Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Tortilla chip crumbs

Save tortilla chip crumbs from the bottom of the bag until you have enough to make chili pie or to top casseroles. They give an excellent flavor and if you're going to throw them away anyway... they're free. For a chili pie, butter a casserole dish and put a layer of chip crumbs on the bottom, then a layer of chili, a layer of shredded cheese and another layer of chip crumbs. Make as many layers as you want, then top with cheese and another layer of chip crumbs and bake until it's heated through.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Newspaper pots

If you're gardening this year, you might want to start some plants inside. Instead of buying containers of any kind or using plastic which you will have to remove the seedling from, make newspaper pots. You don't need the special tool to do it. Use two containers, one of which will fit into the other. Put the newspaper in the larger container and crunch it in with the smaller one. Tie cotton string around the pot when it's finished to keep it from coming apart when it gets wet. When it's time to plant the seedling, dig a hole and put the pot and all into the ground. It will degrade in time for the plants roots to grow.