Flea.o.logy

"How could I consider taking Monday off?  Monday is the diving board poised over the rest of the week.  You walk out on the board, review the situation, plan your strategy, bounce a few times to get the feel of things, and then make a clean dive.  Without Monday, one simply bombs into the water, belly first, and hopes for the best."  from "At Home In Mitford" by Jan Karon

  I used this quote on my blog in Jan., 2010, but I just kept thinking about it Monday morning,

Flea.o.logy is this Saturday.  Flea.o.logy is a large, and getting larger, vintage/antique/craft outdoor sale in Payson, UT.  It is held 3 times during the summer, with 1 indoor winter sale.  I have a week of picking and pricing and packing planned.  I have been working to have over 100 items priced at less than $5.00 (all different items) but lost count.  I have a few things that I am excited to show.
  I am prepared for the weather with a canopy for sun or rain, and fans for the heat.  My assistant is scheduled (Thank you, Leslie).  I will have a borrowed phone that takes charge cards (Thanks, Lindsay).  And the van is starting to get packed.
  We leave my house by 5:30 a.m. for the drive, and hope to be set up quick enough for just a quick look at what the other sellers have brought to sell.  There are over 30 sellers.  (And parking for buyers at the bank right across the street from our sale at a 100 + year old home.

WANT ALL THE DETAILS?
*******************
Do you relish rummaging around in rusty stuff? Is shabby your idea of chic? Got kitsch in your kitchen? Go ga-ga over “junk” jewelry AND gems? Need a table for Mabel to put her elbows on? Do you subscribe to the motto, “Live Well, Laugh Often, Junk Much?”
Wanna come play at the flea on Saturday?
Then be there this Saturday for our first flea market of the season. Flea.o.logy is the new name for the 8-years-running flea market at the historic Red Sandstone Victorian house on the corner.
Over 30 sellers will be there to greet you with primitives to pottery, Victorian to vintage, garden art to glassware, and furniture to just plain funky. There’ll be junk jewelry, vintage jewelry, artist jewelry, and re purposed jewelry. Vintage dresses, heirloom dresses, a wedding dress, and a dresser or two. Tablecloths, aprons, hankies and blankies. License plates, dinner plates, wood crates and silver plate. Gas cans, frying pans, a few things that were made in Japan. Buttons, books, gobbledygook. AND. . . artist-created chocolates, crafts and a charity baked goods sale. Etc., etc.

Sound fun? You’re SO right! . . . .

Flea.o.logy Antiques & Crafts Flea Market
218 N. Main, Payson (just 40 minutes south of Sandy)
Saturday July 14
8:00 a.m. sharp
No early birds. . .
Go to http://fleaology.blogspot.com to find out about the history of our flea market and to learn about our vendors.
******************
(A few things that I priced today.)

3 Swedish Modern Fire King Jadeite
Mid Century nesting mixing bowls
teardrop w/ pour spout

Red Polka Dot Rain Boots
+
IMAGINE sign

4Th OF JULY PICNIC

"Happiness is how you respond to Plan B."  Tillotson Family

  2 July, 2012

  I love holiday serving pieces and this basket is a fun one.

  In Better Homes and Gardens (July 2003) there was a flag painted wicker picnic basket (It was a For Sale item.) that I HAD to make.  The picture went into my Patriotic file (no Pinterest in those days ;).  I made it within the next few years (Should have dated it.  Atleast I still have the picture.)

  I had a vintage Red-Man Basket that was perfect.

  I started by by taping off the stripes and star background.  I used star stickers as reverse stencils and spray painted my blue background.  I used tape and plastic and spray paint to paint my red and white stripes.  I used a light coat of spray paint to let the original dimpled pattern remain defined, and very lightly stained it.
   I painted one handle blue (left one) and the other one red.  I finished it with a clear spray to protect it.  I re-spray it every spring.
  I keep it filled with paper/plastic plates, cups, silverware and napkins.  (I store the extras in the basket when I put things away in August.)

BBQ BABY BACK RIBS...Part 2

I love BBQ pork baby back ribs.
  We have our favourite place to get them, but a few months back I watched Todd Wilbur's Copy cat show and decided to try CHILI'S.  We decided to go there for our date this week.  I was extremely disappointed.  I ordered the Memphis dry rubbed ribs and Doug ordered the original sauce ribs.
  Mine were dry and with not much meat-or flavour.  Doug's were a bit better, but were still short on meat, sauce and flavour.
  I decided we needed to make a trip to American Fork to visit our rib place.  We love RIB CITY.  We highly recommend their ribs, and love the sauces on the table.
  RIB CITY is owned by Toni J.  She shared a Baby Back Rib recipe on a local t.v. show that I have made several times to great reviews.  I made them a few weeks ago (with some crock pot ribs) and they still had great reviews.

BBQ BABY BACK RIBS
(from Toni J. owner of RIB CITY in American Fork, UT)

Spray a large (at least 9x13) pan.
Pour about 1 cup of water in the bottom of pan.  
Put in your racks of ribs and cover with your favourite sauce. (Ours is (still) Sweet Baby Ray's.)


Cover tightly with foil and
Bake at 350 * for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove from the oven and let rest 20 mins.  (THIS IS IMPORTANT.)

Preheat outdoor grill with all the burners.
Then turn to low and grill ribs about 20 mins.-turning often and brushing with BBQ sauce.
So good.
These ribs are not as tender as the crock pot ones, but the flavour is amazing.  Hard to beat that grilled flavour.
I will make both this recipe and the crock pot recipe.  The deciding factor will be time.
Sorry there are no pictures.  People were ready to eat.

I am not being compensated by anyone or anything (but I wish I was ;)
BUYING RIBS
I usually buy my ribs at Target when they are on sale for $2.99 a pound.  They are usually meaty.  They are in a sealed bag, and I put them right in the freezer.
That is the price I like to pay and I usually budget about $10.00 a bag.
When I make ribs for Sunday dinner I make another main dish for non-rib eaters (sad, huh?).  Sometimes grilled fish or chicken... BUT I always let people know I am serving ribs.  They are a family favourite.
Let us know what you think if you try them. :)

UPDATE:  UGH!  No clue why there are white areas.  (The weird green is me trying to fix it.)
  

BABY BACK RIBS (mmm:)

22 June, 2012

  I have been hesitant to post these recipes since I have no pictures.  It was Sunday dinner.  It was baby back ribs.  What can I say.  They were eagerly waited for and I was busy.
  Having said that, I tried 2 new baby back rib recipes and waited for reviews.  Both recipes received rave reviews.  For different reasons.
  This recipe is made in a crock pot and adapted from mmmisformommy.com.  I often use a crock pot lining bag, but did not use it for this recipe because of how the ribs are set up in the crock pot.
CROCK POT BABY BACK RIBS (There are 2 steps to this.) 
(barely adapted from mmmisformommy)
Step 1
Mix and rub onto ribs
1 1/2 table. paprika
1 table. brown sugar
1/8 tea. cayenne pepper
1 tea. salt
1 tea. pepper
Spray crock pot and put
about 2 pounds baby back ribs in as described
"Arrange ribs by standing them up against the side of the crock pot walls with THICKER SIDE DOWN and MEATY SIDE TO POT WALL. 
Pour over the top of the ribs
1 cup of Sweet Baby Ray's prepared BBQ sauce.  (Or your own personal favourite ;)

Cook on low 6-8 (7) hours.

Step 2
Line a cookie sheet with foil and put a rack in.  Put the meat on the rack. 
Brush the meat with more Sweet Baby Ray's.
Broil 3-4 minutes.
Turn the ribs over and brush with MORE sauce.  Broil about 9 minutes, basting 2 more times. 
(I was not ever compensated by SWEET BABY RAY'S.)

EAT!
The reviews on this were great.  Everyone loved the "flavourful fall off the bones meat"  HUGE HIT.
(Sorry about no picture.)
I will post the other one next week, as well as a 4th Of July project, What I Buy Wednesday and a summer kids idea.
Have a great week-end :)

ODDS AND ENDS

Just some random thoughts:

1 I am less likely to make a recipe that has the nutritional info. listed.  (Calories, fat...)  Are you?

2  I like blogs where the whole post is there.  I don't like surfing a blog, starting a post and then having to click to see more.  It makes it harder for me to really surf that blog.  (How do you feel about that?)

3  A few Sundays ago I found some "FUN DIP" that Logan had left at my house, and I tried it.  I LOVED IT.  When I was in 4th grade my friends and I would buy these giant SWEET TARTS.  (A bit bigger than a yo yo.)  We would eat them (grinding our teeth down the candy for powder or trying to bite off bites to suck) on our way to and from school.  We all had sores in our mouths and I don't remember caring. 
The FUN DIP was a fun memory.  (We ate ABBA ZABBAS, too)

4  I have made 3 new recipes in the last month or so that use coconut milk.  I did not think that coconut milk added anything.  You have (about) 1 more chance, coconut milk!

5  There is a Chevron at the corner of 13th East and 7755 South (in Sandy, UT) that has FREE air for tires. There is also a Texaco on 7th East and 9800 South (Sego Lily - also in Sandy, UT) that has FREE air.  I love gas stations that give you air for free.

6  I really do use PINTEREST.  I try to do at least 5 new things a week.  I looked at my Pinterest Halloween board and found that I had done 10% of my pins :)

7  I found my blog on a stranger's blog side bar.  That was fun. 

8  Although I have never bought a panini at IKEA, I did get a good idea from them.  They make the sandwich part of the panini ahead of time, and wrap it.  Then they just panini it when you are ready to serve it.  I think that is a really good idea.
I would love to hear some of YOUR random thoughts.

I will post some summer ideas we are doing later this week.

WHAT I BUY WEDNESDAY OR OUR FAVOURITE BBQ SAUCE

12 June, 2012

"Take the first step in faith.  You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
                                                                           Martin Luther King Jr.

Can I just reappear with no other explanation other than I have been busy?  (I know.  We all are :)

  A couple of months ago I was preparing for Summer and came up with an idea/activity.
Thru the years we have periodically changed BBQ sauces as we have tried new ones.  (Not too often.)  We really like the bottled sauce we use now.  SO, I decided to try a  BBQ sauce experiment as part of our big Sunday dinner.  (We also had my Uncle and Aunt in town that night on their way to the MTC.)
  I started by buying 5 BBQ sauces.  They were ones that we had used before, or another family member had used before or I had good things about.  I bought bottles that were about the same size, and all were the original flavour.  Then I "brown bagged" each sauce with a lunch bag and jute, and numbered them from 1-5.
  The activity was a hit.  Everyone tried, commented and voted :)
  These were the 5 that I bought.  (I listed them on a card in alphabetical order.) 
#1 Bull's Eye
#2 Famous Dave's
#3 KC Masterpiece
#4 Open Pit
#5 Sweet Baby Ray's

There were about 20 people for dinner that day.  When all was said and done, I was surprised by the results.  The one we use was by far the winner.  Her are our results.
#1  SWEET BABY RAY'S - WINNER
#2  KC Masterpiece
#3  Bull's Eye (We used to use this.
#4  Open Pit
#5  Famous Dave's (My Aunt liked this one best, and this is what they use :)  We liked it the least.)

It was an easy and fun way to start the BIG BBQ season. 
We would love to hear which BBQ sauce you use.
Happy Grilling:)

FUN FAMILY ACTIVITY

Well, probably I was the only one who enjoyed it.  We were invited by the NIELSEN FAMILY to spend a week with them.  This is the 3rd time (in 25 years) that we have been invited, and apparently it is very rare to be asked more than once.  (Probably I was the only one who really enjoyed it, but the other 3 people living here did a great job recording everything and every bit of their tv viewing.)

There have been a few things that I have watched on TV lately that I have enjoyed.

A few months ago we had a "free preview" of Showtime.  One of the movies I dvr-ed was "ONDINE"  I really enjoyed it.  I loved the music and the scenery of Ireland (and the accents), but what really got my attention was that I watched it knowing nothing about it-and had no clue where it would go.
I have tried to delete it, but have not.  (I got the idea of watching it again with my husband, but it is not his kind of movie.  (Actually, I don't think he likes movies.)  So I asked if he would watch about 10 minutes with me every few nights.  He is usually tired and about to go to sleep, so it is working :)
I think I may buy the DVD.

I am (finally) watching Season 2 of DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS).  I loved Season 1, and could hardly wait for the next season.  It does not work to watch it on Sunday, and I hate waiting for the new episodes, so I DVR-ed the new season and saved it until I was not so busy.  (I am TRYING to watch them slowly but...)  I really  really like DOWNTON ABBEY.

Probably my favourite TV show is "BONES"   I enjoy the relationships and humour and quirky characters. And I like procedural shows.   (Although regular LAW & ORDER is my go to when I am stressed/overwhelmed/tired.)

BONES did a spin off called "THE FINDER"  I was not expecting much, but gave it a try and have really liked it (more quirky characters :).

What do you watch?  Something you never miss?

A "CRUMBY" DESSERT

"People first.  Then money, THEN things."  Suzi Orman
20 March, 2012

I got this dessert recipe in November, 1982.  (It was brought over when I had my third child.)  I made it for about 12 years... and then stopped.  I kept the recipe, and moved it from recipe system to recipe system.  But I never made it.  That is because it calls for 2 raw eggs.  My kidults and a few friends requested it but...
After another request I decided to adapt it, and it worked great!

SUBSTITUTE FOR 2 RAW EGGS
(I found several, but this was cheap and easy)

In a bowl put
4 egg whites
Sprinkle over the top with
2 table. non fat dry milk

Beat with a fork until very mixed.
Stir in a drop of
yellow food colouring
Makes about 1/2 cup.  1/2 cup equals 2 eggs.

DONE!

A CRUMBY PEACH DESSERT  (Yep, there IS a story behind the recipe name)

1 lb. vanilla sandwich cookies - finely crushed
2 table. melted butter

substitute mix to equal 2 eggs (1/2 cup)
1 cube softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup whipped cream - unsweetened

30 oz. can of peach slices (or more) OR fresh peach slices (or even berries)

Mix melted butter into cookie crumbs with a fork.  (This is not a lot of butter so just fork mix it.)
Press a bit more than 1/2 the cookie crumbs into (about) a 9x9 dish.

Mix 1/2 cup egg substitute mix, powdered sugar and softened butter til smooth.
Carefully spread over cookie crust.
Top with lots of peach slices (Cover the cream layer, and then cover it again.  There is not enough fruit in the picture below.)  I usually use canned (or berries) because they work better.

Spread the unsweetened whipped cream over the fruit.
Top with the rest of your cookie crumbs (and press down lightly).
Chill at least 4 hours.  (I like it the day it is made.  Some people like it better the next day.)

I have a great peach chicken (and stuffing balls)  that goes well with this dessert.
Let me know what you think if you try this.

                                               

CORN BREAD

I love corn bread, which can be a bad thing.  I keep finding cornbread recipes to try.  I tried 2 new ones this week... and made my old favourite for company on Sunday :) 
I have had several requests for my recipe, so am sharing it.

MY FAVOURITE CORN BREAD
makes a 9x13 pan

1 yellow cake mix (make according to package directions)

2 cups cornmeal
1-2 tea. salt
2 table. baking powder
1/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup melted butter or margarine (cooled)
2 eggs
2 cups milk

(Make cake mix as directed.)
Mix dry ingredients and set aside. (cornmeal, salt, soda, powder, sugar)
Mix melted (cooled) butter with eggs and milk. 
Fold butter mix into prepared cake mix. 
Carefully fold in dry ingredients.

Bake in a sprayed 9x13 pan at
375* for 20-25 mins. THEN LOWER HEAT AND COOK AT
350* for 5-10 mins.

My favourite cornbread with
sweet honey butter :)

I tried 2 other cornbread recipes this week.  One had great flavour and moistness, but was quite crumbly.
The other one called for brown butter and sour cream.  (I had high hopes for this one as I LOVE browned butter.)  There was no hint of browned butter and it was d r y.  BUT, it was baked in a preheated cast iron skillet.  I will do that again with my basic (read "tried and true") cornbread. 

Basic (traditional) Cornbread
from Susan Kennard (about 1983)

Mix until just barely mixed
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tea. baking soda
1 tea. salt
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk

Pour into a sprayed 9"x9" pan (about) and bake at 425* for 20-25 mins.
           OR
Rub about 1/2-1 teas. vegetable oil in your cast iron skillet (about 7-8 in.).  Pre-heat skillet as you make cornbread.  Pour cornbread into hot skillet and bake at 425* for 18-25 mins.
Cool completely and cut into wedges.

One of my goals for March?  TRY NO NEW CORNBREADS!  (And enjoy the ones I have.)

EASY WEEK END DINNER

On weekends I like to make fast and easy dinners.

Monte Cristo sandwiches are a favourite of ours (Blue Bayou - mmmm) so I put them on my menu for Friday.  The ingredients are simple.

An eggy bread is traditional (I bought "Great Grains Bakery SWEET HAWAIIAN bread at Winco.  It is under $1.50, easy to find and works great.)
eggs (I used 4)
milk (about cup)
2 table. biscuit mix
thinly sliced ham (lunch meat type)
thinly sliced turkey (")
sliced swiss cheese
melted butter

I made the basic sandwich earlier in the day.  (Layer slice of bread, slice of cheese, ham, slice of cheese, turkey, slice of cheese, bread.)  I flatten them just a bit and wrap up to use later.  (I got that idea from IKEA.) 

I cooked my Monti Cristo sandwiches on my Hamilton Beach (George Forman style) grill that is really my panini press.  (I love it.  A LOT)  I like this particular grill for several reasons. 
1. It is level (does not slant down).
2. REMOVABLE GRILL PLATES (Very easy to clean)
3. Reasonably small for storage.
4 Easy to find at thrift stores.

I set the timer for the grill to heat (5 mins.) and mix the eggs and milk.
I whisk in the biscuit mix and melt the butter in the microwave.
Using a silicone brush to almost generously brush both grill plates.
I quick dip the sandwich in the batter (both sides), put it on the grill and close it.
(It takes about 3-5 mins. per sandwich.)

I serve them with powdered sugar and jam on the side.  This weekend I served  Lingonberry jam that I picked up at Ikea this week. 
Closer that DISNEYLAND and cheaper than BLUE BAYOU.  (Missed the experience and the fireflies, though.)
(For a "closer to Disneyland", but less healthy and more time consuming, I use this recipe.)

(I don't know how to turn the pic.  Sorry.)

ST. PATRICK'S DAY IDEA

Last night as I was trying to fall asleep I had an idea.  It was too early for me to have fallen asleep (2:00 a.m.), but too late for me to try it (2:00).  So I made waffles for lunch.

(Obviously) I used my heart waffle iron to make a 4 leaf clover.  I used a box waffle mix, so it was an easy experiment.  I mixed my green food colouring and oil into the water I was adding so that the colour would mix evenly.  And so that I can mix it less.  Now I just need to come up with some plating ideas before the middle of March. (My sister's birthday is on March 17th.  What a fun breakfast :)

I have a few questions and recipe requests that I need to post.
Melissa asked how much liquid soap I put into my foaming Bath and Body Works bottle.  I put in about an inch of liquid soap.  Here is a trick.  Put the water in first so it won't foam before it is full of water.  I have had 66% success rate.  (One of my bottles only worked 1 time.  Two other bottles have worked a couple of times so far.)  Good Luck.

Next week I will post a requested corn bread recipe and a peach dessert recipe that I have had for 27 years.
(Monday update- No clue why this did not appear on my blog after I posted it.  Sorry.)

In other news at my house, we are a NIELSEN FAMILY!  It's a fun week for me, fan of tv that I am.

Trying New Recipes

I have tried about 15 new recipes in the last 3 weeks.  Only 1 was a keeper.  I have an idea about why so many were not keepers.  And I came up with a new criteria for trying a recipe.  QUIT TRYING RECIPES THAT I ALREADY HAVE A GREAT ONE OF!  (Seems obvious, huh?) 

Some of my failures were chocolate cake and frosting (Remember my crazy cake? mmm),  corn bread (I have a great sweet one and a great corn bready one.), Lemon cream cheese bars (Been there, have that)...

It's a new month and there are lots of new recipes to try.

Crock Pot Cooking...

We have had some really busy weeks.  Some things were planned.  Some were not.

With everything so busy, and a cold/sinus thing that has lingered over a month , I have been reading.  The "series" of books are clean and low key, with characters I like-more or less.  (They are murder mysteries, but are so easy going that I could put 1 down for a week with someone hiding under the bed when the owner comes in.) 
They are a series (Each book tells the complete story.  They are not a continuing story that that make you crazy waiting for the author to write/release the next one so you know what happens.) of culinary mysteries.  So far there are six with food (dessert) titles.  Josi S. Kilpack uses food and recipes as part of her character's personality in LEMON TART, DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE (my favourite so far), ENGLISH TRIFLE...

This week I unexpectedly hosted book club at my house due to illness somewhere else.  I decided to try recipes for lunch from the books I've been reading.  I tried 4.  (Pretty brave to serve untried recipes, huh?)  Two were o.k./fine.  One was definitely not a keeper.  One was a hit and will be made many times.

(SUBJECT CHANGE)  I love crock pot cooking.  I usually crock pot at least twice a week.  I crock pot on Cub Scout day and Sunday (sometimes 2 recipes on Sunday).   I try lots of new recipes (not just crock pot), and have had a lot of crock pot failures the last 3 weeks.  (Back to the recipe.)

For book club I made Southern BBQ Slow Cooked Chicken from KEY LIME PIE by Josi S. Kilpack.       It is shredded chicken that is Carolina style BBQ.  (My husband prefers the more tomato based style of Memphis style BBQ, so he was thumbs down.  He was the only one.

Book Club liked it.  I loved it.  My son came by and said "Primo" (while touching his fingers to his lips).  He later called to see if I would pack some for him to pick up for lunch the next day.
My daughter in law (from South Carolina) tasted it, loved it, and came back with my son and grandson for dinner :)
It was easy, cheap and I had everything for the recipe.
YEA!  Another crock pot recipe.

SOUTHERN BBQ SLOW COOKED CHICKEN - shredded, Carolina Style
from Josi S. Kilpack in KEY LIME PIE (p.112)
I think this would also for pork or ribs :)

1 36 oz. bottle ketchup
6 table. brown sugar
2 table. Worcestershire sauce
2 table. soy sauce
2 table. cider vinegar
1-2 tea. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tea. garlic powder OR 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts  (I used 5 lbs. and it was great.)

Put all ingredients in sprayed crock pot and stir to coat.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours OR  high for 3-4 hours  (I did part high and part low.)
Serve over rice or on rolls.  (I did both.)
I simmered mine on low for an extra hour to reduce the sauce.
Serves plenty.

I saw the idea on Pinterest for shredding your crock pot meats in your stand mixer.  It seems like a good idea.
Then I realized that I would need to transfer the hot meat/liquid to the mixer, hope I did not get splashed, transfer it back. and then wash extra dishes.  I decided to use the usual 2 fork method.
Then I had the idea of trying my pastry blender.  (I like the sharp edges of my Pampered Chef one.).  It worked really well.   Then when I washed the crock pot, I saw scratches on the bottom of my crock pot.  Were they already there?  Who knows. ( Guess that will be one of the things that I will be "Pinbusting" (Hilary's word) next month?)
Don't try this if you are using a crock pot liner.

I think this will be a great summer recipe.  Let me know what you think if you try this.

MYTH BUSTERS - Pinterest Style ;-)

I have had great intentions of posting weekly (but weakly won).

Gotta say I love PINTEREST.  It is an easy and convenient file cabinet.  But I have learned (from MANY sources-cooking shows, blogs, friends, magazines, Pinterest...) that not all that glistens is gold.  (I can not tell you how many recipes have not met the expectation.)
Usually if I try a recipe that is not for us, I delete it or throw it away.  (I do keep a list of Internet recipes-and the sources- so I don' fall for them again.) 

But ideas?  Well, we are "MYTH BUSTERS".  (Actually we tried them with hope.)   Following are a few ideas you WON'T find on my Pinterest boards.  (You can check out my boards/follow my boards here, or by clicking on the Pinterest logo on the right of my blog.)

DISCLAIMER - These are our results and opinions.  We hoped that all the ideas we tried would be successful.

1  Make your own Febreeze/air cleaner.  This is a cheap and easy replacement.  (And I had the correct empty spray bottle.)  I tried it.  It worked so-so.  I usually spray my bed linens in the morning.  After the 3rd day of my homemade spray, I found a problem.  There were dried spots, that were powdery, lots of places.  BUSTED
Note to self - Buy more Febreeze.

2  Hard water cleaner.  We have very hard water where I live.  I frequently end up with white mineral residue in my dishwasher.  Have you read the cheap solution of running an empty dishwasher with a $.15 pack of Lemonade Kool Aid?  For us, it did not work.  My dishwasher looked the same.  BUSTED
I do have have a (more expensive) product that does work for me.  I use Lemi Shine for cleaning my dishwasher. (I use it with dishes and dish soap in it.)

3  Cinnamon scented pine cones.  Ha ha.  First I needed pine cones.  There are plenty in our neighborhood.  But, a big snow storm was coming.  So I paid a daughter ($5.00) to take my grandson (paid $1.00) out to collect some-quick.  My sister was visiting and we went hunting for the cinnamon oil.  We tried health food stores ($$$), craft stores (1 squirrelly brand, 1 sold out brand), and finally found 2 kinds on the cooking row at Macey's grocery store.  We bought them both for about $6.00.  (I can make lots of batches ;)
We soaked the pinecones (to get the bugs out-yuk0, baked them (much longer than the "recipe" called for), were very generous with the (strongest) scent, and waited the 5 days.  (My sister was still visiting :)
They smelled wonderful when we opened the bag.  We put them in the perfect basket.  They still smelled wonderful, if you put your nose in to smell them :(  BUSTED
I bought 2 bags at Winco grocery store (that were soooo nicely scented) for (wait for it) $2.98 each!!!

4  (This was a sad one)  Vinegar spray as window de-icer.  Mix 3 cups white vinegar with 1 cup of water and spray it on your windows at night for a frost free window in the a.m.  (Or spray window in the a.m. to get rid of the frosted windows.)  It never worked for me.  (I even tried straight vinegar.)   I tried spraying everyone's car windows the night before.  :-(  I was picking up my sister from the train station another time at 3:30 a.m..  We got up to frosted windows, which I sprayed.  :-(  I tried again as we were leaving the train station. :-(  
Our cars smelled like vinegar during the week of my experiments. :-(  BUSTED

5  Dry skin cream.  My feet/heels are exceptionally dry.  I wear sandals year round.  They never get better, summer or winter.  They bleed and peel.  UGH!  (I have tried udder creams, bag balms, Vaseline.......)  So I tried a recipe from patchworktimes.  I made a 1/2 batch using 8 oz. of a store brand baby lotion (about $2.00) , 4 oz.Vaseline (already had some), and 4 oz. vitamin E cream (2 4 oz. jars Fruit of the Earth vit. E cream for under $5.00).  (Thank you, Lindsay for picking up my ingredients.)   It said to beat it together, but I just had my husband stir it well.  I liked that that left it creamy, but with teeny beads of Vaseline.
I rubbed my feet (and hands) for about 3 nights, and wore socks to bed.  Done that before.  (See above)  WOW!  It works great.  Now I use it as soon as a problem starts (which is really too late ;)  If I use it regularly I also have far fewer of the edge of my fingernail problems.  CONFIRMED

These are only our opinions and results.  We did not intend any specific pin/pinner or blog post.

I will do another webisode of Myth Busters - Pinterest Style next month.

As a side note, I figured out that I used/made/did a bit over 10% of my Halloween Pinterest Board for Halloween.