Old and New Tips on the Block!

I was sent an Email the other day about some interesting tips regarding foods and general housekeeping chores. Some of these tips have been around a while and some are the new 'tips' on the block! The comments have remained in tact but, of course, I can't resist to put in my 12 cents -- it used to be 2 cents but, due to inflation ... well, you know the rest! -- so, my commentary is in brackets -- in this color!

The first tip was not included in this group and it is one from me ... Some people don't like celery because they say that it's too stringy. Well, just give that ole' celery stick a "shave." That's right... just take the stalk of celery, get out your "handy-dandy" vegetable peeler, and "shave" down that stalk and watch the strings release. Then just use the celery as you normally would. This really works well and I'm glad I thought of it!

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it. Separate the bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. [Who knew?]

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! [One more tip from me, personally, about cheese products: Each time I open the wrapper in which I store the cheese, I throw that wrapper away and re-wrap the newly cut block of cheese. This also keeps any bacteria or mold from quickly forming on the cheese. It works for me!]

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. [I truly did not know this fact!]

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. [I always add a little water to ground beef, as well. Or, you could just purchase a leaner ground beef -- such as 90% fat free!]

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich -- Add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up. [I usually add 1 Tablespoon of milk or half and half for each scrambled egg. To omelets, however, I just add 1 Tablespoon of cold water. I do this because of a suggestion that was given to me many years ago by a French chef. He said that milk could make omelets tough and the water makes them more tender. I've been using his suggestion ever since. Again... it works for me!]

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes Mint chocolate squares in a double broiler, set over hot water, and pour the melted chocolate over the warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting. [Is there anyone who doesn't like chocolate mint?]

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover Snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core, and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!!! [I guess this is to "assume" -- (and you know what that means) -- that one will hand out Snickers candy bars for Halloween!]

Reheating Pizza -- Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to medium-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No more soggy microwave pizza! This tip was shown on the "Cooking Channel."

Easy Deviled Eggs -- After slicing the eggs in half, scoop out the egg yolks and place them in a Zip Lock bag. Seal and smash till they are all broken up. Unseal the bag and add the mayo, spices, or whatever are your chosen ingredients, reseal the bag and continue smashing up the yolks and mixing thoroughly. Cut the tip of the bag and squeeze the yolk mixture into the eggwhite shell. For easy cleanup, just throw bag away. [Personally, I find that just placing the yolks and other ingredients in a bowl and smashing with a fork is just as easy. Of course, this is my own personal method and you may have one of your own.]

Get more from canned Frosting -- When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. [I like lighter tasting frostings -- not the heavy, grease-laden ones that are found smeared on some baked goods!]

Reheating refrigerated bread -- To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that have been refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. [On a personal note, I usually wrap the bread item in a paper towel and heat it up that way in the microwave. You only need to heat a biscuit or muffin for 10 to 20 seconds. They heat quite quickly and you wouldn't want to heat them for a longer period of time because ... well ... you could use them as a doorstop!]

Newspapers keep weeds away! Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients into your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants, overlapping as you go, cover with mulch, and forget about weeds! Weeds will get through some gardening plastic but they will not get through wet newspapers. [This is to assume -- using that word, again -- that you keep your plants watered on a regular basis?]

Broken Glass -- Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily. [If you can't see them easily, then how ... ]

No More Mosquitoes! Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. [It doesn't matter what I wear -- or put in my pocket, for that matter -- they'll find me! Now, that's a good question ... Of what use are mosquitoes and WHY did God create them? What was He thinking?!!!]

Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it. [Obviously, it's the peppery scent that keeps them away -- just as the "peppery-scented" Marigold flower keeps rabbits and other creatures -- great and small -- away!]

Flexible vacuum -- To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. [This is a great tip!]

Reducing Static Cling -- Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! ... static is gone. [Ladies ... another great tip!]

Measuring Cups -- Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water. Pour out the hot water but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient -- such as peanut butter -- and it will slide right out! [Pending your use of oil in a recipe, this will do the same thing in helping sticky ingredients to slide right out.]

Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub them with the eraser -- works better than a cloth! [Good thing to know!]

Re-opening an envelope -- If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily. [Okay, here we go again... should we assume that we have an hour or two to wait? Just asking!]

Conditioner -- Ladies! Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner in case you didn't like it when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies! To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill 1/2 of it with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! [WOW! I didn't think there was any way to get rid of Fruit Flies ... this is great!]

Get Rid of Ants -- Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it, so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! [I like that tip because I hate ants!]

Someone sent in a story regarding her clothes dryer -- "The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material ... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh and that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance, too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well, this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time, (and to keep your electric bill lower), is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush -- (or other brush) -- at least every six months. He said that this makes the life of the dryer last at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that so, I thought I'd share!"

This is good information to know regarding clothes dryers and, perhaps, you could pass this on to other people you know. It could save someone's home and, most importantly, their life!