THINGS YOUR MOTHER SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU

Here’s a rewritten version of the list with 40 practical kitchen and food storage ideas:

Check pepper bottoms: three bumps are sweeter (better raw), four bumps are firmer (better cooked).
Add a teaspoon of water while browning ground beef to reduce grease.
Wrap leafy greens in paper towels before bagging to keep them fresh longer.

Freeze fresh herbs in olive oil in an ice cube tray for easy use in cooking.
Store onions and garlic in breathable mesh bags to improve shelf life.
Keep potatoes with apples to delay sprouting.

Use a straw to remove air from freezer bags before sealing to prevent freezer burn.
Place a wooden spoon across a boiling pot to prevent it from spilling over.
Freeze coffee into ice cubes to chill iced coffee without watering it down.

Run lemon or orange peels through the garbage disposal for a fresh scent.
Add bread slices to hardened brown sugar to restore softness.
Roll citrus fruits on a countertop before cutting to maximize juice extraction.

Store peanut butter jars upside down to prevent oil separation.
Use a binder clip to hang opened bags of frozen veggies from freezer shelves for better organization.
Soak apples in salt water for 10 minutes before packing to prevent browning.

Place a paper towel under berries in their container to absorb moisture and extend freshness.
Store fresh herbs upright in a jar of water with a loose plastic bag covering them in the fridge.
Freeze leftover wine or broth in ice trays for easy portioning in recipes.

Microwave citrus fruits for 10-15 seconds before juicing to release more juice.
Keep an open box of baking soda in the fridge to neutralize odors.
Use dental floss to cleanly slice soft cakes or cheeses.

Freeze ginger root and grate it directly from frozen for less mess.
Store milk in the coldest part of the fridge, not the door, to keep it fresh longer.
Add a slice of bread to your cookie jar to keep cookies soft.

Place aluminum foil on pie crust edges to prevent burning during baking.
Soak wilted leafy greens in ice water to revive them.
Rub a small amount of olive oil onto the cut edges of cheese to prevent drying out.

Keep flour in an airtight container to prevent bugs and extend freshness.
Freeze leftover tomato paste in tablespoon-sized portions for easy use later.
Use a muffin tin to organize small snacks like nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.

Store bread in a cloth bag instead of plastic to keep the crust crisp.
Place an inverted dish inside a colander to press out extra liquid when draining tofu.
Line refrigerator shelves with plastic placemats for easy cleanup.

Place marshmallows in a bag of brown sugar to keep it soft.
Use a lazy Susan in the fridge for easy access to smaller jars and bottles.
5. To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

6. For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.
7. 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.
8. Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

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

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
11. Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

12. Reheating refrigerated bread
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.
13. 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.
14. Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can’t see easily.

To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it.
17. Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

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

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. (Or spray the measuring cup or spoon with Pam before using)
20. Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

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

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair.
23. Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2′ with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

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

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