It is cold here in Saskatchewan this January day. The thermometer reads
-34 C, but the sun is shining. With the news of the earthquake and tsunami in southeast Asia and the mud slides in California, our cold temperatures seem hardly worth complaining about.
Neck warmers
With our cold weather there is a need to stay well wrapped up. If you have any pieces of leftover fleece material you can make neck warmers and headbands that sew up quickly.
Take a piece of fleece 20 inches (50 cm) wide and 26 inches (66 cm) long. Fold in half lengthwise, right sides together and stitch the long edges together using a 1Ú4 inch (0.5 cm) seam. Turn right side out and finger press the seam to the bottom.
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Insert one end into the other, about 1Ú2 inch (one cm), to make a circle. Pin and stitch using a decorative stitch or two rows of straight stitching.
A headband can be made using the same basic steps. The fabric should be eight inches (20 cm) wide and the length is the measurement of the circumference of the head across the forehead.
Cut the material so the greatest stretch runs along the length of the material so there will be some stretch going over the head.
For a snug fit there is no need to add a seam allowance to the material when cutting. When sewing, use a 1Ú4 inch (0.5 cm) seam. The headbands can also be made using two colours of fabric by cutting the strips four inches (10 cm) wide.
Homemade biscuit mix
Dear TEAM: I am looking for a homemade Bisquick mix. I have a recipe for Impossible Cheeseburger pie that calls for 3Ú4 cup of Bisquick to be mixed with the eggs and meat. I find the store bought Bisquick expensive. Ñ Margaret, via e-mail
Dear Margaret: Yes, a homemade biscuit mix can easily be substituted in your recipe. The following recipe is easy and economical to make and stores well in the fridge for several months.
Homemade biscuit mix
5 cups unbleached flour 1.25 L
2Ú3 cup powdered milk 150 mL
3 tablespoons baking 45 mL
powder
11Ú2 teaspoons cream 7 mL
of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar 30 mL
2 teaspoons salt 10 mL
1 cup shortening 250 mL
or butter
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening/butter until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Store in an airtight container.
Impossible cheeseburger pie
1 pound ground 500 g
beef
11Ú2 cups onions, 375 mL
chopped
1Ú2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
1Ú4 teaspoon pepper 1 mL
3 eggs
3Ú4 cup Bisquick 175 mL
or homemade
biscuit mix
11Ú2 cups milk 375 mL
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 cup cheddar, 250 mL
shredded
6 slices of crisply cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Grease 10 x 1Ú2 inch (25 x 3.5 cm) pie plate or eight by eight inch (20 x 20 cm) square baking dish or six 10 oz. (284 mL) custard cups.
Cook and stir ground beef and onion in skillet over medium heat until beef is brown, then drain. Stir in salt and pepper. Spread in pie plate.
Beat eggs, biscuit mix and milk 15 seconds in a blender on high speed, or for one minute with a wire whisk or hand beater until smooth. Pour into the pie plate on top of the meat.
Bake 30 minutes. Top with tomato slices, shredded cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake an additional seven minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool five minutes. Yield: Six
servings. Serve with a salad.
Source: www.garvick.com/
Cleaning fireplace glass
In the Jan. 6 issue there was an article on cleaning the glass door on a fireplace using Silvo or Brasso cleaners. Barbara Barnes, a home economist with Atco Gas, called with some concerns about cleaning fireplace glass doors with these products. Customer service representative Kevin McCulloch has seen the results of different cleaning products on fireplace glass. If a cleaning product leaves residue it can burn and become baked onto the glass.
There are fireplace cleaners sold by the companies who sell and install fireplaces. These products are designed for particular types of fireplaces. For a wood burning fireplace, only a cleaner designed for removing creosote and soot should be used. A gas fireplace leaves a white film on the glass and only a gas fireplace cleaner should be used.
A reader suggested using wood ashes from the stove or fireplace to clean the glass. Dampen a newspaper with water, then dab the newspaper with wood ashes and clean the glass. Do this until the soot is off. She then puts the used newspapers back into the stove for burning. She used a new piece of newspaper, dampened with water to shine up the glass. Because wood ash is a byproduct of the fire I don’t think this would damage the glass. This may be fine for the initial cleaning, to remove the worst of the soot, but a final cleaning should be given with a specified wood burning fireplace cleaner.
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.Cover back spread even
