File this under handy tips
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I’m always interested in learning a new trick or two and that’s why I am confident you will be interested as well. My therapist says I have a habit of assigning my values and belief system upon others and that is why I frequently feel society lets me down. So if you aren’t thrilled with these tips, I’m going to be very disappointed in you.
A whisk can really turn that mother out.
I’ve had some issues in the past with mixing baking soda into muffin and/or banana bread batter. After the confection comes out of the oven I tend to get a small burst of baking soda in at least one of the muffins. Obviously that tiny lump of baking soda did not get mixed in. I have experimented with a sifter and that works as well, but it’s cumbersome.
And I don’t have time for cumbersome, jinjah.*
I’m at home by myself on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 am until 3 pm while all three kids are at school.
Side note: To all the potential murderers in the house: please disregard that fact.
So you can see why I do not have time for cumbersome activities.
But my whisk has changed all of that. For some reason that I don’t need to understand, the whisk beats that pesky baking soda — and her willful cousin baking powder — into submission. Problem solved.
If you have bad news, cut to the chase.
I was just listening to Reba McEntire’s version of “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” and I ran into the phrase, “Sit down, I’ve got some bad news, it’s gonna hurt.”
Side note: Stellar acting in that video and the judge in that town really does have bloodstains on his hands.
I hate hearing a long, drawn out story without knowing the conclusion first. If you have some bad news present it this way.
Sit down, I’ve got some bad news, it’s gonna hurt. You don’t have to sing it the way Reba does, but I’d enjoy it if you did.
Then you can tell me my cat was just run over by a car or we’re having a snow day. You can sing that part too if you want but I won’t hold it against you if you choose to speak it.
Krazy glue/super glue trumps a band-aid any day of the week.
Winter jacks up my skin and I tend to have cracks on my knuckles. It’s hard to heal cracked skin on your hands, trust me. But if you slap a little super glue on it, it’ll heal right up.
Super glue can also allow you to hang from a steel beam, but I’m not willing to try out the claim myself.
One last side note: My mother absolutely hated that commercial and every time it came on she would mock it.
The concept of some guy hanging from a hard hat glued to a steel beam just pissed her off and she had to comment on that every time she saw it. That made me laugh back then and it makes me laugh today.
* Did you catch that up there? So many of you pronounce gingah with a J that I decided to throw you a bone. Today I want you to replace the hard G with a J so we can all feel like we’re sitting in England while reading this post.
Toodle pip.
Tags: Things that require my sarcasm
Wait, so it’s NOT “Jin-jah”? I thought it was some hip, urban saying, not some stuff British term. I’m confused. But I TOTALLY do the Krazy Glue thing on these weird cuts I get around my cuticles. Works like a charm . . . gin-gah . . . ?
Uh, FER-REALS here. I’ve been Jinjah-in’ with the best of ‘em since way the hell back when.
So, HUH??
@JD No, it’s not a British term and it ain’t hip or urban. Didn’t you read the Cardiogirl Slang post? It’s a hard G, jack, but most of my peeps thought it was J which is so surprising to me.
Click on my little recorder over there on the left and you’ll hear me say it for ya.
@Tracy That Jinjah *is* sort of catchy, hence today’s usage. But it’s always a G when it comes out of my mouth. I have no documented proof of this but I imagine it has something to do with Genghis Khan.
Wait a minute. Wouldn’t that be a hoot if it’s supposed to be pronounced JEN-jiss Kaaan?
Super glue is great. The stuff we use to glue lacerations in the office is basically a glorified (and way more expensive) super glue.
I will try the whisk. I hate those little bitter nuggets in my baked goods.
I did learn about this tip from my D-list doctor. That’s about the only thing he’s been good for; he tends to be a sarcastic prick every time I talk to him. His favorite phrase for me is, “You sure like to do things the hard way, don’t you?”
No, asshole. I don’t like doing things that way, it just seems to be my effing lot in life, but thanks for sharing your opinion and chuckling while you say it.
Yeah, there are some rage issues there hence his status as D-list. I prefer my primary doctor, but sometimes he’s not on stand-by waiting for me to call. He needs to work on that.
You know, a sifter is a pain – but you could use a fine mesh sieve. Drop your dry ingredients in there and scrape the whisk around to mix and sift :) A lot easier than hoping that all the chunks of baking soda get mixed properly.
Okay, I actually do have a fine mesh sieve that is hand-held. The sieve itself is small, it holds maybe a third of a cup (71 ml — look how clever I am) so I have to use a tablespoon to transfer the flour from the cup to the sieve six times.
But I have done it and it does work well especially on crepes.
i was happy to see jinjah. i had to scrolled down before i finished reading the rest to see what prompted the change. gingah sounds like that game with the blocks. jenga.
did you hear about the three women who krazy glued a man’s “richard” to his body. he was cheating with all three of them. that had to hurt. bet ya he winces at the sight of.
sorry, but it came to mind. sad, that’s all i got out of this post.
Yay-yeah! I made you scroll down, woo-hoo!
I remember that game but never had it or played it. Is it any fun?
Isn’t that an urban myth? Yes, I’ve heard about that but I didn’t know it was three women.
Oh. My. Gosh.
I adore that song. I love Reba in general, but that song is one of my all-time favorites and has been for years. And I love the way the video is done, with her as an old lady, retelling the story. Now I have to go listen to it again. :)
And the whisk is one of my fav kitchen tools, too. Mine is a super-duper, heavy-duty, chrome-plated (well, not really) commercial model and I pledge my eternal devotion (kitchen-wise) to it. That and my apple corer/slicer.
(Jumps in the air and gives you an unexpected chest bump giving you a minor concussion) Reba *is* awesome. I never figured out that the judge was sleeping with that betch, too.
It took watching that video to learn that. And now that I know that, she did deserve to be taken down by Andy’s sister.
I wonder if I used an industrial-strength whisk if I’d fall in love. Mine is from Meijer and is at least 16 years old.
Totally whisk ya. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I thought a fork would work just as well, and if not I’d use a mixer and then I read on thepioneerwoman.com I should get a whisk and I did, and I am forever grateful. For the whisk, and all the other wonderful delights she has added to my kitchen.
I looove handy tips. I always used to read “Hints from Heloise” in the paper.
I’m not disappointed, I’m judgmental… or just think you’re ignorant. I’m getting better at saying, “I just don’t understand some people.” That’s the best I can do.
I remember thinking that was an odd commercial as a child.
And I have trouble with superglue. Always getting the lid on right or getting it where it’s supposed to go. I have a drop of glue on a pair of jeans, and there’s a little dark, hard spot that will be there forever. It is very handy for a broken nail.
I love me some old school Reba.
Ba dump bump (cymbals crash)
I really need to get into this pioneer chick, I’ve heard of her but haven’t really read anything. I love Heloise as well! I think she has a column in Ladies’ Home Journal. My MIL gets that and when we visit I look for old Heloise.
It is hard to keep that lid functioning.
Yes, I recommend Pioneer Woman for everyone. I’ve tried many recipes I never would have if it hadn’t been for her pictorial, step by step recipes, sometimes bringing my laptop to the kitchen just to make sure it looks right. And she’s funny.
I did see her Chicken Parmigiana and I wondered if I could use a real hammer to flatten the chicken. I don’t have a kitchen mallet.
I’d use something with a larger surface area. I use a liquor bottle (that I use as a bookend) because I don’t have one either.
I wonder which is cheaper — a kitchen mallet or a bottle of wine.
I cannot live without my whisks. I have six of them, actually — I got a four-pack of the cheapie ones years and years ago. My favorite one of the cheapies is the second-to-biggest one, but the tiny one is useful for little sauces. I like to steam fresh green beans and dress them with a mixture of sesame oil and tamari (fancy soy sauce; regular works almost as well), and that little whisk is handy for mixing the oil and soy sauce together properly. But then I bought a whisk with a big, round, strong handle, and I ADORE that one. I always reach for it, so when it went AWOL last week I panicked. Secure from panic, however — the darn thing fell out the back of my drawer into my baking cupboard. Dammit. Then I also have a flat whisk for whisking sauces in pans where the sauce could coagulate where the sides meet the bottom, but I don’t really like the model I have. I bought it at Tuesday Morning, however, so it was stupidly cheap, I am sure.
For the record, I made these yummy (and healthy!) blueberry muffins for a party on Sunday, and after whisking the dry ingredients together, I started putting the wet ingredients in another bowl. But somehow I got distracted (ooo shiny!) and started dumping wet ingredients into my dry ones. Oops! They turned out fine, however. I was a wee bit scared till I pulled them out of the oven.
Also! Make sure your baking powder is not expired. It goes bad after about six months. I mean, it won’t poison you or anything, but it loses a lot of its lifting ability. I also try to break up all those bits of baking soda before I measure them into my bowl so I don’t have to worry about clumps in my batter.
So if I slice my fingers open while chopping something (I’m good at that), I can just apply super glue to the wound? Really??
I’ve bought my fair share of things at Tuesday Morning, but they always give me the creeps.
@blue I have never heard of a flat whisk. I had to Google that. In my head I imagined it was half round and half flat, as if you cut the sphere in half and that didn’t seem useful.
And clearly it wasn’t because that’s not what it looks like. I am absolutely positive my baking soda is expired. Waaaay expired. I wonder if my baked goods would taste a hell of a lot better if I used fresh baking soda.
It is 23 cents a box, you know.
Hmm, the super glue is for small cuts — not as small as a paper cut, but not a gaping laceration. Although, Michelle is a doctor and she said she uses it at work (glorified, expensive super glue, but super glue nonetheless) so maybe it does work on larger gashes.
@Liz I’ve never heard of Tuesday Morning, either. Yes, this rock is toasty warm.
Oh, you’d love it, CG. Really. Cheap stuff, inexpensive that is. Really cheap, and some of it really good quality. Mostly home goods. According to my mother, they only used to be open on Tuesday mornings.
Apparently the Tuesday Morning moniker is because they get new deliveries on Tuesday Mornings. So there you are. I love that place. I get all sorts of nifty homegoods stuff for cheap, and it’s also useful for buying neat little gifty things for folks. I bought a bunch of my Christmas gifts there. It doesn’t creep me out, though, not like Big Lots does. Or Building 19. Ick. Building 19 is terrible, but then my friend told me they get their stuff from fire sales. But still!! Creepy.
Man, ask and you shall receive.
Once again, I’ve never heard of Building 19. But it looks like they’re on in Mass. That explains that.
Sweep the leg, how have I never seen that video before~?~ I love that song, I love Reba, and I am astounded that I’ve never seen it, but what a good video~!~
Also glad to see “jinjah” — I know you told me when I asked that it’s got a hard “g”, but I always prnounce it with a “j” sound in my head.
Well done on the ~!~ Erin, props to you. As I said before, the J is growing on me. It was actually you who alerted me to it. Thanks, you’ve started a trend here in the Lounge.
You do realize there is a big difference between Krazy glueing your hand cracks together and Krazy glueing a hard hat to a steel beam? Jinjah – not to be confused with ginger.
Yeah, but I still think it would be interesting to try out the steel beam trick. As an observer.
Krazy clue commercial guy! Awesome!
I don’t get dry skin cracks on my skin, but rather on the tips of my fingers near the nail. So painful. Kick to the boy parts painful. Worst part of winter.
With bad news, i think it’s more effective to just say the bad news then comfort the person rather than going the long way round. Do it fast, like a Band-aid.
Zeus
Yo Zeus, a long time ago somebody told me the guy hanging from the hat was someone famous like Jeff Bridges or the husband from Roseanne. But the close up of him in the beginning is not a face I recognize.
I am a huge fan of the Band-aid analogy.
Oi Tudo Bem CG,
That’s Portuguese…for hey how are you…exact translation is hi alls well but you get what I’m saying!
Crazy Glue is friggin awesome, point blank period! I’ve never tried it on cuts before but I’m taking your word for it and will recommend it to The Spaniard, he has similar knuckle cracking skin problems. I insisted he use more lotion to try to keep his skin moist (I hate this word) but that doesn’t seem to help. Now I will suggest the crazy glue.
In my head I’ve always pronounced Jinjah with a J even though you’ve spelled it with a G. It just rolls of the tongue in my head that way, go figure.
Oh and I agreee bad news should be delivered swiftly.
Olive oil. Hubs holds his hands out and I rub them down in olive oil every week or so.
@Faith I missed you chica! I’m so glad you’re back. I’ve tried to the lotion route too (but not consistently) and it doesn’t seem to do it for me. I wonder what would happen if I did use it on a regular basis.
@Liz But how long does he leave it on and doesn’t it get all over everything he touches?
You rub it in just like lotion, just takes a little longer to rub it all in. I only use 4-5 drops for each hand. And when I’m done rubbing his hands down then he normally wipes his palms on my butt because he thinks it’s funny not because there’s much residue left.
You know what you need? Paraffin.
Okay then. It sounds like that’s a two-person job.
I’ve always used a whisk if I’m mixing like pancake batter or brownie batter if I’m not using my kitchenAid. Nothing worse than putting your fork into a pancake and finding a pocket of powdery ick.
Gah, I absolutely HATE seeing that powder in a pancake. Yuck.
I do have a KitchenAid mixer as well, but I’m a lazy ass and never pull it out. Unless I’m makin’ cake — which is rare.
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I am totally on board with the superglue thing except I’ve noticed that when I unintentionally get superglue all over myself (don’t ask), it takes forever (or days) to come off (side note: peeling those thin shreds of dried glue off my fingers and seeing the whorls of my fingerprints in them is almost as entertaining as popping bubble wrap) but when I intentionally glue shut an awkwardly positioned cut, that stuff barely lasts through one shower. What’s up with that?!
It does take a long time for that stuff to peel off and I totally remember the fascination of putting Elmer’s glue all over my hand and then slowly peeling it off.
Does anyone *not* love popping bubble wrap? I don’t think so.
I wonder if 90% of the glue is getting on other parts and only 10% is getting on the cut. I make it a production — I focus on the super glue, but a huge dot on the cut and then let it dry for five minutes.
Overkill, yes, but it works well.
I agree with the bad news. Stop hemmin’ and hawin’ already and just SAY IT.
As far as Krazy Glue…heh…when I worked in an emergency department, Dermabond was fairly new. And since it has to hold skin together (in place of sutures) it is *wicked* strong, and didn’t wash off when we’d wash our hands all day. So that’s what we’d use for those little cracks. Anywho, we loved the Dermabond…until we found out that it’s like, $45 per vial. For ONE little one-use vial. Even if we were sharing, that’s insane.
We went back to Band-Aids, Tegaderms, and good ole Krazy Glue.
That’s one of the things about being a doctor that would be really difficult — having to tell the family the patient died or is a vegetable. But I don’t think doctors hem or haw.
How does Dermabond come off? Does it eventually wear away after a couple of weeks? My Krazy glue peels off after four or five days, I think.