Iron-on Patches: Tutorial for Turning Boys Pants into Girls Pants

This was a large tear in the knee of a pair of size 6 boys jeans. Other than that, they are in excellent condition. They no longer fit my son, so I decided to adapt them for my daughter.

Because the hole was large, I decided to patch it from the inside as well as the outside.

 (You wouldn't normally need to patch the inside of the leg, but this was a large hole.)

 This is an iron-on patch that I bought at Wal-mart. It came in a package of 2 for around $1 or so. This is the shiny or "adhesive" side.  (I had already cut a piece from it for a different project, so sorry about that).

I cut a piece that was slightly larger than the hole in the jeans and then ironed it to the inside of the leg. Just press with your iron for about 30 to 60 seconds on a wool setting with a dry heat.  Then allow it to cool for 1 minute.

(Finished iron on patch on inside).

I was able to find some iron-on patches at my local fabric store. They were $3.99 a package and had been marked down to 25 cents each. YES!  There were 3 patches in the package.

The large pink one was the right size to cover up the hole in the knee.  Again, just press with a dry, hot iron for 30 to 60 seconds. Then wait 1 minute for the patch to cool before you move the garment.

The other 2 patches I just added for design. It is very easy to find girls' pants that have rhinestones or patches decorating one or both legs, so I tried to duplicate that same sort of idea by using the other two patches, so it wouldn't be quite so obvious that I had patched the knee.

Voila! One happy 5 year old with her new "decorations" on her pants. :)  Her 8 year old sister was so jealous that she started desperately trying to find pants with a hole in them so she could have "decorated" pants, too.  lol

Summary: One pair of pants fixed. One happy kid. Price: 25 cents and about 10 minutes.

(Ok....maybe 50 cents if you count the blue iron-on patch for the inside of the leg-- but even then, I only used a small piece of it and have some leftover......)

Recipe for Scalloped Potatoes

Recipe for Scalloped Potatoes
3 to 4 cups peeled, thinly sliced raw potatoes
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 to 4 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups hot milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 1.5 quart baking dish arrange potatoes and onions in two layers. Sprinkle each layer with salt and dot with small bits of butter. Pour milk over all. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

This recipe comes from page 167 of Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls (published sometime before 1957).

Recipe for Spanish Rice

This recipe comes from page 151 of  Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls (published sometime before 1957).

You can use this as a way to spice up leftover rice, or you can cook rice in order to make this recipe.

Recipe for Spanish Rice
3 cups cooked rice  (about 1.5 cups uncooked)
4 slices crisp cooked bacon, cut up or crumbled
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup grated cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Fry bacon in a frying pan and then cut into small pieces. Place cooked bacon in 1.5 quart baking dish and toss it around to grease the dish. 

In frying pan, add onion and green pepper to bacon. Cook until onion is yellow. Add 3 cups cooked rice, 2 cups canned tomatoes, and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Turn into baking dish. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Bake 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees F.  Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Recipe for Homemade Biscuits

This recipe comes from page 170 of this cookbook by Betty Crocker. It was given to my 5 year old daughter for her birthday. I don't know the year the cookbook was published because that page is missing, but there is "Xmas 1957-58" written on the inside cover.  Pretty sure it's out of print.  But it's a great old cookbook, because it has recipes from before people used mixes all the time! In fact, it even has a few places where it will suggest that you could buy the new mix put out by Betty Crocker.  For example:

WHIZ BISCUITS: "Quick as a wink. Just make Biscuits as directed on the Bisquick package. Even quicker. They come in a can, Bisquick and Puffin, and you keep them in the refrigerator, all ready to bake." 

Hee hee! Don't you think that's funny? (Ok, maybe I'm weird).

Here's the recipe. These biscuts are SO easy and they are really good. My 5 year old calls them "her" biscuits and she loves to make them. She can do almost everything by herself. 

DROP BISCUITS RECIPE:

STEP 1: Heat oven to 450 degrees F.  Grease baking sheet lightly. Mix in a bowl:

2 cups sifted white flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp. salt
(Note: This can all be done by hand, but I use my KitchenAid mixer).

STEP 2: With a pastry blender cut in until fine: 1/3 cup soft shortening
(I like to use butter flavor, but I am sure regular flavor would work well, too. And again, I do this all in my KitchenAid mixer & use the dough hook).

STEP 3: With fork stir in 3/4 cup milk
(Or just mix it in with your mixer).

Drop biscuit-sized pieces of dough onto baking sheet. Push the dough off the fork with a rubber scraper.
(I like to use my cookie scoop. It makes all the biscuits fairly uniform in size.)

Leave 2-inch space between biscuits so they can brown and will be separate. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until brown. Serve piping hot. Makes 12 to 20 biscuits.

Yummy! And cheaper than buying refrigerated biscuit dough.

Casserole Tips

If you have questions about making your own casserole recipes, Betty Crocker has some good advice to follow.

Click here for Casserole Q&A. This will answer questions about greasing the dish, baking covered or uncovered, casserole dish sizes and freezing certain casseroles.

And click here for tips on freezing casseroles for later.

How to Make Your Own Casserole Recipes

I was talking with my mother-in-law last night. She is the queen of re-inventing things in her kitchen so that nothing goes to waste. I am often amazed at her skills, and her daughters learned to cook this way as well (unfortunately for me, her son did not.... lol) She mentioned that she used to have a paper that listed the basic ingredients you would use in any casserole, and she would just go down the list and pick an item from each column and make up her own recipes.  She would then look at her leftovers and figure out a casserole that she could invent from what she had.  Making a casserole is a great way to use up leftovers.

Keep in mind that you should probaby stick with a "theme" or "ethnicity" in preparing these foods. For example, try to use components to make an Italian or Mexican or Chinese food based casserole. Don't combine things that wouldn't normally sound good together just because they are listed. 

So, here we go.

The Basics of a Casserole:
(using leftover ingredients is a great way to stretch your budget)

1. Meat or protein. (Of course, if you are vegetarian,  omit the meat).  Ideas?
Cooked ground beef
Shredded beef or chunks of beef
Roast Beef
Raw chicken breasts, tenders or chunks
Cooked shredded or chunk chicken
Cooked shredded, ground or chunks of turkey
Canned tuna fish
Canned turkey or chicken
Shrimp
Crab meat
Chopped ham chunks
Cooked, crumbled sausage
Cooked, crumbled bacon
Boneless pork loin, cubed
Any leftover meat
Hard-boiled or scrambled eggs
Canned beans, such as black, pinto, kidney, etc.  (Usually you would also add the liquid)
Canned salmon

2. Sauce or Binder: You need something to "bind" your casserole and hold it all together. Some ingredients need to be mixed with a bit of cornstarch or flour if they are not very thick. Use your imagination!

Canned condensed soup, such as cream of chicken, celery, mushroom, onion, asparagus etc. (usually 1 can works)

Homemade white sauce
Alfredo sauce
Tomato sauce
Tomato juice
Canned tomatoes (use two 14.5 oz cans for a 9x13" casserole)
Barbecue sauce
Sweet and sour sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Sour cream (or mix 1/2 cup sour cream with your canned soup or other sauce choices)
Raw eggs, lightly beaten
Raw eggs mixed with ricotta cheese or sour cream
Spaghetti sauce
Milk
Evaporated milk
Cream cheese (works well mixed with a bit of onion & milk if too thick)
Gravy
Jam, jelly, marmalade or preserves
Broth (beef, chicken, turkey, vegetable, etc)
Dijon style mustard
Honey
Salad dressing (such as Ranch, Italian Dressing, Russian, etc.)
Pineapple juice
Enchilada sauce
Salsa or Picante sauce
Mayonnaise
Plain yogurt
Cottage cheese
Ricotta cheese

3. Vegetables/Fruit:
Canned vegetables (usually one  or two 14.5 oz cans for a 9x13 pan)
Frozen vegetables (usually 1 small package is enough -- about 2 cups)
Fresh or leftover vegetables (about 1-2 cups, depending on how much you have of your other ingredients)

A Few Ideas:
Peas
Asaparagus
Corn
Spinach
Green Beans
Celery
Carrots
Mixed vegetables
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Pineapple chunks or slices
Zuchinni
Use your imagination here

4. Starch: (you don't have to use this one, but it's nice if you can)
Pasta shells
Elbow macaroni, other pasta
Egg noodles
Uncooked rice
Mashed potatoes
Tater tots
Bread slices
Refrigerator biscuits/canned biscuits
Homemade biscuit dough
Refrigerator crescent rolls
Tortillas (can be torn into pieces or used to make enchiladas, etc)

5. Extra Ingredients or Flavorings
Mushrooms
Olives
1/4 cup chopped onion
Dried onion (I usually use about 2 TB dry and I put it in a bit of water to soften, then drain the water before using it.

Water chesnuts (1 can)
1/4 cup chopped celery
Onion soup mix (1 package)
Green onions
Taco seasoning (1 package)
Spaghetti sauce seasoning (1 package)
Minced garlic cloves
Chopped green chilies
Chopped bell peppers
Gravy mix (1 package)
Lime juice (1-2 tsp)
Parsley
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt or powder
Worchestershire sauce
Dry mustard
Salad dressing packets (dry)
Soy sauce
Dry soup mix packets (such as garlic mushroom or beefy onion)

6. Toppings (optional, but a nice touch)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (any variety)
1/2-1 cup cracker crumbs. Nice if mixed with a bit of melted butter.
Bread crumbs
Stuffing
Crushed potato chips
Crushed corn flakes
Crushed Rice Krispies
Corn chips
French-fried onions
Toasted slivered onions
Croutons
Sesame seeds
Poppy seeds
Chow mein noodles
Cashews

7. DIRECTIONS:
Most casseroles are combined all together  & then have the topping added or layered, such as meat, veggies and extra ingredient, sauce, starch, topping.  If you started with raw meat, you will need to cook the casserole longer. A typical 9x13" pan would bake for about 45 -75 min at about 350 or 375 degrees F if using raw meat.  Use a meat thermometer to make sure your food is properly cookied.

If you have all precooked ingredients and meat, then you don't need to cook it as long. Usually about 30-45 min for a casserole, since it just needs to be heated until it looks bubbly or the topping is golden brown or cheese is nicely melted. I usually wait to add the cheese until the last 5 minutes, but sometimes I don't and they still turn out ok.

I am sure there are more ideas out there that we can add. If you think of something not listed, please add it in the comments.  If you make something that turns out great, share the recipe with us!  I will try to post some casserole recipes soon.

Cutting Radiator Heating Costs

This idea (in italics) comes from The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzyn.

"Here's an energy-conservation idea for those with accordion-style radiators.  Put a foil-faced insulation board between radiators and outside walls, with the foil side facing in toward the room.  This reflects heat into the room that would otherwise radiate through the walls....Because the expense is minimal and the installation is not permanent, this is one of the rare energy-saving ideas that is useful to renters."  (pages 414-415)

Foil insulation comes in various forms, such as rolls for attics, crawl spaces, etc, which may work for this purpose if you can't find a board. You could adhere a piece from the roll to a thin piece of wood or the wall behind the radiator.  Or you could use a staple tab roll that is simply installed using a staple gun and scissors. There is also a type that has hook-and-loop (velcro) type fasteners that is used for shutters, but I think it could be used for this purpose as well. The shuttercover type is about $50, but covers 16 sq feet, so it might be able to be used in other places if you have leftover pieces, such as behind headboards, couches, or curtains on exterior walls where it will not be seen.  There is also a type for insulating exposed duct work.  These are just a few ideas to consider. Any additional insulation is generally beneficial.