On a recent Holland America cruise to Alaska, they had a couple of live America’s Test Kitchen on board. I bought the ONLY America’s Test Kitchen apron that was on the boat. The sessions were full, but the classes were so very simple, it was a little disappointing and I have to admit most of the people in the classes could not cook very much, as they asked the most inane questions. Maybe I should do this, but I don’t think I would like the “stateroom” you might get for free. The one I paid for was a small cave in the dungeon and the last one on the back of the boat.
Month: July 2018
How to Store Cheese
How to Open a Coconut
Love to Cook with Peppers.
Here’s a great article from Real Simple Magazine. Enjoy!
Kitchen Trends You Should Know for 2018
Ceramic Tile versus Porcelain
But before we walk through each scenario, let’s note the key difference between porcelain and ceramic tile. Though they’re manufactured with different types of clay, the Tile Council of North America defines porcelain in terms of water absorption. Specifically, porcelain tiles absorb less than 0.5 percent of water. Ceramic and other non-porcelain tiles absorb more than 0.5 percent water.
The best pick: Porcelain
Remember, the TCNA defines porcelain as the tile that absorbs less than 0.5 percent of moisture. Why doesn’t porcelain absorb much moisture? According to the TCNA, porcelain is naturally dense, which means it’s harder to penetrate. In other words, it’s nearly waterproof. This property makes porcelain a no-brainer for bathroom installations, as well as other areas of your home that are exposed to moisture.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that ceramic is a bad choice for bathrooms. In fact, many homeowners install ceramic in their showers and on their bathroom floors. However, porcelain’s impermeability will ensure you have the best protection against moisture.
The best pick: Ceramic
Not all porcelain tile is costly, but if you shop around long enough, you’ll start to notice a trend: It’s generally more expensive than ceramic is. If you’re on a tight budget, ceramic will fit the bill. It’s difficult to find a quality porcelain tile under $3 per square foot; high-end porcelain tile will easily surpass $5 per square foot. Ceramic, on the other hand, seldom costs more than $4 per square foot, and there are plenty of affordable styles under $2 per square foot.
The best pick: Porcelain
Both ceramic and porcelain excel in high-traffic areas in comparison with other flooring types (such as hardwood, laminate, and carpet). But porcelain is a denser tile, and as a result, it offers better long-term resistance to scuffs and scratches. Through-body porcelain, where the color on top of the tile goes all the way throughout the tile’s body, is especially scratch resistant. Living rooms and hallways are two of the perfect places to install porcelain. Households with children and pets will appreciate porcelain’s durability.
The best pick: Ceramic
Density isn’t always a perk. Ceramic is easier to cut and install than porcelain is. According to the TCNA, non-porcelain tiles are easier to affix to the floor than porcelain tile. If you’re planning to install tile yourself, especially in a situation where many cuts are required, you could find yourself in hot water. The job could quickly turn sloppy, and you may dish out more money to have a pro correct your mistakes.
The best pick: Porcelain
When it comes to patio flooring, the great outdoors can be unforgiving. This is another scenario where porcelain’s impermeability wins. When ceramic tile freezes, it absorbs moisture. This causes ceramic to expand and break. You could be looking at a flooring replacement much sooner than expected.
If you live in an area that is prone to hard freezes, ceramic tile is out of the question for an outdoor space. If you live in a climate where freezes are occasional or uncommon, ceramic is risky at best. Carefully weigh your decision when deciding between porcelain or ceramic.
Here’s a fun one
You Should Keep Toothpaste in Your Laundry Basket—Here’s Why
This is from Apartment Therapy
Laundry isn’t just about washing dirty clothes so you have clean ones to wear. It’s about cleaning and maintaining your wearables and textiles so that they always look their best, whether that means making jewelry sparkle, getting stains out of the lining of a purse, or keeping shoes looking their sharpest. And there’s a simple way to have all those things: A tube of non-gel toothpaste.
Next time you’re grocery shopping, grab a basic tube of toothpaste and stash it in your laundry room, or with the bag or kit, you take with you to the laundromat. It can do so much more than brushing your pearly whites.
Here are some of our favorite things that you can do with toothpaste:
Clean the rubber off your sneakers. Scrub with an old toothbrush and a dab of toothpaste to get those white rubber edges looking like new.
Get the gunk off your iron. Squeeze some toothpaste onto a rag and scrub your iron with it. Wipe off with another wet rag and dry.
Remove lipstick, ink, and grass stains from clothing. Cover the stain with toothpaste, rub together vigorously, rinse with warm water, and launder as usual.
Remove wine stains from tablecloths. Smear with toothpaste and let sit before laundering as usual.
Address exploding ink stains with toothpaste. Using the same basic method as above, dab toothpaste on the stains, rub together and then rinse.
Make jewelry sparkle. Use an old toothbrush and some toothpaste to scrub everything from gold chains to your rings’ precious stones. Rinse and wear.
Remove errant wads of gum from clothing. Smear the toothpaste over the gum and then flatten the wad with a ruler or something else with a flat, sharp edge. Once the toothpaste dries, the gum should be easier to remove.
Buff scuffed shoes. Dab with toothpaste and rub with a soft cloth.
Reese’s Stuffed Rice Krispies Treats
Talk about easy and way too delicious! These are the new Rice Krispy Treats. It’s not that traditional Rice Krispies aren’t good, they’re just a little boring and safe. These are the opposite. They’re over-the-top and surprising in a way that everyone, including Krispies, treats purists, will love.
And it just does not get any easier….
- Line a 9”-x-13” pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray. In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt butter. Stir in marshmallows, peanut butter, and salt and stir until mixture is melted. Remove from heat.
- Immediately add Rice Krispies and stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Working quickly, press half of mixture into an even layer in the pan, then top with a layer of Reese’s. Press remaining mixture over Reese’s.
- Drizzle with melted chocolate and peanut butter, then refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
- Slice into squares and serve. Maybe that should say slice & eat!
12 MYTHS ABOUT COFFEE
Every cup of coffee you drink comes a glass-half-full (or half-empty, depending on your mood) of insatiable questions. Outside of cannabis and maybe alcohol, coffee is probably the most misunderstood, readily available vice.
For instance, you may have heard coffee makes you poop like a racehorse on laxatives. And yes, that one’s true. But these 12 well-trodden myths are absolutely wrong. Read up, then wake up, kids.
1. Your afternoon cup will cause rampant insomnia
Caffeine is a stimulant. Obviously. But the caffeine you consume in your post-lunch cup of is processed through the liver at a fairly quick clip, and nearly all of it (roughly 75%) is flushed out of your body within four to seven hours.
So, if you’ve been scared to drink that second or third cup at 2pm… well, you shouldn’t be. Unless you are scared to poop in your office (see above).
2. You need to use boiling water on the grounds
If the temperature of your water goes above 200 degrees Fahrenheit, the water can start to extract some of the bitter oils from coffee grounds and may even scorch them. You can attribute the burnt taste of coffee to boiling water poured directly on the grounds. In other words, don’t drop it like it’s hot.
3. Coffee dehydrates you
Take a look at your cup of coffee. Notice the watery consistency? You can attribute the lack of natural dehydration to all the added water in a cup of coffee. The amount of H2O in a cup makes up for the dehydrating effects of caffeine.
Still, you might not want to substitute coffee for Gatorade after your next sports ball game.
4. Coffee will cure your hangover
It might make you feel a little less groggy, and more alert (as coffee is prone to do). But trust me, it won’t cure your hangover. Sorry. Try exercising.
5. Coffee helps you lose weight
You know supermodels live on a diet of cigs and coffee, right? Well, the stimulating effects of caffeine can slightly increase your metabolism, but not enough to make a dent in your diet, especially in terms of long-term weight loss. Caffeine may reduce your desire to eat for a brief time, but there’s not enough evidence to show that long-term consumption aids weight loss. It could give you a little more energy to exercise though, right?
6. Caffeine is highly addictive
While there’s a little bit of truth to this one, it’s not as bad as Jessie Spano made it seem in Saved by the Bell. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, which causes a very slight dependence, however, the withdrawal effects last only a day or two and are a far cry from the withdrawal effects of, oh, let’s say heroin. Coffee is not a gateway drug.
7. Coffee stunts your growth
This myth has been around forever and used to be the sole reason why I believed my NBA career never came to fruition. However, the belief that coffee does stunt your growth is just another lie told to short people. It’s unclear how this myth got started, but there’s no scientific evidence supporting it. I guess I just wasn’t genetically gifted… or good at basketball.
8. Coffee causes heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, rabies, scabies, etc.
Calm down, everything is going to be fine. This is mainly some Reefer Madness bullshit for the cafe set.
Consuming a moderate amount (up to 300 milligrams or three cups of coffee) of caffeine on the daily isn’t going to hurt you. If you have high blood pressure, you could potentially experience a temporary rise in heart rate, but there is no link between caffeine and high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, or rabies. Especially rabies. There’s even plenty of evidence from places like Harvard that coffee can be good for you, in moderation.
9. Pregnant women shouldn’t drink coffee
Caffeine won’t harm a fetus, however, it is advised that women should limit their daily caffeine intake to only 200 milligrams — about one cup of standard coffee.
Caffeine can pass through the placenta and reach the baby, but there are no concrete studies proving it’s harmful. But… if you don’t want your baby to get all over active inside there, you might just want to play it safe and stick to decaf tea.

10. The darker the roast, the stronger the coffee
Quite the opposite, actually! Roasting actually burns off the caffeine and gives you more of an acidic taste.
11. All coffee has the same amount of caffeine
Not all coffees are brewed the same, and some cups have a hell of a lot more caffeine. For instance, McDonald’s has a measly 9.1 milligrams per fluid ounce as compared to the massive 20-milligram cup of Starbucks. Not all coffee is created equal, and this can definitely explain why some joe makes you a little more amped than others.
12. A cup of coffee will sober you up
The short answer? No. Caffeine can make an intoxicated person more alert, in theory, but a study by The American Psychological Association concluded that coffee does not reverse the negative cognitive impact of alcohol. It’s actually even worse for you, they report: “People who have consumed both alcohol and caffeine may feel awake and competent enough to handle potentially harmful situations, such as driving while intoxicated or placing themselves in dangerous social situations.”
Only time can sober you up. So please, don’t think coffee is your blotto panacea.