This has been a bit of a whirlwind couple of weeks, and although I did have some ideas for a tip to post here today, I decided instead to let all of you do the heavy lifting. Which means I'm going to ask YOU to share a brilliant tip with ME.
And, of course, with everyone else who reads here.
The great thing about this is that my tips tend to fall within very narrow categories--or, actually, almost entirely within the parameters of the kitchen--whereas I'm sure all of you have more areas of expertise.
So, what can you share with me and the Internet at large that will make us all go, "That's such a good idea!"
Jasper is all ears.
18 comments:
When dealing with little kids and pets, remember that behavior is communication. Before getting mad or frustrated about something, pause and decide what the kid/pet might be trying to convey.
When baking with cocoa, always use hot/boiling water or mix it with melted butter. The heat improves the taste of the chocolate.
and check your recipes about the size of the pan needed. ( I have to go scrape off half of the chocolate cake batter from the floor of the over because I forgot that 2 8 in pans are much smaller than 9 inch pans.)
Speaking of cocoa and baking. Use cocoa instead of flour when preparing a cake pan for chocolate cake.
Here's a tip I learned from a friend: even the most formidable book is readable if taken in small chunks. If you read, say, 5 pages of a non-fiction book every morning with your coffee or tea, you will be surprised at how much you will learn without pain or tedium. 5 x 365 = 1,825 pages in a year. And remember to write down the titles and authors of all the books you read. It's great to look back over a year's reading and remember what was good and what was not quite worth your time.
When required to provide proof of identity, if the name on your driver's license doesn't match the name on your birth certificate, take the bridge document to prove you are who you are (in my case, marriage license).
Go ahead, ask me who gets to drive an extra 140 miles today because of this. Fantastic. Thank you, DMV and TSA.
Yes, mbmom11! 2 9-in layers are the equivalent of 3 8-inch layers. I once made Kristin a chart of all the square inches in various pan sizes, and she thought I had lost my mind.
When lotion or whatever in a pump bottle stops coming up with the pump, switch out the pump for a regular cap. For example, an old shampoo bottle cap fits my Aveeno lotion pump bottle perfectly. This makes it really easy, and still sanitary, to turn the bottle upside down and continue using until the product is actually used up.
Really enjoy your blog, Kristin! Thank you for all the time and effort you put into it.
To make a good all-purpose cleaner, put lemon or orange peels into a mason jar and fill with vinegar. Let it sit for a couple of weeks and then strain into a spray bottle. It smells better than plain vinegar and the citrus adds an extra anti-bacterial punch!
Slice that toothpaste tube open and you can get another week of toothpaste out of it before throwing it away (or taking it to a Terracycle location to recycle!).
Interlibrary loan is one of the greatest inventions ever. Talk to your local librarian if you don't know how to access it. It's really amazing, the things you can have sent from sometimes even other states to check out at your library!
And a round of applause for mil up there! I've found that either a small set number of pages, a single chapter, or setting a timer gets me through those tough-to-read books. I got through Les Misérables a few years ago doing something like 30 pages per day for several months, and currently, I'm reading a tougher book in 30 minute per day chunks. It makes me so happy to do these spread-out-over-time reads! :)
Any time you grill out ...say hamburgers...make extra to put in the freezer to heat up later ...tastes like sunshine on a cold winters day.
After you use your canned peppers hot or spicy...if you have some fresh cucumbers or peppers.. put them in the jar for a little more spice with your next sandwich.
Good hot or cold.
A grapefruit spoon is a great little tool for stemming strawberries or coring a cut-in-half apple.
I keep a reading log like the mil. I find it useful to rate each book 1-5 so if someone asks for good recommendations, I can skim through for the 4s and 5s (some get DNF--did not finish--actually, those that would have rated a 1 or 2 usually end up as DNFs). I also print out lists of series that I enjoy so I can keep track and read in order. My favorite website for this is http://ww2.kdl.org/libcat/WhatsNext.asp
I find that a carton of sour cream keeps much longer after opening if you cover the sour cream with a piece of saran/plastic wrap - apply right to the surface.
I keep a small jar of grated ginger root in my frig - grate when fresh, then pour in cooking sherry to cover the ginger and preserve it.
When a chunk of cheese gets close to "best before" date, shred and place in plastic bag or container and freeze - or stock up when on sale, shred and freeze for future use.
Before putting a pound of butter in the freezer I cut it into quarters, separating them with a small square of parchment paper to easily remove a quarter when needed.
If a loaf of bread is too much for your household, cut loaf in half before freezing and bring out only a half when you need it.
Regarding reading books and keeping a log - I rate each book I read, but also include a sentence or two about what I did or did not enjoy - a very tiny book review!
I use an old socks as diapers for my oil bottles. The sock catches any drips, and keeps my shelves free of sticky old oil. When they get dirty I throw them in the wash or upgrade to a new one when my husband gets a hole in the heel of another sock.
For travelling I use a 6pack sized soft-sided cooler as my toiletries bag. I keep it stocked with any samples I pick up, a mostly used up bar of soap in a baggie (sensitive skin, can't use the small bars from hotels and don't want to carry a full sized bar), and a small first aid kit.
I also keep a quart size freezer bag in there so if I need to use the bag as an actual cooler everything can be dumped out on the hotel room counter, and I can put ice in the bag so the melting water doesn't leak out and make a mess.
IF deodorant smears on a clean shirt as it is put on, you don't have to take it back off and toss it in the hamper to rewash it; you can use an old bristle hairbrush or an old toothbrush to brush the deodorant off so it can be worn as planned.
This is an old one - use toilet paper roll cores to hold electrical cords on irons, hairdryers, etc., when not in use. If you have scraps of adhesive shelf liner, cover the core with it and the core will last for years.
Junk mail envelopes make cheap note paper for things like lists for the store. If you use coupons, you can put them in the envelope before you go. You can also carry your receipts back home in them.
I save veg peels and bones in a bag in the freezer and make broth in the slowcooker when I have enough. Once the broth is done, I transfer to a pan and reduce it 10-15x until it becomes very thick, I then transfer to icecube molds and freeze. Super easy to grab and use in a sauce or add water for regular broth.
A paying service but a life-changer for me: I use eatyourbooks.com. They list cookbook recipes ingredients with a great search engine. So you simply need to tag once all the cookbooks and magazines you own and it's very easy to search for recipes, either by recipe name, type of dish or ingredient(s).
My dogs love old holey socks. I just make a knot in the middle before they get them, to distinguish those that were stolen from the laundry drying rack. Speaking of which, last tip: I air dry all my laundry. I don't even have a dryer. Air drying is better for your clothes, wallet and the environment.
And final tip: I have a sheet of paper taped to my freezer and a pencil and eraser to make sure I write down anything that goes in the freezer and erase anything that comes out. It works so well
An hour in the morning is worth two in the afternoon.
I'm late to the game, and I'm not sure I have any nuggets of advice you haven't all heard, but....
With meat prices through the roof, I've been buying on sale and stretching what we have. Take tacos, for instance. For Tex-Mex ones, you can stretch the meat with canned Rotel, or canned pineapple, or frozen corn, or all of those. You have more taco filling and your kids can't opt out of the veggie toppings. For Asian tacos, I can put a LOT of chopped purple cabbage or grated carrot in with some meat without hearing any complaints. I also added a good bit of frozen spinach to meat for lasagna. Anyway, it's working for us. I've cut back considerably this way, and it's a bit healthier, too.
Even later to the game.
Old worn out socks can make pretty nifty replacements for paper towels. We use them to clean the bathroom, then toss them in the bucket with the cloth diapers or straight into the washer.
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