If you love coffee (which is also called “Christian liquor,” according to my pastor), then you probably have a coffee grinder. The problem with the new small grinders is they have a tendency to not grind some of the coffee beans that well and at the same time turn some of the beans into powder. If you want a more consistent grind, consider shaking the grinder while it’s doing its business.
Corn on the cob and summer just seem to go together. Here’s something you’ve probably never thought of doing — put pieces of corn on a kabob. To do this you cut the cob into 1 to 2-inch pieces.
Take a corkscrew and put a hole into the center of each of the pieces. The corn is now ready to go on the kabob. The hole made by the corkscrew is sufficiently curvy to keep the corn from moving on the stick.
OK, if you’re older than 30 you probably already know this tip. However, I’ll mention it for my younger readers. The best way to butter corn on the cob is to take a piece of bread, butter it liberally and then roll the cob on the bread. It’s much easier than trying to butter the corn with a knife.
Here’s a great tip for carpenters and weekend warriors. When you’re drilling into resinous wood, you can get pitch on your drill bit. The best way to get it off is to spray the bit with oven cleaner. (Put the bit on some old newspaper first. Preferably not this column). Wait 20 minutes and then wipe the bit off.
Before you put a new bag in your vacuum cleaner, make sure that you pour some salt into it first. Why? It’ll kill the fleas and flea eggs that you vacuum up. Remember, just because you vacuum up fleas doesn’t mean that you’ve killed them.
Father’s day is next week. If you have the kind of dad who already has everything, I’ve got a tip for you: A voice recording tape measure. They’re $20 and you can find them at www.x-tremegeek.com. Trust me on this one. He’ll think it’s cool!
Veterinarians agree that it’s healthier for a dog to eat his food slower. When a dog eats too fast he can get indigestion, gas and other bad things. There’s a new dog bowl on the market that has been clinically proven to slow a dog’s eating down by 50 percent. It’s called the Dog Pause Bowl, and you can find it at www.dogpausebowl.com. It works on the principle of compartmentalizing a dog’s food. Its $20 and worth the investment.
Tim Thompson lives in Gainesville. E-mail Tim your ideas for tips, tools or tricks.
Corn on the cob and summer just seem to go together. Here’s something you’ve probably never thought of doing — put pieces of corn on a kabob. To do this you cut the cob into 1 to 2-inch pieces.
Take a corkscrew and put a hole into the center of each of the pieces. The corn is now ready to go on the kabob. The hole made by the corkscrew is sufficiently curvy to keep the corn from moving on the stick.
OK, if you’re older than 30 you probably already know this tip. However, I’ll mention it for my younger readers. The best way to butter corn on the cob is to take a piece of bread, butter it liberally and then roll the cob on the bread. It’s much easier than trying to butter the corn with a knife.
Here’s a great tip for carpenters and weekend warriors. When you’re drilling into resinous wood, you can get pitch on your drill bit. The best way to get it off is to spray the bit with oven cleaner. (Put the bit on some old newspaper first. Preferably not this column). Wait 20 minutes and then wipe the bit off.
Before you put a new bag in your vacuum cleaner, make sure that you pour some salt into it first. Why? It’ll kill the fleas and flea eggs that you vacuum up. Remember, just because you vacuum up fleas doesn’t mean that you’ve killed them.
Father’s day is next week. If you have the kind of dad who already has everything, I’ve got a tip for you: A voice recording tape measure. They’re $20 and you can find them at www.x-tremegeek.com. Trust me on this one. He’ll think it’s cool!
Veterinarians agree that it’s healthier for a dog to eat his food slower. When a dog eats too fast he can get indigestion, gas and other bad things. There’s a new dog bowl on the market that has been clinically proven to slow a dog’s eating down by 50 percent. It’s called the Dog Pause Bowl, and you can find it at www.dogpausebowl.com. It works on the principle of compartmentalizing a dog’s food. Its $20 and worth the investment.
Tim Thompson lives in Gainesville. E-mail Tim your ideas for tips, tools or tricks.