fruit tip

fruit is way cheaper in chinatown than it is in the supermarkets.  maybe it's the unions of supermarkets that drive costs up?

gelato versus ice cream tip

here's the difference between gelato and ice cream.  learned at naia on shattuck.   gelato is milk based, while ice cream is cream based.   i think that i like ice cream better.  gasp, i know!

earflap hat tip

i took a regular knit hat and cut out the forehead to create my new earflap hat.  now i don't have to worry about the hat brim hitting my eyes.

boil tip

when you're cooking vegetables, put in enough water so that the water doesn't all evaporate.  i recently cooked brussels sprouts and added only 3/4 inch of water.  after 10 minutes of boiling, all the water had boiled out and the bottom of the pot was completely burned.

roller coaster tip

on a metal roller coaster, try to ride in the front seats.  your head will jostle around less and your brain won't hurt.  on a wood roller coaster, the back is funner.

yeast tip

you know when recipes say to put the yeasty mix in a warm place?  well, you can put the yeasty mix on the top rack of an oven with a big bowl of HOT water on the lower rack.

whoa--aloe tip

aloe that's a couple days old kind of smells like a dirty sock.

sun tip

ow ow ow ow ow!  use sunscreen . . .

sun tip

ow ow ow ow ow!  use sunscreen . . .

aloe

please note:  raw aloe does not taste good.

sewing machine

if you ever have a chance to learn how to use a sewing machine, TAKE IT!  i so wish i knew how to use a sewing machine . . .

how to stay safe

got this amazing tip today.  when you're walking alone at night, be visibly talking to yourself and loudly.  also, twitch periodically.  no one likes to mess with crazy.  people will leave you alone and not harass you.

blending dates

i tried to use our vitamix to blend dates and walnuts.  it went for a few seconds and then just stopped.  the dates are so thick that they caked up the blades and rendered them immobile.  not good.

good book tip

get to know your librarian.  she can snag the new books and put them on hold for you if she knows what you like.  of course this is dependent on there being no previous holds for the title.

waffle tip

take a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of jam and melt them together in the microwave.  mix up the now liquid and use it as a topping on a waffle.  hella good!

cake tip

when you make a cake, don't grease the sides.  only grease the bottom.  the reason is if you grease the sides the cake batter doesn't stick to it as it's baking and the middle of the cake ends up being really high.  when you don't grease the sides the cake is able to climb up the sides and you end up with a must more even cake instead of a pitcher's mound.

frosting tip

don't use vegetable oil to make frosting.  i baked a strawberry cake today from a mix.  the box had a pic of a slice of strawberry cake with white frosting and i thought, "mm, that looks mighty tasty!"  i find a recipe for white frosting and it says to use shortening.  ok, what EXACTLY does that mean?  i look it up in the dictionary and it says butter or vegetable oil.  because veggie oil mixes easier than butter, i use it.  i add vanilla extract, almond extract and tons of powdered sugar.  but when i'm mixing, it's not smooth at all.  so then i decide to microwave it for 30 seconds which melts the sugar but for some reason the vegetable oil keeps separating out!  so it looks like icing and a blob of oil sitting on top.  i use some icing on a couple slices of cake.  it tastes good, just like regular icing but i can't manage to get over the fact that the oil is sweating out of the sugar concoction.  eventually i decide to dump it.   next time i'll use butter to make frosting.

scanner tip

not only can you use the library barcode scanner to scan the barcode, but you can also use it to scan an isbn as well.

the uglies

i think as kids you're very often taught that someone who's ugly can have a heart of gold.  that may very well be true, but keep in mind that someone's who's ugly can also be totally mean!

pasta tip

1 pound of angel hair pasta goes with 1 regular size jar of vodka sauce (or whateve sauce).