Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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• “Here’s a great discovery our family made after a recent snowstorm. It’s fun to paint on snow. Use wide paintbrushes and watercolors. Mist the snow with a water bottle to create a semi-hard surface, then paint away. We used sticks and leaves to create a border and took photos of our ‘creations.’ This way we have a memory of it after it melts away.” — R.O. in Ohio (c) 2012 King Features Synd., Inc....
• To stretch your laundry budget, cut fabric softener sheets in half. They work just as well. Also, save them after they come out of the dryer. They make excellent dusters in the home. • Love Sudoku puzzles? M.K. of Montana suggests that you might love it even more if you color code your grid. Each number 1-9 is assigned a color, and you solve the puzzle as normal, excepting you color in the box to denote your answer. When it’s all finished, she says, “it looks like a colorful quilt.” • If the vegetables you’re cooking give off an unpleasant...
• To clean out your coffee grinder in order to use it for spices, add about a half-cup of white rice, then pulverize it. Repeat until scent is gone and rice powder comes out clean. • It’s food-smart to separate utensils and cutting boards used for veggies, meats, poultry, etc. Here’s a handy chef’s trick: Color code. Paint a different color stripe down the edge of cutting boards and around the handle of utensils for each variety: green for veggies, yellow for poultry and red for beef. • Line the bottom of your dog’s food dish (underside) w...
• Many people have sent in the tip to use two bowls, one larger than the other, to serve cold salads at picnics. You add a few cups of crushed ice to the larger bowl, then nestle the smaller bowl into it, making it “chilled.” In any case, remember: Don’t leave food out longer than two hours. • If you’re planning food platters for your barbecue, consider making several smaller platters instead of one large dish. The large ones are harder to store when you prep beforehand, but a better reason is that the items will not go stale/too warm/too co...
• “Keep frosting looking glossy — with your hair dryer. Before guests come over, give the whole cake a once over holding the hair dryer about 7-10 inches away from the frosting and set on high. It will soften the frosting, giving the cake a just-made look.” — R.L. in California • Remove hard-water stains and mineral deposits from your showerhead with this trick: Fill a zip-lock baggie halfway with warm vinegar. Immerse your showerhead in the baggie and secure it to the pipe with a rubber band. Let it hang for an hour or so, then release the...
• “My best friend recently had her first child. For her baby shower, we decided to get together and cook her several meals that could be frozen and go right from the freezer to the oven. This way, she has many meals to grab in the first few sleepless weeks.” — E.S. in Mississippi • Need to save money grocery shopping? Studies show that if you shop when the store is least busy, you’ll make smarter decisions. Try shopping at off-peak hours, such as later in the evening or early in the morning. Or try your store on Wednesday, traditional...
• What’s the best way to keep sheet sets together? Tuck all the pieces in a matching pillowcase, of course. • Need to hull strawberries? Try using a straw. Position the straw at the bottom of the strawberry, then push up toward the stem. It works quickly and well. • If you mount a magnet strip in your bathroom or on your vanity, you can use it to hold bobby pins or metal barrettes. Or mount a ribbon to hold all kinds of hair clips. • Baby leg protectors are cute. And cheap, if you have some old athletic socks. Cut off the ends, slip over baby...
• “I had to pick up a bunch of BBs that spilled in our garage. It was very aggravating, until I decided to get out my vacuum. I put a very thin sock (didn’t have any panty hose) on the end and tucked it into the hose. I secured it with a zip tie. I was able to suck up most of the BBs, and they went right back in the container.” — E.L. in North Carolina • If you make your own broth, you can freeze cubes in easy-to-measure amounts by using your muffin tin. Measure out broth in half-cup or cup amounts, then freeze. When done, pop them out into a...
• Use a muffin pan to make cookie cups for ice cream or fruit. Just flip your muffin pan over, and press dough over the upturned wells. It will puff up a little, but once it settles will make very nice bowls. I do this with pizza dough as well. Prebake for a few minutes to form the bowl, then fill with ingredients and complete baking. • If you can put a tension rod in the cabinet under your sink, you can use it to hang spray bottles for extra storage. It’s amazing how much space it clears up, and it’s easy to find the bottle you need. • Trave...
* If you like your coffee fresh and strong but not so hot, make a small tray of ice cubes out of coffee to cool your morning cup. * “Always dust from the top down. My mom taught me that, since the dust falls and then you vacuum it up at the end. Also, don’t use too much furniture polish, since using a lot can actually attract dust.” — B.O. in Pennsylvania * “Keep leftover slices of good meat and veggies in zipper-lock plastic baggies and freeze. When you make canned soups, just add the appropriate bits from your baggie. It really bulks up...
• “Revive the look of indoor plants by rubbing the leaves with mineral oil on a soft cloth. Just wipe nicely, and you’ll see a big difference. Through the years, I have used this tip for both my real plants and my plastic plants.” — J.D. in Alabama • Lime juice and vinegar both make good meat tenderizers. You can purchase tougher cuts of meat, season with spices and lime/vinegar, and marinate for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking. It is a great way to ease your meat budget. Steaks are getting expensive! • “To make onion rings easier to cut (...
• Save smaller bits of leftover veggies in a large freezer-safe container or bag in the freezer. When it’s full, make vegetable soup. • “Be sure you use bathroom fans correctly, turning on to remove steam but turning off to keep from pumping out heat. This is equally important in the summer, when you pump out valuable cooled air. Many people don’t think of fans this way, and they end up running for hours.” — R.D. in Mississippi • Keep salt or baking soda by the stove for small, quick cleanups. A good dose of salt will stop an egg from runnin...
* To make a nice ice pack, enclose several ice cubes in a sealable plastic baggie, then wrap in a bandana. You can tie the ends together to keep the cover from slipping. When you want to refreeze, put the baggie in the freezer, and hang the bandana to dry. It will dry very quickly and can be reused soon. * Want to get the most bang for your buck at the takeaway salad bar? Load up on bacon, walnuts, cheese, meats and dried fruits; go light on green beans, cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, celery, radishes and chickpeas, which are marked up 200...
• “If you are serving a moist cake, preserve the outside pieces by securing a slice of bread to both cut surfaces with toothpicks. The cake will not dry out, meaning every slice is a winner!” — Ethel B. in Salt Lake City • To remove soot from your carpet, sprinkle it with salt, let sit and then vacuum. Repeat as many times as necessary to remove all traces. • Got extra mittens? If you do, you’ll love this tip from Natalie H. of Portland, Maine: “This year, after unpacking the winter clothes for the season, I noticed I had several pairs o...
• The end of the year is a great time to pick up next year’s holiday decorations at a discount. Before you pack away your holiday lights, ornaments, cards, etc., do an inventory and see if you are able to find what you need to complete your look at a slashed price. • Computer grocery lists can make not only shopping easier, but organization as well. Keep a file listing all the items you usually purchase from week to week. You even can create sections based on where certain items are located throughout the store. This will ensure that you don’t...
* “Set up a phone call between kids and grandparents a week or so before visiting. They can talk about what the kids might like to do. It gives the grandparents time to prepare, and it gives kids a chance to build excitement before the trip.” — G.R. in Ohio * Clean and disinfect a wood cutting board with salt and lemon juice. Sprinkle the board with a healthy dose of plain salt (kosher or coarse salt works best), and scrub it with a cut half of a lemon. Rinse and clean with soap and water. * Hairspray spritzed on the end of a thread will stiff...
• Here’s a great conversation piece: Get a big, shallow bowl or box, fill it with loose snapshots (preferably of holidays past) and set it on your coffee table. People can’t resist photos. • “I’ve loved this little trick since I saw it used at a party years ago. I serve iced tea (or punch) at most of my get-togethers, and instead of ice cubes, I freeze several pounds of cleaned, de-stemmed white grapes. They are a hit at every party.” — M.A. in New York • Need almost-instant party snacks? Try a package of store-bought cheese tortellini. Cook ac...
NOW HERE’S A TIP • To get a couple more days out of your cat litter, clean the box out and mix in a cup of baking soda. • Remove mildew from plastic shower curtains by spraying them with a mix of bleach and water, or just toss them in the washing machine with your next load of towels. • We have a playroom, and the kids argue about who made what mess and who should clean up which toys. We made a cleaning schedule for the room, having one or two children per day responsible to clean up at the end of the day. It was a rough start, but the kids ha...
NOW HERE’S A TIP • Plant deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves in the fall) strategically in order to reduce your heating and cooling costs. Their leaves emerge in the spring to block summer’s heating rays, but when winter comes, they fall off to let the sun in, warming things up a bit. • Keep nail-polish bottles easy to open by rubbing a little bit of petroleum jelly inside the cap of the bottle. • Use an empty paper towel roll to store plastic grocery bags. Just stuff to capacity. These “bag sticks” are easy to store in a drawer or e...
