This salad is probably the most requested salad that I make. I've been making it for years. Time to share.
3 Cups Uncooked Tri-Color Rotini Pasta, cooked according to package directions
1 Large Tomato, diced
1 Small Sweet Onion, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 Cup Sliced Black Olives
8 Ounce Feta Cheese, crumbled
1 12 Ounce Bottle Spicy Italian Salad Dressing
Cook and cool the pasta. Stir together the vegetables. Add the pasta. Moisten with about 1/2 of the dressing. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least 4 hours. When ready to serve add the rest of the dressing and the cheese. Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Laundry: How Big of a Load Can I Do?
Big Loads! Huge Loads! Even small to medium loads do well in front load machines.
However, (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) front load washers like for you to separate the clothes into like items. Such as, all towels, all jeans, heavy colors, lightweight colors, whites, you get the idea. That doesn't mean you have to be as particular about it as I am. I am obsessive about sorting.
Big Loads: Really need to be judged by the size of the tub on your machine. Mine has a 4.5 cubic foot tub. That means I can do 10 to 12 pair of adult jeans per load and have it do a really nice job.
Huge Loads: Towel loads can get pretty big around our house. My biggest complaint about towel loads is that they take forever to fold and put away! But the rule of thumb for me is, if the door doesn't pop back open when I close it, I can do that load. If it does then something has to come out. Now that's for towels. Other things you don't want to get quite so carried away.
For a front load machine, if you can get your fist in the center of the clothes in the machine, you have just about the perfect load. It will be full but not jam packed.
Small Loads: The biggest thing to remember for small loads is to use the appropriate cycle. For top loaders it's not so critical, but front load machines it really is. Even a single item that is not delicate can be washed on delicate. The delicate cycle is made for small loads and single items. Use it that way.
Now for sorting. Sorting to me is the most important thing you do when doing laundry.
Towels: A load unto themselves, small or large load, only towels. Towels are lint givers. They will deposit as much lint as they can on other things.
Jeans: Should be washed together for the simple reason that they fade into everything else. They are not colorfast. Have you ever gotten a white sock in with the jeans? Only to never have it get white again? Jeans are also heavy weights. If you wash 3 pair of jeans and 3 t-shirts you will most likely end up with an off balance load. The machine will have a hard time spinning all the water out. (Top load or front load!)
Colors: I can usually get all my colors in one load. My husband, Ron, wears uniforms, so he doesn't contribute to the colors load very much. But in the winter I wear several layers, so sometimes the loads get separated into sweatshirts and heavy things or lightweight items. Otherwise I wash them all together. And of course I separate out the new colors to be washed by themselves. Reds are always washed a couple of times by themselves.
I don't buy things that need to be "washed separately" or "dry clean only" or anything like that. Today's machines are so much better at doing those kinds of things than any washer ever used to be. There are all kinds of cycles now that can do those things without worrying about them being damaged. Read your book that comes with the washer or ask your dealer. (or call or write me)
Today's fabrics are so varied, from natural fibers to synthetics. Some are lint catchers and some are lint givers. That "pilling" you get on things is usually because you have washed a lint giver with a lint catcher. Pilling will still happen but not as fast or as much if you will separate the two. Pilling also comes from friction. Maybe I will save that for another post.
Whites (usually meaning socks and underwear): I'm going to be blunt here. Those of you who have been married or living together for a while will know what I mean. Our blue collar workers can be disgusting. White Collar workers can be just as bad. I do not wash my husbands underwear with my bra's. I always have 2 loads of whites. My lightly soiled white shirts and underthings in a quick load. Then everything else in a long sanitary cycle. (My machine has a cycle called "Sanitary". It starts with hot water from the water heater and heats it up even more to 160 degrees. It is supposed to kill all of the little "germs" that we don't want all over everything else.)
Bedding: Sheets should be their own load. A sanitary cycle is really good for doing bedding. It gets rid of all the body oils and soils without having to use bleach or harsh detergents. The high temperature is not as hard on things as it sounds. My sheets are 100% cotton and they don't shrink.
In the end though a load of laundry is a load of laundry. No matter how you sort it. No matter the size. Some of us are short on time and just throw it in. With a front load machine you will save yourself enough time though to do some of these things. It is an investment up front, but pays big in the long run. Save yourself time, water and energy, detergent and the all important MONEY!
However, (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) front load washers like for you to separate the clothes into like items. Such as, all towels, all jeans, heavy colors, lightweight colors, whites, you get the idea. That doesn't mean you have to be as particular about it as I am. I am obsessive about sorting.
Big Loads: Really need to be judged by the size of the tub on your machine. Mine has a 4.5 cubic foot tub. That means I can do 10 to 12 pair of adult jeans per load and have it do a really nice job.
Huge Loads: Towel loads can get pretty big around our house. My biggest complaint about towel loads is that they take forever to fold and put away! But the rule of thumb for me is, if the door doesn't pop back open when I close it, I can do that load. If it does then something has to come out. Now that's for towels. Other things you don't want to get quite so carried away.
For a front load machine, if you can get your fist in the center of the clothes in the machine, you have just about the perfect load. It will be full but not jam packed.
Small Loads: The biggest thing to remember for small loads is to use the appropriate cycle. For top loaders it's not so critical, but front load machines it really is. Even a single item that is not delicate can be washed on delicate. The delicate cycle is made for small loads and single items. Use it that way.
Now for sorting. Sorting to me is the most important thing you do when doing laundry.
Towels: A load unto themselves, small or large load, only towels. Towels are lint givers. They will deposit as much lint as they can on other things.
Jeans: Should be washed together for the simple reason that they fade into everything else. They are not colorfast. Have you ever gotten a white sock in with the jeans? Only to never have it get white again? Jeans are also heavy weights. If you wash 3 pair of jeans and 3 t-shirts you will most likely end up with an off balance load. The machine will have a hard time spinning all the water out. (Top load or front load!)
Colors: I can usually get all my colors in one load. My husband, Ron, wears uniforms, so he doesn't contribute to the colors load very much. But in the winter I wear several layers, so sometimes the loads get separated into sweatshirts and heavy things or lightweight items. Otherwise I wash them all together. And of course I separate out the new colors to be washed by themselves. Reds are always washed a couple of times by themselves.
I don't buy things that need to be "washed separately" or "dry clean only" or anything like that. Today's machines are so much better at doing those kinds of things than any washer ever used to be. There are all kinds of cycles now that can do those things without worrying about them being damaged. Read your book that comes with the washer or ask your dealer. (or call or write me)
Today's fabrics are so varied, from natural fibers to synthetics. Some are lint catchers and some are lint givers. That "pilling" you get on things is usually because you have washed a lint giver with a lint catcher. Pilling will still happen but not as fast or as much if you will separate the two. Pilling also comes from friction. Maybe I will save that for another post.
Whites (usually meaning socks and underwear): I'm going to be blunt here. Those of you who have been married or living together for a while will know what I mean. Our blue collar workers can be disgusting. White Collar workers can be just as bad. I do not wash my husbands underwear with my bra's. I always have 2 loads of whites. My lightly soiled white shirts and underthings in a quick load. Then everything else in a long sanitary cycle. (My machine has a cycle called "Sanitary". It starts with hot water from the water heater and heats it up even more to 160 degrees. It is supposed to kill all of the little "germs" that we don't want all over everything else.)
Bedding: Sheets should be their own load. A sanitary cycle is really good for doing bedding. It gets rid of all the body oils and soils without having to use bleach or harsh detergents. The high temperature is not as hard on things as it sounds. My sheets are 100% cotton and they don't shrink.
In the end though a load of laundry is a load of laundry. No matter how you sort it. No matter the size. Some of us are short on time and just throw it in. With a front load machine you will save yourself enough time though to do some of these things. It is an investment up front, but pays big in the long run. Save yourself time, water and energy, detergent and the all important MONEY!
Laundry: That Awfull Smell!
"What is that awful smell in my front load washer?"
"My top load machine smells, too. What can I do?"
"I see mold on the door seal of my front loader, why?"
"There are black specks on my laundry when I take it out of the washer. What is it?"
"My towels smell when they get damp, why?"
Detergent Build Up. Plain and simple. The answer to all those questions is, detergent build up.
Powder detergent just gets sticky or stays powdery and shows up all over everything.
Liquid detergent, it's just sticky and gooey to begin with. But what is it really?
What is the 'liquid' part of liquid detergent? Purified, liquefied, animal fat. Gross right? What do you think they do with all those "animal by-products"? They use them in other products. One of them happens to be your liquid laundry detergent.
It never completely dissolves in water either. So when you use too much, where do you think it ends up? Stuck to the parts of your washing machine that you cannot see and parts that you can see and your clothes... When it builds up enough, it starts to break off and ends up on your clothes, too. That's what that black stuff is. And it's not just excess detergent either. It's dirt that has been trapped by the sticky, gooey mess. Then it all starts to decay. That usually means mold.
You smell the mold first, before anything else. Do your towels smell musty when you get them wet when drying off from a shower? Sorry to tell you but that is mold. Gross!
HOW DO I GET RID OF IT????
Don't let it build up to begin with! But if it is already there, there are some things you can do to clean it up. Those wonderful marketing people went to the manufacturers and said "Let's make another product to clean up the mess that the liquid detergent makes!" There are a couple of products that the manufacturers have come up with to break up the excess detergent. It works pretty well, as long as your build up is not too thick. Follow the directions on the package.
Another way to clean it out is to run your top load washer on the hottest, longest cycle you have with no clothes in it, but dump in a gallon of white vinegar. The acid in the vinegar will help to break up the residue and then it can be rinsed away. Depending on how thick the build up is, you may have to do it several times.
We think, "Yuck! That smell! I need to use more detergent to get rid of that smell!" Wrong! You are just making it worse. You are adding to the build up every time you use more than what the clothes need to get clean.
Front load machines that you buy today have a "Tub Clean" cycle on them. Put in a half gallon of white vinegar and let it do it's thing. If your machine doesn't have a tub clean cycle, just use the hottest longest cycle you have and do the same thing. Front loads use less water, so use less vinegar or you may damage the machine.
The mold on the door seal? It's just a good spot for the mold to get a foothold. Mold grows well in warm, moist areas. Anything it can get itself attached to in your washer is going to be at room temperature and moist. As it builds up in your machine, it finally shows up on that seal. The best you can do there is to wipe it off with a rag dipped in bleach water. One tablespoon of bleach to a gallon of water should do the trick.
Sorry to gross you out, but it really is the truth. I couldn't make this stuff up. I'm not that imaginative.
I know we talked about how much detergent to use last time, but I just can't help myself. Don't forget the best way to not have the excess build up in the first place is to use the proper amount of detergent. 1 to 2 Tablespoons for an average load in a front load machine! 1/2 Or less of the recommended amount in a top load machine!
Any questions about what kind of detergent to use? Comment on this page or e-mail me. I'm here to help!
What shall we talk about next?
I know, "How much can I stuff in one load?" or "Really? That much?"
"My top load machine smells, too. What can I do?"
"I see mold on the door seal of my front loader, why?"
"There are black specks on my laundry when I take it out of the washer. What is it?"
"My towels smell when they get damp, why?"
Detergent Build Up. Plain and simple. The answer to all those questions is, detergent build up.
Powder detergent just gets sticky or stays powdery and shows up all over everything.
Liquid detergent, it's just sticky and gooey to begin with. But what is it really?
What is the 'liquid' part of liquid detergent? Purified, liquefied, animal fat. Gross right? What do you think they do with all those "animal by-products"? They use them in other products. One of them happens to be your liquid laundry detergent.
It never completely dissolves in water either. So when you use too much, where do you think it ends up? Stuck to the parts of your washing machine that you cannot see and parts that you can see and your clothes... When it builds up enough, it starts to break off and ends up on your clothes, too. That's what that black stuff is. And it's not just excess detergent either. It's dirt that has been trapped by the sticky, gooey mess. Then it all starts to decay. That usually means mold.
You smell the mold first, before anything else. Do your towels smell musty when you get them wet when drying off from a shower? Sorry to tell you but that is mold. Gross!
HOW DO I GET RID OF IT????
Don't let it build up to begin with! But if it is already there, there are some things you can do to clean it up. Those wonderful marketing people went to the manufacturers and said "Let's make another product to clean up the mess that the liquid detergent makes!" There are a couple of products that the manufacturers have come up with to break up the excess detergent. It works pretty well, as long as your build up is not too thick. Follow the directions on the package.
Another way to clean it out is to run your top load washer on the hottest, longest cycle you have with no clothes in it, but dump in a gallon of white vinegar. The acid in the vinegar will help to break up the residue and then it can be rinsed away. Depending on how thick the build up is, you may have to do it several times.
We think, "Yuck! That smell! I need to use more detergent to get rid of that smell!" Wrong! You are just making it worse. You are adding to the build up every time you use more than what the clothes need to get clean.
Front load machines that you buy today have a "Tub Clean" cycle on them. Put in a half gallon of white vinegar and let it do it's thing. If your machine doesn't have a tub clean cycle, just use the hottest longest cycle you have and do the same thing. Front loads use less water, so use less vinegar or you may damage the machine.
The mold on the door seal? It's just a good spot for the mold to get a foothold. Mold grows well in warm, moist areas. Anything it can get itself attached to in your washer is going to be at room temperature and moist. As it builds up in your machine, it finally shows up on that seal. The best you can do there is to wipe it off with a rag dipped in bleach water. One tablespoon of bleach to a gallon of water should do the trick.
Sorry to gross you out, but it really is the truth. I couldn't make this stuff up. I'm not that imaginative.
I know we talked about how much detergent to use last time, but I just can't help myself. Don't forget the best way to not have the excess build up in the first place is to use the proper amount of detergent. 1 to 2 Tablespoons for an average load in a front load machine! 1/2 Or less of the recommended amount in a top load machine!
Any questions about what kind of detergent to use? Comment on this page or e-mail me. I'm here to help!
What shall we talk about next?
I know, "How much can I stuff in one load?" or "Really? That much?"
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Beef Burgers
(There is 1/2 a batch, or 5 lb, in this ice-cream bucket in the picture.)These are called by many names around the country; Maid-Rites, Denvers, Sloppy Joes... No matter what they are called, they're good.
This recipe is sloppy without being too messy, provided the bun is properly sized for the amount of meat you put on it.
I needed to make these for a co-worker. His daughter's second birthday is this weekend and they are having a party for her. I hope I made enough for 28 people.
10 Pounds of high quality Ground Beef, 93% lean works best
24 ounce bottle of Ketchup
1 Family Size can of Condensed Tomato Soup, 26 ounces
2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
1 Cup Onion, minced (or 1/4 cup dried chopped onion)
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Quick Cooking Oats
Brown the hamburger with the onion, if using fresh onion. Drain off fat if there is any in the bottom of the pan.
Mix remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add to meat and combine.
Either heat through and serve or refrigerate to heat up later when the gang is all here.
This also freezes well. I would suggest freezing leftovers in single serve containers. Makes it easy to come home for lunch and have a quick sandwich.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Let's Do Laundry!
Since I'm not cooking anything of much interest these days, I want to talk about Laundry. (Good heavens, what is she up to this time!?)
I keep threatening to do a "Laundry Seminar"... Let's get started!
Washers and dryers have changed. Have you? Seems like a silly statement and question, doesn't it? But with today's new front load machines, it is extremely important. I can give you a long list of customers that didn't listen and learned the hard way what I was talking about. (I'll tell you some of those stories later.)There truly is a huge difference in top load and front load machines. Here is the most important one:
* Detergent: How much you use is as important as what kind.
Let's start with 'how much'. The marketing people have done their job. They have us using just as much as they can possibly get us to use. That sells lots of product and makes them look good. The more detergent you buy, the more money they make. Let's keep more of that in our own pockets!
The proper amount of detergent you need to use should be based on:
1. How large of a load you are doing. (Large loads need more.)
2. How dirty the clothes are. (Dirty clothes need more.)
3. The temperature of the water. (Hot water takes less.)
4. The length of time it will be washing. (More is not always better!)
That sounds like a lot of things to think about, but really it's not. Those are things you already consider if you think about it.
Brace yourself: Most people use 10 to 15 times more detergent than they need to. It's a published fact. The New York Times did a story on it.
That said, just how much should you use? For a front load machine you should be using 1-2 tablespoons of POWDER detergent for an average load. NEVER more than 3 tablespoons. For a top load machine, generally 1/2 the recommended amount.
A top load machine uses 20 gallons of water just in the wash part of the cycle. Then to rinse it uses another 20-25 gallons of water. Front load machines use 1-5 gallons of water to wash and another 3-15 to rinse, for at least twice the amount of clothes. Top loads rinse once and front loads rinse 3 times. There is less water to dilute the detergent in, therefore you should use less detergent. Less water, less detergent. Make any sense?
The reason you bought the front loader is for it's water and energy savings, right? And of course the large amount of laundry you can get in each load. Now you can save even more money by using less detergent, too.
I also said "what kind" of detergent you use, didn't I? By that I mean powder or liquid. Always Powder!
Why? When you are using too much, neither the powder or the liquid get dissolved. You just happen to be able to see the powder easier. It shows as a white flaky stuff all over your clothes. The liquid is there too, it's just harder to recognize.
Do your colors look dull and dingy? Do your whites look grey? Is someone in the family "allergic" to laundry detergents? Sorry, most likely it's liquid soap residue.
When I sell a new front load washer to someone I tell them to not use any detergent the first time they wash a load. You won't need to. There will be enough residue left on the clothes to do the job. If there is more than a thin layer of bubbles on the water and clothes, in a front load washer, you are using way too much detergent!
Again, marketing tells us that more is better, right? Sometimes it is, but not in your laundry detergent. Less is more! Your colors will stay brighter. Your whites, whiter. Your pockets heavier. (With all the cash you save on detergent!)
One more tidbit of info for you to think about: Soap vs Detergent
Soap makes suds. That's what makes it work.
Detergent does not make suds.
Those pesky marketing people put 'sudsing agent' in it to make lots of suds. They discovered that in our minds (Grandma said...!) we relate cleaning to suds. Not so with detergent. It's a lot of science, just trust me. (Google it!)
Oh and by the way, does your washer smell? It's a build up of excess detergent that traps dirt. And it all starts to stink! We'll talk about that next time.
I keep threatening to do a "Laundry Seminar"... Let's get started!
Washers and dryers have changed. Have you? Seems like a silly statement and question, doesn't it? But with today's new front load machines, it is extremely important. I can give you a long list of customers that didn't listen and learned the hard way what I was talking about. (I'll tell you some of those stories later.)There truly is a huge difference in top load and front load machines. Here is the most important one:
* Detergent: How much you use is as important as what kind.
Let's start with 'how much'. The marketing people have done their job. They have us using just as much as they can possibly get us to use. That sells lots of product and makes them look good. The more detergent you buy, the more money they make. Let's keep more of that in our own pockets!
The proper amount of detergent you need to use should be based on:
1. How large of a load you are doing. (Large loads need more.)
2. How dirty the clothes are. (Dirty clothes need more.)
3. The temperature of the water. (Hot water takes less.)
4. The length of time it will be washing. (More is not always better!)
That sounds like a lot of things to think about, but really it's not. Those are things you already consider if you think about it.
Brace yourself: Most people use 10 to 15 times more detergent than they need to. It's a published fact. The New York Times did a story on it.
That said, just how much should you use? For a front load machine you should be using 1-2 tablespoons of POWDER detergent for an average load. NEVER more than 3 tablespoons. For a top load machine, generally 1/2 the recommended amount.
A top load machine uses 20 gallons of water just in the wash part of the cycle. Then to rinse it uses another 20-25 gallons of water. Front load machines use 1-5 gallons of water to wash and another 3-15 to rinse, for at least twice the amount of clothes. Top loads rinse once and front loads rinse 3 times. There is less water to dilute the detergent in, therefore you should use less detergent. Less water, less detergent. Make any sense?
The reason you bought the front loader is for it's water and energy savings, right? And of course the large amount of laundry you can get in each load. Now you can save even more money by using less detergent, too.
I also said "what kind" of detergent you use, didn't I? By that I mean powder or liquid. Always Powder!
Why? When you are using too much, neither the powder or the liquid get dissolved. You just happen to be able to see the powder easier. It shows as a white flaky stuff all over your clothes. The liquid is there too, it's just harder to recognize.
Do your colors look dull and dingy? Do your whites look grey? Is someone in the family "allergic" to laundry detergents? Sorry, most likely it's liquid soap residue.
When I sell a new front load washer to someone I tell them to not use any detergent the first time they wash a load. You won't need to. There will be enough residue left on the clothes to do the job. If there is more than a thin layer of bubbles on the water and clothes, in a front load washer, you are using way too much detergent!
Again, marketing tells us that more is better, right? Sometimes it is, but not in your laundry detergent. Less is more! Your colors will stay brighter. Your whites, whiter. Your pockets heavier. (With all the cash you save on detergent!)
One more tidbit of info for you to think about: Soap vs Detergent
Soap makes suds. That's what makes it work.
Detergent does not make suds.
Those pesky marketing people put 'sudsing agent' in it to make lots of suds. They discovered that in our minds (Grandma said...!) we relate cleaning to suds. Not so with detergent. It's a lot of science, just trust me. (Google it!)
Oh and by the way, does your washer smell? It's a build up of excess detergent that traps dirt. And it all starts to stink! We'll talk about that next time.
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