Storing Rotary Cutter

A handy holder for a rotary cutter as used to cut material for quilts is an old glasses case that is closed on one end and open on the other. Insert cutter into case, roller edge first, and it keeps your cutter out of the way of small hands.

Make Sweet Pickles from Dill

You can make sweet pickles out of hamburger dill chips. Drain the juice and use for salad dressing, potato salad, pickled eggs, etc. You can even use the dill pickle juice to make "refrigerator pickles" from fresh cucumbers. Peel and slice the cucumbers, cover with salt and a weighted plate to cover. Allow to sit overnight in the fridge. Rinse with water and drain. Place cucumbers in the dill pickle juice in a jar in the fridge.

For the sweet pickles, place the hamburger dill chips in a bowl and add 3 c. sugar, 1 tsp. celery seed, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard, and 1/4 tsp. red pepper. Stir to mix well and place in a glass jar in the fridge

Canning Fruits With White Grape Juice

When canning my fruits, I use white grape juice instead of water and sugar. If you use frozen, mix according to recipe. You can use the juice to drink in a glass, thicken it up with a little pearled tapioca and make your bars/pies with it. Best of all, the sugar is nil. I use the Juicy Juice brand.

Using the juice makes it taste just like fresh fruits.

Sift Flour over a Paper Plate

 

To cut down on cleanup when sifting flour, place a paper plate under the measuring cup so that when the flour is sifted, the extra falls on the plate. Afterward, you can easily fold the plate and pour the extra flour back into the canister.

 

 

Personalized Recipe/Tip Book

Each time I try a recipe (I'm a recipeholic) and it works, I type it out adding my own personal thoughts or tips on the dish, including what goes well with it, whether it be a certain wine or side dish. Each recipe is in its own category: Beef, Fowl, Side, Beverage, etc. But, it doesn't stop there. I've also added sections of Food Tips and Tricks and Household Tips and Tricks (most coming from this site).

When a community shower was being held for my niece I dressed up my book with how I came upon the recipe (many are from my mother, old family friends, and relatives) and family antidotes. I searched for appropriate pictures for the title pages of each section (I love word processing/desk top publishing and graphic arts too). Each section was separated by a clear plastic sheet with a sturdy stick on tab. I wrote a preface and then bound the whole thing with spiral binding. I'm very lucky to have the machine, but I don't think it is expensive to have done in places like Staples.

I wasn't able to make it to the shower but word was, my cookbook was a huge hit with many of the ladies present wanting to hold on to it longer before passing it along. My niece commented on how nice it was to have some of her grandmother's recipes in the book since she was too young and my mother was too ill for the two of them to get together and cook.

I have three more nieces and a nephew to do books for. One is already done and the second is almost half way finished. Yes, that is how much of a recipeholic I am.

Solar powered Battery Charger

A few years ago I bought a half dozen of these 'patio' lights that charge up during the day and then shine for a few hours after sundown. A few weeks ago I noticed one had cracked and in checking the others, all of the 'outside shells' had become brittle from continued exposure to ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Looking inside, I found that they each used a rechargeable AA battery. A little experimenting showed the electronics sill worked. I took a piece of thin plywood, cut holes in it to hold the base of the unit (solar cell, battery holder and nothing else) and glued them in place. I now have a 'free' solar battery charger that can charge six AA batteries at once. And here I was about to put them into the recycle bin!

Saved myself the cost of a solar charger! The only drawback is having to remember to remove the batteries when it gets dark or the little LED light comes on and drains the battery again.

Fixing loose screws in wood

If a screw keeps turning in something that is wooden, simply remove the screw, put a toothpick in the hole, break it off at the top of the hole, insert the toothpick part. and replace the screw.