Spring Cleaning and Delicious Chicken Meal - April 23, 2009

Hi Everyone!

Thank you for all the well wishes and prayers for a safe pregnancy. We found out that I need insulin and have high blood pressure along with the fact that I have been having lots of contractions. If you have an order problem and we don't respond to your e-mail right away, I might be in the hospital so please be patient with us. If so, Mike and Mom will respond to you as soon as possible. Thanks!

In today's newsletter, we've included some tips to make your spring cleaning easier and also a delicious menu that's sure to please!

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

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Today's Tips:

Spring is here and for many of us that means spring cleaning! Today's tips are meant to help you make cleaning easier.

• If you have old linens that have yellowed, turned brown or are dingy, soak them in buttermilk or sour milk to brighten them and remove some of the stains. This works especially well for items like quilts or old doilies that you don't want to use anything harsh on.
  


• Soak colored cottons overnight in salt water to reduce fading of the colors.
  


• If you get a build up of spray starch or fusible web on the sole plate of your iron, just run it over a dryer sheet to clean it off.
  


• Keep a toothbrush by your kitchen sink to clean things like graters, choppers, mixer beaters and openers. You will be surprised how often you grab it to use on hard to clean places.
  


• Clean your coffee pot once in a while. Pour 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar into it and run it through as if you were making coffee. Repeat a couple of times using the same vinegar.
  
  Pour 1/4 cup baking soda down your drain. Then pour the used vinegar from the coffee maker down the drain. Let it sit for a minute or so.
  
  Next, pour 1-2 pots of water through the coffee maker to wash out the vinegar. When each pot of rinse water from the coffee maker is done, pour it into the drain. You now have a clean coffee pot and a clean drain.
  


• Take care of all your small appliances. It really does help them last longer.
  
  
  • There is a little door on the bottom of your toaster that catches the crumbs. Open and clean out the crumbs once in a while. (UNPLUG THE TOASTER FIRST!)
    
  
  
  • Wipe down your hand mixer after each use.
    
  
  
  • Run your iron over a dryer sheet to remove anything gummy, including fusible web
    
  
  
  • Blow the dirt off of your fans, computers, or air purifiers. (You can buy cans of air for use with computers at office supply stores. These can be used to blow dirt off of other hard to clean items. I used to use an air compressor to blow the dirt off of house fans and grates.)
    

Today's Menu:

Sonja's Chicken*
Mashed Potatoes
Fried Okra
Pear Fruit Compote*
Seven Layer Cookies*

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Today's Recipes:

I have tasted so many chicken recipes that use cream of chicken soup. This recipe tastes like homemade cream of chicken soup and there is nothing else like it. This is probably the best chicken I have ever eaten. It is like manna from heaven! The flavor is so much richer than any similar recipe I have tasted.

*Sonja's Chicken

1 chicken, cut into pieces
2 cups water
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
Bay leaf
1 tsp. onion salt
1/2 -3/4 cup mushrooms
1/4 tsp. thyme
3/4 cup heavy cream

Place chicken in a plastic bag with some flour and shake to coat chicken in flour. Place in a greased 9x13 pan. Mix water, bouillon, bay leaf, onion salt and mushrooms and pour over chicken. Cover and bake for 2 hours at 350°. In the last 15 minutes, add the thyme and heavy cream and continue baking. Leave foil off for that last 15 minutes.

*Seven Layer Cookies

1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1-2 cups flake coconut
1 pkg. (6 oz.) chocolate chips
1 pkg. (6 oz.) butterscotch chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup nuts, chopped

Melt margarine in a 9x13 pan. Add the rest of the ingredients in layers. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Cut into bars when cool.

*Pear Fruit Compote

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup concentrated orange juice
2 Tbsp. margarine
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained
1 can (15 1/4 oz.) pear halves, drained
1 can (15 oz.) Mandarin oranges, drained

Topping:

1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. concentrated orange juice

In a large sauce pan, combine the first 5 ingredients in order. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes until thickened. Add fruit, turn down heat and just heat through. In a small bowl, beat topping ingredients until smooth. Serve fruit with a dollop of topping.