Top tips to battle small holiday disasters

Try this baking tip from my mother

By Observer Staff
| 7:37 a.m. November 12, 2015

Photo: Courtesy of freeimages.com - Cinnamon and a few other common items can save the day at your holiday parties this season.

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• "To remove paint or stain from hands (even oil-based), use an old dry washcloth with liquid hand soap – no water. After the paint is loose, rinse with warm water." – H.P. in Washington

• "I found a terrific metal magnet strip that is for use in the kitchen. It was a great price at a local resale shop. I have used it in my mini workshop to hold jewelry-making tools by my craft desk. It is especially handy now that I am making many ornaments for gifts." – E.L. in New Jersey

• Use baking soda as a dry cleaning agent for fabric items such as suitcases, backpacks, boots, canvas items, etc.

• "Try this baking tip from my mother: When you have a recipe that calls for dry spices (cinnamon, ginger, ground clove, etc.), cream them with the butter instead of sifting them with the dry ingredients. I do feel like they become infused in the recipe better." – A. in Illinois

• Fresh ginger can be frozen. Simply grate as needed. Flavor remains, and it will stay fresh much longer.

• "An oldie but a goodie, and certainly considerate of dear old mom: In my family, you come to Thanksgiving dinner with your own plastic containers for leftovers. If you don't bring your own, you don't go home with tomorrow's lunch. Mom instituted this rule after the first Thanksgiving when all the kids had moved out. We practically cleaned her out of Tupperware!" – E.Y. in New Mexico

• You can cut the bitterness in some varieties of greens by soaking them in ice water for roughly an hour before serving. Use a salad spinner to get all of the water off.

• To freshen carpets, there's no need to purchase expensive or heavily perfumed carpet deodorizers – baking soda can do the job. Sprinkle carpets liberally, let set for 30 minutes to an hour, and then vacuum thoroughly.

• "If you host a large family holiday gathering and serve a lot of side dishes, try this trick to them hot while waiting for other items to finish in the oven. Simply cover the bottom of a clean ice chest with a few trivets or a couple kitchen towels, and set casseroles and oven-cooked meats inside. Most people use a cooler to keep things cold, but the insulation works just as well to keep hot things hot ... at least for a little while." – M.E. in West Virginia

• Recipe substitution: If you need 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, use 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves.

• Many things can affect blood pressure, and seeing the doctor is one of them. Instead, request that a nurse or physician’s assistant take your blood pressure. Having a full bladder also can make your pressure reading higher, as can positioning your arm below heart level.

• Remove the annoying sticky residue from price tags with WD-40 or baby oil. This is for use on hard surfaces only. If you are unsure, test in an inconspicuous spot first to make sure the oil doesn't leave a stain where the tag was.