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Show It Makes Cents - 'V. By C v Vi Judge Blake . Li L. J . ; , Dear Vi: About a year ago when my husband and I were newlyweds (and very poor) I accidentally dropped his toothbrush in the toilet. Since we couldn't afford to buy a new one, I decided to sterilize it by boiling it for 20 minutes. It looked great, but the next time he used it he started spitting the foam out like a man gone crazy. He would brush, spit, brush spit, then he exclaimed "What in the heck is wrong with my toothbrush?" I looked in the sink. It was full of bristles and his toothbrush was almost bald.. You should have seen the puzzled look on his face. It was so funny I couldn't stop laughing long enough to explain Norma Sheeram Thanks for sharing this, Norma. I'm sure it will make everyone chuckle. Perhaps only two or three minutes in boiling water would have sterilized the brush without making its bristles fall out. But, then, maybe not. Good toothbrushes, I find, will stand boiling water for a short time but cheap ones will not. Perhaps you would like to try bleach next time you want to disinfect a toothbrush. I dip mine in a bleach solution after every use. I also leave my toothbrushes (I rotate them) on a sunny windowsill for a day or two to let the sun disinfect and dry them out. Dear Vi: Our apartment-size clothes dryer is too small for shaking dust out of draperies, as you once suggested, so I hang them outside on a windy day. Clothespins (the pinch type) placed at one-foot intervals along the bottom keep the wind from winding them around the line. I find that the usual clothes brushes are too soft to remove lint from some fabrics such as dark corduroy and heavy sweaters so I use a new or clean hairbrush with nylon bristles. Millie Pearce, Rexburg, Id Here are some ways to stretch and improve the taste of ground beef: Grate a large onion into a pound of ground beef. This changes the taste marvelously, so that when made into Salisbury steaks you'll have a meat entry to proudly serve for a special family meal or for company. Worcestershire and other meat sauces also add good taste variety. Refrigerate for an hour or so to let the meat absorb the flavor. Tip: Frozen onions grate easily and no tears. Flour hamburger patties before frying them. This prevents spattering, seals in the juices, gives them a thin, crispy, delicious crust, helps retain their shape, and prevents excessive shrinkage. Tip: You can buy hamburger ahead when it is on sale to shape and flour into patties, which can then be wrapped individually and frozen for future use. Hamburger can be extended with cooked rice, grated carrots, crushed prepared cereals such as corn flakes, bread or cracker crumbs, raw or cooked oatmeal or cracked wheat. Shape hamburger like wieners, coil a strip of bacon around each, and broil or fry. Serve on toasted hotdog buns. (My children liked these better than hotdogs.) Economical roast for a crowd: Buy round stake when it's on sale and have the butcher tenderize it. Pile hamburger prepared as for meat loaf; on the steak; roll it up like a jelly roll; wrap with string to hold it together; and bake just as you would an expensive roast. It looks like a nice, big roast and it tastes wonderful. Tip: Your round-steak roast will slice better if you let it stand for a few minutes after taking it from the oven.. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Six things must be overcome in this world by a man who desires prosperity: sleep, sloth, fear, anger, idleness, and procrastination. Hindu Proverb Readers: This is your feature. Send your good ideas to IT MAKES CENTS, 328 So. 300 East, 5, St. George, Utah, 84770 or e-mail: viblakeinfowest.com. If used here, I'll send you $2. Or a copy of one of my booklets, "Kitchen Tricks," "Vinegar, the Homemaker's Best friend," or "What Else is it Good For?" Please state your choice. These booklets are also available to others. Price: $2.50 plus $1.00" for postage. For current and back copies of IT MAKES CENTS, log onto my web page, www.infowest.comcents. |