Helpful Hints

-Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.


If you leave them connected at the stem, they'll ripen faster.



-Store your open chunks of cheese in aluminium foil.

It will not mold and stay fresh longer.



-Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.

Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.



-Add a teaspoon of water while frying ground beef.

It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.



-To make scrambled eggs really rich, add in a teaspoon of sour cream, cream cheese or heavy cream and mix.



-For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed;

Melt Andes mints and pour over brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.



-Add garlic at the beginning of a recipe for a light taste.

At the end if you want a stronger taste.



-Mini Snickers Treat;

Chop up with a food chopper. Peel, core and slice apples. Place in baking dish and sprinkle candy bars over the apples. Bake 350 for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or by themselves.



-Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on the stove, over medium heat.

Keeps the crust crispy.



-Easy Deviled Eggs;

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal and mash until they are broken. Add remainder of ingredients, seal and mash until blended. Once ready, cut off tip of the bag and squeeze mixture into the egg.



-When buying a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. More mix for your cake/cupcakes, less calories and sugar.



-To warm biscuits, pancakes or muffins that were refrigerated, place in the microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will help keep the moist and help it reheat faster.



- Wrap your plants in wet newspaper.

Weeds will get through gardening plastic. They will not get through wet newspaper.



-Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up shards of glass you can't see very easily.



-Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.

It will keep mosquitoes away.



-To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle with Cayenne pepper.

The Cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant but the squirrels will not come near it.



-To get something from under your fridge, add an empty paper towel roll to your vacuum hose.

It can be bent for flattened to get into narrow openings.



-To reduce static cling;

Place a safety pin inside the seam of your skirt, dress or slacks.



-Before you put your sticky ingredient into your measuring cup;

Fill with hot water, dump out the water but don't dry the cup. Next add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it slides out.



-For a foggy window;

buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in your glove box, Works better than a cloth.



-To unseal an envelope, place in your freezer for a couple of hours.

It unseals itself.



-Use conditioner to shave your legs.

Cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs smooth.



-To get rid of fruit flies;

Fill a small glass with 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid. Mix well.

The flies are drawn to the cup and will be gone forever.



-Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants.

They 'take it home', eat it and can't digest it. It may takes a few weeks to see results, especially if it rains, but it works.



-Take out your dryer filter and run it under hot water.

Does the water stand on top of the screen? You have a film from your dryer sheets on the screen. Every 6 months or so, take this out and clean it with hot soapy water. Let air dry & replace. Failure to do so can cause your dryer to work overtime drying your clothes and ultimately can cause your heating element to go out in half the time.



" Life is always a rich and steady time when your waiting for something to happen or hatch"

-E.B. White (Charlotte's web)