ricardo

I'm a landlord myself and I totally agree with what

everyone here has stated. You seem to be doing a

good job and just stick with that.

In the town that my rental house is in the code

enforcement officers only care if it's an

evironmental issue.

Good luck!

Shannon

Yesterday afternoon I ran out of paper towels! I bought

a package of 6 four weeks ago. I caught myself reaching

for the empty roll several times.

Shannon

I guess I better post an intro since I have decided

to stay.

Hi. My name is Shannon and I live in Kentucky and

I have been married for 14 years. We live on 50

rolling acres (big hills). We have 3 children

ages 14, 9, 4 and another on the way. I am homeschooling

my 9 year old and in August with the 4 year old. This is

our 2nd year of homeschooling.

I am new to "surviving". I have been trying to get

my hands on anything to do with Y2K and general survival.

We raise laying hens, soon broilers. We also raise

sheep, Katahdins. In other words they are a hair

sheep raised for meat.

I love anything to do with chickens. Right now I

am incubating 10 eggs in an incubator and 6 eggs

under a broody hen. This is my first hatching and

I am so excited. Only 10 more days till they hatch.

Any other chicken people out there?

I am very glad to be here, I have learned so much.

I hope to make lots of new friends.

Shannon

Nana, I like that idea!

About the kitchen rags, I went to a dollar store and

bought a bunch of cheap ones and when one is wet or

yucky just toss and wash.

Shannon

Paper towels seem like such a waste but yet they are so

convienient. Sometimes when I go for a paper towel I think

I could use a kitchen rag for this but then other times

when the cat throws up I think, paper towels are so wonderful! Sometimes I don't think about them at all.

Paper bags!

I don't think any stores in my area carry them anymore,

all I see is plastic! Especially Walmart!

I'm not sure about using newspaper, when you touch the

print it comes off on your hand, wouldn't it come off

on your food? Good question. If there was nothing else

I guess I would use the newspaper too.

Thank you for bringing up this question, it too comes

to mind. Sorry if I couldn't give you any suggestions.

Shannon

Mine never smelled bad, is it supposed to?

Shannon

Here is the sourdough bread recipe that I use. I don't use

his method for making the starter, but I do for the bread.

I like this recipe because it doesn't require any additional

yeast.--Shannon

Here is the link. http://www.io.com/~sjohn/sour.htm

Sourdough Baking Step One: Proofing the Sponge

Several hours before you plan to make your dough (recipe below), you need to make a sponge. A "sponge" is just another word for a bowl of warm, fermented batter. This is how you make your sponge.

Take your starter out of the fridge. Pour it into a large glass or plastic bowl. Meanwhile, wash the jar and dry it. You may also wish to pour boiling water over it, since you don't want other things growing in there with your pet!

Add a cup of warm water and a cup of flour to the bowl. Stir well, and set it in a warm place for several hours. This is called "proofing," another word for fermenting. Sourdough bakers have their own language; use it to impress your friends

Watch for Froth and and Sniff. When your sponge is bubbly and has a white froth, and it smells a little sour, it is ready. The longer you let the sponge sit, the more sour flavor you will get.

The proofing-time varies. Some starters can proof up to frothiness in an hour or two. Some take 6-8 hours! Just experiment and see how long yours takes. If you're going to bake in the morning, set your sponge out to proof overnight.

Sourdough Bread

2 Cups of sponge (proofed starter)

3 Cups of unbleached flour

2 tablespoons of olive oil or softened margarine

4 teaspoons of sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

First, let's talk about leftover sponge. You should have some. The leftover sponge is your starter for next time: Put it into the jar, and give it a fresh feed of a half-cup each of flour and warm water. Keep it in the fridge as above; you'll have starter again next time.

Now, for the recipe: To the sponge, add the sugar, salt, and oil (the oil is optional - you can use softened butter instead, or no oil at all). Mix well, then knead in the flour a half-cup at a time. Knead in enough flour to make a good, flexible bread dough. You can do this with an electric mixer, a bread machine on "dough cycle," or a food processor. You can also do it with a big bowl and your bare hands.

Keep in mind that flour amounts are approximate; flour varies in absorbency, and your sponge can vary in wetness. Use your judgement; treat it like ordinary white or french bread dough.

Let the dough rise in a warm place, in a bowl covered loosely with a towel (if you're using a bread machine's dough cycle, let it rise in the machine). Note that sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread; my starter takes about an hour or so, but some starters take much longer. Let the dough double in bulk, just like yeast-bread dough. When a finger poked into the top of the dough creates a pit that doesn't "heal" (spring back), you've got a risen dough.

Punch the dough down and knead it a little more. Make a loaf and place it on a baking sheet (lightly greased or sprinkled with cornmeal). Slit the top if you like, and cover the loaf with a paper towel and place it in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in bulk.

Place the pan with the loaf in your oven, and then turn your oven to 350o Farenheit and bake the bread for 30-45 minutes. Do not preheat the oven. The loaf is done when the crust is brown and the bottom sounds hollow when thumped with a wooden spoon. Turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack or a towel and let it cool for an hour before slicing.

And that's that. If you double the recipe for two big two-pound loaves of bread, the total price tag will be less than a dollar

I do this every now and then, it works just as well with

2%. I really need to get one of those plunging pitchers.

I was using a wisk then funneling it in the jug. I think

that's why I stopped.

This method also helps with dry milk rotation!

Shannon

I've been keeping some of my grocery receipts this year

so I can see how prices are. Here is what's

going on in my area.

3/12/04 --2%--$2.67

4/24/04 --2%--$2.95

I wonder what it will be next month?

Shannon