Mom's Tips - By Marlene Gerould
By popular demand - Mom's tips archives are here!
Almost as good as Steve Kinser!
A dessert treat.
This is kind of a pain to make---BUT---well worth the time. Mom
It's rich--but cool and refreshing.
Earthquake Tip:
This is from a scientist. It is called the triangle theory. They have proven that rather than getting UNDER the desk--the bed-the table, etc. It is better to get just BESIDE the desk-bed-table, etc. This creates a small triangle if something falls on top of the thing you're beside as part of it may rest on the floor. This gives you a little breathing room.
Apple Cake with warm sauce:
In mixer cream together 1 cup of sugar and a 1/4 cup of butter or margarine.
In a separate bowl put:
This mixture will be dry-----add to the creamed sugar and butter . Blend well. Add 1 egg and blend again. Add 2 or 3 peeled and grated apples. Mix well. Pour into a 9" X 9" greased pan and bake for 30 to 40 Minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.
Sauce: In a small saucepan slowly melt 1/2 cup of butter or Margarine, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of whipping cream or evaporated milk, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. Cook over low heat until smooth. Cut cake into squares and pour sauce over each square. It is very rich--so cut them small.
Enjoy!! Mom
Summer produce season tips.
Corn: When picking out sweet corn try to buy it when it has been on ice constantly. The whole trick about corn on the cob is that you don't want the sugar to turn to starch. Keep your corn as cold as you can and use it as soon as possible. Boil your water with SUGAR---not salt. A corn grower told us to only boil it for 5 minutes. If you grill it--soak it first in water with the husk on. That is just to keep it from catching on fire on the grill. We keep ours on the grill for about 20 minutes turning it from time to time.
Tomatoes: The best thing is to grow them yourself or next best thing to get them at a produce stand. Unlike corn---NEVER PUT TOMATOES IN THE REFRIGERATOR! If they get below 50 degrees they lose their flavor. Unfortunately grocery stores usually receive their tomatoes already refrigerated. You can really tell the difference in taste if they are home grown and not refrigerated. If you pick them, keep them stem side up on your counter or elsewhere not in the sun. They will last quite a long time.
Enjoy!!, Mom
CHOCOLATE CHERRY BARS
O.K., so I'm a HOOSIER (a person born in the state of Indiana). One of the "requisites" of staying a HOOSIER is to always have something for dessert in a 9" X 13" pan. This works for people dropping in,--church socials,--sick people,--weddings,-- funerals,-- and especially tailgate parties. This recipe is an easy one and so moist and good.
CHOCOLATE CHERRY BARS
FROSTING
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" X 13" pan. Combine the first 4 ingredients by hand. Pour in pan and bake for 25-30 min. Do the toothpick test in the center. If it comes out clean--it's done. Set aside and let the cake cool awhile. Prepare frosting in a small saucepan. Combine butter (melting slowly), add sugar and milk. Stir til smooth. Remove pan from heat and stir in the choc. pieces til smooth. Pour over the partially cooled cake. Cut into squares when totally cooled. YUM!
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Hat & Sweater Care
Track Hats - So racing season is starting and your favorite hat has seen better days. Gather up the cotton or washable wool caps and wash them in the DISHWASHER. Secure them with several plastic clothespins on the top rack. Add the normal amount of dishwasher detergent and run through a regular wash and rinse cycle. Remove the caps before the drying cycle and place over large coffee cans to keep their shape while drying. It'll look almost new again.
Sweater Care - Have you ever gotten picks (yarn or threads sticking out) of your sweaters. I took one of Gary's good sweaters with picks to our Russian tailor. He said, "You don't want to pay me to do this. Just put your hand under where it's pulled and take a ROUND WOODEN TOOTHPICK and poke the thread back through. Pull it with your fingers til it's smooth on the outside and it's fixed."
It works!! Mom
Soon it will Valentine's Day.
Have you ever lit votive candles in beautiful little votive candle holders only to have them melt into a big solid hunk and ruin your holder?
Tip: Put about a 1/4 inch of water in the bottom and surprise --- the candle will pop right out when you're done. Mom
Planting StuffFINALLY we are having a let up in our rain. FINALLY I can get out in the yard to plant. For those of your that know me, you know that not only gardening is my passion, but also my therapy.
A neighbor stopped by and asked me why her plants always seem to die after she plants them. The first thing I asked was "Where do you put them when you bring them home?" She said that she lines them up on her cement patio to look at them til she gets time to plant them.
It's such a temptation to buy plants on impulse when they are blooming and so pretty--but--please when you bring them home, put them where they will be planted. Plants have been put in these little pots and a lot of them are root bound. You'll see the roots coming out the bottom. If you sit them on a cement surface or other hard place the roots will die. If it's hot, they will burn.
Remember to water them. This will save you time and money. Remember they are LIVING things.
Mom
Potato Shopping
Yesterday while I was shopping at the grocery store I did my usual picking out of a 5 LB bag of potatoes.
Tip: A produce man told me a long time ago to always smell them first. You can train your nose to smell fresh or even if there is one going rotten. He said then to feel them. If they feel like rocks they'll be O.K. If they give or feel softened they are probably on there way to being rotten.