Yucky: Your Kitchen Sponge

Posted on by
Reply

Sponges May Absorb More Than You Think

Kitchen sponges are used to getting down and dirty, but did you know they’re actually picking up lots of bacteria in the process? Recently, a University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) researcher tested 50 sponges, each used for three weeks in different households, and discovered that all of them showed high levels of bacteria. Likely culprits include contaminated tap water, vegetables and other raw foods grown in soil, household pets, and dirty hands. To chase germs away, wash your hands before touching sponges. After use. rinse them with soap and let them dry. or just toss them in the dishwasher. If you’re still concerned, give dry sponges a 30-second zap in the microwave to disinfect them (wet sponges need 60 minutes). Also, use paper towels instead of sponges to clean surfaces that raw meat and poultry have touched.

Free Yourself From TV

Posted on by
Reply

Break the Boob Tube Habit

According to the A.C. Nielsen Company, the average American adult watches four hours of television each day. Some tips on cutting back:

Carve out TV-free times, recommends Frank Vespe, executive director of the TV Turnoff Network, an organization dedicated to improving quality of life through turning off the tube. Vespe advocates eliminating television during mealtimes, when first waking up, and right before bedtime.

Allot a TV-watching budget, says Louis V. Imhof of the Institute for Fitness and Health. Each Sunday, check the newspaper for the weekly listings, and highlight only six hours of program­ming to watch for that week.

Use a VCR to record shows, suggests White Dot, a Britain-based an ti-television organization. This lets you watch television on your own time and keeps you from getting sucked into watching that mediocre show wedged in between two better shows.

Remove the batteries from your remote control and watch television the old-fashioned way, advises Trevor Mowad, a sports-psychology consultant who motivates professional athletes. This eliminates the tendency to jump from channel to channel looking for something to watch.

Find an alternate outlet for television time. “Make a reading list, take a class, or learn a language,” Vespe offers. “We had one woman plant a vegetable garden, and each time she harvested a vegetable, she knew it was created from her not watching television.”

Genealogy Tid-Bit

Posted on by
Reply

FamilySearch.org lets you tap into the world’s largest family history database, maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The library contains millions, if not billions, of records from the United States, Canada, the British Isles, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Users can search by geographic location, surname, or specific ancestors, then post discoveries to the Share My Genealogy boards.

In addition to a vast reservoir of family history information, http://www.genealogy.com also offers free software that lets you create a personalized family tree. The information you compile is formatted into a hyperlinked index that you can download to your computer, save at the site, or post to the World Family Tree. You can also search through the family trees of such famous figures as Daniel Boone and George W. Bush to see if you share common ancestors.

Roasting Chestnuts

Posted on by
Reply

a    different nut    to    crack

Soak chestnuts in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes; drain well. Cut a slit in the shell in the rounded side of the chestnut. Make sure the cut goes all the way through the shell; otherwise, they can explode.

To roast: Arrange chestnuts in a single layer in a chestnut pan. Place over an open flame; roast 25 minutes, shaking frequently.

To roast in the oven, arrange chestnuts on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes.

To mi­crowave, arrange chestnuts in a single layer on a microwave-safe dish. Microwave at HIGH 2 min­utes. Microwave a maximum of 12 chestnuts at one time so that they cook evenly.

Let the chestnuts cool about 5 minutes. Peel.

Tailgate Food Tips

Posted on by
Reply

The key to a safe tailgate picnic is keeping hot food hot and cold food cold. This requires planning and a few basic guidelines.

•Pack food in air­tight plastic con­tainers or bags that seal tightly and will not break.

•Layer sealed con­tainers on the bottom of an insu­lated cooler, putting heavier items in first.

•Chill all cooked foods in the refrig­erator before pack­ing them in the cooler.

•Pack highly per­ishable foods di­rectly next to ice in the cooler.

•Secure items such as bottles and jars to prevent breakage.

•Transport the cooler in the inte­rior of the car, not the hot trunk.

•Place cooler in the shade and keep the lid closed. An iced-down cooler will keep perishable food cold for a few hours but not all day in the hot sun.

•Serve food in the team spirit by us­ing baskets, buck­ets, and trays lined with fabric or linens in your school’s colors.

•Serve food with paper or plastic plates and uten­sils; cleanup will be easy.