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Tip of the Day: Regulating Your Pool's pH
When alkalinity needs to be increased in your swimming pool or hot tub, baking soda can be added to restore a balance if there is too much chlorine.
Tip of the Day: When Temporary Tattoos Need to Be Less Temporary
There’s nothing kids love more than temporary tattoos—until
they decide they hate them. To easily remove a temp tat before it rubs off itself,
dab some cold cream on the area, then wipe it off with a washcloth.
Tip of the Day: Replacement Cap
If you lose the tiny cap to your glue or caulk tube, stick
a screw in there instead! We actually prefer long screws to caps, because
they’ll clean out the narrow area in the tube and make sure the glue or caulk
doesn’t harden between uses.
Tip of the Day: Protect "Grown Up" Glasses
If your children have graduated past the sippy cup stage but still have
problems getting a grip on “grown up” glasses, try putting five or six small
rubber bands around the glass. That’ll help them hold on, which means fewer
spills for you to clean up.
Tip of the Day: Citrus for Ceramic
The easiest way to clean ceramic figurines is to rub them
with the cut side of a lemon wedge. Leave the lemon juice on for 15 minutes,
then polish up with a soft, dry cloth.
Tip of the Day: Scuff Remover
To remove scuff marks left on your floor by dark-soled shoes, rub some baking soda into the spot with a wet rag. They'll virtually disappear.
Five Storage Secrets to Make Food Last Longer
Do you feel like you’re always throwing away food? Letting food go bad before you have a chance to eat it drains your pocketbook and results in more time-consuming trips to the grocery store. Before you head to the supermarket again, check your fridge and your cupboards and make a note of ingredients you have for future meals. Picking up a few more items to complement those ingredients will help you use up everything you already have. It’s always important to make a grocery list and, if you can, plan out a few meals in advance, so you hit the market with a goal in mind rather than wander the aisles picking up whatever happens to catch your eye.
Read the rest of Five Storage Secrets to Make Food Last Longer at our new website!
Read the rest of Five Storage Secrets to Make Food Last Longer at our new website!
Recipe of the Week: Diploma Cookies
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| photo credit: BettyCrocker.com |
Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
How to Make It:
1. Beat butter, shortening and brown sugar until creamy. Beat in baking powder, salt, vanilla and egg. Stir in flours. Divide dough in half. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours.
2. Heat oven to 375°F. Roll each half of dough into 15x6-inch rectangle on floured surface. Cut lengthwise into three 15x2-inch strips, then cut crosswise into two 7 1/2x2-inch strips.
3. Working quickly, spread about 1 teaspoon melted chocolate over one strip to within 1/4 inch of one long side. Gently roll up, starting at long side with chocolate. Repeat with remaining cookie strips and chocolate.
4. Cut each roll into 2 pieces; roll each cookie slightly to shape. On ungreased cookie sheet, place cookies about 1 inch apart.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool 1 minute; remove to cooling rack. Cool completely. Place remaining chocolate in plastic bag. Cut hole in corner and squeeze out chocolate to look like ribbons.
Do you have a recipe you want us to highlight as Recipe of the Week? Let us know!
Tip of the Day: Trim on the Cheap
If you’re used to getting an expensive haircut, it’s hard to
switch to a bargain salon such as Supercuts. But what you can do to save
yourself hundreds of dollars a year is to get a hairstyle that doesn’t need a
lot of upkeep. When you need a trim in between cuts, go to an inexpensive
salon. While hair stylists at the bargain salons sometimes can’t give you the
fancy cut you want, they can usually handle a simple trim, following the path
of your normal stylist. If you just need your bangs cut, ask at your usual
salon if they offer free bang trims in between cuts.
Tip of the Day: Ease Wasp Stings
Stung by a wasp? Apply apple cider vinegar to the area with a cotton ball and the sting will subside.
Tip of the Day: Handy Document Storage
The school year is nearly over, and you need a place to store the
kids’ artwork and diplomas. Try rolling them tightly in paper towel tubes so
they won’t crease, then label the outside, so you know what’s what. The tubes
can also be used to store marriage certificates and other important documents.
Tip of the Day: Dust Ruffle Alternative
A dust ruffle is one item that can safely be consigned to
the “things you really don’t need” category—unless you’re trying to hide
everything you’ve stored under the bed. Make your own with a sheet or
tablecloth. Only the sides of the bed that show need to have something hanging
down over them. A more streamlined option is simply to cover the box spring
with a fitted sheet.
Tip of the Day: Makeshift Platter
If you’re looking for a platter for devilled eggs, brownies,
or other picnic items, simply cover a piece of corrugated cardboard with
aluminum foil (dull side up), then throw it away when you’re finished!
Tip of the Day: Corn/Bread
If you’re serving bread with your barbecue, use a slice to
easily butter your corn. Spread a generous amount of butter onto the bread,
then gently wrap it around your corn. Twist the cob until the butter has gotten
into every crack, then enjoy perfectly buttered corn and bread with melted
butter.
Tip of the Day: Grill Fish in a Cage
If you have two small wire racks, you can easily cook a fish
(and impress your friends) on your outdoor grill. First, find toaster-oven or
cooling wracks and some fireproof wire. Oil the racks, then put the fish
between the them and tie the racks together. Grill the fish on one side, then
flip your newly constructed basket with large tongs or a spatula. This
makeshift cage will keep delicate fish from breaking apart.
Tip of the Day: Free Coloring Books
To never have to buy a coloring book again, head over to
Free-Coloring-Pages.com, where you can find printable images for kids to color,
including those of popular cartoon characters.
Tip of the Day: Homemade Exfoliant
For a super-smoothing skin exfoliant, mix a handful of Epsom salts with a tablespoon of olive oil and rub over wet skin to cleanse, exfoliate, and soften the rough spots. Rinse off well for a polished finish. If you don’t have Epsom salts, use the coarsest table salt you can find.
Recipe of the Week: Chocolate Buttermilk Scones
 |
| photos courtesy of The Single Housewife |
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
2 Tablespoons cocoa
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1 Tablespoon powdered milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 scant teaspoon baking soda
1/4 scant teaspoon salt
2 1/2 Tablespoon chilled butter
1/3 cup cold buttermilk
How to Make It:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together all but the last two ingredients until they’re well blended without too many lumps.
2. With scissors or a small knife, snip the butter into little lumps and toss it into the dry ingredients. With a pastry cutter (or, if you don’t have one, a potato masher or two knives working in a criss-crossing motion), cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
3. Gently stir in the buttermilk until everything’s just moistened — don’t overstir it. What you end up with will be a very moist ball of batter.
4. Scoop the dough out onto a floured cutting board or other work surface. With floured hands, gently pat it into a 3/4-inch-thick circle. Don’t knead it, and don’t roll it out thin.
5. Once you’ve got your circle, cut it like a pizza into six wedges. Arrange those on a baking sheet a couple inches apart. Bake them for 15 minutes and let them cool slightly while still on the baking sheet. Makes six small scones.
To see photos of the entire process, click here!
Tip of the Day: For Tougher Trousers
Keep the waistband of your slacks from curling up by ironing a strip of rug binding onto it. Problem solved!
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