Helpful Hints...maybe

Here are a few fun tips I have learned over the years and I continue to use them.  You know how you read articles and see things on TV and wonder if they really work...well, here are some that I have tried and they actually do work.  Some of these may be old news to you, but they were not to me.

1.The plastic knife is a fabulous tool for cutting fresh, warm brownies.  You know how it is, you get a box of assorted plastic cutlery or a packet with a spoon, knife and fork and you never use the knife unless you are buttering a roll right at that very moment...because what else can you use a flimsy plastic knife for?  I actually incorporated this very tip into a bible study once for our ladies group.  I told Jay this morning, I can make anything relative!!  So next time you bake brownies, cut those hot, steaming, luscious squares with your useless plastic knife collection.  It works!

2. Wrapping celery in aluminum foil and putting it in the refrigerator helps keep it crisp and it will last longer.  I am not a fan of celery and don't really use it for much, but the couple times I needed it, I tried this and it works.  My grandma also started doing this when she was at home and swears by it.

3.  Want crispy fried taters?  Here's a hint my grandma gave me...after slicing the potatoes, spread them out on paper towels and let the paper towels soak up the excess water.  I like a mixture, some crispy, some not-so-crispy...oh, man, now I really, really want some fried taters.

4.  If you are out of shaving cream and you're super hairy and sensitive like myself (can't dry shave if I want to be seen in public) use your hair conditioner instead.  It works beautifully and actually leaves your legs feeling pretty good.

5.  I had always wondered why when I'd open a thermos or container at my grandma's I'd find a sheet of paper towel inside, well, I figured it out.  It soaks up any moisture that may have been left over from cleaning it.  I now do that and laugh every time I open something up and see it...because I always thought my grandma was nuts and I am slowly evolving into her! 

6.  If a recipe calls for buttermilk, use milk and top it off with vinegar.  I have never been given an exact measurement for this secret so I'm not sure if there is a proper formula.  I just pour about 3/4 of a cup of milk and then top the cup off with vinegar.  I don't know about you, but I don't have buttermilk on hand very often and it's a key ingredient for making Texas Sheetcake and other yummy desserts!  Man, am I getting hungry.

7.  Applesauce can be substituted for oil in cake mix to cut down on the fat and calories.  It doesn't change the taste of it either, so that is always a plus.  Ahh, yes, a cake...

8.  I love this new stuff I've run onto called Lemishine, a rinse for dishwashers.  Walmart sells it and it has really helped my stuff a bunch.  I now use it with my regular soap as my rinse agent and it really makes my stuff sparkle.  I just pour a little bit in the hole with my regular soap.

9.  Keeping potato flakes on hand is a great way to thicken up gravy, soups, or even mashed potatoes.  I buy the buttery kind because you can never have too much butter flavor, right?

10. Have a tricky stain on a carpet (light colored probably), use white foamy shaving cream.  It is AMAZING how well it will pull that stain out. 

11. Norwex cleaning rags.  I have no idea what the proper name of these two rags are and I think they have changed the color of them, but they are fabulous.  The pinkish one I dampen with plain water and wash the windows, the yellow rag dries them streak-free.  They are the best!  I Love, Love, Love cleaning my windows now because it is so easy and there's no mess, no dripping of windex, no wad of paper towels to throw away.  There may be offbrands that work just as well, but I'm not about to get rid of my Norwex rags.  I think they were maybe $20 combined but that was a couple years ago and they are still getting used!

12.  Laundry tips:  Aerosol hairspray works on an ink stain and WD-40 works to take out grease-type stains...now that I ever have to get stains out of clothing or anything.

So there you go, all my secrets are out...all twelve of them.  If you have any super cool hints you would like to share, send them my way.  I'm always up for trying stuff that actually works.