Kitchen Crafts 'n' More Newsletter "Recipes, crafts and help around the home." Issue #482 April 5, 2006 ~11,000+ SUBSCRIBERS~ ================================= ...KCnM Advertising... Info by emailing christinam @ nucleus.com Please support the KCnM newsletter ...by clicking on these sponsor ads... ================================= MEDIFAST WEIGHT LOSS Medifast has helped over 1 million people lose weight. Start your program today and receive one week free Medifast Weight Loss Program ============== Get "CAUGHT" Reading Baby Talk! Tips and resources to keep your baby happy and your E-business flourishing. Issues are packed with useful articles, delicious recipes, activities, crafts, freebies, contests and more! To subscribe please visit: Baby Talk ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** TODAY ON OUR BLOGS ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** Visit my NEW Coffee Creations Blog For all sorts of inspiring recipes & ideas using coffee - today's includes a delicious Fat-Free Honey Cake (with coffee in the batter) & a new coffee product you'll love! Coffee Creations Blog Click HERE to Visit the Kitchen Crafts 'n' More Blog - Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe - Spicy Chili Potato Wedges Click HERE for Our Housecleaning Blog - Lots of Uses for the Magic Eraser (10 readers left new comments on this one post alone!) - Vinegar Cleaning Tips from Roberta ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** IN TODAY'S ISSUE ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** RECIPES: * Almond and Honey bubble Bath (Kitchen Crafts) * Asparagus, Potato & Leek Soup (Traditional) * Chocolate Banana Smoothie (Traditional) * Cranberry Pork Roast (Traditional) * Sea Salt Body Scrub (Kitchen Crafts) * Sweet Potato Pancakes (Recipes Found) * Vit E and Vaseline Cream (Kitchen Crafts) * WW Vanilla Banana Pudding (Recipes Found) ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** READER'S QUESTIONS ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** Ask a question, or provide an answer! :) Email questions or answers to Christina at christinam@nucleus.com Thanks! ----------------- CLEANING UP CLOVER MITES Karen asks: "Do any of your readers have a successful solution to ridding their window sills and walls of the tiny little reddish-brown creatures known as "clover mites". If you wipe them up and crush them, they leave a tiny brown stain. They appear in early spring and eventually go away, but I was wondering if there is any solution that I could use to prevent them from gathering in my home in the first place. Any help is greatly appreciated."> REMOVING BLACK MARKER STAIN G.S. writes: "I have a friend who got black permanent marker on a white dress. Does anyone have any ideas for getting it out? She would be most appreciative. Thanks in advance. " ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** 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) ----------------- SPOTTING HUMMINGBIRDS Sylvia G. says: "In answer to a few questions that I saw on the newsletter today. For Shirley, in Ohio (asking about hummingbirds)---if she types in www.hummingbirds.net/map she will get a map of the United States with dates that hummingbirds have been sited so far this Spring. They have been sited already in Western Ohio, as of 4/1." Nellywn suggested the same link, writing: "For Shirley in Ohio; if you will go to http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html it will show you a map of the sightings of hummingbirds. It says that there have been sightings in my part of Texas since 3/15; but I haven't seen one yet." SLOW COOKERS One reader wrote: "Careen, I have a Rival 7 qt crockpot that I use almost everyday. I cook soups and stews as well as roasts. Personal favorite is chicken of all kinds and styles. I have never had a problem. I place on low and leave for work. Dinner is ready at 5:00 for us to eat." All of Our Crockpot Recipes HERE ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** 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 by sending in some of these requested recipes! :) We're running low on recipes lately... STARBUCKS DOUBLE SHOT Brooke writes: "I've become addicted to Starbucks doubleshot espresso and cream, but at nearly $2 for a 6.5 oz can, I don't get it often. Anybody got a good copy cat for this one???? Thanks everybody!" 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:~~~ WW Vanilla Banana Pudding Idea Lisa writes: "I'm a WW member also but I do the Flex Plan. One dessert I love is to slice one small banana and add one of the cups of sugar free vanilla pudding to it. The pudding is like the snack pack pudding but it only has 60 calories per cup. I count 2 points for it." ------------------- FOR: Randi FROM: SUE B. SWEET POTATO PANCAKES INGREDIENTS: 4 cups peeled, diced, raw sweet potatoes divided 2 tbsp's. all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 2 eggs 2 tbsp's. Butter Flavor Crisco DIRECTIONS: Using blender or food processor, liquefy 3 1/2 cups of potatoes. Blend in the dry ingredients and eggs. Add the remaining 1/2 cup potatoes blending or prcessing until chunks are quite small. Cook in Crisco on 375° griddle until crispy outside, tender inside turning once. MAKES: 6 big pancakes. ------------------- MORE RECIPES FOUND ON OUR SITE: Our Whole Collection of Recipes Found! ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** 'KITCHEN CRAFT' RECIPES ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** Bath and beauty products, home remedies, craft recipes, food mixes, natural cleaning formulas, fun kids recipes and other unique recipes! ======================== VIT E & VASELINE CREAM Submitted by Sylvia G. One other time I also saw a request for the cream that you make with vaseline, vit e cream and baby lotion. Here it is also: 8 oz vitamin E cream 15 oz baby lotion 1/4 cup vaseline Beat with hand mixer until fluffly, put into small containers. When I made mine, I used the med size of vaseline (all of it), and just used a whisk to beat it until fluffly. Didn't think I wanted to use my hand mixer. Sea Salt Body Scrub Easy and wonderful to get skin feeling super soft...uses natural sea salt and only one other ingredient that you likely already have in your pantry! (Oh, and if you're wondering where you can buy sea salt, it's almost always found in the regular supermarket right by the regular table salt.) Almond and Honey Bubble Bath An easy homemade bubble bath formula with real honey AND almond extract. Smells great! You can whip up a batch of this delectable bubble bath and bottle it up in fun vintage bottles for a cool gift for friends. ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** TRADITIONAL RECIPES ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** The family favorites everyone loves! Please submit your recipes to christinam @ nucleus.com and I'll include them in an upcoming issue. =================== Chocolate Banana Smoothie 1 banana 1 cup chocolate soy milk 1/4 cup Quaker Oats 2 tablespoons wheat germ 2 tablespoons flax seeds 1/2 cup ice cubes Servings 1 Calories 398 Fat 13g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 132mg Carbs 56g Dietary Fiber 14g Sugars 2g Protein 18g Note: This recipe also has the flax seeds which accounts for the high fat content. -------------- FROM: SUE B. ASPARAGUS, POTATO AND LEEK SOUP INGREDIENTS: 3 pounds fresh asparagus 2 tbsp's. olive oil 4 medium leeks chopped and rinsed (white/light green parts) 1 can (48-oz.) chicken broth (or reduced sodium or homemade) 2 medium baking potatoes peeled and diced 1/2 cup evaporated milk (fat free, skim or light is OK) salt and freshly ground black pepper DIRECTIONS: Rinse asparagus and break off the woody part of the stems. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and cover tightly. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender (about 10 minutes). Add the broth, chopped asparagus and potato. Bring to boil over high heat. Return heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes). Stir in milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. You can also use regular milk, it just will not be as thick. In batches, puree the soup in blender (or, use a hand blender to do this in the pot). Return to pot and cook stirring often to heat through. MAKES: 8 servings. ---------------- FROM: SUE B. CRANBERRY PORK ROAST Prep. Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: LOW-6 to 7 hours, HIGH-3 to 3 1/2 hours INGREDIENTS: 1 3-pound boneless pork top loin roast (double loin, tied) 1 tbsp. cooking oil salt and ground black pepper 1 16-ounce can whole cranberry sauce 1/2 cup cranberry juice 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. dry mustard 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 2 tbsp's. cornstarch 2 tbsp's. water Hot cooked rice pilaf, rice or noodles (optional) DIRECTIONS: 1. In a large skillet, cook pork in hot oil over medium heat until well browned on all sides. Place pork in a 4-5 quart slow cooker; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, combine cranberry sauce, cranberry juice, sugar, mustard and cloves. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. 2. Transfer meat to a platter; cover and keep warm. Skim fat from juices. Measure 2 cups of juices; transfer to a medium saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl; add to saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Serve with roast and, if you like, rice pilaf, rice or noodles. MAKES: 8 to 10 servings. ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** THANK YOU ~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~** Thanks for Newsletter Sylvia says: "Keep up the good work, love the newsletter." Lori writes: "I love your newsletter!! Thank you!" =============================== --THANKS FOR READING THIS ISSUE Thanks for reading this edition of Kitchen Crafts n' More! ===============================