Did you know? Part 2

• To keep mosquitoes away while you’re working outside, put a dryer sheet in your pocket.

• Sprinkle cayenne pepper on your plants to keep squirrels and rabbits away. You won’t harm the environment.

• To vacuum under your fridge attach an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum hose — it can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

• Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry the cup. Your peanut butter, molasses or other sticky ingredient will come out easily.

• Use a chalkboard eraser to remove fog from inside your car windows — it’s more effective than a cloth.

• Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s cheaper than shaving cream and is a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like in your hair.

• To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 cup with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. The flies will be drawn to the cup and gone forever.

• Kill ants safely — without chemicals. 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, but it works, and it’s not dangerous for children or pets.

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Did you know?

• Peel your banana from the bottom so you don’t have to pick the “stringy things” off of it.

• Take your bananas apart after you buy them so they don’t ripen too quickly.

• Peppers with three bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with four bumps are firmer and better for cooking.

• For a mild garlic flavor, add it when you begin cooking. If you want a stronger taste, add the garlic at the end of the recipe.

• Store opened packages of cheese in aluminum foil to make them last longer.

• Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef to pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

• Microwaving leftover pizza makes it soggy. Reheat pizza in a skillet over medium-low heat to keep the crust crispy.

• Use your mixer to whip some store-bought cake frosting. The frosting will nearly double in size so you can frost more cake — and you’ll have fewer sugar and calories per serving.

• 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.

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Home Energy Maintenance Fix

You probably clean your lint filter every time you dry a load of clothes. But because some lint will always get past the filter and accumulate in the pipe behind the dryer, you also need to clean the vent hose and pipe once a year to keep your dryer running efficiently. Pull the dryer away from the wall, then disconnect the flexible pipe that connects to the vent in the wall. Use a dryer lint brush (available at home centers) to clean out the vent and pipe. Use the hose from your vacuum cleaner to remove any remaining lint. This task will shorten the time your dryer runs, which translates into energy savings.

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Morning Makeovers:Don't skimp on Breakfast

Studies have shown that skipping or skimping on breakfast is actually counter productive to losing weight. When your body doesn't get enough calories in the morning, it starts to slow down your metabolism because it thinks it's on food shortage and wants to conserve. You want to keep your body burning calories and anything you eat early, has all day to burn. So don't be afraid to get your calories early.

Starter Meals:

SPREAD SOME PEANUT BUTTER ON TOAST: Two tablespoons of peanut butter on a slice of whole grain toast, topped with sliced banana, has a little less than 400 calories- and contains enough protein, fiber, goof fat, and flavor to keep you feeling satisfied for hours. For a change of pace, try almond or cashew butter and vary the fruit--apples, peaches, and pears all taste great.

EAT FASTER THAN FAST FOOD EGGS: Hard boiled eggs, in their shells, keep up to 7 days in the refrigerator. Boil a bunch on Sunday and you have a week's worth of breakfasts. Pair two hard-boiled eggs with a slice of whole grain toast, fruit, and coffee or tea for a meal with proven staying power.

SPOON SOME OATS: One of the best breakfasts when you're in a hurry is oatmeal. Top the bowl with two tablespoons of your favorite nuts, chopped apples or pears, and skim or low fat milk. No time at home? Keep packets of instant oatmeal at work.

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Free A Binding Door

Sometimes, even a properly adjusted door will rub on the threshold whenever it is opened or closed.

To overcome this trouble, simply place a sheet of course sandpaper on the threshold with the grit side up. Note: Self-adhesive sandpaper that's readily available today is perfect for this. Then, once the sandpaper is secured to the floor, carefully pass the door over this paper several times. This will free the rubbing door without removing unnecessary stock, as is usually the case when the door is trimmed with a saw or plane.

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Ten Easy Ways to Reduce Water Use

In the Kitchen:

• Capture running water while waiting for it to heat up and use this excess to water plants
• When washing dishes by hand, use as little water as possible, and use only the required amount of soap. When rinsing, put the dishes in a rack to rinse them all together and use short bursts instead of a constant flow.
• Keep a container od cold water in the refrigerator, so you won't have to waste faucet water while it cools down.
• Do nor defrost frozen food with running water. Use the microwave or refrigerator instead.
• When cooking, use only the water required, to avoid waste when straining.

In the Laundry Room:

• Match the water level with the load size, or wait until you have a full load before washing.

In the Bathroom:

• Turn of the faucet while brushing your teeth or shaving.
• Capture water while waiting for temperature change and use this for watering plants.
• For a bath, don't wait for water to heat up, plug the drain right away and adjust the temperature as the tub fills.
• Do not use the toilet for trash, only flush when required for sanitary waste.

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Vacuum Sealed Cookie Dough

I think that everyone in the city has read last week's article by David Leite on the Quest for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie. One of the main tricks from the article is to rest your dough for 36 hours before baking the cookies in order to improve the flavor. In my work as a chef I have often made cookie dough in advance and baked to order. I knew that refrigeration had beneficial effects although I had never tested the theory to the extent that David Leite did for the article. I just knew that well rested and chilled cookie dough made better cookies.

Now that I no longer have cookie dough at hand, when the craving hits I look for more immediate satisfaction. The article succeeded in awakening my craving for warm, soft cookies, I just wasn't entirely sure I wanted to go through the process of making the dough and then have to wait 36 hours to bake off the cookies. Fortunately I remembered the vacuum sealer in our kitchen. In the past we had used the vacuum sealer for pasta doughs. The process sped up the process of moisture absorption, allowing us to create silky doughs with less liquid. This seemed similar to the process described in the article of allowing the flour to fully absorb the liquid from the eggs during it's resting period. Perhaps if I vacuum sealed the cookie dough I could speed up the entire process and end up with better cookies in less time.

I used my standard chocolate chip recipe. I did not make a test batch of cookies with unprocessed dough so this was an entirely unscientific experiment. What I can tell you is that the dough darkened and became fully saturated, similar to the way that the dough usually looks after a couple of days in the refrigerator. It also changed the texture of the dough, making it a bit more elastic to the touch. The just made dough was too soft to shape and needed to chill, so I left in the fridge for about three hours before baking.

The resulting cookies were pretty damn good. They had a slightly cakey texture in the center with chewy yet crisp edges and rich buttery, caramel flavors. It was impossible to eat just one and I was thankful that I had not baked off the entire batch. Were they better than David Leite's? I really couldn't say. On the other hand I think it was clear that vacuum sealing did have a positive effect on the process, and from now on plastic wrap is out and vacuum bags are definitely in.

Slow Cooker Savory Pot Roast

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 8 hours
Serves: 6
Slow cooking this tender pot roast with some flavorful vegetables and a few on-hand ingredients yields mouthwatering results.


Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1 pouch (2 ounces) dry onion soup & recipe mix
6 small red potatoes, cut in half
6 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
3 -to 3 1/2-pound boneless beef bottom round roasts or chuck pot roast


Directions:


Stir the soup, onion soup mix, potatoes and carrots in a 4 1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the beef and turn to coat.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours* or until the beef is fork-tender.

*Or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with buttermilk biscuits and steamed broccoli spears. For dessert serve turtle or blonde brownies.