Pear Bread Pudding

I don't believe in heating up my kitchen any more than is necessary during summer. My a/c bill skyrockets, and who needs that? So, here's a simple dessert you make in the crock pot! Smells marvelous! I changed it slightly from the original.



First change: I save all bread heels. No one likes them, and it's a shame to waste perfectly good bread. So, I keep a freezer bag in the door of the freezer, and all bread heels go in there, waiting to be my next bread pudding.



Second change: Fresh fruit lasts maybe a day or two around here, so I used canned pears for this recipe.



Third change: I use slow cooker liners. They make cleanup a breeze. However, you can spray the crock with cooking spray.



Pear Bread Pudding



1 lb. bread pieces (16 oz) or one loaf french/challah bread, torn into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup trans-free margarine or butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Pinch ground ginger

16 halves of canned pears, reserving liquid. (about 2-3 cans)

1/4 cup reserved pear juice, apple juice, or water



Coat your slow cooker with cooking spray or use a liner. Your choice. Put the bread pieces in a large bowl. Melt the margarine in the microwave and pour it over the bread. Stir to moisten. Add sugars, flour, and spices. Stir/toss to coat thoroughly.



Put 1/3 of the bread in the crock. Layer with eight of the pear halves. Put on another 1/3 of the total bread. Layer another eight of the pears. Top with the remaining bread. Drizzle the pear juice over everything.



Cover. Cook on low a few hours until mixture is hot and bubbly, then reduce to Warm. Serve hot or cold, as is your preference. Goes well with either ice cream, dulche de leche, or Cool Whip.

Herbal Delights on DVD

I'm as lazy as the next person. Why research and struggle if someone else can make it simple? That's what I found in Jerry Baker's Garden of Herbal Delights DVD. I want to own this one! Here's the blurb from Netflix:



Master gardener Jerry Baker -- whose green thumb has inspired millions to grow their own paradises at home -- lays out the basics of planting an herb garden in this program adapted from his popular PBS specials. Segments focus on how to create a plan for growing herbs outdoors, as well as techniques for indoor growing; how to harvest, dry and store fresh herbs; and how to create herbal remedies using ingredients from your garden.

Herbal Delights on DVD

I'm as lazy as the next person. Why research and struggle if someone else can make it simple? That's what I found in Jerry Baker's Garden of Herbal Delights DVD. I want to own this one! Here's the blurb from Netflix:

Master gardener Jerry Baker -- whose green thumb has inspired millions to grow their own paradises at home -- lays out the basics of planting an herb garden in this program adapted from his popular PBS specials. Segments focus on how to create a plan for growing herbs outdoors, as well as techniques for indoor growing; how to harvest, dry and store fresh herbs; and how to create herbal remedies using ingredients from your garden.

Great stuff!

Lena

Litha Picnic -- Hot Dog Platter for all

Picnic Hot Dog Platter


Prep: 10 min. Grill: 20 min.

Ingredients
12 frankfurters, uncooked bratwurst, smoked pork sausages, veal sausages, turkey sausages, vegetarian frankfurters, or other favorites
1 dozen frankfurther or bratwurst buns or French-style rolls, split
1 recipe Tart Apple Mustard, Bacon Brown-Sugar Mustard, and/or Early Girl Tomato Mustard (recipes follows)
Other condiments, such as chopped pickled peppers, sliced tomatoes, pickle relish, and crumbled cooked bacon (optional)
Directions
1. Pierce uncooked sausages all over with a fork or cut several shallow crosswise slits in each uncooked sausage.
2. In a grill with a cover arrange preheated coals around a drip pan. Test for medium heat above the pan. Grill uncooked sausages on grill rack above the drip pan turning once for 20 to 25 minutes or until brown and a thermometer registers 170 degrees F. Grill frankfurters and cooked sausages on grill rack above the drip pan for 10 minutes or until brown and a thermometer registers 165 degrees F, turning once. Place in buns and top with desired mustards and condiments. Makes 12 servings.
Tart Apple Mustard: In a small bowl stir togetether 1/2 cup honey mustard, 2 tablespoons shredded green apple, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to blend flavors before serving. Store any remaining mustard in the refrigerator up to 24 hours. Makes about 2/3 cup.
Bacon Brown-Sugar Mustard: In a small bowl stir together 3/4 cup yellow mustard, 3 slices crisp-cooked bacon, and 4 teaspoons brown sugar. Cover; refrigerate overnight to blend flavors before serving. Store any remaining mustard in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Makes 1 cup.
Early Girl Tomato Mustard: In a small bowl stir together 1/3 cup creamy Dijon-style mustard blend and 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard until well combined. Gently stir in 1/2 cup peeled and seeded, chopped tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Makes about 2/3 cup.
Nutrition facts per frankfurter, bun, and about 1 tablespoon Tart Apple Mustard.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition facts per serving:
Calories 281
Total Fat (g) 16
Saturated Fat (g) 6
Cholesterol (mg) 24
Sodium (mg) 757
Carbohydrate (g) 24
Fiber (g) 1
Protein (g) 9
Vitamin A (DV%) 0
Vitamin C (DV%) 0
Calcium (DV%) 6
Iron (DV%) 10
*Percent Daily Values are base on a 2,000 calorie diet

Tip Talk -- Cleaning House

House Cleaning Checklist

Have you ever wondered how those maid services manage to make a house look spotless in only an hour or two? My foster mother owns a house cleaning service. This list is very similar to hers. Did you know each room can take less than 15 minutes, and all the cleaning products fit in a plastic tote? One glass cleaner, one sanitizing cleaner, one furniture cleaner, paper towels, trash bags are in the tote. The maid deliberately wears a waitress apron with pockets for small items and the keys to her car. She uses a big binder clip to attach a kitchen-sized trash bag to the side of her apron. That’s where the room trash goes. When it’s full, she ties it off and places it outside the front door, then replaces the bag at her side.

I don’t know about you, but when I know the maid is coming, I do some of the work before she arrives. I remove the shoes and socks from the living room, throw away old magazines and junk mail, and generally remove what doesn’t belong. Call me silly, but I can’t stand the idea of letting the maid see what a slob my family is. Use this philosophy to your advantage. If someone else was coming to clean your house, what would you tackle so she doesn’t think you’re a slob? Do this first, but do clip the trash bag to your waist. You’ll need it.

ALL ROOMS
Furniture dusted and polished
Clean glass doors
General dusting
Dust walls and hangings
Vacuum all carpets
Floors mopped
Remove trash
General pickup and straighten
General items organized, like pillows, chairs, blankets
Overall appearance of the room neat and tidy
Freshen Air
ALL BEDROOMS
Beds made and linens changed (if left out on bed)
Furniture dusted and polished
Vacuum under beds
General dusting
Overall appearance of room neat and tidy
KITCHEN
Cabinet door exteriors wiped
Outside of appliances wiped
Sink cleaned and sanitized
Countertop and back splash cleaned and sanitized (all items removed and replaced)
Kitchen floor mopped
Dishwasher loaded and run
ALL BATHROOMS
Clean and sanitize shower, tub, sink counter, and toilet
Tiles and chrome cleaned
Mirror, pictures, and vanity tops cleaned
All floors mopped.

Sure, the first few times you do this, it’ll take you longer than 15 minutes each but soon enough the tasks become more efficient with practice.

More on Herbal Vinegars

Flavored Herb Vinegars

I love herb vinegars! What’s not to love? They throw together in a flash and add that extra oomph to all your summer salads and marinades. Just dump a few herbs or peppers in a glass jar or carafe, add vinegar that is at least 6% acetic acid vinegar. American vinegars are often 5%, and will do in a pinch, but try to find the good stuff.

A few words to the wise:

Shop in thrift stores and other places for cheap wine carafes and dressing bottles with glass stoppers. Collect many, and if you can get them colored, you’re one step ahead of the game.
Color your carafes with Perm-Enamel paints for glass. Make sure you get the air-dry varieties of paints. & recommend using dark colors to preserve your vinegars that much longer.
Do not use a metal top for long-term storage. It is better to replace the metal screw top with a cork from a brewing shop. The acidic nature of vinegar corrodes your metal, so avoid it for vinegar storage.

My coven just made basil vinegar, rosemary vinegar, and pepper vinegar today. Salads and marinades of summer, here we come!

Litha Bread -- Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup wheat germ
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp each ground nutmeg, mace, and cloves
½ cup skim milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
6 packets Sweet-N-Lo sugar substitute (or 2 tsp bulk version)
½ cup sugar
4 egg whites (or scant ½ cup liquid egg substitute)
3 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients up to the milk. In a large bowl, combine milk, oil, Sweet-N-Lo, sugar and egg whites. Stir in dry ingredients and zucchini. Blend well.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 5 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely on the rack. Makes one large loaf.

Cut loaf into 14 slices. Each slice is 180 calories, 5 g protein, 5 g fat, 30 g carbohydrates, 0 mg cholesterol, 278 mg sodium.

Diabetic exchanges: 2 starch/bread, 1 fat.

Note from Lena: Nowhere else in all my years of searching have I found a better recipe that’s both easy and the results are so sweet, moist, and delicious. My only caution is to be sure you use young zucchini less than 8” in length. Anything longer than 12” is bitter.

Altar Cloths for all Occasions

Practical Pagan –Altar Cloths for Every Season

Make your own altar cloths! No talent required.

As previously mentioned, altar cloth colors can change with the Sabbats, the moons, and for special events such as the Rites of Passage.

Sewing is not necessary! All you need is a roll of Stitch Witch and an iron. Fold up the edges, iron to help them stay in place, put a strip of Stitch Witch in between the two layers of cloth, iron again. Voila! Altar Cloth. If you can sew, stitch all the way around to secure the hem more thoroughly.

We’ll get fancy later in this writing with decorating your plain cloths. Stick with me, okay?

COLORS

Invariably, most fabric stores have seasonal fabrics on hand well before needed. For example, Yule fabrics can be found almost immediately after Samhain. We pagans simply have to adjust and think ahead a bit.

But, let’s start with the basics. The two colors most often needed on altars are available year round – black and white. In fact, it’s not uncommon to layer an altar with a black permanent cloth, and use the white as an overlay for Full Moon. However, some want to change out to symbolize the differences between Full Moon and New Moon. Your choice. For the purposes of this writing, we’ll make no distinction and simply call it the “underlayment.”

Each Sabbat has a few colors associated with it. Some common examples are:

Yule – dark green, red, purple, gold
Imbolg – brown, ice blue
Eostar – light green, pastel pink, pastel yellow
Beltane – grass green, white, red
Litha – bright yellow, gold, turquoise
Lammas – wheat gold
Mabon – red
Samhain – orange, black, purple

These are by no means all the colors, merely an example. Don’t freak on me if you use another. In addition, each Sabbat has symbols also available in cloth. Yule holly, snowflakes for Imbolg, painted eggs for Eostar, strawberries for Beltane, suns and herbs for Litha, wheat for Lammas, fruits for Mabon, and jack-o-lanterns for Samhain to name a few. These may require a more diligent search, but can be used as well.

One yard will do for each one of these unless you’re using your entire dining room table for your altar. Prices will vary, depending on sales and your choices. If you just have to have that lovely red velvet, you’ll pay dearly. Broadcloth can be much cheaper if your wallet has moths inside most of the year.

I recommend looking at the sales flyers for your most convenient fabric store or taking a reconnaissance wander through the aisles at least monthly for bargains. Remnants are often found tucked away in a basket or special shelf, if you’re willing to make do with less than a yard. The sales flyers can be a gold mine of half-off coupons to save you a bundle!

Can’t sew? Don’t worry! You have two choices. Stitch Witch is rolls of fusible webbing about the size of scotch tape you sandwich between two layers of fabric and iron. Just follow directions. My only caution is that after a few washings, you’ll have to replace the Stitch Witch. Same goes for fabric glue. Get the kind that says it’s permanent. It lasts a little longer, but not much. Eventually, you may want to hand stitch or prevail upon a friend to hem the cloth for you.

Let’s assume you’ve taken your treasure home, hemmed it (at least with Stitch Witch) and it looks a little plain. You have a myriad of choices available, and –if you are blessed with friends or a coven—a group project.

Appliqués – these ready-made embroideries are a blessing for anyone who can hold an iron or do a few hand stitches. Look for symbols to match your Sabbat. For example, you have a green cloth for Beltane, and you found red strawberries to appliqué on it! Perfect match. Some appliqués even come with adhesive on the back, requiring only the heat of an iron to make them stick. Just follow directions. Others will require the use of more Stitch Witch, permanent fabric glue, or a few quick stitches with a needle.

Fabric Paint – You can either free hand or use stencils to create your symbols on your cloth. I had a wheat stencil and gold glitter paint to use on a pale cream cloth for Lammas. On a flat protected surface, I laid the stencil down on the cloth where I wanted the symbol to go. A few strips of masking tape held it securely in place. I poured the paint into a recycled Styrofoam meat tray, dipped in my stenciling sponge (available in the same vicinity as the fabric paint) and tapped the sponge on the stencil until I thought the paint was sufficient to hold my design. Carefully, I removed the tape and lifted the stencil away from the cloth and washed the stencil immediately to keep the paint from drying on it. After I patted the stencil dry, I placed it on the next area I wanted that design and repeated the procedure until I was happy with the way it looked. Let it dry somewhere safe for at least 24 hours.

Tee Shirt Transfers – You can buy tee shirt transfers for your computer printer at any good office supply. A search of good images on the Net will result in some lovely choices. Be prepared with a fresh color cartridge if you’re just learning. Some even come with the necessary software. There will be a learning curve, but soon you’ll print out transfers to iron on your chosen images directly on the altar cloth. However, I highly advise painting with fabric paint over the design in the same colors if possible. Tee shirt transfers made at home are not very durable. The heat of a clothes dryer will eventually destroy it. Paint over to save your work.

Beyond the Lessons of Katrina

A friend of mine lived through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Her stories of weeks without money, gas, electricity, and potable water were enough to turn anyone’s hair gray, even a pagan and medievalist like me.

Fallen trees blocked the roads, and we’ve all heard the horror stories of how slow the government was to get to the rural areas. Imagine that your home survived with only “minor damage” but you’re suddenly thrown back into the era long before electricity, grocery stores, cars, and all the modern conveniences.

At first, they had all the foods stored in the freezers and refrigerators to eat. Like FEMA tells us to do, they had enough potable water stored in gallon containers to survive for a few days. Charcoal grills provided a way to cook. All the candles housewives decorate with provided light to see by at night. Batteries were thriftily saved for emergencies. Canned and preserved food was hoarded and used sparingly. Gasoline was siphoned out of cars to provide power to a generator and chain saw shared between local families. The water wells didn’t work without power to run the electric pumps.

At the one gas station they could reach, the pumps were electric, so no way to get to the gasoline stored below ground. The attached convenience store, with the perishables rotting on the shelves, was locked. Its owner had fled ahead of the storm. He wouldn’t return for months. No one wanted to become a looter and a criminal, because eventually civilization would return.

Eventually however, all those remnants of civilization ran out. They tried their best to be frugal, but nothing lasts forever. Not only the people, but also the pets were going hungry. They’d put buckets on poles and every morning someone from each household made the half-hour long trek to a local stream for two buckets of water, which had to be boiled before it was drinkable.

Do you have cast iron pots to cook with over an open fire? Do you have a container large enough to was clothes by hand?

Can you:

Milk a cow? Pasteurize the milk?
Make candles?
Weave a rug or cloth?
Tan a hide with either brain or pine tannin?
Fit together logs to make a sturdy shelter?
Thatch a roof?
Cook on an open fire?
Start a fire without matches?
Find edibles in the woods?
Do laundry?
Make soap?
Use local clay to make a pot and fire it?
Make mud bricks?
Make edible salt from seawater?
Distill liquid until potable?
Make a broom?
Store food without refrigeration? (Smoking, drying, pemmican, salting, below ground?)
Make a safe latrine or outhouse?
Brush your teeth with salt or baking soda? Where would you get those things?
Take a bath?


Think about it. How would you survive if civilization went away for an extended length of time?

Lena

Brooms for Ritual

Broom Lore
(Collected from various sources, including Scott Cunningham’s books)

The broom has long been associated with magick due to its shape, use in purification rituals and its kinship with magical wands and staffs. The common household tool is so sacred that in some parts of the world, broom deities exist.

In China, the broom goddess is Sao Ch’ing Niang or Sao Ch’ing Niang-Niang. Known as the Lady with the Broom, she lives on the Broom Star, and presides over good weather. When rain continues too long, threatening crops, farmers cut out paper images of brooms and paste them on their doors and fences to bring clear weather and sunshine.

In pre-Colombian Mexico, the Aztecs worshiped the Witch-Goddess Tiazolteotl, who was usually depicted carrying or riding a broom. In her rites, priests burned black incense and laid brooms made from rushes across the fire. Owls, snakes, and the Moon were also dedicated to her. She was invoked to sweep away worshipers’ transgressions.

In the old days, several different types of brooms were specially prepared for magic. For other than normal sweeping spells, you should have one broom in your house reserved for magic that isn’t used for anything else.

There are many associations made between brooms and witches, some of them off-color and confused. Witches didn’t fly on their broomsticks (too bad!) but like their accusers, they did use them to clean their cottages. Reports that witches galloped around on broomsticks during their ritual dances may hold some truth, as they were blessing the fertility of their crops. Even today, the jumping of the broom is still performed at some weddings!

BROOM MAGIC
When using a broom for the first time, make a wish and it will come true.

Anyone who desires to be married merely has to jump over a broom nine times; within a year, he or she will be married.

Placing a broom across a doorway allows your departed friends and family to speak to you if they so choose. As long as the broom remains, they can communicate freely.

You can grow broom corn in any pot or garden. Sorghum vulgere, the variety we call broom corn, has the longest tassels. It is this variety that is used in the making of brooms.

I found this source for broom corn seeds:
http://growers.harrisseeds.com/cart/detail.asp?subcat=30&product_id=01151%2D00%2D02

All you need to make a broom is a large pile of broom corn tassels and a closet pole, strong adhesive such as Liquid Nails, plus enough strong cotton twine to tie securely. Make sure the tassels are pliable enough to bend without breaking.

Cut your pole to a comfortable height for you to hold in your hands. About four feet will work.

Take your time. Lay your tassels at the bottom, against the pole and going up the pole, opposite of their final direction down. Loop the twine around the tassels, securing them to the pole. Use a generous amount of the Liquid Nails to further secure the tassels to the pole. Allow to dry thoroughly before continuing.

Once dry, now turn your tassels to face downward and again loop the twine around as many times as it takes to hold them all down securely. Use the Liquid Nails as needed to further secure the twine and tassels permanently in place. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Now you are free to paint, add ribbons, silk flowers, or even charms if your ritual broom needs decoration.

Always store your broom with the tassels up, or with your broom on hooks resting horizontally. Do not allow the broom to rest on the tassels where they’ll bend or break.

Bless your broom over your next balefire and sweep away negativity to cleanse your circle and covenstead of ill magicks.

Bright Blessings!

Herb and Vegetable Thank You Potion

I say without shame that I got this formula from Jerry Baker (www.jerrybaker.com) Yes, some of his formulas can be disgusting, but most work. I don't argue with what works.

Mix:

1 can beer (full beers, not "lites")
1 cup ammonia
1 oz liquid dish soap (lemon flavored is best)
3 tbsp. instant tea powder

Place in a 20 gallon hose end sprayer and fill the balance with water. Feed every three weeks after 6 PM or early in the morning.

A Gardening Brag

I'm an avid gardener with a 3/4 acre yard to enhance. Living in NE Florida has its challenges, because it's Zone 8. Some things grow well here, but others don't because I don't have enough of a cold season. Oh, bother.

Anyway, I'm happy to report my poor abused Black Magic Elephant Ears (http://michiganbulb.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_66562_A_Black+Magic+Elephant+Ears_E_ )loves its new home just outside my screen porch out back. The poor thing did *okay* in a large pot for a year at my old place, but didn't thrive. Apparently, this new location in soil suits it much better. Already it has put out twice as many leaves, though I'll assume it's going to take a couple of years to reach its full height of 5'-6' and a spread nearly as wide.

I also just made two purchases today from Michigan Bulb (http://www.michiganbulb.com) that please me very much. I've wanted these plants for years, and knew better than to buy them until I had just the right spot. Despite Michigan Bulb's lifetime guarantee on all plants, it's just not fair to plant something where it doesn't belong. Now, I finally can indulge myself.

My first purchase was the Blue Moon Hydrangea. (http://michiganbulb.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_65731_A_Blue+Moon+Hydrangea+_E_ )
I've lusted for those cobalt blue blooms, and now I have a soft gray house to show them off. Three will do nicely for a reasonable hedge between my neighbor's front lawn and mine. She's a very nice lady, but that area is a bit bare and shady due to a huge scrub oak in the middle of my front lawn.

The second purchase is a mix of Hostas. (http://michiganbulb.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_14159_A_Mixed+Hosta_E_ ) I'm not so picky about what variety of hosta to put in the bed under my office and bathroom windows out back, where another huge scrub oak completely shades that corner of my yard. It's so bare in there, with just one thin fig and a few Blazing Star Liatris to provide any color, so the hostas will provide a very nice medium height (2'-3' at maturity) of green without totally obscuring the windows or air conditioner unit.

We're still working on the huge mound of FREE wood chips, provided by a local tree service as mulch. This was an entire dump truck load (!!) so you can image I'm putting mulch just about everywhere. LOL! I understand many tree services offer to give away their wood chips, so it's a bargain few gardeners can pass up.

One of the main areas I'm filling with mulch is my altar garden for outdoor rituals. My altar is an old cement bird bath left by the previous owner. When I'm not using the area for rituals, it provides a nice place for the birds to grab a drink or take a bath. When I need it, I just cover it with a round tabletop made from an old drum canister and set up my altar. A few stone pavers provide firm footing and a safe place for candles. My "cauldron," a mini-fireplace I found similar to this one (http://www.collectionsetc.com/Item60162.aspx) does nicely enough to provide needed fire. I'll take a picture when I'm done with the mulch. (Whew! Sweat Equity for real.)

Okay, enough bragging. Back to work.

Looking Forward to Litha

Now that Beltane has passed, it's time to look ahead to Litha. Besides being many other things, Litha is the herb harvest and a time for preparing your herbs for both magickal and mundane uses.

Drying herbs is not nearly so difficult or expensive as one might think. All that is truly needed are 2-3 air conditioner filters, 2-4 cement blocks and a box fan. No, I'm not kidding. You will also need a bottle for every herb type you dry. I recommend saving small bottles and jars throughout the year, or hitting up a friend with a baby for baby food jars.

Gather your herbs by the light of the full moon, but before dew has settled on the plants. Remember to thank the plant for its sacrifice and if it is a perennial, reward it with a plant food spike, a dusting of plant food, or a drink of a formula I'll give another day. Treat them well, and they'll reward you year after year. Feel free to name them, if you wish. For instance, my potted basil is called "Lazarus" because he refuses to die, despite being an annual. Every year, he grows larger and healthier. LOL!

Lay your herbs on the filters, using a different filter for each herb. write on the outside of the filter with a Sharpie what the herb is on that filter. Stack the filters as you go on the blocks. If you have the strong-sided filters, two blocks will do, one on each side. If they are the weak, easily bent cardboard, use one block for each of the four sides for better support. Lay the box fan on top of the filters, facing so the air is blown through the filters and out below. Turn it on low and walk away. Turn it off at night. Check the herbs to see if they dried well and are crumbly. If not, turn on the fan again for the day. How long it takes depends on your climate and the humidity conditions.

While the herbs dry, prepare your bottles. There are glass paints such as PermEnamel brand available in most craft stores. Read the bottles carefully to find the ones that can be air-dried and choose dark colors like green, black and brown. Paint your bottles in your chosen color, and then paint on the herb name in white as a permanent label. Allow them to dry completely before filling them with your dried herbs. The dark colors will prevent light from spoiling your herbs before you use them up. (This trick is also good to do for your spices, BTW.)

When the bottles and herbs are dry, put the herbs in the bottles and screw down the lids well.

Store your herbs in a cool, dry cabinet away from light. The colored bottles help, but have only 70-80% reduction in light. The dark cabinet does the rest. Your herbs will now be ready for use throughout the year in creating candles, incenses, vinegars, teas, and potions.

RECIPE: Skillet Beef and Macaroni

The original version of this recipe was bland, so I changed it. Be aware, it looks absolutely terrible while you're making it. Persevere. It tastes great! If you like your food spicy, add some chili powder or use the hot versions of the picante and salsa.

2 lb. ground beef
2 cans Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cups Pace Picante Sauce
2 cups any mild salsa mix
4 cans whole kernel corn, drained
4 cups cooked elbow macaroni (you may substitute egg noodles)
Shredded cheddar cheese

Boil the pasta in hot water and drain well. While the noodles boil, cook the ground beef in a large saucepan and drain well. Add the soup, sauce, salsa, and corn. Heat until bubbly. Add in the drained pasta. Stir and allow to return to a simmer. Serve, sprinkling with the cheese as desired. Serves 8.