Dee

Lemon Bars, modified for a 9x13 pan 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup powdered sugar 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 1/2 tsp baking powder 4 eggs, beaten 2 cups sugar 1/3 cup lemon juice Powdered sugar for dusting Combine 2 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and marg and mix until blended. Press dough into 9x13 greased pan, bringing edges up a bit. Bake 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven until lightly browned. Combine remaining 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until mixed well, and pour over baked crust. Return to oven and bake until set, about 25 minutes. Dust lightly with powdered sugar, let cool and slice into small squares. These are very rich - but I love them!

Home Made Chicken Noodle Soup with veggies added Some home made crusty italian bread warm from the oven with butter. Strawberry Sugar free Jello with mixed fresh fruit added. Chocolate Chip and Walnut Cookies Total Cost per Person per plate: .77 cents per servings

Did you know that when you buy celery you should wrap it in tin foil to store it in the fridge. It lasts forever!

I second it when it comes to reusing tin foil.

Twi glad your back... where have you been? I lost files in my mail so I couldn't get to you....

Will do!

Congrats... His proposal story is so delightful. If you get the chance write it down in a journal for them. Its a proposal story they can share with their family when they have children.

Never pay someone to do something you can do yourself. To unclog a slow drain, sprinkle about a 1/2 cup of baking soda in the drain. Follow with about a cup of white vinegar. When it is bubbling well follow with boiling water. Works great and no toxic chemicals. Hydrogen peroxide makes a great mouthwash. Dogs are great dishwashers. (Just kidding! )

Do what your Mother and Grandmother taught you...they didn't live long lives by accident.

My best hints have to do with laundry. Invest in a clothesline for outdoors, and for indoors a drying rack, drying rod, or attic or basement clothesline. Use the electric or gas dryer as little as possible. The dryer adds wear and tear to your clothes. All dryer lint is, is little bits of your clothing eroding away! Sunlight not only dries your clothes, it kills many germs as well -- and it's free! NEVER wash clothes that aren't dirty! If a garment has no visible dirt and no odor, it's not dirty and there is no reason to waste water, soap and energy washing it. Same goes for towels. After a bath or shower, we are clean. If each member of the household gets their own towel and is responsible for hanging it up, a towel should last about a week. In humid climates where towels sour quickly, use thinner, faster-drying towels.

Now Mayjobie thats " Cheap" LOL... You get the frugal award for the month of March! I hear you Dee and I don't think your comment is mean. I keep an old rag bag along with some paper towels that I wash by hand. I find it more convienient to use the paper towels and then reuse them but thats just the penny pinching me. Some people do disagree but thats what makes us all unique and thats ok. If the paper towels are realy grungy I toss them.

Plum Pretty Brunch Ham 1 (8-pound) smoked ham 1 cup plum or raspberry jam 2 tablespoons chopped chutney 1 can (20 oz.) Dole Pineapple Slices, drained Bake ham according to package directions, in shallow roasting pan. Melt jam in small saucepan over low heat. Stir in chutney. Thirty minutes before ham is done, brush ham with half the jam mixture. Arrange pineapple slices on ham in roasting pan. Brush remaining jam mixture over pineapple. Return ham to oven to complete baking. Makes 20 servings

Mushroom Garlic Pork Chops 1 tbsp vegetable oil 4 pork chops, 1/2" thick 1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic Soup 1/4 cup water Heat oil in skillet. Add chops and cook until browned. Add soup and water. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 5 min. or until done. Makes 4 servings

Smothered Chicken 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/4 cup each finely chopped: onion, green pepper, and celery 1 pound skinless whole chicken breasts or thighs 1 pkg. McCormick Mushroom Gravy Mix 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, green pepper, and celery. Saute 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender. Add chicken and cook 6-7 minutes per side or until browned. Combine mushroom gravy and milk. Stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Makes 4 servings

Quick Cheeseburger Bake PREP: 12 min; BAKE: 30 min 1 pound ground beef 3/4 cup chopped onion 1 can (11 ounces) condensed Cheddar cheese soup 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, if desired 1/4 cup milk 2 cups Original Bisquick® 3/4 cup water 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 ounces) 1. Heat oven to 400°. Generously grease rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Cook ground beef and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in soup, vegetables and milk. 2. Stir Bisquick and water in baking dish until moistened; spread evenly. Spread beef mixture over batter. Sprinkle with cheese. 3. Bake 30 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 servings

I can live through emergency's living off my stock of canned foods can you? Share your recipes here with us. 1. Take a 1 lb canned ham Put it on a couple sheets of tin foil and add some canned pineapple. Save the juice and mix pineapple juice and brown sugar together. Close up the foil except the top. You want to pour some brown sugar and juice over the ham and let it cook in these juices. Close up the tin foil then cook on grill or open fire on grate. Don't forget to spray the grates so that the tin foil won't stick to the grate. Next take canned potatoes and place them in a tin foil pack. Roll them in some olive oil to coat them and then sprinkle them with dry onion soup mix or herbs and spices. Put them on fire to roast. Next open a can of carrots and add a bit of water to the carrots after you put them in a tin foil pack. Steam them on the grill. For dessert: Bake dry apple slices. Mix dry oatmeal, brown sugar and cinnamon together and with a tiny bit of water. Place dried apples in tin foil and spinkle the mix over the dried apples adding a layer to the next level and so on until you run out of apples and oatmeal mixture. Take dry coffee creamer and mix some water and the creamer together and pour it over the mixture while the mixture is warm. This is really good! Pasta e fagioli Cook elbow macaroni over fire. When cooked drain macaroni and add a small can of tomato sauce and a can of cannellini beans drained and mix together. Add some garlic powder and italian spices and let simmer on fire in dutch oven. Add some hot pepper over your portion - yum this is good. Take canned chicken or beef Warm it over a fire and make a gravy with a dry gravy pack. Boil water to make instant mashed potatoes and make them. Salt and pepper to taste. When the canned meat and gravy is made pour over tops of mashed potato piles on your plate. Warm up canned green beans on your fire. I often make Boston Nut Bran Bread in coffee cans and you can do this on the fire so have some of this as a dessert. Also you can mix canned chicken with creme of chicken soup. Make a pot of rice while the chicken is simmering on the fire. Season the rice while cooking with a bit of dry chicken buillion and parsley Mix a small can of peas with the rice after its done. Pore the chicken and soup mixture over the cooked rice. For dessert have some current cookies that you make on top of the grill in a frying pan. These are just some of the recipes we can use of the canned items we are stocking in case its needed. To make currant cookies you can use raisins instead of currants.

Pizza Plain Garlic and cheese and Pepperoni Tossed Salad Ice Cream Sandwiches Total cost per plate per person: . 67 cents and thats with dessert.

You can check out their website http://www.sixcontinentshotels.com/...IATAno=99504443 and if you join their priority club, you can get cheaper rates. Friends got a room at the Holiday Inn in Troy, MI last month for 49.00 online compared to 79.00. Not a bad discount!

DISHPAN COOKIES I copied this recipe from a rural electrification magazine about 30 years ago. Since then, I have made tubsful of this dough. 2 c. brown sugar; 2 c. white sugar; 2 t. vanilla; 2 c. oil; 4 eggs; 4 c. flour; 2 t. soda; 1 t. salt; 1-1/2 c. quick oats; 4 c. corn flakes. Cream together first five ingredients. Add flour, soda, and salt into first mixture. Fold in oats and corn flakes. Drop on cookie sheet and bake at 350°, 7-8 minutes or until light brown. Makes a dishpan full. Freezes well after baking.

APPALACHIAN WEDDING CAKE Source: From Susan C. Bridges at Appalachian Mountain Gourmet 3/4 cup lard (shortening) 1 cup black strap molasses 1 cup sweet milk (raw) 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 4 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder 3 cups sweetened cooked dried apples Cook 1 1/2 dried apples in 2 cups water and 3/4 cup sugar until apples are plumped back up and most of water is absorbed. Chop apples fine while in cooking pot, until they resemble coarse applesauce. Mix together in medium bowl flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Cream lard or shortening, then add sugar, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Add molasses to shortening and sugar, beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. To this, add flour mixture and milk in small amounts, alternately, and beat until smooth. Grease well a large cast iron skillet, well seasoned, and pour into this 1 cup of cake mixture. Smooth with back of spoon over bottom of skillet. Bake on top of stove over medium-low heat, until bottom is lightly browned, and top is puffy. Carefully, using two large metal spatulas, turn cake over and cook top until lightly browned. Turn out cake onto dishtowel, and cover to keep warm. Cook other layers until batter is used up. To assemble cake, place a layer of cake on platter, top with 1/2 cup of cooked apples, spread apples over top of cake to edges. Top with additional cake layers and apples, and finish with apples on top. This cake was made for weddings back in the Appalachian Mountains, because it could be carried to the wedding, and assembled on the spot. The bride's popularity was measured by the number of cakes, and the number of stacks on each cake.

ROCK CAKES 1 egg 2 cups flour 1/4 lb. margarine 1/2 cup sugar 3 oz. currants 2 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. Vanilla essence Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, then flour, baking powder, vanilla essence. Add currants last. Grease and flour baking tin, drop with teaspoon in high mounds. Bake in hot oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Makes about 26 cakes.

FRESH ORANGE PIE 1 c. shredded coconut 1 c. pecans, crushed finely 2 tbsp. sugar 2 tbsp. flour 1/4 c. soft butter Combine all ingredients and press on bottom and sides of 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. FILLING: 1/4 c. cornstarch 2 tbsp. sugar 1 1/2 c. orange juice 2/3 c. orange marmalade 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. cinnamon 6 lg. oranges, peeled and sectioned, all membranes and seeds removed (navel oranges are best) Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of the orange juice. In a saucepan, mix remaining orange juice, sugar, marmalade, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Heat and while constantly stirring, add orange juice and cornstarch mixture. Continue to cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add orange sections and gently mix. Pour into the cooled crust and refrigerate several hours. Top with sweetened whipped cream or Cool Whip. FRESH ORANGE PIE Dough for 1 crust 1 tsp. grated orange rind 4 c. orange segments (9 lg. navel oranges) 1/2 c. sugar 1 1/2 c. orange juice 1/8 tsp. salt 3 tbsp. cornstarch 3/4 tsp. vanilla 2/3 c. apricot preserves 1/2 c. toasted coconut (optional) To dough, add orange rind. Bake at 425 degrees until done. Peel oranges and sections into segments. Squeeze membrane and reserve juice. Pour sugar over orange segments and let stand for 1/2 hour. Drain liquid from segments and add to reserved liquid, making 1 1/2 cups. Add orange juice, if necessary. Place juice in double boiler with salt and cornstarch. Cook until thickened. Add vanilla. Let sauce cool to room temperature. Spread apricot preserves on cooked pie shell. Place orange slices on top of preserves. Pour cooled sauce over orange segments. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with coconut if desired. Delicious!

Roast NY-Strip Loin with Garlic Herb Crust 4 garlic cloves 8 fresh sage leaves 4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 4 teaspoons olive oil 4 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 4- to 5-pound boneless beef loin New York strip roast, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch With machine running, drop garlic into processor; blend until finely chopped. Add sage, thyme, oil, salt and pepper; process until paste forms. Pat meat dry with paper towels. Rub meat all over with herb paste. Cover; chill at least 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Preheat oven to 450°F. Place meat, fat side up, on rack in roasting pan. Roast meat 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Roast meat until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 130°F for medium-rare, about 35 minutes (or 140°F for medium, about 40 minutes). Remove from oven; let stand 20 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on platter. Makes 10 servings.

Big Sugar Cookies 2 cups Sugar 1 cup margarine 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk 2 eggs 1 tablespoon Vanilla 2 tsp. soda 3 tsp. baking powder 5½ cups flour 1 tsp. salt Mix sugar, margarine , add milk, and eggs. Then add the dry ingredients. Chill the dough Roll into golf ball size and then pat them sort of flat. I flour my hands as they are a bit sticky. Bake at 350 degrees. They are big SOFT cookies _____ Icing Powdered sugar , margarine, and little milk. Small amount Vanilla beat with mixer.

Five-Cheese Stuffed Shells 20 whole uncooked jumbo pasta shells 2 cups cooked spinach -- chopped 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 4 slices reduced-fat provolone cheese -- finely chopped 1/2 cup parmesan cheese -- shredded 1/2 cup romano cheese -- shredded 1 whole egg -- lightly beaten 2 cloves garlic -- minced 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1/2 teaspoon salt dash pepper 26 ounces meatless spaghetti sauce Cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the next 11 ingredients; spoon into shells. Arrange in a 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Pour spaghetti sauce over all. Cover and bake at 350º for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Per servings (2 stuffed shells): 226 cals; 8 g fat (4 g sat fat); 42 mg hcol; 849 mg sodium; 24 g carb; 1 g fiber; 16 g protein Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat; 1 1/2 vegetable; 1 starch