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SurprisingWaysto Use a Slow Cooker That Have Nothing to Do With Food They're bulky and take up pre- cious cabi- net space, but we'll never get rid of our slow cook- ers. They can be such a lifesaver on those days when time is scarce and we just want to make a big batch of something delicious and comforting to get us through it. A slow cooker is one awesome household ap- pliance for hands-off cooking. If you have one (a recent study says at least 80 percent of us do) you know what a great time-saver and money- saver it is. Surprisingly, your slow cooker is good for other tasks that have nothing to do with food. Everybody needs one! HOMEMADE SOAP. Looking for a great homemade gift idea? This could be it! Home- made soap is wonderful because you can custom- ize soap bars with your preferred scents and in- gredients. While there are many recipes on- line, you can skip the te- dium with a clear, melt- and-pour soap base. It's detergent-free. An hour in the slow cooker, plus some drops of essential oil (20 drops of laven- der essential oil would be an awesome choice), a colorant and any vari- ety of botanicals you de- sire, and you've made your own beautiful soap products. FRESHEN THE AIR. Whether you need to get rid of cooking smells or want to scent the house for the holidays, your slow cooker can pull dou- ble duty as an air fresh- ener. Fill it three-quar- ters with water and add a couple tablespoons of baking soda and a few drops of your favorite es- sential oil. Turn it on high, and leave it un- covered. The steam will waft fragrance through- out your house. No essen- tial oils on hand? Toss in apple and orange peels, a few cloves and some cin- namon sticks, instead. MAKE CANDLES. We all have those old, lop- sided candles, with holes burned through one side. Rather than toss them in the trash, toss them in the slow cooker. Once melted, fish out the old wicks and gather heat- proof containers. Lay a pencil across the rim of a container. Tie a weighted candlewick (you can find these at any craft store or online) to the pencil, and let the end dangle into the container. Carefully ladle the melted wax into the container without disturbing the wick, and let it cool. There you go — new candles! STRIP PAINT. If you want to strip paint from metal hinges, knobs, handles, doorknobs, etc., without the nasty fumes and mess involved with chemical strippers, just fill a slow cooker with water, cover it and set the dial to high. The heat and moisture will soften the paint, and often it will fall off as a single piece. This method works on oil, latex and spray paint, but it may not remove some clear finishes like lacquer. It won't harm hardware made of non- rusting metals like cop- per, brass or aluminum. You'll end up with a lit- tle rust on steel — not enough to ruin hidden parts like hinge pins or screws, but possibly enough to roughen shiny surfaces. Beware: If the steel has a plating and the plating is already flaking off, this method will cause more flaking. Note that this process may stain or contami- nate the pot, so use an old cooker you won't be using again for food. MAKE YOUR OWN PLAY-DOH. You'll need 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup corn starch, 1 cup ta- ble salt, cup cream of tartar, 2 cups hot water and 2 teaspoons vegeta- ble oil. Dump dry ingre- dients into cooker. Add the water and oil. Stir to mix well. Put the lid on, and switch to high heat. Set a timer for 2 hours. Stir the dough well ev- ery 30 minutes. You will know it's about done when it begins to form a ball as you stir. At that point, turn the cooker off and continue stirring for a few minutes. Dump the Play-Doh out onto a smooth surface and be- gin to knead carefully. It will be hot! If your dough is overly sticky, add a bit of cornstarch; if it's overly dry, add a touch more hot water. Separate the dough into manage- able portions, and make an indent in the center of each portion to put a few drops of food color- ing. Knead and squish the dough until the color is well-distributed. Kids' hands may be slightly colored for a few hours after playing with the Play-Doh. But no worries — it's harmless. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Surprising ways to use a slow cooker that have nothing to do with food Mary Hunt The State Theatre For The ArtswillpresentJohnSebas- tian in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14. For more than four de- cades the contributions of John Sebastian have be- come a permanent part of theAmericanmusicalfabric. His group The Lovin' Spoon- ful played a major role in the mid-'60s rock revolution, but whatleader,singerandsong- writerSebastianhadinmind was actually a counter-revo- lution. Songs include "Do You Be- lieve In Magic," "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice," "Day- dream," "Younger Girl," "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind," "Summer In The City," "Rain On The Roof," "Nashville Cats," "Six O'Clock," "Darling Be Home Soon" and "Younger Gener- ation." When producers of a TV show called "Welcome Back Kotter" commissioned a theme song in 1976, Sebas- tian's "Welcome Back" be- came a chart-topping solo record. John Sebastian is not only a master musician, writer and performer, he remains one of the best ambassadors American music has ever had. Ticketsare$30andonsale nowatwww.statetheatrered- bluff.com or the Tehama Country Visitor Center, 250 Antelope Blvd. in Red Bluff. STATE THEATRE JohnSebastianto perform in Red Bluff The Writers Forum will present Sept. 10 a panel of writers who will share their years of diverse experi- ences as members of critique groups. The writers will offer ad- viceonhowtofindthegroup foryou,orhowtoformoneof your own. They will describe various critique group tech- niques and methods for both in-personandonlinecritique sessions. Thisprogramwillbelively and entertaining. Come pre- pared to have a good time. Leave with new ideas about how a critique group can work for you. The gathering is sched- uled for 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 at All Saints Episcopal Church, 2150 Benton Drive in Red- ding. For details, visit www.red- dingwritersforum.com or emailwritersforumprogram- chair@gmail.com Writers Forum meets monthlyonthesecondSatur- day.Thepubliciswelcometo get acquainted with two free visits before joining. Annual membership dues are $25. WRITERS FORUM Writers offer tips on critique groups More than 12,000 house- holds in the North State that are eligible for a dis- count on their monthly Pa- cific Gas and Electric Co. bills are not enrolled. These PG&E customers could save 20 percent or more on their monthly en- ergy bill by taking a simple step — enrolling in PG&E's California Alternate Rates for Energy program, or CARE. The CARE program gives income-qualified households deep dis- counts on their energy bills. Throughout PG&E's service area, nearly 1 in 10 eligible customers are not signed up for the pro- gram and are missing out on significant savings. In seven North State counties served by PG&E, about 15 percent of eligible house- holds are not enrolled. "Our CARE program is an important part of pro- viding affordable service to our customers. We en- courage all our custom- ers to learn more about CARE, and the variety of other programs we offer, to help them manage their energy costs and lower their monthly bill," said PG&E Senior Vice Presi- dent and Chief Customer Officer Laurie Giammona. P G & E e s t i m a t e s about 200,000 custom- ers throughout its service area could save on their monthly costs by enroll- ing in CARE. More than 1.4 mil- lion qualified customers throughout Northern and Central California are en- rolled in CARE. PG&E has helped customers save more than $7.8 billion on their energy bills through the program. Customers can apply for CARE online at https://m. pge.com/#login or via pa- per applications that are available through numer- ous community agencies throughout PG&E's service area. Applying is easy and only takes about five min- utes. If they qualify, cus- tomers will begin receiv- ing the CARE program discount within their next billing cycle. The program can help customers already partic- ipating save more energy and money with free en- ergy-saving improvements to maximize energy effi- ciency in their home. Every year, the Califor- nia Public Utilities Com- mission adjusts the max- imum qualifying income levels for CARE to reflect changes in the federal poverty guidelines. CARE is funded through a rate surcharge paid by all util- ity customers. To learn more about the program, visit www. pge.com/care. If custom- ers have questions or need assistance filling out the CARE applications, write to careprogram@pge. com or call 1-866-743-2273. SAVINGS Thousands of north state households could benefit from utility discount JohnSebastianatWoodstock John Sebastian 2498 S. Main St. Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 528-8656 END OF THE YEAR SPECIAL End of the year membership special $150 Single Membership $225 Couple Membership *No enrollment fees Membership to be paid in full upon sign-up 3917N.MainSt,Cottonwood,CA 530-347-3793 Thankyoufor50wonderfulyears Shasta Livestock Auction Yard September 9 th Sale 2 1 /2% Commission September 6 th -12 th Specials at the Branding Iron Café! Celebratingour 50 th Anniversary! 744 Main St., Red Bluff SUMMER SALE WOMEN'S CLOTHING "One Size Fits All" 30% OFF SOAP SALE L'IPE DE PROVENCE 5 FOR $30 Comeandshopnow! SmithFamily Farms LocallyGrownHorse Quality Alfalfa Hay $10 .00 per bale Grass Hay Beardless Wheat also available 945-9276 South of Red Bluff LaCorona Garden Center 7769Hwy99E,LosMolinos 530-576-3118 General Hydroponics Fox Farm Soil Grow More Fertilizer YaraMila Fertilizer Chicken Feed Garden Plants Check out the new place in Los Molinos Karaoke - Pool Tables 12 Beers onTap • FULLBAR CHECKOURFACEBOOKPAGEFOR MUSIC&EVENTS NuWayShoppingCenter 384-0315 11am-Midnight•Fri&Sat11am-2am Mention this ad for a discount LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, September 1, 2016 » MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6