“Kitchen Confidence 101”

(Remember you can listen to the show anytime
by using the link below)

By Sandra Reames
Carefree Catering
Branson, MO
417-335-5556
carefreecatering@suddenlink.net

Love Letters!

Where do your love letters come from? Mine come from our government and utility companies.

It must be close to Valentines, because these letters, just keep on coming.

Each one has it own sentiment, but mostly they want more money, increases for one thing or the other. My income has not been increasing, but in the last 18 months of home ownership I have had 4+ increases or payment increases that add up to about an extra $1000 a year. (For your info: My house is very average.)

There is another increase coming, I just do not know how much it is.

You know and I know that you have had this to! Eighteen months ago I moved into a 17 year old home and in the last eighteen months I have had $300 increase on home taxes, $300 increase on homeowners, Insurance said because Joplin had tornadoes and floods (not mine) in Branson/ Hollister Area.

My propane company charged me an extra $40.00 because I didn't use as much propane as they thought I should. Cost another $125.00 for propane that I didn't need.

Electric bills get out of control and I keep my thermostat between 60 night and 65 day and we haven't had cold weather, as yet.

The new water company wants a raise, just because, people in other areas (states) are paying more. ( this one really makes sense.)

We are going to the polls tomorrow to vote, but in the end our vote may not count, because its not really a vote?

(I will see if Scott can explain this one to me on the show.)

Here comes the one that really bothers me, but I am going to try to work with it. And maybe better ways then what they suggest.

Taney county sewer has gone up a little over 21% a month, at this time higher than my residential water bill.

$32.88 to $39.88 a month. In with this increase notice is a letter saying more or less: limit your use of the sewer system. This increase monies is the same to a home with one 80 year old resident or a couple with 4 children and a mother n law!

Every residence pays the same.

I guess what is bothering me other than an another increase for a reason that I didn't understand was. Now you are to start throwing everything in the garbage.

That would be sufficient enough for your waste management company to increase your fee and increase flies, mice and other pest problems from foods laying in the garbage for a week.

Basicly, it says to throw everything in the garbage including the scrapes from your plate. The letter tells you how to use extra plastic bags and more paper towels, used or new.

I have been trying my best to go green, that covers more than saving cans and plastic bottles. Trying to keep things out of land fills.

So what I would like to offer now is some solutions for your kitchen, yard and health.

In the letter of this week from the Taney County Regional Sewer District they recommended:

1. That egg shells, tea and coffee grounds should not be put down the drains, but thrown out in the garbage. I agree about not putting these in the drains, for years I have used the grounds, both coffee and tea along with egg shells as compost in my gardens, both flower and vegetable. They also work in your hanging pots to rehab the soil. They are to good of a composte maker to throw away.
2. In short: they also say to treat your pipes as though it is a septic tank. If you have ever paid for a septic tank pump out, you know how to blow money, but when everything has back up across your bathroom floor and on to your new carpet you are thankful that someone will come and help you out of this mess! Heavy paper products such as: paper towels, Q-tips, cotton balls, newspapers, rags, etc. Less say anything but toilet paper really messes up a septic tank and it will do the same thing in our sewer. So make sure that those items go into the garbage.
3. There is a big one here, about grease, hopefully we are only talking about kitchen grease. Do not pour that down the drain, but the sewer company are recommending putting it in the garbage. I am not crazy about that, but going Greene to me includes using those items, not throwing it out, at least to some degree. But do not pour it down the drain.
Answer: I do not deep fry. It is a waste of money and health, if I do fries at home, I use a small amount of grease or make oven fries, I have found it is better for my health, cheaper and taste better.

The next thing that I do is to make suet for the birds in the winter time the birds need some meat grease. They are not getting those juicy worms and insects. It also gives them more calories to burn in cold weather. How you say: add your left over bacon grease or other meat grease to cracked corn plus some bird seed until it makesa thick product, then I pour it into a disposable pan and hang so no other animals except maybe a squirrel can get to it, the birds will find it and have a field day.

Grease is always hard to deal with , if you lived on a farm with a septic you would not pour a lot of grease down your drains or as I said you will be calling for a septic tank pump.

I never fry a turkey at Thanksgiving, because of the amount of wasted grease. It is costly, messy and dangerous. Other than those three I guess it's great. If you do fry the turkey, used grease can be reused. First you would cool it until it is still liquid , strain out the food particles, pour into a resealable container then refrigerate. Use what you need and keep the rest refrigerated or freeze. Restaurants use there frying grease over and over until it gets to old, then they discard it. Since homes do not have grease traps then we would do as the sewer company says and place it in a sealed container and place in the garbage.

They also recommended using some paper to adsorb some of the grease, before disposing in the sealed contaner.

4. They recommend putting food scrapes in the garbage also and using more plastic bags to keep down smells and rodents.

Answer: I recommend making a compost pile ( You can find information on line to find out the proper way ) and use the finished product to enhance the soil.

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6956

This link should take you right to the information.

Use the compost around your vegetables, flowers or even on the lawn. You must make compost out of these food items, or just throwing it out in the yard will make your lovely yard a garbage dump.

Honestly, I have been doing the above for years and probably many of you have also have been trying to save, but it is still going to cost us! But we will know that we are trying to keep our area safe and clean.

This Love letter goes on for 4 pages, most we should know without being told. Like not throwing toys and dentures into the commode. I am sure that someone has tried to do that, but it wasn't me and if you have read this far it wasn't you.

It only takes a few folks to create problems for all of us, that is the way it has always been and will always be.

So after you get mad, like I did when you read this letter from your sewer company, let the info and suggestions soak in and see what the solution is that you can help with.

If you find out how to get the price down please let me know, because I am not that smart!

You can listen to Sandra and Scott Mc Caulley on the radio every Tuesday Morning on KOMC AM 1220 at 10:06. We hope that you will listen and learn or have a good laugh, if you have information or experiences to share, just email them to Sandra and we will discuss them on the air. If you need special help, just email those to Sandra and she can get back with you.

Any comments or information can be e-mailed to Sandra at carefreecatering@suddenlink.net or sandrareames@suddenlink.net

Sandra is the owner of Carefree Catering; she is a professional caterer in the Branson Area Her phone number is 417-335-5655. She and KRZK radio have teamed up to present to you the show

“Kitchen Confidence 101” in The Ask the Expert Series on KOMC AM. The articles and show are to help you find confidence in the kitchen where you can provided good tasting and "better for you" meals to your family and friends even if you are an accomplished cook or a beginner, we all share those moments when we need help!

To listen to the show on line go to

www.HometownDailyNews.com

Click on the On Air tab, and Kitchen Confidence