DENVER (CBS4)- I know, I know, my first reaction was, “Huh? Cooking in the dishwasher? Why? How? Ick!”

But a growing number of people are saving time and money by doing their cooking and cleaning at the same time! While researching my last blog on cleaning household items in the dishwasher, I came across a bunch of dishwasher recipes.

They include lasagna: partselect.com/JustForFun/Dishwasher

Dishwasher salmon: realsimple.com/food-recipes

And various veggie recipes: ecocucinaen.wordpress.com

You’ll also find more information on how cooking in the dishwasher saves water and energy in that last link. I was impressed by how energy efficient this method can be, particularly in these hot Summer months, when we don’t feel like turning on the stove or oven.

I tested a simple snap pea recipe in our dishwasher here at CBS4. I put a bunch of fresh snap peas, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, into a clean mayo jar and closed it carefully. I put them on the top shelf of a FULL dishwasher (to save energy) and ran them through a normal cycle.

I thought they tasted delicious! they were still crispy, but with a “steamed” texture and excellent flavor. No water seeped into the jar. My co-anchor, Alan Gionet, sampled the peas and thought they were pretty crispy. So, if you like your peas more cooked, I’d say try them on the bottom rack and leave them for the dry cycle, if you use one.

If you let your dishes air dry (more efficient!) then you can “cook’ the pea pods with dishes that need a hotter cycle. I’m not an expert, these are just my best guesses. Just be careful to test the temp before digging in – I wouldn’t want your veggies to burn you!

Enjoy the recipes and please let me know what you think of this concept in “comments!”

On the topic of bargains this week; you may have heard that Borders bookstores are going out of business. I got an email from Borders and did some checking. Right now, their inventory is “up to” 40 percent off. Many of the items I checked were still full price.

If there’s a media item you really want or need now, it’s worth checking to see if you can get a bargain at Borders. If you just want to get a deal, you may want to wait for further markdowns. However, if you are in the Borders rewards club, beware that you need to used your bucks or points by the end of the month.

Happy hunting and thanks for reading!

About The Blogger

- In her Brooke’s Bargains blog Brooke Wagner writes about finding bargains and saving money for her family. She calls it one of her favorite hobbies. Blog entries cover everything from the latest steals, deals, and freebies to cheap family activities, saving for college, and what to buy right now.