8.31.2010

Tuesday Tip #6

So if you're like me and love cucumbers, you might have a lot of cucumbers from your local crop share, garden, or the store.  Here is an easy recipe & fun dish to bring to your Labor Day party!  This is my tip to help you use up all those cucumbers before they go bad....

Thai Cucumber Salad


4 tbsps sugar

2 tbsps rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cups cucumbers, roughly peeled, gutted, and sliced

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped



Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for at least a half hour then serve.

Enjoy!!!

8.26.2010

Curious George Live!

Just wanted to share a few pictures from the show a few weekends ago. A huge THANKS to Comcast Spectacor for the opportunity! The kids loved seeing George....

8.24.2010

Tuesday Tip #5

Along the lines of my tips last week, here is a great tip about clothes dryers & using dryer sheets, that I also received in an email:

"The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material .. I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free . that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share!"

Note: I went to my dryer and tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through just a tiny bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water and a nylon brush and I had it done in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it .. the water ran right thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!

8.17.2010

Tuesday Tip #4

So today I've decided to share tips I received in a "chain email" that I found interesting and actually pretty useful....

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

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

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

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

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

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water... The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away...Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
(I already do this, it works great AND is cheap!)

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

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

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

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

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

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

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

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

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

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

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

8.10.2010

Tuesday Tip #3

This is one if for all you locals....Do you know about Colonial Meat Market?  I just learned about this market a year ago and I love it!  Colonial Meat Market has been around since 1972.  They are have a great reputation in the West Chester area for offering quality meat & deli, as well as affordable prices.

I personally LOVE their cheese!  You can always get a coupon online to purchase American Cheese....right now it's only $2.99/lb!?  You can even purchase 2 lbs. at a time and they'll wrap each pound separately so that you can put one in the freezer. Yes, I said put the cheese in the freezer! I never knew that either. It tastes just as fresh when you do take it out to eat.

Another great find at Colonial Meat Market are their freezer specials. My family buys the 'Super Buy' special which only costs $49 which includes 22 lbs. of meat (ground beef, chicken, pork chops, hot dogs, & more). The other nice thing, you can call and order your freezer special...substitute different meats for what you do not want....have it wrapped however you want (ie. I do 1 lb. increments so it's easy to pull out for dinner)...then you just go and pick it up.

I could go on & on but I don't want to bore you. So just go over and check them out yourself. They also have dairy, produce, and dry goods.

Parkway Shopping Center
929 S. High Street
West Chester, PA
Open 7 Days
Hours Mon., Wed., 9-7 Thurs. & Fri. 9-8 Sat. 8-7 Sun. 9-5
610-436-9514

8.06.2010

Curious George Live! Giveaway

If you haven't heard by now, our favorite lovable monkey is coming to Philly August 20 and 21 at the Wells Fargo Center (formally called the Wachovia Center) in Curious George Live! and you don’t want to miss him! Curious George, live on stage in his World Premier musical tour, swings and flips his way through a fun-filled story that takes the audience from home to Rome.

In Curious George Live!, you and your children will laugh out loud, tap your toes, sing and dance as you follow Curious George on his quest to win the Golden Meatball Contest. It’s a story about friends helping friends because of one very special “secret ingredient!”

Now for the best part....I have been given the opportunity to host a giveaway for four vouchers*! To enter to win, simply give me a follow (top right sidebar) and leave a comment below telling me what is your favorite Curios George book.  Be sure to leave an email address as well so that I can contact you for your mailing address should you win the family 4- pack.  The giveaway will close on Sunday, August 15th at 10 pm ET.

In addition to the upcoming giveaway, I also have a link and discount code to share. Click here and then enter code: MOMBLOG to buy your discounted tickets....they start at just $9! Please note however, this offer is not valid on Monkey Seats, Golden Circle or Premium Tickets.”
*Winner will receive family 4-pack of ticket vouchers which are good for any show, just need to be swapped out at the box office prior to the show of your choice.

Good luck & hope to see you at the show!


8.03.2010

Tuesday Tip #2

Another "local's tip"....Have you visited Milky Way Farm yet this summer? If not, you have to get over there for some homemade & moolicious ice cream. (The farm is located in Chester Springs just off route 113). Then when you're done, let the kids run off their sugar high visiting the farm animals. They have ducks, chickens, sheep, pigs, and of course, dairy cows.

Milky Way Farm is a family owned and operated dairy farm offering services and products with "down on the farm" flair. Their services and products include birthday parties, private tours, school group field trips, and pick your own pumpkins during the October pumpkin season.

And my biggest tip....not only can you get ice cream & see the farm animals, but they now offer a veges/fruit crop share program which is awesome!  This is my 2nd year in the CSA and I love the assortment of produce I get each week, along with knowing I am helping out local farmers.  I do split with a friend because you receive so much & to help make it even more affordable for my family.  For those that do not want to do CSA, you can also score some fresh affordable vegetables sold on the porch of the creamery, as well as purchase milk, eggs, and meat in their refrigerated shed. 

Or if you cannot make it over to the farm, head into West Chester to the new Farm House Market (they're selling on the street in front of the shop until they "officially" open).  The shop is located on 15 North Church Street, West Chester, PA 19380 and you can call for more info. : 610.430.FARM (3276)
http://www.farmhousemarkets.com/

Milky Way Creamery hours:

Spring and Fall ~ Friday, Saturday and Sunday 1 pm - 9 pm
Summer ~ Tuesday through Sunday 1 pm - 9 pm

And if you want to check out their flavors, click here.

Enjoy!