Red Velvet Cupcakes

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2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 bottle (1 oz.) Red Food Color
1 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs
2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

MIX flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. BEAT butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Mix sour cream, milk, food color, and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed just until blended. Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

BAKE in preheated 350°F oven 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Spread with frosting. Makes 30 cupcakes.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: BEAT 1 package (8 oz.) softened cream cheese, 4 tbsp. softened butter, 2 tbsp. sour cream, and 2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 box (16 oz.) confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until smooth.

Philadelphia New York Cheesecake

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People Food For Your Dog & Cat

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You share a lot with your pet: your home, your affection. To help build strong muscles, bones and a shiny coat, you should also share home-cooked meats, veggies and whole grains. Here’s how to do it right.
1 Work with your vet. Design a home-cooked diet that’s right for your pet’s breed, age and size with advice from your vet. Have your pet’s eating plan reevaluated at annual check-up time, or sooner if you notice health changes like lethargy or a dull coat.
2 Serve a variety of foods. About 30 percent of your pet’s diet should consist of food you make yourself, and should include meat (ask your vet whether meat should be raw or cooked), grains, vegetables and fruit.
3 Don’t overfeed! More than 45 percent of dogs and 55 percent of cats are overweight due to overfeeding. Any homemade food you feed your pet should be part of their normal diet, not in addition to it.
4 Teach good table manners. Incorporating people food into your pal’s diet doesn’t mean you should teach him to beg for table scraps. Serve meals in a bowl he’s used to eating from, away from your table and on a regular schedule— two or three times a day depending on activity level.
5 Avoid these toxic foods. Some human foods contain ingredients that can harm dogs and cats. Never feed them grapes or raisins, choco­late or caffeine, onions or garlic, processed food or raw eggs.

Helpful Tips

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Shaving cream can be used as a spot cleaner on carpets, upholstery and even clothing. If you are not sure whether your upholstery can be cleaned with water, check first in an inconspicuous area.
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Need a nice-smelling house but don’t feel like baking cookies? Try simmering a pot of spices on the stove. Add several cloves and a teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin-pie spice to a few cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or so. Your house will have a delicious scent — good enough to eat!
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If you have several items of clothing with grease stains on them, add a can of cola to the wash water. It can ease out grease stains.
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Clean out a stained coffee decanter by filling it with hot water and adding a denture tablet. Let it sit overnight, and the stains should come right off in the morning.
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Make a spray of equal parts liquid fabric softener and water. Mist the air daily to relieve static buildup during the fall and winter, when the air is very dry.
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To get streaks off of freshly cleaned windows, give them a final swipe with plain newspaper (not magazines or glossy pages).
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For troublesome-to-open jars of pickles, jam, etc., use a pair of standard dish washing gloves. They provide a sturdy grip, especially if your hands are the least bit damp.
•    •    •
Use cotton swabs to touch up painting jobs. They are small enough to get into tight spaces, and the best part is that they are disposable.

Words of Wisdom

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“When the product is right, you don’t have to be a great marketer.” — Lee lacocca
•  • •
“The best ballplayer’s the one who doesn’t think he’s good. He keeps trying to convince you.”
— Casey Stengel
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“A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.” — Bob Hope
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“Ben Franklin may have discovered electricity, but it is the man who invented the meter who made the money.” – Earl Warren
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“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding about ourselves.”
— Carl Jung
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“If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first
create the universe.” – Carl Sagan
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“You do not lead by hitting people over the head — that’s assault,   not   leadership.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
•  • •
“It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” — Muhammad Alt
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“You must do the things you think   you   cannot   do.” Eleanor Roosevelt
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“It isn’t where you come from, it’s where you’re going that counts.” — Ella Fitzgerald
•    •    •
“In heaven all the interesting people    are    missing.” Friedrich Nietzsche
•  • •
“Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.”—Janis Joplin