Lemon Cooler

Take ripe, juicy lemons and squeeze them into a measuring cup.  Fill ice trays with the juice & pulp and freeze.  Before you head out on a hot day, fill your go cups with these cubes and water.  It will help you stay cool and healthy.  Add a little simple syrup and presto – lemonade!

Green Thumb?

Too much time weeding & digging without gloves?  The easiest way to remove the stains from your fingers is to use Polident denture cleaner.  Add warm water to a glass bowl, plop a couple tables in and submerge your fingers.  The stains will be gone from your hands when the water turns clear.

Herbs for cooking winter soups and stews

When harvesting herbs throughout the summer, pick/clip some extra and put them into ice cube trays, cover with water and freeze.  Simply pop out a cube of thyme, sage etc. and add to your soups and stews.  The taste is much fresher than dried herbs.

Keep deer away from your hostas and other lower leafy plants and veggies

If you don’t feel like spraying your plants with pepper laced water after every rain, get a bag of wooden skewers and simply stick them in the ground intermingled with the plants.  Let them stick up above the leaves.  Believe it or not, deer will not attempt to work around these hard sticks to eat your plants.

Parmesan Butternut Squash

2 1/2 lb Butternut Squash (peeled and cut into 1″ chunks)

3/4 Cup Heavy Cream

3 Sage leaves

2/3 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Toss squash with cream, sage, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of pepper. Bake 30 minutes on 350.  Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and spread the rest over the squash.  Bake for an extra 20 minutes. ENJOY!!!!