That's a great idea dotmom for the stock. I also do it for gravy from a roast or chicken. Then if we want gravy with something or to add it I can just grab a few cubes.
I also wrap my celery in tin foil in the fridge and it stays fresh so much longer.

Great hints. I also wrap Romaine lettuce in paper towel, then foil. I also freeze serving size packages of soup, in plastic bags rather than tupperware or something....takes up much less space.

I've learned that sprinkling a teeny bit of flour on bacon or sausage when frying, stops the spattering. It really works!

Just a sprinkle, you don't want breaded bacon! lol

When I moved in here, the bathtub drained VERY slow. Not that I do bath.. but lately when I showered, the water drained slow enough for me to stand in water. GROSS, even if it is your own water.

I had taken the stopper out back when I moved in... but now, had to do something else.

Took a LONG screw, and poked in around the drain, and pulled a WHOLE bunch of hair out. Did this repeatedly. You might not believe how much hair was in there... and now, well, the water drains right outta there.

Moni

Dot, there is a jarred product called "Better than Boullion" which you can get to keep in the refrigerator and just scoop out what you want. It isn't inexpensive, but it lasts a long time. They have chicken, beef and vegetable concentrations.

Moni, could you put one of those screen things over the drain to keep further hair out? Just remember if you are renting, it's the landlord's responsibility to keep drains clean. But you were clever to clean it the way you did.

I had that just last week with our sink. It stopped flowing freely and took a long time to drain.

I also put baking soda and vinegar in the drain to really make it bubble and foam!

I sometimes dehydrate extra celery so I don't have to worry about whether I have fresh in the house. It is great when baking chicken or making soup.

I've started simplifying breakfast. I posted about pre-cooking bacon a few weeks ago. I've been doing that in the microwave in a flat container so the bacon cooks up flat. I freeze it and pull out a couple of slices and nuke for 30 seconds. My kids love that they can have toast and bacon for breakfast before school and they don't have to pre-request it. My dd has even been eating blt's for breakfast.

My other hint is to keep a bowl of fruit out in plain sight instead of in the refrigerator. The kids will either eat it whole or request that I cut it for them. Much better for them than the crackers and other junk they want.

Socks, I';; look for that product. I can't believe the price of bouillon.
Another hint....when I buy green onions, I wrap them in a piece of damp paper towel then in a plastic baggie. They stay nice and crisp for a long time.

I have a funny one with the sink clogging. With 4 little ones, um things tend to fall down the drain when the plug is out. $1.68 later the sink is draining great, no it didn't cost me to clean it, that was the change that I found at the bottom of the P trap.

Stacie

Remove a Wart with Duct Tape

A person should apply gray (original) duct tape so that it completely covers the wart (not covering the skin around the wart), and leave it in place for six days. Remove the tape and then soak the affected area in warm water and then scrub with an emery board or pumice stone. Then put another piece of duct tape on the wart and repeat the process.

Good hints. I learned to cook bacon with the flour back when I first read "Farmer's Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Also recently someone said to pour COKE down your drains to keep them free.

Oh, another that I just utilized.....when I make waffles, there is always too much, since I live alone. So I freeze them, and they reheat beautifully....just had one for my lunch.

Moni, a friend in CA recently paid over $200 to have a plumber clean out her tub drain. She had tried Liquid Plumber and it had not helped. I did something similar to what you did. I unscrewed the drain cover and used a tweezers to pull hair out.

Ive been doing my bacon on cookie sheet put in 400 degree oven about 12 minutes its flat,good,also shrimp,no more boiling it,I put on cookie sheet a little olive oil salt pepper for sure bay seasoning, bake mmmm same with chicken if Im making potpie etc no more boiling do the same as shrimp ,much tastier.

Re: cleaning hair from drains--there's a cheap gizmo you can buy that's a thin, flexible strip of plastic with teeth all along the side of it. You stick it down the drain, maybe give a turn or two, and it snags the hair and pulls it out. They only cost a dollar or two--ask at your hardware store or home center.

When I make cheese sauce, I make up at least 2 quarts of white sauce, add a bunch of cheeses (I generally clean out the cheese drawer in the fridge), then freeze in 1 or 2 cup containers. Great to have on hand for making: mac and cheese, scalloped potatoes, welsh rarebit, or cheese soups, etc.

Around the holidays, I take one day and mix up all my cookie doughs. If I start with the milder flavored ones (vanilla), I don't have to wash the bowl between some of the batches. Then I pack in ziplock bags and toss in the freezer. That way, all through the season, I can bake up fresh cookies every few days, without any real mess. If you have a good quality metal cookie scoop, the dough can be scooped and baked frozen--frozen dough actually makes better cookies than room temp.

Re: cleaning hair from drains--there's a cheap gizmo you can buy that's a thin, flexible strip of plastic with teeth all along the side of it. You stick it down the drain, maybe give a turn or two, and it snags the hair and pulls it out. They only cost a dollar or two--ask at your hardware store or home center.

When I make cheese sauce, I make up at least 2 quarts of white sauce, add a bunch of cheeses (I generally clean out the cheese drawer in the fridge), then freeze in 1 or 2 cup containers. Great to have on hand for making: mac and cheese, scalloped potatoes, welsh rarebit, or cheese soups, etc.

Around the holidays, I take one day and mix up all my cookie doughs. If I start with the milder flavored ones (vanilla), I don't have to wash the bowl between some of the batches. Then I pack in ziplock bags and toss in the freezer. That way, all through the season, I can bake up fresh cookies every few days, without any real mess. If you have a good quality metal cookie scoop, the dough can be scooped and baked frozen--frozen dough actually makes better cookies than room temp.

I don't do as much baking as I use to but found a tip for making muffins. I use a small, but not the tiny one, scoop that you use for cookies or meatballs with the spring handle. Tried it and it was so easy to get the right amount into the paper cups. Two scoops fills up the cup(after cooking), but not over the edges.

Azzalea, I do the same with my cookie doughs. Have been doing it since the 70's. I start with milder flavored ones, too, since most of the doughs are pretty similar. End with the peanut butter dough and the almond dough. Only I scoop the dough out onto a cookie sheet with cookie scooper. I freeze the cookie balls on the sheet than I put them in a zip lock bag and label it. That way if I just want to bake a half dozen of each kind and make up a cookie platter for a friend or whatever, I just have to take out some of each kind , put them on one cookie sheet to defrost, it takes about 5 - 10 minutes, and I can bake all the cookies that have to bake at the same temp all at the same time.

My hint for the day, If you have an aluminum pot that has discolored from boiling water, or in my case the other night, a stainless steel pot that I was boiling eggs in and fell asleep until the popping woke me up (all the water had boiled out and the pot was black....lucky there wasn't more damage, just fill the pot with water, sprinkle in some cream of tartar and bring to boil. It cleans the pot without scouring. Works particularly well with aluminum pots.

The thought of calling had floated around... but I hate not being here when maintenance shows... and I didn't want to spend any money... and I had a screw. :)

It wasn't my hair. Mine is very short. It was long hair... guess from the previous renter?

Moni

Mine is about dealing with children, usually teens, when they have to share a limited amount of dessert or treat. You know how they tend to fight and say that the other one took more than their share? In our house the rule was that "one cuts (or divides) and the other one picks first". It really motivated the one dividing to get it even, and the one picking first wouldn't have a complaint.

My bathroom sink was doing the slow draining thing too, but my stopper was screwed in so it couldn't be pulled out. I found easy instructions online about how to step by step take out the pipe under the sink and put it back together. Man, oh man, it was disgusting in there, LOL. Cleaned every part really good, and it's been as good as new since.

I'm a renter so could have just called my landlord, but I'd rather just deal with small things myself. I was very proud of myself for my sweet plumbing skills. HAHAHAHAHA!

You can pretty much learn to do ANYTHING on the internet these days. I love it!

I have a little strainer thing that fits right in the drain; it really catches every bit of hair, and lifts right out to flush stuff down the toilet. Hardware stores carry them.

I've always hated those little 'vegetable' brushes -- you know, they're usually a ring of bristles with a handle? One day I was about to scrub some potatoes for baking. I'd just brought home a new plastic-bristle scrub brush (intended to use it on the shower floor) and I thought...why not clean the potatoes with this? What a time saver!

I wonder what else we'd do differently if we stopped automatically doing it 'the way we were taught' and looked at the task anew, as a problem to be solved.

Carry a second car key??

A few weeks ago when I came out of a library with my cardboard box of goodies ... and looked for the car key ...

... it was not to be found, in the back pocket where it belonged.

Looked around the car (in the dark - and raining slightly) and on the route to the community centre ... no dice.

Went to the large glass door of the library, importuned, they waved hands back and forth - we're closed. I waved house keys, they opened door, I made a quick circle where I'd travelled: no key.

Called son, to come out, pick me up, take me to the farm to get a back-up key.

While waiting for him, I'd checked on the floor inside the car, where I'd been doing something, had to do it by feel, as the interior light isn't working: it goes on strike, from time to time.

When he came out, asked whether he had a flashlight, he did, I checked around outside the car: nothing.

When I looked inside the car - there sat the key, on the driver's seat (and I'd had my knees on the seat, while rummaging on the floor behind it).

ole joyful

I followed the suggestion I think I read here and stopped buying window and glass cleaner. Instead, In a spray bottle I pour one part rubbing alcohol and one part water and one drop of dishwashing detergent. I end up with a quart of cleaner for about $1. I use it on windows, which do not streak, mirrors, and counter tops.

If you are making cookies or baking or just need to measure, do the dry ingredients first, then the liquid. that way you only need one measuring cup. And if you need to measure peanut butter, spray the cup with non-stick spray and it will come out easily.

When I buy a pound of bacon, I put wax paper on a cookie
sheet, lay the bacon divide into 2 slices on it and put it in the freezer. After it's frozen I put it in a baggie. I also do smoked sausage the same way.

When I buy frozen pizza I divide it into servings, warp in saran wrap, but it back in the box and freeze. Usually by the time I get home and put the groceries away, the pizza can be cut with kitchen scissors.

If you live alone and eating a whole pie takes a while:

Pre-cut the pie on arrival (I usually buy ones that run a little over 2 lbs and cut them into eight pieces) ...

... put it back into the box ...

... put a plastic bag around it (in Canada, 4-litre milk bags do the trick) ...

... then freeze it.

When you want a piece, stick a fork down into the cuts around one piece you want, do it in several places and it'll come out easily.

o j

When making something that calls for oil and honey or molasses, use the oil first. Put the honey or molasses into the same measuring cup, and it slides right out because of the oil.