How to Clean Up Easily by Using Aluminum Foil as a Paint Tray Liner

Aluminum Foil Painting Tip
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I have been doing a lot of painting lately, and I found a tip that cuts down on cleaning of my roller pan.

I have started to line it with heavy-duty aluminum foil before using it.

This trick is especially helpful if you’re painting with different colors — for each new color, throw away the old foil (after pouring excess paint back into the can) and put in a fresh sheet, molding it to the pan.

This aluminum foil painting tip saves an enormous amount of cleanup, and makes painting much easier.  I don’t enjoy painting, but I hate cleanup, so knowing this simple painting trick makes me much more likely to perform seasonal preventative maintenance.

For those that think this is a waste of aluminum, you may be right, but depending on your recycler, and the amount of paint you have on the foil – you still may be able to wad it up and send it in for recycling.  If you are really big into recycling – why don’t you build an aluminum foundry and use the paint filled aluminum foil to cast things?

Use this with the no drip tip and you are on your way to an easy cleanup after your job.

How to Make Bananas Last Longer

How to Make Bananas Last Longer
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With a toddler in the house we keep a lot of fruit.  Unfortunately bananas don’t last as long as they need to, so I started looking for ways to make bananas last longer.

In order to find a solution I had to first understand why bananas turn black and go soft.  Bananas are one of the fruits that uses ethylene gas to cause ripening.  (ethylene gas is also the reason why potatoes and onions should not be stored together)

If you reduce the ethelene gas from the skins being absorbed through the stem you will slow the ripening which will make bananas last longer.

I take a piece of cling wrap about the size of my palm and wrap it around the stems.  That simple process of reducing the gas being absorbed by the stem you will make bananas last longer by about a week.  This saves me from having to make as much banana ice cream because the boy won’t eat a browning piece of fruit.

This extra week also makes a difference in the pocket book and any amount I can save at the grocery makes more I can put in the pantry.

Recipe: Candy Corn Trail Mix (Tastes like a Payday Bar)

Recipe: Candy Corn Trail Mix (Tastes like a Payday Bar)
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For being as big as I am, and for the amount of dessert posts I write here, you would think I am a candy junkie but besides a few things like Cheesecake and snickers I really don’t like sweets.  However, I do like payday bars for quick energy when out working  (I would prefer snickers, but the chocolate melts in the heat).

One thing I do dislike is candy corn – its like eating flavored lumps of sugar – however a co worker that ALWAYS has the best recipes (She is a human pinterest post) brought in “Candy Corn Trail Mix” and offered me some.  I turned her down until she mentioned it tasted just like a payday bar.

After grabbing a handful and realizing it DID taste just like a payday bar I told her that if she did not start posting to YouTube, blogging, or pinning her recipes I was going to steal this one (just like I have several of her other ideas).

She said for me to go ahead so I am going to share the simplest candy corn trail mix recipe that you can make.

ready?

Mix equal amounts of candy corns and peanuts together to make the Candy Corn Trail Mix.

That’s it – this is simple and if you add it to your regular trail mix you get the quick energy of the sugar and the sustained energy from the peanuts.

It also totally changes the flavor of you trail mix so you don’t get bored.

How to Make Refrigerator Pickles

 

Recipe: Refrigerator Pickles
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Refrigerator Pickles are crazy easy to make.  They are a great first pickle to experiment making.

They are made with few ingredients, don’t require fancy equipment, and are simple to put together.

Besides all of that, they taste great.

Just about anyone can make them and it is pretty easy to keep a batch of refrigerator pickles developing in the fridge on a constant basis.

Once you make them you  can turn them into koolicles if you want but even without fruit punch flavor these pickles are hard to beat.

How to Make Refrigerator Pickles:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 6 cups sliced cucumbers
  • 1 cup sliced onions
  • sliced peppers (if desired)
  • tablespoon pickling spice (if desired – omit if peppers are added)

Procedure:

  • First, Bring vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil using a medium saucepan over medium heat,
  • Next, boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.
  • Then, place the cucumbers, onions and green bell peppers/pickling spice in a large bowl.
  • Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables.
  • Finally, transfer to sterile containers and store in the refrigerator.

Pickles are ready in about 2 days.

How To Make Freezer Breakfast Burritos

 

Recipe: Make Ahead Breakfast Burritos
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I am not going to add a recipe to this post on make ahead breakfast burritos.  The beauty of the breakfast burrito is you can add anything you want in whatever quantities and ratios you desire as long as you can wrap a flour tortilla around it.

I love these Make Ahead Breakfast Burritos  I can make a bunch of them on the weekend, freeze them individually as I did here with orange slices, and then pack them in a freezer bag.

In the morning I can microwave one and eat it as I sit in traffic.  This is a cheaper alternative to fast food breakfast, and it is very easy.

One thing I like to do with mine (which makes my wife upset with me) is that I also like to fry mine a little to make the shell stay together.

I feel this makes the burrito taste better, but it does make it a little greasier so make sure you take a paper towel or a beeswax cotton wrap with you on your road trip so you don’t get oil stains on your work clothes.