KITCHEN HACKS

From seriously bad breath to soggy lettuce to dangerously dirty appliances. These quick and easy food hacks will leave you wondering, "Why didn't I think of that?"

HASSLE-FREE METHOD

USE THIS

TO CLEAN YOUR BLENDER. Raise your hand if you've ever cut your finger on the blades of your blender while you've been trying to clean it. There's an easier way to clean this essential kitchen tool. Immediately after pouring out the food you want to eat, fill the blender with warm soapy water, put the lid back on and give it a whirl. That will clean the bowl and the blades while keeping your fingers safe. Avoid using hot water as too much pressure will build up and you may end up with a soapy explosion all over your kitchen!

SLICE STEAK FRIES Apple slicers aren’t just for apples! Cut one end of the potato for stability then push it through an apple slicer and voilà...perfect potato wedges! Works great with sweet potatoes too!

MORE JUICE / LESS SQUEEZE

Next time you need fresh lemon juice, try this cool hack. Microwave a lemon for 7-10 seconds. after cooling, give a quick roll on the counter then squeeze...you’ll get more juice with way less effort!

FORGOT YOUR BREATH MINTS? Reach for an apple! Previously, fresh parsley was recommended as the best emergency breath freshener when you can't brush your teeth or pop a breath mint. However, more and more people are turning to apples instead. Grab one from the fruit basket and bite in to fight bad breath caused by garlic, onions and even tuna.

TURN NACHO TOPPINGS INTO A TACO. Everyone loves nachos, but nobody likes scraping the baked-on cheese off the baking dish they used to cook their nachos. Save your cookware, and your favorite toppings, by laying a large flat tortilla on the baking sheet before you add the nachos and your toppings. The tortilla will catch any cheese, meat or vegetables that fall off the nachos, turning them into an instant taco.

Keep Icecream From Melting Bubble Wrap

Who knew?? Bubble wrap is also acts as an insulator. While on the road, keep your favorite pint from melting by wrapping it in plastic bubble wrap. It’ll stay firm longer!

OPEN THE MOST RESISTANT JAR IN SECONDS.

Don't break your wrists trying to open that jar of pasta sauce. Slip on a pair of yellow rubber kitchen gloves (even one will do), and you'll get the grip that you need right away. If you don't have any gloves, you can get a similar effect by wrapping an elastic band around the lid.

Heat your food evenly in microwave.the

Is there anything worse than taking a bowl of pasta or plate of vegetables out of the microwave, only to find some parts are scalding while others are still freezing? Heat your food through evenly the first time by putting it on the plate in the shape of a ring with a hole in the middle. This arrangement eliminates the center, which is usually the part that doesn't get heated thoroughly.

Revive limp leafy greens.

It's easy to forget about that head of lettuce or bunch of cilantro at the back of your fridge. Often, when you finally remember it's there, the stems are droopy, and the leaves seem limp. Stop! Don't throw those greens in the compost! Instead, cut off the bottom end of the stems, place the greens into a glass (or vase, if they're large) filled with icy cold water and put them back in the fridge for a few hours. You'll see a vast improvement in color, texture, and shape.

Written By Lou Scott

Audrey’s mother, Louisa, believed childhood should be a time for jumping in mud puddles and playing make-believe. As she sometimes said, “Childhood would be over soon enough.”

On the other hand, Louisa believed that motherhood was a time to lead, to set an example for her children: to inconspicuously demonstrate concern for others, proper decorum, and a healthy exposure to intellectual pursuits and the arts. And, of course, having faith in God and pursuing good health by an avid interest in vigorous exercise were simply assumed.

Audrey understood her mother. Therefore, she delighted in vigorously riding her bicycle around Couchiching Park with her pal Jean Town, reading books about Scotland, castles, and ladies in distress, and collecting sterling silver and bone china cups --all which contributed to a well-rounded youth.

Not to be forgotten however were Audrey’s individual pursuits. She skated with her friends in winter, starred in her high school's Gilbert and Sullivan musicals, fussed over her Collie, trained her pet crow, and swam in Lake Couchiching in the summer. But most of all, she enjoyed those wild, wind in your hair bike rides with Jean Town.

In contrast, Herb Leigh, Audrey’s father, was a quiet man, a sentimental man, one who would sit on his porch while watching the sun set, and all the while, as if talking to himself, spoke of his deeply loved mother and her hard working Scottish ancestors.

"We were all good looking men, weren't we." And they were - exceptionally so. Appearances mattered to Herb. Whether plastering a wall or standing on a ladder in a pretty house he was building, Herb wore a perfectly pressed white shirt. Nonetheless, these attributes didn't preclude his strong opinions on politics, the price of milk, and the Bible, especially the Bible.

In spite of their different parenting styles, both of Audrey’s parents realized that she, too, had a mind of her own. For instance, when she told them she was going to work at F.W. Woolworth’s five and dime after school, they said, “If you insist.”

Nor was she intimidated by the good-looking, but definitely engaged, assistant manager, Doug Scott, when he asked her for a date. "Ask me when you're free,” she responded. And so he did. On the 16th of June, 1941, after she finished her Latin final that morning, it was just a few hours later, that she and Doug got married.

Yet, World War II was in full force at the time, and Doug, knowing his friends were putting their lives on the line, while he was not, joined the R.C.A.F. When the war was over, however, Woolworth rehired him, and several promotions followed.

In 1958, Doug went into business for himself- it was slow going at first, but flourishing soon thereafter. Confident their business was now on solid footing, they looked for a home in the country. A somewhat rundown house caught their eye. Its stone exterior, circular driveway, numerous flower gardens, and three working fireplaces were impressive despite their disrepair. Yet, it was the authentic 1800s mill and pub next door to it, on the other side of the woods, that stole Audrey's heart.

Everything, its surroundings and the house itself sparked her imagination. What fun she would have redoing the house, planting daffodils on the hill and, in consideration of its stone exterior, and in honor of her Scottish ancestors, Audrey named her house Glencairn.

From that time forward, Glencairn became the center of her life. From grandchildren in the playroom upstairs, sons-in-law leaning over the pool table in the basement, five daughters gossiping over tea at the dining room table, as well as Audrey's many friends jumping in and out of the pool outside, the doors of Glencairn were always open.

As her mother before her, Audrey thought childhood should be fun, though I can't say I approved of the way she expressed it. Speeding up hills and around curves on her way to the farmer's market, she told my daughter, "We have all the fun and don't have to spend a dime." When they returned, my daughter said, "Grandma's really cool"

Doug, though impressed by Audrey's spontaneity, did his best to keep her feet on the ground. Even so, he realized she would always be a bit of a daredevil, so he did the sensible thing; he booked a trip down the Amazon, took her on holidays all over the world - to Italy, Spain, Paris, and so forth. Audrey always came back with interesting tales to tell.

Even so, there were bound to be moments of regret and insecurity. One particular day stands out in my mind. Noticing my sisters weren’t listening to her repeat one of her more interesting tales, my sisters were talking about the books they read, and the colleges they attended. The look on Audrey’s face, the raw vulnerability broke my heart. Looking in my direction, however, she pulled herself together, as if readying for a part in one of her Gilbert and Sullivan plays. Later that week, she came home with a book that detailed a lifelong reading plan. One by one, she followed their suggestions: reading Aristotle from cover to cover, rather than the summaries most colleges offer.

But no matter what travels Audrey experienced in the books she read or in her travels with Doug, nothing surpassed her love for the Orillia that used to be. So she introduced her daughters to what did remain: Camp Summerland, on the other side of the lake, and everyone's favorite, the park by Lake Couchiching. From that time forward, the whole family looked forward to spending summers in Orillia.

And as Audrey’s children approached their teen age years, Louisa changed her focustelling her grandchildren fascinating tales of their own past - their ancestors. Men and women from England, Ireland, and Scotland, even Quakers from New York, who left their homes behind, perhaps taking with them a family Bible, a drawing by a child or a heartfelt letter from a special friend.

As the land behind them grew distant, many a prayer would have been said - praying for God’s guidance on this courageous, often dangerous, journey. All in the hope of a better life in a land as yet unknown. Their long voyage over, walking through a dense forest, they found a pretty lake, and it was there, on Lake Couchiching, that they built their town.

Oh so many generations later, in April of 2000, all five children and numerous grandchildren stood around Audrey’s bed. It was a momentous, tortuous, endearing experience. True to form, the last words Audrey spoke were from Shakespeare. "Let me not linger upon the order of my going." And when I knew she had passed, I had a vision of her, on her bicycle riding up and off over the rainbow, saying "I'm out of here." And I knew she was going back to Orillia, back to that child-bride who loved to ride her bicycle around the lake with her pal, Jean Town.