Kitchen Hints and Household Tips

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Once a month, run a half pot of white vinegar, followed by
two pots of plain water, through your drip coffeemaker. The
vinegar helps prevent the buildup of mineral deposits that
can make your brew taste bitter.

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While most colored or denim pieces can be worn more than
once if you haven't been active, while white clothes should
be laundered after every wear so any perspiration, lotions
and perfumes can be removed before they set.

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Don't throw away your old towels. Here are a few ideas how
how you can use them. 1) Cut towels into squares big enough
to wrap around your broom, attach with a rubber band and use
to dust ceilings. 2) As soon as the weather turns frosty,
roll up old towels and tuck under doors to chase away drafts
and to lock in heat. 3) Keep 'em in your trunk! You'll be
thankful if you get a flat tire and have to kneel on the road.
They're also helpful to have around in case the kids spill
anything.

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Don’t mix cut daffodils in with other cut flowers as the
daffodils produce a toxin that kills off the other flowers.

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If doggy breath is a problem for your pet, just mix some
parsley in with his food once a day. Works for people too!
A lot of times plaque is the culprit in causing your pets
yucky breath. Brush his teeth! Yep, pets should have their
teeth brushed too!

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How to Remove Permanent Marker

Cleaning marker off walls isn’t so hard with this tip:

* Try rubbing toothpaste into marker then scrub off with damp cloth (just plain toothpaste–not the gel type. The writer said "I’ve tried this on wood paneling, painted walls and even a porcelain doll face."

Worked like a charm!

How To Remove Permanent Marker From Wood Table

Another tip from the same experiment with this tip: DIY - How To Remove White Heat Stains On Wood Table, this same table had old permanent marker stains. Another several years old abuse. I decided to clean it up with toothpaste and the ink marks removed quite nicely.

I just rubbed in some toothpaste, left it for a minute or two and then took a soapy, wet dishcloth (excess water squeezed out) and rubbed the marker stains going with the direction of the grain of the wood. I had to apply some pressure, but the stains removed very well!

permanent marker stains on wood table - Toothpaste on stain - Caution: Be careful about cleaning with toothpaste, make sure to choose a regular kind that doesn’t contain any abrasives. Especially cleaning items with a fine finish, such as wood furniture. You don’t want to scratch the piece.

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Everyday Cheapskate:
Mary Hunt
As you may have gathered by now, I am crazy for really clever timesaving and money-saving tips. When I come across one that does both, it's like having a coupon for an item that is already on sale. Today's first reader tip comes under the heading "double whammy" and makes me wonder, "Why didn't I think of that?"

PRODUCT PUMP. The larger bottles of shampoo, conditioner and soap that I purchase to save money are too hard for my young kids to handle. The kids end up using too much or spilling. To solve this, I purchased empty travel-sized pump bottles in a discount department store, and I filled them with the soap products. Now they know that one pump is plenty to do the job. This saves money and prevents messes from spills. -- Michelle, Illinois

SANITIZED SURFACE. If I am in a pinch for a surface cleaner, e.g., for my desk at work, I use a little hand sanitizer on a napkin or paper towel. The sanitizer easily removes smudges or dirty marks, along with a lot of dirt that I can't even see! I also use it on my keyboard, mouse and telephone. -- Amanda B., e-mail

SOCK RECYCLING. When I've exhausted the search for lost socks, their lone mates go into a bag to be used for cleaning. I slip socks over my hands to use for dusting, window wiping and scrubbing. These soft, absorbent cloths are great for polishing, and they are free! Best of all, they can be tossed into the laundry to be used again and again. Mateless knit gloves can be used in the same way. -- Colleen H., e-mail

PROBLEM SOLVER. I have a front-loading washer that was producing smelly towels. One day, I noticed that underneath the rubber seal was slimy, smelly "gunk." The repairman told me many washers have areas of standing water, which get slimy over time. Every month or two, you should put two to three cups of vinegar through the soap dispenser for a normal hot-water wash to clean it out. I have not had the smelly problem since. -- S.W., Oregon

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COOKIE TIPS

* If refrigerator cookie dough seems to soft to form into
cylinders, don't be tempted to add more flour to stiffen it.
Instead, stick the bowl of dough in the freezerfor about an
hour. You'll find the dough easier to handle.

* Cookies that have become hard can be softened if you store
them for a day or so i a closed container wit half an apple.

* Dip your cookie cutter in either powdered sugar or warm
water, the dough won't stick to it.

* Use a wet knife to cut refrigerator cookie dou0gh into
slices, and they'll cut cleanly, without ragged edges.

* For drop cookies, use a small ice cream scoop to drop the
dough on cookie sheets.

* Because cookie dough is so high in fat, you almost never
have to grease cookie sheets.

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After heating and cooling, water heating is typically the
largest energy user in the home because it is necessary for
so many domestic activities. So it pays to keep your water
heater working as efficiently as possible like lowering the
water temperature thermostat by ten degrees and wrapping
the water tank in an insulating blanket. But there is a
simple and very important part of maintenance that many
people ignore or don't even know about.

In the course of normal use, minerals and natural sediment
in your water condense and settle to the bottom of your
water heater. This sediment can seriously impede the ef-
ficiency of your water heater and can eventually cause it
to malfunction, not to mention the fact that the sediment
will eventually start to get into your tap water.

Drain a few gallons of water from your water heater each
year to remove sediment and improve efficiency!

Learning how to clean hot water heater sediment is easy:
First turn off the power so you don't risk electrical shock
or burn out your element. Then turn off the cold water
valve to the tank. Attach a garden hose to the tank drain
valve and then drain a few gallons of the hot water in the
tank through the hose. Then close the drain valve and open
the cold water valve and you're ready to use the tank again.

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Got this from a Kraft e-mail today:

Seasonal Produce: Sweet Potatoes

How do you like your sweet potatoes? Mashed in a casserole with a puffy marshmallow topping? Baked and topped with cinnamon butter or into a silky pie? A member of the morning glory family and native to Central America, sweet potatoes are not related to yams or regular potatoes. While yams and sweet potatoes are terms used interchangeably in the United States, the yams sold here are actually sweet potatoes.Purchasing
•Select firm sweet potatoes without cracks, bruises or mold.
•They should have a uniformly bright skin and be heavy for their size. Avoid any with decayed spots.
•When baking them whole, choose uniform-sized potatoes to ensure even cooking.
•Never refrigerate sweet potatoes or they will develop an off flavor.
•Store them in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month. If stored at room temperature, use them within 1 week.
•Handle sweet potatoes gently to avoid bruising them since their skins are very thin.
Preparing
•Scrub sweet potatoes well before cooking.
•Whenever possible, cook them in their skins as they are easier to peel after cooking and retain more nutrients. They may be baked or boiled whole and then peeled and sliced or cubed.
•Peel sweet potatoes before cooking if they are to be added to soups or stews.
•If baking sweet potatoes whole, pierce the skin in several place with a fork before baking.
•Versatile sweet potatoes can be prepared in a variety of ways: baked, boiled, steamed, roasted, mashed, deep-fried, simmered in soups and stews and baked in pies and breads.
Nutrition
•Excellent source of vitamin A

Serving
•Cooked sweet potatoes can be used interchangeably with winter squash in most recipes.
•Slice or cube boiled sweet potatoes and glaze with honey or brown sugar.
•Top baked sweet potatoes with dollops of BREAKSTONE’S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream.
•Flavor mashed sweet potatoes with a touch of maple syrup and nutmeg and garnish with a sprinkle of toasted chopped PLANTERS Pecans.
•Roast peeled, cubed sweet potatoes alongside onions and other root vegetables for a flavorful side dish with pork, ham and poultry.
•Replace half of the regular potatoes in your favorite recipes with sweet potatoes for a touch of color and sweet flavor.
•Cinnamon, honey, coconut, lime and nutmeg all pair well with the flavor of sweet potatoes.
•Add mashed cooked sweet potatoes to muffins, cakes, quick breads, biscuits, yeast breads and pies

[famfish]

Very nice post on sweet potatoes. Have you ever cooked with Hubbard Squash. I know the squash also makes a good type pumpkin pie! I think they call them Blue Hubbard Squash and they can be 5 or 10 pounds!

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HELPFUL TIPS FOR CROCKPOT COOKING

* Allow sufficient cooking time on "low" setting.

* -- liquids don't boil away as in conventional cooking.
Usually you'll have more liquid at the end of cooking
instead of less.

* Cook with cover on -- except to "brown off" liquids
after cooking

* it's "one-step" cooking: many steps in the recipes
may be deleted.

* Recipes that will not adapt well are those that require
broiling or deep frying. If you feel unsure about a step,
go ahead and follow the recipe's directions as written.

* Most uncooked meat and vegetable combinations will require
at least 8 hours on low. Many recipes say "bring to boil,
then turn down to simmer." In a crock pot this is not
necessary. Simply set the crock pot to low and forget it.
Crock pot cooks so gently...so an extra hour on low need not
worry you. Any recipe can be cooked on high the first two
hours to reduce cooking time, and then turned to low.

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QUICK CHANGE FOR QUICK BREADS:

Almost any Quick bread can be also used to make muffins.
Instead of making into loaves just put the batter into muffin
cups and bake at a slightly higher temperature (about 10 degrees).

Muffins freeze well, re-heat in the microwave or oven as needed.

When adding fresh fruit to muffin batter either cut back on
the recipe’s liquid or drain off excess fruit juice. Crushed
strawberries are wonderful used in muffins but will make the
batter too thin if you do not adjust for their extra juice.

Use apple juice instead of water in your muffin recipe.

Quick nut breads will almost always crack on the top of the
loaf while baking. This is normal.

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Read the label when buying dried pasta. The best pasta
is made of 100% semolina (the label will say durum -
wheat semolina or semolia). Pasta made from durum wheat
retain their shape and firmness while cooking. When
cooked properly they do not get mushy or sticky. Pasta
that are not made with semolina produce a softer noodle
and will not hold up well when tossing. Use these pastas
for casserole-style dishes. Noodles are the only pasta
products made with egg solids which give them a more
intense color than others.

If you substitute in a recipe choose another type with
similar characteristics.

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An environmentally friendly toilet cleaner is vitamin C.
Depending on how bad the stains in your toilet are, simply
place 2 or 3 tablets in the water. Let stand for 2 or 3
hours, and flush.

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Got this in a e-mail from Living Green:

When I first read about the disinfecting and deodorizing
effect of vinegar I experimented by adding a cup or two to
my laundry along with the detergent.

The most startling result was the amount of suds it pro-
duced. I remember the first load I did with a full measure
of detergent plus vinegar had subs literally coming out of
the top of the machine!

There were so much suds I had to run the clothes through
the rinse cycle twice to get all of the suds out of the
water.

The more loads I did the less detergent I added until I
finally had the right combination to get the clothes
completely soap free with only one rinse cycle.

What I found is that I need barely a quarter of the amount
of detergent I would have used without adding vinegar. One
jug of liquid detergent now last me three to four months!

And my clothes get just as clean. Granted, I don't work out-
side and my clothes usually aren't caked in mud or grease,
but as far as normal stains and odors are concerned, it works
like a charm, even on workout clothes.

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LONGER LIFE FOR YOUR KNIVES

SHARPENING & HANDLING

A dull knife can be more dangerous than a sharp one. It requires
more pressure to make it cut, which in turn increases the
chances of slipping. So sharpen your knives frequently. There
is no such thing as a knife that stays permanently sharp.

Use a steel, a rod used for sharpening, every time you cook.
Steels- -and other maintenance tools such as ceramic rods and
whetstones-- will realign and smooth the knife's edge. This is
what's known as honing. To sharpen a knife, hold the steel and
the knife a comfortable distance away from you, then applying
pressure, draw the full length of the blade across the steel
at a 20-degree angle, alternating sides four or five times.

You may also may want to get your knives professionally
ground at least once a year, assuming you use them daily.
Try your local hardware store. The electric home machines
dedicated solely to sharpening do a good job if you
closely follow the instructions; avoid combination knife
sharpeners and can openers, which can damage a blade.

No fine knives should be put in a dishwasher; the banging
around can nick the knife's edge. High heat can also change
the temper of the blade and harm the wooden handles. Good
knives should be kept in a knife rack, in a protective
partitioned drawer, or on a magnetic bar.

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OVEN TEMPERATURE ACCURACY:

Check your oven for temperature accuracy. Place an oven
thermometer on a pan and set the pan in the middle of
the middle shelf. Turn the oven to 350° and wait about
30 minutes. Check the thermometer and see if it reads 350
degrees. Make a note of the thermometer's reading. Set
your oven to 400 degrees and follow the time procedure.
Check the thermometer and make a note of its reading. Set
your oven to 300 degrees and follow the time procedure.
Check the thermometer and make a note of its reading.

Adjust your baking times in accordance with the real
temperatures shown on your notes. If the thermometer's
reading were less than your oven's dial setting...Bake for
a longer time. If the thermometer's reading were more than
your oven's dial settings... bake for a shorter time. You
can also change the outside settings to be a little higher
or a little lower instead of changing the baking times.
Do whatever works best for you. "Make notes of your
settings".

Sometime your oven's temperature setting device will
match its real inside temperature on some setting and
not on others. It's good to know what the real inside
temperatures are for high and low settings

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Here's your first tip: Get rid of the cigarette smoke smell
from inside your home by pouring some vinegar into a bowl and setting it in the room with the strongest odor. Within a day the odor should be gone. If the smell is really strong, set out a few bowls.

Hint 2:

Disinfect your toilet bowl by pouring 2 cups of vinegar into the bowl and letting it soak overnight before flushing.



Hint 3: This hint really does cut down on the scrubbing time.

Clean your microwave by placing a glass bowl filled with a
quarter cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water inside. Turn on
your microwave to the highest setting for about 5 minutes
and once the bowl cools, use the liquid to sponge away the
grime.

Hint 4: Treat a cold sore by dabbing it with a cotton ball soaked in vinegar 3 times a day. The vinegar will soothe the pain and swelling.

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Yesterday we talked about ways to use white vinegar around the home, well today we are going to talk about baking soda. There are so many ways to use this cheap product around your home.

Let's start with this one: You can make a surface soft scrub
using baking soda.

For safe, effective cleaning of bathroom tubs, tile, and
sinks — even fiberglass and glossy tiles — sprinkle baking
soda lightly on a clean damp sponge and scrub as usual. Rinse thoroughly and wipe dry. For extra cleaning power, make a paste with baking soda, coarse salt, and liquid dish soap — let it sit then scour off.


Hint 2: I'm a huge fan of washing away a stressful day by soaking in a hot bath. Try my personal tip here next time you have time to enjoy a relaxing bath.

Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your bath to neutralize acids
on the skin and help wash away oil and perspiration. It also makes your skin feel very soft. Or just focus on soothing your feet. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a tub of warm water and soak feet. Gently scrub.


Hint 3: Use baking soda to clean your brushes and combs

Remove natural oil build-up and hair product residue by soaking combs and brushes in a solution of 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a small basin of warm water. Rinse and allow to dry.


EXTRA HINT - This is perfect for all of you who enjoy the outdoors, and camping.

Baking soda is a must-have for your next camping trip. It's a dish-washer, pot-scrubber, hand-cleanser, deodorant, toothpaste, and fire extinguisher, and has many other uses.