Heather says:

I would like to thank all of you for contributing your favorite tightwad tips. I’ll soon compile them into a post for easy consumption -with credit where credit is due, of course.

The winners of the randomly drawn and randomly sized t-shirts are comments # 5, 7, 15, 22, 35.

• Becki
• Jenn
• Ashley
• Alice Dick
• MmamaLlama

Send your shipping information to helpme@home-ec101.com and I will get these into the mail.

Heather says:

I think it’s time for a little fun. I have a few t-shirts of various sizes left in my giveaway stash; it’s almost time for me to order a new batch. Leave your favorite tightwad tip as a comment and you’re entered to win one of the Martha Who? Home-Ec101.com t-shirts. The giveaway closes at 11pm on Saturday February 6, 2010.

To get the ball rolling here are a few of my favorites:

• To store onions, use an old (CLEAN!) pair of  panty-hose. Drop an onion down into the toe, tie a knot, and drop in the next, hang when full.  The knots keep the onions from laying on one another and the hose allows air to circulate.
• If you have children, reduce the flow to the faucets they have access to, this prevents them from running and wasting water at full blast while they poke around doing whatever it is kids do in there.
• Those mesh bags used to store produce make great pot scrubbers. Just snip off the metal clip and scrunch into a ball. If you need it to stay together, use a rubber band.

I don’t care how quirky it is, I want to hear it.

Heather says:

Congratulations to Jessica commenter #137, Random.org chose you as the lucky winner of the vacuum cleaner. Please check your inbox and spam filter for an email from me asking for your contact information. Many thanks to Bissell for providing the prize and to the Home-Ec101 community. If it weren’t for you and your participation, events like this wouldn’t be possible.

Heather says:

Let’s get the legal jargon out of the way, in accordance with FTC guidelines I am noting that I received two Bissell PRO Lite Multi Cyclonic Vacuums. One vacuum was given for review purposes and the second is a product to be given away in the contest on this page. The review vacuum will be thoroughly cleaned and donated either to My Sister’s House or to a family through my church’s food pantry. I’d like to thank Bissell for the opportunity to review their product and pass it along to someone in need.

Gadgets = 2 vacuums used in the review / giveaway

Wake up, it’s time for the review.

First thing that impressed me about the PRO Lite vacuum is the fact that it has a limited five year warranty. If I’m going to pay for something I need to know that it’s not going to crap out right away. I want all of you to know that I ruined all of my geek cred* and took the time to read the manual, just for you. I learned about the warranty and it covers home use, this means if you’re running a cleaning business the warranty does not apply. The warranty naturally doesn’t cover those parts that should be replaced from time to time on any vacuum – fans, filters, beater bar / brush, hoses, or belts. Also, for peak performance you have to clean and replace those parts as needed. There are thorough directions in the manual which is available as a pdf. Neat.

*I hope you’re happy because now I have to turn in my card later today.

Assembly was a piece of cake, I did need a Phillips head screwdriver to attach the handle to the base, it took all of thirty seconds, but I decided to lie down for a nap because reviewing is hard work. Whew.

The hose snapped into place and I was ready to roll. Whee.

There are several things I really like about this vacuum. First as I have hardwood I really like that the wheels are rubber, they won’t scratch the floor even after they have suffered wear and tear. Nice.

I also really like the clear portion over the beater bar / brush. Sure, looking at hair and string isn’t exciting, but it’s good to be able to just glance see whether or not the brush needs to be cleaned without unplugging the unit and turning it over.

The filters are labelled and easily accessible.  As a person with severe allergies, I love that it has a HEPA filter which makes this unit quite handy for dusting.

The dust cup is easy to remove, empty, and replace. Like bagged vacuums the dust receptacle is on the back of the unit rather than the front.

Lastly, I like that the hose, while a part of the main unit isn’t in a place where it will have to be frequently reattached during normal operation. (That’s a complaint many Dyson owners have for the model I own. I personally don’t have that issue, but I can see where someone could.)

How is it in use? I liked it. First I tried it out on my hardwood, which meant turning off the rotating brush. This is done with a button located just under the power, quite convenient.  As expected it picked up pet hair, crumbs, and the random Lego. As with other vacuums I have used, I could not squeeze into the annoying area underneath my cabinetry -you know that no man’s land that serves as the place where all crumbs go to die. I’m sure you feel my pain.

To access that and under other low lying furniture I had break out the floor attachment. It has a lint brush to catch dirt, hair, and crumbs; it works well.

I’m quite tall, so I did find the floor attachment, even with the extension, slightly short for my taste. However if you’re not six feet tall, this is likely a non-issue for you.

All of the attachments are stored in a provided bag rather than on the appliance. This has both a positive and a negative. If you have a safe place to store said bag great! If you don’t and have children who insist that the accessories are toys better than any that can be found at the store, then you may have to spend time hunting down said accessories.  On my vacuum the accessories are stored on-board and I’m constantly having to guess where the children have absconded with the various tools.

After trying out the soft brush for dusting, I proved the hose has plenty of reach for even our taller shelves, I took the unit upstairs for the true test, carpet. I should note that this is called the PRO Lite as it is intended to be easy to transport from room to room while cleaning. You’ll be glad to know I made it up the stairs with no trouble, the unit is easy to carry.

I was pleased, it pulled dog hair and dust out of both shag style and plush carpeting, the crevice tool is shorter than some, but adequate for the job. What more can you ask? I have a Dyson and while I did not save one week’s worth of dust and dirt to compare with the next, but estimate-wise I’d say it pulled a comparable amount of dirt from the floor covering. That’s what everyone wants  to hear right?

I had no problems while reviewing the vacuum and at $199.99 (the MSRP) I believe it to be reasonably priced. Remember reviews on Home-Ec 101 are subjective, based on my personal experience and taste.

Now it’s time for the giveaway.

You know you want your very own Bissell PRO Lite Vacuum and you can have one, if you’re lucky.

Here’s how I run a giveaway. Each US or Canadian reader (I’m paying for shipping and it won’t be international, sorry) has up to three ways to enter:

1. Comment. Please use a valid email address so I can contact you if you win.
2. Mention this contest on your own blog, Facebook, or messageboard/forum and post the link to that mention in a new comment. (Don’t spam a forum, only do this if a) it’s allowed and b) you’re a regular participant. I do expect manners, ’cause I’m mean.) To grab the link to your Facebook post, right click the timestamp below the post after it has posted on your wall. Choose copy this link and paste that url into your new comment.
3. Tweet about the contest and link the url of the tweet in a new comment.
   To grab the url (that’s the link) of your tweet, right click the time-stamp (that’s the part that says 30 seconds ago or about 8 hours ago) and select copy link. Paste that into your comment.

Comments must be received by Saturday December 12, 2009 at 9pm Eastern. Participants who comment more than 3 times forfeit their chances. The winner will be selected by random drawing and announced on Sunday December 13, 2009. Got it?

Good luck!

Heather says:

I mentioned on Monday that I have received a few items to pass along in a giveaway. Today we have a few coupons for free Rich’s products and a novelty cookbook 101 Things to Do With Meatballs. Offhand I could think of four, so Ms. Stephanie Ashcraft took her meatballs seriously.

Perhaps it’s because I’m a writer, but each time I look at the cover of 101 Things to Do With Meatballs I can’t help but chuckle and envision a blog where the author works their way through all 101 recipes, once a week for almost two years. The best part would be if they planted their tongue firmly in cheek and wrote in the style of the Julie/Julia Project. So maybe I haven’t had enough coffee yet.

Oh, you want to know about the free food? We’ve got:

• One free package of any SeaPak product
• One free package of any FarmRich product (this is where you find the meatball connection)
• One free package of Rich’s Coffee Rich or RichWhip Topping

This giveaway is being run in the usual way. Each reader has up to three ways to enter:

1. Comment.
2. Mention this contest on your own blog, Facebook, or messageboard/forum and post the link to that mention in a new comment. (Don’t spam a forum, only do this if a) it’s allowed and b) you’re a regular participant. I do expect manners, ’cause I’m mean.)
3. Tweet about the contest and link the url of the tweet in a new comment.
   To grab the url (that’s the link) of your tweet, right click the time-stamp (that’s the part that says 30 seconds ago or about 8 hours ago) and select copy link. Paste that into your comment.

So think about it, all that stands between you and blogging fame is a comment and a hell of a lot of meatballs. This contest ends Friday December 4, 2009 at 9pm Eastern. The winner will be announced on Saturday.

Heather says:
Random number generators make life so much easier. Commenters #16 and #4 are the winners of the Tinyprints.com $50 gift certificates. Congratulations to Tara and Carolina, watch your inboxes and spam folders.

Keep an eye on the Tinyprints promotions page for the latest coupons and promotions.

Heather says:

So, I have a confession and it’s not even Sunday, I know! Who’s running this joint anyhow? I’ll be honest, I am the worst person when it comes to sending any kind of cards, birthday, holiday, sympathy, thank you, whatever; they just don’t happen. Not too long ago I found thank you cards for gifts received at Christmas- wait for it- 2004. They were addressed and even stamped, but somehow they made it to the filing cabinet instead of the mailbox. Coincidentally (or not) that was the last time I’ve even attempted to mail cards of any sort.

I’ve also had two more kids since then. Oh, I go through the motions, I make the kids wait while I write down who got what from whom, but somehow that list never makes the next couple of steps. I usually throw it out sometime in March as I can no longer stand the guilt.

So now we’re onto confession number two. Even though photography is probably my 1st no, that’s eating, 2 no, that’s cooking, 3rd no that’s reading, 4th no, that’s reading while eating. Well, photography definitely makes into the top ten of things I love doing. The sad truth is, I never print my photos. I’ve ordered a couple 8×10s to enter into a competition and last Christmas I gave Tim a bunch of my prints framed -yeah, those? They are still sitting in a stack in the closet, don’t ask.

So just like the cards, it just doesn’t happen.

In September I met @paperfans from Tinyprints. Apparently he looked at me and said, “Hey, she looks like the kind of lady who takes pictures of her kids to make Christmas cards in plenty of time for the holiday season.”

Shh, I won’t tell if you won’t.

Under that assumption, I was given a chance to review their services.

In a word? Fab.

The hardest thing about the whole ordeal (and any kind of shopping is an ordeal for me) was trying to find a picture of my stepdaughter where she wasn’t rolling her eyes at the idea of someone taking her picture. She’s got it rough, her mom is also something of a shutterbug so that adds up to a lot of eye rolling. Trust me, the rest of the process was a piece of cake.

If you’re even more design challenged than I am, you can upload your pictures, set your price range, and hire a personal shopper* to put together your card. Neat. I almost went for that, but then I realized I wouldn’t know if the process was easy or not. Then I’d have to make stuff up for you guys and well I don’t do that.

*The personal shopper service is currently on sale for $24.95, but that’s applied to the cost of your order, so if you spend more than that, it’s covered.*

Having four kids who rarely look in the same direction meant I needed to use a template with at least four slots for pictures. Amazingly enough someone there understands and there are plenty to choose from.

There was space for a fifth picture on the inside flap, but since I also slack on the whole family picture thing -sheesh, are you sure this a review and not the Sunday Confessional?- I left it blank. The next day I got a phone call from Tinyprints, which freaked me out a little at first. It turns out a human being actually checks the orders and wanted to be sure I hadn’t intended to put a a picture in that slot.

How friggin’ cool is that?

So Tinyprints? Fab.

But wait, there’s more. . .

Tinyprints.com has been kind enough to offer two $50 gift certificates for readers of Home-Ec101.com.  As usual there are three ways to enter.

1. Comment. (I set the bar high).
2. Mention this contest on your own blog, Facebook, or messageboard/forum and post the link to that mention in a new comment. (Don’t spam a forum, only do this if a) it’s allowed and b) you’re a regular participant. I do expect manners, ’cause I’m mean.)
3. Tweet about the contest and link the url of the tweet in a new comment.
   To grab the url (that’s the link) of your tweet, right click the time-stamp (that’s the part that says 30 seconds ago or about 8 hours ago) and select copy link. Paste that into your comment.

Winners will be selected by random drawing.

Remember entries 2 & 3 get their own comment. If you put two links in a comment, you will trigger the spam filter and I don’t like going in there, it’s a nasty place.

This contest will be open through 9pm Eastern on Saturday November 28, 2009. The winner will be announced on Sunday November 29.

Good luck!

Heather says:

I never went to culinary school.

My first job was as a Waffle House waitress. Shut up, I’m trying to be serious. Anyway, when I was sixteen, I worked the afternoon shift and there were always a few hours where lonely, unhappy people would filter in and mark the passage of time  in coffee refills and cigarette butts. Learning to chop onions was positively riveting compared to some of that conversation, besides the cook was cute and I was naive.

Later, I tended bar -it wasn’t much later and that’s a whole ‘nother story-  at a neighborhood place that didn’t serve food except for Tuesdays, aka Bachelor night. The owner doesn’t make my shortlist of people I adore -I’m not sure he makes the long list of people I tolerate-, but he could cook. I learned a lot about soul and comfort food, that people will come out of the  woodwork for a plate of collards, cornbread, and red rice.

I truly started cooking when I worked at a small Spanish restaurant. The owners couldn’t keep a chef and introduced me to the kitchen in a trial by fire. For this, I am grateful. I learned about paella, chorizo, tapas, all foods that seemed exotic, but really were Andalusian comfort food.

Time passed and I worked in more kitchens. I’d start in prep and work my way up by watching the person next to me. I never learned the theory, but I learned what worked. I learned hundreds of recipes and through these I developed unarticulated theories on cooking. I knew things should be done a certain way, but never had the backstory that would allow me to explain to someone else WHY these were the rules.

A few weeks ago I was contacted and asked to review Notes on Cooking: A Short Guide to an Essential Craft by Lauran Braun Costello and Russell Reich. I have to tell you, I’m in love. Here are the things I wish I’d been told. It’s the rules with a succinct explanation of the WHYs.  Example:

86. Never jump food more than one temperature state at a time.

There are four functional temperature states: 1) frozen, 2) cold, 3) room temperature, 4) warm or hot.

When you move food from one state to another (in either direction), don’t skip over a temperature state by, for instance, taking a roast directly from the oven to the refrigerator. Only one state change at a time.

Jumping a state disrupts or destroys the vital process of moisture concentration and reintegration within the ingredient as its temperature changes. Place a sealed, warm, lasagna in a cold fridge, and where does all that heat and moisture go? It collects on the top of your lovely lasagna, now no longer so lovely.

There are 216 rules like the one above. Some are hard and fast and others are meant to be remembered but broken from time to time. I curled up on the couch and read it cover to cover randomly exclaiming, “I knew it!” and wishing I had a foodie friend over for coffee to discuss my find. There were so many rules I knew on a gut level from my years in kitchen, but had been unable to articulate.

If you have any love of cooking or kitchen geekery, this is an informative and interesting read. Tear through it in one go or leave it on the counter to peruse while making dinner, there will be plenty to mull over. If you’re a lousy cook, learning the rules and putting them into practice will elevate your experience in the kitchen. Y’all have no idea how hard it was to not type “will raise your XP.”

I never went to culinary school, but now I have a better grasp of the rules.

I’m giving away two copies of Notes On Cooking. The publicist will send a book directly to one winner and I’m also passing along my review copy. Please note that I am kicking myself for suggesting this as a second prize before reading the book. Readers of Home-Ec101.com have three ways to enter the random drawing on Friday October 30, 2009 at 9pm Eastern.

1. Leave a comment with your favorite personal rule of cooking, it can be something you’ve learned through trial and error or a piece of wisdom handed down from one of your mentors.
2. Tweet about the giveaway. Leave a second comment with the url of your tweet.
3. Write about the giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, your favorite social media site, or a message board and leave a comment with the URL of the mention.

Or if you’re impatient head straight to Amazon and buy the Notes On Cooking in hardback or for the Kindle.

Good luck! I look forward to reading your rules and hope the winners enjoy this book as much as I have.

Heather says:

Once in a while when someone blogs about food, menus, saving money and all that fun stuff that happens here on Home-Ec 101, you get noticed. A few weeks ago I was contacted by the folks running PR for Taste of Home. They have just launched a new cook book, The Taste of Home Cookbook, Cooks who Care Edition and wanted to know if I was interested in doing a review. I love food, I enjoy reading about food, and I’m always happy to drool over pretty pictures of said food. (I kept my drool to myself, thank you very much.)

I’ve been a fan of ToH for years, in fact long before Home Ec 101 was even a twinkle in my eye, I gave Ivy a subscription to the magazine as a Christmas gift. I can tell y’all are just riveted, hang with me this is called disclosure. I was sent the cookbook for review, but I asked for permission to use it as a giveaway. Sometimes there are weird rules and I wanted to make sure everything was on the up and up.

Here goes the review:

The cookbook starts off with a section on cooking basics to help novice cooks get a feel for the kitchen, then it’s off and running into 600+ pages of recipes. I am happy to report that almost all of the recipes have what I refer to as attainable ingredients. One of my big peeves with many recipe books is the ingredients can be difficult or impossible for someone to find who doesn’t live in a big city. I live in a small town, but it’s not that small, if I have a hard time finding something, I can’t recommend the recipe.

After giving it a once over, my only beef with the whole book was a recipe for gravy. But, let’s be real here, gravy techniques are passed down and we’re all going to feel as if the way we learned is the only way.  Don’t forget we chefs are notoriously picky and temperamental.

The recipes are clear, suitable for families, and not overly adventurous. While it’s sometimes fun to try out exotic ingredients, there is a welcome place, especially for those just finding their rhythm in the kitchen for recipes that don’t stray too far from the expected. There are narratives at the beginning of each section, highlighting a -wait for it- cook who cares!

To review this copy, I did have to open the plastic wrap.  Because life is what it is one of my kids had to take off with it, but don’t worry, it still has that new car smell and the recipes were not altered. They can be devious, but they haven’t gone so far as to figure out rearranging typesetting. Along with the previously opened cookbook, you will receive one full year of Taste of Home magazine and premium access to their recipe collection at TasteofHome.com and anyone is welcome to join their Cooks Who Care forum.

It’s a great cookbook and would sit on my shelf -if I weren’t giving it to one of you. There are three ways to enter:

1. Comment and promise you’ll come back, even though you’ll have lots of new recipes on your own bookshelf.
2. Tweet -sorry folks, Twitter isn’t going away any time soon- about this contest and place the url of the tweet in a new comment.
3. Post about this contest on your blog, your favorite message board, Facebook, or whatever fabulous social media site floats your boat. I’m not picky, I’m just giving you an extra chance. Just make sure you put the url in a new comment.

This giveaway will end Friday night October 9th 2009 at 9pm Eastern, because I don’t stay up late. The winner will be chosen by random drawing.

Have fun!

Heather says:

Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to Carye. Watch your inbox.