How to Make Glass Cleaner

1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
1/2 cup water
a couple drops of blue food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle. Use as you would use Windex.

The food coloring is included to be sure the mixture will not be mistaken for water. Keep in mind that this is toxic, just like Windex. Keep out of reach of children, and use in a well ventilated area.

I think this has almost the same ingredients as Windex. It works just as well for a fraction of the cost.--Sarah

Pecan Crusted Bacon

1/4 C. crushed pecans
4 slices bacon (or turkey bacon)
maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheet with foil. Brush bacon slices with syrup and sprinkle with pecans. Bake until done, 10-25 minutes depending on thickness of bacon.

Clair's Crockpot Chili

1 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 pkg. taco seasoning

Combine all in crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Monkey Bread

1 stick butter (2 T divided out)
2 T water
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. chopped pecans
2 cans regular biscuits (10/can) - I use Pillsbury Flaky Biscuits

Preheat oven to 375. Place 2 T melted butter in bundt pan and coat bottom and sides. Sprinkle 3 T of pecans into bottom of pan. In a sauce pan, combine the rest of the butter, water, and brown sugar. Cook until boiling and remove from heat. (You can continue to cook for about 2 minutes after it starts boiling if you like thicker sauce. This is what I usually do.) Break biscuits in half and roll each half into a ball shape. Place biscuit halves from one can into bundt pan. Pour 1/2 of syrup over biscuits. Sprinkle 1/2 of nuts on top of that. Repeat with remaining biscuits, syrup, and nuts. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn onto a serving dish immediately. Serve hot! :) YUM!!

This is a quick, easy and quite tasty breakfast treat that I make when my family comes into town. It serves about 6 people....or 4 depending on how hungry you are!! - Kristina

Poppy Seed Chicken Salad With Apricots

Salad
4 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1-2 green onions, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3/4 cup dried chopped apricots
1 diced apple
1/2 cup halved red grapes
1/2 cup toasted, slivered almonds
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper

Dressing
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

1. Combine all salad ingredients.
   
2. Whisk together dressing in separate bowl.
   
3. Combine salad and dressing about one hour before serving and put in refrigerator.

This was so wonderful. Alicia brought it to our last home group meeting. --Sarah

Use Vinegar as a Dishwasher Rinse Aid

Thank you to my mom for this tip...

Just fill the rinse aid compartment in your dishwasher with straight vinegar. The dishes dry completely and are totally spot free.

It works just as well as Jet Dry for a fraction of the cost. In fact, my mom has been using plain white vinegar for the last month, and she says it works even better than Jet Dry.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

2 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts (boiled or grilled, then diced up or shredded)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 small container (6-8 oz) Reg. Sour Cream
1 can Rotel
2 cups of Mexican Style cheese (divided)
8 Tortillas (usually use fajita size so enchilada is overstuffed, but burrito size works well too)
Sliced Jalapenos if desired

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix soup and sour cream. Smear some of the soup/sour cream mixture on the bottom of a 9x12 glass pan to prevent sticking on the bottom of pan. In another medium bowl, mix shredded/diced chicken, 1 cup of cheese and can of Rotel. Stuff and roll tortillas with chicken mixture, then line up enchiladas side by side in the pan. When finished, pour and smear the rest of the soup/sour cream mixture on top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle additional 1 cup of cheese on top of enchiladas. You can also add sliced jalapenos if desired. Cook for 40-45 minutes in oven until cheese is brown and sauce is bubbly.

This is a quick and easy meal that I make for my family when I don't have a lot of time to cook. It only takes about 15 minutes to throw it together and then just 40 minutes to cook. The leftovers are great too! This is a great meal if you need to make a casserole dish to use for those occasions when you sign up to bring food to people (ie. birth of a baby, loss of a loved one, illness in family, etc.) --Kristina