Useful Tip #13 - Fresh Cut Flowers

If you like fresh cut flowers or have a wonderful hubby who on occasion brings them home for you here are a few tricks to make them last longer so you can enjoy them more.

When you first receive them don't just unwrap them and stick them in a vase. Pick a vase large enough for the arrangement. Fill it 1/2 to 3/4 full with lukewarm water. Lukewarm or room tempature water will move thru the stems faster than cold water. Then take a sharp knife or heavy duty kitchen scissors (I prefer the scissors) and cut each stem at an angle as short or long as you want. When flowers are cut the part that is cut will eventually start to seal over or close up therefore making the water harder to get thru the stem. Cutting them again when you receive them opens them back up again to allow the flow of water thru. Then place the arrangement in your vase. Each day you should change the water with more lukewarm water. As certain flowers die out remove them and keep arranging your flowers. I've had arrangements last up to two weeks by tending to them daily.

I've also heard adding an aspirin to the water helps but I have not personally tried this.

Useful Tip # 12 - Mouse Control

Fortunately I don't have a mouse problem. And honestly I really don't mind them although I don't want them taking up residence and having a mouse family in my home. So here are some tips on how to keep them so that you aren't cleaning out mouse traps with dead critters later. That always makes me sad. So try these tips.

Place USED kitty litter from a litter box in small tubs in several places around the garage. Mice think...it smells like a cat--must be a cat - I'm outta here!.

Buy a mesh/net laundry bag that you would use for washing nylons and 5 boxes of moth balls. Put the moth balls in the bag and hang it in your garage near the door to get rid of mice, birds, and bugs. Moth balls also repel snakes

To prevent mice from gaining entry to your garage, stop up any openings with steel wood pads. Mice will not chew through these!

Sprinkle ground cayenne pepper around the garage (inside & out), and especially near entry holes. Pests don't care for the smell of it. Ants also do not like cayenne pepper.

Mice hate the scent of peppermint extract. Simply sprinkle *pure* peppermint extract on the items in your garage you don't want the mice in or on.

If you try these tips or do something that has worked for you please comment!

Useful Tip # 11- Traveling

Since summer is almost here that means it's time for VACATION!!! And many of you will be flying to your vacation destination. Being someone who flies frequently one of the things I've seen and learned from is that 80% of peoples luggage is a dark color such as black or navy blue. And due to this it's sometimes hard to pick out your luggage. Most people grab a bag while it's still on the belt and are trying to read the name tag on it to verify it is there's for sure. Recently I bought new luggage (hot pink with black hearts) so that there was no way that I wouldn't know it was mine. So far I haven't seen any like it. But before this I was one of those people with a dark navy blue suitcase. So here's a simple trick to be able to spot your luggage on the belt without having to read the name tag. Just pick out a nice brightly colored or patterned ribbon that you may already have at the house or just run to your local craft store or Walmart and pick up a spool. Cut off a long enough piece to tie in several tight knots around one of the handles or zipper pulls. Don't pick just a solid color as this doesn't stand out as well and I've seen several bags with the same color ribbon. This should help you spot your luggage quickly on your next trip. Of course always verify for sure with your name tag that it is your luggage. Happy Travels!!!!

Useful Tip # 10 - Eggs

Eggs are not something that I have go bad on me very often. But if you are questioning whether an egg is still good or not try this trick.

To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh - if it rises to the surface, throw it away.

Also if you are unsure an egg is bad and you are going to use it in a recipe crack it into a seperate bowl first. This way if it does turn out to be bad you only have to throw the egg away not the entire dish. This is also useful to prevent any unwanted shell in your dish.

Happy Cooking!

Useful Tip # 9 - Clothes Dryer

When drying your clothes normally you check your lint trap after every few loads. If the lint has built up you remove it, insert the filter back into the dryer, and dry the next load. One thing I learned a while back is even though you think removing the lint frees up the lint screen after time there is hidden build up on there that can damage your dryer or even create a fire.

If you've never done this take your lint screen out and take it to the bathtub. Run some water on it. Does the water fall thru or is there a layer of film on the screen that doesn't allow the water to fall thru. If so imagine what is happening when drying your clothes. If the water doesn't pass thru easily it's time to wash your lint screen.

At least every six months you should pull out your dryer screen and wash it with water and a scrub brush to remove that filmy layer. Not only does it help in drying your clothes but will also cut down on costly repairs on your dryer and possibly a fire.

Happy Cleaning.

Useful Tip # 8- Buying Bread

Someone sent this to me a long time ago and I printed it out and have a very ratty copy of it always stored in my wallet to reference. I am one of those squeezers but if I'm not sure and can't find a "use by" date on the package then I resort to this method. Take it for what you will.
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When you buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest? Many people "squeeze" for freshness or softness. Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.



Each day has a different color twist tie. They are:



Monday = Blue

Tuesday = Green

Thursday = Red

Friday = White

Saturday = Yellow



So if today was Thursday, you would want a red twist tie -- not a white tie which is Fridays (almost a week old)!



To remember the colors of the twist tie, they go alphabetically by color - Blue-Green-Red-White-Yellow, Monday through Saturday, skipping Wednesdays.

Useful Tip # 7 - Storing Onions

A friend of mine gave me some home grown Vidalia onions the other day which got us talking about how to store them. Normally I keep my onions in the fridge in the vegetable box. My grandmother stores hers in the pantry in an open bin. I've tried that but I haven't had much luck with shelf life in my pantry (not that I haven't found rotting onions in my fridge). So we were talking about her grandmother's trick that I kinda liked and would love to use if I had somewhere to hang them. Her grandma would take an old pair of pantyhose and you put one onion down the leg and tie a knot, then the second and knot it and so on and so forth. When you needed an onion you just cut it off below the knot. She stored her onions in the basement which is where I have the problem. Living near the coast means no basement for me. But I really liked this idea and it would be great for that gardener who harvests too many onions to use before they go bad. The theory behind the pantyhose is that air can circulate all around the entire onion therefore keeping it dry. So if you can use this tip great. If not maybe pass it along to someone who can!! I'm sure if anything it'd turn out to be a good conversation topic if someone saw your pantyhose full of onions hanging from the rafters!! Post any comments below!!

Useful Tip # 6 - Cleaning Glass

Cleaning glass such as mirrors and windows in one of my least favorite cleaning chores (my first is scrubbing showers or tubs). But a useful and resourceful way to clean your windows/mirrors without using up half a roll of paper towels or a lint ridden rag is to use newspaper. Just spray on your window cleaner (whatever brand you prefer) and then use the newspaper as your "rag". It'll shine up that glass no problem. And you don't have any lint left behind. This is my neighbors tip and she does it all the time. I've seen her use it and it really does work. It's a tip I need to put into practice for myself. So give it a shot and see what you think. If you try it and like it or hate it post your comments below!! Happy Cleaning!

Useful Tip #5- Garbage Disposal

Here's a tip from my hubby on an easy way to "clean out" your garbage disposal. First of all garbage disposals are not really meant for you to dump all your garbage down them and grind it up. They are basically meant for those tidbits and remenants left on your dishes and pots and pans when you are rinsing them off for the dishwasher or if they are in the dishwater you've cleaned them with. Putting tons of food down your garbage disposal is not a good idea. Especially if you have a septic system. Two of things you should NEVER EVER run down your disposal are potato peelings and coffee grinds. Potato peels I know from experience can wreak havoc on your disposal. So much so that mine actually clogged all up and then literally fell apart (granted I was living in an apartment at the time and have no clue how old the thing was) but I never put potato peels down there again. And the hubby agrees. I guess they don't chop up very well and can lead to a clogged drain. Coffee grinds are another no no and it's kinda the same thing. Clogged drain. And when I say coffee grinds I mean like from a whole pot of coffee not just a little bit that may be in your coffee from an overflow or anything. So with that said if your disposal doesn't seem to be working up to par or sounds like something isn't grinding up to well just fill it up with ice cubes and then turn it out. Don't run water at first until the ice is chopped then you can run water down it to rinse any remaining particals down the drain. So I hope this little tip helps if needed. If you have any funny stories about clogging or wrecking your disposal post below.

Useful Tip #4- Baking Soda and Vinegar

Now I know there are a gazillion uses for baking soda but today I'm just going to focus on one use. And this is not a tip on how to make your kid's volcano science project ooze lava!! Baking soda is not only used as a levening agent in baking but as a cleaner for many household used. My favorite use of baking soda though is to use it to clean out a smelly sink drain. This was a tip my grandma told me years ago and it's always my got to if the kitchen sink drain stars smelling funny. I normally have a box of baking soda on hand just for cleaning. I keep a smaller box seperate in my pantry for all my baking needs. When needed I just dump some of the baking soda into the kitchen sink drain and then add some regular white vinegar until it bubbles up and over. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then wash it down with some water. This should cure your stinky drain. If you have any other tips on how to clean a smelly drain please post your comments below. Happy Cleaning!!

Useful Tip # 3- Garlic

Garlic...how do I love thee!! Garlic is so yummy in so many different ways but yet smelly and sometimes a pain in the but to peel. Personally I prefer fresh garlic but nothing against you if you like it already preminced in a jar. If that's the case this post really won't help much. If you are using fresh garlic here are a couple tips. First if you need to mince it I prefer to use my Pampered Chef garlic press. I swear by this press and it's the only one I'll ever use again in my life. You just take your clove, peel and all, pop it into the press, squeeze and out comes your garlic. Your peel stays on the inside and they even have this handy little brush tool to help you scoop it out so you don't have to get your hands smelly. If you don't need to mince it and say need to dice or slice then lay the clove down on your cutting board and smack it with the flat side of your knife. The skin should break open and it should be pretty easy to remove. I know Pampered Chef has some garlic peeling contraption that I've never tried so by all means you can go that route. Now if you do have to touch the garlic I have a simple way of removing the nasty smell from your hands. I've read somewhere to rub your hands with lemon juice and I've tried that and all that happens is you smell like lemon and garlic. The tried and tested way to remove garlic smell from your hands that actually works is STAINLESS STEEL. Yep that's right. Now I've seen fancy little bars of stainless steel at the cooking stores and as I'm sure they'll work just fine here's another "Free" trick. This will only work if you have one but take a look at your sink!! Is it stainless? Then yep that's all you need. Just rub your hands on the inside of the sink and then take a sniff. I guarantee the garlic smell will be gone!! I've been using this trick for a couple years now and it never fails me!!! So pass it along!!
Happy Cooking!!!

Useful Tip #2- Bananas

So since I mentioned bananas it reminded me of a useful tip I learned. Bananas are one of those items in the store that you can choose how many you want even though they come in bunches. They are sold by the pound but I think most people buy them buy the amount they think they will use before they go bad. That still doesn't mean you forget about them hanging on your banana hook and a week later they are already turning brown. Of course just because they are turning doesn't mean they still aren't edible. But I do know of some people who do not like overly ripe bananas. Your options of course would be to eat them or use them in something such as banana bread or cake, make a smoothie, etc. But what if you don't have the time to do any of that right then. Well FREEZE THEM. Yep that's right. You can freeze bananas! I normally just toss them in a ziploc with the skins on but you can peel them. I'd recommend using a vacuum sealer if you are peeling them to keep the freezer burn away. When you are ready to bake or whip up a drink just pop them out, let them thaw out (if needed) and add them to your recipe. If you are wondering how long the bananas will keep in the freezer I've kept mine in there for months. I would think as long as they don't get any freezer burn they'll be fine. So I hope you found this tip useful. I'm now going to go and find a good recipe to post that you can use your bananas in!!

Useful Tip #1 - Celery

Celery is one of those foods that you just don't use everyday. Or at least I don't. And I hate having to throw out food that's gone bad. Celery is not one of those items like bananas where you can just tear off and buy how many you think you'll use before they go bad. So somewhere along the line I read a useful tip on how to make your celery last longer. And it's not using that oversized tupperware container that takes up half of your dang fridge. It's very simple and it's something that almost everyone already has in their kitchen. Aluminum Foil!!! Yep that's right just plain old foil. When you get your celery home just take it out of the plastic bag, tear off a piece of foil that is long enough that you can fold the ends back over the stalk. Basically wrap the celery in foil and you must make sure it's completely covered. My celery has easily lasted me a month or more if sealed completely in the foil. And when you need some just carefully unwrap it, take off the amount you need and wrap it tightly back up. If you try this let me know if it works for you or if you have any other useful ways of storing celery so it lasts longer post a comment below.