Tip of the Day: Avoid Clammy Hands
Sprinkle a little baby powder onto your hands before placing them inside rubber gloves. They’ll come off more easily, and your hands won’t get that clammy feeling from too much sweat while you’re doing the dishes.
Tip of the Day: Egg-cellent Gum Remover
Here’s another way to get gum out of fabric or upholstery (taught to me by my great aunt). Beat an egg white, rub or brush into the gum and let sit for up to a half an hour, then wipe off. The egg white breaks down the gum and makes it easy to remove.
Tip of the Day: Quick Halloween Costumes
Duct tape may be the best aide for a last-minute Halloween costume. Make a robot or the Tin Man using a brown paper bag or box as a mask. Cover it, as well as a shirt and old pair of jeans, with duct tape, then send your kid out for some much-deserved candy.
Tip of the Day: Tasty Facial Toner
Here’s a great recipe for a homemade toner to apply to your face after washing: Combine a peeled kiwi with 1½ teaspoons lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Apply a small amount to skin and let dry, then rinse. (Keep the remaining mixture in the fridge in a sealable container for one to two weeks.) You’ll love the smell almost as much as how great it makes your skin feel!
Tip of the Day: Cell Phones for Cash
If you’re buying a new cell phone, what do you do with the old one? Get cash, of course! Visit Cell4Cash.com and enter the brand and model of your old phone. The site will tell you if they’re offering any money for it, and if they’re not, they still allow you to send it in to be recycled. Plus, the shipping is free!
Tip of the Day: What's the Frequency
Want to know how to increase the range of your car’s keyless entry by 30 percent? Just press it against your head as you use it. It will conduct the (perfectly safe) radio signal through your body, giving its travel power a boost. Strange but true!
Tip of the Day: Shampoo for Shiny Floors
The secret to shiny laminated floors is baby shampoo. Just mix a spoonful of baby shampoo with a gallon of warm water and mop as usual!
Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Dr. Jeanette Ryan shared this recipe with us, saying we would be shocked at how delicious it was. And she was right! This great seasonal variation on basic turkey chili is perfect for a rainy fall day.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 cans pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
sour cream, for topping
How to Make It:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the turkey and cook til evenly browned.
2. Pour meat mixture into slow cooker. Mix in tomatoes, vinegar, and pumpkin. Season with bay leaves, chili powder, pepper, and salt. Cover and set on low, and cook for 4 to 5 hours.
3. Serve topped with cheese and sour cream.
Note:
For a dairy-free version of this recipe click here.
Do you have an easy recipe to share? Let us know!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 cans pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
sour cream, for topping
How to Make It:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the turkey and cook til evenly browned.
2. Pour meat mixture into slow cooker. Mix in tomatoes, vinegar, and pumpkin. Season with bay leaves, chili powder, pepper, and salt. Cover and set on low, and cook for 4 to 5 hours.
3. Serve topped with cheese and sour cream.
Note:
For a dairy-free version of this recipe click here.
Do you have an easy recipe to share? Let us know!
Tip of the Day: Fresh Brush, Fresh Mouth
Is your toothbrush getting stinky or gross? You don't need to toss it out unless the bristles are worn down. Instead, soak it in antibacterial mouthwash for a couple hours.
Tip of the Day: Perfectly Cooked Pasta
Stop your pasta water from spilling over with this trick: Add a long metal spoon to the pot, and it will absorb the excess heat and let your pasta cook at the correct boiling point.
Tip of the Day: Clean Dusty Candles
If you have some beautiful candles that have begun to get dusty, cleaning them is easy. Just ball up some old pantyhose and rub them down. Its microfiber is perfect for picking up the dirt without harming your candle.
Tip of the Day: Keep Your Jack O'Lantern Smiling
To keep your jack-o’lanterns fresh this Halloween, rub the insides with lemon juice before you put the lights inside. The lemon juice will prevent your pumpkin from rotting.
Tip of the Day: Great for Graters
What’s the easiest way to clean a messy cheese grater? Reach for a lemon! Just rub the pulp-side of a cut lemon across a grater and it will clean off any stuck-on cheese.
Recipe of the Week: Quick Caramel Apples
One of our favorite things about Halloween is that you get to steal your kids' trick or treat candy. Another perk is that Halloween is the only time of year it's acceptable to dunk fruit into caramel and eat it off of a stick. We found this quick and easy recipe from the Kraft website, and in our opinion, you're allowed to make it 365 days a year.
Ingredients:
5 apples (1 1/2 pounds), washed, well dried
1 package (14 ounces) caramels
2 tablespoon water
How to Make It:
1. Insert wooden pop stick into stem end of each apple. Cover large plate with waxed paper; grease paper with butter.
2. Cook caramels and water in large saucepan on medium-low heat until caramels are completely melted, stirring constantly.
3. Dip apples in caramel; spoon additional caramel over apples if necessary to evenly coat apples. Let excess caramel drip off. Scrape bottoms of apples; place on prepared plate. Refrigerate 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly. Refrigerate leftovers.
Ingredients:
5 apples (1 1/2 pounds), washed, well dried
1 package (14 ounces) caramels
2 tablespoon water
How to Make It:
1. Insert wooden pop stick into stem end of each apple. Cover large plate with waxed paper; grease paper with butter.
2. Cook caramels and water in large saucepan on medium-low heat until caramels are completely melted, stirring constantly.
3. Dip apples in caramel; spoon additional caramel over apples if necessary to evenly coat apples. Let excess caramel drip off. Scrape bottoms of apples; place on prepared plate. Refrigerate 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly. Refrigerate leftovers.
Tip of the Day: Soft Hands Equal Clean Hands
Slather on a heavy layer of hand moisturizer before painting or doing other dirty chores. It will prevent dirt and paint from seeping into your skin, making clean-up easier. White soap under your nails will help too.
Tip of the Day: Say Goodbye to Cord Discord
You’ll love this way to keep all the cords to your various electronic devices organized on your desk. Clasp several binder clips to the side of your desk, then slide the cord through the arms and let the plug be held by the narrower end. Instant organization!
Tip of the Day: Tea Trick
Here’s a terrific way to make your post-dinner clean up a breeze. Remove cooked-on food from pots and pans effortlessly by filling them with water, adding a tea bag, and simmering. The tea’s acid will break up food.
How to Save Money on Car Repairs and Maintenance
Tip of the Day: Ladies Only
Men, look away while we tell the ladies this secret cleavage tip. To instantly make your chest look more youthful, mix up this treatment and apply to your visible cleavage area: 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon each of honey and plain yogurt, and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Rinse off after 10 minutes. It will brighten, tighten, and make you feel 10 years younger!
Tip of the Day: Baking Soda for Delicates
You don’t need to spend money on detergents just for delicates. Instead, use this homemade solution: 1 cup baking soda mixed with 1 cup warm water. The baking soda will clean your clothes without harming their delicate fibers.
Tip of the Day: Lock Block
Have a padlock on your shed or something else outdoors? Keep it from rusting by keeping it from the elements. Slice open the side of a tennis ball (carefully!) and slip it over the lock to protect it.
Recipe of the Week: Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
This recipe caught our eye not only because it was so easy but because it incorporates two of Who Knew’s go-to ingredients - baking soda and vinegar – rather than eggs and butter. True, we’re usually using these ingredients to clean our house rather than make delicious chocolate cupcakes, but we appreciate Elise, the blogger behind Simply Recipes, for reminding us why we keep baking soda and vinegar in our kitchen.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brewed coffee (or 1 cup of warm water mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablesppons olive oil
frosting or powdered sugar (optional)
How to Make It:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the middle position. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps (cocoa tends to clump up).
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the coffee (or water plus coffee granules), vinegar, vanilla extract, and olive oil.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until they just come together. The mixture should be thin and rather lumpy.
5. Ladle the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds of the way full. Place in oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack. Once cool, you can eat plain, sprinkle with powdered sugar, or drizzle or coat with frosting.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Do you have an easy recipe to share? Let us know!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brewed coffee (or 1 cup of warm water mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablesppons olive oil
frosting or powdered sugar (optional)
How to Make It:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the middle position. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps (cocoa tends to clump up).
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the coffee (or water plus coffee granules), vinegar, vanilla extract, and olive oil.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until they just come together. The mixture should be thin and rather lumpy.
5. Ladle the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds of the way full. Place in oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack. Once cool, you can eat plain, sprinkle with powdered sugar, or drizzle or coat with frosting.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Do you have an easy recipe to share? Let us know!
Tip of the Day: Fat Cat
Help your kitty slim down by sprinkling a teaspoon of crushed up wheat bran cereal on her food each day. Its low-fat, high-fiber content will keep her full.
Make sure to check with your vet before changing your pet’s diet.
Tip of the Day: No More Spots on Stainless Steel
You’ve scrubbed it twice, but you can’t seem to get those water spots out of your stainless steel sink! The solution? A little white vinegar. Just rub into the spots and they’ll disappear.
Tip of the Day: Cookies that Can't Be Beat
Making cookies? Spritz the beaters with a little vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray and you won’t have to stop every few seconds to scrape the batter off the beaters and back into the bowl.
Tip of the Day: Wallpaper Remover
Redoing a room with a wallpaper border? Easily remove it by blowing hot air from a hair dryer on it. The heat will loosen the glue and it will peel right off.
Tip of the Day: Clear that Clutter
Going through your closet or storage area and can’t decide whether or not to get rid of something? Put it in a “Maybe” box and set it aside. If you haven’t used it or thought about it after three months, it’s a definite sign you should sell or donate it.
Tip of the Day: When Coffee Stains Are a Good Thing
Cover up scratches in wood furniture or floors with coffee! Just brew a very strong pot, and then use a cotton ball or rag to apply the coffee over the scratch. It works as a stain, and will have the scratch blending in with the floor in no time!
Recipe of the Week: Turkey Meatloaf with a Twist
If you're trying to lose weight, you don't have to sacrifice comfort food. The twist to this turkey meatloaf recipe by Dr. Jeanette Ryan is that it's low in fat and full of flavor. The brown sugar / ketchup glaze is so tasty your kids will never suspect how healthy the recipe is.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
1/2 cup milk or plain yogurt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds 93% lean ground turkey
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves, or 5 tablespoons dried
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tsp cider vinegar
How to Make It:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the onion, garlic, oil, and 1/8 tsp salt in a medium skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onion has softened, 8 to 10 minutes; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, thyme, mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce, pepper, and ¼ tsp salt together.
2. In a large bowl, mix the turkey, oats, parsley, cooked onion mixture, and egg mixture together with your hands until uniformly combined. Press the mixture together into a compact mass, then turn it out into a baking pan. Using your hands, press the meat into an evenly thick loaf about 2 inches tall and 1 inch smaller than the pan on all sides.
3. Stir the ketchup, sugar, and vinegar together, then brush half of the mixture evenly over the meatloaf. Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
4. Brush the meatloaf with the remaining ketchup glaze, and continue to bake until the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 15 to 20 minutes longer. Cool at least 20 minutes before slicing into 1-inch-thick pieces.
Serves 8.
Tips From Dr. Ryan:
1. Do not use ground turkey breast meat (sometimes also labeled as 99% fat free) or the meatloaf will be very dry and grainy.
2. Instead of making a free-form loaf, you can use a 1 1/2 quart baking pan (4” x 12 2/3”) without the lid. Just be sure to check the temperature of the meatloaf with an instant-read thermometer.
2. Those with a gluten sensitivity can find substitutions here.
Do you have recipe to share? Let us know!
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
1/2 cup milk or plain yogurt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds 93% lean ground turkey
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves, or 5 tablespoons dried
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tsp cider vinegar
How to Make It:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the onion, garlic, oil, and 1/8 tsp salt in a medium skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onion has softened, 8 to 10 minutes; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, thyme, mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce, pepper, and ¼ tsp salt together.
2. In a large bowl, mix the turkey, oats, parsley, cooked onion mixture, and egg mixture together with your hands until uniformly combined. Press the mixture together into a compact mass, then turn it out into a baking pan. Using your hands, press the meat into an evenly thick loaf about 2 inches tall and 1 inch smaller than the pan on all sides.
3. Stir the ketchup, sugar, and vinegar together, then brush half of the mixture evenly over the meatloaf. Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
4. Brush the meatloaf with the remaining ketchup glaze, and continue to bake until the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 15 to 20 minutes longer. Cool at least 20 minutes before slicing into 1-inch-thick pieces.
Serves 8.
Tips From Dr. Ryan:
1. Do not use ground turkey breast meat (sometimes also labeled as 99% fat free) or the meatloaf will be very dry and grainy.
2. Instead of making a free-form loaf, you can use a 1 1/2 quart baking pan (4” x 12 2/3”) without the lid. Just be sure to check the temperature of the meatloaf with an instant-read thermometer.
2. Those with a gluten sensitivity can find substitutions here.
Do you have recipe to share? Let us know!
Tip of the Day: Be a Produce Pro
When considering prices of pre-packaged produce at the supermarket, weigh them first to make sure you’re getting the best deal. I’ve found that bags of things like carrots, apples, and potatoes are often heavier than their package specifies.
Tip of the Day: Festive Fall Decoration
We love this festive-for-fall decoration: Cut a slice off the side of an apple so it lays flat on a saucer or candle holder. Then cut a hole out of the top and you have an instant votive or tea light holder! Coat the hole with some lemon juice to keep if from turning brown.
Tip of the Day: Just Don't Slip
Here’s an unlikely tool for polishing your shoes: a banana. Just rub the banana peel over your shoes, moist side down. Then buff with a soft cloth.
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