Bye Bye Grease

I know this probably isn't the biggest discovery in the world but it totally made my day last week...I really need to get out more...when I got the grease stains out of a shirt.

Mike has a nice forest green polo shirt that he liked to wear to work. He was very upset when he got grease stains all over it...if I had to guess it was a trip to the Chinese buffet that did it. He had me buy some kind of detergent that he heard might get it out. That did not work and so I was off on another internet search for a solution.

I found two things that was suppose to work on grease stains. One was to use a bar of Ivory soap that you get a little wet and rub on the stain. The other (which was the one I did) was to take some dish soap and rub that on the stain...let it sit for a couple of minutes and then wash as normal.

I was SHOCKED that it actually got all the stains out and those stains where set in...from a few wash and dry cycles of trying other stuff out. I am not looking for other grease stain shirts to try this out on because I know I have a few of those in the draw.

Recipes on My Refrigerator

For some time now my printer has been out of ink/toner and I have been writing recipes down on paper. I started to use the note pads you can get at the dollar store for this...I also use them for shopping list. I usually would write down the recipe make it and then just stick it on my refrigerator for later use or just to keep out of the way. Well one day I looked at my refrigerator and realized that they were every where. Here is a picture of just one little part of it but it was like this on all side (well except the back).

I also noticed that at first I didn't write the recipe name on the top of the paper. I think I did this mostly because I just thought let me write the recipe down to make now. I find it easier and cleaner (for my computer) if I have a hard copy to look at while I am cooking. I also usually save a link on my computer to the recipe if it is a keeper for future use. Usually when I want to make it I search the refrigerator for that paper again. I now write the recipe names on the top to make this a little bit easier instead of giving up so fast and writing it down again.

So the other day i decided to take them all off the frig and organize them a little bit. There are some that are just not worth keeping around because I won't make again. I am also thinking of just typing them up and putting them into a little cookbook for myself. I have so many recipes I use a lot that would make my life so much more pleasant if they were all in one spot.

The huge pile of my recipes

My pile on the left are the keepers.

New storage area for my recipes.

Until I have the time to sit down and type all these recipes up I am going to keep them next to my toaster oven. The other reason for this is my 3 year old has been stealing them off the refrigerator and trying to color on them. Not that the extra little color would be a problem

Fact or Fiction?!

So, we have all received email forwards in our life (assuming we have email, unlike my Uncle Bob (61), who still to this day does not have an email address - even though both of my grandmothers (86 and 82 do! =)). One of the most recent ones I got was from Kath. It was filled with all kinds of tips and entitled "DID YOU KNOW?"

Well, I thought these were pretty neat, Martha Stewart-type tips, and want to try them out as I can. The first one that I attempted was the first two on the list...

1. "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."
--> I will say Fact. For the most part, 95% of the "stringy things" I didn't have to bother with! The very small thin ones were less successful. Whether or not the primates do it this way, well, I guess I'll have to tune into the Discovery channel and take a look, because I never noticed it with any of the monkeys in the movies - I thought they all peeled their bananas from the top?! And even if they did, do they really care about the "stringy things"?!

2. "Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster."
--> May be Fiction - so, I attempted this with a bunch of bananas that I got from Costco (btw, one of the cheapest places to get bananas - usually 8 LARGE bananas for $1.30!). I took 4 bananas and broke them apart separately and left 4 bananas connected. Honestly, it seems like they are all ripening at the same speed. Would love to know if anyone has noticed otherwise?!

A few of my own tips not included (passed on by friends, cooking shows, or magazines):

A. When peeling or smashing garlic and you have that wonderful odor (I actually really do like it) on your fingers and soap doesn't remove the smell, rub your fingers up and down a steel blade (on the knife) and it takes away the smell! (I was actually excited, as I was able to tell this to 2 older ladies in a kitchen store! =)

B. Wrap unused celery in aluminum foil, this will keep it longer then just in the crisper drawer alone (I think this came from Heidi and Michelle via their mom?!).

C. Hang ironed/pressed table cloths with a pants hanger (ie. in the coat/hall closet) to avoid them getting wrinkled in a drawer or extra crease lines from being folded.

Enjoy!

Storing Honey

Again from America's Test Kitchen...

"Keep honey out of the refrigerator. Unlike some other sweeteners, such as maple syrup, honey is highly resistant to microbial growth due to its naturally low moisture content and slightly acidic nature. And refrigeration can cause honey to crystallize or become cloudy. If kept tightly capped in a moisture-proof container, processed or pasteurized honey can be safely kept at room temperature for at least two years."

Cinnamon - who knew!

Another article from America's Test Kitchen...

CINNAMON: "In 1910, true cinnamon (made from the bark of a tropical evergreen tree) cost as much as $100 per pound, so merchants imported cassia—a much more commonly available and stronger-tasting tree bark—and labeled it cinnamon. Whatever the name, apple pies and mulled cider wouldn't be the same without it. But while there's only one true cinnamon tree, there are a number of cassias, so the "cinnamon" you buy from two sources may not taste the same."

What else apples are good for!

So, I get a weekly email from America's Test Kitchen. The email itself is good and bad, as I've found most times when I find an article that I want to read, I have to subscribe and although the first 2 weeks are free, I don't want to pay for a subscription after that (plus, I'll probably forget to cancel! =). Anyhow! I came across this article, which I thought was neat...

"Apples have long been touted as a health aid (an apple a day…); they're less well known for their ability to preserve food. Adding an apple to a sack of potatoes will keep the potatoes sprout-free—the ethylene gas that an apple emits suppresses the elongation of the potatoes' cells, which is what causes sprouts to form."