Mini-blind Maintenance

Welcome to Retro Saturday where we post a blast from the Home Ec 101 past so Ivy and I can have a day with our families.

Dear Home-Ec101,

I live in an apartment and my mini-blinds are covered with the funk of thousands of tenants. Can you please tell me the best way to clean these?

Signed,

Dusty Shades

Ivy says:

I hate mini-blinds. My cats break the ends off of them because they MUST sit in the window and they need plenty of space for that window-sitting. I also think they get dingy after awhile no matter what you do and I really hate that. When I bought my house, I vowed to never have them, and I don’t. I use the cheap matchstick shades instead. I totally dig them.

Anyway, in an apartment, you’re stuck, so let me tell you the best method of cleaning them I have found. Take them down and put them in a bathtub with a little Dawn dishwashing liquid. Let it soak for several hours. Then drain the tub and spray it off thoroughly with the shower head. Hang to dry (I usually hang it over the shower bar) and when it’s dry, re-hang them. Using this method you probably  won’t have to scrub the blinds.  Use a soft cloth on any stubborn spots.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

Stretch Your Meat Budget

Heather and Ivy say:

Go ahead and laugh, our inner twelve year olds are having a ball with today’s topic. All better? Of course, you could always become a vegetarian and save even more, theoretically. Ivy just spent $40 just on fruit the other day. Yum. Fruit.

Anyway, here are some ways to stretch your meat budget:

• Soup
• Stirfry - vegetables, tofu, and peanuts add a lot of color and flavor
• Pizza - load up on the vegetables and be creative: zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms
• Meatloaf & meatballs - use breadcrumbs or rolled oats to stretch ground beef. Remember there is such thing as going too far, adjust your seasoning to make up for bland additions.
• Fajitas & Tacos- Use lots of vegetables and thinly sliced beef or chicken: bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, portabello mushrooms. Don’t forget loads of cheese!
• Crab or fishcakes - breadcrumbs to the rescue again
• Salads - Especially useful during the spring and summer when produce is plentiful
• Kebabs- Anything on a skewer automatically tastes better.

“Ethnic” food in general is a good meat saver. Think especially in terms of poorer countries- Mexican food, Indian food, Asian food. Most are really good ways to stretch your meat budget and save money!

Now, you tell us: what are your favorite meat-stretcher recipes?

Ask The Audience: Looks bad, tastes good and vice versa

Ivy says:

For some people when it comes to eating, presentation is everything. I must admit that there are some foods I’ve been hesitant to try because they look so gross. A good example is soft shelled crab. Oh, man, that looks so nasty, but it tastes sooooo good. Another thing is chicken bog. It’s fabulously yummy, but doesn’t look like much.

On the other hand, there are a lot of things that look pretty but taste awful. Recently, we ducked into a restaurant to avoid a storm (lightning hit my mom and dad’s house- where we were heading when the storm hit) and I ordered a piece of chocolate cake that looked beautiful on the menu, just as beautiful when it came out, but it tasted…well, let’s just say it was REALLY not good.

So, Home Eccers, tell me about some things you love that look horrible and things that looked great but tasted awful.

In similarly minded news, my pal at Tupperware Avalanche is giving away a cookbook to the person who can help her rename her dessert that looks tasty and probably IS tasty, but has a horrid name. Chocolate Nut Betty Pie? Ewwww. Go on over and help her out and you could win!

Chicken on the Grill: Spatchcock Style

Heather says:

I have said it before, but whole chickens are often a great buy.  I am a huge fan of cooking once and eating several times, but how do you reap the benefit when it is is too warm for the oven?  You grill it, of course.  Rather than cutting the bird into parts first, I decided to experiment with spatchcocking.  This method allows for more even cooking as a larger surface is presented to the grill.  Spatchcocking is simply an old Irish term that means to butterfly; I just think it’s fun to say.

To accomplish today’s project you will need:

• 1 grill
• 1 chicken
• kitchen shears
• your favorite rub or seasoning mix

In order to not offend our more sensitive viewers the pictures and tutorial follow the jump.

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Oil and pants do not mix

Dear Home Ec 101,

I was getting my car fixed today, and I managed to get oil on my pants, somehow. What can I use to get my pants clean?

Signed,

Oily Residude

Ivy says:

When I used to work at an auto repair shop, I managed to get oil on myself constantly. I learned some tricks from the guys at the shop about getting oil off your clothing, hands, and shoes. Basically, you want to use products that are good at cutting grease. One of the guys who had the cleanest hands of any mechanic I have ever seen told me he washed dishes by hand with Dawn dishwashing liquid every night, and it caused his hands to be beautifully clean.

For stronger fabrics like denim and shoes, I spray Simple Green directly on the fabric. Then I rinse it until the fabric comes clean. Then, just wash as normal. You can also put Simple Green directly into the wash, but I don’t like to take chances with the stain not coming out. Once you dry an oil stained fabric, expect the stain to live there forever.

For fabrics that need special care, I use good old Dawn dishwashing liquid and handwash the item in the sink.

And speaking of my mechanic buddies, I’ve got one that’s cracking me up. He tells me he has found the secret to getting better gas mileage. He never fills his car up more than a quarter of a tank at a time. See, liquid is heavy and a car that has a full gas tank weighs more than a car with very little gas in it. So he puts 3 gallons or so of gas in his car at a time and drives it until the gas light comes on.

With the way gas prices keep going up, I would think buying gas more frequently would negate the gas mileage savings. But he swears by it. So I pass this tidbit along to you, dear readers. Do with it what you will.

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