Some simple hacks to help you around the house.

1. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

2. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

3.  How to choose peppers for eating  / cooking. 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.

4. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

5. To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

 

6. For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

7. To peel garlic quickly, especially when you're using a lot, spread it evenly on the microwave plate, heat for 15 seconds only if there are many, if less, then 7-10 seconds. it will be easy to peel, you can use or store in a glass bottle with a lid in the fridge.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe, if you want a light taste of garlic. For a strong taste, add at the end of the recipe.  

8. Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. !

9. Reheat Pizza

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

10. Easy Deviled Eggs

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw the bag away when done easy clean up.

11. Expanding Frosting

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

12. Reheating refrigerated bread

Wrap bread in a moist paper towel before microwaving, it will become soft and fresh.

13. To warm biscuits, pancakes or muffins

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.

14. Broken Glass

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

15. No More Mosquitoes

Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

16. Squirrel Away!

To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it.

17. Flexible vacuum

To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

18. Reducing Static Cling

Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and … guess what! … static is gone.

19. Measuring Cups

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. (Or spray the measuring cup or spoon with Pam before using)

20. Foggy Windshield?

Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

21. Re-opening envelopes

If you seal an envelope and then realise you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

22. Conditioner

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair.

23. Goodbye Fruit Flies

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

24. Get Rid of Ants

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, especially if it rains, but it works and you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

25. Dryer Filter

Even if you are very diligent about cleaning the lint filter in your dryer it still may be causing you a problem. If you use dryer sheets a waxy build up could be accumulating on the filter causing your dryer to over heat. The solution is to clean your filter with a toothbrush and hot soapy water every 6 months.

26. Mosquito repellant
Mosquitoes hate citronella, cloves, eucalyptus, geranium and lavender
Mix 5 drops of lemon essential oil,
10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil and
20 drops of citronella essential oil in 2 cups of water.
Pour it in a spray bottle and squirt around you.
Or slice 3 limes and press in them 15 cloves, place in a plate near you to ward off mosquitoes.
Plant fresh lavender or geranium around the foundation of the house.

27. Fly repellents
Flies hate bay leaves, lavender, mint and rosemary
Put bay leaves and rosemary in a bowl and place it on kitchen counters, around garbage and wherever you've flies.
Mix 25 drops of mint essential oil in 1 cup of water and spray in your house.
Plant fresh lavender around the foundation of the house.

28. Best Spider repellent
spiders hate peppermint
Add 10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil into a spray bottle with 8-12 ounces of water.
Spray around door frames, windows, small cracks, corners of the ceilings and bathrooms.
Note use peppermint essential oil without water for a more potent version.

29. Ant repellents
Ants hate cinnamon, garlic and mint
Ants have a strong sense of smell, place cinnamon sticks and peeled garlic cloves around window tracks ot holes.
Replace the cloves every 3rd day until ants disappear
Plant fresh mint around the foundation of the hosue.
Did you know?
Ants leave a scented trail so they can easily find their way bak to the food source in your house.
Wash away the trails with equal parts of water and white vinegar to confuse them.

30. Bug repellent
Bugs hate the smell of basil
\mix 20 drops of basil essential oil in 2 cups of water.
Pour into a sprayer and squirt around you, wondow frames and doors.
Plant fresh basil around the house foundation, inside your window sills and front patio. 

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