Fantastic Forks

Today I found a list of 10 things you can do with a fork in an old issue of Martha Stewart Living. Does anyone else love that magazine as much as I do? I always pull pages out of magazines if I want to make the recipe, craft, etc. When I'm done reading Martha I seriously have no magazine left and a huge pile of paper.  Anyway, I guess I knew you could do all these things with a fork, but it was interesting to see it all written out. Also, I have a huge affinity for lists. You may remember my Lemon Love and Earth Day posts ;) So, here we go:

1. Reaming: Insert the tines into halved citrus fruits to extract juice.

2. Pricking: Make holes in piecrusts or potatoes before baking.

3. Crimping: Decorate a raw piecrust by pressing tines along the edge.

4. Whisking: Whip eggs for omelets and other dishes.

5. Mashing: Crush berries for a sauce or bananas for banana bread.

6. Decorating: Make a crosshatch pattern on cookies of sides of a cake.

7. Dipping: Lower nuts, fruits, or cookies into melted chocolate.

8. Scraping: Carve out spaghetti squash or make granita.

9. Spearing: Lift pickles from a jar and waffles from the waffle iron.  Hold meat when slicing.

10. Testing: Check if boiled potatoes are cooked through.  

Thanks Martha!!

Oh and I haven't given you any pictures of him lately and this post was lacking pictures. You're welcome:

Not sure why this picture is so big, but I figured no one would mind....

Have a great day!!

Lemon Love

In my recent issue of Martha Stewart Living I found some interesting things that you can do with lemons.  I love lemons and usually buy too many and I thought some of these tips were great for two of my favorite things--living green and saving money!  There were other things you could do, but honestly, I don't have much copper or lace hanging around my house, and I didn't want to bore you.

Air Freshener: Simmer a half dozen lemon slices and a handful of cloves in a pan of water. Especially good for removing food odors.

Linen Whitener: Fill a large pot with water, and a few lemon slices, and bring to a boil. Turn of heat, add linens, and let soak for up to an hour. Remove, and launder as usual.

Household Cleanser: Mix half a cup of baking soda with enough liquid dish soap to make a paste.  Spread over half a lemon, and use it to scrub basins, bathtubs, and stainless steel sinks.

Stain Remover:  To remove berry, coffee, and tea stains from clothing, soak soiled areas in lemon juice for about an hour.  If some of the stain remains, dampen the area, make a paste of equal parts baking soda and water, and scrub gently.

Dishwasher Detoxer: Place half a lemon in top rack of dishwasher, and run it with dishes to freshen the appliance.  

Or you could screw all of the above and just do this:

Have a great day!!!