I do windows..and glass..and stuff

 

Hate to clean windows? Hate to clean glass, but love how it looks when it is clean? Do you go back and forth, outside and in to get the spots you missed? Have your appliances lost their sparkle?? Does your car windshield block more than the sun?

 

 

You wouldn't know it by the foot+ of snow we just got here, but I hear tell that it is Spring "down below" as we call anything South of us. Of course, for my cousins Down Under in Australia, they are going into Fall (you can't win them all guys!).  My brother,way,way South of us, is mowing his lawn and probably has a sunburn already!

 

 I thought this would be a good time to talk about cleaning those darn windows. I live right on a main road, ok, the ONLY main road we have. In fact , there isn't a stoplight in the whole county. Anyway, I get tons of salt and dirt on my windows and they are a b---- to clean.

I have 2 products that I use and they are great for more than just windows.

 

My husband turned me on to Invisible Glass when he first saw it in a small auto parts store many years ago. It has since gone mainstream and I think WalMart and grocery stores might have it. It does not have any dye it in it and it does not streak like the blue stuff. I use it on windows, chrome and any glass in the house. It also comes in towelettes which are great to keep in the car for windshields and  windows. With 5 dogs pressing their noses up against my truck windows, they are handy to have!

 

I also like to use the Supercloth. The pink one below is a good value and a good size. You wet the whole cloth, then squeeze it out so it is just damp and only use the cloth, no cleaners. I wash my windows with that too and just rinse it out every now and then as I go. It works really well on getting spots off the insides of the windows. I can clean all my windows in minutes, not hours. You can dry the windows with a good microfiber as you go too.

The Supercloth is also great for cleaning anything in your house as long as it can get damp. It is great for mini blinds and floors!

Best Metronome

 

Are you new to music? Do you need help with timing? Do you fall behind when playing in groups? Do you have a timing Nazi in your group?

Well, I have the solution.

 

This Metronome is great!

 

It comes in many colors and is just the right size. If all your playing partners have one, you can set it to a particular number so you all practice the song at the same tempo. That way, when you get together, you will all sound great.

Plus, if you have a good player in your group, you can work up to their speed and not get frustrated when you meet to play with them.

See the photo below for more settings.

You can set it to ring a bell at the beginning of each measure. You wind it up so it will tick tock for each beat. It will make you crazy at first, but then it is really helpful.

It is nice and loud and great for groups so you all stay on the same beat.

Don't Boil that Cabbage!

 

 Do you hate the watery, salty boiled veggies that normally go with corned beef? Me too!

A friend of ours told us about a Slovak dish called Haluski Kapusta and we made it for Christmas dinner. It occurred to me that it would be great to serve with corned beef too.

This is not the absolute traditional version,but it is very tasty. I didn't use the 1 1/2 sticks of butter one recipe called for, yikes!

You are supposed to make this with home made noodles, but packaged egg noodles work just fine.

 

 

1 head of cabbage, cut into strips

2 large or 3 small carrots, chopped

2 medium or 3 small onions, chopped

6 slices of bacon diced

salt and pepper to taste

1 package egg noodles

2 TBS butter

3/4 cup water 

 

 

Everything is better with bacon, and EVEN better with Oscar's pepper bacon.

 

 

 

Fry the bacon in a very large dutch oven on medium heat until the fat starts to render out, about 5 minutes

Add the onions and carrots,salt and pepper to taste and saute for another 10 minutes.

Mean while, cook the noodles, drain them and add the butter to the noodles to keep them moist. Set noodles aside.

Add the water to the veggies, cover and let them steam/cook for 5 minutes.

 

 

Add the cabbage, cover, stirring often so the cabbage cooks evenly.

Cook only until the cabbage is tender but not mushy.

 

 

All crisp tender and green.

 

 

Add the noodles, salt and pepper to taste.

 

Serve with your corned beef and enjoy!

If you are low carbing it, leave the noodles out and it will still be delicious.

 



Passion Tea Lemon Posicles!

 

Soooo, I can't seem to stop making this Passion Tea Lemonade. I decided to make popsicles and see how that would work. It was definitely trial and error. The first bite seemed a little funky, but after that I liked them!

You can make this weaker, stronger, sweeter or more lemony to your taste. This is what I made and I'm happy with the ratios. This opens up a whole new world though. I'll have to try more flavors this summer.

Try freezing this in ice cube trays too. You can put them in your Iced Tea glass...see what I mean, I can't stop!

 

 

 

4 Passion teabags

4 True Lemon

4 Truvia

Microwave for 90 seconds in a large mug and add tea bags to steep

Add Lemon and Truvia

Let cool

Pour into molds

Place foil over mold and insert sticks

The foil will hold the sticks in place

Freeze overnight

 

 

 

 I happen to have this mold, but you could use dixie cups too.

 

 

 

Yes, even my bowl to my ice cream maker is green, I can't help myself, I love green! I'm branching out to yellow and purple though.

 

The sticks had frozen in crooked and the aluminum top was hard to get off.
 

   Putting aluminum foil over the top and poking the sticks through would work much better. :-)
 

 

The finished product!

Run the mold bottom under warm water to release the pop.
Some froze clear, others cloudy. It didn't seem to make any difference in taste.

 
This mold looks much better than the one I used, it has it's own tops too. I just ordered it!

There are books on the subject too...I ordered this one. I'll keep you posted on the recipes I try!

Oscar's Easter Ham-A MUST Have!

Oscar's Smokehouse

 

Yay! It's Easter and time for OSCAR'S HAM!!! Woohoo!

You might think I'm a little too enthusiastic (and many think that!) but this is THE best ham out there. It is moist, sweet and not salty.

 

I'm not a ham fan, so you know this one has to be good if I like it. In fact, this is really the only ham I eat!

 

 

You can buy half or whole hams.

They even have petite hams if it's just you and your partner for dinner.

 

  Wrap the ham in foil to reheat it and it comes out perfect every time.

You can also put it in an oven bag, pour a can of ginger ale over it and bake it that way. It comes out extra moist and flavorful.

I buy the petite hams all the time. You don't have to heat them in the traditional way either. To quickly heat the meat, simply slice it up and fry it in a pan. Voila! You have an instant meal.

 They will ship across the country, but be to sure to order early because they are a small company and you want to make sure you get yours!

Oscar's Smokehouse

Best Easter Chocolates

http://www.harborsweets.com/

 

Are you tired of the same old Easter bunnies? Are you looking for the perfect adult Easter treat? Do you love dark chocolate? Do you need to bring a hostess gift to Easter dinner?

 

 

I told you I would remind you about this bunny around Easter time. This is a small company that makes handmade chocolates and they are divine! They have this special bunny that has several different fillings all in one bunny. He comes in milk or dark chocolate and he has almonds, toffee crunch and caramel hidden inside him.

Check out this video to see that he is made by hand and what delights he hides.

 

 

 

They have all kinds of really pretty baskets and boxed assortments.

 

This box has 2 bunnies with other goodies.

 

Check out all that they have to offer. I'm sure you will find something that will strike your fancy!

 

Starbucks Passion Iced Tea Lemonade at home

Do you love Starbucks Passion Iced Tea Lemonade but hate the price? Do you live too far away from a Starbucks? Do you want a new and sugar free yummy beverage?
 

No problem!
 

 

 

                                     

 

1 Tazo brand Passion teabag

2 packets Truvia

3 packets True Lemon

Ice

 

Brew the tea in a large mug as usual.

 Add the Truvia and True Lemon to the hot tea so it dissolves.

 Let the tea cool down completely.

 Serve over ice.

 

I had to test it to make sure it tasted right and before I was able to take a picture, I had downed half the glass!

 

 

You can buy the fancy whole leaf sachets and boxes that make a pitcher of the luscious red stuff too. I found these at Starbucks, but the regular tea you can buy in grocery stores.