Did you know - household tips

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.
(think I might get one stringy doing it this way)



Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. 
 If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
(I wish I had known this long ago then I wouldn't have so many frozen bananas waiting for me to whip up a loaf or two of banana bread)

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.
It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
(Anything to make my cheese last longer !)

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
 Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

(I never new that. Wondered why I got some green peppers I didn't like as much)


Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

            (So I can drain the pan and not have to rinse the meat?)



To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of
 spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.  
(not as light and fluffy as adding water, but even regular milk is good)

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed.   Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies.
 Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.
(Pleaaaase don't give me any ideas !! lol)


Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste
of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.
(mmmmm garlic ... and I'll try to not breathe on you lol)


Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper.
Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!!  Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!
(Not another one ! And I've been so good staying away from the chocolate)

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick 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.
(I don't do leftover pizza's, but I'll try this on the kid)


Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
(ohhhh anything to not have KP duty when I'm done lol)


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 and calories per serving.
(Might make up for the mint brownies and snickers apple dessert lol)


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.
(if I put a cup of water in my microwave, where exactly would I put the biscuits/muffins? It's not that big !!)


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.
(knew there was a reason I didn't have a green thumb ... no wet newspapers!)


Broken Glass 
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.
(wet paper towels works great too and covers more area quicker than cotton balls or q-tips)


No More Mosquitoes 
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.
It will keep the mosquitoes away.
(it'll keep them away from my feet and ankles too?)



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.
(squirrels gotta eat toooooo)

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.
(ohhhhh I gotta try this one !)

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 ... ta da! .. Static is gone.
(but what about those days when my hair is full of static and driving me crazy?)

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
(cooooooooooool)


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!
(I like this idea ! Anybody up for a shopping trip? lol)


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. Viola! It unseals easily.
(If you're anything like me, you'll come across that sealed envelope in a couple weeks time lol)



Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's 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.
(finally! a use for them)


Goodbye 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 dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
(If I have fruit flies, something needed to go to the trash sooner)

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, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 
(I sure hope my cat doesn't decide to get a taste for cornmeal lol)




INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS 
Using dryer sheets will eventually kill your heating unit !
Cleaning the lint screen after each load is a good thing, definitely and a must do.
But ! The dryer sheets have a waxy feel to it when you take it out of the box, right? It's what helps soften your clothes, reduce static cling, and leave them with that fresh scent.
But, the wax on the sheets will create a film on your lint screen as well. You won't see it and you might not even feel that the screen is getting a wax build up on it. And could possibly cause your house to burn down if it doesn't kill the heating unit first !!
Do this experiment. Take out your lint screen (and yes, remove the lint sitting there lol) and take it over to the sink. Run some water over it. Is the water running through the mesh or is it puddling?
With hot water, soap, and a nail brush or old toothbrush, clean your screen until the water runs through and doesn't puddle. Dry and replace back into your dryer.
And do this at least once every six months and your dryer will last longer and have less heating issues. And will save you money on your electric bill as well.
(and being that I'm one of 6 apartments in this building, could explain why sometimes the dryer doesn't seem as hot ? I'll have to pay more attention to the lint screen, even if I do use a liquid softener more than sheets, but who knows what the others use)