sardines in oil

you know those canned sardines in olive oil? don't just throw the oil away! you can put it on noodles and it is super delicious!

ice cream tip

one part vanilla ice cream and one part fage original yogurt, with nonpareil sprinkles on top. delicious! it reminds me of tart frozen yogurt. 

turkey burger tip

here's how i cooked jennie-o frozen turkey burger (1/3 pound).

1. put turkey burgers on greased tray. broil 4 inches from heat at top for 4 minutes. 

2. flip burgers. broil 4 more minutes.

3. flip burgers. broil 4 more minutes. wash your raw turkey spatula.

4. eat burger.

total cook time was 12 minutes. i cut it in the middle and it was cooked through.

sizzler tip

sizzler has this weird pricing structure. the price of a small bacon
cheeseburger and unlimited salad is cheaper than . . . an unlimited
salad. you save a penny and get a burger. isn't that crazy?

basically i just ate salad and took the burger to go.

pinyin tip

to type the character for girl in chinese use nv.

nalgene mold tip

there's a white stopper in the nalgene on the fly lid. it gets moldy.
today i pulled out the white stopper and put it in bleach for 12
hours. the mold went away.

be sure to rinse all the bleach away.

faux cream tip

fage yogurt and condensed milk mixed together is very good.  it's like a dense cream.  mix in blueberries for a yummy dessert.  

not sure about the ratios.  maybe 1 cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon condensed milk.  you can also mix in crushed ice if you want.

overnight oats

here's how i recently made overnight oats.  pour in some rolled oats.  mix with maple yogurt.  refrigerate overnight.  i didn't really worry about the ratio.  just make sure all the oats are coated in yogurt.  

other recipes i've seen say you can use almond milk or regular milk instead of yogurt.  

when ready to eat, i put shredded coconut and sunflower seeds.  

it's hearty and keeps you full for a long time.  plus no cooking!

thrift store tips

st. vincent de paul:  

lots of furniture--tables, dining sets, etc.  

no changing room

no refunds

tri-valley volunteers:

small selection of children's shoes

only 2-3 straight racks of children's clothes

clothes are $1

hope station:

clothes are pretty expensive--$4.98 for a shirt

lots of plates and kitchen-y things

filet mignon tips

turn on george foreman grill and heat for 5 minutes.

salt and pepper filet mignon.

cook for 6 minutes.

eat

draeger's tip

draeger's turkey pot pie in the buffet is really really good.  

soup tip

for chicken noodle soup, pulverize a whole onion and stick it in the crockpot with the soup.  the floating onion grounds thicken up the soup.  

rolling pin tip

here are two tips i learned about rolling pins.  if you don't have a rolling pin, use a bottle with a large cylindrical surface such as a wine bottle.  the other tip is if you're rolling out cookie dough, sandwich the dough between parchment paper, then roll.  that way you don't have to worry about adding flour to the rolling pin or surface.

answering the phone tip

When people answer the phone and speak really quickly, it makes them sound really rude.

chutes and ladders tip

play chutes and ladders with two dice.  it helps teach simple addition and it makes game play move faster.

fridge tip

say like you have a big bowl of rice and a small bowl of rice in the refrigerator.  you should eat the small bowl of rice first because that'll free up space faster.  

if you start eating the big bowl of rice first it'll be a while before you can finish it and free up some space.

yogurt tip

fage + nutella = yum

it's almost like chocolate pudding with the consistency of the yogurt.  very tasty indeed.

dairy queen tip

don't bother with a sundae, it's all about the blizzard.  i got a pecan mudslide and they put a bunch of caramel and hot fudge on the bottom but by the time you get to it, all the ice cream is gone already.

lamb loin chop

yesterday i made lamb loin chop 2 ways.  first i took the lamb out for 30 minutes to get to room temperature.  salt on both sides of lamb

method 1:

-rub oil on big piece of foil.  fold up lamb inside making sure there's space between each piece.  

-turn on george foreman grill and wait 10 minutes

-cook for 9 minutes

method 2:

-heat 2 tablespoons butter in skillet on high until melted.  turn heat to medium.

-cook lamb 4 minutes per side.  sear edges.

both ways tasted good because lamb is delicious but i liked how method 2 tasted better.  cooking on the stove you get beautiful caramelization.  however, it's more clean-up.  with the george foreman you just have to crumple and toss the foil.

i was reading online how lamb is meant to be eaten on the rarer side.  since that's not my preference, i cooked it a couple minutes more than the minimum amount of time.

it was my first time cooking lamb loin chop.  glad it turned out :o)

one pot spaghetti tip

1.  brown 1 lb ground beef

2.  add 3 cups water and 1 jar spaghetti sauce.  boil.

3.  add 1 lb spaghetti but break noodles in half.  boil and cook for 15-20 minutes.  

4.  i also added shredded cheese and a cup of sour cream when cooking was done.

pork shoulder tip

boil pork shoulder for 35 minutes in water.  add bbq sauce and broil for 15 minutes.  sweet baby ray's is the best bbq sauce.

corn on the cob tip

hm, i thought i'd added this tip but couldn't find it.  

how to steam corn on the cob.

-husk corn

-boil some water and put a steam tray in the pot.  water doesn't have to be enough to cover corn, but it has to be enough so that it doesn't all boil out and evaporate

-when water boils, put corn in and steam for 15 minutes with lid on

-you can break corn in half to make it fit the pot

vacuum cleaner tip

to get hair out of the sides of a vacuum cleaner's roller brushes, use a seam ripper.  it works so much better than scissors or a letter opener!

cheap wall decor tips

got a 500 piece puzzle at the thrift store for 69 cents.  framed it with a new frame from target for around $30.  i've been looking at framed pictures at thrift stores but the frames are ALWAYS knicked or scratched up.  and i'm not into the banged up vintage look.  

hook tip

i bought some mini command hooks but they were too big to hang my calendar.  i strung a thin ring of ribbon through the calendar holes and doubled it over before hanging it on the hook.  it works great!  

popcorn on stovetop tip

-heat 3 tablespoon oil 

-put 4 kernels (to test)

-cover @ medium heat

-when all 4 kernals pop, remove from heat

-add 1/3 cup kernals

-cover pot and wait 30 seconds

-return to heat

-when kernels start popping shake pan with lid slightly ajar

-add salt and butter

tilapia fillet

got some tilapia fillets from trader joe's.  it's really convenient.  you don't have to worry about taking out bones or descaling the fish.  i poached it in some chicken broth for a light flavor.  put fish in the liquid, boil then lower heat and cover--cook for 8 minutes.  super easy!  

how to cook bean thread noodles (dong1 fen3)

just made a big batch of bean thread noodles.  it was my very first time cooking it and i'm happy with the result.  everything cooks in one pot.

ingredients:
-1 pound bean thread noodles
-mild italian sausage bulk (not in sausage casings)
-2 cups sliced mushrooms

ingredients for sauce:
-2 cup chicken broth
-3 tablespoon soy sauce
-2 teaspoon sesame oil
-2 teaspoon sugar

-soak 1 pound bean thread noodles for 20 minutes.
-add some oil to pot and cook sausage.  remove sausage
-add mushrooms to pot and cook until tender.  spoon some sausage fat onto the mushrooms so it's not too dry.  i covered the pot to let the mushrooms kind of steam cook for a few minutes.  remove mushrooms
-drain noodles and put in pot.  use high heat.  pour sauce in pot also.  mix until noodles absorb sauce.
-add sausage and mushrooms back in and mix.

i ate them with some boiled fava beans.

in all, it took 40 minutes to make everything.

brown rice tip

argghhh!  put in 1 cup of brown rice and 2.5 cups of water in the rice cooker.  it was dry and hard :o(

when i put in 1.5 cups of brown rice and 3-3/4 cup of water it's alright.

what am i doing wrong?  it's the same ratio . . .

fava bean tips

quick and easy way to cook fava beans.  shuck 'em.  boil water with salt to a rolling boil.  dump fava beans in water and cook for 7 minutes.  eat.  there's a light green membrane on the fava beans.  that is totally edible.

george foreman chicken thighs tip

make sure the george foreman grill light is off.  if the light is on that means it's heating up still.

wrap chicken in foil so you don't have to wash the grill.

if you don't cut up the chicken thighs, heat for 8 minutes in george foreman grill.

boiling dumplings

1.  boil water--boil a lot so the dumplings won't stick together

2.  add dumplings

3.  when dumplings begin to float, add 1 cup cold water.

4.  boil water again

5.  when dumplings float, add 1 cup of cold water again.

6.  dumplings float

done!

lasagna tip

i've heard that instead of boiling lasagna noodles, you can just add an extra cup of sauce to the bottom.  but when i've tried to do that, the noodles are still raw after baking.

today i soaked the raw noodles in water for about an hour.  they got bendable.

then i just followed the recipe.  

basically i'm just trying to avoid boiling the noodles :o)  

the noodles came out alright, but still ever slightly on the firm side.  next time i'll soak them in water for longer.  

fast dinner tip

get tortillas, rotisserie chicken (from costco), tomato, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream.

microwave the tortilla with chicken and some cheese.  top with chopped tomato and a spoonful of sour cream.  

add chopped lettuce if you have it.  it adds a nice crunch but is really optional.

microwave popcorn tip

ugh, just tried microwaving popcorn with sugar and oil in an attempt to make my own microwave kettle corn.  it was a total fail.  even though i waited for 2 seconds between pops, there was a big ball of burn.  next time it's back to cooking kettle corn on the stovetop!

also it doesn't appear that kettle corn goes through the garbage disposal.  maybe it'll just dissolve after a while . . .

gift cards tip

when you buy a giftcard, look at the receipt and compare it to the card numbers on the back of the giftcard.  the last couple of giftcard transactions, the cards were not activated.  this could be the cashier trying to steal the cards for himself and giving you blanks, or it could just be a mistake.   

writing tip

i say we get rid of capitalizing the first letter in every sentence!  sure, all you have to do is simply hit the shift key but think of all the sentences you type out.  that's a lot of shift keys.  plus it's mostly redundant, no?  i mean, you've already got your sentence ending punctuations--periods, exclamation points, question marks--so you know the letter immediately after is most likely going to be the start of another sentence.  it would just save so much time to not have to capitalize the initial letter.

feeding goats tip

took a toddler to the petting zoo today.  instead of buying a 50 cent cone of goat food, you can just pick up the scraps off the floor and feed the goats with that.  people just drop the food on the ground.  daughter really loved feeding the goats!

saving songs from cd to usb flash drive tip

i used itunes.  first you want to make sure the files convert to mp3 format.

•Launch iTunes – You can launch it from the Start Menu Programs
•Select ‘Edit > Preferences > General, and press Import Settings’.
•Change the ‘Import Using’ to ‘MP3 Encoder’.
•Save the settings.
•Go to the library and right-click on a music track and choose the option which reads ‘Convert Selection to MP3′. If the track is not protected then you’ll be able to convert it to MP3 format. However, if the track is a protected one then iTunes will pop-up a window telling you that the protected track cannot be converted to other formats

Simplest method is this.

1) Press “Control” and “A” to select all songs

2) Push “Advanced” at the top

3) Choose “Create MP3 Version” option

4) wait for the conversion to complete.

then you put in your cd and your usb.  on the bottom right, click on "import cd" to import whole thing.  if you don't want the whole cd, then uncheck the boxes next to the individual tracks.  the import is pretty fast.  then you go to your music folder (start-->music) -->itunes-->itunes media-->music-->compilation.  so . . . somewhere thereabouts should be your cd songs.  then you drag and drop the folder with your cd songs into the usb window.

now i'm guessing there are other ways of doing it, but this is how i did it.

keeping track of feedings tip

a simple way of keeping track of feedings for newborn is to use a cellphone.  i use an asterisk to denote which boob and just type in the start time and hit send.  then if i need to see what time i last nursed, i just look in my call history.  so for example, at 8:18 i nursed him on my right boob.  that's 818*--note the asterisk is ON THE RIGHT.  then i nursed him on my left boob at 8:40.  that's *840--note the asterisk is ON THE LEFT.  wish i'd thought of this method when i had the 1st baby.  

car keys tip

i hate the modern car keys with the stupid remote keyless entry.  that key is twice the size of everything else on my keychain.  it's going to be uncomfortable in my pants pocket.  at first i considered just using the valet key but then . . . the passenger side doesn't even have a keyhole :o(  i miss my 95 car . . . a simpler time, a simpler car.  sigh.  bring back the simple key with keyhole on the passenger side.  please.

free napkins tip

when you go out to eat, restaurants typically will give you a stack of napkins.  keep what you don't use and take the rest home.  no need to buy napkins anymore!

and if you've got kids, it's probably a good idea to keep some napkins in the car as well.

hair tip

if you've got an event and need to get your hair done, be cognizant that some styles take a really long time to complete.  so before you commit to a style with the hairdresser, you might ask how long it would take and if it's too long then ask for suggestions of styles that would be quicker to prepare.  i once had a french twist that took freaking forever.  had i known, i would have chosen a "messy" hairstyle that was fast and easy.

turkey baster washing tip

how to clean a turkey baster?  i recently used one to baste the chicken grease, butter and maple syrup back onto the chicken skin and washed it after use.  i took apart the bulb from the "syringe" and soaked it in soapy water but even after rinsing there was serious grease trapped in the "syringe."  

take a napkin and wrap it around a chopstick.  then swirl the napkin inside the "syringe."  all clean!

pan fried trout tip

made pan fried trout for the first time.  here's how i did it--super simple.  

i got 2 trout that were pan ready from food maxx.  salt both sides and the inside.

on high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.  sure, butter is way less healthy than olive oil but it smells so great!

when the butter is melted, lower the heat a bit to medium heat.  then cook one side of the fish for five minutes.  then flip and cook the other side of the fish for 5 minutes.  that's it!

you can sprinkle with lemon juice if you want but if not it's still good.  the skin is crunchy and the meat is delicious!

artichoke tip

get the bigger artichoke.  it costs more but there's way more "meat."  i recently got a couple of small artichokes and the outside leaves were completely wasted.  at least with the bigger artichoke, you get some more meat.

food tips

heads up--union landing has food trucks on thursday evenings!  and san leandro downtown has a farmer's market that's just opened back up again.

easy "frosting" tip

just made a discovery this afternoon!  beat heavy whipping cream with trader joe's cocoa almond spread.  i'm sure you could sub nutella.  sorry, i didn't measure anything out so not sure of how much of the ingredients i used.  first i beat the whipping cream until it thickened a little, then i added two big knife blobs of the cocoa almond spread.  it's runnier than real frosting and you could swear it's almost like chocolate pudding.  

i put it on some yellow cupcakes (trader joe's cake mix).  the cake mix makes 24 cupcakes but i just made a third of the recipe which worked out well.

computer camera tip

just read a frightening article in GQ about a dude with a lot of free time who would hack into people's computers.  he was able to spy on the computer user by turning on their camera.  this guy would watch people eat, sleep, go to the bathroom (people often take their laptop to the toilet) have sex, etc. 

 

stick a post-it on your computer camera to cover it.

elbow tip

on a large arm, a baby's diaper works well as a giant bandage at the elbow.  this is, if the affected area is larger than a regular size band-aid can accommodate.  you can secure the diaper in such a way that it's breathable to allow faster healing.  plus, it's cheaper than buying gauze and tape.  you'd think that it would look very strange and bulky but if you wear a sweatshirt or other loose clothing, no one will even notice.

feeding toddler tip

if you've got a spoonful of something your toddler doesn't particularly care for, put a small piece of something she likes on the edge of the spoon closest to the handle.  that way she'll open her mouth big to get to what she wants.

travel tip

you should have a list of things to take for travel.  that way you don't have to keep recreating the same list over and over again.  just keep it in or near your luggage.  easy peasy.

zucchini tip

here's an easy way to prep zucchini for a 1 year old.  cut the zucchini in quarters (4 long spears).  then chop the spears so each is about 3 millimeters.  then microwave about 2 tablespoons worth of zucchini for 1 minute.  let it cool and feed.  super easy :o)

zucchini tip

i could have been saving a lot of time all these years!  for raw zucchini, you can just cut it up and microwave it to cook!  you don't have to steam it or stove cook it.  why didn't anyone tell me?? 

photo card tip

when you're making a photo card, first find a photo that you like.  THEN, find a card background.  a lot of times you might find a great background, but the photo you have isn't a good match.  it's much easier to have the photo first before choosing a background.

mi pueblo es su pueblo

just realized something.  something HUGE!  mi pueblo, the mexican supermarket chain, has meat that's ALREADY CUT UP!  no longer will i have to spend precious time cutting up chicken.  no longer will i toil over that huge hunk of beef for stir fry.  the days of cleaving pork have ended.  can you feel the electricity in the air?!  can you feel it?! 

 

yesterday i cooked up some pastor.  it was pretty good--just something simple to eat over rice.

allergies tip

i've never understood why people have pets when their kids are allergic to the pet!  get rid of your pet so your kid can breathe in his own house.  is that insensitive?  i figure a kid is more important than a cat.  no?

polite tip

watch your tone.  even though you might not even realize it, you could be offending someone.  people can be really sensitive.

box tip

diaper boxes make good free temporary shelving.

cell with water damage tip

i don't have any personal experience with this myself but i hear that if you accidentally drop your cellphone in water, you can turn off your phone and toss it into a bag full of raw rice for 2 days.  the rice will draw the water out.

george foreman grill tip

wrap the food in foil and you don't have to clean the grill!  got this tip by watching costco sample staff.

eating out tip

holy cow, i can't believe i just learned this today! if you eat at a restaurant and decide to also buy something to take home, put the take out food on a separate bill. here's why: if you put it all on one tab then you'll also end up paying a tip on the take out portion. however, if you have the take out on a separate bill, well you're not going to pay a tip on it.

sl farmer's market tip

my mom says the san leandro farmer's market is back on!

whipping cream tip

cream whips better if there's a little more of it.  the instructions on the carton say to use no more than what would be needed to go higher than 1/3 of the beaters.  at first i was pouring in about 1/2 inch of cream and it took a while to whip up.  but when i put in like 1-1/2 inches, it whipped up in no time--well, like 3 minutes.

3x4 pic tip

so we have this little picture carousel that holds 6 3x4 pictures. as you know, pics these days generally come in 4x6. i used paint on the computer to make a 2 picture collage. you just decrease 2 pictures by 50% horizontally and vertically, then past them together next to each other in paint. then i uploaded that new picture into costco to print. worked out perfectly! it only took over a year to figure out how to get small pictures in there. love solving problems.

brita tip

you know those freaking brita filter pitchers?  fill the top and the water slowly trickles down and fills the bottom of the pitcher.  well i've spilled the water TWICE and created a giant puddle on the floor.  here's the tip:  before pouring water, lift the lid to make sure there's no water sitting in the top.

hayward area thrift shop tips

-thrift town san leandro:  this one is awesome.  tons of clothes for really cheap.  they've got a lot of dressing rooms to try on clothes. -thrift town fremont:  also big store with a lot of clothes and a maternity section.  i've found that most thrift stores don't have a separate maternity section. -society of saint vincent de paul fremont:  baby kids are in a giant pile which makes it impossible to find good stuff.  books are way cheap.  i got a book for 35 cents!  tons of furniture!  tables/chairs/dressers galore--more than most thrift shops -salvation army hayward:  weak sauce.  i don't know if they're just getting started but they don't have very much stuff at all.  the salvation army in oaktown is much better. -eco thrift:  huge store with tons of clothes, toys, books.  i saw 4 strollers there. -centro de servicio group:  smallish but with cheap clothes.  i got a wonder woman sweatshirt for only $2!  they've got a small room full of kid stuff but the baby clothes are in these little bins which makes it harder to find stuff.  -discovery shop:  more of a little boutique than a giant type thrift shop.  prices are a bit higher because proceeds go to helping with cancer. -hope station:  medium size thrift shop with a good selection of baby clothes.  i bought 3 long sleeve shirts for something like $1-2 each. -bargain city:  near newpark mall.  very nice store--clean and organized.  good selection of clothes for good prices. -tri-city volunteers thrift store:  there are a lot of cultural clothes.  it's a smaller shop with a small selection of baby/kid items.  there are a lot fewer clothes here compared to other shops.

reheat lasagna tip

if you're reheating a giant piece of lasagna, before throwing it in the microwave, cut it up some so the inside isn't cold.  otherwise the outside will be hot and the inside will still be refrigerated.

fortune cookie tip

fortune cookie + peanut butter = yummy

burger tip

know what's good on a burger?  cream cheese and peppers!  who knew?

marathon runner tip

just learned yesterday that hardcore marathon runners will just pee themselves while they run so they don't have to stop to use a toilet.  beware!

hammock tip

even better than a one person hammock?  a 3 person hammock!  you're more slingy in a 3 person one.  one downside is you need a super ginormous hammock stand.  the one person stand is already pretty freaking big.

other people's tips

http://cockeyed.com/lessons/figured/figured_menu01.shtml

 

http://ask.metafilter.com/158740/You-were-doing-it-wrong

corn cutter

anyone have a corn cutter?  we have this one:  http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=11078893 any tips on how to use it?  do you use it when the corn is raw or when it's already cooked?  do you really need a nail to use it?

language

if you want to learn a language, don't just go "teach me [insert language here]!!"  have certain words or phrases in mind that you want to learn. 

weekend tip

Pirate Festival is this weekend--June 19 and 20 from 10-6 PM in Vallejo.  It's a free event and the people who go are fully decked out in pirate gear.  I went last year and it's a blast!  You can find parking if you get there early.  There was a recreation of a pirate ship and even a nurse who talked about medicine.  Look out for the puzzle ring booth!  I haven't seen them at any other fair.  Great place to take a ton of pictures :o)

ice cream maker tip

say you have two batches of ice cream to make in an ice cream maker.  the first batch you do ice, salt, ice salt, ice, salt, etc.  then for the second batch you can reuse the same ice, but you have to layer more salt between ice layers. 

yesterday for the 2nd batch of ice cream, i didn't add more salt and after 40 minutes, the ice cream hadn't frozen at all!  i think all the salt got dumped out when i drained it.

good habit tip

my friend's husband was taught to try everything when eating a meal.  now, even if he HATES a particular food, he will eat at least a little bit to be polite.  i don't know anyone else who does this, but isn't it magnificent?  it's so open-minded and somewhat inspiring.

 

still, there's no way i'm going to eat durian again :o)

smell tip

know what smells hella good?  the inside of a bag of m&m's.

bathtub plug tip

the plug for the bathtub isn't that great.  after a few minutes, a significant amount of water drains out of the tub, but there's an easy fix!  take a small square of saran wrap and put it between the plug and the drain.  that will slow the flow of water leaking out.  hello, longer bubble baths! 

reheating fries tip

i have a big styrofoam container of leftover red robins fries from yesterday.  to reheat leftover french fries, heat up a skillet to medium high and lay a single layer of fries in the skillet.  shake the skillet a bit and when the bottom of the fries are lightly golden brown, turn them over.  heat some more until the underside is lightly golden brown as well.  dump them on a plate and eat with honey mustard dressing! you don't have to add oil to the skillet because there's already a ton of oil from the fries themselves. super good, super fresh and way faster than reheating them in an oven.

mango tip

eat mango at night so you're not walking around with fibers stuck in your teeth all day.

flat tire tip

when you have a flat tire and you're changing a spare, put your parking brake on so you'll be able to un-lugnut your tire without it spinning around and around.

charlie horse

jolted awake with a charlie horse this morning.  instead of doing my usual "AAAAARRRRRGHHHHHHH!!!!  IT HURTS!!!  AAAAUUUGHHHHH!!!" i just started massaging my calf.  it helped!  i wasn't in pain for nearly as long as my usual charlie horses and when my leg was done cramping, i could walk rather effortlessly.  normally after i have a charlie horse i'm really limpy.

ticket tip

oh my gosh, i'm looking into buying tix for an event in san jose.  i saw two places to buy tix--ticketmaster and usastarimage.com.  for ticketmaster, they effing charge you a $10 convenience fee!  usastarimage doesn't have any fees at all. 

chinese restaurant tip

don't sit by the fish tank.  if the workers are netting out a fish, the water could splash onto you and (audible gasp!) your food.  happened twice last night.

bread tip

at andersen bakery, aka grain d'or, you can buy a half loaf of bread for just half the price of a full loaf.  usually places will charge you for more than half price for a half loaf.  their fig and pecan bread is delicious--so much better than freaking raisin bread!

reheat lasagna tip

heat oven to 350. 

poke holes all over lasagna and pour 2 tablespoons of milk in the holes. 

cover lasagna tightly with foil. 

bake for 20 minutes. 

take it out and stab it with a fork and leave it in for 10 seconds. 

take fork out and see if it's warm.

if yes, then eat right away.  if not, recover with foil and bake for 10 more minutes and if it's still not hot, 10 more minutes after that, etc.

 

last night it took 40 minutes to reheat the leftover lasagna.  for pete's sake, just microwave it.  it's just as good.

brown rice tip

if you're using a rice cooker to cook brown rice, after the little tab pops up indicating that the rice is done and is now in the warming phase, leave the top on for 15 more minutes.  that gives the rice a chance to absorb more of the water.  if you eat the rice right when the tab pops up, it's still going to be hard.  also, the ratio of brown rice to water is 1:2.5, ok?

giftcards

say you have 2 giftcards for the same place, but with different amounts.  use up the one with less money first so you'll sooner end up having to tote around just one card.  then when you get home, use a sharpie to write the new amount that's left on the card.  that way you're not left thinking, "dude, i could have sworn there were twenty more dollars on this card."

bathtub tip

i asked a random stranger what she uses to clean her bathtub floor and she said that scrubbing bubbles works great.  she just uses scrubbing bubbles and a sponge.  she said to leave the bubbles to work for about 10 minutes. 

kaboom

a homeless looking couple comes in and wants temporary passes for internet use.  neither has picture id, which they say they lost during a car explosion.

sick tip

when you have phlegm, spit it out.  don't swallow it.  if you swallow phlegm, you might have a prolonged itchy throat.

shark tip

read this in the book of secrets.  don't pee or poo in the ocean.  sharks can smell it from miles away.  if you are attacked, scream underwater, hit back, change directions while swimming.  don't play dead.  and of course don't wear jewelry because you'll look like a yummy shiny fish.  also, don't swim near fishing nets.

door stop tip

the "real" doorstop is too short for the bottom of the door.  right now there's a bowling bag by the door to prop it open if needed.  it's a bit bulky but we don't have any sand or heavy stones to fill a smaller container.  bowling bag works just fine, thank you very much.

fridge tip

if your refrigerator dies, lowes has next day delivery for in-stock fridges.

mirror tip

it's really hard to clean a mirror covered with dried goop if all you have is water and a cloth or newspaper.  once the stuff dries, it's hard and you almost have to chip away at it with a chisel.  best to clean it up right away when the "goop" is still soft and wipable.

visit tip

had a lovely visit from pt this week.  oh, he's such a delight to have over.  he paid many many compliments about the house and was ever so gracious about eating our humble food.  i especially liked how he didn't make me feel like my cooking was subpar :o)  hooray for good visiting-friends manners!

yogurt tip

best yogurt?  trader joe's maple!  you can get it in a big tub and eat it for a week. 

persimmon tip

they say you're not supposed to eat persimmon with crab because it causes abdominal pain.