Unintended Uses of Kitchen Gadgets

Here's my list of new uses for old kitchen tools and gadgets. Breath new life into old gadgets, find yourself some kitchen shortcuts, learn how to get double duty out of ordinary kitchen items. Save time, money and effort with these kitchen AHA! moments. Enjoy!

8" Sieve - Strain a serving or two of pasta.
AHA! Makes a great sifter. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt for your baking recipes or use it to sprinkle powdered sugar over baked goods.

Cheese Grater - Grate cheeses, zests an orange peel, minces garlic.
AHA! Use the grater instead of pastry knives to crumble cold butter for your shortbread and scone recipes. Makes for lighter, fluffier pastry dough.

BBQ Skewers - Use to make kebabs or toast marshmallows.
AKA! Use as a cake tester. Stick in the middle of a cake to test its doneness. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is done.

Egg Slicer - Chops an Egg.
AHA! Slice butter into nice even butter pats or use it to slice the kiwis and bananas, eliminating messy handling of slippery foods.

Apple Corer - Divide an apple or pear.
AHA! Cut a round of cheese into perfect wedges. Use to cut a pan of brownies into two bite snacks.

Coffee Grinder - Grinds the java beans for the morning brew.
AHA! Rough chop a cup of nuts or grind a cinnamon stick for a fresh spice.

Coffee Filter - Make the morning coffee.
AHA! Prevent a popsicle from dripping or place one in a casket iron skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

Know of any other double duty uses for common kitchen tools? Ping me a note. I'd love to learn your ideas/uses of kitchen tools and gadgets

Go Fish

Good Housekeeping's recent article on anti-aging mentions that its smart to consume omega 3s in fatty fish like salmon as part of anti-aging diet. Benefits of eating salmon including: lowering your choloesteral levels, increases collagen levels, reducing the visibility of wrinkles, and gives your brain a boost by leading to improved moods and attitiude. Silly me. I just thought it tasted good!

Anyhow, besides sharing the benefits , I thought I would share with you a favorite quick, easy to make recipe. It works well as a serving for one and can be doubled as needed.

Oven Roasted Salmon
Serves One

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons butter
4 oz salmon filet (skinned)
Salt and Pepper, or your favorite seafood serving.

Prep Steps (10 minutes start to finish)
1. Place 2 Tablespoons of butter in a baking dish with a 2" sides.
2. Place dish in oven. Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees. Butter will melt during the pre-heating.
3. In the meantime, season both sides of the salmon filet
4. Place salmon in butter dish. Cook 6 minutes.
5. Flip salmon. Cook another 6 minutes.

Observations

• Almost any dry-rub seasoning can be used in this recipe. I like the CharCrust brand, particularly the Ginger Teriyaki and the Garlic Sun-dried tomato dry rubs. Approx. $3.99 a box at the local supermarket or butcher shop.
• For a quick meal, serve with sides of wild rice and steamed asparagus. Yum.

Note: Dedicating this blog entry to Ralph L - May you never have another lousy fish dinner!

Shoe Stimulas Plan

In February 1943, during World War II, the Government announced the start of shoe rationing, limiting consumers to buying 3 pairs per person for the rest of the year. Sad, very sad.

Interesting tidbit though- thank goodness, shoes are no longer the ration list. For what would the gals from Sex in the City do, if they couldn't buy Jimmy Choo? Anyhow, for some odd reason, I find this fact motivating me to go shoe shopping - to do my part in getting us out of our current economic mess - Shoe Stimulas Plan. Join me and check out my list of favorite online shoe sites...


Zappos. The ultimate source of all brands of shoes. With free shipping both ways, its hard to beat when you're looking for a quality selection. 365 Day return policy makes it a sweet place to shop.

Shoebuy . Great selection. 10% off your first purchase; 10% additional purchases made within the next 60 days of the previous purchase. Free shipping and returns.

Nordstrom's Shoes. Final clearance on shoes, up to 60% off. Free shipping with $200 purchase.

FootSmart. For the pragmatic shoe buyer, this site also offers products for foot and lower body health. Deal of the week offerings and a solid clearance section as well.

PiperLime. Free shipping. Free Returns. And currently running "Sweet Deal" promotion, offering 20% select spring shoes.

Endless. Free overnight shipping. Free return shipping. 100% price match guarantee. and $25 off purchases of $125 for select styles.

Shop Now. Be Happy. Buy a Pair of Red Shoes.

Whiter Teeth. A Brighter Smile.

Strips, trays, toothpastes - what really works for getting whiter teeth at home? I can't afford a professional whitening service ($500+), so I'm going to share some low - cost quick DIY tips for getting whiter teeth and brighter smile at home from one of my favorite pals who happens to be a dentist. (Shhh! Don't tell anyone he's sharing some secrets!)

Limit colored liquids. Teeth change color as you age. Enamel gets thinner,more transparent as you get older, absorbing more liquids. So try to avoid coffee, tea, sodas, red wine, tomato sauce, etc.

Be a swisher. After you eat, swish some water or Listerine in your mouth for a minute (about the amount of time it takes you to sing the alphabet or Happy Birthday song twice). This habit help prevent some surface staining from whatever you've eaten.

PuckerUp with a Wetslicks. CoverGirl Wetslicks lip gloss contains blue undertones which makes teeth look whiter. (and the peppermint oil base gives you a nice minty taste to boot!)

Chew some gum. Chewing gum after you eat can help remove some of the new to the surface stains.

Eat An Apple A Day. An apple, or for that matter, any crunchy fruit or vegetable like a pear, celery sticks, or carrots, can help scrub away stains.

Don't Forget to Brush. Consider using a teeth whiting toothpaste. These toothpastes aren't designed to actually bleach your teeth, but contains a mild abreshive that will help remove surface stains.

Use Trays, Strips, and Gels. The most effective Do It Yourself approach to noticeably whiter teeth. The higher the amount of peroxide concentrate and the longer you leave it in your mouth, the brighter the smile. Short on time? Do it each day when you're taking a shower or doing a simple household task (e.g. vacuuming)

Of course, the best approach to teeth whitening is to have it professionally done by a Dentist. Estimate costs are $300- $800. Expensive, but you'll get a brighter and longer lasting smile. But for those of us on a budget, check out the alternatives listed above. Some help is better than none.

Finding Hidden Cash in Extended Car Warranties

Ever cave into the pressure to buy an extended warranty for your car and then experience some buyer's remorse over the costly warranty contract you've signed? Money tight and you're looking to tight your budget and find hidden money in your budget? Well, here's your chance to find that spare change, and it involves your extended warranty for your car.

Did You Know?

Every state has a law that gives you the right to cancel your extended warranty (also known as an extended service program (ESP) or a vehicle service plan) before it expires and receive a pro-rated refund on the unused portion, irregardless if you've ever filed a claim.

Criteria for Qualifying for a Pro-rated Refund:

• You've purchased an extended warranty contract for your car, or you've purchased a car from someone else who did have an extended warranty for the car and the warranty contact was transferable.
• Your name appears on the title for the extended warranty contract. (If you purchased your car from someone else, make sure to get the warranty transferred into your name before you call for the refund).
• You still own the car, or traded the car in before the warranty expired.
• You're calling before the warranty expires.

Calculating the refund. Check your contract to determine how the pro-rated refund is calculated. Typically, the pro-rated amount is based upon:

• unused portion of time remaining on the contract, or
• unused mileage remaining on the contract, and
• date you've called requesting the refund.

Ordinary Girl Observations & Tips:

• Read the contract before you call. Make sure you understand the terms for pro-rating the refund and that you qualify for the refund.
• Some extended warranties only will be refunded to the original purchaser make sure to have it transferred to your name before calling.
• Call the number on the warranty contract to begin the process. Don't call the dealer who sold you the third party warranty contract.
• Many contracts include is an administrative fee for processing the refund. This amount is typically deducted from the final value of your refund amount.
• -Refunding processes can take up to 90 days. If you can't wait this timeframe, consider using a company like WarrantyRefund. that can get a refund within 2-3 weeks. But beware, this company charges a steep charge of 33% of the refund amount recovered. Ouch!
• If you're selling your car and you have an extended warranty with an unused portion, offer to transfer/sell the usused portion to the new buyer.

Frosting - The Sweet Finish

We’ve all been there: sitting through an office party that featured a supermaket bakery cake, thick and lush with chocolate frosting made largely of shortening, sugar, cocoa and vanilla flavoring. But at $16.99 a cake, I'd make my own cake and frosting. While I do love the junky frosting, I'd just rather have the frosting taste as good as it look. Its easier than you think to whip up a great batch of frosting.

Frosting is part of a baker's foundation. Here's a simply, easy to make, great tasting frosting that's multi-purposed. Use it for a frost a cake, top off a batch of brownies, or as a creme filling for cookie. (If you're looking for a great cake recipe, try Hersey's Perfect Chocolate Cake recipe.)

Ingredients
6 ounces unsweeten chocolate
1 small can of evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup cane sugar

Prep Steps:
1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave.
2. In a blender, mix the evaporated milk and the sugar for 2 - 5 seconds.
3. Add the melted chocolate to the blender on high speed until the frosting is thick and shiny.
4. Empty the frosting into a bowl. Allow it to set for 30 minutes.
5. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Allow it to set for an additional hour.

Ordinary Girl Observations:
- Recipe only works in a blender
- When melting chocolate in the microwave, estimate 15 seconds per 1 ounce (1 block = 1 oz of Baker's chocolate)
- Don't refrigerate this frosting. It keeps at room temperature for several days. Since it lasts for days, consider making a double batch.

Source: Rosie's Bakery Baking Book