Month: January 2019

Lemon Bliss Cake

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Lemon 1.jpg
This wonderful recipe was from King Arthur Cake and is a lovely golden lemon cake, extra-moist and nicely tangy due to its fresh lemon juice glaze. Baking this cake in a Bundt pan turns it from everyday to special-occasion, perfect for everything from birthday parties to an elegant dinner.

Baking gluten-free? For great results, substitute King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour for the all-purpose flour in this recipe; no other changes needed.

Lemon 2.jpg

AT A GLANCE

PREP: 
BAKE: 
TOTAL: 
YIELD: 12 to 16 servings

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

  • 16 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter*, at room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
  • 1 cup milk, whole milk preferred
  • finely grated rind of 2 medium lemons OR 3/4 teaspoon lemon oil
  • *If you use salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to 3/4 teaspoon.

GLAZE

  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice; the juice of about 1 1/2 juicy lemons
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

ICING (OPTIONAL)

  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Beat together the butter, sugar, and salt, first until combined, then until fluffy and lightened in color. 
  3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl once all the eggs have been added, and beat briefly to re-combine any residue.
  4. Measure the flour by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Whisk the baking powder into the flour. Add the flour mixture to the batter in three parts alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the flour. The batter may look slightly curdled when you add the milk. That’s OK; it’ll smooth out as you add the flour. Mix until everything is well combined; the batter will look a bit rough, but shouldn’t have any large lumps. Stir in the grated lemon rind or lemon oil.
  5. Thoroughly grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, leveling it and smoothing the top with a spatula.
  6. Bake the cake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. A pan with a dark interior will bake cake more quickly; start checking at 40 minutes.
  7. While the cake is baking, make the glaze by stirring together the lemon juice and sugar. Microwave or heat over a burner briefly, stirring to dissolve the sugar. You don’t want to cook the lemon juice, so microwave just until very warm, but not uncomfortably hot — less than 1 minute should do it. Set the glaze aside.
  8. Remove the cake from the oven, and carefully run a knife between cake and pan all around the edge. Place the pan upside down on a cooling rack. If the cake drops out of the pan onto the rack, remove the pan. If the cake doesn’t drop onto the rack, let it rest for 5 minutes, then carefully lift the pan off the cake. If the cake still feels like it’s sticking, give it another 5 minutes upside down, then very gently shake the pan back and forth to loosen and remove it.
  9. Brush the glaze all over the hot cake, both top and sides. Let it sink in, then brush on more glaze, continuing until all the glaze is used up.
  10. Allow the cake to cool completely before icing and serving.
  11. To ice the cake: Mix the sugar and salt, then mix in 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, adding just enough additional juice to create a thick glaze, one that’s just barely pourable. Drizzle it artfully over the completely cool cake.
  12. Store the cake, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.

 

Lemon Bliss Cake

Cookies for the Senior Center

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I found out a week or so ago that the residents at our local Senior Center love sweets.  Well, I love to cook, so am going to try to make weekly treats for them.  This morning I dropped off Chocolate Chip Cookies with pecans and Peanut Butter Cookies.  Here are the recipes I used:

cookies.jpg

Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

14 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped pecans or chopped toasted walnuts

PREPARATION

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using a heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to a large heatproof bowl.

Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds.

Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.

Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)

Our perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe had to produce a cookie that would be moist and chewy on the inside and crisp at the edges, with deep notes of toffee and butterscotch to balance its sweetness. Melting the butter gave us the chewiness we were looking for. Cutting back on the flour and eliminating an egg white also improved texture and brought the brown sugar flavor to the fore.

To give our chocolate chip cookie recipe the crisp edges and toffee flavor we wanted, we let the sugar dissolve in the batter for 10 minutes, then baked the cookies at a high temperature so the edges darkened while the centers stayed so.

2/2 Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still so, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway.

Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen cookies
These cookies have a strong peanut flavor that comes from extra-crunchy peanut butter (in our taste test we preferred Jif) as well as from roasted salted peanuts that are ground in a food processor and worked into the dough. In our testing, we found that salted butter brings out the flavor of the nuts. If using unsalted butter, increase the salt to one teaspoon.

 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup extra-crunchy peanut butter, preferably Jif, at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, ground in food processor to resemble bread crumbs, (about 14 pulses)

1. Adjust ovens rack to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. 
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. 
3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes with electric mixer, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Beat in peanut butter until fully incorporated, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gently stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add ground peanuts; stir gently until just incorporated.
4. Working with generous 2 tablespoons each time, roll dough into 2-inch balls. Place balls on parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving 2 1/2inches between each ball. Press each dough ball twice with dinner fork dipped in cold water to make crisscross design. 
5. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking time (from top to bottom racks and back to front) until cookies are puffed and slightly brown along edges but not on top, 10 to 12 minutes. (Cookies will not look fully baked.) Cool cookies on cookie sheet until set, about 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack with a wide spatula to cool completely. 

 

Cookies for the Senior Center

2019 Challenge

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Last year I challenged myself to read 75 books in the year and made it, finishing the last two in December. This year I am attempting, and I do say attempting a different type of challenge.  I bought the book by Kevin McPhearson called “Reflection of a Pond”

McPhearson.jpg

For a little over a year, he painted the pond in his back yard. I thought it might be a great idea to work on my brushwork and color skills in my artwork.  I live on a beach with a beautiful view.  Depending on the day, I see the mountains, amazing sunrises, boats, people, the marina and love the view every day. I am going (to try) to paint my view at some angle every day this coming year.

The paintings will be small at 5″ x 7″ and I am not going to only focus on part of the view, because as I see it there are three sections to my view.  To the right and mostly south, I see a park and a small falling apart dock.  In the middle, I see the break-water and a few boats and off to the left is the marina where the ferries come in and out.

I started this six days ago on January 16th, and in all honesty am a little overwhelmed by the idea.  I decided I was not going to set up my easel in my living room, but take photos and paint them from my Ipad in my studio.  I am a messy painter and I think my house would be safer without the possibility of my cat wandering through the paint and spreading it throughout the interior.

Day 1.jpg

DAY ONE

Sunrise, where I live, is sensational. This time of year it is usually a little after seven, so I have gotten in the habit of waking up and checking to see if it is beautiful or if it is gray.  If it is gray with no sun, then I know I have to wait till later or for a later day.  Keep in mind that these are small and quick studies.

Day 2.jpg

DAY TWO

I am starting to relax a little with my second painting, knowing that most likely they will never sell, but they might make a fun show or a fun book, but I am savoring the differences in the colors of the morning.

Day 3.jpg

DAY THREE

Some days are peaceful and don’t seem to sing to me, but this morning on day three, the sky was amazing and constantly changing.  The interesting thing about sunrises here is that they can be totally amazing one minute and literally gone the next.  You have to try to capture the essence of what is happening quickly.

 

Day 4.jpg

DAY FOUR

I am starting to experiment a little more with texture and using a palette knife a little more.  I am hoping during the year to gain control of the palette knife using it for the dock and sometimes for everything.  The boat to the right of the dock, looks more like a rock than a boat, but it is a learning experience.

Day 5.jpg

DAY FIVE

On this morning it was misty and you could barely see the boats through the fog.  I moved to the marina area to focus on the painting and love the almost eeriness of the painting.  It could be a city or a marina or another country, but I had fun just playing with the color, which is the opposite of Day 6.

Day 6.jpg

DAY SIX

So often, as most of you know, we awaken to gray, grey and grayer, so I decided to attempt a tonal painting using only Payne’s Gray, Titanium White, and French Ultramarine Blue.  I tried my new camera lens which is a 150 -800 mm to see what I could do with a close-up shot.  I had fun with just the three colors and the closer view.

Going forward I will try to paint daily with different colors or different views and see what happens.  I will post every few days with my newest painting.

I will continue to post food posts, as I love to cook.  Today I made Peanut Butter cookies and Chocolate Chip cookies to take to our local Senior Center for their Bingo Game tomorrow.  I know they love sweets and not too many of them cook.

 

2019 Challenge

mediterranean baked cod

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Mediterrean Cod.jpg

mediterranean baked cod recipe with lemon and garlic

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.5 lb Cod fillet pieces (4-6 pieces)
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Lemon Juice Mixture 

  • 5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 5 tbsp Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp melted butter

For Coating

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 3/4 tsp sweet Spanish paprika
  • 3/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, and melted butter in a shallow bowl. Set aside
  3. In another shallow bowl, mix all-purpose flour, spices, salt and pepper. Set next to the lemon juice mixture.
  4. Pat fish fillet dry. Dip fish in the lemon juice mixture then dip in the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour.
  5. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat (watch the oil to be sure it is sizzling but not smoking). Add fish and sear on each side to give it some color, but do not fully cook (about a couple of minutes on each side) Remove from heat.
  6. To the remaining lemon juice mixture, add the minced garlic and mix. Drizzle all over the fish fillets.
  7. Bake in the heated oven for until it begins to flake easily with a fork (10 minutes should do it, but begin checking earlier). Remove from heat and sprinkle chopped parsley.

 

  1. Lebanese Rice with Vermicelli.jpg

    lebanese rice with vermicelli

    INGREDIENTS

    • 2 cups long grain or medium grain rice
    • Water
    • 1 cup broken vermicelli pasta
    • 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
    • Salt
    • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, optional to finishServing suggestions: Serve immediately with Lebanese rice and  Mediterranean chickpea salad or traditional Greek salad.

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Rinse the rice well (a few times) then place it in a medium bowl and cover with water. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Test to see if you can easily break a grain of rice by simply placing it between your thumb and index finger. Drain well.
    2. In a medium non-stick cooking pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the vermicelli and continuously stir to toast it evenly. Vermicelli should turn a nice golden brown but watch carefully not to over-brown or burn it (If it burns, you must throw the vermicelli away and start over).
    3. Add the rice and continue to stir so that the rice will be well-coated with the olive oil. Season with salt.
    4. Now add 3 1/2 cups of water and bring it to a boil until the water significantly reduces (see the photo below). Turn the heat to low and cover.
    5. Cook for 15-20 minutes on low. Once fully cooked, turn the heat off and leave the rice undisturbed in the cooking pot for 10-15 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork.
    6. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the toasted pine nuts. Enjoy!

    NOTES

    • Pro Tips: 1. You must rinse the rice to get rid of excess starch which causes the rice to be sticky (Lebanese rice is not meant to be sticky). Then soak the rice in plenty of water for 15-20 minutes or until you can break one grain of rice by pressing it between your index finger and your thumb. 2.toasting the vermicelli in EVOO as a first step is what gives this rice great flavor. Do not skip this step. 3. If you can at all help it, let the rice rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
    • Recommended for this recipe: Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives).
    • SAVE! Try our Greek extra virgin olive oil bundle!

     

     

mediterranean baked cod

Before Remodeling Your Bathroom

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Whether you have a simple powder room or a master en suite, functionality should be at the heart of your bathroom remodel. Learn tricks for gaining storage, improving lighting and drainage, and more to ensure that your renovated bathroom stands the test of time.

Transitional Bathroom by Arthur Rutenberg Homes - Cincinnati, OH
1. Plumbing

Residential plumbing typically uses 1½-inch pipes for drains. You’d be surprised how much gunk and hair goes down that drain. The larger the drain, the less likely it is to clog. The cost difference to upgrade to a 2-inch drain is practically negligible, and unless your framing doesn’t allow for it, you should consider increasing the drain in your shower to 2 inches.

If you live in a region where temperatures drop below freezing during the winter, it’s important that your water supply lines don’t get routed through an exterior wall.

Beach Style Powder Room by 41 West
2. Lighting

Consider recessed light fixtures throughout your ceiling to brighten up the room. Include one (or two) in your shower with the proper shower trim. Install a dimmer switch so you can adjust the mood in your bathroom. You’ll want to consider how you’ll be using the mirror in your bathroom and whether you want aesthetic or functional lighting. Whether you’ll be applying make-up or shaving, bright light fixtures properly placed go a long way to help you see what you’re doing close up. My favorite type of lighting to use by the vanity is the new mirrors with lighting a part of them, so you don’t need wall fixtures and get better lighting.

bathroom-mirrors-with-two-lights.jpg
Contemporary by Affecting Spaces
3. Medicine Cabinets

Do you have space to recess your medicine cabinet? Oftentimes this is a great way to save a few inches of space over a shallow vanity, and the additional framing typically isn’t going to break the budget. If that’s not an option, ensure that you have enough room at your vanity to have your medicine cabinet protrude by 4 to 5 inches.

Contemporary Bathroom by Concept Interiors
4. Wall-Hung Toilets

These fixtures have grown in popularity lately and for good reason. They no longer break the bank, and they also save space since the tank is hidden behind the wall. But there is a big consideration with these special fixtures. Because of how these toilets drain, if you ever change your mind and opt for a floor-mounted unit, you’ll have to rework the supply.

Contemporary Bathroom by Wettling Architects
5. A Window in the Shower

This is a great feature if done properly. Some things to consider: Choose a frosted-glass panel for privacy and preferably one that opens for fresh air. Next, ensure that there are stone jambs along the entire installation so that this area is watertight. Ensure that the sill is sloped down and away for proper drainage. Lastly, specify a tilt-and-turn window in a shower, because the screen is located on the outside of the window; the handles are plastic so they won’t rust, and the window provides full privacy even when tilted open.

Contemporary Bathroom by JM Kitchen & Bath
6. Shower Sills

Like the windowsill, what’s important here is that it is sloped properly into the shower. Try to choose a material that is solid, like stone or quartz. If you tile your shower curb, water can sit on the grout lines and eventually seep through to the framing.

Contemporary Bathroom by Dyna Contracting
7. Shower Floors

Larger tiles are typically more difficult to slope properly, and unless they’re textured, they’ll be slipperier because the grout lines are farther apart. Smaller tiles, whether textured or not, offer more traction and are typically the norm for shower floors and the options are nearly limitless.

Bathroom by Longevity Acrylics Inc.
8. Shower Bases

Gone are the days of boring beige prefabricated shower base, as there are now shower systems that have modern, clean bases made out of acrylic or porcelain.

Contemporary Bathroom by MILLWORX
9. Drawer Storage

Consider installing a vanity with drawer storage rather than doors. Drawers are easier to access and easier to organize. They can be cut out around the plumbing and can be extra large to accommodate large items.

Contemporary Bathroom by Design Loft Company
10. Shower or Tub? 

When considering a bathtub or a shower-only option, ask yourself how many baths you take a year. Remember, you are not renovating your home for a future buyer, but rather for yourself. Even if you live in your house only for another five years, it’s worth it to do it for yourself. There’s is no guaranteed way to tell what will appeal to a future buyer.

Before Remodeling Your Bathroom

Why Does Wine Give Some People Headaches?

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Image result for graphic of wine bottle

The answer to this age-old dilemma is rather complicated.

IRed Wine Headache phenomena experienced by so many people that it has its very own Wikipedia page could be explained by health professionals, and whether or not casual drinkers should be concerned.

Wine-related headaches are actually one of the center’s topmost cases but knowledge is limited.

The type of oak casket used in fermentation may play a role, but it’s not clear which oak is worse.  Some who experience wine-related headaches wonder if they are actually allergic to sulfites. This is rare, and there are more sulfites in white wine, suggesting it isn’t that.

Wine drinkers could be suffering from dehydration, given that alcohol acts as a diuretic (this is true for all alcoholic drinks), which is the root of the problem for many. Another explanation may be a depletion of magnesium:  Alcohol is a major depleter of magnesium,  chronic headache sufferers seek out 400mg of magnesium supplements per day, and see if that doesn’t help.

There’s not much-published research on wine headaches: Teague unearthed a 1988 Lancet study, titled “Red Wine as a Cause of a Migraine,” where two groups of drinkers were asked to drink either red wine or a substitute (diluted vodka disguised as wine) to see if migraines came exclusively from one or the other. The participants chugged down 300 milliliters, around two glasses, and waited to see if they were affected.

The results, however, weren’t clear: some participants developed headaches, while others did not. One possible lead suggested that tyramine, a naturally occurring compound found in both food and wine, has previously been found to trigger migraine headaches but the amount of tyramine in both red and white wine is less than 2 milligrams per meter.

Histamines naturally produced in most wines, another possible culprit. There is not much evidence for the theory.

But another expert explained why histamines could be an issue told Food & Wine that genetics could play a part in how you digest and metabolize wine. In the case of histamines, certain genetic dispositions (or medications) could mean you’re not metabolizing histamines effectively, which means that symptoms like facial flushing and headaches would be much more common after even just a few sips of wine.

But maybe the simplest explanation is the possibility that hears us out you may be hung over.

You should consider your case serious if you notice an immediate reaction to the first glass of wine you’ve tasted,  One drink of red wine can trigger a migraine if you’re sensitive to it, but one glass of red wine probably isn’t going to give you a hangover,

The bottom line:  Magnesium supplements may help if you’re experiencing a deficiency, but not if your levels are normal.

More research is needed to pinpoint the cause of wine-induced headaches, but identifying the issue may help you minimize it as much as possible: talk with your healthcare provider if you feel that histamines may be the issue, or if you experience a magnesium deficiency. And make sure you’re properly hydrated before enjoying a bottle with friends.

 

Why Does Wine Give Some People Headaches?

The Dimple in the Bottom of Wine Bottles? 

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wine-punts-inside-2.jpg

Are they trying to shortchange you some milliliters of vino? Most likely no. But the real reason isn’t entirely clear.

Wine bottles are elegant. Their sloped necks come to a gentle peak. They’re supported by a stout but the understated trunk of a bottle. The color, typically rich sap green, absorbs color and emits a warm glow in the light of a kitchen or bar. The bottles themselves are sometimes as much a work of art as the wine that’s inside them.

But there’s one bit of the typical wine bottle that remains elusive: the bottom. The “dimple” or bulge at the bottom of many wine bottles is known as the “punt,” and it’s not entirely clear why it exists.

Wine bottles have had punts as long as the earth has had wine bottles, it seems, and until we have the capability to time travel, we’re left to wonder how the tradition of wine punts started and, perhaps more importantly, why we still do it today.

Do punts help winemakers cheat you of wine?

No, most punts are so small you’re not losing a single teaspoon. Some, yes, are more pronounced, but if this were really used as a cost-saving measure, you could bet most bottles would have exaggerated punts to make a good season’s wine supply stretch a bit more.

Are punts a sign of quality?

If you do a quick Google search on the theories behind wine bottle punts, you’ll quickly stumble across speculation that suggests higher quality wines have bigger punts because the bottle is more stout and sturdy. (More glass is needed for the longer punt, the theory goes, and wealthy winemakers can afford the more expensive bottles.) That’s just simply not true. A punt will tell you as much about the quality and taste of wine as the label will. That is to say, very little.

Do punts help wines cool faster?

This holds some merit. Punts increase surface area, so bottles in fridges or buckets of water might cool faster. But this theory is busted when you realize punts have been present on wine bottles long before anyone had heard of coolant for a refrigerator or even ice for that matter. So while it may help get your whites crisp and cool today, that’s not why punts exist.

Do punts collect sediment?

They actually do, but that’s not likely the reason they’re there. Sediment forms at the bottom of bottles as wine sits and ages. If you decant the wine, the sediment may remain in the valleys between the punt and bottle wall. That can help with flavor.

However, there’s no guarantee the sediment stays in place. It’s a happy byproduct of the punt’s existence, but it doesn’t seem that’s why punts were used in the first place.

So why do wine bottles have punts?

Truthfully, beats us. The best theory seems to be that wine bottle makers of yore needed a way to make sure their bottles stood flat on a table. The bottoms of hand-blown bottles may round out slightly as they cool. They may even have a sharp point because of the tools the glassblower uses. To keep this from happening (and bottles of wine from teeter-tottering off the table), glassblowers could have pushed up ever so slightly to create what we know today as the punt.

Now that most wine bottles are made by machine and are far sturdier than bottles made decades and centuries ago, the punt isn’t perhaps necessary. Instead, it seems to be a vestige of bygone days.

 

The Dimple in the Bottom of Wine Bottles? 

Things Your Dishwasher Could Do

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Here, several household items you can wash in your dishwasher that you may not have considered before.

Sanitize Kid and Pet Toys

The two creatures may walk differently and eat different things, but their toys can be hotbeds for germs and dirt. Plastic toys can be washed easily in a normal dishwasher cycle. For small toys (think: building blocks), consider putting the toys in a mesh bag first. And don’t try to wash pet toys that have rope, hide, or fabric. They likely won’t sustain the wash well.

Steam Vegetables and Fish

I’m not saying this is an optimal way to cook dinner, but if you find yourself without an oven (or just feel up to a fun challenge), you can actually make dinner in your dishwasher. Tightly wrap quick-cooking vegetables like asparagus, squash, and carrots in aluminum foil with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper. Wash in a hot cycle without soap. The heat and steam will tenderize the food.

You can do the same for packets of fish like salmon or halibut, en papillote-style. Thinner cuts will cook more evenly than thick pieces like cod or grouper. The hot temperature and water help to steam the fish inside the packets.

Rinse Your Garden Haul

After a trip to your garden or local farmers market, you may come back with a bounty of fruit and vegetables that need to be washed before cooking or storing. You can stand over the sink and wash each piece by hand, or you can load up the trays of your dishwasher for a quick cold-water cycle.

Place delicate things like tomatoes or berries on the top shelf or away from spinning arms. Hardy foods like root vegetables and potatoes can sustain the pressure of the bottom shelf.

You don’t need to use any soap, though feel free to use food-safe produce washes. Even a touch of vinegar in the detergent cap is OK for the rinse.

Keep Food Warm

When you need to keep cooked food warm but find yourself short on oven space (or without those warming drawers I’ve heard so much about), consider putting food in your dishwasher to keep it warm. Your dishwasher is essentially a large hot box if you think about its construction. It’s meant to keep the heat of hot water and drying mechanisms contained inside the machine so you can use that thermal capacity to your benefit.

If you need extra heat, you can run a drying cycle (no water) to heat up the food and dishwasher. Just be sure a rinse cycle won’t run before the drying cycle begins. No one likes a water-logged casserole.

Make Household Items Like New

Sticky vent fans, dusty flowers, dingy light fixture bulbs—all of these items can be easily washed in your dishwasher. The thick layer of dust that often settles on these out-of-sight-out-of-mind items needs to be rinsed away, but hand washing can be time-consuming. Use your dishwasher’s cleaning powers for good.

Be careful to not put thin glass items, heirlooms, or antiques in the dishwasher. Those should still be washed by hand.

Anything else should make it through a typical dishwasher cycle with no problem. If you have a lot of glass, consider using the gentle cycle so the shaking and rattling don’t cause any of the fixtures to bump into one another and crack.

Sanitize Kitchen Sponges

The thing you use to clean your kitchen needs to be cleaned, too. Instead of microwaving your sponge (which you can do for 60 seconds on high), just place the sponge in your next load that will end in a sanitizing cycle. The hot water and temps will kill lingering bacteria and make the sponge safe to use again.

If the sponge is small or the openings in your dishwasher trays are large, consider putting it in the silverware basket for safe keeping.

Make Dirty Shoes Shine

Rubber shoes like flip-flops, rain boots, and water shoes can be easily washed in your dishwasher. Canvas-topped sneakers with rubber soles can be safely washed in there, too. For added odor-busting measure, sprinkle the inside with a bit of baking soda the night before you plan to wash. Turn the shoe upside down over the garbage before you wash to remove any remaining residue.

To prevent water pooling, place these shoes horizontal to the dishwasher’s spraying arms. Be sure to remove any liners or orthopedic inserts. Don’t run the drying cycle. Put the shoes in a warm place to dry. It may take several days, but they’ll be like new again—or at least almost.

Things Your Dishwasher Could Do