10 Table Manners Your Kids Should Learn

Now Mind Your Manners!

As a child, how many times did you here that growing up?

Studies have shown that children learn manners better by example that by being preached to. Why is it that when your child doesn't pickup on some detail that we point out their faults? No one likes when people points out their faults, even our children.

It has also been shown that teaching your children proper manners is also another way of teaching important life lessons that they will use and remember throughout their life.

Too many people today view table manners as something that is insignificant. However, if more parents took the time to teach their children proper manners they would also be reinforcing other important life qualities such as courtesy, love for others and self-control.

Take the time to teach your children manners. If you need help in teaching your kids, checkout some helpful resources below.

 

Why are Table Manner so Important?

Table manners are so much more than about proper eating. Table manners teach some life lessons like being kind and considerate of others. In today's world, people area also judged on how they appear and how they act. Now this may not be fair but it is a matter of fact that we have to live with. Having proper table manners is one way people judge others and you don't want people to think that your children are barbarians, do you?

Believe it or not, table manners are taught as soon as your child understands what you're saying. Remember that your children are just starting to learn so they will need coaching and reminders on table manners throughout their childhood. This coaching and reminders work best with positive reinforcement.

Children will respond better by recognizing and acknowledging when your child does something right and you let them know. We also know that because your children are just learning they will make mistakes, so when your child does something wrong, do not be negative about it, instead gently tell them and better yet show them how it is best done and why.

 

Table Manner # 1 - Eat with a Fork

Teach your child to eat with a fork unless the food is meant to be eaten with fingers. Remind your child that only babies eat with fingers and you know that they are now longer a baby.

Eating with a fork is good to teach kids at a very young age because it helps them build dexterity in the hands and fingers. Yes, I know they will make a mess but it is better in the long run to teach when they are very young. It will take time so be patient.

Table Manner # 2 - Passing food

I know that you don't want to hear your child say or yell "bread" as they reach across the table. Teach your kids how to to ask for food rather than just blurting out what they want.

Proper etiquette for passing food is to pass it counterclockwise. It should also be noted that all dishes should be passed around the table.

In all honesty, we do not always follow this rule in out house but we do make sure that our kids ask for food the proper way.

So what is the proper way to ask for food at the dinner table? The proper way to ask for food to be passed is "May I have some bread, please"?

 

Table Manner # 3 - Chew with Mouth Closed

I am sure you can will agree that no one likes to look over at someone and see that person chewing their food with their mouth open. I know this is one thing that really gross me out. I hate to look around a restaurant and see someone sitting next to me chewing there food like a cow..

I would also include talking with food in the mouth in this table manner lesson.

Unfortunately, I see plenty of adults breaking both of these table manners. Again, to be honest I know that I sometimes talk with food in my mouth, but only when I need to correct my children at the dinner table. But when I do I make sure to cover my mouth so no one can see the food inside.

Teach your child to breath through their nose and chew with their mouth closed. Also, teach them to wait and speak only when their mouth is not full of food.

Table Manner # 4 - Don't Stuff your Mouth Full of Food

Until about a year ago, my wife was still getting on to our kids, especially my son, about stuffing their mouth full of food. She always explained to them that they might choke. Well if finally happened. My son was eating a piece of Mongolian beef. The beef was sliced in long, thin strips. Part of the beef got stuck going down his throat and he got choked.

This really scared him and he has not stuffed his mouth since. This was an unfortunate way for him to learn this lesson. You know most of us males are hard headed and have to learn the hard way.

Explain to your children that you do not want them to get choked. Politely explain what can happen.

Table Manner # 5 - Place a Napkin on your Lap After being Seated

Teach your child to place the napkin on their lap right after being seated. The napkin is to be used to gently wipe or dab your mouth. Teach your child to dab their mouth before drinking from a glass. No one want to see spaghetti sauce on the rim of their glass, right?

My kids used to have a habit of wiping their hands on their pants so we have taught them to keep a napkin on their lap. This way they wipe the napkin instead of their pants. Plus this keeps any stains off their pants.

It is also important that your kids learn how to properly be excused from the table to go to the restroom. The proper way is to place the napkin to the left of their plate. Once finished with their meal, they should place their napkin neatly to the right of the plate (not refolded, but not crumpled either). Typically, this process is only used when dining out at a restaurant or at a formal event. However it is good to teach this lesson at home and then reinforced when eating at a restaurant

 

Table Manner # 6 - Don't Speak Rude of the Food Being Served

Teach your kids to not make any rude or negative comments about any food being served. It will hurt someone's feelings.

Remind your child that someone took time, energy, and expense to prepare the food, and they should show your appreciation.

Also, teach your kids try a little bit of everything that is served even if they do not like the food. This is especially beneficial when your kids spend the night at a family or friends house. The family member or other parents will be very impressed with this good table manner.

“Stop Bad Child Behavior”

Table Manner # 7 - Say Thank You

Teach your kids to always say "Thank You" when served something. Teach them to always show appreciation.

Explain to your kids why we should say thank you when being served.

Remember, someone took time, energy, to prepare and serve the food or drink, show your appreciation.

To rant real quick, how hard is it to say those two words "Thank You"? I constantly notice that adults do not say Thank You. This is so rude. My pet peeve is when I hold the door open for someone and they do not have enough courtesy to say Thank You.

 

Table Manner # 8 - How to Eat Bread

Teach your kids that when eating bread or rolls, it is proper to break off a piece of bread before buttering. Eating a whole piece of bread looks tacky.

Dipping the entire piece of bread in the side of butter looks even more tacky. Teach your kids to place a small pat of butter on the edge of their plate and not to butter their bread from the butter bowl.

Table Manner # 9 - Don't Pick..

Don't pick your teeth that is. Teach your kids that they should never pick anything out of your teeth while at the table, it's gross.

If it bothers you that bad, excuse yourself and go to the restroom to pick.

Again, teach your child that no one wants to see inside their mouth plus the mouth carries a lot of germs.

 

Table Manner # 10 - Don't Shovel...Eat Slow

Teach you kids to eat slowly, don't gobble up the food. Your kids are using a fork not a shovel. Teach them to take their time and enjoy the taste of their food.

As a general rule I tech my kids to wait about 5 seconds after swallowing before getting another forkful or spoonful. Teach your child to place their fork or spoon on the edge of their plate after each bite. This will make them slow down

Learn Basic Dinner Table Etiquette Rules

 

 

By: Jennifer Maughan

In Victorian times, even the smallest of children were able to learn and follow basic dinner table etiquette rules. However, since many aspects of meals have relaxed over the last century, so has the attention to table manners. Whether you are a parent seeking to instill good manners and table etiquette in your children or you just want to brush up on your own knowledge before attending a big work function, learn these basic etiquette guidelines to impress everyone with your manners.
The first rules of table etiquette apply right when you are sitting down to the table. Remove any electronic devices or turn them off before sitting down. Right after you sit down, put your napkin on your lap. If you are a guest, wait for everyone to be served and for the host to take the first bite before starting on your own meal. If you are presiding at your own table, you can start to eat and guests will follow.
Etiquette guidelines recommend how to use the utensils in front of you. The basic rule of thumb is to start from the outside and work in. If there are two forks on your left, use the outermost fork for the appetizer or salad, then the inner fork for the entrée. When you are finished with a utensil, set it on the plate to be cleared. Place the utensils across the middle so they won't fall off when the plate is lifted up. Put soup spoons on the soup bowl's saucer when finished.
Posture is an important part of table etiquette. Never eat with your elbows on the table and don't hunch over your plate. Instead, keep your wrists or forearms resting lightly on the table's edge and bring the food up to your mouth as you sit straight and tall. Your feet should be placed squarely on the floor, not stretched out or wrapped around the chair legs.
How you eat is really the basis of all etiquette guidelines. Load up the fork or spoon about 2/3 full so you don't put too much in your mouth. Chew with your mouth closed and don't smack or slurp. Chew and swallow before taking another bite and take it slow. If you discover something in the bite that is inedible, such as an olive pit, discreetly remove it with your fork and put it back on your plate

Which glasses go with what drinks

Wine connoisseurs agree that each type of wine needs a particular type of glass to bring out the distinctive bouquet. Using a narrow glass for a rich Burgundy, for example, won’t allow enough room to swirl it around in, and it’s the swirl that brings out its bouquet. The glass also needs to taper properly toward the top so that it captures the bouquet yet allows for sipping. In general, the stem of a glass should be long enough to keep hands from touching the bowl, which can affect the wine’s temperature, and therefor its bouquet.

Water | Brandy | White wine | Pinor Noir/Burgundy | Sparkling wine | Red wine

a. Water: full body glass with short stem. Hold the glass by the stem to preserve its chill.
b. Brandy: brandy snifter. Roll the snifter between both hands and then cup it in one hand – warming the glass brings out the bouquet in brandy.
c. White wine: slightly smaller glass with wider bowl to capture the bouquet. Hold the glass by the stem to preserve its chill.
d. Burgundy Reds and Pinot Noirs: a wide bowl to bring out their complexity. The glass is slightly taller than the white wine glass.
e. Champagne: a narrow fluted glass, which reduces the wine’s surface area and keep the bubbles from dissipating.
f. Red wine: the bigger of the wine glasses. Hold the glass at the bottom of the bowl where it meets the stem.
Bon appetit!
Now that you have the correct table setting and the proper wine glasses, see which wines go best with what food, and then make sure you have the right person to share it with!
Did you know?
Wine is sold in tinted bottles because wine spoils when exposed to light. And the indentation at the bottom of the bottle strengthens the structure of the bottle but also is there to trap the sediments.

How many of you know how to set a proper table?

Real easy to remember, the etiquette experts tell us. The general rule with utensils is to start from the outside of your place setting, and work your way toward the service plate (the main meal plate): soup spoon first, then fish knife and fork, then service knife and fork. Proper arranging dining room sets with chairs at the end of the table for the host and hostess is another aspect.
When to start eating:
Despite what mother told you, culinary experts say you do not always have to wait for everyone to begin – start eating hot food when it is served. For cold foods or buffets, wait for the host to announce dinner and wait until the head guest starts dishing.

The correct table settings

A	B	C	D	E
Serviette (napkin)	Service plate	Soup bowl on plate	Bread & butter plate with butter knife	Water glass
F	G	H	I	J
White wine	Red wine	Fish fork	Dinner Fork	Salad fork
K	L	M	N
Service knife	Fish knife	Soup spoon	Dessert spoon and cake fork
Note that it often is recommended that the salad fork (J) is placed to the left of the dinner fork (I). However, in this formal setting the dinner fork is placed to be used before the salad fork because it is suggested that the guest awaits the main meal before helping him/herself to the salad.

Foods you can get by hand:
1. Bread: break slices of bread, rolls and muffins in half or into small pieces by hand before buttering.
2. Bacon: if there’s fat on it, eat it with a knife and fork. If it is crisp, crumble it with a fork and eat with your fingers.
3. Finger meals: follow the cue of your host. If finger meals are offered on a platter, place them on your plate before putting them into your mouth.
4. Foods meant to be eaten by hand: corn on the cob, spareribs, lobster, clams and oysters on the half shell, chicken wings and bones (in informal situations), sandwiches, certain fruits, olives, celery, dry cakes and cookies.
Removing inedible items from your mouth:
1. Olive pits: drop delicately into your palm before putting them onto your plate.
2. Chicken bone: use your fork to return it to the plate.
3. Fish bones: remove with your fingers.
4. Bigger pieces: bigger bones or food you don’t appreciate you should surreptitiously spit into your serviette (napkin), so that you can keep it out of sight.

FRESH CORN ON THE COB (MICROWAVE)

Cook fresh corn on the cob in microwave with husks and silk intact. They will cook in their own natural moisture.

Place on dampened paper towel. Turn ears over and rearrange after 1/2 cooking time.

Cooking Timetable:

1 ear - 1 1/2 minutes
2 ears - 3 to 4 minutes
3 ears - 5 to 6 minutes
4 ears - 7 to 8 minutes
6 ears - 8 to 9 minutes.

When ears are hot to the touch, remove and wrap in kitchen towel or foil.Let stand at least 5 minutes. Remove husks and silk (which is easier than when cold) and serve.
Serve with melted butter.

How To Make Eggs Taste As Good As Bacon

Fried Eggs

Something magical happened a few weeks ago. While trying to figure out what to do with the first fresh eggs I’d found at the farmers market this season, I discovered the greatest egg ingredient in the history of mankind.
Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little (truffles are pretty darn good on eggs), but not much.
Generally I am a big fan of adding some kind of ground red pepper (usually chipotle or ancho) to fried or scrambled eggs. But this day I tried something a bit different.
Digging through my pantry I remembered that I had a ton of smoked paprika left over from the hummus I made. I decided to do an experiment and sprinkle the smoked paprika onto my eggs.
I can’t believe I went all my life without knowing about this.
But before I explain why exactly the smoked paprika made my eggs so amazing, I want to address what I’m sure many of you are wondering:
How healthy are fried eggs?
Answer: Eggs are perfectly healthy, and frying doesn’t make them any less so.
Personally I cook my eggs in olive oil (it’s just easier), but even if you use butter it isn’t a problem since the amount you need to cook is so small.
What scares people about frying eggs is an irrational fear of dietary fat. But theoretically the amount of oil you use to fry an egg should be about the same as you need to scramble eggs, so it isn’t clear why fried eggs would pose any more of a problem. I use olive oil to scramble eggs as well.
The other issue people have with eggs is the yolk. It amazes me how often people proudly inform me that they eat eggs but “only the whites,” as if this were some unique virtue.
I understand that the public health message we’ve heard about eggs for the past few decades has been extremely negative, but eggs have since been completely exonerated from heart disease accusations. There was a time when it was assumed that dietary cholesterol (which is definitely higher than normal in eggs compared to other foods) would raise blood cholesterol, but it doesn’t for most people. In fact, the healthy fats in egg yolks are likely to positively impact your good HDL cholesterol.
Moreover, dietary fats in general have been shown to be excellent at satiating hunger, and are thus a terrific replacement for calories from refined carbohydrates. That makes egg yolks your ally in fighting heart disease and burning fat, not your enemy.
Then there’s the fact that egg yolks are incredibly rich in vitamins and minerals, since they are meant to be nourishment for a developing life.
And finally there’s the most important part, that farm fresh egg yolks are out-of-this-world delicious.
Which brings me back to how to make the best eggs in the universe.
First you must start with high-quality eggs. Two factors have the biggest impact on egg flavor. The first is the diet of the hen who laid the egg, and the second is the egg’s freshness. Thus for best results you want to find the freshest pastured eggs you can get your hands on. Pastured means the hens that lay the eggs are allowed to peck around on grass eating bugs and whatever else they find.
Your best shot at finding pastured fresh eggs is at a farmers market or direct from a farm, since if they are already on a grocery shelf they probably aren’t very fresh. Try to find eggs less than 1 week old. Their day of boxing should be clearly marked on the carton. It requires a little math, but I’m not the one who made up these rules.
Chances are good that if your eggs are very fresh then they are from pastured hens, but this is not guaranteed. Ask the farmer and try to hold out for hens that are allowed to roam free in grass during the day. If you cannot get fresh pastured eggs, “cage-free” is your next best bet for flavor (though these may still be fed a limited diet).
Without asking the farmer it is hard to tell the difference between real pastured eggs and industrial eggs labeled “cage-free” that are still fed standard or organic chicken feed. One good indication will be the price, since pastured eggs tend to run $6-10/dozen here in SF. Trust me, it’s worth it.
I do not endorse the taste or healthfulness of industrially produced eggs (even the fancy kinds), and if you do eat them you should be careful to cook them completely.
(Aside: I never worry about the safety of eggs from farms I trust, so I always eat them runny. If you think runny eggs are gross, I don’t blame you. Runny industrial eggs are gross, and before I had fresh eggs I would have completely agreed with you. But fresh egg yolk is incredible, and it is something you have to taste to really appreciate. I definitely recommend stepping out of your comfort zone on this one.)
Once you have great eggs, fry them one at a time in 1 tbsp olive oil or butter on medium low heat and sprinkle with sea salt, course ground black pepper and a pinch of smoked paprika. The paprika adds a depth and complexity above what even chipotle peppers can offer, and the smokiness is reminiscent of—I kid you not—bacon. Needless to say, it is the perfect compliment to eggs.
Fry your eggs for just two minutes or so on each side, being careful to keep the yolk intact while turning. You really don’t want to overcook eggs, which will turn them rubbery and ruin the effect.
I haven’t actually tried these eggs with bacon yet, though I certainly plan to. But bacon is no longer a requirement for making a show stopping breakfast of champions. Here I served them with some ruby chard sautéed with pistachios and garlic.
Did you guys know about smoked paprika on eggs and if so, why was I not informed?

What Do These Expiration Dates on My Food Really Mean?

Dear Lifehacker,
I'm a little confused by all the expiration dates on my food. Why do some foods have a "Best Before," "Sell By" or "Use By" expiration date? Will those tell me when the food is unsafe to eat, or are some foods okay past their so-called expiration date?
Sincerely,
Eating Expired Food
Dear Eating,
You're right, while the labels seem understandable, they actually don't tell you a whole lot about whether you can or cannot eat the food its stamped on. Here's a brief look at what expiration dates mean, and how to tell whether your food has gone bad.

Expiration Dates Refer to Quality, Not Safety

Generally, you'll see three types of expiration dates on your food, and they all mean slightly different things. However, contrary to popular belief, they refer to the quality of the food, not the safety. Here's what each one means:

• Sell By: This date tells the store how long to keep the item on their shelves. If it reaches the date before its sold, the store will pull it from the shelves. It represents the last day the food is at its peak quality of freshness, taste, and consistency. It will still be safe to eat after the Sell By date (how long? See the section below).
• Best If Used By: Again, this merely refers to when the quality of the item starts to go downhill. Generally, you may notice a difference in taste or consistency after that date, but it will still be safe to eat. For example, sour cream may become a bit more sour, or peanut butter may start to experience some harmless oil separation in the bottle.
• Use By: Yep, you guessed it—this is pretty much the same as "Best Used By". The Use By date is when the product loses its peak quality. It's still safe to eat for a little while.

There are other kinds of dates floating around, like the "Born on" date of beer (three months after which it can start to taste funky), "Guaranteed Fresh" on baked goods (after which they'll likely be stale, but okay to eat), and more. The most important takeaway is that this almost always refers to freshness and quality, not safety.

So When Does Food Actually Go Bad?

Full size

While you can use most of the foods past their printed date, the USDA recommends that you eat food before its "Use By" or "Best If Used By" date to be on the safe side. For foods with a "Sell By" date, you have a pretty set amount of time before the food goes bad. Milk will usually go bad about a week after the Sell By date, while eggs are okay for 3 to 5 weeks. See the table to the right for the USDA's recommendations, or head to their product dating page for even more foods.

Remember that this all assumes you've properly stored these items—if you've left a perishable item out on the counter for two hours, it may not be safe to eat anymore, so you should disregard the date and throw it away.
Lastly, don't discount the ever-reliable smell test. Not sure if the milk and eggs have gone bad, or if a product is still okay a day or two after the "Use By" date? Give it a whiff and if it smells okay, it's probably okay. And if you aren't sure you'll be able to eat something before its expiration date, you can always freeze it before that date hits to make it last longer. Check out the USDA's web site for more information.
Sincerely,
Lifehacker

8 Reasons Awesome Girls Should Learn To Cook

1. It’s still hot
I’m sure you have no trouble attracting men with your intellect, but no matter how smart and beautiful you are guys always melt for a girl who can cook an amazing meal. You may have already gotten into college, but extracurriculars still matter.
2. Cooking makes you beautiful
Nothing is more attractive than a woman who radiates health. Cooking nutritious food at home will give you sparkling eyes, shiny hair, healthy nails and glowing skin.
3. Good food makes you smarter
Junk food creates spikes and dips in blood sugar that make you tired and kill your ability to concentrate. Cooking healthier food at home will give you the focus to stay sharp all day.
4. Cooking is more efficient
Going out may seem quicker because there is no prep or cleanup, but in the long run it actually takes more of your time. Once you have it down, you can make yourself a solo meal and have your kitchen back in working order in about 30 minutes. Win.
5. You’ll save money
Being a girl is expensive. And if you’re the type who likes to splurge on designer brands, every dollar counts. Cooking at home is a great way to save money on food, freeing it up for you to use on other things.
6. It keeps you slim
For myself, eating out is the single biggest factor in how easy it is to lose or maintain my weight. At home you have complete control over everything you eat, and when you cook healthy foods this works to your advantage.
7. You might one day be a mom
You may have your eye on the prize today, but if you ever plan to raise a family your life will be a lot easier if you pick up some kitchen skills beforehand. Processed foods are bad for you and even worse for kids. Plan ahead for your future healthy family.
8. You might love it
Cooking is like art and science all rolled into one. It allows you to build skills, be creative, de-stress and when you’re finished you have a wonderful and delicious product to enjoy (and show off on Instagram). Cooking is more mentally stimulating than I ever imagined, and it is worth exploring for its own sake.
Why do you amazing ladies like to cook?

8 Reasons Regular Guys Should Learn To Cook

Photo by f_mafra

Some guys I know don’t consider cooking a worthwhile venture. Besides the occasional stint behind the grill, they’d rather bask in blissful ignorance than feed themselves in more than 3 steps: stab, chew, swallow.
But ask any woman (or man that already knows how) why it is better to be a kitchen savvy dude and you’ll start to see what these guys are missing.
Whether it’s because they think it takes too much time, too much effort or wrongly assume it’s a woman’s job, men who never learn to cook are losing a huge opportunity to take their man skills to the next level.

8 Reasons Regular Guys Should Learn To Cook

1. Chicks dig it
There isn’t a woman alive immune to a man who can make her a delicious meal. Step up to the plate boys, we’re begging you.
2. Life skills are manly
You can fix your car, hunt wild animals and build a camp fire. Shouldn’t you know how to feed yourself without a drive-thru?
3. You’ll save money
Though there’s a good chance you’re single if you never learned to cook (see point #1), a home cooked meal is a much cheaper date night (or singles night) than dinner for two at Chez Fancy—particularly with the 150% wine mark up common at most restaurants.
4. It’s faster than going out
Fancy date meals aside, cooking at home is almost always faster than going out—so long as you know what you’re doing. Once you have a few basic skills down, you can stop wasting your time in fast food spots simply because you don’t know what else to eat.
5. Guy Fieri shouldn’t be better than you at anything
Food Network star Guy Fieri has bad hair, bad clothes and douchey sunglasses, but the dude knows how to cook. Are you going to let him upstage you like that? Of course you aren’t.
6. Your puppy (aka girl magnet) will eat better
My notoriously adorable puppy Toaster loves salad scraps (sugar snap peas are his favorite), eggs, meats, fish, and pretty much anything else we’re willing to share. A balanced diet is as good for dogs as it is for people (just don’t give them onions, garlic or grapes).
7. You might lose weight
Cooking is one of the easiest ways to improve your diet and stick to reasonable portions. This is a recipe for weight loss, if you’re willing to swallow it.
8. You might like it
Cooking is relaxing, fun, creative, purposeful and, hopefully, delicious. Why wouldn’t you want to add this skill to your tool belt?
Why do you guys like to cook?; }

10 Ways To Make Your Salad More Satisfying

Quinoa Salad

One of my favorite things about the arrival of summer is all the beautiful, crisp salad greens at the farmers market. I absolutely love to eat salads, but how can you turn a salad into a full meal that is truly satisfying?
The trick is to make sure you add enough protein, fat and carbohydrates to your salad so it is still a perfectly balanced meal.
There are dozens of healthy additions you can use to make your salad more filling and delicious. Here are 10 of my favorites.

10 Ways To Make Your Salad More Satisfying

• Warm ingredients Grilled or sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms and meats wilt salad greens and make them slightly warm, adding depth and character to an otherwise boring salad.
• Brown rice Adding 1/2 cup of warm rice to a salad makes it more satisfying to eat and keeps you full for longer. Use single serving rice balls and this simple addition will add less than 2 minutes to your salad prep time.
• Nuts Walnuts and sliced almonds are my favorite, but feel free to try pecans, cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds or anything else that sounds interesting.
• Beans Chickpeas, black beans, edamame and other legumes are inexpensive and delicious sources of protein and fiber to add some substance to a salad.
• Avocado Half an avocado is sometimes exactly what a salad needs to take it to the next level.
• Smoked salmon For a slightly more upscale salad experience top your greens with a few slices of smoked salmon.
• Quinoa Mix in a small amount of quinoa as an accent or make it the base of a salad by adding cooked or raw veggies and greens. See my Mexican-style quinoa salad recipe.
• Grilled meats Your salad is a great place for summertime BBQ leftovers.
• Egg Boiled, fried or poached, an egg is a wonderful way to make your salad more substantial. See my Summer salad with poached egg recipe.
• Sardines Canned fish is one of the easiest ways to get extra protein and omega-3 oils in your salad. Here are 6 reasons to eat more sardines.

How do you make your salads more hearty

What to Look for When Picking Fruits and Vegetables

Darya Pino, Ph.D

Ph.D trained scientist, San Francisco foodie and advocate of local, seasonal foods

Most people know instinctively to avoid bruised or blemished produce, but there is much more involved in the art of choosing fruits and vegetables.
While buying fresh food is always a little bit of a crap-shoot (and not every rule will apply to every piece of produce), these tips will give you the basic skills you need to hold your own at the farmers market.
What To Look For When Picking Produce
1. Bright color
After you've checked for bruises, blemishes and pests (harder to see on vegetables like cauliflower and cabbage, so double check), look for fruits and vegetables with the brightest, most inviting colors. The tastiest, vine-ripened produce should be vibrant, with its skin entirely saturated with color. If the item has a dull color or whitish sheen, that means it is either not fully ripe or was deprived of sun or nutrients.
For fruits like cherries, look for stems that are green instead of brown, since these fruits will be fresher.
2. Heavy weight
Generally you want to pick produce that is the heaviest relative to the rest of your options. Lightweight produce is more likely to be dry and mealy, but heavier produce will be juicy and crisp.
The best way to tell is to pick up two similarly-sized fruits, one with each hand. After you've tried a few, it will be obvious that certain fruits are much heavier than the rest, and those are your best bets. This applies to both fruits and vegetables, but mostly to fruits.
3. Firm, but not hard
Because the best produce is moist and juicy (see point #2), it should also be perfectly plump. This means that it will be firm to the touch -- think crisp and succulent -- but not hard, squishy or limp.
While the perfect amount of firmness will vary for each type of produce, comparing within the batch can be very informative. For soft fruits, gently picking a piece up should tell you if it's too soft or hard.
For vegetables with stalks like carrots and broccoli, be sure the ends don't give too much when you try to bend them (but don't try too hard or they might snap).
While this tip works as a general rule, keep in mind that it doesn't apply to everything. Figs, for example, are better very soft, as are certain kinds of persimmons.
4. Fragrant aroma
Probably the most telling test of the quality of your fruit is how it smells. Unripe fruits smell like nothing, or at best the cardboard it was packed in. But ripe produce almost always smells faintly (and often overwhelmingly) of how it is supposed to taste.
Hold the part of the fruit that was attached to the stem close to your nose and breathe deeply. Compare a few of your options. The strongest smelling fruit will be the most ripe and ready to eat immediately. If you'd like your fruit to last for a few days, it is best to go with a piece that still smells good, but has a less overwhelming scent.
It's also worth smelling your vegetables, though this tip does not apply to them all (eggplant is a notable exception). Green leafy vegetables and herbs are particularly fragrant. But even carrots, artichokes and squash can have a distinctive smell. Peppers are my personal favorite.
What are your tips for picking perfect produce?
Originally published at Summer Tomato, where you can find more healthy eating tips. Summer Tomato is one of TIME's 50 Best Websites of 2011.

10 Simple Kitchen Tips You Wish Someone Told You Earlier

For myself and people of my generation, cooking represents the worst kind of
irony. Feeding ourselves is our most basic human need, but for some reason no one bothered to tell us how to do it (or even that it was important to learn).
So we grew up, left the house and became dependent on restaurants and instant meals, only to find out 10 years later that this “food” has been killing us slowly.
Now what are we supposed to do?
Learning to cook is important, but can be intimidating if you’ve never done more than boil water, open cans and zap frozen entrees. Navigating the kitchen is much easier if you know a few simple tricks that seasoned chefs take for granted.

10 Simple Kitchen Tips You Wish Someone Told You Earlier

1.Use tongs to cooking pretty much everything
Spatulas are awesome for anything that needs to be flipped or scraped, like eggs and pancakes. For everything else, tongs are the way to go. They’re much more nimble and less awkward to use, and you’ll find far fewer things jumping from your pan onto the floor. If you have teflon cookware, be sure to use tongs with nylon tips. And always go for the 12-inchers.
2. Store everything in tupperware
As much as I’d like to be the kind of person who trims their herbs, puts them in an vase then wraps them in a damp paper towel so they last a week, I’m way too lazy for that. The good news though is that tupperware keeps almost everything fresh for much longer than your crisper, including berries, salad greens and produce that has already been cut. Because it is reusable, it is also more ecofriendly.
3. If you own a knife, don’t use a garlic press
Peeling and pressing garlic is a huge waste of time. To use a clove of garlic, set it on a cutting board and smash it with the flat side of a big knife (any chef’s knife will do). The papery skin will come right off, and you can mince it real quick right there in about 10 seconds. Done.
4. Keep a separate cutting board for things you don’t want flavored with garlic and onion
Assuming you follow any recipe ever, you’ll probably be using your cutting board for cutting onions or garlic. If so, I recommend getting a separate board you keep aside for cutting fruit, cheeses and other things that you’d prefer didn’t absorb the odors of previous meals.
5. Herbs that are supposed to be green should be purchased fresh, not dry
With the possible exception of dried oregano (great in Mexican, Greek and Italian foods), herbs are always better fresh. They’re also cheap and available almost anywhere. In particular, always buy fresh parsley, basil, cilantro, thyme, tarragon or chives if you can help it (a few should be in your fridge at all times). The dried versions are OK if not too old, but they’re very delicate and the jar will probably go bad before you use it twice.
6. Don’t bother with pre-filled spice racks
If you want spices to serve their purpose (making food taste better), you shouldn’t own a pre-filled spice rack. Spices go off quickly, and when their color starts to dull they’ve lost a lot of their flavor. There are several dried spices that are invaluable in the kitchen (cinnamon, cloves, curry powder, cumin, coriander, chili pepper, etc.), but you should purchase them as you need them, and in small quantities unless you use them frequently.
7. Overcooking is probably your biggest kitchen mistake
Overcooked vegetables are mushy and flavorless, overcooked meat is tough and chalky, overcooked grains are soggy and fall apart. In other words, overcooked food is bad food. Learn the art of taking food off the heat just before it is done, and let it finish cooking with its internal temperature. You can always cook it more, but you can never cook it less.
8. If it tastes OK but not great, it probably needs salt—and maybe some vinegar or olive oil
The media loves to bash salt, but I’m not convinced that sodium (rather than processed food) is the real problem. Also, the small amount you use when cooking at home won’t compare to what you’d get at a restaurant or in a packaged meal. Though over-salted food certainly tastes bad, under-salted food is bland and boring and a little dash can often save a dish.
If you think you’ve added enough salt but something is still off, try a small splash of vinegar or lemon (any acid) to brighten the flavor. If the food is dry or sticky, try adding a touch of olive oil. These three things can fix almost any lackluster meal.
9. Don’t buy regular big onions, use shallots or leeks
For most everyday cooking, milder onions will enhance your dish and give it more nuance. Big, strong onions certainly have their place in cooking (soups, roasts, etc.), but most kitchen experiments will be improved by more subtle onion flavor.
10. Fruit (other than berries) shouldn’t be stored in the fridge
Refrigerators dull the taste of most produce, so if you bought something that doesn’t need to go in there leave it out. Most fruits including apples, oranges, pears and bananas don’t belong in the refrigerator unless you’re not planning on eating them soon. I don’t refrigerate tomatoes, avocados or peppers either. Very hot climates are an exception, however.
What are your favorite simple kitchen tips?

Fun Facts about Vinegar

Vinegar is amazing, astounding, and in some cases just plain fun. We hope you enjoy some of the interesting tidbits we’ve gathered about this versatile product.For information on the world’s largest marketer and manufacturer of vinegar click here

Timeless

• Vinegar has been used for 10,000 years. It just might be the world's oldest ingredient!
• The main uses for white distilled vinegar are cooking/food preparation and cleaning/disinfecting.

World Renowned

• The International Vinegar Museum is in Roslyn, South Dakota.
• The International Vinegar Festival is held every June in Roslyn, South Dakota.

The Pride of the South

• Consumers in the South buy and use more white distilled vinegar than in any other region of the country.

There she blows!

• Adding vinegar to baking soda produces a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide. This combination is often used to make a do-it-yourself erupting volcano.

It’s magic…

• Pearls melt in white distilled vinegar.
• An egg softens in white distilled vinegar because the acetic acid dissolves the eggshell.
• Immersing a chicken bone in vinegar for 24 hours will make it rubbery.

A Breath of Fresh Air

• An open dish of white distilled vinegar will help remove paint smells from a room.

Secret ingredient

• Salad dressings, sauces, marinades, ketchup, mustard, and pickles are all made with white distilled vinegar.

From the Garden

• Vegetable vinegars are made with potato, cucumber, beet root, and tomato.
• Herb vinegars include thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, garlic and mint.
• The most popular herb-flavored vinegars use thyme and oregano.

A Fruity Twist

• Fruit vinegars include apple cider, coconut, fig, black currant, pear, prune, raisin, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, peach, pineapple, and cherry.
• Cider vinegar is made from apples and is the most popular vinegar used for cooking in the United States.
• Raisin vinegar is produced in Turkey and used in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Cheers!

• Germany, Austria and the Netherlands make vinegar from beer.

Sweet Treat

• Italy and France produce a rare honey vinegar.
• Cane vinegar, made from sugar cane juice, is popular in the Philippines.

Healthy Hints

• Soothe a sore throat with a mixture of apple cider vinegar, water and honey.
• Soak your feet in white distilled vinegar to stop athlete’s foot.
• Drink a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar to stop the hiccups.
• Pantyhose last longer when rinsed with water containing 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar.
• Massage white distilled vinegar into your scalp, rinse, then wash with regular shampoo and watch dandruff disappear.

The Cat’s Meow

• Spray white distilled vinegar on furniture to stop the cat from scratching it.

Cooking with Vinegar

Enjoying a salad with a tangy vinaigrette dressing is one of the most popular ways to use vinegar in the kitchen. But that’s just the beginning! Regular and flavored vinegars are versatile recipe ingredients that add flavor and distinction, and can also contribute to good health!

To make basic vinaigrette salad dressing use 1 part white distilled vinegar to 4 parts oil.

Make creamy vinaigrette by adding some plain or whipped cream to a mixture of 1 part white distilled vinegar to 3 parts oil.

Tenderize meat with white distilled vinegar. Use it in marinades or when slow cooking any tough, inexpensive cuts of meat.

When poaching eggs, add a little white distilled vinegar to the water. The whites stay better formed.

For extra tenderness with boiling ribs or stew meat add a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar.

To add a zesty new taste to fresh fruits such as pears, cantaloupe, honeydew, or others, add a splash of rice or balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately to prevent the fruit from becoming mushy.

Freshen wilted vegetables by soaking them in cold water containing a spoonful or two of white distilled vinegar.

When boiling or steaming cauliflower, beets or other vegetables, add a teaspoon or two of white distilled vinegar to the water to help them keep their color. This will also improve their taste, and reduce gassy elements. This also works when cooking beans and bean dishes.

Make pasta less sticky and reduce some of its starch. Add just a dash of white distilled vinegar to the water as it cooks.

Give some extra zest to your white sauce by adding 1/2 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar.

Try cider or malt white distilled vinegar instead of ketchup with french fries—that’s how the British like to eat them. Either one is also great on fish or any fried or broiled meat.

Remove kitchen odors that come from burnt pots or when cooking certain foods by boiling a small amount of water with 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar so that the steam circulates throughout the room.

Make onion odors disappear from your hands by rubbing with white distilled vinegar.

Add moistness and taste to any chocolate cake—homemade or from a box—with a spoonful of white distilled vinegar.

To keep frosting from sugaring add a drop of white distilled vinegar. It will also help keep white frosting white and shiny.

Make perfect, fluffy meringue by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for every 3 to 4 egg whites used.

Perk up any can of soup or sauce with a teaspoon of red or white wine vinegar.

Eliminate the greasy taste in food cooked in a deep fryer by adding a dash of white distilled vinegar.

If you’ve added too much salt to a recipe, add a spoonful of white distilled vinegar and sugar to try correcting the taste.

Keep molded gelatin desserts and salads from sagging or melting in the summer heat by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for each box of gelatin used.

When making tuna salad add a dash of any herb-flavored white distilled vinegar.

Turn out great rice by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar to the boiling water.

To make the perfect picnic potato salad dressing combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Olives or pimentos covered with white distilled vinegar can be kept almost indefinitely if refrigerated.

To keep eggs from cracking when boiling add a tablespoon or two of white distilled vinegar to water.

Vinegar Tips for Laundry

Looking for brighter whites or bolder colors? The answer just might be white distilled vinegar. It’s a safe and inexpensive way to boost the power of your detergent and add a little more muscle to your stain remover. With vinegar in the mix, your clothes have never looked better.

Prevent lint from clinging to clothes by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the wash cycle.

To remove soap residue that makes black clothes look dull use white distilled vinegar in your final rinse.

Get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again. Add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring it to a rolling boil and drop in the articles. Let soak overnight.

Some stains on clothing and linens can be soaked out using equal parts milk and white distilled vinegar.

Before washing a mustard stain, dab with white distilled vinegar.

Attack spaghetti, barbecue, or ketchup stains with a white distilled vinegar and water solution.

Remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing, as well as those left by deodorants, by spraying full-strength white distilled vinegar on underarm and collar areas before tossing them into the washing machine.

Forgot that you left wet laundry in the machine and it now smells moldy? Pour a few cups of white distilled vinegar in the machine and wash the clothes in hot water. Then run a normal cycle with detergent.

Remove smoky odors from clothes by filling the bathtub with very hot water and 1 cup white distilled vinegar. Hang the garments above the steaming water and shut the door so the steam can penetrate the fibers.

Keep the steam iron clean and in good working order by getting rid of mineral deposits in steam vents and spray nozzles. Fill the water chamber with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and distilled water. Set it in an upright position and let it steam for about 5 minutes. When the iron is cool, rinse the tank with water, refill and shake water through the vents onto an old cloth. Test before using.

Remove scorch marks from an iron by rubbing it with a warmed-up solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and salt. If that doesn’t work, use a cloth dampened with full-strength white distilled vinegar.

Remove musky smells from cotton clothes by sprinkling them lightly with white distilled vinegar and then pressing them.

Get water and salt stains off shoes and boots by wiping them down with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water.

Give patent leather shoes and bags a better shine by wiping them down with white distilled vinegar.

Get cleaner laundry! Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew.

Eliminate manufacturing chemicals from new clothes by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water.

Remove soap scum and clean the hoses of your washing machine with white distilled vinegar. Periodically run the machine with only a cup of white distilled vinegar in it—nothing else added to the wash cycle.

Bring out bright colors by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the rinse cycle.

Fluff up wool or acrylic sweaters (hand- or machine-washed) and rid them of soap smell with 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar in the last rinse water.

Get rid of the tiny holes left along the hemline when you take out the hem of any garment by moistening a cloth with white distilled vinegar, placing it under the fabric and ironing

Tips for cleaning with Vinegar

White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most mold, bacteria, and germs, due to its level of acidity. Cleaning with white distilled vinegar is a smart way to avoid using harsh chemicals. You’ll also be glad to know that it is environmentally friendly and very economical.

To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.

Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.

Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, then run hot water down the drain.

Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.

Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.

Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.

Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.

Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.

Avoid the bad smell when you heat up a newly cleaned oven by using a sponge soaked in diluted white distilled vinegar for the final rinse.

To clean a grease splattered oven door window, saturate it with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge.

Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do monthly.

To prevent good glassware from getting etched by minerals, wash then spray with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Give the glasses a hot water rinse before letting them dry or drying them with a towel.

For cloudy glassware, soak paper towels or a cloth in full-strength white distilled vinegar and wrap around the inside and outside of the glass. Let sit awhile before rinsing clean.

Get rid of lime deposits in a tea kettle by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water and letting it sit overnight. If more drastic action is needed, boil full-strength white distilled vinegar in the kettle a few minutes, let cool and rinse with plain water.

Remove mineral deposits from coffee makers with white distilled vinegar. Fill the water reservoir with 1 cup or more of white distilled vinegar and run it through a whole cycle. Run it once or twice more with plain water to rinse clean. (Check the owners’ manual first.)

Remove stains from coffee and teacups by scrubbing them gently with equal parts of salt (or baking soda) and white distilled vinegar. Rinse clean.

For stained and smelly plastic food containers, wipe them with a cloth dampened with white distilled vinegar.

Remove odors from a lunch box by placing inside a slice of bread that has been soaked in white distilled vinegar. Leave overnight.

Remove ugly film in narrow-necked glass jars, flower vases, and bottles by letting undiluted white distilled vinegar sit in them for a few hours. Add a little rice or sand and shake vigorously to loosen stubborn stains. Repeat if necessary.

Easily clean your mini blinds by wearing pair of white cotton gloves. Dip gloved fingers into a solution of equal parts white vinegar and warm tap water, and run your fingers across both sides of each blind.

To clean tarnished brass, copper, and pewter, use a paste with equal amounts of white distilled vinegar and table salt.

Make a metal cleanser by adding enough white distilled vinegar to 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar to make a paste. Rub it on and let it dry on the surface. Wash it off and dry with a soft cloth.

Polish brass and copper with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of ketchup and 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar. Rub it on with a clean cloth until dry and shiny.

Remove dark stains on an aluminum pot by boiling a mixture of 1 cup white distilled vinegar and 1 cup hot water.

Discourage ants by spraying undiluted white distilled vinegar outside doorways and windowsills, around appliances and wherever you find the pests coming in.

Get rid of fruit flies by setting out a small dish of undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Clean the wheel of a can opener using white distilled vinegar and an old toothbrush.

Remove the smell of spoiled food from a refrigerator by first rinsing the area with soap and water. Spray surfaces with full-strength white distilled vinegar and wipe them down with a damp cloth or sponge. Fill some containers with baking soda and place inside. Close the door and leave for a few days.

Wipe grease off exhaust fan grids, the inside of your oven, or anywhere grease gathers with a sponge soaked in white distilled vinegar.

To make cleaning the grill easier, spray a solution of half water and half white distilled vinegar on the cooking surface.

To remove a label, decal, or price tag, cover with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar. Leave the cloth on overnight and the label should slide off.

Renew sponges and dishrags by placing them in just enough water to cover them. Then add 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar. Let them soak overnight.

Get rid of calcium deposits on faucets by soaking a cloth or paper towel in white distilled vinegar and wrapping the area tightly. Let this sit for a couple of hours or overnight.

Remove soap buildup from faucets by scrubbing them with a solution of 1 part salt to 4 parts white distilled vinegar.

Rid a faucet of lime deposits by tying a plastic bag containing 1/2 to 1/3 cup of white distilled vinegar around it and leaving it there for two or three hours. If mineral deposits don’t wipe off, scrubbing with an old toothbrush should complete the job.

Shine colored porcelain sinks by scouring them with undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Rinse away soapy film on countertops with a solution of white distilled vinegar and water.

Clean grout by letting full-strength white distilled vinegar sit on it for a few minutes and scrubbing it with an old toothbrush.

Kill germs all around the bathroom with a spray of full-strength white distilled vinegar. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.

To remove grime, mildew, and scum from the tub, tile, shower curtain or door, wipe with undiluted white distilled vinegar. Rinse with water.

Spray shower doors with full-strength white distilled vinegar after you’ve squeegeed the glass, or before you step in and turn on the water. It will help release the hard water deposits so they don’t remain on the glass.

Mix up an inexpensive tile cleaner by adding 1/2 cup baking soda, 1 cup white distilled vinegar, and 1 cup ammonia to a gallon of warm water.

Get rid of stubborn bathtub film by wiping it with white distilled vinegar and then scouring with baking soda.

Soak a sponge or loofah overnight in a strong white distilled vinegar and water solution to remove dirt and slime. Rinse several times with cold water and let air dry (in the sun if possible).

Clean shower door tracks by filling them with white distilled vinegar and letting it sit for a few hours. Pour hot water into the tracks and wash and scrub away the scum with a toothbrush.

To clean a scummy showerhead, pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup white distilled vinegar into a sandwich bag and tie it around the showerhead. Let this set for an hour after the bubbling has stopped. Remove the bag and then turn on the water.

Deodorize the toilet bowl by allowing 3 cups white distilled vinegar to sit in it for about a half hour before flushing.

To make the toilet bowl sparkle, pour in a cup or more of diluted white distilled vinegar and let it sit several hours or overnight. Scrub well with the toilet brush and flush.

Freshen air in the bathroom by spraying into the air a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar, and 1 cup water.

Get a shining finish on a no-wax vinyl or linoleum floor by cleaning it with a solution of one cup white distilled vinegar for every gallon of water.

Apply full-strength white distilled vinegar directly to tough linoleum stains. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping it up. If that doesn’t work, apply white distilled vinegar again and then sprinkle some baking soda over the white distilled vinegar. Scrub the area with a brush or sponge. Rinse clean with water.

For an economical and environmentally friendly floor cleaner, mix a solution of 3 drops dishwashing liquid to 1/3 part white distilled vinegar, 1/3 part alcohol, and 1/3 part water. Spray sparingly and mop for a fast clean-up.

Some carpet stains can be removed with a paste of 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar and 1/4 cup salt or baking soda. Rub into the carpet stain and let dry. Vacuum up the residue the next day. (Always test on an out-of-sight part of the carpet first).

Bring out the color in carpet by brushing it with a solution of 1 cup white distilled vinegar for every gallon of water. (Always test on an out-of-sight part of the carpet beforehand).

To reduce soap bubbles in a steam cleaner add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar. Use the same amount in the rinse water to remove detergent residue and make carpets stay fresh longer.

Wash indoor/outdoor carpet with a solution of 1 cup white distilled vinegar in 1 bucket of warm water. Scrub using a brush or a broom and then hose off.

Clean up pet accidents by first blotting up the area and then adding a white distilled vinegar-and-water solution. Blot until it is almost dry. Then sprinkle baking soda over the area and let it dry. Vacuum up the residue the next day.

Create your own window cleaning solution by combining 1/2 cup non-sudsy ammonia, 1 cup white distilled vinegar, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a gallon of water.

Remove the wax residue left by commercial window cleaners with a solution of 2 cups water, 1 cup white distilled vinegar and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap or detergent.

To remove paint from windows try using undiluted, hot white distilled vinegar. Give the solution time to soften the paint before removing with a razor edge tool.

To remove paint splatters from windows apply full-strength white distilled vinegar with a clean paintbrush.

Get rid of mildew, dust, and stale odors by wiping down walls with undiluted white distilled vinegar on a cloth or a sponge mop.

Clean woodwork and walls with a mixture of 1 cup white distilled vinegar, 1 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup ammonia and 1 gallon warm water. Wipe on with a sponge or damp—not wet—towel.

Clean wood paneling with a solution of 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar, and 2 cups warm water. Wipe on with a soft cloth.

Remove wallpaper easily by using a paint roller to wet the surface very thoroughly with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and hot water. Or spray on until saturated.

Get decals off walls or doors by letting undiluted white distilled vinegar soak into them for several minutes before trying to peel them off. Repeat if necessary.

Remove white water rings from wood with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and vegetable oil. Rub with the grain.

Remove fireplace soot and grime with undiluted white distilled vinegar. Use a brush to scrub and a towel to blot up the wetness and dirt.

Clean fireplace glass doors with a solution of 1 part white distilled vinegar to 2 parts water. Spray or wipe on, then wipe clean with a dry cloth.

To kill germs, spray full-strength white distilled vinegar on doorknobs and then wipe them dry.

Remove the smell of a dead mouse or other rodent (after removing all animal remnants) by wiping down the area with either white distilled vinegar or bleach. Then place a fabric softener sheet in the area to remove any lingering odors.

Never use white distilled vinegar on marble. The acid can damage the surface.

Before painting old concrete, clean with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Let it air dry.

Clean hardened paint brushes by simmering them in a pot with white distilled vinegar. Soak them first for an hour before bringing the white distilled vinegar to a simmer. Drain and rinse clean.

Remove mud and stains from plastic, fiberglass, or aluminum sports equipment by applying a paste of 1 part white distilled vinegar to 3 parts baking soda. Wipe off with soapy water and rinse with clear water.

Clean your grill by spritzing white distilled vinegar over wadded up aluminum foil and scrubbing the grill vigorously with it.

To remove film in glass baby bottles, fill with equal parts hot water and white distilled vinegar. Let sit for at least an hour. Scrub with a bottle brush.

To clean and disinfect baby toys add a good-sized splash of white distilled vinegar to soapy water.

Clean vinyl baby books or board books by wiping with white distilled vinegar. Wipe clean with a damp sponge or cloth.

Clean scissors that have become sticky (after cutting tape, for instance) with a cloth dipped in undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Clean and deodorize urine on a mattress with a white distilled vinegar and water solution. Then sprinkle the area with baking soda and let dry. Brush or vacuum the residue after it is dry to the touch.

Shine pennies by soaking them for a couple of hours or overnight in a glass or bowl of undiluted white distilled vinegar

History of Vinegar

The word vinegar comes from the French word “vinaigre” which means “sour wine.” It was probably discovered by accident thousands of years ago—after a cask of wine had gone bad. When the wine was first made, natural sugars were fermented into alcohol. Over time, bacteria in the air transformed the alcohol into acetic acid, which gave the “sour wine” its bite.

Vinegar’s role in history is well documented. This versatile product was used by everyone—from kings and conquerors to explorers and everyday people.

• The Babylonians used vinegar to preserve and pickle food.
• Hippocrates prescribed vinegar as a remedy for a variety of ailments.
• Caesar’s armies used vinegar as a beverage.
• Hannibal drenched huge boulders in hot vinegar which cracked them into small pieces, enabling his army to continue its journey across the Alps.
• Helen of Troy bathed in vinegar to relax.
• Jesus was offered vinegar before he was crucified.
• Early Europeans used vinegar as a deodorizer.
• During the Bubonic Plague people poured vinegar on their skin to protect themselves from germs.
• Cleopatra dissolved pearls in vinegar to prove that she could consume a fortune in a single meal.
• Sailors used vinegar as a food preservative during long voyages.
• World War I medics used vinegar to treat soldiers’ wounds.

Today, people are still using white distilled vinegar in hundreds of different ways—from cooking and cleaning to gardening and the laundry.

5 Strange But Amazing Uses for Apples

Even though Apples are extremely yummy to eat there are many other uses for them.
1) Keeps Cake Fresh – Store cakes with a half of an apple – it will keep the cake nice and moist. Simple.
2) Roasting The Perfect Chicken – Stuff a Whole Chicken with an apple to keep it moist while cooking ( discard apple afterwards) – this is one of Budget Savvy Diva’s cooking secrets.
3) Loosen Up That Brown Sugar – Simple place a apple wedge in a bag of hardened brown sugar and tightly seal the bag and wait a day or two and it will be soft again ( SCORE!)
4) Ripen Tomatoes – Place unripened tomatoes with a apple in a paper bag for a couple of days.
5) Too much salt? – If your soup or stew is too salty simply add some apple wedges for 10 minutes. The apple will soak up excess salt.
How cool are these tips Enjoy!!!
Thanks to BudgetSavvyDiva.com

 

 

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

active time: 20 minutes

total time: 3 hours

Making your own ketchup may seem a bit over-the-top, but we promise it's worth it. It's easy to do, and homemade is so much more delicious than supermarket varieties, which are loaded with corn syrup

Ingredients

• 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in purée
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Homemade-Ketchup-109037#ixzz210uRVhAZ

Purée tomatoes (with purée from can) in a blender until smooth.

Cook onion in oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add puréed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 1 hour (stir more frequently toward end of cooking to prevent scorching).

Purée ketchup in 2 batches in blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Chill, covered, at least 2 hours (for flavors to develop).

Cooks' note: Ketchup can be chilled up to 3 weeks.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Homemade-Ketchup-109037#ixzz210uM0lop

How to Grow an Avocado Tree from an Avocado Pit

I said it the other day: I have gardening on the brain.

Now, being summer, we eat a lot of avocado-based stuff at The Mouse House. Guacamole. Avocado salad. You get the picture. Which means that we wind up with a lot of avocado pits rolling around in the kitchen.

Did you know that if you plant those pits, you can actually grow your own avocado tree at home? Even though trees rooted like this rarely bear fruit without help (more on that in a little bit), it’s still a ton of fun to plant your own tree and watch it grow.

And if you have kids, this is a great project. Here are detailed instructions for how to root and plant a tree from an avocado pit. All you need is an avocado, a little water and a few toothpicks, a sunny window, and a whole lot of patience.

Avocado trees grow best in warm, sunny places, but you can keep one quite successfully for many years in the right indoor environment. They can grow to between 20 and 40 feet, but are quite happy if you keep them pruned indoors.

I’ve managed to grow several trees over the years just like this. I usually wind up giving the saplings to folks as presents.

Here are two that I grew a few years ago, when I had a large rooftop garden. I started them on my windowsill in the winter, then moved them outside when the weather got warmer. (They’re the two in front.)

Not every pit is guaranteed to root, so you may want to try two or three pits at once, just in case.

Equipment List

1 avocado pit
4 toothpicks
1 small glass or ceramic dish, about the size of a custard cup

Yields: 1 avocado tree sapling, with patience and a little luck

How to remove the avocado pit

In case you aren’t sure how, here’s how to remove the pit from an avocado.

Cut a full circle longways around the avocado. Twist it apart.



The two halves should separate neatly.



Whack the pit with a sharp, heavy knife so that the blade bites into the pit just a little bit.



Twist the blade and the pit will come right out.



Do something really yummy with the avocado…



…then clean off your pit. Scrape off any avocado that’s still stuck to the pit.



Rinse it off under cold water, then wipe it off. You want to be sure you’ve removed all the avocado. The pit is going to be sitting in water for a few weeks, so you don’t want anything funky to start growing in it.



When you root the pit, you want to do it pointy side up. The stem and leaves will sprout out the top. And the root will push its way out the bottom.

Stick toothpicks into your avocado pit

Grab your toothpicks.



Push one toothpick into the side of the avocado pit. You want to get it in far enough so that you can pick the pit up by the toothpick.



Do this with the other 3 toothpicks. You want them evenly spaced out, like this:

Keep the avocado pit well watered

Place the avocado pit over your dish, so the toothpicks are resting on the rim of the dish and the pit is suspended over the center.



If it’s not sitting well, wiggle your toothpicks around a little so they’re tilted up slightly, like this:



Fill the dish with water so that the avocado pit is about halfway submersed.





Change the water every day or two, so that the pit is constantly sitting in water.

Keep your avocado pit on a sunny windowsill

Set the dish on a sunny windowsill. Keep an eye on it, and replenish the water frequently.



Remember: Until you plant your avocado sapling in soil, you need to keeping the pit in water at all times. No water, no tree.

How long does it take for an avocado pit to root?

For the first few weeks, your pit won’t really do much. It will just sit there, looking very much the same as the day that you first propped it up. You may start to despair. After all, you’ve been changing the water for days, so, what gives?

Well, Nature, as they say, takes her sweet time.

Then, after about three weeks or so, the top of the pit should begin to split open. (Nature is also kind of imprecise…this can take up to six weeks to happen.)

Over the next few weeks, a stem will shoot up, the first leaves will begin to grow, and roots will begin to force their way out of the bottom. In a few more weeks, you should see more leaves.

The whole process will generally take about 3 months, give or take.

When to plant your avocado seedling

When your tree is maybe 7-8 inches tall, nip off the top few leaves. (That’s right…pinch them off. It will encourage growth and help the tree branch out.)

Grab a 10-inch pot with a saucer and at least one drainage hole in the bottom. Fill it about an inch from the top with potting soil.

Dig a shallow hole in the center of the soil (just deep enough so half the pit is covered). Nestle the bottom of your avocado sapling in it, root-side down.

Cover the pit halfway with soil, so half the pit is still exposed. Press down firmly on the soil to secure it. It should be standing up straight, at attention.

Pour a little water into the pot gently, because the soil hasn’t settled yet. And…you did it! Set your tree in a sunny window. Keep it watered, and watch it grow!

Tips for caring for your avocado tree

Where should I keep my avocado tree?Avocado trees like warm, sunny spots. If your tree doesn’t get enough light, it will get leggy (i.e. all stem, few leaves). Depending on where you live, you should be able to keep your tree outside in a sunny spot. If the temperature ever drops below about 45 degrees F, bring it back inside.

How often should I water my avocado tree?
Water it enough to keep the soil moist, but not muddy. You never want your tree sitting in a puddle of water once you’ve potted it.

If your leaves start to turn yellow, it’s a sure sign it’s getting too much water. If this happens, stop watering it for a few days until the soil dries out a little.

Should I ever pinch off any leaves?
Yes. When your tree is about 7-8 inches tall and ready for potting, pinch off the top few leaves. This will encourage your tree to branch out and be nice and bushy.

Will my avocado tree bear fruit?Now, if you grow an avocado tree, it’s unlikely that it will ever bear fruit.

From what I’ve gathered from my (admittedly uncomprehensive and unscientific) research, you need to graft a piece of a fruit-bearing tree on to your seedling. I’m an avid and enthusiastic kitchen gardener, but sadly my botanical knowledge ends there.

If anyone knows more about this, by all means, pipe up!