Heather Solos's Blog, page 7

Lipstick in the Laundry

Sometimes the questions come in via Twitter. Today’s query:

@TheMorrisBunch: Help!! I took clothes out of the wash and found red lipstick in the dryer and all over my clothes.

First of all, yuck. I don’t envy your situation in the least; finding lipstick stains in the laundry is a great big hassle.

To get the lipstick out of the dryer, you’ll want to use a solvent like WD-40 or Goo Gone to clean out the drum of the dryer. If you have a gas dryer, it’s very important to apply the solvent to a rag rather than spraying a potentially flammable substance into your dryer. We try to use common sense here at Home-Ec 101. We don’t always manage it, but we do try.

Use a flashlight and be careful to make sure you get every bit of lipstick out of the dryer, or your next steps could be undone by your laundry’s next trip through the dryer.

Lipstick stains are often difficult to remove because they are essentially a stain we purposely apply to our lips, so I’m sure you understand that a product designed to stain is going to be difficult to remove. Not every stain is removable.

Remove Lipstick from Clothing

To remove lipstick from clothing, you want to treat the stain as both a dye stain and a grease stain. These directions are for washable fabrics. Since the disaster happened in the dryer, I’m assuming all of the fabrics in question are washable. (CRAZY, I know)

First, treat the dye stain with either a laundry pre-treatment spray or a dry cleaning spotter (like you find in the home dry cleaning kits.)If you use laundry pre-treatment, rinse with cool water and ensure no dye remains. If you use the dry cleaning spotter blot and allow it to evaporate fully.

If dye still remains, it may be time to step up to the big guns and try paint thinner. Only apply it directly to the stain and test for colorfastness first – If the clothing is a lost cause, how much does this really matter?

Click the picture for more tips!

Only when all of the dye is gone do you get to move on to the next step.

Now treat the grease stain by rubbing detergent directly onto the fabric from the reverse side of the stain. Give the detergent time to work (half an hour at least, unless it contains bleach), and then launder in the hottest water tolerated by the fabric.

I don’t envy the tediousness of treating an entire load of laundry. If it wasn’t your lipstick, I highly suggest getting the offender in on the chore.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com. 

Picnic Perfect: Potato Salad

Dear Home Ec 101:

My neighborhood will soon be throwing its annual block party. I don’t want anyone to know that I can’t cook for beans. Do you have a recipe for me? Please don’t tell me just to go to the deli and put it in a new bowl. I want to try, but I’m busy and I need something I can make the night before. Oh, and I’m vegetarian, but eggs and dairy are fine.

Signed,

Persnickety Picnicker

Heather says:

I recently talked my mother into giving up her potato salad recipe. Everyone needs a go-to dish for events like this, and as long as you promise she won’t be there, you are welcome to bring this dish. This recipe is easily halved and makes a great side dish for BBQ dinners.

Ingredients:

8 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold for best results)5 hardboiled eggs – (save two for garnish) And here’s How to Hard Boil Eggs1 medium sweet onion – diced2-3 green onions – chopped or diced finely2 stalks of celery – chopped or diced½ cup canned olives – green and black or either, depending on your preferences, sliced (save a few for garnish)1 cup mayonnaise1 heaping TBSP sweet pickle relish1 or 2 dill pickles, diced or chopped + 1 – 2 TBSP dill pickle juice1 TBSP yellow mustard3 TBSP honey mustard or honey mustard salad dressingSalt / Fresh Ground Pepper to taste (at least 1 tsp of each)Paprika for garnish/color

Peel and cut up the potatoes, letting them sit in a bowl of lightly salted water during preparation.  Rinse several times and place into a deep pot, cover with water. Bring to a simmer or low boil on medium heat until potatoes are cooked but not mushy, between 10 – 15 minutes. Check with a fork, you should be easily able to pierce it, but it should not be falling apart. If you aren’t quite sure if it is done enough, cool off a cube and bite it. How is the texture? You aren’t going to get a chance to cook the potatoes further, so in this case slightly over-done is better than under.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing. In a separate, medium bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard, honey mustard, pickle relish, diced dill pickles, dill pickle juice, celery, diced sweet onion, green onions, and salt/pepper. Taste this mixture (use a clean spoon, not your fingers, please!). Please note that there will be a mayonnaise taste when you first mix the dressing. This taste will fade as the flavors combine. It takes about an hour. I have a moment every time where I wonder if I ruined it because I hate mayonnaise, but it always comes together in the end.

When the potatoes are fork tender, drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process. When cool enough to handle, place the potatoes in a large bowl.  Peel and cut up the hardboiled eggs (reserving two). Add these to the potato mixture.

When you are satisfied with the taste of the dressing fold it into the potato and eggs. To do this, slide your spoon or spatula down the side of the bowl and then scoop the potatoes to the center. Turn the bowl a little after each scoop. Doing this prevents the spoon from mashing the potatoes. It’s ok if you mash them a little. The starch from the potatoes will thicken the dressing a bit and keep it from being runny.

Cover tightly and refrigerate. It’s best if the flavors have several hours to blend.

Just before serving, add slices of eggs or olives for garnish and sprinkle with paprika for color, if desired.

Enjoy!

How do I remove set blood stains?

Hi Home-Ec 101

Do you have any ideas for getting rid of set blood stains? What about blood stains that the dyer has set?

I appreciate all the great info you share, even though I am an experienced homemaker. I’m always open to new tips, shortcuts, cleaning ideas, and new recipes!

This one has me stumped, though. My husband did “just a little” yardwork wearing his favorite pair of tan cargo pants. He somehow cut himself and wiped the blood on the back of his pants leg. Of course, I didn’t see the blood stain until AFTER I had washed and dried the pants. I tried soaking the stain OxiClean and washing again (a couple of times), but the stain is still there. I don’t want to ruin the pants, so I did not use bleach, but is there any substance I can try to remove the blood stain?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Still Seeing Red in Raleigh

I’ve got somewhat good news. It’s sometimes, not always, possible to remove dried or set blood stains from many fabrics with ammonia. It’s not going to work every time, but with ammonia running at less than a quarter an ounce (In this economy, I know?!), it’s absolutely worth a shot to save those pants.

How to remove dried or set blood stains with ammonia

Items you will need:

a small bowlwatera toothbrush (that you won’t use on your teeth ever again)ammoniaan old towela workspace in a well-ventilated areayour favorite detergent that contains enzymes (most name brands now do, homemade versions of detergent do not)

Pour some water and ammonia into the bowl in a 50:50 ratio. This means half water and half ammonia. This doesn’t have to be measured perfectly. You can just estimate. In general, when working with a stain like this, you want to work from the wrong side of the fabric. Turn the material inside out and place the old towel inside the pant leg so that it is under the stain. Set the pants on your workspace.

Dip the toothbrush into the ammonia and water. Using the toothbrush, dipping often, working from the center of the set blood stain outward, gently add your water solution to the stain and press it into the fabric, gently moving the toothbrush without scrubbing more like a wiggle. The goal of moving the toothbrush is to help the liquid penetrate the fibers, not tear or shred the fibers. You aren’t scrubbing. You are pressing with a gentle movement.

Take your pants and turn them right side out. Is the blood stain still visible? Put the towel back inside the pant leg and work from this side.

Turn the pants back inside out and run cool water through the stain to flush your ammonia solution out of the stain.

The stain should be gone or very nearly gone. You can repeat, but do remember that set blood stains are often permanent stains. As one last chance, you can apply a stain remover directly to both sides of the stain before its final trip through the wash. There is a chance that your work with the toothbrush and ammonia has exposed new parts of the stain that hasn’t been exposed to any of your previous stain removal attempts. With luck, this can do the trick.

Then, after the pants have gone through the wash, if the blood stain is still there, take a deep breath and remember that these are now his designated yard work and handyman pants. They will see worse days, and that’s ok, too.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

Deep Clean Week 14: The Paperwork Pile Up

This is it. You made it.

Welcome to the final week of the Deep Clean Challenge: Week 14 The Paperwork Pile Up

So far, as part of The Deep Clean Challenge, we have:

Cleaned up clutterCleaned the kitchenCleaned the bedroomCleaned the bathroomCleaned the living roomCleaned the dining room/areaCleaned the entrywayCleaned out the refrigeratorCleaned up our digital lifeCleaned up the smudgesFixed at least one annoying thingCleaned the oven, stove, and microwaveCleaned the pantry or food storage area(s)

This week’s task should not be too difficult unless you are like me and tend to let the papers pile up. Yes, I procrastinate.

Why are we working on paper clutter in this week’s challenge?

I saved this one for last, on purpose. I find it satisfying to have a small project with a nice payoff. Yes, I look for the little dopamine kicks wherever I can find them.

Today, we’re going to work on getting rid of any existing paper clutter and take a step toward preventing future pile-ups. Yes, more will always show up, but we can reduce the overall amount.

What do we need for this week’s paper clutter challenge?

This week’s project requires either a shredder or a large trash bag for papers eventually destined for the shredder, your smartphone, and your computer. if you prefer to work from that for some online tasks. You may also need a file cabinet or document box and file folders or envelopes depending on your organizational methods.

You will also definitely need some patience.

How to get started on this week’s challenge.

Do a lap around your home and gather all of the paper clutter wherever it accumulates and bring it to your workstation.

If you have older children, now would be a good time to have them go through their book bags and/or desks to get rid of the papers they no longer need. If you have young children, I wouldn’t tackle both on this round unless your own pile is very manageable. Maybe wait for the rinse and repeat, or attack it piecemeal over the next few weeks.

Now that you have your pile. Take a quick look at each item:

Is it a bill? Has it been paid? If it is a recurring bill, note the due date with a reminder in your calendar. Personally, I like to set my reminders five days prior to the due date, but that is my strategy, yours may differ. Look over the bill, does it offer the option to sign up for email reminders instead? If so, do that now. If the bill has not been paid, put it in a to-be-paid pile and set a reminder in your calendar.

Once I put our bills in the calendar and made specific dates to deal with them a habit, budgeting became a much simpler process, even with our household’s mix of traditional salary and other less predictable income.

Is it a paper that needs to be filed? File it now if you have a filing cabinet or document box or set it neatly aside if that’s on the to-be-purchased list. If it’s a receipt for business purposes. Note it now in a spreadsheet and put it in an envelope labeled with the calendar month the purchase was made. You or your accountant will thank me around tax time. Let’s stop that mad rush and unorganized pile habit now. Is it just trash with no personal information? Get rid of it, otherwise, shred it or put it in the to-be shred pile.If it is a magazine that you mean to read and never do, go ahead and cancel the subscription. Some magazines let you do so online. If yours doesn’t and you have to call a customer service number during business hours, put a reminder in your phone with both the phone number and your account number in the reminder. It’ll save you time and make it easier to not ignore the reminder.Junk mail? Get rid of it. Think about your habits, how can you make getting rid of junk mail a habit without it landing in a pile to be dealt with again? When you bring in the mail, resist the urge to put down the pile without removing the trash first. Maybe this means putting a small wastebasket close to the door you use or resisting the urge to get the mail when you first return from work and don’t have the mental bandwidth to deal with it. Perhaps it needs focused attention. Go inside, get settled, then make going out and retrieving the mail a specific trip, so it doesn’t get mixed into the shuffle.

Are you ready to tackle that pile? I am.

Do you need to Rinse and Repeat? Speaking for myself, we’ve got six kids, of course, we do. We live in a rinse and repeat cycle. (Some stages of life are just messier than others. They do pass, you aren’t doing anything wrong.) If you sign up for the rinse and repeat, you’ll start over at the beginning next Saturday at 8 Eastern.

Let’s do this!

Deep Clean Week 13: Your Pantry and/or Food Storage

Welcome to Week 13 of the Deep Clean Challenge.

After today you have one week to go. So far, as part of The Deep Clean Challenge, we have:

Cleaned up clutterCleaned the kitchenCleaned the bedroomCleaned the bathroomCleaned the living roomCleaned the dining room/areaCleaned the entrywayCleaned out the refrigeratorCleaned up our digital lifeCleaned up the smudgesFixed at least one annoying thingCleaned the oven, stove, and microwave

And don’t forget, at the end of this series, you can hit Rinse and Repeat as many times as you want.

Why are we cleaning the pantry?

Your pantry is part of your home and budget’s security net. You need to monitor it and keep it in good shape. You need to know that you have enough on hand for emergencies, that pests like pantry moths, weevils, carpet beetles, or biscuit beetles haven’t found their way in, and of course, you need to remove expired food.

As everyone’s home is a little different. Some of you may be in a small space with very limited storage and have to get very creative when storing food in your home. Some of you may have a very large pantry, and some of you may have several shelves in the basement. This is why I’m using the term food storage in addition to the term pantry. You might have a cupboard shelf or two or maybe you have taken over the linen closet. Growing up, we had a couple of shelves in our laundry room. It doesn’t matter where it is, exactly. Wherever the food is kept, that is at is being cleaned today.

What do we need to clean the pantry or food storage area?

You aren’t going to need a lot for today:

pen/paperbroom/dustpantrash bag(s)vacuum and crevice toolpotentially all-purpose spray & rag or paper towelsmaybe a flashlight if your food storage areas are dim or unlitHow to clean the pantry or food storage area?

Start at your highest point and work down. This way you are knocking crumbs lower and only have to clean them once. As you remove each item from the shelf, if it is food, in its original packaging, first check the expiration and get rid of it if you need to, then check for holes and tears. If the food is unopened, but the packaging is damaged, you’re going to need to check closer for infestation, as that’s how the pests get in.

Once the shelf has been cleared first look up, (this is where your flashlight may come in handy) and then check the upper corners, look for any webbing or light-colored moths. Next, carefully check corners and crevices for any insect or rodent debris. Clean up ANY spills as this attracts more of our insect and rodent friends. If you can, transfer food to air-tight containers.

In my part of the country, as I write this, we’re already two weeks into hurricane season, lucky us. This means that it’s time for us to take stock and make sure we have at least enough food to get us through two weeks of no power. We also need to be able to store enough water for every family member for at least 72 hours minimum. (This is where your pen and paper comes in handy, what do you need to stock up on?)

The good news is that you don’t need to run out and stock up all at once after you do this deep clean. Just add a little bit to each shopping trip until you meet that general standard. Oh, I can hear those of you in evacuation zones clamoring, have we already forgotten March of 2020? Having non-perishable food on hand makes it much easier to stay home when you need to. It doesn’t take a worldwide pandemic to need to. Sometimes it’s just a very personal case of stomach flu. Speaking of that, go ahead and take stock of your first aid kit/medicine cabinet.

Do you have your basics? Good.

For later, regarding that air-tight storage:

It’s awesome if you can afford a set like these, but there is nothing wrong with repurposing jam jars, pickle jars, etc if that is the route you need to take. I used to be so happy whenever my mom and stepfather would pass along the empty gallon jars they bought their pickles in. They were perfect for storing grains or pasta in. I also used to ask the ladies in the bakery at the grocery store if they had any empty frosting buckets and they were happy to pass those along. I just had to wash those out. Just be polite and don’t ask when they are busy.

Ready? Let’s go!

It’s Time Again for Hurricane 101

June 1st marks the beginning of hurricane season. For those of us on the East and Gulf Coasts, we know this means anxious meteorologists glorifying every thunderstorm that appears in the oceans. Although the public tends to become jaded with media saturation, there is no reason to get caught with your pants down.

Hurricane Hugo was the landmark event of Heather and Lisa’s childhood. Thankfully their families made it through safely with relatively little damage. They remember not only the storm but the camaraderie that developed during the clean-up. Everyone in their neighborhoods pitched in, adults cleared downed trees, and grilled defrosting meals. Older kids babysat and entertained the younger ones so the adults could work unhindered. Heather was only eleven, and Lisa fifteen, so their memories consist mostly of the awesome forts we were able to build with scavenged materials. I was too young to understand what a nightmare filing for damages or dealing with FEMA could be.

Hurricane 101

Here are some tips to be sure you and your family are safe should a storm make landfall. (Many of these apply to those living near fault lines or in tornado country who don’t have the benefit of prior warning.)

Check your insurance coverage. Do you have adequate protection from both wind and water? Are they with the same or competing companies? Keep these documents in a safe, dry place, and remember to bring them along if you must evacuate.Have enough food and clean water for each family member to last at least 72 hours.One gallon of water per person per day. [image error] [image error] As long as water is still flowing it can be used after boiling.2 drops of unscented chlorine bleach purifies one quart of water. This is a last resort if boiling is not an option. Let any particles settle out, filter using coffee filters, paper towels, or a cloth, then add the bleach, stir or shake well, and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Your bleach must be at full strength, be sure to have a new, unopened bottle in your kit, rotate for a new one every three months. Food should be ready to eat or only require minimal preparation. Please don’t forget to have a manual can opener on hand. You may end up the most popular person on your block.Candles, batteries, flashlights, and a crank radio or battery-operated radio are a must.Keep your gas tank filled at least halfway at all times.Keep an emergency cash supply on hand, as ATMs do not work without power.Have an evacuation plan. Shelters are only for those in the most dire need, those who have nowhere else to go. Take identification and proof of residency with you. If an area is badly damaged law enforcement will restrict access to people trying to return.Have a plan for Fido and Fluffy as well. Most shelters do not take pets, know what you are going to do before a warning has been announced. As a pet owner, this is an important responsibility that is frequently overlooked. Have a well-stocked first-aid kit. Keep all prescription medications filled and take them with you, if you must leave. Have sturdy work gloves.  Keep an extra pair with your emergency kit.Have sturdy shoes, you don’t need to be nailing a tarp to your roof in flip flops.Except for emergencies, stay put after a storm. Emergency personnel have enough to deal with: restoring utilities and rescuing those who were injured in the storm. Don’t add to their workload.Curfews may be established. Obey all law enforcement personnel. People under severe stress may act erratically.Check on your neighbors, especially the elderly.Remember snakes and other wildlife may become disoriented after a storm. Watch where you step and never put your hands where you cannot see when removing storm debris.If you live in a rural area, learn how to safely operate a chainsaw. This goes for you ladies, too. Downed limbs are pretty much a given. STAY AWAY from power lines. Own one, keep it in good condition, and have gasoline, oil, and chain oil on hand. Have plenty of propane or charcoal for your grill. Heather brewed coffee using a grill in the past. The neighbors loved her for it.NEVER use a grill indoors. The flames produce deadly, odorless carbon monoxide. If you have to board your windows, make sure you already have the plywood on hand. It can be reused each year.Have a couple of tarps ready, they can be used to temporarily cover a broken window or a hole in the roof until more permanent repairs can be made.Remember cell towers may be damaged in a strong storm and communication may be spotty or non-existent for a while.

And finally, if you’re watching a storm with the potential to become a threat and you’re not in an evacuation zone, it’s time to check and make sure everything is ready.

Go ahead and get the laundry caught up, find the cooler, check the generator –if you have one– and swap the stored gasoline if you have / need that. Make ice if your freezer isn’t full.

A full freezer will stay at temperature for 48 hours, only 24 if it’s only half full.

If the kids have electronics, go ahead and make sure they are fully charged, and be ready to ration their use.

If a storm does look like it will hit, let the people who haven’t thought ahead deal with each other in those last few hours. You’re ready; stay home, safe and dry, and make your own version of Harriet McLeod’s Go Away Cookies.

Click this picture to read cleaning tips for every room of the house!

And while the drama is what the media plays on, remember it’s the little, preventable accidents that are most common.

Here is hoping for a quiet season!

Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com .

Deep Clean Week 12: The Oven, Range and Microwave

Welcome to week 12 of The Deep Clean Challenge.

If you’re just joining us, so far, as part of The Deep Clean Challenge, we have:

Cleaned up clutterCleaned the kitchenCleaned the bedroomCleaned the bathroomCleaned the living roomCleaned the dining room/areaCleaned the entrywayCleaned out the refrigeratorCleaned up our digital lifeCleaned up the smudgesFixed at least one annoying thing

You didn’t think that we would go through the entire deep clean series and never get to the oven, did you? No one likes to clean the oven, especially if it gets used a lot. It’s not just you, we all dread it.

First, I want to establish that here at Home-Ec101.com we live by the standard Know better, do better and this applies to all areas of our lives, including the advice we give. In the past, we have recommended using the self-clean feature on your ovens. Over time though, our stance on this is changing.

If you have a self-cleaning oven. It is up to you to determine whether or not you wish to use this feature. Appliance repair people often suggest not using this option.

Why? The oven gets so hot during the self-clean cycle that it can damage two important parts of the oven the control board and the thermostat. Replacing these items can be costly and depending on the tier of your appliance, it may be more cost-effective to replace the appliance than to repair it. We don’t want to contribute to waste or unnecessary spending.

Please choose whether or not to use the self-clean cycle on your oven based on your best judgment and follow the instructions in your operator’s manual, if you choose to use it.

If you do go ahead with the self-cleaning option, don’t forget to remove the racks and any big chunks of food from the bottom of the oven first. We don’t want you starting any fires. Also do not leave the house while the self-cleaning cycle is running.

Why are we cleaning the oven, range, and microwave?

Ten weeks ago we deep cleaned the kitchen, but if you remember that handy dandy printable/checklist, we did not deep clean the stove or oven. Why? It’s simple, time constraints. The goal of The Deep Clean Challenge is to not force you to give up your entire day off to clean your home. The Deep Clean Challenge’s goal is to spend no more than two hours focused on improving an area of your home. So, this week, we’re back in the kitchen and focusing on an aspect we did not get to.

What tools do we need to clean the oven, range, and microwave?microwave safe bowldistilled vinegarsponge with a scrubby side (or a ScrubDaddy, love those)degreasertrash bagsIf your kitchen is not well-ventilated a fanBarkeepers Friend orOven CleanerGLOVESpaper towels / ragselbow greaseoptional – a scraperHow do we get started cleaning the oven, range, and microwave?

Normally when we clean we take a top to bottom, left to right, dry to wet approach. When cleaning your oven/range, I, personally, find it much easier to get the worst over with. Gather your tools, and your patience put on your gloves and let’s do this.

How long should cleaning the oven, range, and microwave take?

This task may take the full two hours unless you have recently cleaned your oven.

Let’s get started.

NOTE: If you do choose to use the self-cleaning cycle on your oven and your range and oven are part of the same appliance, you will want to clean your range top first. You don’t want to heat up whatever chemical you choose to clean your range with.

Regardless of how you plan on cleaning your oven, start by removing the racks, scraping off what you can, spraying the racks down with oven cleaner and then tying them into a trash bag. Set the bag either outside or in a well-ventilated spot where it won’t get tripped over. The oven cleaner will work on the racks while you focus on other tasks.

Now, clean your range/stove-top. If you have an electric range with coils, remember that you can probably lift the top of the range after removing the coils. Do that and clean up any spills from underneath. Doing this regularly can help prevent a small grease fire from getting out of control. (Many people don’t know the tops lift and lots of grease and crumbs can accumulate over the years providing plenty of fuel.)

Once your range is clean, clean your oven. Remember, please follow the label’s instructions on your oven cleaner. If the room needs to be well-ventilated, do not ignore the warnings. We like our skin, our sinuses, and our lung tissue, let’s not damage them. Use a fan, open a window, turn on the vent hood.

You may have seen TikToks or Reels that show you how “easy” it is to take your oven door apart to clean the inside of the glass. . . Please consult your owners manual before taking that approach. It may not be as easy to put back together as it is to take apart. If you do not have your owners manual look all over your appliance for a metal rectangle with writing on it. This will have the model number of your appliance. Then search for the manufacturer of the appliance, the model number and owners manual. Your search will look something like: Kenmore #stringofnumbersandletters owners manual and you will find it available for download as a PDF.

If you have a gas range, please pay particular attention to the safety warnings associated with your appliance and do not spray any chemicals near open flames.

During any wait time that you have, give your microwave a thorough cleaning. Just keep repeating the steam process until you’ve worked through the layers of cooked on gunk. (Yes, that IS the technical term, thank you very much.)

Ready, set, go!

.

The Deep Clean Challenge: Small Project Week

Welcome to Week 11 of The Deep Clean Challenge.

Last week’s project was a two-parter. Which, by the way, that smudge hunt was pretty satisfying, wasn’t it? Especially if you have kids of any age living at home. It’s kind of impressive how much just getting rid of that stuff we don’t typically notice can brighten up a room.

It might not be as exciting as new Brita filter day or new contact day, but it was a good day. We need to celebrate the little wins to find what we need to make it through the harder times. So before we get started on the challenge to fix the annoying thing, take a moment to look back at what you have done and be proud of yourself. (Do not sit there and tell yourself you could have done any of it better, you did the best you could at the time. You can hit Rinse and repeat at the end.)

If you’re just joining us, so far, as part of The Deep Clean Challenge, we have:

Cleaned up clutterCleaned the kitchenCleaned the bedroomCleaned the bathroomCleaned the living roomCleaned the dining room/areaCleaned the entrywayCleaned out the refrigeratorCleaned up our digital lifeCleaned up the smudgesAre you ready for this week’s challenge?

Have you noticed the pattern in how we explain each week’s challenge? Why are we doing this thing? What do we need to do it? How to do it? Let’s get started? Unfortunately, since we are all probably doing something different this week, we can’t do anything but cheer you on.

FIX THE ANNOYING THING IN YOUR HOME.

Heather’s project: I would like to take the ethernet cable that has been in our hallway for three years and run it through the attic. However, my son is graduating on Saturday and we’re having the party at my house, so reality says I may just be cleaning up after that and that will be ok, too. Sometimes life just is that way and we have to give ourselves grace.

I would like to see, in the comments, what project you are doing this week..

Are you ready? Let’s go!

All About Beef Chuck

What is beef chuck?

Beef chuck is a weird phrase, right? Doing a little etymological digging, it seems that the term chuck started out as “chunk” and slowly evolved into “chuck.” There are various stories about the chuck wagon in the American cowboy tradition being a part of this, but I’m not sure how much of this is accurate. It does make sense that the toughest part of the cow would be the part eaten by those doing the work. However, also looking at history, cowboys tended to eat beans for their protein as they are much easier to preserve and transport (think about it), but we digress. We are here to talk about beef chuck.

So that’s the word history. What about the cut today?

As part of the modern butchering process, a side of beef is hung upside down and cooled for about two weeks before being processed further. This is standard practice, and aging is part of the tenderizing process. When the side of beef is broken down into manageable parts, the butcher starts with eight main cuts, these are known as the primal cuts.

What part of the cow does the beef chuck come from?

The chuck is the shoulder of the cow and is found over the front leg.

When removed from the side of beef, this large cut is basically a large chunk of meat comprised of five muscles. (See, there’s chunk again.)

On a cow, the front leg does a lot of the work of walking. And as the front leg is responsible for a lot of the stabilization and the work of navigation when walking over less than perfectly smooth ground. If you have ever walked through a field, you know they are riddled with holes, and the ground is often muddy.

These shoulder muscles do a lot to keep the cow from stumbling.

When you think about tenderness—meat, not emotional—the less a muscle is used, the more tender it generally is. Additionally, the less connective tissue a muscle contains also contributes to how tender it will be and what kind of cooking will suit it best.

Meat from the chuck region tends to contain a LOT of connective tissue.

What cuts of beef come from the chuck?

Hold on to your hat, there are a lot of names here, and they vary by region (and country), but for simplicity, we are going to stick to the US, Canada, England, and Australia since that’s where most of you are.

7-bone pot roast/7 bone roast/center cut pot roast7-bone steak/center chuck steakarm roast/arm pot roast/chuck arm roast/round bone pot roast/round bone roastarm steak/arm chuck steak/arm Swiss steak/round bone steak/round bone Swiss steakblade roast/blade pot roast/blade chuck roastchuck eye/mock tender./chuck fillet/chuck filet/chuck tender/Scotch tenderchuck eye steak/chuck fillet steak/chuck filet steak/beauty steak/chuck tender steak/fish steakchuck steakcross rib roast/cross rib pot roast/Boston cut/English cut roast/English roast/thick rib roast/bread and butter cut/beef chuck cross rib pot roast/English roll (boneless)ground chuckpot roastshoulder steak/English steak/clod steaktop blade pot roast/flat iron roast/lifter roast/puff roast/triangle roasttop blade steak/book steak/butler steak/lifter steak/petite steak/top chuck steak/flat iron steakunder blade pot roast/bottom chuck roast/California roast/under-cut roastunder blade steak/bottom chuck steak/California steakWhat kind of recipes best suit beef chuck?

Beef chuck is one of the most inexpensive cuts of beef (as far as beef can be considered cheap) due to its tendency to be tough. However, if you are willing to take the time to choose recipes that suit the cuts well you will be rewarded with the excellent flavor that this primal cut is known for.

When choosing recipes for the larger cuts from the beef chuck, you are going want to look for recipes that use both a low and slow and wet cooking method—think stews and braising.

Sometimes you can get away with quick cooking methods. Still, you are almost always going to need a tenderizing method first, either mechanical tenderization, such as what is used to make cube steaks, or actually grinding the meat to make ground beef, or chemically tenderizing the meat through marinating.

Be extra careful when reading a recipe for a roast. Make sure that you carefully write down the type of roast that the recipe calls for and match it word for word with what is on the label. If you are unsure, ask. If the employee at the supermarket doesn’t know, because it isn’t their department, research. You can’t just swap out one roast for another. There is a big difference between a chuck roast and a rib roast. muscles are completely different and require very different cooking for good results.

Is there a time of year beef chuck goes on sale?

Beef, in general, tends to go on sale in the early fall. However, I like to cruise by the beef display every trip to the grocery store to see if they have any beef chuck on sale that I can snap up and re-wrap for the freezer when I get home. Sometimes I get lucky.

What recipes on Home-Ec101 are best suited for beef chuck?Company-Worthy Pot RoastBeef StewDijon and Balsamic Pot RoastSimple Pot Roast

Cube steak are best for these, but you can use round steak and cube them yourself.

Country Style Cube SteakCountry Fried Steak

Naturally we also have quite a few that work well for ground chuck, but please note that any ground beef will work for these:

Albondigas – our family’s take on Mexican Meatball SoupCheeseburger MacaroniGround Beef and Gravy – Comfort FoodGround Beef and Cabbage – A Quick Dinner FavoriteGround Beef and Cabbage – Unstuffed Cabbage RollsMeatballsMeatloafPhilly SkilletSloppy JoesSpaghetti SauceStroganoffTaco SkilletTaco SoupWeeknight Albondigas Soup

Deep Clean Week 10: Smudge and Peeve Hunt and Elimination

Hello!

This week isn’t an off week, but it IS a lighter one, but that break serves a purpose. You’re going to use a little mental energy to plan for next week. (Just in case you weren’t consciously aware: using your mental and emotional energy IS work.)

Welcome to Week 10 of The Deep Clean Challenge: The Smudge and Peeve Hunt. This three-week stretch, the digital clean-up, the smudge hunt, and project week, is my favorite.

If you’re just joining us, so far, as part of The Deep Clean Challenge, we have:

Cleaned up clutterCleaned the kitchenCleaned the bedroomCleaned the bathroomCleaned the living roomCleaned the dining room/areaCleaned the entrywayCleaned out the refrigeratorCleaned up our digital lifeWhy are we cleaning up smudges and smears for today’s Deep Clean Challenge?

Dinginess, for lack of a better word, tends to sneak up on us. It happens one fingerprint or smudge at a time until one day we’re wondering why picking up the clutter doesn’t seem to make as much of a difference as it used to.

What do we need for today’s Deep Clean Challenge?

For today’s main goal, you need just two things:

a roll of paper towels or a ragyour favorite all-purpose cleaner.

When I say all-purpose cleaner, I mean anything from a 50:50 vinegar solution to Method’s Pink Grapefruit Spray to dilute Pinesol. What you use in your home is your choice. Just choose one, we’re on a mission.

How do we start the smudge hunt?

Pick a room, and look around. Find all the smudges and fingerprints. Spray your rag and wipe them away.

Where do these smudges and fingerprints live? Door jams, around doorknobs, switch plates, cupboards if you have white ones, banisters, stair railings, etc. Anywhere anything light-colored exists in your home that is anywhere around the waist or shoulder height of any person in your home, there are likely finger and handprints.

Speaking of in your home, if you have pets, check the walls and corners where they like to hide. If they have any oils in their coats, you might want to give the wall and baseboard in those corners a quick wipe, too. (Remember to test before using anything on paint to ensure you won’t cause damage.)

This project shouldn’t take too long unless you are very lucky indeed, and in that case, may we come over for hors d’ oeuvres in the garden some afternoon?

No matter what, you’ll be surprised at how much better your home will look after a round of smudge patrol. That’s how things build up in our lives, a little at a time. If you do the rinse and repeat on this series, yes, there will be more to wipe away, but probably not as many, and it won’t take as long.

But, you also mentioned peeves; what do you mean?

We all have something in our home that annoys us. Maybe it’s just us, but there is something.

Today while you are smudge hunting, find ONE thing that you can fix for next week’s assignment. Now, there is a catch, and it needs to be something that you can fix within your two-hour Home-Ec101 project block. (I really don’t want you deciding that I meant that you needed to turn your home into an open-floor concept.)

Potential peeves:

squeaky doors that need to be lubricated a set of broken blindsa glass shower door with serious hard water build-upa broken toilet handlea lightbulb that’s particularly annoying to replace is out again the banister where your teen boys insist on dismounting the stairs like it’s the Olympic vaulting event has paint peeling (oh, just me?)a missing drawer pull and you’re tired of prying the drawer open

What is something that you have just been tolerating? Take a walk around your home like you were a home inspector.

When you find your project. Write it down. Do you know how to fix it or are you going to need to research it? Find a video on YouTube and then watch another in case there is a better way. Do you need to order any parts or tools? Do that now, so they’ll be here in time.

What are you going to accomplish next week? I’d love to hear about it?