Old-Fashioned Cold Remedies

I entered this here before but I will do it again as there is a lot of colds out there this time of year.

Home treatment for colds can be even more effective than medications, and without the harmful side effects. Old-fashioned cold remedies can often be made with what you already have in your pantry, and the cost is much less prohibitive than the expense of a doctor`s visit and several prescriptions. Next time you feel a cold coming on, try some of these simple remedies to alleviate your symptoms and shorten the duration of your cold.

Avoid Over-the-Counter Drugs

Although these medications claim to be helpful, they can turn your cold into a nightmare. A runny nose may be irritating, but drying up nasal passages with decongestants is a sure fire way to encourage the build-up of bacteria. Instead, keep you sinuses clear with natural saline sprays.

You can also make your own saline solution at home with a half teaspoon of salt dissolved in a cup of warm water. Use a bulb syringe to place three or four drops of the liquid into each nostril. Gently breathe in and avoid blowing your nose for at least thirty seconds. This gives the mixture time to break down some of the build-up in your sinuses. Repeat this several times each day until nasal passages are clear.    What I do is, I mix up the salt with warm water in a coffee cup.  I then just put my nose into the solution sniffing it in till I can feel it running into the back of my throat. When doing this remember to hold one side of your nose closed sniffing in the solution through the other side. Then repeat on the other side. I do it twice a day. Sure helps me and easy to do.

Over-the-counter cough syrups should also be avoided. Instead, mix lemon juice with warm water and add a bit of honey. This home remedy can soothe your cough and works equally well for sore throats.

Sinus pressure and pain is often treated with over-the-counter pain medication like acetaminophen and ibuprofen. These are only moderately effective and are known for their potential toxic side effects. Try placing a heating pad or warm washcloth over the area instead. Repeat as needed.

Pesticide Exposure To Us And Critters

As I have been saying for years that, links between pesticide exposure and rates of  cancers, hormonal disruption, and immune system disorders in humans are on going, should we heed the warning signs provided by birds and animals, or do we continue to pay the high environmental and social costs of rampant pesticide use? Here are a few thoughts and figures to consider. The benefits of pesticides are often cited in terms of their contribution to world food production, and yet it is estimated that crop losses to pests would increase only 10% if no pesticides were used. Between 1945 and 1989, pesticide use in the U.S.& Canada increased tenfold and yet crop losses doubled from 7-14%. Consider also that all of us, everywhere, are exposed to some pesticide residues in food, water, and the atmosphere every day. Residents of the United States & Canada eat an estimated 2 billion pounds of imported produce tainted with banned pesticides each year.  Kind of makes one think doesn’t it?  The only ones that can stop this craziness is us humans.  Will it happen? Not likely and I kind of think it might be to late.  Just one more reason to grow your own.

What Happened To Our Bees

The mystery of bee deaths has been pretty well solved.  Also note here that I have been trying to tell folks this for the past forty years.   Colony Collapse is poisoning with a known insect neurotoxin. Clothianidin, a pesticide manufactured by Bayer.

Isn’t it interesting that a major pharmaceutical manufacturer, Bayer, also makes a product that is a poison by design? Bayer is not an exception. Many, if not most, do business in both arenas. That alone should give pause for thought.

Here’s a list of corporations — not expected to be complete — that profit in both pharmaceuticals and pesticides:

* American Home Products

* AMVAC

* Astra Zeneca

* Aventis

* BASF

* Bayer

* Dow Chemical

* Dupont Chemical

* Merck

* Monsanto

* Novartis

* Pharmacia

Is it an accident that most of Big Pharma also manufactures pesticides? Is there a connection between the two types of products? Do the pharmaceutical arms of these corporations profit on the illness caused by the pesticide arms? These questions are rhetorical. We’ll let the reader decide.

Deskunker

1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 teaspoon liquid soap
Wet the dog, and work the formula through their fur. Leave the mixture to et on the dog for four or five minutes, and then rinse thoroughly. Throw out any leftover remedy.

Lazy Garlic Wings

2 to 3 lb. chicken wings
1/4 C. butter
1/4 C. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. basil
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce

Place chicken in crockpot, then add remaining ingredients. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Remove from crockpot with a slotted spoon and serve with hot Italian or French bread.

Serves 8 to 10.

Secret Treat Molasses Cookies

/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg; mix well.
Beat in molasses. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and
ginger; add to creamed mixture and mix well. (The dough will be very
stiff.) Cover and chills several hours or overnight. On a lightly
floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness; cut into 2-1/4-in.
to 2-1/2-in circles. Place 1/2 teaspoon preserves on half of the
circles; top with remaining circles. Pinch edges together to seal.
Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes
or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Combine glaze
ingredients and frost cooled cookies.

VENISON GREEN CHILI STEW

So………………. Good To.

5 dried jalapeno peppers
3 onions, chopped
3 tbsp. oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup flour
2 lbs. cubed venison
1 1/2 cups cold water
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 lbs. chopped green chili peppers

Simmer venison in oil for 30 minutes. Place in a crock pot with green chili peppers, onions, garlic, jalapeno peppers, and water to cover for 3 hours. Thicken the stew with flour, add lemon juice, and cook 15 minutes.

HINTS Making Venison Delicious

Here are some hints to make your next venison meal as delicious as it
should be:
Older deer will likely be drier and tougher than younger deer.
Cooking methods can be varied accordingly.
You can make almost any meat tender by cooking it in some water over
very-low heat until it is done. High heat toughens meat and may dry
it out.
Soaking meat in salt, vinegar and water for several hours will remove
the gamey taste.
To season venison, various combinations of marjoram, thyme, parsley,
garlic or onions may be used.
Marinades tenderize and enhance — and may disguise – game flavors.
The following can be used as marinades:
1. Vinegar, wine or wine vinegar (to cover a roast or steak.)
2. French or Italian salad dressing.
3. Tomato sauce, undiluted tomato soup, tomato juice (the acid of the
juice has a tenderizing effect on the meat).
4. Pickle, orange, lemon or grapefruit juice. Good hunting and
pleasant eating!

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR VENISON COOKING

Wild animals, which are constantly on the move and never feed under
artificial conditions, have meat with a higher ratio of protein to
fat than that of domestic animals; for example, while you may see
venison with some distinct fat layering, you will never see it
marbled with fat. And, while it is not inconceivable that some wild
animals may ingest toxic substances, such as residual pesticides that
might have drifted into their feeding area, we can at least say with
some certainty that they have not been fed chemicals for water (i.e.,
weight) retention or to start the tenderization process while still
on the hoof, or hormones for quick growth, etc. In other words, we
can be reasonably sure that the meat from wild animals as nearly
approaches purity as is possible in a society where contamination —
even radioactive fallout — is pervasive. Apart from the favorable
ratio of protein to fat in the meat of game animals, it also contains
certain necessary minerals, in fairly generous amounts. All the red
meats are good sources of phosphorus and iron (but not of calcium).
Of the fifteen different minerals required for human nutrition, most
game meat (notably venison) contains sodium potassium and magnesium,
as well as traces of calcium, cobalt, zinc, manganese and aluminum.
What the hunter does with the meat he has bagged is another question,
and not too infrequently the answer to that question creates a bad
image for game meat. Immediate and proper handling of the kill is
most important in not only how the meat will taste, but also how the
non-hunters of the family will react to it. Aside from proper
techniques of handling, cleanliness is important, from both the
practical and psychological viewpoint. A perennial complaint from the
female non-hunter, who is ultimately asked to prepare the meat, is
about the careless manner in which the animal is handled, transported
and processed. Once you understand this attitude, it is not difficult
to understand why so much excellent food has gone to waste, just
because the cook was unwilling to work with it. Finally, the cook
should understand that the meat from all species of wild animals does
not taste the same. Some animals, such as deer, caribou, elk and
moose, are somewhatsimilar to beef in their taste, texture and
cooking requirements. Others, such as beaver and bear, are somewhat
similar to pork. The flavor of game meat can even vary within a
species, depending upon the age of the animals, the type of diet it
lived on, and — to perhaps belabor a point – how it was handled
after being killed. A good, taste-satisfying meal of game meat is the
result of a well-planned hunting trip. Hunting isn’t — or shouldn’t
be — a haphazard process, in which by some fortuitous circumstance
you bag your game, then somehow manage to get it home, where you look
it over and decide what to do next. On the contrary, the successful
hunting trip that ends up with a great eating experience is no
unplanned accident. Most expert hunters believe that a satisfying
meal of wild game actually begins with the way the animal is killed.
Next in the process is field dressing the animal; then, transporting
it home — and finally, processing the meat. After that, it’s up to
the cook.

Cooking Tips

Some Good Tips Here

Bacon- Minimize bacon shrinkage by running bacon under water before
frying.

Beans -A tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda in a large pot of beans
while soaking them, the ‘flatulence’ caused by the beans is kept to a
minimum.

Boiling eggs- Add a little salt or vinegar to your boiling water when
cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.

Boiling Over- Rub butter or margarine on the rim of a pot in which
you cook rice or macaroni and it won’t boil over.

Cakes-A cake will keep longer if you place half an apple in the cake
tin when storing.

Chocolate cake- Make a better chocolate cake by adding a teaspoon of
vinegar to your cake mix.

Corn- Don’t boil corn for more than 3 minutes. Place the corn
directly into boiling water, and do not add salt. You will find the
flavor is much better than cooking for 10 minutes or more. Corn will
never get soft, no matter how long you cook it-it will only lose its
taste.

Descaling fish- Soak fish in salt water before descaling and the
scales will come off easier.

Frozen Vegetables- A quick way to separate frozen vegetables is to
pour boiling water over them through a colander and then add them to
your casserole or pot to finish cooking.

Grating Cheese- To easily shred cheese, let sit in freezer for 30
minutes.

Icing Tips- Add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to your icing and the
icing will stay moist and prevent cracking.

Jelly Mold- To easily remove a jelly from the mold, lightly brush
mold with oil before pouring in the mixture.

Meatballs- When making a lot of meatballs a fast and simple method is
to shape the meat mixture into a log and cut off slices. The slices
roll easily into balls.

Pancakes -Adding a little sugar to the batter of pancakes and waffles
will make them brown more quickly.

Pie pastry -For flakier pastry, substitute 1 teaspoon vinegar for 1
teaspoon of the cold water called for in the recipe.

Ripening Fruits and Vegetables- A lots of fruit and veg found in
supermarkets today look ripe, but are hard as a rock. Put them in a
brown paper bag and hide the bag away in a dark cupboard for a day or
two. Use This is great tip for items such as avocados, bananas, kiwi
fruit, peaches, nectarines, and many more.

Salads -Serve iceberg lettuce wedges instead of torn salad greens to
save time making a salad.

Spaghetti Sauce- Put a pinch of bicarbonate of soda in spaghetti
sauce to remove the acid taste from the tomatoes.

Speedy Sauce- Instant sauces can be easily created by heating a can
of undiluted condensed cream soup (i.e. cream of tomato cream of
mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery, etc.).

Soups -To remove some of the fat in soups by add a lettuce leaf to
the pot. Remove the leaf after fat removal. Place a raw potato in
salty soup. The potato will absorb the extra salt.

Tenderize meat- One to two table spoons of vinegar with your meat
help tenderize it while you are cooking.

Vanilla- Make your own vanilla concentrate by placing 2 split and
chopped vanilla pods in 1 liter of vodka or bourbon. Shaking the
bottle once a day, let sit for 2-3 months, or until desired color.

Vinegar- used as a meat tenderizer. Add a tablespoon to water when
boiling ribs or meat for stews, and even the toughest meat will be so
tender you can cut with fork or will fall off the bone.

Vegetable colour- Add vinegar to the water when boiling vegetables to
retain color.

Wilted vegetables- Perk up wilted vegetables. Soak in 2 cups water, 1
tablespoon vinegar.

Wooden Skewers- When using wooden skewers for kebabs, soak in cold
water for 10-30 minutes to prevent them from burning.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges or strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
coarse salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Toss the potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper, then place in a single layer on a lightly-oiled baking sheet.
Bake 20 minutes, then turn and bake another 20 minutes, until soft inside and crisp outside (if you cut the fries very thin, you will want to keep an eye on them to prevent burning). Serve hot.  Regular Potatoes work good too just something about the sweet potato that gets my mouth to watering.  Enjoy

Job Loss In Ontario

Ontario has lost 198,600 or 18.1 per cent of manufacturing jobs within the last four years and loosing more every day.  Kind of makes one think that maybe we need a change in the fellers that are running this here Province.  Don’t ya think?  My opinion only.  Talk Soon

Just One More Reason To By A Ford

The federal and Ontario governments may have to cough up as much as $10-billion to keep the Canadian subsidiaries of Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp. afloat, and thing is they want more.

And what do I say: Well I said here this year I wasn’t going to add my opinion any more but I gotta’ tell you it’s  hard not to say something, when something needs to be said.  Anyways, I say buy Ford they haven’t asked for a cent and are making it on their own.  Also remember this Ford was the pioneers here in this country for cars, trucks, and tractors.  They made us what we are today.   No Brag, Just Fact.  MY Opinion Only.   Guess I am back huh? Well there has been enough of you asking me to start it up again so……… if I see something that I think needs my opinion, I will let you know.  Talk Soon

Typical Not So Good Thinking

Hillary Clinton has urged China to keep buying US Deb.

Yep, keep on letting them buy up the US and Canada an soon they will own us.  Oh’ sorry, maybe they do already. Just couldn’t let this article get away without my point of view.  Talk Soon

Hard Times Can Mean Good Times

Inflation & deflation means that folks will no longer be playing the possession game and using their possessions as weapons against each other. Once they stop defining themselves by their possessions, they will be free to define themselves by their ideas, values and beliefs. When they no longer need to impress each other by what they own, they then can be impressive by who they are and what they can do. Families and communities may come together again instead of each person sitting alone as a consumer of the latest in electronic gadgetry. Conversation may become the norm again with more things springing up for the open discussion of ideas and debate.  If this happens, intellect and creativity will flourish.  So you see I kind of think that everything happens for a reason.  So make some changes in your life and move on.  Simple as that.  Talk Soon

Goverments Here And There

Here is something that is going on today in the U.S.A.   But you know,we got lots of things happening right here in Canada too, like that, just done a bit more sneaky.

The Commonwealth Fund, a health policy research group that represents the interests of health insurance companies, has proposed a sweeping new program that — surprise! — would require all Americans to buy health insurance.

Leave it to Big Government to punish people who take care of their own health and opt not to participate in a pill-pushing, scientifically corrupted Big Pharma health care system, that only enriches insurance companies and drug companies while ignoring the real causes of disease.  Kind of makes one think huh? Well….. I thought it was interesting. sheesh LOL Talk Soon

Humor, Pretty Smart Young Feller

Robert, who was 6 years old, was looking at the red ripe tomatoes growing in Farmer White’s garden.  ‘I’ll give you my two pennies for that tomato,’ said Robert pointing to a beautiful, large, ripe fruit hanging on the vine.

‘No, I can’t do that,’ replied Farmer White, ‘I can get a dime for a tomato like that one.’

So Robert pointed to a smaller green tomato, ‘Will you take two pennies for that one?’
‘Oh, yes,’ answered the farmer, ‘I’ll give you that one for two cents.’

‘OK,’ said Robert smiling, sealing the deal by putting the coins in the Farmer White’s hand, ‘I’ll collect it in a week’s time.’

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

Real Tasty

One can also use a nice roast of venison, even more tasty.

2 lb Chuck roast, boneless; cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 tb Oil
1 large Onion; chopped
4 c Water
1 ts Salt, seasoned
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Salt; optional to 3 ts.
5 md Potatoes; peeled & cut into 1/2″ pieces, to 6 potatoes
5 medium Carrots; cut into 1/4″ slice
1 medim Rutabaga; peeled, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 c Celery; sliced 2/3″ pcs.
1/2 medium Cabbage head; finely sliced
1/3 c Flour
1 c Water, cold
2 tsp Sauce, browning

Place in an  oven over medium-high heat, brown meat in oil. Add onion, water, seasoned salt, pepper and salt if desired; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours. Add the vegetables; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender. Combine flour, cold water and browning sauce. Stir into stew; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute.

Wild Raspberry Cake

Real Good For Ya Too

Also gets one out of the house and into Nature picking the berries.

1 3/4 c Flour
1/2 ts Salt
1 c White sugar
1 c Raspberries
1 ts Baking soda (dissolved in 1/2 cup milk)
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 c Shortening
1 tsp Cinnamon

Sift together, flour, salt sugar, cinnamon. Cut in shortening. Then mix in soda, eggs, and raspberries. Pour into a greased pan and bake at 325F. for 1 hour. Myself I don’t use  much Cinnamon.

Humor For Today

A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street.
‘But officer, ‘the man began, ‘I can explain.’

‘Quiet!’ snapped the officer.’ I’m going to let you spend the night in jail until the chief gets back.’
‘But, officer, I just wanted to say, ‘

‘And I said be quiet! you’re going to jail!’

A few hours later the officer looked in on his prisoner and said, ‘Lucky for you, the chief’s at his daughter’s wedding. he’ll be in a good mood when he gets back.’

‘Don’t count on it, ‘answered the guy in the cell.’ I’m the groom.’