Popcorn - No Microwave Needed!

I had to share a video segment with you from SmallNotebook.org on how to pop popcorn on the stovetop. [No, I didn't know how to do that before. Did you?] Here are instructions on popping popcorn on the stovetop from eHow.com:

How to Pop Popcorn

Things You’ll Need:

• 4-quart Pan With Lid
• melted butter
• popcorn kernels
• salt
• vegetable oil

Step1

Coat the bottom of a 4-quart pan with a few tbsps. vegetable oil.

Step2

Add 1/2 cup popcorn kernels.

Step3

Cover pan.

Step4

Turn stovetop burner to medium or medium-high heat.

Step5

Let kernels cook, shaking occasionally to prevent burning.

Step6

When the popping slows to 3 to 5 seconds between pops, remove pan from burner.

Step7

Allow to cool a minute or two.

Step8

Pour popcorn into a bowl and add salt or melted butter to taste.

[Someone noted in the comments on this article that vegetable oil catches fire easily. That person recommended coconut oil - what was used it the SmallNotebook.org video - or canola or peanut oil.]

I haven't tried this yet, but it doesn't look too difficult. We bought a bunch of popcorn kernels at Costco a while back thinking they'd be good to have in food storage, but we had no idea how we'd prepare the popcorn (yeah, genius, isn't it?). Anyway, I'm gonna dig that bag out and give it a try!

Alternative Uses for Dryer Sheets

I am a member of the Yahoo Group Clever Homemakers. I get their group postings via email, and I really loved one of the posts I got today. It lists alternate uses for dryer sheets. I thought it was worth sharing, so enjoy!

* Repel mosquitoes.
Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.

* Eliminate static electricity from your television screen.
Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.

* Dissolve soap scum from shower doors.
Clean with a used sheet of Bounce.

* Freshen the air in your home.
Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang one in the closet.

* Prevent thread from tangling.
Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce to eliminate the static cling on the thread before sewing.

* Eliminate static cling from pantyhose.
Rub a damp, used sheet of Bounce over the hose.

* Prevent musty suitcases.
Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

* Freshen the air in your car.
Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

* Clean baked-on food from a cooking pan.
Put a sheet in the pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The antistatic agents apparently weaken the bond between the food and the pan while the fabric softening agents soften the baked-on food.

* Eliminate odors in wastebaskets.
Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.

* Collect cat hair.
Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.

* Eliminate static electricity from venetian blinds.
Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.

* Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sandpapering.
A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

* Eliminate odors in dirty laundry.
Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

* Deodorize shoes or sneakers.
Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight so they'll smell great in the morning.

Double Duty Kitchen Tip: Personalized Pancakes

I'm a huge Rachael Ray Show fan. I just LOVE her "Double Duty" kitchen tips segment. The one she featured yesterday was AWESOME! Use one of those squeeze bottles you usually put ketchup and mustard in, but cut off most of the tip. Fill it with pancake batter, and use it to make all sorts of nifty-looking pancakes - even spell your kids' names! SO cute! (The most creative thing I've done with pancake batter till now was M. Mouse pancakes... Boring!) For the video segment she had on the show, click HERE. I think I'll go make some pancakes...

Decorative Strawberries -- Jell-O Cake

(I meant to post this months ago, when strawberries were at the beginning of their season -- not at the end. My apologies!)

I love to make jello cake -- recipe below -- in the summertime. It is cool and refreshing on a hot summer day. When I make a strawberry jello cake, I like to make the strawberries decorative....

Wash the strawberries. Take your knife and make cuts every couple of millimeters, starting at the end, and stopping about 1/8 inch from the stem (you just don't want to cut all the way through). Then fan out the cuts before setting the strawberry down. Viola!

Double Orange Refrigerator Cake*

*Substitute cake & Jell-O flavors/fruits as desired... other flavors that are equally as good include strawberry and raspberry. Yum!

Cake:

1 orange (or white) cake mix

1 sm pkg orange Jell-O (4 oz)

¾ C. boiling water

2/3 C. cold water

Topping:

1 sm can mandarin orange slices

1 8-oz tub thawed Cool Whip

1 sm pkg vanilla instant pudding (4 oz)

2/3 C. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 9x13 baking pan by spraying with non-stick spray. Prepare cake as instructed on box, let cool about ½ hour. While cooling, dissolve Jell-O in ¾ cup boiling water, stir in 2/3 C. cold water, set aside until room temperature, stir. Poke holes into cake with a fork or straw. Slowly pour Jell-O over cake to allow liquid to penetrate holes; refrigerate. Combine topping ingredients until well blended, spread over cake. Decorate with more orange slices if desired.

"Green" Cleaning

This is probably not news-worthy information, but I thought I'd share something that I've recently started doing differently...

For as long as I've had a house to clean, I've used paper towels. This past week I had a pile of outgrown, worn-out clothes I'd been collecting. I cut them into rags and used them for cleaning instead of paper towels. I saved a few trees, and these rags just get tossed into the washer with everything else, clean and ready to use next time. I cut them with pinking shears so they won't fray at the edges. I got the idea because I clean an older lady's bathroom once a week for her, and she always provides me with similar rags for cleaning purposes. I think they actually work better since they don't leave a dusty aftermath on things like mirrors and glass. And I feel better not using disposable paper towels.

What other ideas do you have for a "green" household?