A few reasons microwave popcorn is not healthy to eat:
The popcorn was delicious!
After my Mom passed, I found a recipe book in her things that was unbelievably old. The pages were not just yellowed, but the edges were downright brown. The print on the pages was a bit hard to read, it looked like someone had typed them on an old manual typewriter. There were uneven spaces between the lines and some of the letters were raised higher than others. It was easy to see that this recipe book was VERY old. Unfortunately, it didn't have a cover or any interior pages other than the pages with recipes. No identifying marks of any kind to show where it had come from, or the date it was made. The only clue I was able to derive from reading through it was the fact that each recipe had a name under it. I think this book may have come from my grandmother's church and each of the church ladies must have contributed recipes.
I was intrigued, but unfortunately there was nothing I could do about it. All of my mother's siblings, aunts and cousins have already passed long ago. There was simply no one left to talk to about this strange little book. It looks like I will never know where it came from.
Anyway! Reading though the recipes, I could tell that these recipes were written long ago, like in the 1900s. There are strange ingredients like "sour milk" and "fat" and "salt pork." It made for some interesting reading! One recipe that I saw I knew I wanted to make right away......rice pudding! I have always loved it and I remember that my grandma made some really delicious rice pudding when I was little. I am pretty sure this is the recipe she used.
Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 quart milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees
Wash the rice, put in a mixing bowl and add milk, salt, brown sugar and nutmeg and mix thoroughly.
Grease a glass baking dish and pour in mixture.
Bake for 2 hours, stirring occasionally with a fork.
Add raisins and mix, then bake for an additional 30 minutes.
Serve hot or cold with heavy whipping cream.
I have made rice pudding before, but it never was exactly right. It seemed too thick and had a custardy taste. This rice pudding did not. It was light, fluffy and tasted like rice and sugar and raisins. It was yummy! I compared the recipe to the one I had used previously and I found out the difference. My recipe, like most recipes for rice pudding had eggs in it. This is what gives it the heavy, custard like texture that i did not care for.
I was elated! I had not only found a great recipe for rice pudding, but I had a whole recipe book full of "lost in time" recipes for me to try out. I will be sharing more of them on Review This Reviews so please come for another visit and more great old recipes!
I was visiting my niece this past weekend. We were drinking coffee at the kitchen table and I noticed her yellow lab was out in the yard tossing and pouncing on some kind of toy. He was having big fun! This went on for quite a while, so I asked her what the dog was playing that was keeping him so entertained.
She went to the patio door and called the dog inside. The dog grabbed his toy and came trotting into the kitchen. The toy was some kind of fuzzy stuffed animal, but when he dropped it and started biting it and pawing it, it made a crinkling noise. It was not the kind of noise I had ever heard coming from a dog toy, so I was intrigued. The noise seemed to egg the dog on to play.
I asked her what toy it was. She laughed and said, it was a good thing she had another, as she could never get the one he had away from him, he played with it all the time. I laughed as she went to the cupboard and pulled out a cute, plush, pink pig. She handed it to me and I looked at it and then squeezed it. It made no crinkling noise. I looked up at her, puzzled. No noise? She picked up an empty water bottle and opened the Velcro at the end of the toy and slipped in the bottle. She handed me the toy and said "squeeze it." When I did, it made the familiar crinkling noise!
The dog heard the noise and came running over and dancing around, wanting to play. She said that she had seen her friend's dog playing with one at the dog park and her dog fell in love with it, so she bought a couple off Amazon. From the time it had arrived her dog had not stopped playing with it.
I was pretty impressed. I don’t have any dogs, but I have several friends and relatives that did. They are like my foster dogs, so I always get them gifts for holidays. I knew their dogs would love these toys!
Of all the ones I saw on Amazon, I like this cute otter the most, so I ordered it for my girlfriend's dog. I liked the fact that it did not have eyes or a nose that could be torn off and swallowed. I was surprised at the thickness of the material and the fact it had two layers to help protect the bottle. I also noticed it had a different type of closure with a loop instead of Velcro. It came with a regular sized water bottle with a reusable cap that squeaked! When you change the bottle, you just take off the cap and replace it with the squeaker cap and slide it in. Your dog is ready for a squeaking, crinkling good time!
While browsing these toys on Amazon I ran across another one that I absolutely loved! A toy shaped like a wine bottle that says "Paws Off My Wine!" I have a friend that loves wine and I know she will get a kick out of this dog toy for her Husky. They also come in beer bottles.
I highly recommend these toys! They encourage play not only between you and your pet, but also play by themselves, which helps them stay healthy and entertained. They are also so many choices, you are sure to find something your family will love.....tacos, hippos, doughnuts, frogs, bones, the types of toys are almost endless! Buy one for your pet, I am sure you or they will not be disappointed!
Castile soap, available in liquid or bar form, is a multi-purpose cleaner made from vegetable oils. It was originally made in the Castile region of Spain, but quickly spread to Europe and the rest of the world. Originally it was made of olive oil, but today it is made with a mixture of some or all of the following:
These oils are what give the soap it’s cleansing and lathering properties. It also adds a moisturizing component that most other soaps do not have naturally, unless from animal fats.
Benefits of Using Castile Soap
Good for the Environment: Pure castile soap has a very small impact on the environment since it doesn't contain additives, preservatives, fragrances, artificial coloring, or other chemicals commonly found in other soaps. It is also biodegradable and non GMO.
Hypoallergenic: Pure castile soap is hypoallergenic, which means it's less likely to cause allergic reactions than other types of soap.
Animal-free: Many people who live a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle prefer not to use any products with ingredients that come from animal sources. Pure castile soap is vegan.
Low cost: Compared to other cleaners available in stores, a bottle of Castile soap is very inexpensive. Good sized bottles are only about $10.
This 16oz bottle of Castile Soap is less that $9 on Amazon
Save Money with Castile Soap!
Another great thing about this all natural soap is that it can be made into almost any kind of cleaner a person could need with just the addition of one or more other common ingredients. The following are some of the many things you can make with Castile soap:
All-purpose Cleaner: Combine 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of unscented liquid Castile soap, and (optional) 10 to 15 drops of essential oil. Or you can use the scented versions of Castile Soap. This liquid can be used on a cloth or in a spray bottle.
Floor Cleaner: Combine 1/2 teaspoon liquid Castile soap, 2 gallons of warm water, and 1 cup of rubbing alcohol in a large mop bucket. Keep it stirred while using.
Dishwashing soap: Run a sink full of hot water and add 5 drops of Castile soap.
Dishwasher Detergent: Mix a ratio of 1/1 water and Castile soap and stir gently till mixed. Pour into your dishwasher soap compartment and close.
Laundry Detergent: Use Castile soap straight from the bottle. 1/3 to 1/2 cup per load, depending on how soiled the clothes are.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Combine 4 cups of warm water to 1 cup of Castile soap, and mix well. Pour into a spray bottle and spray in your toilet and scrub with a toilet brush. This may not clean mineral stains.
Fruit and vegetable cleaner: Combine 2 drops of liquid Castile soap to a sink of cool water and stir gently to mix. Dip veggies and fruits in the cleaner and scrub with a very soft brush and then run under the faucet in clear water.
Shampoo: Combine 1 tablespoon of castile soap in a cup of water. Use a small amount of this solution to wash your hair. Do not use on colored hair.
Face wash and Body Wash: Castile soap straight from the bottle can be used as a face and body wash. Simply rub a few drops of liquid or use a bar and wash your face and body normally. Castile soap is mild enough to use on your skin and strong enough to kill most infectious bacteria.
Hand soap: Save a lot of money by making your own liquid hand soap. Combine 2 tablespoons of liquid Castile soap and 12 oz. of water and fill your dispenser. If you would like a scent you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
Shaving: Castile soap lathers so well you can rub it in your hands until it lathers and then apply to your face to use as shaving cream.
Pet wash: Combine 1 tablespoon unscented Castile soap with 1 quart of warm water. Stir to mix and rinse your pet before pouring a little at a time on them while softly lathering it in. Rinse with lots of clean water. Do you use essential oils as it can be toxic to pets.
A Few Things to Know Before Using Castile Soap
Castile soap is a useful item to keep around your house. With the inflated prices of commercial cleaners it is a great way to save money too. I have been using it for years and I have had very few complaints. Give it a try and see what you think. It also makes a great hostess gift for the holidays. Spread the word about this great soap!
If you want to grow your own potatoes, but you don't have a yard, or your soil is too hard, or even if you just don't want the work of having to dig them up, I have a great and easy solution!
Grow your potatoes in a bag! I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is actually easy and fun. It's also a great way to get lots of tasty and healthy spuds to eat! Anyone can do it, you don't even need to buy any seeds because potatoes are grown from other adult potatoes.
How to Sprout Potatoes to Plant:
It is best to start with organic potatoes, since they are less likely to be a funky hybrid that can't be sprouted or have toxic insecticides on them or even in them. You can use red or white potatoes.
Wash the potatoes well and then place them in direct sunlight.
In two to three weeks you will have sprouts. When they get an inch or so long, you are ready to begin the planting process.
Cut the potatoes, with one sprout on each piece. Leave the potato connected to the sprout, because as it rots it will be fertilizer to the new plant
It is very important that, before planting, you let the cut potatoes sit for two or three days so the cut portion of the potato can dry out and form a protective layer. If you plant newly cut potatoes, diseases, fungus, worms and insects can easily burrow into the fresh cut flesh and kill the sprout.
While your potatoes are sprouting and curing, order your grow bags. You can find them on Amazon for a good price, about $2.50 to $3.00 a piece, less if you order a larger quantity. I usually get the 5 gallon size. They look like this:
They also have bags that have a roll up flap on the side near the bottom, but I find these to be more expensive and the flap are basically useless because the growing potatoes should not be bothered by opening the side of the bag and poking around.
How to Grow Potatoes in Bags:
3. Set three to four potato pieces in the dirt with the cut side down, sprout side up and cover with 3 inches of dirt.
4. Water well.
5. Keep the soil moist but not mud and when the plants are 6 inches tall, unroll the bag about 4 inches and add more dirt, up to the bottom leaves.
8. When the plant has grown to 8 inches above the dirt, unroll the bag again, and add more dirt, up to the bottom leaves.
9. Keep doing this until the bag has dirt three inches from the top.
10. Make sure to keep them watered. If you repeatedly let the bag dry out, the potatoes will shrink and wrinkle and not be edible. You will have to water them more often than if they were planted in the ground.
11. When the potato vines turn yellow and look wilted, stop watering them and wait about two weeks.
12. Pick up the bag and turn it upside down in a wheelbarrow or washtub and you will find fresh, tasty and pesticide free home grown potatoes.
This is what one of my bags looked like when the plants came up:
Don't be upset if all the sprouts don't come up. The fewer the plants the more room there is for the remaining plants to grow bigger potatoes. You must make sure to keep them watered, it is the defining factor of whether you get a nice harvest or a big disappointment.
You don't have to use these bags, you can use any kind of bag that will take to weight of dirt pressing against the sides of it. Canvas tote bags, plastic feed bags, reusable grocery bags, any kind of bag will do. Just make sure if you use a plastic bag to poke lots of holes in the bottom so it has good drainage.
Grow bags are a great way to grow some of your own food in a very small space. You can grow any type of veggie or fruit plant you want in bags, it does not have to be potatoes. I have also grown peppers and cucumbers and I have friends that use them for tomatoes and they love them! They take up so little space you can even use them on an apartment balcony or condo patio. You don't need to have land to grow your own food! The best thing is, at the end of the harvest you just empty them, fold them up and put them away till next year. A real space saver!
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