Tuesday, June 5, 2012

RECYCLED STORM WINDOWS

This table was made  for the corner of the deck with all recycled materials.I used some old wooden storm windows that were curbside during bulk pick up .I didn't even have to paint or stain them.A good wood sealer will probably be enough when I get around to it.The top is a thick piece of scrap wood .Everything is screwed together. 


The light in the inside is actually one of the many low voltage spot lights we have uplighting the house at night, so it automatically comes on at dusk until dawn.


The stained glass looking front was made by using Gallery Glass paint that comes in a convenient squeeze bottle at any craft store.I probably should have made a pattern to follow, but didn't have the patience, so it's not my best work, I just freehanded it and added some dollar store glass blobs, I found in my craft room.









Here it is at night with a lighted arborvitae.....




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Saturday, June 2, 2012

BUTTER BEER

  • Wisconsin's taste for beer can be traced to its German settlers, who opened the first breweries and saw their numbers grow to roughly 400 by the late 1800s. The state now has around 60, including the Miller Brewing Co., the U.S.'s second-leading producer.
    Milwaukee, often called the "Brew City," once was home to the Miller, Blatz, Schlitz and Pabst breweries. Only Miller remains, though the city is home to several microbreweries and brew pubs. It's no accident that the city's major league baseball team is named the Milwaukee Brewers and plays at Miller Park.

    Forbes.com dubbed Milwaukee "America's Drunkest City" last year out of a list of 35 major metropolitan areas. In a 2005 study of data from 40 states, the Harvard School of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Wisconsin had the highest binge-drinking rate among adults and the second-highest among college students.
    Binge drinking is defined as having five or more beers in one sitting during the past month.


    BUTTERBEER RECIPE
    Serve this  well chilled and in a frosty mug or warm on those chilly Wisconsin nights
    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 4 tbsp powdered sugar
    • 2 tbsp vanilla butter nut flavoring, divided
    • 2 tbsp MERINGUE [whipped egg whites}
    • 2tbsp Butterscotch syrup or schnapps
    • 2 cans or bottles of your favorite cream soda, I like Sprechers...
    Combine heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla butter nut flavoring, whip 2 egg whites until it forms peaks.   Add the remaining 1 tsp of the vanilla butter nut flavoring to 12 oz. of the cream soda and gently stir to combine. Spoon cream mixture on top and drizzle with butterscotch... enjoy!


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    HOT BUTTERBEER LATTE
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Butter Beer Jello Shots

Ingredients

  • 1 cup creme soda
  • 2 envelopes plain gelatin
  • 1/3 cup vanilla vodka
  • 2/3 cup butterscotch schnapps
  • colored large crystal sugar, for garnish, if desired








  1. Pour soda in a medium saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin. Allow to soak for a minute or two.
  2. 2Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.
  3. 3Stir in the vodka and schnapps.
  4. 4Pour into standard loaf pan ..Refrigerate until fully set (about 3 hours).
  5. 5To serve, cut into desired shapes.
  6. 6Immediately before serving, dip in colored crystal sugar, for garnish, if desired.




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WISCONSIN BEER BRATS










This is the only way to cook bratwurst in Wisconsin.

 Wisconsin is all about firing up the grill and enjoying the aroma of brats sizzling away after they've been long-simmering in a bath of beer and onions. It's part of the summer landscape here and I wouldn't have it any other way. The brats are incredibly tasty!

 If you can get fresh Johnsonville bratwurst, do it... it is worth the extra cost. Serve with brown mustard on fresh baked bakery brat bun, never on hot dog buns. Mustard is important and must always be stone ground. Add warm sauerkraut and ketchup, if you like. Chow down! Think about those Wisconsin summers! Listen to some polka!


Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh  Johnsonville bratwurst sausages
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 6 (12 fluid ounce) cans or bottles beer
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons brown mustard
  • 10 fresh bakery brat buns ~the kind with cornmeal is the best!

Directions

  1. Prick bratwurst with fork to prevent them from exploding as they cook. Place in a large stock pot with the onions, butter,garlic,mustard, and beer. Place pot over medium heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
  3. Lightly oil grate. Cook bratwurst on preheated grill for 10 to 14 minutes, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Serve hot off the grill with onions on brat buns.If you have a large crowd, throw the brats back into beer mixture, and keep warm for hours, they only get better the longer bathe in beer !
  4. Even if you don't have a grill or the patience to wait for a little fire-kissing before serving, these sausages are great just out of the slow cooker.











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Friday, June 1, 2012

Homemade Green Cleaners

Dusting
Re-use dryer sheets for dusting instead of the new Pledge or Swiffer cloths.

Linoleum Floor
Use club soda to clean

Fabric Softener
Add vinegar to the rinse cycle

Microwave Cleaner
Mix 2T baking soda or lemon juice and 1 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for five minutes or until the liquid boils and condensation builds up inside the microwave. Wipe down.

Chrome Cleaner
Toothpaste is great for cleaning chrome.

Dishwasher Rinse
1 1/2 white vinegar added to the rinse compartment of your dishwasher 

The following recipes are safe and non-toxic:
Wood Floor Cleaner 
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Mix well

All-Purpose Cleaner 
1 tsp. borax
1/2 Tsp. washing soda
2 Tbl. lemon juice
In a spray bottle, combine the ingredients with 1 cup of hot water and shake. 

Furniture Polish
In a spray bottle mix 1 cup vegetable or olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Shake well and apply a small amount to a cloth. 

Vinegar Glass Cleaner
1/2 cup vinegar 
1 gallon warm water 

Vinegar Glass Cleaner
1 gallon water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon liquid dish detergent 
Shake to blend.

Vinegar Glass Cleaner
1/4 cup vinegar, 
1/4 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent, and 
2 cups of water in a spray bottle. 
Combine in a spray bottle. 
Shake to blend.

Vinegar Glass Cleaner
1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol 
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Combine in a spray bottle. 
Shake to blend.

Ammonia Glass Cleaner
To a gallon jug, add:
1 tsp dishwashing detergent (Dawn)
1 pint rubbing alcohol
1/2 cup ammonia
Top off the gallon with water 

Ammonia Glass Cleaner
1/2 c. ammonia, 
1/2 c. isopropyl rubbing alcohol 
1/2 c. water. 
Combine in a spray bottle. 
Shake to blend. 

Ammonia Glass Cleaner
2 parts ammonia 
1 part rubbing alcohol 
9 parts water

Multi-Purpose Deep Cleaner
1 cup household ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
1 gallon warm water
Mix well 

Generic Tilex (mix and use in a spray bottle) 
1 part bleach 
9 parts water 
1 part Dawn Dish Soap (or brand with surfactants and NO ammonia) 

Carpet Deodorizer 
Fill a jar with baking soda. Add essential oil (your choice of fragrance and amount), one drop at a time. Stir so it doesn't clump. Sprinkle on carpet and leave for 10-20 minutes before vacuuming. 

All Purpose Cleaners 
These all purpose cleaners are convenient to use when placed in a spray bottle. 
3 tsp liquid soap & one gallon water 
1/4 cup vinegar & one gallon water 
1/4 cup lemon juice & one gallon water 
1/4 cup Borax & one gallon water

Disinfectant 
1/4 cup Borax 
1/2 gallon water 
OR USE THIS RECIPE: 
1 part bleach 
9 parts water 

Oven Cleaner 
Sprinkle salt on spills immediately 
Baking soda 
Vinegar 
Steel wool 
Clean grease with rag and vinegar. Sprinkle salt on spills. Let it set for a few minutes, then scrape the spill and wash the area clean. For stubborn spots, use baking soda and steel wool.

Drain Cleaner 
1/4 cup baking soda 
1/2 cup vinegar 
Pour baking soda, then vinegar down drain. Close drain until bubbling stops. Pour boiling water. If the clog remains, use a plunger or snake. If all else fails, take the elbow off the pipe. 

Mildew & Lime Deposit Remover 
1/2 cup white vinegar 
Warm water 
1/2 cup Borax 
Dissolve borax in water, add vinegar. Make a fresh batch for each use. 

Ant Killer (NOT child safe!! Use any poison to kill insects with caution!!!) 
Powdered Sugar 
Borax 
Combine in equal parts and sprinkle in places where they crawl. 
(I mix with a water to make a thick liquid and dip and paper towel or 2 and softly wring out. Then put in in a glass jar with nail holes in the lid. This way the ants can climb in and out but your kiddo can't.)


Microwave Cleaner 
Place 2 small, medium lemons (cut in half)with a cup of water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes and remove bowl. Wipe out microwave. The same thing can be accomplished with equal parts water and white vinegar (but lemons smell better). If your microwave is encrusted with lots of food residue that is old, it won't be so easy the first time. 



Please remember NEVER mix Bleach and Ammonia. It creates chlorine gas which was used as a chemical weapon during World War I and later by Nazi Germany in World War II. 

What happens to your respiratory system when you inhale chlorine gas is the gas tears into your nasal passages, trachea, and lungs by causing massive cellular damage. Obviously, chlorine gas causes a very painful death.



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