Saturday, December 31, 2011
FOR a CLEAN DISHWASHER
Clean your dishwasher with lemonade Kool-Aid by placing it into the detergent cup while running it on empty.
12 Cleaning & Laundry tips for the New Year
It’s time to begin a new year....that’s why we’ve compiled the top 12 cleaning and laundry tips to make your new year as tidy as possible.
1. Keep it green and organized
Avoid the “paper or plastic” scenario at the supermarket by bringing your own reusable totes for groceries. Store them in your car for last minute shopping trips, and keep your pantry free of plastic or paper bag pile up.
2. A little goes a long way
Don’t overwhelm yourself with a full day of cleaning every week. Instead, dedicate one weekend to a deep clean of your home and then spend 30 minutes a day on maintaining it.
3. Reduce paper clutter and go paperless
A great way to make your home green and cut the clutter is to switch your monthly bills to the paperless email option.
4. Tackle laundry as quickly as possible
Don’t let the dirty clothes pile up and tackle you. Plan ahead and focus on doing laundry before it gets overwhelming. Move unused hangers to your laundry room for a quick “wash and fold” technique.
5. Start using multipurpose household cleaning supplies
Several household cleaning products can double as laundry boosters and stain removers. Keep one in your bathroom, kitchen and laundry room.
6. Make you laundry room more convenient
Reduce your run around time by adding a trash can, hangers, spot cleaners and scrub brushes.
7. Remove pet hair daily with duct tape
Duct tape makes a perfect pet hair remover and it’s faster than vacuuming. Wrap a paint roller or sponge with duct tape for quick and easy pet hair clean up.
8. Heat your sponge in the microwave first
Grease can quickly build up on your kitchen cabinets. To get rid of the residue, heat a slightly damp sponge or cloth in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds until it’s hot, put on a pair of rubber gloves, spray the cabinets with an all-purpose cleaner and then wipe off the cleaner with the hot sponge.
9. Spot clean spills right away
Don’t let spills settle, or they’ll ruin your fabric. Keep a stain remover handy in the living room or dining room and apply as soon as possible. Before applying any cleaning solution, first test it on a tiny area to make sure it won’t damage or discolor the item.
10. Upcycle old clothing
Reduce, reuse, upcycle. Instead of throwing away your old clothing, revamp each item by adding lace, a new pattern or different fabric. If all else fails, locate your local charity and donate your clean and gently worn clothing.
11. Don’t keep items “just in case”
Accumulated items can become unruly over time, so avoid the purge fest during spring cleaning by taking an extra moment to decide if it’s worth keeping that random item “just in case.”
12. Always add a little elbow grease
Don’t wait until spring for a full home cleaning spree. Start early this year for a more focused, well organized home all year. And remember, a bit of elbow grease will always do the trick.
1. Keep it green and organized
Avoid the “paper or plastic” scenario at the supermarket by bringing your own reusable totes for groceries. Store them in your car for last minute shopping trips, and keep your pantry free of plastic or paper bag pile up.
2. A little goes a long way
Don’t overwhelm yourself with a full day of cleaning every week. Instead, dedicate one weekend to a deep clean of your home and then spend 30 minutes a day on maintaining it.
3. Reduce paper clutter and go paperless
A great way to make your home green and cut the clutter is to switch your monthly bills to the paperless email option.
4. Tackle laundry as quickly as possible
Don’t let the dirty clothes pile up and tackle you. Plan ahead and focus on doing laundry before it gets overwhelming. Move unused hangers to your laundry room for a quick “wash and fold” technique.
5. Start using multipurpose household cleaning supplies
Several household cleaning products can double as laundry boosters and stain removers. Keep one in your bathroom, kitchen and laundry room.
6. Make you laundry room more convenient
Reduce your run around time by adding a trash can, hangers, spot cleaners and scrub brushes.
7. Remove pet hair daily with duct tape
Duct tape makes a perfect pet hair remover and it’s faster than vacuuming. Wrap a paint roller or sponge with duct tape for quick and easy pet hair clean up.
8. Heat your sponge in the microwave first
Grease can quickly build up on your kitchen cabinets. To get rid of the residue, heat a slightly damp sponge or cloth in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds until it’s hot, put on a pair of rubber gloves, spray the cabinets with an all-purpose cleaner and then wipe off the cleaner with the hot sponge.
9. Spot clean spills right away
Don’t let spills settle, or they’ll ruin your fabric. Keep a stain remover handy in the living room or dining room and apply as soon as possible. Before applying any cleaning solution, first test it on a tiny area to make sure it won’t damage or discolor the item.
10. Upcycle old clothing
Reduce, reuse, upcycle. Instead of throwing away your old clothing, revamp each item by adding lace, a new pattern or different fabric. If all else fails, locate your local charity and donate your clean and gently worn clothing.
11. Don’t keep items “just in case”
Accumulated items can become unruly over time, so avoid the purge fest during spring cleaning by taking an extra moment to decide if it’s worth keeping that random item “just in case.”
12. Always add a little elbow grease
Don’t wait until spring for a full home cleaning spree. Start early this year for a more focused, well organized home all year. And remember, a bit of elbow grease will always do the trick.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Homemade Tomato Sauce
No freezer should be without at least one container of homemade tomato sauce ready to use. And no jarred or canned sauce will ever rival homemade.
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp sea salt (or Kosher salt)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp fresh oregano
2 dried bay leaves
5 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade or torn
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Additional salt & pepper to taste
1/2 to 3/4 cup red wine (preferably Cabernet Sauvignon)
Preparations:
In large heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onion and celery are slightly translucent. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and saute with the veggies another 3 to 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent and the veggies are tender, being careful not to brown the garlic.
Add in the tomatoes, bay leaves, basil, oregano and crushed red pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over a low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 to 2 hours, checking the seasonings occasionally.
When the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Remove the bay leaves. Working in batches, puree the sauce in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Pour into airtight containers and freeze for up to one month or refrigerate for up to one week.
Last Minute Preparation:
Allow the sauce to defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Put sauce in a large pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add in the parmesan cheese and use the red wine to thin the sauce out to the desired consistency. Heat through and serve.
Alternate Cooking Method:
Follow the directions above, except after sauteeing the vegetables, transfer everything to a crockpot. Cook on low for up to 8 hours, occasionally stirring and checking the seasonings
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Dehydrating Apples
If you’ve wanted to know how to dehydrate apples, here’s your tutorial. We love dehydrated apples around here. They’re a great snack and store really well if you can keep them hidden so that the little people don’t eat them all up the day after you dry them!
To dehydrate apples, you’ll need a few supplies. First you’ll need a dehydrator. You can use a solar dehydrator like the sun oven with drying trays if you want. I just use my Excalibur. It’s fast and easy and it holds a lot of apples.
You’ll also need some apples. If you want to make your life easier you’ll need an apple peeler, corer, slicer tool and if you want your apples to look nice and not brown when they’re done you’ll want some type of food color preserver. I use Fruit Fresh, but I’ve been told you can also crush up vitamin C tablets in water or use lemon juice in water to get the same result.
Save your Popcorn Tins
Did you get gifted a tin of popcorn? Don’t toss the tin when you’re done eating the popcorn! Popcorn tins are fantastic for storing short term food storage items in, especially if you have a rodent problem. Bags of pasta, soup mixes, brown and powdered sugar sacks, etc. can be “mouse proofed” by tossing them into one of these tins and putting the lid on. They are not airtight, so don’t plan on keeping your food fresh in there for 20 years, but for a year or so on bags of dry goods they’ll work fine. If nobody gave you a tin of popcorn, you can frequently find the empty tins at thrift stores for cheap–especially after the holidays. Awesome anti-rodent shield for your short term food storage items.
Cake Mix Oreos
This is a recipe that my friend, Megan Somes posted on Facebook and I decided to give it a try. It was definately something I wanted to share with others. These only use 3 ingredients for the cookie part and 4 for the filling so it's simple & yummy.
Oreo Cake Cookies:
1 box Devil's Food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all 3 ingredients until a dough forms. Roll dough into balls approximately 1tablespoon each. I just use my medium cookie scoop and then slice each scoop in half. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 8 minutes, or until edges are firm. Don't over cook! Allow to cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes, then remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire wrack until room temperature. Match similar sized cookies into pairs. Make filling.
Filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Mix butter and shortening in stand mixer. On low speed, slowly add powdered sugar until combined. Add vanilla. Beat on low speed 1 minute, then high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Using a pastry bag with 1/2 inch round tip, or a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off, pipe about a teaspoon of filling on half of cookies. Place similar sized cookie on top. Smoosh while lightly twisting (kind of the opposite of opening an Oreo!) to make filling spread to the edges of the sandwiches. *Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. The cookies will become softer from the moisture of the filling.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Helpful tidbits
You might know about some of these tips but I guarantee you'll learn something new!
Have Fun Learning Some New Things with these Really Random Tips!!
Expanding 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/calories per serving.
Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place
them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
Newspaper Weeds-Away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in 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, they will not get through wet newspapers.
Broken Glass
Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken pieces of glass – the
fibers catch ones you can’t see!
No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes
away.
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.
Easier thank you’s
When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards
for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and
have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mother sends the thank you’s, they’re all addressed!
After Purchasing New Bike
If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their picture
inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. If the bike is stolen
and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof who owns
the bike.
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.
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 — voila — static is gone.
Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with
hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry the cup. Next, add
your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it
comes 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 with the eraser!
Works better than a cloth!
Reopening 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.
(Of course, you could steam the envelope open, too, with your
kettle)
Hair Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s a lot cheaper
than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you
tried it in your hair…
Good-bye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2″>with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well.
You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
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, esp. if it rains, but it works & you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
Take baby powder to the beach
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you’re
ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder
and the sand will slide right off your skin.
Bed Sheets
After drying my sheets, put both sheets and one pillowcase in the
other pillow case. Fold neatly in a square. Next time you change
sheets, you just take the one pillow case and all the sheets and
pillow case are inside. No need to look for matches.
Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove,>set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy.
No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really
works
Have Fun Learning Some New Things with these Really Random Tips!!
Expanding 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/calories per serving.
Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place
them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
Newspaper Weeds-Away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in 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, they will not get through wet newspapers.
Broken Glass
Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken pieces of glass – the
fibers catch ones you can’t see!
No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes
away.
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.
Easier thank you’s
When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards
for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and
have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mother sends the thank you’s, they’re all addressed!
After Purchasing New Bike
If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their picture
inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. If the bike is stolen
and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof who owns
the bike.
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.
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 — voila — static is gone.
Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with
hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry the cup. Next, add
your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it
comes 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 with the eraser!
Works better than a cloth!
Reopening 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.
(Of course, you could steam the envelope open, too, with your
kettle)
Hair Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s a lot cheaper
than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you
tried it in your hair…
Good-bye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2″>with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well.
You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
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, esp. if it rains, but it works & you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
Take baby powder to the beach
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you’re
ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder
and the sand will slide right off your skin.
Bed Sheets
After drying my sheets, put both sheets and one pillowcase in the
other pillow case. Fold neatly in a square. Next time you change
sheets, you just take the one pillow case and all the sheets and
pillow case are inside. No need to look for matches.
Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove,>set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy.
No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really
works
Personal Tidbits
I love to Scrapbook, make crafts and especially to make my own personal cards to give people for birthdays & many other celebrations. I love to see things that I've made around the house whether their every day items or my special holiday projects. I used to feel like I had NO CREATIVITY at all and I've always been afraid to try "New things" but my homemade projects remind me of the times that I tried something NEW and it didnt turn out so bad. My projects make me feel a little more confident to try other new things in life and it doesnt matter whether their BIG or SMALL.
Some other things that I feel passionate about is Self Reliance, Food Storage & Emergency Preparedness. Several years ago, I was called to be a Ward Canning Specialist which meant that "I" was supposed to teach people "how to prepare their family for emergencies like building a food storage & collecting supplies that they would need if something happened and they couldnt get help from anyone. I actuallt thought it was the funniest thing I ever heard because not only was "I" not prepared myself...but I didnt have a clue as to "how to get started!"
So for the past 9 years, I have been "researching-learning-teaching" a variety of tips & techniques that have helped me get MY FAMILY better prepared and I'd like to SHARE that info with YOU so you can do the same!
The crafts I mentioned above and all of my "Preparedness" information that I've collected over the last decade will be available on this blog along with a lot of other things that I've done in the past. I hope you will find this blog interesting and dont forget to "follow me on Pinterest" too.
Some other things that I feel passionate about is Self Reliance, Food Storage & Emergency Preparedness. Several years ago, I was called to be a Ward Canning Specialist which meant that "I" was supposed to teach people "how to prepare their family for emergencies like building a food storage & collecting supplies that they would need if something happened and they couldnt get help from anyone. I actuallt thought it was the funniest thing I ever heard because not only was "I" not prepared myself...but I didnt have a clue as to "how to get started!"
So for the past 9 years, I have been "researching-learning-teaching" a variety of tips & techniques that have helped me get MY FAMILY better prepared and I'd like to SHARE that info with YOU so you can do the same!
The crafts I mentioned above and all of my "Preparedness" information that I've collected over the last decade will be available on this blog along with a lot of other things that I've done in the past. I hope you will find this blog interesting and dont forget to "follow me on Pinterest" too.
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