Here is a link that tells how to make it from corn starch as well as some places that people have bought it. I didn't see a date, but if the shopping isn't current at least the recipe should work. Some say that Walmart, Kmart and dollar stores all have it. I don't know. Here's another recipe from Field Trips in Fiber: Liquid Starch Recipe I think I posted a few months ago about making my own starch. I use a lot of starch in my quilt piecing. I like the fabric to be as stiff as paper, especially when I'm working with triangles. The problem with my original starch recipe is that it didn't fully dissolve and sometimes left a white residue on the fabric. That didn't bother me because I always wash the completed quilt....but it drove my Mom nuts when she was here and we were working on our "Quilts on the Double" quilts. She and her sister looked through my Grandma's recipe book to see if her starch recipe was recorded. It wasn't. So a search of the web for several recipes resulted in this new recipe that works much better! If you decided to make your own starch, only make what you can use in a day or 2. It does go rancid. I seem to use a little more than a cup in an average cutting session. 1. Put 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. 2. While waiting for the water to boil, dissolve 2 - 3 teaspoons of cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of cold water in a cup or small bowl. Keep mixing the cornstarch while waiting for the water to boil. 3. After the water boils, pour the cornstarch mixture into the boiling water and stir for a minute or so. The liquid will be clear or slightly cloudy. 4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. 5. Transfer the starch mixture to a spray bottle and starch away! Throw it out after a couple of days. good luck kathy Here is a link that might be useful: Liquid starch question

malna- That's too funny (LOL). I'll never hear the rip of Velcro without thinking about your wallet. A. I would never pay full price for baking powder (and nearly everything else come to think about it). It will eventually be on sale - usually in the fall before the holidays when most baking ingredients go on sale. On my tight budget, every cent counts - A LOT! B. The last 3 containers I purchased were 78-cents each and were on the discount shelf at the store just before Christmas. The gal stocking it said they were extras that didn't fit on the shelf when they were restocking, and they didn't want to put them in back-stock, so they reduced them. Happy me!!! This happens a lot at our little grocery store. Not everything is out-of-date or dented on the clearance rack in the back of the store. -Grainlady

May, Here is a recipe for Mexican Rice cooked in the oven. It's pretty good but I imagine that you have great Mexican rice in your area. I use the same method to make Yellow Rice and Chorizos. Mexican Rice 55 min : 20 min prep SERVES 8 -10  12 ounces tomatoes, very ripe and cored (canned with chiles is good)  1 medium white onion  3 medium jalapenos  2 cups long grain white rice  1/3 cup canola oil  4 minced garlic cloves  2 cups chicken broth  1 tablespoon tomato paste (may omit if using canned tomatoes)  1 1/2 teaspoons salt  1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced  1 lime 1. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350. 2. Process tomato and onion in processor or blender until pureed and thoroughly smooth. Transfer mixture to measuring cup and reserve exactly 2 cups. Discard excess. 3. Remove ribs and seeds from 2 jalapenos and discard. Mince flesh and set aside. Mince remaining jalapeno. Set aside. 4. Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear- about 1 1/2 minutes. Shake rice vigorously to remove excess water. This step removes the starch from the rice so it will not stick. DonÂt OMIT THIS STEP!!! 5. Heat oil in heavy bottomed oven safe 12 inch straight sided sauté pan or Dutch oven with tight fitting lid over medium high heat about 2 minutes. (The recipe is very specific about this but I used a 10 inch Dutch oven and it worked out fine.) Drop a few rice grains in and if they sizzle then it is ready. Add rice and fry stirring until rice is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. 6. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and 2 minced jalapenos and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. 7. Stir in broth, pureed mixture, tomato paste, and salt. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. 8. Cover pan and transfer pan to oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-35 minutes. Stir well after 15 minutes. 9. Stir in cilantro, minced jalapeno to taste, and pass lime wedges separately. Edited to add 6-15-05: If you can't get good fresh tomatoes you are better off using canned tomatoes. Don't use those and underipe tomatoes that are at most supermarket chains. Just be sure that the processed tomatoes and the one onion equals 2 cups. One the other hand- if you find that after processing your tomatoes and onions that you have less than 2 cups- simply add enough bottled salsa to make up the difference.

I'm impressed, Mustangs---you're quite the expert at repurposing things. I've done that a few times, but I've also run into problems from time to time (i.e., label that simply will not come off cleanly, despite using all the techniques I know to try to get them off). I really like those large letter decals. I use my P-touch to label some things in spray bottles (i.e., to distinguish between vinegar/water mix and alcohol/water mix), but the large letters are much better because you can see instantly which is which and don't have to pick up a bottle and closely examine it to see which it is. Maybe I can find some large letters such as what people sometimes use on their mailboxes and apply those instead---not as attractive as your decals, but certainly more functional than the small labels.