Every Christmas, my parents usually give me cash as my gift. With that money this year, I purchased a new dehydrator. My old one was no longer producing any heat so it was taking forever to dehydrate things and I didn't feel it was a safe way to dehydrate foods.
The problem that I had with my old dehydrator, and the new one since it was almost identical to the original, was that small foods always fell through the webbing of the trays.
Problem is now solved. I purchased these sheets through Amazon. I did have to trim the sheets to fit my trays, but it was so worth it.
Well then let me explain. I don't want flowers. They are beautiful, smell magnificent, and can brighten up a room. They also die. They can be high maintenance. They are also expensive as all get out.
I worked in a floral shop for 8 months. I prepped flowers for arrangements. I know they have a pretty good mark up and I know how much work they are to look that gorgeous.
I'd rather spend that money on something that will benefit my entire household than on something I will be throwing out in a week once they are sad, dead, and smelly.
So that's what we did. We replaced my poor battered and broken food processor.
When I had my surgery, they let me know that I would wake up with my torturious (yes, I made that word up) cradle on and would not be able to take it off to get dressed so I needed to bring clothing to wear home that would account for that.
Well, I had nothing that would be big enough to fit over that massive torture device. So I made something.
I took a tank top that I didn't wear as often, mainly because it wasn't my favorite one, and modified it to make it work for the surgery.
I cut up the entire seam on the right side of the tank, including the shoulder seam. Then I turned under the edge and stitched all the way up on each side, to help prevent fraying later. Then I put snaps in. I added two snaps on the shoulder and three snaps up the side.
In this video, I show you how I made a self sifting litter pan to use with the pellet style litter.
There is a correction that I need to note. In the video, I stated that I used a 3/32" drill bit initially before drilling larger holes into the pan in spots. I misread the drill bit size. I actually used a 3/16" bit for the smaller holes and a 7/32" drill bit for the bigger holes.
If I was to make another one of these, I would probably increase the hole sizes making the smaller holes the 7/32" and the bigger ones 1/4".
I used my plastic litter scooper to help me determine what size holes I needed, but I find it takes a little longer, than I wanted it to, to shake the saw dust out of each pan.
Surgery was two days ago now. Sleep has been difficult, doing anything alone impossible, but it is about to get a little better.
Today the bandages come off. Woooo hooooo. Trust me, this is exciting. I can take a shower, though I will need help to was, but I CAN TAKE A SHOWER. This is the best feeling in the world when you are unable to do it. I'm not talking about not taking one by choice, but not being allowed to take one is completely different.
In preparation for my surgery, the orthopedist provided me with a special torture device that I would have to wear to help the healing process.
The torture device is also known as a DonJoy Cradle. It holds your arm, which ever one it would be, in a "neutral" position while it is healing from surgery.
This torture device also comes with a few configurations and pillow options to try to make the torture as pleasant as possible, as if that was possible.
I love baked potatoes. My diabetes doesn't, but I love them. They are yummy and filling and taste amazing. However, they take forever to make in the oven. The microwave can help you out but if you forget to poke them, they can explode in there. Not a fun cleaning day.
Since I got my pressure cooker for Christmas, I have been looking for more things to cook in it and to my surprise, baked potatoes are one.
Make sure you scrub them potatoes well, no one wants to taste dirt in their potato. Follow your pressure cookers directions on how much liquid is needed for your particular machine. Mine has a minimum of 1 cup of liquid. In a 6 quart cooker, you can do 8 or 9 extra large potatoes, you more smaller ones.
I recommend trying to cook ones that are all about the same size since difference in sizes could mean some are well done while others are still hard in the center. When I am making medium size potatoes, I cook them on high pressure for 13 minutes. Large potatoes for 17 minutes, and extra large potatoes for 20 minutes.
Making flavored butters is pretty easy. It takes only a few ingredients and supplies to make it as well.
First off, you will need butter. I usually use unsalted butter just so I can control the amount of salt in the finished product, but if you prefer salted then use that. Make sure this is at room temperature or you will have a heck of a time mixing in the flavors.
Then you will need herbs and spices or whatever you wish to flavor the butter with. In this video, I make two variations. The first has minced garlic, basil, thyme, minced onion, and salt. The second has mushroom powder, minced garlic, and minced onion.
In my video, I used a food processor to mix the butter and flavorings together. My poor food processor has seen better days and I am looking into replacing it. Now if you don't own one, don't let that stop you from making it. You can also use a stand mixer or a hand mixer, whichever you have available and depending on how much you are making at one time. If you are making only a small amount, the hand mixer may work better since a stand mixer may have difficulty with a small amount.
Now just because I am making savory items, doesn't mean that is what you are limited to. I fully intend on making some more sweet ones that can be used on toast or what not. When I made these savory ones, I didn't have any dehydrated fruit available to mix in. That will come once fruit is in season again.
