Top Five Quick Tips to cleaning

Cleaning doesn’t have to be everyday and it doesn’t have to be perfect every time. I find that if I break the task down into manageable pieces, it doesn’t seem so big. Here are my Top Five Quick Tips to cleaning:

1. Wipe Before You Walk-Away. If you leave a surface, wipe it before you leave it. Doesn’t matter if it’s the bathroom counter or the kitchen counter, just wipe it off.

2. Scrap the Scraps. Make sure you toss, recycle or reuse items that are empty, expired or useless. There is no sense keeping things to add to daily clutter.

3. Manage Mail in the Moment. As soon as you get the mail, recycle all the paper, file what needs to be filed and you will be left with a nice stack of things to review. Don’t hesitate – if you hesitate that is when things get lost, misplaced or left behind.

4. Employ Help. Make sure that everyone in the household has some responsibility to manage. It should not just be one person managing everything (especially the ladies in the house!).

5. Tackle It Tonight. If you can set aside 10-15 minutes every night before you go to bed to do those few little tasks that might save you 5 minutes in the morning… it’s worth it. Things like make the coffee, load the dishwasher (or do the dishes) or maybe plan your to-do list for the next day… can be a life saver.

Hate Cleaning? Top 5 Quick Tips article by cozi.com

How to Keep a Kitchen Clean

Step 1: Wash as you go. The first rule of keeping a clean kitchen is to wash dishes as they become dirty as much as possible. That way, you avoid the eventual build-up of a mountain of dishes to be washed later.

Step 2: Keep your counter tops free of clutter. Remember the old adage "A place for everything and everything in its place." That piece of advice will keep things organized and in control for you.

Step 3: Rinse pots and pans immediately after using, to avoid the hardening of the food on the metal surfaces.

Step 4: Clean utensils immediately after using. This comes in handy if you will need them again soon, say, for another part of the food-preparation process. Put them away immediately if you won't be needing them again.

Step 5: Clean your stove regularly. If you can, buy a stove with a ceramic top. These newer stoves make the clean-up process much easier than it is with other stoves. A liquid cleaner takes care of any spills or messes with relative ease.

Tips & Warnings

1. Make and keep the rule that you won't go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink.
2. When all else fails, and you just can't face the thought of cleaning up during or after food preparation, eat out.
3. Don't put your dirty pans into the oven to get them out of sight, thinking that you will wash them later. You may, but you also may turn on that oven without thinking at some later point, and have some very hot, dirty pans to wash.

How to Keep a Kitchen Clean article by cozi.com

Helping your child handle a bully

If your child is
being bullied, get involved. Children nee to know you’re taking the
situation seriously and will act to help stop the bullying.

Follow this advice.

· Listen in a loving manner. Don’t let your child see that you’re upset. This can make the situation worse.

· Tell your child that he or she isn’t to blame.

· Support your child’s feelings. Instead of saying, “Everything will be
fine,” say, “I understand you’re having a tough time. Let’s work
together to deal with this.”

· Talk to your child’s teacher and principal, and brainstorm solutions.

If another child physically assaults your child or is seriously
threatening your child with physical injury take action immediately.
Talk with school officials to help determine whether the police need to
be involved.

What kids can do.

· Don’t react to the bullying. Bullies may give up if they don’t get the attention they crave.

· Don’t hit, kick or push back.

· Practice what you’ll say to a bully, such as, “I want you to stop now.”

· Show confidence by walking away with your head held high.

· Stick with a friend while on the bus, at lunch or in between classes.

· Talk to an adult. Parents, teachers, principals and guidance counselors can help you stop the bullying.

- Mayo Clinic -

An article from ajokeaday.com

Calcium supplements

Adding calcium to your diet may boost your blood levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Studies show that older women, who took 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day for one year had a significant increase in their blood levels of HDL cholesterol. This type of cholesterol helps your body protect against heart disease by cleaning other fats out of your bloodstream.

Polish Silver Ornaments

To polish silver ornaments and silverware, rub toothpaste on them and then wash it off after it dries.

Oriya Mansha Tarkari (Oriya Mutton Curry)

Ingredients:

* 750 gms nice & tender mutton
* 3-4 Medium Sized Potato Cut Into Halves
* 1-2 tsp Cooking oil for frying potato (Mustard oil will certainly enhance the taste.)
* 3 medium sized onions
* Garlic 8 -10 Cloves
* Ginger 1 ½ inch
* 1 tsp Garam Masala
* 5-8 Black Pepper (Oriya: Gol Maricha)
* 3 Bay Leaf (Oriya: Teja Patra)
* 4 Whole Cardamom (Oriya: Aleicha)
* 5 Cloves (Oriya: Labanga)
* 1 Long Stick of Cinnamon (Oriya: Dalchini)
* 1/2 tsp Sugar
* 8 tsp of cooking oil (Again if you choose mustard oil, it will help you get the typical Oriya Mansha Tarkari aroma)

For Marinating

* 2 tsp Turmeric Powder (Oriya: Haladi Gunda)
* 2 tsp Red Chili Powder
* 1 ½ tsp Salt
* 4tsp Yogurt (Dahi)

Method:

* Make a smooth paste of onion, ginger and garlic and half an inch cinnamon (I somehow prefer the fresh paste than the ones available ready-made in the shops). But you can use the packed paste as well.
* Marinate the mutton with 1 tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp red chili powder, yogurt/curd and 1-2 tsp mustard oil (optional) for 1-2 hours.
* Heat up a Kadhai or any heavy bottom Pan
* Add 1-2 tsp of cooking oil
* Shallow fry the potatoes till they turn golden brown.
* Keep them aside on kitchen-wraps or tissue paper to absorb excessive oil.
* Heat 7-8 tsp of cooking oil in a pressure cooker
* Temper it with Black pepper, Cinnamon stick, Bay leaf, whole Cardamom, Cloves
* Add sugar to this (This is primarily to enhance the color of the gravy) till it turns brown.
* Add the masala paste prepared in step 1.
* Add a little turmeric.
* Fry till the oil starts to come out. You can add a little water if the masala starts to stick to the vessel.
* Add the marinated mutton at this point
* Fry on medium heat for about 15 mints (till the oil stars to separate out) with the lid loosely covered
* Add fried potatoes
* Add water based on how much of gravy you want to make. For a medium thick gravy, you can add up to 2 cups of water
* Add 1 tsp of garam masala
* Fix the pressure cooker lid
* Cook on high head for 1 whistle and then cook on low heat for about 20 mins.
* Open the pressure cooker only after it cools down on its own.
* Check the tenderness of the mutton. If you require it to be softer, you could cook it for some more time
* Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve it with hot steam rice. Enjoy !

Oriya Mansha Tarkari (Oriya Mutton Curry)

Ingredients:

* 750 gms nice & tender mutton
* 3-4 Medium Sized Potato Cut Into Halves
* 1-2 tsp Cooking oil for frying potato (Mustard oil will certainly enhance the taste.)
* 3 medium sized onions
* Garlic 8 -10 Cloves
* Ginger 1 ½ inch
* 1 tsp Garam Masala
* 5-8 Black Pepper (Oriya: Gol Maricha)
* 3 Bay Leaf (Oriya: Teja Patra)
* 4 Whole Cardamom (Oriya: Aleicha)
* 5 Cloves (Oriya: Labanga)
* 1 Long Stick of Cinnamon (Oriya: Dalchini)
* 1/2 tsp Sugar
* 8 tsp of cooking oil (Again if you choose mustard oil, it will help you get the typical Oriya Mansha Tarkari aroma)

For Marinating

* 2 tsp Turmeric Powder (Oriya: Haladi Gunda)
* 2 tsp Red Chili Powder
* 1 ½ tsp Salt
* 4tsp Yogurt (Dahi)

Method:

* Make a smooth paste of onion, ginger and garlic and half an inch cinnamon (I somehow prefer the fresh paste than the ones available ready-made in the shops). But you can use the packed paste as well.
* Marinate the mutton with 1 tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp red chili powder, yogurt/curd and 1-2 tsp mustard oil (optional) for 1-2 hours.
* Heat up a Kadhai or any heavy bottom Pan
* Add 1-2 tsp of cooking oil
* Shallow fry the potatoes till they turn golden brown.
* Keep them aside on kitchen-wraps or tissue paper to absorb excessive oil.
* Heat 7-8 tsp of cooking oil in a pressure cooker
* Temper it with Black pepper, Cinnamon stick, Bay leaf, whole Cardamom, Cloves
* Add sugar to this (This is primarily to enhance the color of the gravy) till it turns brown.
* Add the masala paste prepared in step 1.
* Add a little turmeric.
* Fry till the oil starts to come out. You can add a little water if the masala starts to stick to the vessel.
* Add the marinated mutton at this point
* Fry on medium heat for about 15 mints (till the oil stars to separate out) with the lid loosely covered
* Add fried potatoes
* Add water based on how much of gravy you want to make. For a medium thick gravy, you can add up to 2 cups of water
* Add 1 tsp of garam masala
* Fix the pressure cooker lid
* Cook on high head for 1 whistle and then cook on low heat for about 20 mins.
* Open the pressure cooker only after it cools down on its own.
* Check the tenderness of the mutton. If you require it to be softer, you could cook it for some more time
* Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve it with hot steam rice. Enjoy !