MAKE A NOTE!! -- August 1st, 2001
CIRCULATION - 16,558 (From Around the World! :-)
WEB SITE VISITORS - 24,248
A Free Twice Monthly (1st and 3d Wednesday of each month) Ezine with (Hopefully) Useful Info on a Wide Variety of Topics
NEXT ISSUE TO BE PUBLISHED ON/ABOUT AUGUST 13TH, 2001
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NOTE: Each entry has a suggested "POST IT..." location at the end. We recommend that you print out the ezine, cut out each entry, & post it in these locations to make it easier for you to find when you need it. And if you like what you read, be sure to pass it on to someone else who can use it.
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Ultimate Cookbook Resource
Recently, while trying to find an out of print cookbook, I came across this wonderful site for ANYONE who cooks AND they also have a mail catalog for our email only readers. Using this web site and/or catalog you can find cookbooks in every category imaginable, by just about every cookbook author, new, used, even gift wrapped! Both the web site & catalog have features to help you search for just what you are interested in. So if you are looking for "Quick & Easy" or elaborate gourmet, Vietnam or Texas grilling, this is the place to look. For the web site, go to http://www.ecookbooks.com. For their print catalog "Jessica's Biscuit Cookbooks" call 1-800-878-4264 or write them at P. O. Box 301, Newtonville, MA 02460-0003. POST IT...near your computer, by your phone or stamps, & by your Christmas gift buying list.
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Ultimate Complete MEAL Cookbook
Now if you are looking for a great cookbook to order, I think I may have found my ultimate all time, favorite cookbook EVER (thank you, Maria, for sharing it with me!). So how do we usually end up making meals? We have our 3 recipes for different dishes spread out on the counter, trying to figure out how to coordinate each one so they all finish about the same time, then we discover that an ingredient for one of the dishes is out of season. Not to mention having to wade through several cookbooks to find the few recipes that are really family friendly AND making a shopping list each week for all the scattered recipes. You can get rid of all these hassles with this absolutely fantastic cookbook called, "A Dinner A Day" by Sally Sondheim & Suzannah Sloan, subtitled "Complete MEALS in Minutes for EVERY Weeknight of the Year". You get an entire meal of recipes on every 2 pages (a different meal for every weeknight of the year), using seasonal foods, with meals designed to be prepared in 60 minutes or less, a schedule of what to do for each recipe to have all the dishes completed at the same time, along with a complete shopping list for the week! And best of all, it looked like every single meal was full of family friendly recipes. For example, for Thursday, the first week of March, your family would enjoy Mardi Gras Macaroni (see recipe below), French Quarter Salad (vegetable salad), and Carnival Pudding (fruit & pudding dessert). This book is now out of print, BUT it is still available at some bookstores and when I checked last week, ECookbooks (see article above) still had about 20 new ones on hand for sale. If you can't get your hands on a copy, don't fret, they are coming out with 2 new cookbooks in the same format next year and I'll be sure to alert you all when they arrive. In the meantime, do all you can to find this cookbook, for yourself, busy moms, new brides, college students, friends, relatives, I can't imagine anyone not liking this book. POST IT...on your shopping list!
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Lost Pet Scam Alert
Here's how it goes...you lose your pet, you post signs/ads. Someone sees it, calls up & pretends to know where your pet is, & wants you to wire the reward to him (or part of it) ahead of time. Often they will say the pet is being abused by someone else, but they think they can get it away. This has become enough of a problem that the Nevada Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection has even put a warning on their web site. Check it out at http://ag.state.nv.us/home.htm. If you have been the victim of this type of scam, call 1-702-486-3194 to report it. The Nevada office has become a sort of national coordinator for fighting this scam. Be sure to contact your local law enforcement also. In the meantime, here are ways you can protect yourself. Microchip and/or tattoo your pet to make them easier to identify, never leave a pet unattended, use 2 collars when walking the dog...one for ID tags & one for the leash (in case they pull out of their leash collar), if they do become lost withhold some info so that you can determine if anyone calling really has your pet (identifying mark, or trick they do, etc.). If someone wants money up front (by this time I hope you will have called the police), and you do decide to risk sending it, make sure they have to show proper ID to pick it up. POST IT...w/your vet records.
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Avoiding Washer/Dryer Disasters
We've all heard the stories, flooded rooms or even fires, but there are ways to cut down on the odds this will happen to you. Here are a few tips for preventing washer/dryer disasters. For the washer, make sure the hoses bringing the water into the machine from the wall are reinforced with a metal mesh. I was shocked one day to discover a bubble in my plain rubber hose the size of a large marble just waiting to pop & flood my floor. They now make large plastic trays for the washers to sit on. While they are designed to be connected to a drain hole, you could get one even without drainage & it could help limit damage from minor leaks. A side benefit from this tray also seems to be that my washer no longer gets off balance. If the spigots are convenient, consider turning the water off when you are not using the machine, or at the very least whenever you go on vacation. Use a baking soda detergent (or add 1/2C baking soda to your detergent) and 3/4C vinegar to the rinse cycle; this will help prevent residue buildup that could block the drain hose and also get your clothes a LOT cleaner. Dryer tips include making sure your vent hose is made of UL approved fire resistant aluminum (not plastic or foil). CLEAN THE LINT FILTER AFTER EVERY LOAD!! Do not clean it during, as this could cause lint to escape into the machine. Vacuum around the machine as often as you vacuum, and every 6 months take the back or front covers off the machine, and vacuum any lint that has accumulated inside the machine, including the vent hose. BE SURE TO UNPLUG THE MACHINE FIRST & FOLLOW YOUR MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDATIONS. POST IT...in your laundry room.
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Recipe: Mardi Gras Macaroni
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bring water to boil in large pan, chop fresh chives to make 2 tblsp. Cook 8 oz elbow macaroni in boiling water until almost tender, 9-11 min. In a 2qt casserole dish, stir together 1 can (10 3/4 oz) cheddar cheese soup, medium can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, & 1 tsp Dijon mustard. Season to taste. Drain pasta & add to casserole. Top with 6 oz shredded regular or low-fat Monterey Jack cheese. Place in oven, reduce temp. to 400F & bake until hot & bubbly, about 25 min. Slice 1/2 lb fresh tomatoes & use to top the casserole. Sprinkle with 2 oz shredded cheese & continue baking until cheese melts, about 5 min. Sprinkle with chives. Enjoy. (EDITOR'S NOTE: The authors generously allowed me to include this recipe in a condensed form to fit the space of our ezine, in the book it is obviously laid out in a fashion that is much easier to read & follow.) POST IT...in your recipe box.
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Back Issue Treasure: August 1st, 1999 (Christmas Countdown Check List...START NOW!!)
Okay, I know I just recommended this issue for other reasons just last month. But it is that time again, when one of our readers' all time favorite articles gets put to good use. Yes, the Christmas Countdown Checklist. This is the time and if you start now then you can enjoy a much more relaxing holiday season. So don't delay, check out this back issue with the checklist, print it out & get working on it. A little bit for the next 4 months, will save you all that last minute running around. POST IT...by your computer.
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Final Words
JOKE (Actually a Slip of the Tongue Quote)
"Assuming he was an honest & honorable man, we had no choice but to oppose him."
--Sen. Joseph Biden Jr. referring to John Ashcroft before voting against him.
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QUOTE
"The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is the way a man uses them."
--Anonymous
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AT&T's Community Port
AT&T has a site about WorldNet members, like us, who have created their own personal web pages. If you think our site deserves to be featured on AT&T's Community Port , send them an e-mail about it, at communities@att.net. Be sure to include the page's URL http://home.att.net/~make-a-note/index.htm and why you think our site is special.
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