How to Soften Stale Bread Baguette

 With food prices going nuts everywhere, trying to stop wasting food is one way to stretch the food budget.  But who wants to eat an entire baguette or uncut loaf all in one go?  Not me.

A couple ways to deal with this is to:

Slice the baguette or uncut loaf of fresh bread right away and freeze what you don't use today in freezer bags that can seal tight for another day.  Awesome.

But what to do right now?  You got the bread yesterday with intentions of eating it with dinner, but for whatever reason, you didn't.  So for today's dinner you have a rock hard baguette right?

Don't throw it to the birds just yet.

Step 1:  Run the kitchen faucet on a steady stream of cold water, not blasting, just steady.

Step 2:  If you have a cut end of your loaf, try NOT to get the water on the inside or you will end up with soggy bread.  Simply get the outside crust wet.

Step 3:  Set your oven to 300 degrees F.  Place the damp loaf directly onto the rack (don't use a baking tray)  The warm oven will heat the damp crust causing some steaming action inside the loaf.

Step 4:  After 5 minutes give the loaf a squeeze.  It should give a little, with a crusty outside and softer inside.  Don't go past 15 minutes or it will harden again.

Step 5:  Enjoy your warm crusty on the outside and soft on the inside bread!  

EAT and ENJOY!

Hopefully this tip helped.

You can also purchase bread savers, to get that extra mileage out of your bread and hopefully prevent it going stale to quickly.

Saving your leftovers, is one of the best ways to stretch that food budget.

Awesome Way to Water Hanging Plants Without a Flood

 I love hanging plants, inside and outside, but I usually cause a flood when I try to water above my head with a watering can, which may not be a big deal outside, but inside, not so good!

My mom told me this secret, and actually it isn't really a secret... it is what I would call a "hack" just to make life easier.

The trick?

ICE CUBES!!

Ice Cubes for Plants, especially Higher up Plants

If you water any higher up indoor plants with a watering can or something with a long spout, then chances are you do what I do, and kinda guess, if they got enough water, or it simply runs right through the pot and drips on your head.

Take 3 or 4 ice cubes (I am talking typical sized ones) and place on the soil.  This way it melts gradually and is absorbed gradually and doesn't cause a flood!  Who knew??  Plus it is the same amount each time you water.   

Christmas Tree

This works well when you need to water a Christmas tree and getting into that weird yoga pose just to get the spout into the planter base and then miss! (been there done that) put a few ice cubes in each day, and monitor after an hour or so, this way you can guess how many cubes to use.

Stop Curdling 

Now this is nothing to do with plants, but thought it was worth mentioning.  If you cooked a sauce on too high a heat or didn't stir it properly, or mixed it to quickly and it has separated, or curdled, then throw in an ice cube.  I have no idea why this works, but my Gran told me this tip.

Wrinkles in Your Shirt?

No time to deal with it but you need it?  Plug in the iron, and wrap a couple of ice cubes in a clean cloth and rub on the wrinkles, they will begin to leave and the iron can finish them off.

Smoother Caulking?

If you have just caulked around your tub, and are going for that super smooth finish and your finger doesn't seem to be doing the trick.  Grab an ice cube and run over the seam and it will smooth right out without sticking.  (My dad taught me that one)

So take advantage of your freezer, and add some more filled ice cube trays, as it turns out there are plenty of uses for ice other than to add to those well deserved drinks!

Dents in Carpet?

Did you change up your space and that coffee table has left dents in the carpet?  Yes they will eventually life but the way to speed this up, is to place a single ice cube in the dent, once melted brush the carpet and it will lift.

How to Get Rid of Sour Smell in Your Car

 Many of us pretty much live in our cars, and if you have kids, maybe they are not so neat at eating those snacks or meals!

The result can be a stinky sour smell, every time you open the car door.  Gross.

Been there done that!

But here are a few quick steps you can take to eliminate that smell so that opening your car door does not make you feel sick, especially when the sun has been shining on the car for a while and heats up the odors!

Step 1 - Find the Source!

Yes I know this means possibly cleaning out the car, but chances are there is a science project under the car seats, or in the folds of the seats, somewhere in there is the culprit!

Step 2 - Natural Freshener

Once you have removed the culprit, or vacuumed up the remains of many snacks, it is time to freshen the air. 

  Side Note Here:  If you use a car wash place to vacuum, make sure you check the car for money or special toys in the car first, as these vacuums are powerful and you can't get anything back.

There are a few choices and all work well, so whatever supplies you have on hand will work.

A - Charcoal.  Yes if you have a barbeque that uses charcoal briquets or something similar, place some in a paper bag or in some newspaper with the top open and leave overnight.  Charcoal absorbs odors and leaves a "no smell". 

If you don't have charcoal, you can get these charcoal air deodorizers online here.

any of these work well and are contained.

B.  Coffee Grounds.  If you don't mind donating some of your fresh coffee grounds to the situation, then pour some in a bowl and cover with saran wrap with  many holes poked in the top.

The coffee grounds absorb the odors and leave a fresh coffee smell.

C.  Baking Soda.  You could try this on a weekend, when you could vacuum the car the next morning.  Simply sprinkle baking soda on the seats and the floor of the car liberally, and leave overnight, then vacuum.  Baking soda absorbs odors.

D.  Crumpled Newspapers.  Yes believe it or not, plain black and white newspaper will absorb odors.  So if you don't have any of the above supplies, but a good supply of newspapers, leave a few in the car overnight.

Hopefully the above have given you ideas.  Obviously finding the science project or accumulation of odor causing things such as food wrappers, crumbs, yogurt (yes this one can be nasty!) is important.

Hint:  Use rubber gloves before sticking your hands under the car seats!  I did this once and brought out a moldy nasty chees string!.

I love the above methods because they are not chemically involved, so give them all a try.

How to Know What Papers to Shred and How?

 I just downsized and moved.  It was a difficult decision, but once I had made it, it was time to get things organized!

A couple of weeks before the move, as I packed up my office and files, I realized I had been collecting and lugging around tons of papers that I didn't want to simply pitch in the recycling or the garbage..  

You hear horror stories of people getting your identity, information, no matter how old it is... and creating a duplicate life for themselves.

So instead the papers always came with me and grew bigger and bigger!

You can get papers shredded at places like Staples, but, call me paranoid, I didn't like the idea of simply leaving a box of files and paying and walking out the door.  You don't actually see them shred!

I decided to purchase a decent shredder instead.

Amazon, is a good place to start if you are interested.

As you can see, you can get different models depending on how much paper you have.  I like the one that did 8-10 sheets at a time, so this doesn't take the rest of your life to do!

What To Shred?

• Bank statements, credit card statements
• Anything with your account numbers or social insurance numbers
• ATM receipts
• old checks
• credit reports
• old mortgage papers
• utility bills

.... basically anything with personal information on it.  It doesn't take much for someone to get this info and make your life miserable.

Keeping Most Statement Approx.  One Year is Enough

So, start shredding papers you no longer need after about a year.  This way they don't accumulate like mine did!

You could simple tear each piece of paper into a million pieces if you have the time or not that many papers, but I quite liked the feeling of cleaning out the files.  

In my neck of the woods, the shredded paper is recyclable, it is worth checking your neighbourhood. 

Burn Them

This is another option if you have a fire pit.  I have done this before.  But beware, papers tend to flutter upwards with fire, so pin them down with wood.  

Hope this post, gets you working on your "paper overload".  I felt a lot lighter once I had started the process.

  

Have a wonderful day!

How to Camp in Your Car This Summer

 As someone who is not a big fan of sleeping on the ground in the wilds, with just a thin layer of tent fabric between me and the nighttime critters, I thought it was time to compromise and check out what is involved with this "car camping"

I was pleasantly surprised to find you can spend very little or a lot depending on the level of comfort you are going for.  The first thing I noticed and thought was an awesome idea, was:

Car Window Screens

This is an awesome idea!  You can simply park, lock your doors, recline your seat and have you window open a bit to let in the air without the bugs.  

Car Air Mattress

 If you want to take things a step further, you can get these cool back seat air mattresses that fit most cars. Once you cover the foot well in the back it is amazing just how much room there is. It is almost a double bed!

If you prefer to stretch out for the night, then these air mattresses will give you the comfort plus the security of your car that you can lock and be off the ground and safe from most nighttime critters!

Battery Operated Light/Fan and Miniature Camp Stove

Some additional comforts would be a portable battery operated fan and light to help move the air on those hot summer nights as well as the light if needed.

A portable tiny camp stove will help make that much needed coffee in the morning without taking up a lot of room.

I found the easiest way to figure out the things you might need for this type of car camping, is to visualize each step of your night and morning.

All of the above items, deflate/fold/store easily in the car.  

You could outfit your car for under 100 dollars.  There will not be any tents to take down in the morning, just simply drive away.

I love the idea of air moving without bugs, and a bit more protections from the outdoors!  Yes many will call my a wimp but this works for me!

Portable Toilet for the Dark Nights

If you are car camping near decent portable toilets, then that is super cool, but if not, and you are scared to venture to far from the car especially in the night, you can get portable toilets.  

No one likes to talk about that part of the camping experience, but there it is.  You can venture out into the bushes at night, or you could check out one of these sanitary ways to "go"

Hopefully the above ideas, will get those creative juices flowing, especially if you are looking for cheaper ways to travel this summer.

Everything is more expensive now, and if you can trade off a few nights camping in the car instead of nights in a hotel, this can stretch the vacation budget.

You can still rent camping spots and have bonfires and fun, without the hassle of setting up a tent and dealing with security and bug bites.

Enjoy the summer everyone!

Measuring Sticky Ingredients The Clean Way

If you love to bake, then you have most likely had to add sticky ingredients such as syrups, peanut butter and more..

I have come across a couple of ways to make life easier when it comes to measuring these ingredients out.  The first one you may have heard of, but the second one might surprise you!

1.  PAM SPRAY - Lightly spray your measuring cup or spoons with this oil spray and the syrups and sticky sweet stuff, will simply slide out and into the bowl so that you get all of it.

If you don't have any baking spray, you can also use a bit of vegetable oil on a paper towel and wipe the surface of the spoon or inside the cup and you will get the same result.  

2.  FLOUR INDENT - I was seriously impressed with this method!!

If you don't have any oil spray, and you are measuring with a teaspoon, tablespoon or small measuring cups, then check this idea out.

Create an indent into the flour with the measuring spoon/cup and then pour the sticky liquid into the dent that is remaining.  It will be the precise measurement!

Simply press your spoon or small measuring cup into the bowl of flour to the edge and remove and the dent that is left should measure the same.  Add your liquid to the indent!

I as totally amazed at how simple that is.  Now that only works when adding the ingredients to the flour in the bowl obviously, but what an awesome idea!

Happy Baking Everyone!

Quick Cleaning Life Hacks

 As the weather gets nicer, it is nice to fling open windows and let some fresh air in, but also comes to the sunlight to shine a light on smudges and dirt.  Below are a few life hacks that I have tried that work AWESOME!

1.  Stainless Steel Appliances

As great as these look in the store showroom... they tend to show smudges, dirt and hand prints quicker than those old white ones we had.  You can use an all purpose cleaner, but they don't seem to shine that nicely.

Car Wax to the rescue!  Take a clean cloth and after getting rid of any obvious dirt, run some car wax on the stainless steel (especially the front of the refrigerator) and then let dry and buff with a clean cloth.  This brings the shine back, and resists finger prints!

2. Dishwasher for Building Blocks

I watched my one year old nephew with large building blocks at his mouth, drooling, and then we pick them up later and box them.  YUK!  Take one of those net laundry bags (people use them for smalls and delicates) put the blocks in this bag to keep track of them.  

Place in top rack of dishwasher, run through a regular cycle but take the bag out before the drying cycle.  Dump them out onto a towel to air dry and you are done with the germs!

3.  Clogged Sink Drain

Use a long zip tie.  Take a knife or scissors and carefully cut slight notches in the end of the tie (this will catch the hair etc)

Now take the zip tie and go carefully down the drain with it, since they are plastic and bendable they will go around the curves.  Holding onto the top of the zip-tie stops it from going to far in.  

Be ready, when you yank it out, there will be disgusting hair and other things attached.  Simply throw it out and your drain should be clear.

4.  Re-Use Used Dryer Sheets For Floor Dusting

Don't throw out those used dryer sheets!

Wrap them around a flat duster or mop and go over your floors.  They will still pick up dust bunnies and save on purchased dusting sheets.

5.  Sweeping Up Tiny Shards of Glass

Take your dust pan and tape it to the floor at it's edge with painters tape.  This won't harm the floor or tiles, and when you sweep the broken glass, you will get all of it, rather than having tiny pieces go under the dust pan that always end up under your feet later!!.

Hopefully the above 5 ideas will help you with your day to day cleaning.