Taste Of The Islands


Part Two







STUFF IN THE FRIDGE
How do you know if it has gone bad?



EGGS
When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the egg is probably past its prime.

DAIRY PRODUCTS
Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt.

Yogurt
is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese.

Cottage cheese
is spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese.

Regular cheese
is nothing but spoiled milk anyway and can't get any more spoiled than it is already.

Cheddar cheese
is spoiled when you think it is blue cheese but you realize you've never purchased that kind.


BREAD
Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds are the only officially acceptable "spots" that should be seen on the surface of any loaf of bread. Fuzzy and hairy looking white or green growth areas are a good indication that your bread has turned into a pharmaceutical laboratory experiment.


FLOUR
Flour is spoiled when it wiggles.


CANNED GOODS
Any canned goods that have become the size or shape of a softball should be disposed of. Carefully.


CARROTS
A carrot that you can tie a clove hitch in is not fresh.


RAISINS
Raisins should not be harder than your teeth.


POTATOES
Fresh potatoes do not have roots, branches, or dense, leafy undergrowth.


CHIP DIP
If you can take it out of its container and bounce it on the floor, it has gone bad.


UNMARKED ITEMS:
You know it is well beyond prime when you're tempted to discard the Tupperware along with the food. Generally speaking, Tupperware containers should not burp when you open them.




Here's a list of handy household hints... which my grandmother passed down to mother.. who passed down to me. I think you'll find some very useful... a few on the humorous side... well, what can I say... read on! Enjoy!
Do you have anything you would like to add?
  • Remove the smell of onions or garlic from your hands by holding them under cold running water and passing the back of a good carving knife carefully over your skin
  • Gummed tape sticks more readily if a few drops of vinegar are added to the moistening water
  • A pinch of soda added to gravy will help to reduce the excess of grease
  • Bay leaves in your flour tin will discourage weevil from growing
  • To hang a picture - rub plaster wall with a cake of soap before driving the nail
  • Half of an apple placed in the cake box will keep the cake fresh several days longer
  • Sponge grass stains on non washable materials with wood alcohol to remove them
  • Place silverware in an aluminum pan and pour the potato water over it. Cover with a tight lid and let set for several minutes. Wash and scald, you'll be amazed at the results.
  • Most vegetable flavors are improved by adding a tiny bit of sugar along with the seasonings
  • Add a tablespoon of salt to your starch water - your clothes will iron easier
  • Add a tablespoon of salt to the water when you boil eggs - it keeps them from cracking and helps them peel easier
  • Put a tablespoon of salt and soda in the scalding water when dressing chickens and the pin feathers will come out easily
  • If you find your scissors dull, readily sharpen it by cutting through a piece of sandpaper several times
  • If grease spills over onto the stove and starts burning - throw a handful of common salt over it
  • If something runs over in the oven and starts burning - again, throw a handful of common salt over it
  • Dip a new broom in hot salt water before using - this will toughen the bristles and make it last much longer
  • Dip the spoon in hot water to measure lard or butter - the fat will slip right off the spoon
  • Drop a leaf of lettuce into the pot to absorb the grease from the top of soup. Remove the lettuce and throw it away as soon as it has served its purpose
  • When frying meat - to prevent splashing - sprinkle a little salt into the pan before putting the fat in
  • If you need sour milk for baking and have only sweet milk on hand, add a tablespoon of vinegar to the milk to sour it
  • Heavy cakes are often caused by too slow an oven, or by too much sugar or shortening
  • Add left over corn to the pancake batter for a special breakfast treat
  • Meringue will not shrink if you spread it on the pie so it touches the crust all the way around and bake in a moderate oven
  • If a cracked dish is boiled for 45 minutes in sweet milk, the crack will be so welded together that it will hardly be visible, and it will be so strong it will stand the same usage as before.
  • No frosting is necessary if you sprinkle lots of powdered sugar on top of cake before putting it into the oven
  • Roll raisins in flour before stirring them into a cake to prevent them from going to the bottom
  • If your sauerkraut is too sour, add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, before canning
  • Hang a piece of string over the edge of jelly or jam glasses before pouring in sealing wax. This makes for easier removal of wax when you open a glass for table use.
  • Brush meat with cooking oil and season only after it has browned to keep it from drying out.
  • Cooky dough that is to be rolled is much easier to handle after it has been in a cold place for 10 to 30 minutes. this keeps the dough from sticking as too much flour used in rolling it out causes cookies to be hard and brittle.
  • When making cake icing or candy consisting of mild or cream and sugar, add one teaspoon of ordinary table syrup for each cup of sugar used. Boil in the usual way. The finished product will be much smother and not so apt to become sugary.
  • Eggs should be at least three days old before using in cakes.
  • If home churned butter is called for in cooking, use equal parts of butter and lard or other shortening.
  • When making griddle cakes, grease the pan for the first cake. After that rub a piece of raw potato over hot griddle instead of more grease. The cakes brown nicely and there will be no smoke.
  • When making fruit pie, sprinkle the sugar under the fruit instead of on top. The juice will boil up through the fruit and not out over the top.
  • When cutting cream pies dip the knife in warm water and none of the filling will stick to the knife.
  • Toast the nut meats and while hot add a little butter. Then your nut bread will take on a new aristocracy.
  • Meringue will always stand up high and perfect if a generous pinch of baking soda is added to beaten whites.
  • A few whole cloves in the kettle of frying fat will give the doughnuts a better flavor.
  • Dry biscuits are caused from baking in too slow an oven and handling too much.

    • To glaze the top of rolls, cookies or pies, brush the top before baking with 1 egg white slightly beaten with one tablespoon milk, then bake.



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