Welcome to the Backyard Fence!

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Hi!  Welcome to the Backyard Fence.  Remember old neighborhoods, where people would congregate over the fence, talk about life, share a few laughs? I'd love to make this a stopping point for anyone who wants to share....anything!  I love to cook, and when I find a good recipe, or make dinner from an old recipe, I love to share it.  Today, I found a great new product, and I wanted to share that, too.  So, here goes!  I'll try to post a recipe or tip every day, and I'd love to have others join in, too!  If you're a crafter, please check out my other group, Small-Delights.  Oh, and the photo here--I don't know who originally created it, but it wasn't me.  If anyone DOES know the owner, please let me know!

Today's tip:  My kitchen cabinets were looking pretty rough.  I'd washed them (they're painted wood) with everything I normallyh clean with, but the grime around the handles seemed to have taken up permanent residence.  I remembered I had something I'd picked up in the store but not yet tried.  It was a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. (3M makes a similar product, and there may be more out there.) I figured it couldn't hurt, so I started in on door frames and I was amazed!  That little thing cleaned all the fingerprints and grime without scrubbing!  In no time, I had cabinets and doors looking new!  One thing, I didn't bother to read the directions until AFTER I was done.  I was supposed to wet the eraser first!!  Now, I'm looking all around, trying to find more smudges!  This could make cleaning fun!

Ok, that's my tip for the day.  How about an easy recipe, one that's VERY flexible? 

Creamy Potato Soup

In a large pan, make a roux (melt about 1/2 stick of butter, add about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of all purpose flour, stir like crazy till flour browns a bit.)  Slowly stir in milk, whisking to keep the flour from clumping.  Add chicken boullion, salt, pepper, and if you like it spicy, add some red pepper flakes.  While that simmers and starts to thicken, cube 4-5 potatoes, leaving the skin on.  Chop a medium sized onion.  Brown these in a bit of oil, then drain and add to the milk/broth mixture.  Cover and let simmer until the flour and the potatoes have thickened the soup.  Add more milk/cream of it's too thick.  Be careful not to let it scorch!  This should be ready to eat in about an hour, but it's soooo much better when reheated, you might want to make it a day ahead.  To serve, it's fine on it's own, but you can dress it up with green onions, chedder cheese and bacon bits.  Sour cream isn't bad in it, either!  Serve with a crusty bread and carb out!