Monthly Archives: April 2023

How to Double Refrigerator Space (and Other Info)

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Are you having trouble fitting everything in the fridge?
Tired of using a crowbar to squeeze those groceries in?
 Do you have to lean against the fridge door to close it
properly?
Please continue reading; help is on the way!

1. USE PLASTIC BAGS INSTEAD OF CONTAINERS-A self-sealing plastic bag
will take up at least 75% less space than a plastic container does.
This is my number one method of saving space, and it works!
I simply use regular Baggies, Zip-Locs, or store brands. I even use the plastic
bags enclosed in cereal boxes; once the cereal’s gone, just pull out the bag,
rinse, and dry. Boom, there’s a good size plastic baggie ready for you!
If you do this often enough, you also won’t have to buy as many baggies.
And if you want to save more, you can also wash or rinse out the baggie and
re-use it (Pitch it when a hole appears, though).


2. GET EXTRA SHELVES FOR THE FREEZER-Most freezers have little or no
shelving. You’ve seen or know of those wire baskets and shelf organizers for
closets and cabinets?
Create shelving by using those same items.
And I would check out some dollar, discount, or even thrift stores FIRST before
hitting a traditional houseware place (Crate & Barrel, etc). Will the food know
the difference?


3. PACKING SIDEWAYS-If possible, try to pack boxes, packages, containers and
food items on their sides to free up more room.


4. USE THE CRISPER ONLY FOR REALLY PERISHABLE ITEMS, like chicken,
fish, and fresh meats. Many fruits and vegetables, including celery, apples,
carrots, tomatoes, oranges, and other produce DON’T have to be stored in the fridge (A side benefit to this is juicier, more flavorable produce).
I have stored veggies on the kitchen counter and windowsills (arranged
carefully for easy access and tastefully as an art form) and fruit in small and
medium-sized paper bags or bowls on a large table in the breakfast nook.
Now I can’t speak for everyone, but I’ve had no problem!


Additional Info


Are you storing (or still storing) batteries, nail polish, or coffee in the fridge? Take them out-Now!
Batteries don’t need refrigeration, nail polish needs to be in a dry place (not the bathroom!), and coffee should be stored in an airtight container, out of bright light.

The fresh food trend has made not only an impact on American supermarkets; it’s also impacted refrigerator design.

Another freshness-enhancing feature that Consumer Reports has seen more of in its labs is dual-evaporative cooling; with standard refrigerator design, the fresh-food compartment is cooled with air from the freezer: “Dual evaporators let us create two different climates“, said Michael Mattingly, a product manager for refrigeration at GE. This process also enables fridges to maintain optimal humidity and prevent ice cubes from tasting like fish or other smelly foods.

So far, there aren’t many smart appliance features and hydroponics tech that has taken off with consumers as much as simpler kitchen tech innovations that don’t need or require the internet. For example, the air fryer and instant pot have become mainstream items.

Additional Info Source: “Keep it fresh with new refrigerator features”-From Consumer Reports-The (Sunday) Vindicator, Aug. 2, 2015

How Emotions Influence Financial Behavior

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Here are a few ways:

Just because you can do almost anything with money doesn’t mean you can do everything.

Choices must be made; we must choose things not to do. When we spend money on one thing, it’s money that we cannot spend on something else, neither right now nor anytime later. These are Opportunity Costs.

Mental Accounting is operating our financial behavior much like organizations and companies do, allocating our money to categories, or accounts, and setting a budget for clothes, rent, bills, etc. These categories control what we spend and how we spend it, etc.

Receiving money from a negative source (drug dealing or selling guns, for example) that you don’t feel good about, so you try to “launder” it by donating the tainted money to charity or other good things or causes is Emotional Accounting.

The Pain of Paying is exactly what it implies; it’s some version of mental pain when we pay for things, at any price. If we happen to consume something while thinking about the payment, the pain of paying will deeply color the entire experience, making it far less enjoyable. Things like credit cards, auto-pay, debit cards, etc. are ways to “lessen” the pain, but the pain is still there.

To avoid the pain of paying, we increase the time between payment and consumption and decrease the attention needed to make payment (like paying for a trip or an item well in advance of enjoying or receiving it).

There are basically three types of times we can pay for a product or service: Before consumption or enjoyment; during consumption; or after consumption.

When we are drawn to a conclusion by something that should not have any relevance to our decision, Anchoring is what happens. This concept influences the price we are willing to pay (how much is it at the dollar store or the local Piggly Wiggly, for example? That’s what I’ll go by).

Herding is a part of anchoring; it’s the idea that we will go with the crowd, that we assume something is good or bad based on other people’s behavior. If they like it, do it, and pay for it, it must be good.

Basing our financial decisions on similar decisions we ourselves have made in the past is Self-Herding.

Confirmation Bias occurs when we interpret new information in a way that confirms our own preconceptions and expectations. It’s also when we make new decisions in ways that confirm our previous decisions.

The idea that we value what we have more simply because we own it is the Endowment Effect.

Ikea Effect-The harder it is to make something, the more we feel that we had some part in creating it, and our love for it increases even more. Investing effort creates extra love!

We don’t want to give up what we own partly because we overvalue it, and we overvalue it partly because we don’t want to give it up. This is the concept of Loss Aversion. Here’s an example:

  1. Could we live on 80 percent of our current income?
  2. Could we give up 20 percent of our current income?

The answers to both questions should be “yes,” because they’re the same question. But most people will say yes to no.1 and no to no.2. Why?

It’s the “give up” part in no. 2 that most will focus on.

Segregating Gains plays on loss aversion in this way: It’s one painful loss against many pleasurable gains. When a product has many features, it’s in the seller’s interest to highlight each one separately and to ask for one for all of them. To the consumer, this promotional practice makes the whole seem much more appealing than the sum of its parts.

The concept of Sunken Costs is finding that once we’ve invested in something, we have a hard time giving up on that investment. Therefore, we’re likely to continue investing in the same thing, not wanting to lose that investment. So often we throw good money after bad, adding a dash of wishful thinking.

Transparency reveals the work that goes into a product or service, allowing a company to show us that they’re working hard, earning our money. We don’t value things much unless we know there’s a lot of effort involved or at least the appearance of effort.

When we use specific terms to describe an experience, like the “bouquet” of a wine, that’s an example of Consumption Vocabulary. Consumption vocabulary gets people to think, focus, and pay attention, to slow down and appreciate an experience in a different way, and then experience the world in a different way.

Enjoyment of something comes from both the sensation of the thing (taste, the sound of a song, etc.)-and what’s happening in our brain to co-create the total experience of it, the full consumption experience.

Language can enhance or reduce the quality of the consumption experience-and that’s the primary reason it so powerfully influences the way we value something.

When language supports an experience, it changes and enhances that experience and how we value it.

When consumption vocabulary also describes the process of production, we appreciate the item even more.

Reward Substitution is a way to fight self-control. We value a reward in the future much less than we value a reward in the present even if the reward in the present is much, much smaller.

Source: “Dollars and Sense: How We Misthink Money and How to Spend Smarter” by Dan Ariely and Jeff Kreisler, 2017.

Finding Edible Food in the Woods

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If you just look closely (and are careful), you’ll discover that the woods can offer a variety of edible delights.

 A good pair of sharp eyes (or glasses/contact lenses) are needed.

I would also recommend a guidebook with good pictures and a copy of the information below.

1. Cattails-They can be found in marshland everywhere. They’re tall, reed-like plants with sword-shaped leaves. The seed heads are like brown cylinders. After cattails are peeled, the roots (or pollen) can be reduced to flour that’s used for muffins, biscuits, or pancakes. The young shoots can be used in salad, sautéed with meat, boiled like green beans, or cooked like asparagus. In early spring, when these plants are one to two feet tall, they can be snapped off and the outer leaves peeled away; the tender white interior can be prepared and cooked. The bloom spikes are eaten like corn. In early summer, when the plant’s still green, there’s a pencil-like spike about six inches long above the bloom. These can be snapped off, boiled, and nibbled like corn on the cob. A little later in the summer, bright yellow pollen appears on these spikes. You can gather this by bending the spike head over a container and rubbing it off (each plant yields about a tablespoonful). Mixed with regular flour, the pollen adds a unique taste and golden color to muffins, flapjacks, and other items. There are ropelike root stems that crisscross just under the surface; you’ll find a snow-white core that can also be made into flour. Peel the root and crush the white core in your hands, then wash it in cold water to separate the flour from the fibers. Let the water stand for a few minutes; the flour will settle to the bottom. Carefully pour off the water. The wet flour can immediately be used. On the outer end of each submerged cattail root is a fat little sprout that will be next year’s plant. Cut these off, wash, and peel them. You can now fry or boil them.

 2. Poke-This is sold in many Southern supermarkets (Some of you may remember or have heard “Poke Salad Annie” by Tony Joe White, 1969. This is what he was singing about). The herb can reach a height of six to eight feet, have a thick green stalk, and leaves shaped like the head of a lance (a long wooden spear with a sharp iron or steelhead). It grows from Maine to Florida and west to the Great Plains. The best time for eating poke is in the spring when the sprouts are pushing through the ground. Pick them when they’re small. Then wash and trim. Leave the unrolled clustered leaves at the top. Boil for ten minutes in plenty of water (I would save the water, let it cool down, and feed it to your plants-You do have plants, right?). Now you can cook them with a little water, salt, and some seasoning (of your choice). Simmer slowly for a half hour and serve.

 3. Milkweed-It grows along roadsides and old fields. If you break the stalk, it should ooze a milky substance (If it doesn’t, run! Just kidding. Sort of.). The young sprouts can be prepared like asparagus and the leafy tops make a great spinach substitute. During May, the clusters of green buds can be boiled and served as a broccoli-like vegetable. The seed pods are gathered in July and August when they’re still firm and tender. They can then be cooked like okra. In their raw state, all milkweed sprouts, leaves, buds, or pods have a bitter taste. To make them edible, they must be cooked in three waters, which means this: Cover them with boiling water. Bring the water to a brisk boil for a few minutes, then remove it from the heat and drain. Repeat this three times. They’ll then be ready to eat.

4. Dandelions-Of French origin, this word means “lion’s tooth“. They’re high in vitamins A, B, and C, contain calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium. The flowers are rich in vitamin D. The roots are said to be good for your liver and blood. The crowns (the blanched leaf stems on the top of the root), when cut off close to the root, can then be eaten raw or boiled. For dandelion greens, you’ll want to pick them in the early spring for the best eating results (boil lightly in salted water). If you wait until mid-summer, they’ll be tough. There are tiny white flower buds deep in the heart of the plant, better than the leaves. These can be boiled for a few minutes in salted water.

 5. Ground and Wild Cherries-The ground cherry grows from New York to Florida and from Minnesota down through the southwest to Mexico. It’s a soft herb related to the tomato; the fruit is in a paper-like husk shaped like a Japanese (or Chinese?) lantern. The fruit can be eaten fresh or cooked, made into preserves, or used as pie filling. The (sour) wild cherry (or Chok cherry) grows in abundance from Newfoundland to Georgia and west to Nebraska and Texas. It’s a pea-size light red fruit in symmetrical clusters and is not initially edible. Once you’ve gathered these, take four cups of cherries and boil them in two quarts of water until the fruit is tender. Put through a colander (or sieve) to remove skins and pits, then return pulp and juice (should be “soupy” now) to heat. Add a cup of sugar. Stir two tablespoons of cornstarch into a little cold water to make a smooth paste. Add this to the soup and cook for a few minutes, until it’s clear and smooth. The soup can be served hot or cold. And other wild fruits can also be prepared this way.

6. Blueberries-They can grow almost everywhere, on mountains and in swamps, and come in many varieties. They can be eaten fresh, made into a soup, or baked into cakes, muffins, or bread.

7. Day Lily-This can be found in abundance by roadsides throughout the Midwest and eastern states. They’re long-stemmed plants two-three feet tall, with trumpet-­shaped orange flowers. The unopened buds can be sautéed or cooked like green beans. The entire opened (in full bloom) flower can be dipped into a batter and fried.

 8. Watercress-It grows in thick clusters in shallow streams and springs, particularly where there’s shade and cold water. The small, tender leaves are green and oval-shaped; the stem is also green. They can be cooked as “greens” or used fresh in salads and sandwiches.

Did You Know That….

On the Pacific Coast, cattails are known as tule reeds.

The roots contain starch and are eaten by the Cossacks of Russia.

The English eat them under the name of Cossack asparagus.

Cattails produce a silky down used to dress wounds and for upholstering (During WWI, this down was used in the manufacture of artificial silk and was a substitute for cotton).

In some parts of Europe and India, people use cattail pollen for tinder; it’s highly inflammable.

The Milkweed flowers have a sweet odor that attracts insects.

This plant can also reproduce itself from its creeping roots.

In 1942, milkweed floss was collected as a wartime substitute for the kapok fiber used in life belts.

The juice of the milkweed contains small amounts of a rubber-like substance.

 Wine is sometimes made from Dandelion flowers.

. The sweet Bing Cherry is nearly black; some other varieties are flesh-colored.

. Cherries are a member of the rose family.

. All Blueberries grow best in acid soil.

. In some places, Carrots have been ground and roasted and used as a coffee substitute.

The ancient Greeks and Romans used carrots for medicine, but not for food.

Carrots belong to the parsley family.

The Watercress belongs to the mustard green family.

Roast Chicken

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Roast chicken was a part of the menu (also mac and cheese, green beans, with cupcakes and ice cream for dessert) for Easter dinner, but this dish can be easily prepared and eaten any time of the year (ham is my usual meat of choice, but I received one just a month ago; it was thoroughly consumed and used in a variety of meals.

By the time Easter rolled around, I was “hammed out.” Therefore…..).

Preparing and cooking a roast chicken depends on how many you’re feeding and how much you want to “fix it up.”

Here’s what I did:

A 4-and-a-half or 5-pound bird was perfect for three people (my brother, my mother, and me). Make sure the label or tag says roaster, roasting chicken, chicken for roasting, or some variation. The general rule of thumb seems to be 20 minutes for every pound.

I cooked my nearly 5-pounder for technically 2 hours; I say “technically” because I actually cooked it for 90 minutes, then turned off the oven but left the bird in the oven, to cook further using the residual, or already built-up heat.

Before any cooking, I:

Preheated the oven to 375 degrees F (some say 350 F , but I think 375’s the best; you know for sure the entire bird’s being cooked thoroughly).

If possible, tuck the wing tips under, instead of leaving them out (prevents the top of them from being overdone). If this is not possible, don’t worry about it (you can still eat the wings; just skip the tips if you have to).

Check for gizzards and the packet (or packets) of chicken livers tucked inside the bird and take them out.

I do either one of two things with these: Cook them alongside the bird, or boil them down in water for 20-30 minutes, drain the water, then add them to chicken gravy and cook down a bit further with the gravy (know there’s also gravy and other things you can do with the pan drippings, basically the chicken fat and water. I don’t. What do I do? Drain it. If I use any, it’s just a dash added to chicken gravy. It’s because, to my particular taste buds, all I’ll taste will be grease. G-R-E-A-S-E.)

Season and/or Marinate. This is the fun part for me (besides eating the bird). And here’s where I do use some oil (or grease, if you will). I always lightly coat the roasting pan with cooking oil (any type’s OK). This keeps the chicken from sticking to the pan and prevents super cleaning on your part.

Now some say you should lightly coat the bird throughout in cooking oil. I’ll leave that up to you, as a matter of personal preference.

If you’re going to use seasonings and/or marinade, you won’t really need it.

If needed, I’ll take a paper towel (or two) and lightly pat it dry.

Then:

I love to use apple cider vinegar (two tablespoons) as a marinade base. Pour over the chicken, then get your hands in and massage the entire bird (inside and out) with the cider vinegar.

I’ll then use a combination of:

A few drops of Italian and Catalina (or French) salad dressing

A dash of regular black pepper

A dash of garlic pepper (or garlic powder, garlic salt, or a few cloves of garlic)

A dash of lemon pepper

A dash of Italian seasoning

Mix all together, pour over the chicken, then message that entire bird again (or you can just add the apple cider vinegar to the abovementioned combo).

Now pop that bird in the fridge and let it sit for at least 1-2 hours, longer, or overnight (time permitting) until you’re ready to cook.

Please Note: The above-mentioned ingredients are just a few of the many variations I use; there’s an abundance of options.

Or you can simply cook the chicken “as is” (though the flavor’s greatly enhanced by adding seasonings and/or a marinade).

The five-pounder provided enough servings for 2 days; the second one was cook-free!

Seven Business and Tech Firsts

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The world’s first billionaire was John D. (Davison) Rockefeller; his net worth officially passed $1 billion on September 29th, 1916.

In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company, becoming an American industrialist, philanthropist, and petroleum industry icon. As gasoline’s importance grew, so did Rockefeller’s empire; he bought out smaller oil companies, eventually controlling more than 90 percent of the American oil market.

The first computer mouse debuted on December 9th, 1968, by inventor Douglas C. Engelbart and a research group from the Stanford Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco.

On November 17th, 1970, Engelbart was given a patent for his computer “mouse” (named because the “tail” came out the end).

The first product was a 3-button hand-operated pointing device, originally called an X-Y position indicator.

1968 also marked the debut of the world’s first laptop computer concept; it was called the Dynabook and was created by Alan Kay of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, CA. His concept was indeed a notebook-size wireless portable computer, but for children. The Dynabook never got past some sketches and a cardboard model, although by 1972, Kay’s ideas did lead to a Xerox prototype called the Interim Dynabook; this project didn’t go much further either.

The first commercial laptop was most likely the GR-D Compass 1100, launched in 1972.

The world’s first mail-order business was created by Benjamin Franklin; yes, that Benjamin Franklin. In 1744, he produced and printed the first mail-order catalog of academic and scientific books.

The first Social Security check, no. 00-000-001 was issued to 65-year-old Ida May Fuller on Jan. 31st, 1940 for $22.54.

The world’s first website, nxocOl.cern.ch, debuted on August 6th, 1991. It was created by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau, developers of the World Wide Web (www). The site explained exactly what the www. was and provided instructions on owning browsers and setting up a web server. And nxocOl.cern.ch also became the world’s first web directory.

The bar code, also known as the universal product code (UPC), was invented by Bernard Silver and Joseph Woodland in 1948, receiving a patent in 1952.

The first barcode item ever scanned was in Troy, Ohio (Marsh Supermarket) on June 26th, 1974, and was a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Why Wrigley’s gum? It just happened to be the first item the cashier picked up!

Source: “firsts-Origins of Everyday Things That Changed the World” by Wilson Casey, 2009