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Post by stepper on Mar 24, 2013 11:58:25 GMT -6
This could probably go in the Kitchen Sink thread, but this way it is easier to find. I get 'helpful hints' in e-mails every once in a while and sometimes they actually have helpful hints. I got another one today and decided I'd see if anyone else was interested. This one happens to be appropriate for those who make Easter Eggs.
Ever hard boil eggs only to have them distroyed when you tried to peel the shell? Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water for easy to peel eggs.
Write your name (or some brief words or message) in white crayon on the shell before you color it for Easter. The crayon blocks the color and your message will stand out on the finished egg.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 24, 2013 17:38:21 GMT -6
I had heard about a pinch of salt in the water would make eggs easier to shell. But it didn't always work. So, I'll give the baking soda trick a try. Not sure I have any in the house though, so need to add it to the grocery list.
Thanks, Stepper.
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Post by stepper on Mar 24, 2013 19:49:56 GMT -6
I always add salt to water when boiling things - eggs, spaghetti, what ever. But the reason I add salt has nothing to do with peeling shells; it slightly raises the boiling temperature. Don’t let that fool you though, water boils more quickly and with less energy when you add salt - even with the slightly raised temperature. A calorie is defined as the amount of energy that it takes to heat one gram of water to 1°C. The trick to the caloric equation is based on the difference of boiling pure water compared to boiling salted water. Simply put, pure water takes more energy to heat to a boil at 212F/100C than it takes to boil salted water at 216F/102C. The result is that you use less energy, the water boils more quickly, and with the elevated temperature of salted water, food cooks just a touch more quickly too. However, I believe the effect of a pinch of salt would be negligible.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 24, 2013 22:51:32 GMT -6
Yeah. I pretty much add salt anytime I boil water because of the fact it boils faster. Thanks for the info.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 25, 2013 6:04:15 GMT -6
Helpful hints are fun....
But Steploise, did you really have to turn it into a math equation?
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Post by Spock on Mar 25, 2013 11:03:55 GMT -6
Helpful hints are fun.... But Steploise, did you really have to turn it into a math equation? Yes he did. Now it's even understandable by someone like me.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 26, 2013 6:02:05 GMT -6
Pfft!!! Screw those little lines on the measuring cups; to hell with the conversion tables at the back of cookbooks. Math - or at least the accurate kind of math - has no place in the kitchen! That's why they have pinches, dashes, sprinkles, dollops, or my favorites - globs and blobs.
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Post by stepper on Mar 26, 2013 19:23:03 GMT -6
In this case, it was teaspoons. Two of them. And I'm fairly certain even Phalon the feloneous number flubber can count to two too. Although, I confess that I've globbed on a few dollops in my past, I never measured.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 26, 2013 21:26:41 GMT -6
Witch Hazel shrinks hemorrhoids until they're no more. And will help prevent them from coming back. (Apply with a cotton ball. Can use cotton ball as a compress.) It's one of those old timer's tricks I grew up with. Like Turpentine & Sugar will get rid of pinworms. (You ask for "Spirit of Turpentine" at the Pharmacy.) We got four drops of turpentine on a teaspoon of sugar every six months to one year when I was a kid, age 10/12 or so. Younger kids got less drops, adults got a few more drops. You can Google for all the dosage recommendations online.
*** Use 1 to 5 drops. 5 drops for adults, and 1 drop for very young children. ***
Oh. Witch Hazel is also suppose to work on varicose veins.
Also: If you don't want to ingest Turpentine, or give it to your kids, here's another trick. It isn't as quick as one dose of turpentine every six months, but it will work too.
Put a dab of Vaseline over the Anus every night before going to bed. The pinworms suffocate. Do this for about four months or so. Why? The eggs are viable for up to three weeks, and the life of a female pinworm is about 13 weeks. Then add a few more weeks for extra measure.
I wonder if spraying the whole house and bed/sheets with Lysol will have any effect on the eggs? Could be worth a try. Nope. 2-minute drill says it won't kill the eggs. And it seems that pinworms are like head lice, you have to clean, clean, clean. Yeah. I'll stick with the Turpentine. One dose, and they're gone. No cleaning either. Works for six months to one year.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 27, 2013 5:08:29 GMT -6
You'd be surprised.
Witch Hazel is a soothing astringent, and can be used to relieve a number of skin issues - acne, sunburn, poison ivy and other rashes, bug bites, and minor cuts and bruises.
It's blooming here now - or at least, the vernal species is; American witch hazel blooms in the fall. Funky little flowers that look like witches' brooms, gnarly witches' fingers, or maybe witchy bed-head.
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Post by stepper on Mar 27, 2013 20:11:27 GMT -6
My father had hemorrhoids and swore by Witch Hazel. Unfortunately, he also had cataracts that had to be removed. One day when he wasn’t wearing the contacts he went to the bathroom to use the Witch Hazel but with his lousy vision he accidentally grabbed the rubbing alcohol.
Today’s hint – don’t confuse your rubbing alcohol for Witch Hazel when you intend to apply that stuff to your hemorrhoids. You REALLY won’t like the results.
That must take some special bribery.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 27, 2013 21:21:50 GMT -6
That must take some special bribery.
Did you miss the part about putting the drops of Turpentine on a teaspoon of sugar? I had no problem opening wide. When else were we allowed to eat a whole teaspoon of sugar without getting into trouble?
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Post by Phalon on Mar 28, 2013 5:09:38 GMT -6
Turpentine? The stuff Dad used to use to remove paint? Don't care what it might have been mixed into, no way would I have knowingly or willingly have ingested turpentine. Probably the foulest thing Mom ever made us put in our mouth was her home remedy for a sore throat - a teaspoon of whiskey and honey. We thought it tasted so gross, it might as well have been turpentine.
Oh, and then there was that other home remedy - the one she used for a foul mouth. Lava soap.
At least it took the whiskey and honey taste away.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 28, 2013 17:29:52 GMT -6
NO! Not paint thinner. It's "Spirit of Turpentine." You ask for it at the Pharmacy.
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Post by Spock on Mar 28, 2013 20:12:30 GMT -6
... I wonder if spaying the whole house and bed/sheets ...
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 28, 2013 20:27:26 GMT -6
... I wonder if spaying the whole house and bed/sheets ...
Too funny. And fixed.
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Post by Spock on Mar 29, 2013 3:04:43 GMT -6
... Too funny. And fixed. Yeah, I know but it was just too good to pass up. Besides it helps me to maintain my "Vulcan" persona if I always try to react to exactly what others say rather than what they mean.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 29, 2013 5:19:02 GMT -6
So you did end up spaying. The S.P.C.A. (Society for the Prevention and Cruelty to Abodes) thanks you. There are entirely too many abandoned houses out there.
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Post by Spock on Mar 29, 2013 12:46:12 GMT -6
So you did end up spaying. ... SNARF! Thank you for helping to perpetuate an embarrassing moment. I guess this just proves that no good pun goes unturned.
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Post by stepper on Mar 30, 2013 18:05:05 GMT -6
If you spay a house, does that mean you neuter a skyscraper?
I can deal with the Spirit of St. Louis or the spirit of Christmas Future, but Spirit of Turpentine? Who in their right mind would even think of naming something that? A three second drill found this; “Sugar, molasses or honey were sometimes used to mask the taste. Internal administration of these toxic products is no longer common today.” TOXIC!? Leave the pine trees alone! That’s what I say.
Today’s hint: ever drop something on your floor or in your carpet that’s small and hard to find? Use your vacuum or wet/vac. But first, take an old pany hose and stretch it across the end of the tube where a hand tool would normally be fitted, and hold it in place with a couple of strong rubber bands. The vacuum will pick up the smaller items and the hosery will snag it before it goes up to the bag.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 30, 2013 18:18:04 GMT -6
Doctors prescribe all kinds of medicines that are toxic. I've ingested 'Turpentine' my whole life, my dad has as well, and I'm sure it goes back further than that. It isn't like you're ingesting it in large amounts, or everyday. Once every six months. Or, like us, whenever anyone got pinworms, or an outbreak was mentioned by neighbors, etc.
Fannie Flagg has often told how she stood in line every six months to take her spoonful of sugar and turpentine growing up.
But, I get it. If I hadn't been raised this way, I might not muster up the nerve to even try it myself. Thankfully, I never had to do the teaspoon of cod liver oil. Mom hated that stuff so much she refused to torture us with it. I'd be very reluctant to give that a try.
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Post by stepper on Apr 4, 2013 22:10:31 GMT -6
Take your favorite cookie dough, but not one that cooks overly soft – and a cupcake pan. Flip the pan upside down, then form a nice layer of dough over your inverted cupcake forms. Bake cookie dough. You now have home made edible ice cream bowls. (You may need to spray the cookie sheet with Pam or the baking spray equivalent to keep the cookie dough from sticking.)
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Post by Spock on Apr 4, 2013 23:30:21 GMT -6
... home made edible ice cream bowls. ... Budget ice cream cones?
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Post by stepper on Apr 5, 2013 22:51:22 GMT -6
pretty much - I like chocolate chip 'bowls' myself. Personally I find it's not a good idea to take too long - or more to the point don't let the ice cream get too melted.
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Post by scamp on Apr 28, 2013 0:08:57 GMT -6
I’ve found that 2 cleansers are perfect when faced with mold and rust stains from spring floods: Bar Keepers Friend and Jeyes Fluid. Nothing can save drywall that has gone totally to mold, but for less severe problems these two are great. And your sinks will love you.
I have a friend who fixes old tobacco pipes and sells them for a king’s ransom. I taught him to stop fooling around with chemicals and wood stains. Now he cleans the pipes with Bar Keep and has used up at least a quart each of my black and my brown leather dye instead of wood finishes. A bit of buffing with a dremel and both the burl wood and plastic stem look as new. And it’s less toxic.
Okay, Spock and Step, I was given an emergency candle for my car’s winter break down kit. It says it will produce 400 BTUs of heat. Seems like I release so many of those British Thermal Units just by breathing as to make said candle useless. True or not?
Not that it matters right now. Right now I’m thinking a paddle might be a good thing…
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Post by Mini Mia on Oct 22, 2013 17:36:28 GMT -6
Or, you could just do as my grandmother did. Carry around a box of matches and a scented candle with you. Just lighting a match and burning it for a few seconds will help, but lighting a scented candle and letting it burn for a few minutes will work better.
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Post by Spock on Oct 22, 2013 18:07:14 GMT -6
PooPourri, fascinating. It even "appears" to be a real product.
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Post by stepper on Oct 22, 2013 22:14:37 GMT -6
My system is saying it cannot display the web page in your post Joxie.
I very much prefer Black Cherry candles, but you have to be careful if you are talking about an emergency situation. Adapt to circumstances: I keep a box of those little tealight candles on hand - the ones that come with a thin metal base. The idea isn't to generate heat so much as to provide a safe source of light, but they produce both. You won't warm the inside of a vehicle with one, but they can release enough heat to warm your fingers. And, they'll go for hours. A low cost source of light with a significant psychological affect.
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Post by Mini Mia on Oct 23, 2013 0:44:13 GMT -6
Spock: It's my understanding that it is indeed a real product. I added a link to their website in the post.
Stepper: I added links to the videos' pages for you to see if you can watch them there. And it's a good thing I just finished swallowing my last sip of apple juice and apple cider vinegar before reading your comment. Priceless.
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Post by Mini Mia on Oct 23, 2013 1:15:29 GMT -6
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