February 24th 2009

Editorial

I started knitting my first pair of socks this week. Well, technically it’s not my first pair since I knitted some tiny baby booties last year, but this is the first pair of real socks and I am loving it. So far I’m still on sock #1. As soon as it is done and I have the second one started, I’ll take some pictures and post them on the blog.

Other than me and my wonderful assistant Patti have been busy finishing up the HBHW Recipe Collection ebook. I just put the finishing touches on it this morning and it is finally ready. I ended up making two versions of it… one that is easy to view and read from your computer and then a condensed version for printing. Since you may not want to print all the recipes at once, I split them up into separate documents for easier printing.

The regular price for the HBHW Recipe Collection will be $24.95, but I’m putting it on sale this week (through March 3rd) for $10. You can order it here

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/ebooks/recipes.htm

I’ve gotten a few requests to add printable versions of the crockpot recipes to the website and have that on my to-do list this week. With a little luck those should be up by the end of the week. I will also continue to blog regularly, but other than that plan on taking it easier for the next week or so.

That’s it for this week. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Feel free to email me at susanne@hillbillyhousewife.com

Warm Regards,

Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife

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Inspirational Quote

“Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.” - Oscar Wilde

Reader Question

How do you go about cooking rice in the crock-pot? I have used your wheat recipe a few times now. I love to wake up and eat warm cooked wheat over dry bran flakes for breakfast. Is there a safe and easy way to do the same with rice, that you are aware of?

I have brown rice in which I ordered through our local food co-op. I do not believe it is long grain. I tried to cook it on the stove top for meals, but the time it took to cook, and flavor of it where just not to our liking. I thought maybe it would be best in milk and sugar for a breakfast meal instead. Can you help?

Kris

Hi Kris,

I have to admit that until I received your email it never even occurred to me to cook rice in the crockpot. I usually fix it either in the microwave or on the stove top. Your question made me curious though. I started by asking about it on twitter and got a wide variety of answers from “Don’t ever do it” to “Works great” followed by instructions. A little field testing was in order, which means I cooked a batch of rice in the crockpot this weekend.

I used long-grain rice and because I didn’t think about it early enough, I ended up cooking it on high for about 1 hour and 35 minutes. I used 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water. I didn’t have a chance to test it, but am guessing that it would have taken about 5 hours on high. Since different varieties of rice tend to cook differently, I suggest you check the rice every so often the first time you try this. Mine turned out just fine and I plan on using this method in the future.

Featured Article

I have not one, but two short little articles for you, both related to freezer cooking. The first one addresses how freezer cooking can save you time and includes a yummy recipe for freezer lasagna. The second one was a blog post I put up to share two emails I received about the freezer ebook and shows how freezer cooking can save you money. You’ll find an interesting example of how one HBHW reader put the ebook to work right away and saved $20.

• 3 Minute Meals – Seriously
• Does Freezer Cooking Really Save Money?

Frugal Tip – Make Your Own Yogurt, Pudding and Jello Cups

My husband is a snacker and of course our daughter loves to snack on things inbetween meals as well. I used to spend a fortune on yogurt, putting and jello cups each week at the grocery store. Then I bought some small plastic containers with snap on lids at Walmart and have been making my own yogurt, pudding and jello cups. I use homemade yogurt with various jams or fresh fruit for the yogurt cups. For pudding and jello cups, I buy several packs of the storebrand versions, prepare them according to package directions and pour them into the small cups. Works like a charm.

Frugal Tips From Our Readers

When I use sticks of margarine, especially a whole or half a stick at a time, I fold the wrapper up and pop it in a bag I keep in the freezer. This way when I need to grease a pan or muffin tins I just pull out a wrapper and that last little bit gets put to good use. – Sarah

I thought your readers might find this useful. Last fall I bought some cheap strawberry jam. (Usually, I make my own but I didn’t get out to the U-Picks this past summer). I liked the taste but not the texture of the jam. So I pureed it in the blender and use it as a topping for pancakes and the like. It works and taste great and gives a different taste than maple syrup, (especially since we ran out of syrup and it’s a low priority in the budget) – Tia

Since losing my job I have resorted to searching for help. One agency suggested to use food stamp cards/money towards the Angel Food Ministries orders to get more for your money. They now accept food stamps. I thought this was a great idea. I havent applied for food stamps yet and am trying to avoid doing so, but wanted to pass the information on to your readers. – Dee

Featured Recipe

This week I have another one of my favorite soup recipes for you. It’s cheap and easy to make. It’s been extremely cold down here in the south which aways has me craving a good cup of soup.

It’s a lentil and vegetable soup with dumplings that’s pure comfort food. I serve it with some homemade bread or biscuits, but the dumplings are filling enough that you can get away without.

Reader Recipe

Here is a great new recipe from HBHW reader Vanessa L for a different take on hamburgers.

Vanessa’s Hamburgers

Patties:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 cups cracker crumbs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• Salt & pepper to taste

Sauce:

• 2 medium onions – preferably sweet (if in season)
• ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 cups water

Combine beef with cracker crumbs, milk & seasonings. Form beef mixture into patties and brown on both sides in skillet (inside will still be pink). Place beef patties in a large baking pan. Slice onions and lay over beef patties. Mix Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar & water and pour over beef patties. Cover and bake 1 ½ hours at 300 degrees. Serve on hamburger buns.

I’m Looking For?

This section is going to be all about you. If you are looking for a particular recipe or a tip on how to do something, email it to me and I will post it in an upcoming newsletter. I’ll give you my input and will also post any suggestions other readers of the newsletter come up with. So take a moment to write me your questions and of course if you have a tip or idea for any question posted in this section feel free to send me that as well.

Here’s this week’s requests:

I had baked fennel at a resturant that was delicious and assumed I could find recipies for this on the web. No such luck. It was very moist and lightly seasoned. Any ideas how to make this would be much appreciated. – Marilyn B

I have a cleaning question. How do you get melted crayon off of clothing or upholstery? – Erica T.

I have been looking for a recipe for Caramel Cobbler. I have checked numerous websites and have come up with nothing. I was wondering if you could help me out. – Janet H.

We’re also still looking for responses to the following:

Years ago I made a fruit salad that had (among other things) vanilla instant pudding and crushed pineapples. I have lost the recipe. Can your readers help? – Amy

And here are last issue’s requests followed by the recipes and ideas submitted since then:

I am hoping someone can help me find a recipe for a fruit and tapioca salad that all the old ladies at my church used to make when I was a little girl. They are all dead now and I never got the chance to ask for the recipe. Its called either Frog eye salad or Fish eye salad or maybe both depending on where you are from? Its made with large pearl tapioca, canned mandarin oranges,and whipped cream. The tapioca was some kind of custard, (the tapioca was really chewy something I can’t seem to duplicate), with the oranges in it and there was whipped cream more oranges and maybe some mini marshmallows on top? I have a recipe that uses Acine de Pepe pasta, but think this one was much better. I’ll take any recipe that is anywhere close to this. – Anna K

The request for tapioca salad reminded me of what my mother made called “chocolate fish eye soup”. It was tapioca cooked in chocolate milk and was a favorite of mine.

Marilyn B.

A reader asked for Frog Eye or Fish Eye salad with tapioca. I never heard of it before but just happened to see it in a church cookbook last night. That made me curious enough to Google it, and I found that if it’s made with pasta, it’s called Frog Eye, and if it’s made with tapioca, it’s called Fish Eye. I would think you could just use whichever you preferred in any recipe. Here is a Frog’s Eye Salad recipe attributed to Mary Jones and Katie Franklin at the Rock Solid Church:

1 1/3 c. Acini di Pepe pasta, uncooked
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve 1/2c. juice)
1 3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. sugar
1 small pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple
2 (11 oz.) cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 c. Cool Whip
3 c. miniature marshmallows
1/2 c. flaked coconut

Cook pasta as directed on package. Rinse with cold water, and drain well. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, beat the reserved pineapple juice, milk, sugar, and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Gently stir in pasta, pineapple chunks, crushed pineapple, mandarin orange segments, marshmallows, and coconut. Fold in Cool Whip. Pour into serving dish. Cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours before serving.

Jessica F.

Someone wanted a recipe for Frog Eye salad. Hope this is it.

2 packages small pearl tapioca
2 (20 ounce) cans pineapple tidbits
2 (15 ounce) cans mandarin oranges
5 cups mini-marshmallows
1/2 pint regular whipping cream
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
maraschino cherries and nuts, if desired

Pour tapioca pearls into a large bowl and cover with water. Let soak about 1 hour or just until pearls are tender and chewy. Drain off water.

Drain pineapple tidbits and mandarin oranges well (pat dry with paper towel). Add to bowl of tapioca pearls. Add mini-marshmallows.

Whip cream with an electric mixer. Use a large spoon to stir whipped cream into bowl with tapioca, fruit and marshmallows. Stir in cherries and nuts, if desired.

Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Gerri

My aunt uses cous cous, pineapple, mandarine oranges from can, mini marshmallows and whipped cream and it is dreamy. Tastes like tapioca but isn’t. Hope this helps.

Carrie P

For the lady who was interested in a fruit salad recipe that has instant vanilla pudding and crushed pineapple, I have one, but it calls for pineapple chunks, but I suppose you could use crushed. Fruit Salad: 2 cans pineapple chunks in it’s own juice, 2 cans peaches in it’s own juice (not heavy or lite syrup), 10-16 oz can frozen strawberries (thawed), 2-3 bananas sliced, 1 box vanilla instant pudding, 1 Tablespoon Tang. Pour all of this into a large bowl and mix well. Refridgerate. Best if made the night before you want to serve it. Yum Yum!

Carol S

Fish Eye Salad (tapioca Fruit Salad)

Prep time does not include the overnight soaking of the tapioca

SERVES 8 -10 (change servings and units)

* 1 cup pearl tapioca
* 2 cups water
* 2 cups milk
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 (20 ounce) can fruit cocktail, , drained
* 3/4 cup whipped cream (some people use Nutriwhip non dairy whipped topping)

Directions

Soak tapioca and water over night drain Add milk and salt and cook until transparent. Add sugar, and cool.

Add fruit cocktail.

Fold in whipped cream. Chill.

Maureen R.

For the reader who wanted a recipe similar to the tapioca fruit salad
she enjoyed, here’s something that might be fairly close, although not
exactly the same.

A family I knew when I was a teenager always served what they called
“Heavenly Hash” at every holiday dinner. While I don’t know the exact
amounts of each item, it would be easy to experiment and improvise with
measurements.

The base was not tapioca, but cooked rice. Into the rice was added
drained fruit cocktail, drained mandarin oranges, miniature
fruit-flavored marshmallows, and Cool Whip. It was delicious, and the
rice gave it a different, more interesting texture than the usual
ambrosia-type salads.

It could be changed to suit your own taste, with different fruits, or
maybe some chopped pecans for crunch, and it might be really good with
the strawberry flavored Cool Whip instead of the regular type.

Cheryl in California

I used to enjoy this at church functions too! I believe this is the recipe she is looking for.

FROG EYE SALAD

Cook Acini Di Pepe macaroni: Bring 6 cups water to a rapid boil in 3 quart saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly add 1 cup Acini Di Pepe. Return to rapid boil, stirring to separate. Boil only 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 6 to 8 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water to chill.

3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. pineapple juice (from canned pineapple)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. lemon juice

In small saucepan, mix sugar, flour and salt; stir in pineapple juice and egg. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thickened (or cook in microwave). Add lemon juice, set aside and cool.

Combine cooked, cooled mixture with cooled Acini Di Pepe. Cover, place in refrigerator until chilled. Add the following:

2 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 carton (8 oz.) dairy whipped topping
1 c. miniature marshmallows

Stir lightly. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Serves 8-10.

Julie W.

My son works in a restaurant as a cook and all his clothes now smell so greasy, I refuse to wash them with anything else! Of course, being a teenager, he doesn’t think anything of wearing his good clothes to work! What is a good product or something I could add to the wash either AS the detergent, or in addition to the detergent to take the grease and the smell out of his clothes? - Lynn D

Baking Soda in the wash will help.

Helen F.

My husband works in the restaurant industry and to get the grease out of clothes try using Grease Lighting. Works well on your own kitchen grease too!

Brandy S.

The lady that is looking for a way to remove grease and smells from her sons clothes should add white vinegar to her wash. It will remove grease and smells. If added in the rinse cycle it will also remove any soap residues.

Barbra D

In response to the question from the lady whose son’s clothes smell so greasy, you might try 1 cup of white vinegar in the wash cycle and another 1/2 – 1 cup in the rince cycle along with your fabric softner. You may not see (or smell) immediate results but over time this may be very helpful and is very inexpensive, especially if you buy it 2 gallons at a time at Sam’s Club or some other discount store. I haven’t used it specifically for this application, but have been using it in all my loads for several months now. I feel like the clothes are cleaner and my towels are definitely more fluffed up.

Carol S

Here’s an easy solution my mother-in-love taught me. Add a few tablespoons of Pine Sol along with your regular laundry detergent. It works great for grease, grass, stains, and all kinds of other interesting things that kids can get on clothing.

Crystal B

To get smells out of laundry first try baking soda or vinegar. If they don’t work, you can get Sportswash in the sporting good section at Walmart. It is about $4 a bottle & 1 bottle does about 20 loads. It is used by hunters to kill all organic based scents on their gear. I have also used it on cloth diapers with good results.

Holly W.

My son worked at a fast food restaurant, too. I found that using Arm & Hammer’s Washing Soda worked very well at removing the smell and grease. You can find it with the regular laundry items, though probably on the bottom shelf. A half cup in the wash, along with your regular laundry detergent, did the trick for vme. Good luck!

Terry G.

Next, for Lynn D. “grease & smell out of clothes” – you could try to add
1/4 cup of vinegar to your laundry… some people say to add a full cup of vinegar to the last rinse. I’d try the 1/4 cup first, and if that doesn’t
take it out, try a little bit more vinegar.

Maureen R.

My husband works as an electrician for our state’s public transportation and he constantly comes home smelling of oil, dirt, sweat and whatnot. I have found(out of necessity to use up a stockpile of it) that dishwasher tabs work to get all the smells out and his clothes extra clean. I use the tabs that have the gel in them (electrasol blue tabs are the ones we have) but not the ones that are hard and have the “powerball” in the middle. I use this as an extra cleaner, along with the regular laundry detergent.

-Amiyrah

I have found that doing a pre-wash (if your machine has that setting) in very hot water with 1 cup or more of vinegar and then laundering as usual really helps release that grease. It isn’t a cure-all but it sure helps.

Jenny in OR

My husband used to work in the underground for the telephone company, manholes and such. His clothes smelled pretty bad sometimes. I have used vinegar in place of the softener with pretty good results. She could also try baking soda or Borax added with the detergent to boost the power. I wouldn’t recommend using vinegar and baking soda in the same wash load, though!
Kim G

McDonald’s smell is the worst to get out! Believe me I used to work there many moons ago. My wonderful mother found out how to get them not only clean, you can imagine all the grease in the air, combined with the wonderful polyester material that absorbs EVERY odor, would use Lestoil household cleaner. She would add just a capful with the laundry detergent and it did the job wonderfully!

Julie W

I used to work for burger king in my high school years and my work shirts would get greasy…..my granms would drop a capfull of hair shampoo in the washer and if it was a really bad one she woudl spot treat with the shampoo. it works great and she became the laundry queen for the restaurant… they started paying her to wash all the uniforms..

Stacey

Years ago my husband and I went on our honeymoon up the east coast to Nova Scotia, in one place we stayed we were served Mincemeat-mallow pie. At the time I wrote the bed and breakfast for the recipe but I never received an answer. I was wondering if any of your readers would have a similar recipe to share, it was exactly as you would think a mincemeat pie with a mallow topping.

Thanks,
Lisa
New Jersey

I found a recipe that might be what she is looking for (or similar).

Mincemeat-Mallow Cheesecake

Holiday Mincemeat-Mallow Cheesecake

crumb lined 9 inch springform pan, prepared baked and cooled
1 3/4 cup mincemeat ( 1 lb 2 oz. )
4 cups mini marshmallows
1/3 cup orange juice
2 8-oz pkgs cream cheese
2 tsp grated orange rind
1 cup heavy cream whipped

Spread mincemeat over cooled crumb crust ( use your favorite recipe
for a vanilla wafer or graham crust ) and set aside. Melt marshmallows
with orange juice over low heat, stirring until melted and smooth.
Chill till thick. Blend softened cream cheese and orange rind and
beat in marshmallow mixture until fluffy. Fold in heavy cream. Pour
mixture over crumb crust. Chill overnight and garnish as desired.

Maureen R.

Inspirational Story

PLANTING HAPPINESS

By Nancy Gibbs
www.nancybgibbs.com

Last year, I placed a flower pot on my patio. It was only half-filled with potting soil. There wasn’t any sign of life. There were no seeds to grow. So as you can imagine the flowerpot remained barren.

Recently, I decided that the neglected flower pot needed a little lift. I went to a garden shop and checked out the blooming plants. While trying to decide which flowers to purchase, I went to another store and ran across some flower seeds. I picked up one of the packages and read the instructions for planting.

“I am up for the challenge,” I thought. Many people have green thumbs, but I have always insisted that I don’t. Either I water my plants too often or not enough. I either bake the plant in the sunshine or place it in areas that are too shady. I know some plants like it hot and wet; while others like it dry and shady. But for the life of me, I cannot remember which are which.

As I stood holding the envelope of seeds, I felt the urge to see if for the first time I could actually make something grow. I purchased several packages and returned home with a gardener’s determination and drive. I immediately planted the seeds in the almost forgotten flower pot. For a couple of days nothing happened. But I continued to water the soil.

On the fourth day following ‘planting day,’ I actually saw green sprouts as they had just broken through the soil. I was so excited. The tiny shoots brought a smile to my face. I called Roy to come to look at them. Maybe my thumb wasn’t completely off-colored after all! Maybe I could make something grow!

I thought about how growing flowers are much like growing happiness. Our lives are sometimes like the empty pot. Our days are filled with worldly tasks and possessions. But because worldly things are of such little importance, we lack a feeling of completeness. We sense there is something missing. The missing ingredients in my flower pot were the things that created life itself – seeds. The things that we may be missing in life are seeds of hope, love, faith, and determination.

When we accept the fact that our life gardens will produce exactly what we plant, we become more concerned as to what we plant. I planted a variety of flower seeds that day. I understand that the zinnia seeds will produce zinnias. The morning glory seeds will produce morning glories.

Likewise, if I plant happiness in my daily life, low and behold, I will find joy in everything I do. If I plant negative thoughts inside my heart, I will only grow more discontented with each passing day. Whatever is planted inside my heart will grow.

If we plant seeds of hope, we can expect miracles. When we plant seeds of passion, love will come back to us. The Bible tells us that without faith we cannot possibly please God. Shouldn’t we all plant seeds of faith? And if we plant seeds of determination, there is absolutely nothing that can stop us from being the persons God created us to be. When God is pleased with us, our blessings multiply much like the blooms produced from a tiny seed.

In the next few weeks, I am expecting the tiny sprouts to grow taller. Then I am expecting a flowerpot filled with blossoms. The once neglected pot will hold beautiful flowers of assorted colors, simply because I planted faith along with a few seeds.

Our granddaughters Hannah and Katie came for a visit. Katie wasn’t initially fond of the idea of returning home. When her Daddy told her that he had missed her, she looked up at him and whispered, “But Daddy, I was just so happy at Nana and Pa’s.

Could her happiness have sprouted because Nana and Pa planted the right seeds in her little heart? We laughed together. We played together. We blew bubbles in the backyard. We watched television together. We went to the zoo. And we went on a picnic. The weekend was ours to do nothing but to plant seeds of happiness in the hearts of our granddaughters.

Are you planting seeds of happiness in the hearts of those you love?

Final Thought

That’s it for this edition of the Hillbilly Housewife Newsletter. I hope you’ve had as much fun reading it as I had creating it for you. I also hope that you have found the information helpful and useful. And by all means feel free to forward the newsletter to family and friends or even better, encourage them to subscribe to it.

Do you have a question, a tip, a recipe or a story you’d like to share with us? Email it to me and I’ll include it in a future issue. Can’t wait to see what you have to say.

Warm Wishes,

Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife

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