Kitchen Crafts 'n' More Newsletter "Recipes, crafts and help around the home." Issue #486 June 2, 2006 ~11,000+ SUBSCRIBERS~ ================================= Today's Top 5 KCnM Website Pages Check out what pages are the most popular on Kitchen Crafts 'n' more! #1 Our Forums #2 Bath and Beauty Recipes #3 Crafts Pages #4 Our Online Recipe Collection #5 Over 100 Uses for Avon's Skin So Soft ================================= ...KCnM Advertising... Info by emailing christinam @ nucleus.com Please support the KCnM newsletter ...by clicking on these sponsor ads... ================================= Fun and Easy House Cleaning Learn how to clean your home in only 3 easy steps! Free weekly newsletter. Join today! Happy Slob's Housecleaning Newsletter ============== Interactive Jewelry Auctions starting every 3 minutes! Click Here for Jewelry Auctions =============== Get valuable coupons from Pampers and a chance to win a year’s supply of free diapers!! Click Here ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** VISIT OUR BLOGS ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** Click HERE to Visit the Kitchen Crafts 'n' More Blog for MORE recipes, household hints & other favorites. Click HERE for Our Housecleaning Blog TONS of great organizing, cleaning and other household tips that makes life easier (and a bit more fun!) Click HERE for the Coffee Creations Blog Lots of Coffee Recipes & Ideas! Including Starbucks copycat recipes - really popular for coffee lovers. ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** Hi everyone, Well, I'm finally back and here's a fresh new issue of the KCnM newsletter! May was a strange month -- my computer died and I lost some information, and then my husband and I were away for 2 weeks in Nova Scotia, visiting and attending my cousin's wedding. :) It was beautiful! I hope all is well with you. Big hugs, Christina P.S. Please send in your READER'S QUESTIONS. :) I lost a number of them when my computer conked out. ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** IN TODAY'S ISSUE ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** RECIPES: * 7-Up Cake (Recipes Found) * Age Spots Treatment (Kitchen Crafts) * Asian Beef & Noodles (Traditional) * Banana Hair Conditioner (Kitchen Crafts) * Borscht Soup (Recipes Found) * Connie's Chicken Tetrazzini (Traditional) * Copycat A1 Steak Sauce (Recipes Found) * Crockpot Bread PUdding (Recipes Found) * Easier Pretzel Turtle Candies (Recipes Found) * Homemade Easy Brass Cleaner (Help from Readers) * Lavender Powder Sachets (Kitchen Crafts) * Lemon Orange Currant Tea Scones (Traditional) * Making Natural Extracts (Help from Readers) ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** READER'S QUESTIONS ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** Ask a question, or provide an answer! :) Email questions or answers to Christina at christinam@nucleus.com Thanks! ----------------- ACNE SCAR REMOVAL Dhanya asks: "Does anyone know how to get a faucet aerator off of a bathroom faucet, that is so stuck up inside that nothing will budge it out. I haave tried WD-40 with no results, whatsoever, and I have been working for about 4 days trying to at least get it loose, and suggestions?" ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** HELP FROM READERS ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** Help a fellow reader - send an answer to one of the above questions, and we'll post it here! (Send to christinam@nucleus.com) ----------------- HOMEMADE EASY BRASS CLEANERS Three great brass cleaning ideas here: Brass Cleaning Tips and Hints MAKING NATURAL EXTRACTS Learn how to make vanilla, lemon and orange extracts: Making Natural Extracts for Baking ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** REQUEST A RECIPE ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** One of the most popular sections of our newsletter - request a recipe or send in requested recipe. Contact: christinam @ nucleus.com ======================== ~~~RECIPE REQUESTS: ~~~ Please help these readers find these recipes! :) Thanks for your help everyone... 60's CORNMEAL COOKIES Terry asks: "I'm trying to find an old recipe for Corn Meal Cookies. It was on the back of the corn meal bag that you got when you were on Welfare before food stamps, 60"s. I use to have it on a recipe card but over the years I've lost it and not able to find anyone who has it. I also think it was the recipe goes back even farther then that. I would like any help trying to find this recipe the cookies were great." SWISS ORANGE CHIP ICE CREAM Molly requests: "I'd like to find a copycat recipe for Swenson's Swiss Orange Chip Ice Cream. Can anyone help?" OLD COUNTRY BUFFET'S BBQ CHICKEN Vicki asks: "I'm looking for a recipe for Old Country Buffet's BBQ chicken. It doesn't have BBQ sauce on it. They told me they use a "rub" on the chicken. It's more like a glaze on the chicken that is a little sweet and spicy. I'm guessing it's a dry rub put on the chicken before baking. " ~~~RECIPES FOUND:~~~ PRETZEL TURTLE CANDIES - EASIER VERSION Francy writes: "For the lady looking for the recipe for the pretzel turtle candies -- I have made these a number of times and they are very easy. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Lay out the miniature pretzel knots in a single layer. Take one Rolo caramel/chocolate candy and place it in the middle of the pretzel. Put them in the oven at 250-300 degrees just until the chocolate/caramel gets soft. Take them out and push a pecan half on the Rolo candy so it flattens out over the pretzel. Let cool. That's it!! They are simple and delicious." ----------------------- HOTTEST COOKBOOKS FROM AMAZON Today's HOTTEST cookbooks. :) Great for cookbook lovers like me! Today's Hot Cookbook Selections ----------------------- MORE POPULAR RECIPES FROM READERS Borscht Soup 7-Up Cake Copycat A1 Steak Sauce Recipe Crockpot Bread Pudding ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** 'KITCHEN CRAFT' RECIPES ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** Bath and beauty products, home remedies, craft recipes, food mixes, natural cleaning formulas, fun kids recipes and other unique recipes! ======================== LAVENDER POWDER SACHET ~Submitted by Christi~ 1/2 oz. dried powdered lavender flowers 1/2 tsp. powdered cloves Mix 2 ingredients, then sew up snuggly in a cloth pouch or "pillow". Use in drawers or hang in closets or put with your linens. It makes a nice little gift NATURAL AGE SPOTS TREATMENTS Fade age spots naturally with these great tips sent in from readers. Fading Age Spots BANANA HAIR CONDITIONER ~Submitted by Christi~ 1 mashed banana 1 tablespoon honey Mix together the banana and honey until smooth and creamy. Wet your hair with warm water and massage the conditioner into your hair and scalp. Wrap your hair in plastic wrap or use a towel around your head, and let the mixture condition your hair for 20 minutes. Rinse your hair well, and shampoo and condition as usual. You will notice that your hair seems thicker and your shampoo will really lather. Yield: 2-3 ounces, enough for 1 treatment ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** TRADITIONAL RECIPES ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** The family favorites everyone loves! Please submit your recipes to christinam @ nucleus.com and I'll include them in an upcoming issue. =================== This gives new meaning to "fast" food. So quick, easy and it is good too !! Asian Beef and Noodles ~Submitted by Debbie~ 1 pound ground beef 2 packages (3 ounces each ) Oriental ramen noodles, crumbled 2 1/2 cups water 2 cups frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetables 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until no longer pick, drain. Add the contents of one of the ramen noodle flavoring packet; stir until dissolved. Remove beef and keep warm. In the same skillet, combine the water, vegetables, ginger, noodles and the contents of the remaining seasoning packet. Bring to a boil. reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Return beef to the pan; cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in the onion. Yield 4 servings. ------------------- Connie's Chicken Tetrazzini ~Submitted by Connie~ 2 boneless chicken breasts, poached in 1 can chicken broth, then diced. Poached w/ carrots, celery and onion for flavoring. (no set amount) 1 cup of cream stock leftover from poaching chicken 2 Tbsp flour 5 Tbsp butter 1/3 cup parmesan cheese 2 cups sliced mushrooms 2 Tbsp sherry Poach the chicken and set aside to cool. Drain and save broth. Sautee mushrooms in half the butter. set aside. Make a roux with the remaining butter and flour. Cook over low heat for a few minutes. Add cream, poaching broth, sherry and parmesan cheese. Mix until thickened. Add the mushroom with the cooking butter and chopped chicken. I serve this over bow tie noodles instead of spaghetti. Frozen peas are also a nice addition to this recipe. ------------------- Lemon Orange Currant Tea Scones ~Submitted by Jeannie~ 2/3 cup currants - plumped and drained 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup pastry flour 1/3 cup sugar 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda tiny pinch salt zest of one lemon - finely minced zest of one orange - finely minced 3/4 cup (6 oz. or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter - cut into chunks 1 cup buttermilk Topping: juice of one lemon sugar for sprinkling (large crystal sugar if available) Preheat oven to 425 F. Plump raisins in hot water for five minutes. Drain well and set aside. Mix flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and citrus zests with a whisk. Break in butter to form a mealy, crumbly mixture. Stir in buttermilk and mix dough lightly with a fork until it can be gathered into a shaggy mass. Knead on a lightly floured board, briefly (10-15 seconds). Pat or roll to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut into rounds, wedges or squares. Place on an un-greased baking sheet. Brush each scone with the lemon juice and sprinkle generously with sugar. Place scones in oven and reduce heat to 400 F. Bake until tops are lightly golden - about 15 minutes. Makes About 15 scones. =============================== --THANKS FOR READING THIS ISSUE Thanks for reading this edition of Kitchen Crafts n' More! ===============================