tips Please read http://misterfixit.com/propane.htm , http://dep.state.ct.us/wst/recycle/propane.htm

First Aid:

First Aid Kits for Home and Cars
Preassembled Kits: http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/ Click Buy Kits, Wilderness medicine
Build Your Own: Target, camping stores, online, “Dollar Stores” carry many of the items required for First Aid Kits
CPR Mouth Barrier http://www.tucson-redcross.org/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=P03&Category_Code=SP
First Aid Classes
Red Cross:www.redcross.org, Type in your zip code to get information on a Red Cross location near you. Adult CPR/First Aid Combo Class:Adult CPR and First Aid Basics combined into one, streamlined course. This class is perfect for those with busy schedules needing one-day training for both certifications. This course covers the following: handling emergency situations, rescue breathing, choking and cardiac emergencies in adults, basic precautions for preventing disease transmission, the role of AEDs, identifying and caring for life-threatening bleeding, sudden illness and injuries. First Aid OSHA compliant. Each participant receives a booklet and two skill cards. Certifications: Adult CPR, valid for one year. First Aid Basics, valid for three years. Classes that are 6 hours in length include a 1/2 hour break Price: $45.00.
First Aid Manuals

The American Red Cross First Aid and Safety Handbookhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316736465/sr=1-1/qid=1154061447/ref=sr_1_1/103-1356775-8062216?ie=UTF8&s=books
Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0942364155/sr=1-1/qid=1154060750/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-1356775-8062216?ie=UTF8&s=books

Where There Is No Dentist http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0942364058/sr=1-1/qid=1154060970/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-1356775-8062216?ie=UTF8&s=books

Natural First Aid: Herbal Treatments for Ailments & Injuries/Emergency Preparedness/Wilderness Safety http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580171478/103-1356775-8062216?redirect=true&v=glance&n=283155

Natural Medicine First-Aid Remedies: Self-Care Treatments for 100+ Common Conditions http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1571742182/103-1356775-8062216?redirect=true&v=glance&n=283155
Outward Bound Wilderness First-Aid Handbook http://wildmed.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WMAG&Product_Code=OBWFAT&Category_Code=PUBS

Various Titles http://beprepared.com/category.asp?start=12&c=20&name=Preparedness%20Education

Heating and Cooling:
Heating

Coleman ProCat Portable Catalytic Heater. For safe, flameless heating indoors $68.78
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1603298
http://beprepared.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_352_A_name_E_Portable%20Heaters

Coleman SportCat Portable Catalytic Heater $42.95http://beprepared.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_352_A_name_E_Portable%20Heaters
Video demonstration http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/video.asp?link=63071

Mr. Heater indoor heater $75(Lowe’s) http://www.mrheater.com/ For more locations

Winter Survival Heater: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/ggw/newsletter/winter_05/winter_survival.pdf Short term emergency use only.
Cooling
Mighty Kool $349, can be run on Solar or Battery
http://www.air-conditioning.net/hprices.html
http://www.swampy.net/testmnls.html

Kool-Down Air Cooler $19.95http://www.firststreetonline.com/expanded.jsp?image=41106

Personal air cooler, don’t know how well this would work.

Lighting:

Flashlights & Oil lamps Remember LED lights
Good source http://www.martensurvival.com/Products/Lighting
Solar Flood Light http://www.ccrane.com/controls/ZoomImagePopUp.aspx?ProdId=2886

Vehicle:

Vehicle Emergency Kits

Good starter kits, add items as needed. http://www.safetycentral.com/travelsafety.html
Dollar Stores: towels, toiletries,

Wal-Mart or other discount stores: flares, matches, flashlights, batteries, blankets, sleeping bags, warm clothes, all-weather gear (including footwear),

PEP Boys, Auto Zone or other auto supply stores: folding shovel, jumper cables, tow cable, wrenches, screwdrivers, spare fuses, etc.
Maps
Fuel Preserver

http://www.martensurvival.com/Products/EmergencyEssentials & http://www.safetycentral.com/travelsafety.html

COMMUNICATION
AM, FM/Shortwave Radio

Eton American Red Cross Emergency AM/FM Shortwave Radio $44.99Features: flashlight, hand crank and cell phone charger http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7796432&type=product&id=1142291512355
Freeplay Life Line Radio $49.95 on sale regularly $99.95 http://www.ccrane.com/radios/wind-up-emergency-radios/freeplay-lifeline-radio.aspx
Grundig Crank AM/FM/Shortwave Radio $35.99http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Grundig-Crank-AM-FM-Shortwave-FR200-Radio-Yellow-201-9100-/sem/rpsm/oid/100799/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Sangean Digital Shortwave 14-Band Radio w/AM & FM stereo $149.95 http://www.martensurvival.com/Products/Communication
PSW-3 Shortwave 14 Band Radio $88.95http://www.readyreservefoodsinc.com/product.htm#Communications/Radios

Grundig Mini 300PE AM/FM Shortwave Radio $29.95 http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_CM%20R476_A_name_E_Grundig%20Mini%20300PE%20AMFM%20Shortwave%20Radio%20(Yellow)

ALTERNATIVE POWER

Solar Panel 10 watt with cigarette lighter adapter, will power most small electronic devices such as radios, battery chargers, some laptop computers, and small kitchen appliances. http://www.ccrane.com/more-categories/alternative-power/index.aspx

1,546 posted on 08/22/2009 11:47:26 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

[2007 - LDS - Food supply for one month, prepared for the flu.]

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?p=94683

ONE MONTH SUPPLY OF SHELF STABLE FOODS
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently directed the release (April 2007) of a new pamphlet on food storage titled “All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage”
The counsel they have given is to obtain a three-month supply of food that is part of your normal diet, store drinking water, have a financial reserve and store a year’s supply of foods that will store for extended periods.

The following is a guide to obtaining a three-month supply of foods in your normal diet.

One Month Supply
of Shelf Stable
Grocery Store Purchased Foods
For one person
Based on the MINIMUM (1600 calories) recommendations in the Food Pyramid

18 ounce box oatmeal*
1 pound rice*
20 ounces pasta*
5 pounds flour*
1 pound popcorn*

34 (15 ounce) cans vegetables

26 (15 ounce) cans fruit

2 pounds Velveeta
4 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk*
3.2 pounds powdered milk (powder to make 4 gallons)*

1 jar (18 ounces) peanut butter*
4 (6 ounce) cans tuna
4 (5 ounce) cans chicken
4 (5 ounce) cans ham
8 (15 ounce) cans cooked dry beans*

oil*
shortening*
nuts
sugar*
syrup*
jam*
molasses*
salt*

*also considered a “basic” food storage food

NOTE: For a 2400 calorie diet, add 1 more box of oatmeal, 1 pound of rice, 40 ounces of pasta, 1 pound of popcorn, 17 cans of vegetables, 8 cans of fruit, 1 can of chicken, 1 can of ham and 5 cans of cooked dry beans.

Send mail to cfd@byu.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2004 - 2007 Cheryl Driggs
Last modified: 07/16/2007

http://www.simplyprepared.com/one_mo...ore_supply.htm

MORE READING:
http://www.simplyprepared.com/preparedness_archives.htm
Last edited by Jonesie; August 5th, 2007 at 09:26 AM.

1,547 posted on 08/22/2009 11:51:49 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

Yep, goats are great. But, one can also keep dogs in an urban home. Goats,
not so much[G] add to that, working dogs like to work. Give them a job and
they are as happy as happy can be!

Blessings+

Karon

I think I prefer donkeys. They are smarter, hardier, calmer, cheaper, and more surefooted than a horse. They cost less to feed when they are idle as well, so they are less of a waste. More bang for the buck. The only thing they lack is prestige.
—
Harry,

The depth of the well is not the critical problem, it is the depth to the WATER! I have a well that is a hundred feet deep, but the water level is only 19 feet down lfrom the surface! This particular well can pump 450 gallons a minute, with a 72 hour drawdown of only 19 more feet.

Regardless, there certainly are solar powered pumps for quite deep wells. They don’t pump fast, but they get that water up to your storage tank.

First get the well dug, then find the depth to water (commonly a lot less than the depth of the well) and then let the group know the water delivery capacity at a specific drawdown, plus your water needs. Chances are good that a good pump with a GOOD storage tank can fill your needs, but we need more information to be really helprful.

Jean

” Canned food retains its safety and nutritional value well beyond two years, but it may have some variation in quality, such as a change of color and texture. Canning is a high-heat process that renders the food commercially sterile. Food safety is not an issue in products kept on the shelf or in the pantry for long periods of time. In fact, canned food has an almost indefinite shelf life at moderate temperatures (75° F and below). Canned food as old as 100 years has been found in sunken ships and it is still microbiologically safe! We don’t recommend keeping canned food for 100 years, but if the can is intact, not dented or bulging, it is edible.” “

http://www.foodreference.com/html/tcannedfoodshelflife.html

Compliments of WikiAnswers.com

Are you keeping your acquisitions rotated?

Liquor (might have a 10% loss to evaporation even in the unopened bottle,
but should not hurt it) and coffee (coffee will loose taste, but the longer
you hold it the more desperate many will be, so this will still be in your
favor as I don’t think coffee will ever go “dangerous”), not so much but
Aspirin goes from an useful compound to , IIRC a poisonous compound or, at
best a useless compound, as it degenerates.

Not familiar with your Icthamol, but Neosporin has a date on it and it is
never all that long. Just looked at my tube of Equate Triple Antibiotic
Ointment. It was purchased in June,2009 and the date on it is 10/10. Don’t
know if it gets dangerous or just goes inert and leaves you with a tube of
white petrolatum (the inactive ingredient carrier in the tube) when it goes
out of date.

Good on the Ora-gel, but look at generic at half price. Also look at some
of the dental first aid emergency filling pots.

Just a few thoughts and things to check out.

Buckshot

We knew a relatively young woman who paid off a house by the time she
was still on the good side of 30.

One “key” was that she just got the ‘amount’ of housing that she
needed. (IOW: the place was just a half step up from being a
shack.) She wasn’t a good looking woman so she didn’t spend much
money in “self-maintenance.”

I have heard of several folks who used rentals to “retire” at age 40 or
so. They started small: renting out of room in the more or less
conventional house they got at age 21 or so. When they had the
downpayment for house #2, they moved but kept house #1 as a rental.

With a “crash” in real estate prices, that’s even better now than it was
any time in my living memory.

Please check out our new Blog “Daily Survival”
http://daily-survival.blogspot.com/

How to insulate a garage door?
Posted by: “Jo

My neighbor took two poly tarps (The blue ones) and made a tied quilt, so to
speak, with layers of old fiberglass and even some old Uhaul packing
blankets tied about every 18 inches by poking a sewing awl thru and tying to
plastic “buttons” he made from trash plastic. He hung it initially off the
door frame on the inside of the garage door., but eventually, he made a
steel pole “shower curtain” kind of arrangement, so he could push it aside
in the Summer. I would think steel electrical conduit would work nicely for
this.

Texas Renewable Energy Roundup
http://www.txses.org/solar/content/renewable-energy-roundup
List of exhibitors:
http://theroundup.org/?page_id=9

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/misc_survivalism_moderated/

1,548 posted on 08/22/2009 12:25:56 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

http://consumerist.com/5210337/112-ways-to-save-money

*
112 Ways To Save Money
By Ben Popken, 3:15 PM on Mon Apr 13 2009, 41,650 views

You guys are some thrifty freakazoids. We asked you to submit your money-saving secrets and you dumped like 35 elephants on our heads in comments and emails. We’ve trimmed that down to 112 . Here they are! Enjoy your savings.

TRICK PEOPLE OBSESSED WITH BRAND-NAMES

My wife is all about brand-names. She wants Tide - nothing else. Tide is $12 a bottle and Purex is like $7. When we are almost out of ‘Tide’, I go buy Purex and pour it in the Tide bottle. We have had the same bottle of ‘Tide’ for about 7 months. They change packaging now and then so occasionally I still need to buy the real stuff.

THE ZEN OF CONSUMPTION

Don’t buy more than you can use; use everything you buy.

HOST A SWAP PARTY WITH FRIENDS

Trade with friends. Hold a swap and give away stuff while you dig through someone else’s stuff, too. FREE rocks!

KILL YOUR CABLE

Cut loose that sacred cow of budgets: your cable TV. Use sites like www.hulu.com and watch shows on network websites for FREE. Sign up for www.redbox.com and get one free movie on Monday. Every week. For FREE.

STICK PENS IN MICROWAVE TO GET LAST INK

When your pen ceases to write, it probably still has a great deal of ink in it that is just stuck temporarily. instead of throwing it out, stick your pen in the microwave for 10 seconds to get that ink running again.

BECOME A HAGGLE-MONSTER

Negotiate everything! You’ve got the money, and they have the service. So always ask if that’s the best they can do. I’ve had a lot of success with the cable company, and when buying things at big box electronics store. At J Crew the other day, I found out they offered student discounts. So my advice is to always try to negotiate. My next target: Verizon Wireless.

PRICEBOOKING

Rough pricebooking. I know, I know, really frugal types keep actual price books and note the tiniest fluctuations from store to store on every product. I don’t have that kind of time. Instead, I look to general indicator products I buy frequently and many stores carry in order to gauge which stores are generally the best deal. For example, Kraft Mac and Cheese fluctuates in my area between 50c and 75c a box, but there are two stores of the same chain near me, and one has it between 50 and 60 cents and the other between 65 and 75 cents. Stores in more affluent areas often jack up prices, so it’s worth keeping an eye on that sort of thing.

CREDIT CARDS ONLY IN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Credit cards are only for cash not on hand, not on-the-spot loans. Use them online, use them in stores instead of carrying cash, but don’t rack up charges you can’t immediately cover. Don’t assume that the money will come, because you never know when catastrophe will hit and a job will be lost, a car will need sudden repair, or a medical bill might hit.

DON’T BUY KIDS’ CLOTHES NEW

Do not buy children’s clothes, especially infant clothes, first-hand unless they are a gift or some kind of special souvenir.

DIY OR DIE 4EVA

When possible, make instead of buying. But don’t be suckered into spending a fortune on craft tools you don’t really need. For basic home crafts like knitting, sewing, etc., you can easily get away with just a few bucks on inexpensive supplies and tools and then delight your friends and family with home-made gifts.

DIY EYE GLASSES LENS CLEANER:

Just mix 50/50: Rubbing Alcohol and Sterile or Deionized Water. Pour into travel hand pump containers.

Eye glasses lens cleaner is 2.99 for 4-oz. Sure, soap and water works, but not if you’re our-doors or when it’s not available. This recipe is so cheap, and it works great.

CHEAP TEA

When I make a pot of tea (after letting it steep) I pour a cup of tea and then top off the pot again with more hot water (leaving the tea bags in place to continue steeping).

CHEAP WARMTH

It was a long, brutal winter. Instead of cranking up the thermostat on cold nights my husband and I invested in a very nice electric blanket.

GET THIS BOOK

Borrow a copy of “The Tightwad Gazette” by Amy Dacyczyn from your local public library. Read, mark, learn and inwardly digest. You may even be able to pick up a free copy from Freecycle.org (another useful site forsaving money and doing good).

BRUSH WITHOUT TOOTHPASTE

Clean your teeth with a combination of salt and baking soda. Doesn’t taste as good as toothpaste, but is much cheaper and better for your gums (my late husband was a dentist and I owe this one to him - he died at age 89 with all his teeth in his head!)

TURN DOWN THE HEAT

Turn down the thermostat on your water heater. 120 deg F is hot enough and you save a lot by not heating to 140 deg. F.

BUY A $5 ROTISSERIE CHICKEN

My wife and I buy a $5 rotisserie chicken from the store ($3 if it is one day old), and eat the white meat for a dinner. Next, we pick off all the meat we can, and cook the skin, bones, etc in a stockpot or pressure cooker. This garners about 2 quarts of wonderful broth, which freezes well. $5 can make the basis for 6 meals in our household.

Even cheaper is frozen chicken, but who has the time!

DIY BROTH

Making your own broth or stock needs a comeback. We currently have 4 quarts of broth in our freezer, plus a gallon of chicken soup made from some other broth, in addition to 2 quarts of chili, all in Foodsaver bags.

SAVE BY DELAYING

Consider the future: most new release movies are between $18-20, wait a couple months and most will drop to $10-12. Walmart’s $5 bin!

The obvious one: If you don’t NEED it, or you can live without it, then don’t buy it, at least right now. Wait on it and see how badly you want it, and when you have a little extra, go for it. That way you’re not just spending on impulse, you know you really want it and it will be worth the money.

DON’T BUY PRE-CUT FRUIT

Don’t buy pre-cut fruit, buy the whole fruit. You save a couple dollars every time.

EDITED BLUE-CHEESE DRESSING

If you like blue cheese dressing, but find the price in grocery stores a bit too much ( a bit too blue cheesy), do what a lot of restaurants do- cut it with mayonnaise. A regular sized blue cheese dressing cut with equal amount of regular mayonnaise will literally double the amount you get, and the flavor is much better. I reuse old mayo containers to mix a batch up each time I buy a new blue cheese dressing.

REFILL YOUR OWN HOT SAUCE

Also, if you’re a fan of the hot sauce with the whole peppers in vinegar, you can simply replace the vinegar 5 or 6 times with regular white vinegar, and stash in it the fridge for a few days. The result in exactly the same thing, less $3 for a new bottle.

DIY PAPER TOWELS

I saved a few of the cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls. I bought two yards of white cotton flannel (about $8) and cut it into paper-towel-sized squares. I did a fast zigzag stitch around the edges of each one (cutting and sewing took about two hours total) and rolled them up onto the tubes. I use them for anything you’d use a papertowel for. When they’re dirty, I wash them in hot water with bleach, dry them in the dryer without a dryer sheet (so they’ll be more absorbent) and roll them onto another tube. I’ll never buy paper towels again. Cheap, and better for the environment, I think.

TREAT STAINS RIGHT AWAY

Use stain treatment sprays to prolong the life of your clothes. Treat stains right away. Laziness will lose your fave shirt....

PLAN YOUR MEALS

Plan your menu for at least one week at a time. This will prevent you from over-buying. Planning accounts for every penny.

DIY BREAD

Make your own bread. Not only will you feel super accomplished, but your bread will taste better than anything you can buy. Seriously....store bought bread sucks....Some to my house and have some of my bread. It’ll make you slap your momma and leave home.

CLOTHESLINE

Use a clothesline. If for nothing else, then jeans and towels which take FOREVER in the dryer. Saves me about $50 a month.

SERGE YOUR SOCKS

My husband buys long tube socks for work. When his safety shoes’ metal toe causes holes in the toe of the sock, he asks me to serge (sew and cut) the toe section off. When they finally become short as anklets, he then uses them for rags in the garage. I’ve been doing this for him for the last 20 years.

DIY WHITENING TOOTHPASTE

Instead of a whitening mouthwash, use a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide ($1.99/32 oz bottle) and water.

USE FARMER’S MARKETS

I like to go to farmers’ markets and hunt for deals on certain foods that when purchased in moderate bulk can be very cheap. Also, if you get to know the vendors they will often give you a deal if you come back week after week. Trader Joe’s is good too. I basically don’t buy any prepared foods whether it’s fresh or frozen. That can really drive up the cost.

CUT YOUR MEAT

I also cut down on my meat and fish consumption and try to eat meals with lots of veggies. Stews and soups are the most economical because it makes the most of a little meat and you can make a ton of it and freeze half.

EAT EGGS

Eggs. They’re so cheap yet you can make so many delicious high-protein meals with them!

JACK ALL THE FREE SOAP IN A HOTEL ROOM

I travel for business A LOT. Every month or so at minimum, and sometimes I can be gone for most of an entire month. Therefore, I’m always at hotels. Most hotels give out free soap, shampoo, and conditioner, with maybe some lotion or mouthwash if you’re lucky. I say that because I take them ALL and hoard them.

REACTIVATE YOUR SHAMPOO

When shampoo or bodywash is empty, place opening near showerhead and fill it with a little water. Swoosh it around a little and walah, you have more left and it seemingly works just as well.

“DISPOSABLE” RAZORS CAN LAST A LONG TIME

I get my disposable razors to last for 6+ months just by making sure they are wiped clean and dry when I finish shaving and it still doesn’t nick me.

PUT A MASON JAR IN YOUR TOILET

Put one or two 1 quart mason jars in the tank of your toilet. If you keep the lid off the jars there will always be fresh water flowing into them and they won’t get nasty, but they will save a quart of water for each jar you use everytime you flush the toilet.

REPLACE SCRUBS WITH HAND MITS

I used to buy an apricot scrub for my face. Instead of buying the scrub, I now use reusable hand mitts, whose texture exfoliates my skin. I bought them at a local pedicure place for $3. They work better and the cost of one bottle of the scrub is about the same for a pair of mitts.

YOU CAN ONLY FIT ONE EYEDROP IN YOUR EYE

If you use eyedrops for any reason, there’s NO need to use more than 1 in each eye. My doctor told me recently that more than one drop cannot physically fit within the confines of your eyelid, and only one drop is enough to cover the entire surface of the eye. He said that drug companies always encourage you to use 2 or more in an effort to reel in more money at twice the rate necessary. So, whether it’s an antibiotic drop for a pink eye infection or seasonal allergy drops, one in each eye is enough.

Mouth rinses (like Listerine) tell you to use a full capful. Half a capful is perfectly sufficient for me, and it might be just enough for you, too.

You’ll cut down on sugar intake AND save money by watering down your juices halfway. This might sound disgusting at first, but after doing this for a few years, full-strength juices are way too sweet for me. A half cup of cranberry apple juice + a half cup of water = perfect. (Oh, and don’t let Mott’s assist you in the process and make you pay for it — do it yourself by only purchasing 100% juice.)

Do you love the scent of super-expensive laundry detergent but hate the price? Buy some of the cheaper unscented store-brand detergent, put about 1/3 of it into another container temporarily, and then replace the lost amount with the good-smelling expensive kind. Blend, and use. Your laundry will still smell the way you like it & it’ll cost less over time.

SAVE 50-70% ON HOME IMPROVEMENT

If you’re planning a home improvement project, check with Habitat For Humanity’s “ReStore” Facilities in your area. Prices are 50-70% lower than they are elsewhere. http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx

Also, check with local builders for any properties that are going to get demolished. Old fixtures, tubs, etc. can sometimes be scavenged and sold at a profit or used in your own renovations.

INFLATE YOUR TIRES

Make sure your car tires are inflated to the proper pressure and tune up your car as per the manufacturer’s specifications. Today’s computer controlled cars do not operate at peak efficiency unless all of the sub-systems are in good working order.

KILL ANTS WITH BORIC ACID

Use boric acid instead of high-cost pesticides or traps to deter ants from coming into your house.

SAVE EVERY $5-BILL

I save every $5 bill I’m given. I collect them, deposit them into the bank, and then I put them into a high interest savings account. The result? I’ve saved almost $3,000.

People have said “why don’t you just move a lump sum from checking to savings every month?” The problem is that human beings are bad at doing this. But we’re good at saving small amounts - I hardly notice that my purchase “cost” an extra $5. And since the money goes through my checking account a second time so quickly I never am tempted to spend it.

RECORD EVERYTHING YOU SPEND

Feel the pain every time you spend $$$, no matter how small, by opening an account at xpenser.com (free) and getting into the habit of recording EVERY time you use cash or credit by sending them a text. you can also use email, twitter, etc. however texting would work best for most people since it takes a few seconds and they carry their cell phone with them everywhere. this system allows you to be completely honest about your expenses and lets you tag and track categories of spending. just logging into xpenser reminds you how wasteful (or frugal!) you are and can be a great tool.

GHETTO ICED LATTE

In the summer when you want an iced latte, but don’t want to spend $5 order an ‘iced doppio’ which costs $2 and add your own milk. In the iced drinks they don’t steam the milk, so you’re paying $3 for them to put it into your glass for you.

MAKE THIS YOUR NEW CREDO

“If it’s not on sale, it doesn’t exist.”

APPLE TV FTW

One way I saved money was to get rid of my satellite TV service and replace it with an Apple TV. The satellite was costing me $50 per month and now I budget $12 per month to rent movies over the internet.

BECOME THE CAULK OF THE WALK

Another way to save money for me was to buy a bunch of tubes of clear caulk (88 tubes) and caulk the heck out of my all electric ranch house. I caulked around the electrical outlet boxes, wall switch boxes, air registers, recessed ceiling lights and underneath the baseboards (behind the carpet). It took me a few days to do it all but Duke Energy’s online analysis of my bill showed that it saved me $100 in January.

MAKE A GARDEN

I garden, starting my seeds indoors (not buying plants from a store/market). I also learned how to harvest seeds from my mature plants last year, so I didn’t even need to buy seeds.

CAN IT

I learned how to can/preserve. So any surplus produce gets turned into sauces, or simply gets canned on its own.

RIDE YOUR BIKE

Ride your bicycle to work. No need to pay for gasoline or added depreciation, wear, and tear on your car. Your auto insurance company may also reduce your rate if you reduce your annual mileage.

DILUTE WINDEX

When Windex bottle is half empty, fill to brim with water — diluted Windex works just fine.

DAY OLDS

Buy day-old (price reduced) bread, rolls, pies and freeze.

FREEZE YOUR BERRIES

Buy on-sale berries in summer and freeze for year-round use.

CUT YOUR OWN HAIR

Do your own haircuts and coloring — not as hard as you might think!

GROOM YOUR OWN DOG

Learn to groom your dog yourself — we learned from an episode of “Dirty Jobs.”

REUSE AMAZON BOXES

Re-use shipping boxes from Amazon.com to ship back items sold on Ebay.

GET A BIIIIIIIG BOTTLE OF KETCHUP

Buy industrial size ketchup containers in cans for $5 and then refill your individual bottles. These cans can be found at restaurant suppliers typically but can save a lot of money on ketchup, especially name brand like Heinz!

BUY NEARLY SPOILED MEET, THEN FREEZE TIME!

I’ve heard of people buying almost expiring meat products from the deli with the sticker reduced to 50 cents. A friend of mine grabs all of these, sticks them in the freezer and carefully eats them each week. He says once its frozen the ice prevents spoilage of the deli meat products.

MAKE SALADS LAST 10 DAYS

People I’ve shared this with don’t seem to know that if they make a whole green-salad and put it into a ziploc-style bag as opposed to a tupperware-type container, the salad will last about 10 days! The trick to it is: 1)never, ever use a metal knife on lettuce- it oxidizes it and it turns brown. Use a plastic lettuce-knife, or do what I do- pretend it’s a rich Wall Street exec and rip it to shreds. 2) You have to squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag as possible- simply lay it on the table, use your arm to push out the air and the other hand to zip it quick. Works like magic, and who needs stupid green bags, vacuum-seal bags, etc!

STOP DRINKING

I quit drinking for a month, and by a rough estimate, I saved probably $300-$350. Maybe I’m kind of an alky, but even people who drink moderately can save money by cutting down on drinking, or just drinking at home. Also, buy the cheap stuff. Booze tastes exactly the same with any mixer in it. Like, you probably won’t notice the difference between Pinnacle vodka (12 bucks a bottle in WA, where I live) and Ketel One ($27 a bottle) if you’re putting cranberry juice in it. Just a thought.

GET SCISSCORHAND ON YOUR CARDS

My buddy cut up his debit card. he has the info memorized so if he needs to order something online he can but he has to go to the bank to get $ to spend. this way unless he really needs it he doesn’t feel like taking the time to go to the bank and also it completely curbs his late night spending

YOU REALLY CAN FIND IT ALL ON EBAY

If you know what you are doing, you can buy almost anything on Ebay cheaper than a store (be careful of shipping costs, but remember there is no sales tax). Ink cartridges, razor blades, clothes, shoes (all new and unused), sporting goods, electronics, car parts, etc. Many items are one-fourth to one-half of what you would otherwise pay.

LOSE THE LANDLINE

If possible, get rid of your landline telephone. Replace with VoIP, or cellphone depending on your needs. Getting VoIP has saved me several hundred dollars annually.

CUT YOUR PAPER TOWELS IN HALF, USE TWICE AS LONG

Cut your paper towel rolls in half. I know, short-sheet versions are sold now, but they cost more.

JUMBO BAG OF POTATOES

3 lb. bag of potatoes FTW! Seriously. Potato is the most flexible food in the world. A little garlic, milk, butter, salt and pepper... voila.

VISIT MUSEUMS ON FREE DAYS

Go to museums on “free” days, which are generally in the beginning or middle of the week, when people are less likely to take a day off. They also won’t be as crowded either, especially if it’s cold right now. Tourists only come when it’s warm.

ALWAYS CHECK THE UNIT PRICES!

Look at unit prices every time you shop. The bigger package isn’t always cheaper... and sometimes it was cheaper last week but not this week.

MAKE MULTIPLE MEALS AT THE SAME TIME

Cooking more than one meal. People who live alone complain “they don’t want to cook for just want person.” So I say don’t. Cook, but cook several meals and portion them up into tupperwares.

If you’re making chicken, rice, salads, etc - bake or grill a whole tray of it (or include other meats for variety) and save it. If I make something good, like barbecue chicken or green chili I certainly don’t mind eating the same thing the day after for lunch.

On Sunday afternoons I usually grill some meats, hard boil some eggs, boil potatoes and rice and put it all in various size tupperwares. Then I have full meals I can grab, and stuff to snack on that isn’t junk. (like cooked chicken with mustard.)

Great for at home, taking to work, and on the go. And I rarely eat fast food or junk food.

REUSE YOUR ZIPLOCS

I wash out my ziploc bags. You can turn them inside out and throw them in the wash when you do laundry. Hang ‘em to dry and you’d never know they were in the washing machine.

DON’T BUY STUFF YOU CAN’T AFFORD

Seriously, 50% of the things people buy are not necessities. The way I’ve done it is to only spend cash. Yes, I carry a debit and credit card for emergencies, but I only spend cash. That way, if I want to buy something I either have to make a special trip, or I have to consider buying it, get cash from home (when I reconsider buying it), and then reconsider buying it again at the store. Most of the time, by the time I get home I’ve talked myself out of buying whatever it is I wanted because I don’t really need it. If more people started using cash for their day-to-day expenses rather than just throwing that latte, lunch, and dinner on the debit or credit card they would save a ton of money.

WE LOVE COSTCO

Join a warehouse club like Costco or BJ’s — or both. (I refuse to endorse anything related to Wal-Mart). The membership fees can easily pay for themselves... they do for us!

DID YOU FORGET HOW TO BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH?

I’ll put in a plug for the Lunch in a Box blog [lunchinabox.net] , especially its FAQs and lists, for helpful lunch-bringing tips. The bento-esque approach is also useful for maximizing leftovers, because a tablespoonful is enough to stick in a lunch along with other stuff.

TEAR SNUGGLE’S SHEETS IN HALF

Make the Snuggle bear cry: tear those dryer sheets in half. A half works just as well as a whole on static and you won’t go to work smelling like a field of chemical flowers.

PIMP YOUR OWN RIDE

Do your own auto maintenance. This requires a bit of up-front investment for some tools, but spending $75 on a quality socket set, an oil-filter wrench, and an oil pan will save you a lot down the road. For a filter and 4 1/2 quarts of oil I paid $18 as opposed to the $30 and up most places charge. I was quoted $500 for a brake caliper change that I did for less than $100 with some brake fluid and an aftermarket part from Checker.

SPLIT INTERNET WITH NEIGHBORS

Split your internet. This is a big one for apartments: If you can, hang up a flyer, set a secure WPA or WPA2 key, and charge them $5 or so a month. If someone abuses it, change the key and give it back out to those who are still using it.

LASER PRINTERS ARE CHEAPER

Buy a desktop laser printer, not an inkjet. Yes, the printer and toner are more expensive up-front but a typical toner cartridge pumps out 5,000+ sheets (as opposed to the roughly 500-100 that an ink cartridge can do). If a black cartridge costs $20 and the toner is $80, you’ve saved $120 or more. Plus toner cartridges don’t dry out and look a hell of a lot more professional.

SAVE 50% ON HEATING WITH PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS

Purchase a programmable thermostat and learn how to use it properly! This, combined with plastic on my windows, knocked my heating bill in my house down about 50%.

BUY FOOD ON FRIDAYS

I do my grocery shopping on Friday when the sales and specials come out. This means I have a fridge and cupboards full of food — no excuse to eat out, and on the weekends I have time to try new recipes or bake bread, make casseroles for busy nights.

LEARN TO SEW

Learn basic sewing - Doesn’t have to be anything fancy just some needle and thread to sew on buttons or repair small tears along seams.

GET A BIG OL FREEZER AND FILL IT

Buy a large freezer and buy in bulk - over the long term this can save a lot of money. Have some freezer bags and foil at home, go out to a bulk store buy a 10 lb container of hamburger and break it up into 1 lb bags. Savings will add up quickly and you don’t have to go out to shop as often. The more you go out to shop the more impulse buys you will make.

RICE IS NICE

Cook with Rice - rice is a great side dish or filler for almost any meal and it is VERY cheap it’s also very healthy. If you do this on a regular basis a rice cooker may be a good investment as most double as vegetable steamers as well (vegetables are also great to buy in bulk frozen).

CHANGE YOUR OWN OIL

Learn to change your own oil for your car - when you do this buy a reusable oil pan (one that seals) so you can take the oil to a drop of for recycling.

FLASK IT

I know this sounds ghetto, but...before I go out on the night on the town I fill my flask with the strongest stuff I have in my liquor cabinet. This why I don’t have to by drinks. Or if I’m going out to eat with friends, I try to eat something before leaving home so I just order a cheap appetizer when I’m out.

FIND THE CHEAP FAS

Use websites like www.gaspricewatch.com or www.gasbuddy.com to keep track of where the cheapest gas is in relation to where I am.

SAVE ON GAMES AND MOVIES WITH GAMEFLY AND NETFLIX

Gamefly and Netflix. I’ve saved hundreds in going to the movies and buying games cause of these services.
CEILING FANS

We installed ceiling fans in the bedroom and living room. They really help keep cooling costs down. Of course in the summer when it’s hot, we’ll use the AC at night but for just regulating temperature, the fans are perfect.

SAVE WITH PREPAID CELL SERVICE

Prepaid cellular is a great way to save money depending on you calling habits. The spouse and I average about $25 per month on calls, much cheaper than any standard post paid plan that I can find.

CLOTH DIAPERS

We just spent about $450 on diapers and wipes. How does that save any money? They’re reusable, adjustable (one size fits all), cloth diapers and flannel wipes.

We expect our son to be in diapers for at least another 24 months, and given that we easily spend $70 a month on disposables, we should save at least $1200 in the long run. Plus the resale value of the bumgenius diapers is high, we can probably get $200-300 back when we’re done, pushing our savings to $1400-1600.

DIY DRY CLEANING

Do you dry cleaning at home w/ a kit and an iron. You’d be shocked at how much you pay someone to do something this easy.

START A COSTCO POSSE

Create a “bulk club” - take 2-3 friends and split up bulk items (usually TP, paper towels, cleaners, etc) from Sams Club or Costco into usable amounts that won’t take up all your space.

RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY

Avoid big purchases without researching prices on the internet first. If you know what it goes for in a retail location, you can ALWAYS find a better deal online.

CLOTHING SWAP SITES

Rehashclothes.com- this is a site where you can trade clothes, shoes, accessories, etc with others. All you do is agree on a trade with someone, and ship the items to them. So you get a new wardrobe for the cost of shipping.

DIVA CUP

For the ladies: Diva Cup. (Or Moon Cup)

BUY OUT OF STATE

Simply shopping online can be a huge money-saver. Since you can often avoid sales tax and shipping (which avoids gas cost of going to the store) you can save a lot.

Another option - especially for big ticket items and when you can’t avoid paying sales tax online — research sales tax rates of your neighboring states. I live in Maryland and often go to Delaware (0% sales tax) to buy things. If you plan to buy a lot of things, the gas is definitely worth it!!!

USE IT ALL

I see a lot of blog entries and articles on how to save money on groceries but not a lot of ink is spilled on how not to waste what you spent so much energy getting on the cheap. Paying $1.00 a gallon for milk doesn’t save you money if you end up throwing three gallons away because they spoiled before you could drink it all. And even the tiniest bit of something leftover - like 1/2 a cup of cooked squash or leftover oatmeal - can be saved and incorporated into another dish like muffins.

USE CFLS

Replace all the bulbs in your house to CFLs! A 20 watt bulb replaces a 75 watt incandescent and gives you 100 more lumens. Don’t use the 75-100 watt equiv. where a 40 watt one will work (porch, fridge, hallway etc...) Over a 5 year period EACH incandescent will cost about $70 in fees while each CFL is about $20! (Not to mention replacement costs for regular bulbs.)

BUY FROM A BUTCHER

When buying meat, find a grocery store with a butcher. Buying more meat than you need wastes money. If your grocery store sells only prepackaged meat and you can’t find the exact amount that you want, flag someone down that works there and have them check the back. The savings add up quickly.

DIY SWIFFER

Make your own swiffer cloths from an old flannel shirt (go to the thrift store if you don’t have one), old flannel works just as good as the throw away cloths, and they can just be washed in the washer with towels (and the swiffer is a necessity at my house with a dog and a cat and 2 boys on hard wood floors)

WORSHIP THE COINJAR

Collecting change is a good way. We saved up enough change to buy our Wii. The next thing we spent change on was a ski trip (paid for hotel stay.) Right now we have over $100 in our change bag from the last 9 months or so.

COUPONS!

Clipping coupons. No joke, I save anywhere from 10 to upwards of 40% of my total bill when I use coupons. The trick is to only cut them for the products you will actually (and usually) purchase. Don’t be tempted to buy something just because you have a coupon and it looks interesting. Chances are you will never use/eat it. The Sunday paper is my favorite source, but of course they have a slew of on-line coupon websites, only downfall is having to print them out. If and when you do print them out: go to the box marked “Preferences” and remember to select “Print in Grayscale” in the options and under print quality, select “Draft” so you don’t use any color ink and you minimize the amount of black ink when you do print them. Hope this helps!

SWITCH YOUR DRUGDEALER

Watch for those switch your prescription to a certain pharmacy deals. Pharmacies here during certain promos will give you $25 gifts cards for up to 2 or 4 prescriptions transferred to them.

TELL YOUR KIDS NO

Here’s a big one: STOP SPOILING YOUR KIDS! I’m always amazed at how otherwise sane and thrifty people will spend any amount of money on all kinds of unnecessary crap to keep their kids happy.

HOW YOU PAY YOUR BILLS

Use your bank’s free bill pay service to manage your bills. Never use credit cards to auto-pay for anything. Never allow a vendor to debit your bank.

CALL YOUR SERVICE PROVIDERS AND ASK FOR DEALS

Re-evaluate all your services every 6 months. Credit cards, cell phones, cable/satellite, utilities, etc. Often new deals can be had, but they will not give them to you unless you ask.

GET INK ON EBAY

Buy ink for your printer on eBay for about $1.25 per ink tank. They work for me and I save a ton of money.

SHARE RAZORS

My husband and I share razors - the blades we like are expensive but they nick his face long before they nick my legs. So, he uses them on his face and after a couple of uses he passes them on to me. We spend only half as much on the super-good blades.

MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE

This is so dumb, but I recently started actually measuring out how much laundry detergent I put in the washing machine, rather than just eye balling how much I pour in. It lasts so much longer now.

KILL THE ENERGY VAMPIRES WITH TIMERS

Get a few heavy duty, 3 prong timers ( [www.amazon.com] ) and put them on the power hungry things in the house. I plugged my TV, stereo, DVD player, Xbox and Wii into an power strip and then that into the timer. They all get turned off completely every night. Over the course of a month, it works out to the same time as if they were off for an entire week. I put another under my computer and the second monitor, printer, speakers, and chargers all get turned off at night. Saves at least about 15 bucks each month.

DIY DOG FOOD

I make my own dog food. It’s healthier for the dog than all the gluten filled food and we can usually just add all our leftover beans, rice and veggies to it. I buy the cheapest cuts of meat and marked down stuff then add whatever is on sale. Her allergies are improving and I don’t have to make an extra trip to Petsmart

HAVE ONLY 4 PERIODS

I use a form of birth control that limits me to 4 periods a year and reduces the length and severity of those which I do have. Since I naturally have very rough periods, it’s been great for my energy level and productivity. It saves me a good deal of money on sanitary supplies and over-the-counter medication for pain relief and upset stomach. I can maintain a smaller wardrobe because I don’t have to use my “bloaty clothes” very often. And let’s be frank - it stabilizes my mood and prevents a lot of emotional eating, impulse buying, and other costly, unhealthy habits.

CHANGE YOUR LIGHT SWITCHES

Change your light switches. Seriously. I have automatic dimmers in my house for most of my lights. I set the intensity to about 70-80% and with one push I am always at the lower usage setting. If I need brighter lights, just tap the switch two times. Here’s the really best part. By using a dimmer the light bulbs last WAY longer. This is because they don’t experience the sudden jolt of being turned on. Bulbs on dimmers in my house have not been changed AT ALL in over 4 years, while other bulbs have been changed 3, maybe 4 times at least.

MEAL-SHARE WITH FRIENDS

1. Have a meal-share deal with a friends. I’m single. I have a lot of single friends. We take turns hosting dinners at our places. It keeps us from going out and spending money, plus I get 2 homecooked meals for every meal I make. I also like it because I have issues with cooking too much food, so I don’t waste as much.

COMPOST HEAP

Start a compost heap. Not only do you get free fertilizer and it’s good for the environment, but you’ll probably save money when you see how much crap you throw out and adjust your buying patterns.

ORGANIZE YOUR CUPBOARDS

Organize your cupboards in a first-in-first-out order. Put the new stuff in the back so you use old stuff first and it doesn’t go to waste.

ONE-PERSON, ONE LIGHT

We have a one person, one light rule; if you move from room to room, you have to turn off the lights as you go. There’s no reason you have to light up a room you’re not in and once you get into the habit, it’s easy to maintain.

DIY LADIES SANITARY ITEMS

Sew your own reusable ladies sanitary items. Seriously. You can download the patterns free online and it is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying that disposable crap every month!

1,549 posted on 08/22/2009 12:46:39 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

Thought for the Day
The door to a friend’s heart can only be opened from the inside.

NancyLand | Friday | August 21, 2009
View all of today’s recipes

http://www.nancyskitchen.com/2009August/recipes-aug-21-2009.html

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100s of complete cookbooks to...download...in PDF format.
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http://whatscookin.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Beef

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Tomato Recipes
http://www.nancyskitchen.com/tomato-recipes/index.html

Squash Recipes
http://www.nancyskitchen.com/zucchini_recipes.htm

Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
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Daily Newsletter Archives
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Yahoo! Groups Links

To visit your group on the web, go to:
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1,550 posted on 08/22/2009 1:03:36 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

To: All; TenthAmendmentChampion

http://foodcookway.blogspot.com/2009/07/sodium-bicarbonate-appears-to-slow.html

Thursday, July 16, 2009
Baking soda: For cooking, cleaning, and kidney health?

Sodium bicarbonate appears to slow progression of chronic kidney disease
A daily dose of sodium bicarbonate—baking soda, already used for baking, cleaning, acid indigestion, sunburn, and more—slows the decline of kidney function in some patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), reports an upcoming study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).”This cheap and simple strategy also improves patients’ nutritional status, and has the potential of translating into significant economic, quality of life, and clinical outcome benefits,” comments Magdi Yaqoob, MD (Royal London Hospital).

The study included 134 patients with advanced CKD and low bicarbonate levels, also called metabolic acidosis. One group received a small daily dose of sodium bicarbonate in tablet form, in addition to their usual care. For this group, the rate of decline in kidney function was greatly reduced—about two-thirds slower than in patients. “In fact, in patients taking sodium bicarbonate, the rate of decline in kidney function was similar to the normal age-related decline,” says Yaqoob.

Rapid progression of kidney disease occurred in just nine percent of patients taking sodium bicarbonate, compared to 45 percent of the other group. Patients taking sodium bicarbonate were also less likely to develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis.

Patients taking sodium bicarbonate also had improvement in several measures of nutrition. Although their sodium levels went up, this didn’t lead to any problems with increased blood pressure.

Low bicarbonate levels are common in patients with CKD and can lead to a wide range of other problems. “This is the first randomized controlled study of its kind,” says Yaqoob. “A simple remedy like sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), when used appropriately, can be very effective.”

The researchers note some important limitations of their study—there was no placebo group and the researchers were aware of which patients were receiving sodium bicarbonate. “Our results will need validation in a multicenter study,” says Yaqoob.

###

Other authors were Ione de Brito-Ashurst, RD, Mira Varaganum, PhD, and Martin J. Raftery, MD (William Harvey Research Institute and Barts and the London NHS Trust, London). The authors reported no financial disclosures.

The study entitled, Bicarbonate Supplementation Slows Progression of CKD and Improves Nutritional Status will appear online at http://jasn.asnjournals.org/ on July 16, 2009, doi 10.1681/ASN.2008111205.

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) does not offer medical advice. All content in ASN publications is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions, or adverse effects. This content should not be used during a medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health care provider if you have any questions about a medical condition, or before taking any drug, changing your diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment. Do not ignore or delay obtaining professional medical advice because of information accessed through ASN. Call 911 or your doctor for all medical emergencies.

Founded in 1966, ASN is the world’s largest professional society devoted to the study of kidney disease. Comprised of 11,000 physicians and scientists, ASN continues to promote expert patient care, to advance medical research, and to educate the renal community. ASN also informs policymakers about issues of importance to kidney doctors and their patients. ASN funds research, and through its world-renowned meetings and first-class publications, disseminates information and educational tools that empower physicians.

Contact: Shari Leventhal
sleventhal@asn-online.org
202-416-0658
American Society of Nephrology

1,551 posted on 08/22/2009 1:09:18 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

http://foodcookway.blogspot.com/2009/07/recipes-dont-require-much-cooking.html

Recipes don’t require much cooking

By BARBARA McCLELLAN

How in the world could anyone want a meal in weather like this?

Each year about this time, I try to imagine how nice it would be to shut down the kitchen and offer, on a lovely plate to each family member, a delicious tasting, nutritious pill. Let’s just skip the plate so there will be nothing to wash.

Dining out all summer is too expensive. I try to rationalize that eating out is just as inexpensive as cooking, and yet I know that is not true.

If you consider the time spent shopping, preparing and cooking (using energy and heating up the house, thereby using more air conditioning), and you have leftovers to freeze (using more utilities), that would be like a free meal.

But if no one ever eats the leftovers, energy has been wasted, and someone eventually must wash the containers, using more energy and water.

Well, until this decision is made in your family or mine, let’s talk about almost no-cooking recipes for summer.

The first recipe is one that I ate at a really fun July Fourth celebration. Many of the pot-luck dishes brought were made with wonderful fresh East Texas vegetables. This dish was brought by my new friend Lissa Dowden. It was a favorite of almost everyone there. It is easy.

Lissa’s Marinated Vegetables

This is a method more than an exact recipe. I am giving you the proportions which I used:

2 medium cucumbers, sliced

2 medium zucchini squash, sliced

2 medium yellow squash, sliced

1 large purple onion, thinly sliced

4 to 6 small new potatoes, boiled only until slightly tender and cooled

2 or 3 banana peppers, seeds removed, and sliced

1 (8-ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

6 ounces crumbled feta cheese crumbles

Place all vegetables in large glass or plastic bowl. Mix Italian dressing and vinegar. Pour over vegetables. Top with feta cheese. Cover, and refrigerate overnight or 8 hours before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

* * *

The next recipe is a summer pasta dish that we have enjoyed in many forms. You can add cooked chicken or salmon if desired.

Summer Pasta

2 pints cherry tomatoes (about 4 cups) see note

4 tablespoons chopped green onions

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons (combined) chopped fresh basil, chives, oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cups uncooked pasta tubes or penne

Fresh sprigs of basil for garnish

Mix olive oil, lemon juice, green onions, herbs salt and pepper. Toss gently with cherry tomatoes. Set aside. Boil water. Add pasta, and return to boil. Boil for about 8 minutes or until slightly tender. Drain. Toss tomatoes with pasta. Garnish with springs of basil. Serve warm or cold. Makes about 4 to 6 servings.

Note: If you have red and yellow tomatoes, use both. If you do not have cherry tomatoes, use firm, but ripe, large tomatoes, chopped.

Also, if you do not want the “fresh” taste of the herbs and green onions, you can saute them slightly in about 1 tablespoon oil. Then continue as the directions say for the rest of the recipe.

1,552 posted on 08/22/2009 1:16:49 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

http://foodcookway.blogspot.com/2009/08/tips-to-add-pizzazz-to-everyday-cooking.html

Tips to add pizzazz to everyday cooking

You are cooking more and more to save money these days, and it makes sense to assemble an assortment of basic herbs and spices. It’s an easy, economical way to add fun to your cooking and flavor to your food.Whether you’re reorganizing your cupboards in a flurry of cleaning or newly interested in the world of spices, it’s a good time to freshen your spice rack and make sure you have the basics.

Just a few common spices will enhance almost any dish you make. “Simple dishes become deliciously elegant when paired with the right herbs and spices,” says Kendall McFarland, research and development director at Frontier Natural Products Co-op. But which spices should you choose as basic staples for your kitchen?

The spices you’ll reach for the most will depend on your personal preferences, of course. To discover your favorites, you may want to buy from bulk bins, so you can experiment with small quantities. Combine herbs and spices to complement each other and perk up the flavor of other ingredients. Most spices and seasonings are available in organic versions - use them to boost the flavor and nutritional value of your meals. Always use a light touch - your seasonings should accent dishes, not dominate them.

“The question of which spices are the best to keep on hand has as many different answers as there are cooks,” says McFarland. But there are some constants. Here are her recommendations for eight spices no kitchen should be without:

* Garlic is compatible with virtually every savory food and is available in a number of convenient dried forms. Just the aroma of garlic can speed guests to your table. Use it in tomato-based dishes, dressings, sausage and spice blends. Or sprinkle it on buttered bread before broiling.

* Onion seasons cuisines from around the world. The many varieties play various roles - primary ingredient, vegetable accompaniment or seasoning. The earthy aroma and taste of onion comes in several convenient dried forms. Use onions in casseroles, soups, sauces, vegetable dishes, relishes, breads and stuffing.

* Paprika is a sweet and sassy relative of the chili pepper. It’s used to add warm, natural color and mildly spicy flavor to soups, grains and a variety of hors d’oeuvres. A shake or two livens up cheeses and garlic bread. Try it on spreads, salads, egg dishes, marinades and smoked foods.

* Parsley leaf brightens up soups, dressings, salads, casseroles and stuffings - any dish that might gain from fresh green color and clean, vegetable taste. It’s especially good with fish, egg and grain dishes.

* Cinnamon wins the spice world’s popularity contest. Use it to add depth of flavor to sweet and savory dishes alike. It’s a key baking ingredient and vegetables - especially carrots, spinach and onions - are enhanced by cinnamon’s pungent sweetness.

* Basil’s warm, sweet, mild mint/peppery flavor is delicious with vegetables, especially tomatoes. Add to soups and stews, sauces and dressings. Basil pairs well with many other seasonings.

* Oregano has a strong personality, but it partners well with other seasonings. Use in any tomato sauce and on baked chicken and fish. Earthy and pungent, it has a special affinity for basil. Team them up in vegetable, cheese, pasta and tomato dishes, and especially pizza.

* Celery seed adds interesting texture and taste to side salads, dressings, breads and casseroles. Potato salad is lost without it. Try this distinct, pungent taste in egg salad and stir fries, too. It even enhances soups.

Here’s a simple recipe that uses a few of these basic seasonings to make ordinary pasta special:

Penne with Tomato and Herbs

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound penne, cooked al dente

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons garlic flakes

1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with liquid

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried parsley

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese - optional

Directions:

In large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, basil, oregano and parsley and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the herbs have plumped and the flavors have blended nicely, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

1,553 posted on 08/22/2009 1:19:36 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

http://foodcookway.blogspot.com/2009/06/tips-for-cooking-with-dutch-ovens.html

Tips for cooking with Dutch ovens

Charcoal chimney starters are handy devices for preparing the coals.

Eat your fire starter? A trick Harrison and Heflebower have learned is, instead of using conventional fire starters, drop a fistful of potato chips into a couple of coffee filters, place beneath the chimney starter and set the filters on fire.

Be prepared: Heflebower says prep as much as you can before you go camping or cook in the backyard, meaning brown any meat that needs to be browned, and chop any vegetables that need to be chopped. Saves time.

Give a little twist of the lid during cooking, just to redistribute the heat.

Pre-season: Many new cast-iron Dutch ovens come pre-seasoned — meaning you shouldn’t generally have to use anything other than warm water to clean it — saving you the trouble of doing it yourself. But it’s not so much trouble. Harrison’s method: Warm the Dutch oven in the oven so its pores open, then rub a thin layer of vegetable oil all over the oven and lid, then place them in the oven, cranked to 400° for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Turn off the oven and let the Dutch oven and lid cool.

If stuff burns or sticks to the Dutch oven, Heflebower suggests pouring kosher salt and a little olive oil in the Dutch oven, then rubbing it with a paper towel or soft cloth. Rinse with hot water.

Never pour cold water into a hot Dutch oven. It will crack.

1,554 posted on 08/22/2009 1:23:31 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

To: nw_arizona_granny

That was wonderful information, Granny! I downloaded, read and saved a copy of the study. It seems that taking two grams of sodium bicarb per day will help reduce muscle loss, increase protein uptake, help with potassium and phosphorus levels, and increase body alkalinity (very good for fighting cancer, too).

My husband is going to make up capsules with sodium bicarb for me to take every day. I’m also going to send a copy of this summary to my uncle who is suffering from CKD. He probably won’t lose all his kidney function in his lifetime, but why not do something cheap to slow the rate of decline?

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1,555 posted on 08/22/2009 9:10:24 PM PDT by TenthAmendmentChampion (Be prepared for tough times. FReepmail me to learn about our survival thread!)

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/07/31/how-low-can-you-go-chicken-and-corn-fried-rice-with-lemon-spinach/

How Low Can You Go? Chicken-and-Corn Fried Rice with Lemon Spinach

14comments
July 31, 2009 @ 2:00 pm - Written by Trent

In April and May, National Public Radio featured a series on inexpensive gourmet dishes entitled “How Low Can You Go?” Although many of the dishes looked quite tasty, most of the dishes weren’t actually all that inexpensive, often narrowly getting below $10 to feed a family of four, and many involved arduous cooking processes. I decided to try out some of these recipes throughout the summer to see how I could take the recipes and reduce them down to a simple and very inexpensive form.

Chicken fried rice on a bed of spinach

I know of Ming Tsai from his excellent public television cooking show Simply Ming. He tends to make a lot of fairly unusual dishes with Asian themes that are really palatable to Western taste buds. So I was excited to try out the recipe he submitted to “How Low Can You Go,” Chicken-and-Corn Fried Rice with Lemon Spinach. Even more interesting, he claimed his kids love it, which made my foodie thoughts perk up even more. Here’s the recipe:

1 pound ground chicken
2 eggs
1 large yellow onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ginger powder
2 ears of corn when in season, or 1 bag frozen (12 ounces)
1/2 (10 ounces) bag spinach (washed, spun dry, de-stemmed, leaves torn)
2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
4 cups cold, cooked long-grain rice, brown and white combination, preferably day-old so it’s nice and dry*
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Canola oil

Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat with oil. When oil shimmers add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and brown, breaking up any large chunks with wooden spoon or spatula. Remove chicken to a plate. Add about 1/2-inch oil to wok and allow to heat; add eggs, which will puff up. Cook scrambled eggs and remove to a paper towel-lined plate. If necessary, add more oil to wok to lightly coat, then add onions, garlic, and powdered ginger, and cook until nicely caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add corn, rice, chicken and egg, and toss to combine. Add naturally brewed soy sauce, toss to combine, and check for seasoning. Place mound of raw spinach in center of four dinner plates. Drizzle with lemon juice and season. Top with fried rice to cover. Enjoy!

My wife Sarah took charge of this recipe, so my notes below are largely taken from her comments as she was making it.

First of all, here are the ingredients we used.

Ingredients for CFR

We wound up using Dole spinach for this because the spinach we got at the farmers market (our usual source for summer produce) was utterly abysmal - the two purveyors had some of the saddest looking spinach we’d ever seen, so we passed. The rice - a mix of white and brown long grain - was pre-cooked a day in advance. We also chose to substitute some ground turkey for the ground chicken, because that’s what we had on hand.

So, anyway, on with the cooking. She cooked the turkey with quite a bit of seasoning by itself, breaking down the pieces. Here it is, frying away on our stove:

Cooking ground turkey

Sarah suggests spicing the meat quite a bit here by putting on plenty of pepper and I agree wholeheartedly - black pepper really complements things well.

After the turkey was finished, she cooked the eggs, essentially making scrambled eggs in a bit of oil. This part smelled really good to me:

Eggs in frying pan

After the eggs were finished, she cooked the other ingredients together in the remaining oil. A quick note: she decided that there was an excess of oil after the eggs finished and removed most of the oil. I agree - I think with that much oil, there would have been too much in the pan. Half an inch might be the right amount in a wok, but not in a large pan - use just barely enough to cover the pan (once the eggs are done).

Upon adding the rice, the turkey, the eggs, and the corn to the mixture, there was a huge amount of food, filling up our rather large pan.

Chicken fried rice

It smelled heavenly at this point. I (personally) suggest adding a bit more soy sauce than what the recipe calls for, but it was quite good as-is.

Serve it on top of spinach leaves, as the flavor of the spinach combines well. Here’s our final plate:

Chicken fried rice on a bed of spinach

Did we like it? Almost universally, yes. Even our son, who is the pickiest eater in the house, seemed to really get into it, gobbling it down like crazy. Both children had seconds, though neither one finished their second helping. I loved it, though I would have included just a bit more soy sauce. Sarah loved it, too, though she’s intrigued as to whether it would be significantly different with chicken.

What about the cost? Our cost for this recipe totaled $9.80. But here’s the kicker - there was more left over than we consumed at the table. We were able to get eight more meals out of the fried rice, for a total of twelve meals. Thus, the cost per meal was $0.81 - not bat at all.

Still, if you’re eating for a small family and don’t want to eat this four times, you should reduce the recipe significantly.

Changes I Would Make to Save Cost and Time
The first thing I would do is halve the recipe. The recipe makes a mountain of food and, unless you want to eat it several times or have an enormous family, it makes too much food and the rest will go to waste. One could freeze it, I suppose, but the dish does not strike me as one that would tolerate freezing well.

The second thing I’d do is reduce the oil. This doesn’t change the time, but it slightly reduces the cost and definitely improves the health of the meal. You don’t need half an inch of oil here unless you’re using a wok - even then, it’s perhaps too much.

Third, de-stemming the spinach seemed flatly unnecessary to us. It would be a time investment that doesn’t gain too much - the small stems on most spinach is just fine. We served ours just as it came, after washing.

Those changes alter the recipe quite a bit. Here’s my alteration:

1/2 pound ground chicken
1 eggs
1 small yellow onion, minced
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1 ear of corn when in season, or 1/2 bag frozen (6 ounces)
1/4 bag spinach (washed and dried)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups cold, cooked long-grain rice, brown and white combination, preferably day-old so it’s nice and dry (that’s about 3/8 cup of white and 3/8 cup brown when dry)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Canola oil

Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat with oil. When oil shimmers add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and brown, breaking up any large chunks with wooden spoon or spatula. Remove chicken to a plate. Add about 1/4-inch oil to wok (unless using pan, then just coat bottom) and allow to heat; add eggs, which will puff up. Cook scrambled eggs and remove to a paper towel-lined plate. If necessary, add more oil to wok to lightly coat, then add onions, garlic, and powdered ginger, and cook until nicely caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add corn, rice, chicken and egg, and toss to combine. Add naturally brewed soy sauce, toss to combine, and check for seasoning. Place mound of raw spinach in center of four dinner plates. Drizzle with lemon juice and season. Top with fried rice to cover. Enjoy!

1,556 posted on 08/22/2009 9:33:12 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/08/21/rule-10-plan-ahead-every-time-you-spend/

Previous Post: The Personal Finance Toolbox

Rule #10: Plan Ahead Every Time You Spend.

11comments
August 21, 2009 @ 8:00 am - Written by Trent
Categories: 14 Money Rules

14 money rules ,A reader asked me if I could break down my ideas into a handful of principles. After some careful thought, I came up with a list of fourteen basic “rules” that summarize my money and life philosophy. I’ll be presenting these as a weekly series.

Whenever some people see statements like the one above, they roll their eyes. “Your life must be borrring if you have to plan ahead every time you spend” is a typical refrain.

The big problem with that thinking is that it makes an incredibly false substitution. Planning ahead does not mean the elimination of spontaneity in life; in fact, once you get into the routine, it can often feel more spontaneous because unplanned chaotic spontaneity is no longer the norm.

And it’s that unplanned chaotic spontaneity that gets people in deep spending trouble.

It’s easy to apply the principle of planning ahead every time you spend for the big purchases. For most of us, saving and planning for houses and cars and vacations is completely normal and reasonable behavior. We don’t want to go on a vacation that costs thousands of dollars without some planning, after all, and we certainly see the logic in planning for such purchases.

Where this begins to break down for many people is when the purchases get smaller. A cell phone plan might get some research from some, or it might be completely impulsive, even though fifteen minutes of online research can save you hundreds a year. Christmas gifts are often bought in minimal time, even though you can often find better gifts for the same price or better deals on the gifts you bought with just a bit of footwork and planning. These things add up - the ten minutes spent planning for such a purchase might net you $50 in savings, which is well worth it for many people.

For purchases more than $100 or so (over their lifetime), just spend five minutes making sure you’re getting a good deal and that you can adequately and easily afford the item. If you’re convinced, use the thirty day rule. Put that purchase on hold for thirty days. If you still want it after thirty days and you can afford it, go for it.

Where the idea of planning ahead really breaks down, though, is with the small impulse buys. Dinner at a local restaurant. A movie. A new DVD at the store. A new shirt. A new pair of pants. A ticket to a baseball game.

Quite often, these items are bought quickly with almost no forethought. Sure, it can be fun to do something spontaneously, but that spontaneity can drown you.

Let’s say you go shopping with a friend. On a whim, you buy a new dress, then the two of you go out to dinner together and head out to a movie. For many people, this is a nice, fun evening.

The worrisome side of it comes later. You go home, look through your credit card statements, and realize that the $50 you spent tonight - previously unaccounted for - has now completely tapped you out. You haven’t got enough money to cover the electric bill. So you pay it late - and there’s a late fee on next month’s bill. But by then you’ve moved on to another completely unplanned expense.

Wariety and spontaneity are two of the spices of life, but it’s foolish to let those spices cost you more than they should.

Instead, plan ahead a little for those spontaneous moments. Each month, put $100 in cash in your wallet and let that be your “spontaneous” money for the month. You can do whatever you want with it and it’s fine because you planned for that amount. An impromptu moment doesn’t mean that you’re going to be late on a bill at all.

When that $100 is gone, it’s gone. But it’s no big deal - just wait until the calendar turns and you can refuel.

Obviously, you can adjust that amount to whatever you’d like - more in some situations, less in others. The reason for doing it is simple: it allows you to be spontaneous without being destructively chaotic with your finances.

Some people might wisely see this as the rudiments of a budget - and they’re right. This is simple budgeting at its finest. By putting that cash in your wallet, you’re assigning an amount to your spontaneous spending. The amount that remains in your checking account is handled differently - you pay your bills and your savings with it.

One big danger when people follow this idea: they put their $100 in their wallet and then find it’s gone by the ninth of the month. Then they spend twenty one days miserable, thinking that this plan is stupid or talking themselves into getting more out of their checking account.

Don’t. Live out the month. Then, sit down at the end of the month and take a serious look at the month as a whole. Did you give up anything vital during those twenty one days? Did you do anything during those nine days that didn’t really add any value to your life?

You might find that by taking a real look at your spontaneous spending that you’re doing things that you don’t really find valuable. The next month, that money might hold out until the twenty seventh of the month, simply because you’re a bit more selective in what you do with your mad money - and there’s no adverse effect on your happiness at all.

After a few months, you might find an adjustment is in order - either up or down. Such an adjustment is fine as long as you’re paying all your bills and either actively reducing your debt or increasing your personal savings.

The real key is this: every action you take is worthy of a bit of thought, either beforehand, in the moment, or afterwards. A bit of reflection often tells you whether that choice was right or wrong for you - whether it actually adds value to your life.

Then, taking the conscious steps to reduce those things that don’t add much value becomes easy - you just eliminate the negative and by default the positive in your life is accentuated.

Yes, for some people, a simple budget can be incredibly useful. But for many others, just a bit of planning ahead can make the big difference that they need.

1,557 posted on 08/22/2009 9:42:04 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/01/17/preparing-your-own-skillet-meals-in-advance/

Preparing Your Own Skillet Meals In Advance

66comments
January 17, 2008 @ 2:00 pm - Written by Trent
Categories: Food, Frugality

Many busy familes (even on occasion, our own busy family) often resort to prepackaged skillet meals in order to get a hot, prepared meal on the table quickly at dinnertime. With both parents getting home at five or later and a desire to get a meal on the table early enough so that there is some semblance of a family evening, it’s not surprising that the ease of preparation, the speed, and the relative healthiness of prepackaged skillet meals have become popular.

There are a few problems here, though:

Prepackaged skillet meals are often very expensive for what you get. Skillet meals are almost always at least $6 and often cost significantly more than that. Pick up five of them at once and you’re talking a bill of $35 or so. The food in the bag often adds up to less than a pound in total weight.

Such meals are often laden with preservatives and “industrial” ingredients. As a rule of thumb, if I don’t know what that ingredient is, I don’t like to eat it. Using that rule, pick up pretty much any prepackaged meal you can find and read that ingredient list. My stomach is flopping.

Such meals are often not very healthy in terms of fat, sodium, etc. These meals are designed to be tasty, not to be healthy. Based on the nutrition facts on these items, I’d have to say that most of them don’t worry about healthy too much at all.

I generally like most of the prepackaged skillet meal offerings, I just wish they were healthier - and preferably cheaper. As a frugal parent, I’d like to find a better solution to this situation. I’d like to have a healthy and tasty meal that I could prepare quickly.

My solution? Make a whole bunch of them in advance.

All you have to do is find a good skillet meal recipe, quadruple the recipe, prepare all of the ingredients, then fill four freezer bags with the meal. Then, when you’re ready to eat them, get that bag out of the freezer, thaw it, and then cook it in the skillet until it’s nice and warm. Done!

You can find countless skillet recipes online. My usual technique is to cook the meat in advance, then add all of the needed ingredients to the ziploc bags. Here’s an example:

Trent’s Beef and Vegetable Skillet Meal

The normal recipe involves the following:

3/4 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
3 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup peas (frozen ones are okay)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup uncooked rice
1 1/2 cups water

I add everything but the ground beef to each bag. Then, I cook up three pounds of ground beef and drain it, then add a quarter of that beef to each ziploc bag. On the outside I write “beef and vegetable skillet - simmer 40 minutes” on masking tape (so I can reuse the bag for another meal later) and I toss the bags in the freezer.

When I come home, I get out a bag, run it under hot water for a bit so that I can easily get the contents out, then I put it in a skillet on high until it’s just barely boiling, then I drop the heat until it stays just barely boiling. I cook it for about forty minutes or so, then it’s ready to serve.

A similar philosophy applies for pretty much any skillet meal you might prepare. They all work pretty well.

Making skillet meals in advance actually makes for a great weekend afternoon project that saves money and helps you to eat healthier. The meal above is really healthy - it’s loaded with vegetables and, if you cook lean ground beef and properly drain it, it’s very low fat, too.

Plus, the ingredients all together cost only a bit more than one ordinary skillet meal. Compared to the cost of four typical skillet meals, the needed ingredients save about $15, and you can have the bags ready to go into the freezer in less than an hour. That’s $15 saved (compared to prepackaged skillet meals) even without considering the positive health effects - quite a bargain in my eyes.

1,558 posted on 08/22/2009 9:45:28 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

[I can think of a lot of items to add, onions, celery,squash, potatoes....lots of cheese and salsa, peppers...granny]

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/02/20/bulk-breakfast-burritos-convenient-cheap-healthy-and-easier-than-you-think/

Bulk Breakfast Burritos: Convenient, Cheap, Healthy, and Easier Than You Think

131comments
February 20, 2009 @ 2:00 pm - Written by Trent
Categories: Food, Frugality

I’m a big believer in eating a good breakfast to start your day. A healthy, high-protein, low-fat breakfast provides the fuel you need to get going in the morning.

The problem is that most mornings are really busy. When your alarm goes off, you have to take a shower, get dressed, find your stuff, complete a little task or two, and if you have kids, help them get ready for the day as well. To put it simply, most mornings we don’t have time to prepare such a breakfast.

Of course, one could stop by a fast food place or a coffee shop for a quick breakfast, but that eats five or ten minutes during the commute - and is ridiculously expensive, too. A tiny breakfast burrito from a fast food restaurant costs two bucks, is pretty unhealthy, and doesn’t taste all that great, either. A cup of coffee and a pastry from Starbucks might hit the spot, but is it really worth five or six bucks every day?

My solution to all of these problems is pretty simple: just make a big batch of healthy breakfast burritos during the weekend and freeze them up. Not only are the burritos really healthy, they’re also very cheap to prepare, and they’re very convenient in the morning since you can microwave them as you’re getting ready and eat them on the go.

You can make a big pile of healthy, tasty breakfast burritos for less than seventy five cents a pop in less than an hour. In fact, I recently did it myself and I’ll walk you through the whole process.

The Stuff You Need
All you need for your basic burritos are 32 burrito-sized flour tortillas, two dozen eggs, four cans of black beans, a jar of salsa, some saran wrap, and some green onions (optional) and shredded cheese (optional).

Ingredients for mass breakfast burritos

That’s all you need to make thirty two delicious breakfast burritos. Let’s figure up the total cost.

Three dozen tortillas - $8.85 ($2.95 per dozen)
Two dozen eggs - $4.40 ($2.20 per dozen)
Four cans of black beans - $6.00 ($1.50 per can)
Saran wrap - $3.95
Jar of salsa - $2.95
Total cost - $26.15 ($0.72 per burrito)

You can easily save $4 on the black beans by buying a bag of dried black beans and boiling them yourself, but it would add some significant time to the cooking process.

Preparing the Burritos
If you’re adding any vegetables (see below, “Some Optional Ideas”), put these in a medium pot and cook them over medium high heat for a few minutes before doing anything else. This caramelizes onions and peppers, for example.

Open up all of the cans of beans and drain off the sauce. I put the beans in a strainer and run water over the top because I do not like the sauce that beans are packed in.

Crack all of the eggs into a bowl and beat them with a fork until they’re roughly consistent. Pour this egg mixture into a medium pot (with the vegetables, if you’re using them) and begin cooking the eggs over medium heat. Stir them constantly, scraping any cooking eggs off of the bottom of the pan. As soon as the eggs just start to cook, add all of the beans to the pot.

Keep cooking the egg/bean/vegetable mix, stirring continuously and scraping eggs off the bottom and side of the pan, until the eggs are thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat.

Take out a single tortilla and put a large spoonful of egg mixture onto the tortilla (about two heaping tablespoons). Put a tablespoon or so of salsa on top, along with anything extra (see below, “Some Optional Ideas”). You’ll want to put the eggs and salsa in the middle of the burrito, near the bottom, as shown below.

Assembling a burrito 1

Folding these up is easy. First, fold over the sides of the burrito, mostly covering the ingredients…

Assembling a burrito 2

… then just roll this up from the bottom tightly.

Assembling a burrito 3

Burrito’s done! Just wrap it in Saran Wrap and move onto the next one.

In the end, I wound up with thirty two burritos and a bit of leftover eggs and beans which I’m saving for lunch.

Finsihed!

The entire process, by myself with no help, took about an hour. The burritos themselves cost about seventy cents a piece, though I could have done things to make them cheaper (like using dried beans and cooking them myself and using cheaper ingredients).

Some Optional Ideas
Here are a few good optional things that can jazz these up some more.

Spicing the eggs While cooking the egg mixture, add one or more of these: tarragon, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper.

Green onions or peppers Chop up some green onions or peppers and cook them in the pan for a few minutes before you add the eggs. Tip: if you do green onions, use scissors to cut them up directly over the pot instead of using a knife.

Cheese Put a bit of grated cheddar cheese on top of the eggs and salsa just before you close up the burritos.

Warming Up the Burritos
Reheating these burritos is quite easy - and they don’t have to be dry, either.

Simply take a burrito out of the freezer, take off the saran wrap, and wrap the burrito in a paper towel. Put it in the microwave on defrost for two minutes, then cook on high for a minute and a half or so. This will produce a warm, moist burrito. You may need to play with the exact times a bit depending on your elevation, your microwave, and the size of the burrito you made.

Let it cool for a minute or two in the microwave, then you can easily carry the burrito with you in the paper towel. The paper towel will help prevent any leakage and can provide a napkin when you’re finished.

These burritos are ovo-vegetarian, quite healthy, delicious, and packed with protein. You can prepare them in just a few minutes in the microwave when you’re busy in the morning and, best of all, they cost less than a dollar.

1,559 posted on 08/22/2009 9:55:21 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/21813ht92/posts?page=1 [Survival,food,garden,crafts,and more)

To: nw_arizona_granny

Hello Granny,
I finally tried “canning butter” today per a much earlier post. It worked out very well. Here’s hoping it really does hold for 3 years. I think I’ll try it in a few months to see if it is really working out.
I absolutely love these threads. I have filled several large loose leaf notebooks with suggestions from the posts. Thanks for all you do to keep it going.

1,560 posted on 08/22/2009 10:01:23 PM PDT by betsyross60

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