February is for hearts
A friend of one of our TEAM members sends letters, cards or notes at Valentine’s instead of sending Christmas cards. This is a thoughtful mid-winter idea.
Our children have grown into teenagers now. Jamie is at university, Marla is in Grade 12, and Matt is in Grade 10. While they were growing up, we had a February tradition of making Valentine’s cakes and snowmobiling them to their aunts’ houses. We use a heart-shaped cake pan and decorate with cinnamon hearts or other candies to form a heart.
Read Also
Late season rainfall creates concern about Prairie crop quality
Praying for rain is being replaced with the hope that rain can stop for harvest. Rainfall in July and early August has been much greater than normal.
Romantic cookbook
Candlelight Cuisine – Romantic Dining by Jane Bailey is a cookbook you might like for Valentine’s Day. One might create a candlelit ambiance that would become a weekly romantic dinner. The recipes are fun to prepare with easy-to-find ingredients using simple techniques and instructions. This book can be ordered through Centax Books, 1150 – 8th Ave., Regina, Sask., S4R 1C9, 306-525-2304.
Eating right
Making healthy food choices is important for feeling well, feeling energetic and avoiding health problems. Here are some tips to reduce the fat on your plate.
- When the recipe calls for fat, decrease the amount by a third in most recipes by using vegetable oil.
- Substitute yogurt or a mixture of light sour cream and yogurt for sour cream. To thicken, add one tablespoon of cornstarch to each cup of yogurt when cooking. Add yogurt at the end of the cooking process and cook on low to prevent separation.
- Use two egg whites to replace one whole egg in recipes.
- Use low-fat cheddar or part skim milk mozzarella to replace regular cheese. For added flavor, add a small amount of sharp cheese.
- Use skinless, lean ground turkey or chicken breast, or lean ground beef. Increase vegetables, pasta, or rice to expand the meal.
- Use round steak, sirloin or flank steak instead of cube steak, porterhouse or chuck roast and reduce the portion size.
- Use light mayonnaise or salad dressing rather than regular. Mix light mayonnaise with non-fat yogurt or try pureed low-fat cottage cheese as a dressing for potato and pasta salads.
- For soup stock, put the stock in the refrigerator overnight and lift off the congealed fat the next morning.
- When browning meat for pasta sauce, rinse off the meat in cold water, and remove the congealed fat. Pour off the water with the fat, and pat meat dry.
Kitchen machine parts
Dear TEAM: In response to the request from D.B., Tisdale re: Kitchenetics bread mixers, parts or new machines – parts can be ordered from Kinchen Supplies Ltd., 1024 Louise Ave., Saskatoon, Sask. I had a machine of that brand and obtained service there. – F.H., Harris, Sask.
Thanks, F.H. I contacted Kinchen T.V. and Appliances at that address, and it can obtain parts. Call 306-373-2277 or write to the above address. I also contacted another firm, Praise Kitchens, 1 Springs Drive, Swift Current, which indicated it could replace external parts (whips, bowls, attachments). Call 306-773-5354.
Removing rust stains
Dear TEAM: I would like to find out how to remove rust stains on dishes. The rusting came in the dishwasher from racks that have the finish worn off them. I’ve tried numerous cleaners – even SOS pads. – J.H., Dawson Creek, B.C.
Dear J.H.: My teenage son, Matt, had a great solution to this problem. He bought a non-toxic antioxidant foam product called Peek for polishing coins. He never used it because it would reduce the value of the coin, but it works wonderfully for removing rust stains from my Corelle dishes and also arborite countertops. It is an excellent cleaner for housewares, stainless steel, plexiglass, fibreglass, painted surfaces and many other materials.
You could also try baking soda, cream of tartar, glycerine, Corning cleaner, CLR, Arm and Hammer washing soda, lemon juice and salt, ammonia, raw potato and cleanser, and rubbing a raw onion on the dishes and letting it soak.
To remove the smell of raw onion, diesel fuel or any other unpleasant odor from your hands, my sister-in-law Wanda uses a product called Irene’s Soap Co., Box 35002, 963 Henderson Hwy., Winnipeg, Man., R2K 4J9.
To prevent rust stains from damaged dishwasher racks, try Plum-ber’s Goop. When squeezed on the rusty spots it coats the dishwasher rack and prevents stains as well as prolongs the life of the rack by reducing deterioration.
Poem found
M.C., Turner Valley, Alta., requested the following:
A calendar
January brings the snow,
Makes our feet and fingers glow.
February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen lake again.
March brings breezes, loud and shrill,
To stir the dancing daffodil.
April brings the primrose sweet,
Scatters daisies at our feet.
May brings flocks of pretty lambs,
Skipping by their fleecy dams.
June brings tulips, lilies, roses,
Fills the children’s hands with posies.
Hot July brings cooling showers,
Apricots and gillyflowers.
August brings the sheaves of corn,
Then the harvest home is borne.
Warm September brings the fruit;
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.
Fresh October brings the pheasant;
Then to gather nuts is pleasant.
Dull November brings the blast;
Then the leaves are whirling fast.
Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.
– Sara Coleridge
