dBMachine

I'm about to put a few coats of polyurethane on a bench I made.

For easy clean up I usually lay newspaper on the floor. However, sometimes the paper sticks to my project and leaves marks in the finish.

Is there something better than newspaper? Maybe wax paper?

I'm looking for a cheap way to expand my garden. There are a lot of front yards with beautiful yellow and purple flowers in my neighborhood. I think they are desert wildflowers, Geraea canescens, which are annuals.

If i take a quick snip out of one of these plants will the cuttings propagate well? Or will I hit the end of an annual's lifecycle and will it die on me?

Small, tiny, and white. They also make small webs on the leafs. Are they mites?

I live in the hot Phoenix desert. I've been finding tiny spiders and webs on my Peace Lily for about a week now. I mist the undersides of the leaves daily.

It doesn't seem like any of my snake plants have spiders. I have young sprouting chives and basil seedlings. Will they be at risk?

How should I battle this? A bottle of nasty chemicals? Or is there a better way?

I want to start an indoor herb garden.

Do I have to plant my seeds a specific time of year or can I plant them year round because they're staying inside?

I'm building a BBQ smoker out of an old steel file cabinet!

I've spent the past few days stripping off all the paint inside and out with a wire brush and strip disc for an angle grinder.

The outside is perfect but the inside is mostly stripped to the bare metal with the exception of a few hard to reach corners and nooks and crannies. How important is it to get off every bit of old paint before applying a new coat?

Should I burn a fire inside to help remove all the excess? Or should I simply paint over a "good enough" stripped metal surface?

I plan on re-painting with high-temp auto-motive exhaust paint. Since I'm going to be preparing food out of this I want to make sure it's done right.

Is a "good enough" strip job OK or should it be immaculate?

Microsoft is going to stop offering support and updates for XP tomorrow.

I'm making a build that's going to use XP but I can't install and update it by tomorrow. Upgrading OS is not an option because the hardware and software I'm using is old and runs best on XP. This build is intended specifically for that outdated hardware and software so XP is a must.

I don't care about general tech support. I just want to make sure I update the machine to the most stable version of XP. Any ideas after they drop support?

I sear salmon on both sides on the grill then I baste it with a sauce made from butter, lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, herbs, etc...

It tastes delicious but the sauce goes up like gasoline on the grill!! Is it the lemon? The butter?

What should I avoid, recipe or technique wise, to avoid so many flare ups?

In a spur of the moment decision I decided to make a syrup out of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, brown sugar, and honey.

It turned out incredibly sweet and tastes like strong candy and now I have no idea what to do with this syrup! Does anyone have any recipes involving this stuff?

I was experimenting and I didn't think this all the way through!

I read this on the side of a salt-shaker. I don't know if it's true or they're just trying to make you feel less guilty about salting your food with their product.

I suppose it makes sense considering the tons of salt and preservatives they have to add to processed foods. But there must be a cut off!

If I salt my food to the point of it actually tasting salty... Am I still eating less sodium than processed foods? I know some foods are naturally salty as well...

Eggs, potatoes, cheese, etc...

I know it's not going to go "bad."

What I'm really afraid of is the eggs turning gross and the potatoes becoming mushy. I'm mostly worried about the potatoes. Mine are saute'd in a pan. I've seen french fries go in the fridge and they become absolutely disgusting.

How will the freshness stack up?

We've all heard those life and death stories where people are forced to drink their own pee to survive. If all you had was bongwater would it hydrate you? I know it has dirt and filtered smoke and carcinogens in it. But then again your pee also has waste that your body is trying to get rid of.

Tasty right?

This teriyaki recipe was the first result on google.

http://www.food.com/recipe/restaurant-teriyaki-sau...

"Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce"

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

5 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 -2 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

If I substitute the powdered garlic and ginger with fresh how much should I use?

I should probably toss some red pepper flakes in there too...

What's a quality brand of dog food that is relatively available at the grocery store or petsmart?

I have 3 dogs. 1 pitbull, a pit/lab mix, and a rottweiler. I usually buy that Old Yeller stuff but I know it's cheap. I'm going to be making more money soon so I want to buy them some quality healthy food.

What do you recommend that I can find easily?

I grill a lot at home and my brother recently moved back in. He's a vegetarian so I need to figure out more stuff to make. I usually cook red bell peppers straight on the grill as a side and call it a day. But now I think I need some kind of grilled veggie main course.

What are some simple grilled vegetarian recipes that you know?

And I don't just mean the grate.

I have an old charcoal grill that I've used a bunch over the years for everything from burgers and steaks to slow cooked smoked ribs.

The inside is getting a lot of build up from all the ash and grease. It seems like most people just scrape the grill with a wire brush and call it a day. What do you use to really get in there?

I have to move back in with my parents for a short time and I'm bringing my rottweiler with me. He gets along fine with the female pit back at home but he gets in fights with the male lab-pit mix.

How do I make them get along?

I try to let them around each other in controlled doses and separate them when I need to. They seem to fight over things like toys and attention. All of these dogs look up to me and the fight is over once I break it up. They seem to get real jealous though.

Do you think they just need time?

I plan on smoking my turkey for thanksgiving tomorrow but I need to get the wood to do it.

I already have some hickory and I know where to find mesquite. But I think those flavors might be too strong and I'd like to try and find something else.

I hear apple wood is good. What would you recommend? And do you know where to find it in the Phoenix area?

I have a standard charcoal weber grill. I usually cook ribs with an indirect heat with mesquite or hickory smoke around 300 degrees for about an hour to 1 1/2 hours. They're tasty but they dont have the biggest smoke ring because I cook 'em quick.

I have a turkey around 10lbs that I want to try and smoke for thanksgiving. I would probably have to smoke it at a much lower heat for much longer.

What temp and and how long should I try to cook the turkey in the charcoal kettle grill? What kind of wood smoke would you recommend for turkey?

What are your experiences smoking a turkey?

I found him at the park off leash scaring people because he's a big rottweiler. The owners seemed to be nowhere in sight so I took him. He has a collar but no tags so I put up flyers trying to look for the owners. I also put up ads on craigslist and facebook and I asked around the park to see if anyone was missing their dog.

If I don't find them I may just end up keeping him. He's a gentle giant and super well mannered.

What should I name him? I'm thinking Bandit, or some other outlaw inspired name, because I found him causing so much trouble. People were screaming and threatening me when I took him because they thought he was my dog and they thought I let him off the leash.

Is wrapping it in plain tin foil or seran wrap good enough to prevent freezer burn?

How long can it remain frozen until it doesn't taste fresh anymore?