May 17th, 2013
By Lillyan Baker
Wrap skewers in craft tape to label different appetizers.
The savory summer weather of late night dinners on the patio are just around the corner. I love having friends over for a light meal and an even sweeter dessert to catch up and enjoy time under the stars. There’s something about the thick, Texas air that makes me crave the coolness of watermelon. This featured appetizer is a great idea for a large party or small gathering. Finish the night with seasonal banana pudding and a dollop of fresh whipped cream to start your summer off on the right dish.
Watermelon with Mint & Feta
-Watermelon, cubed
-1/4 c Feta cheese
-1/4 c Mint, chopped
-2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
-Pinch of Salt
-Pinch of Pepper
- Combine feta, mint, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Place mixture on top of watermelon squares and serve with party skewers.
Serve Up the Sweetness
-3 c milk
-3 c vanilla wafers
-3 bananas, thinly sliced
-6 eggs, separated
-1 c heavy whipping cream
-1 Tbsp powdered sugar
-4 Tbsp butter
-1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
-Pinch of Salt
-Optional: Pistachios, shelled and minced
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Mix well. Add milk. Over medium heat, continue to stir until thickened and boiling. Remove custard from heat.
2. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks, then add in 1/2 cup of hot custard until blended. Pour mixture back into saucepan of custard and cut for an additional 4 minutes. Add vanilla and butter until well blended. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
3. Using a large electric mixer, mix the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to form the whipped cream.
4. Spoon chilled banana pudding in individual serving bowls, top with whipped cream and vanilla wafers.
Optional: Add minced pistachios on top for nutty flavor and crunch.
Tags: Banana Pudding dessert, Banana Pudding recipe, Banana Pudding with Cream, Lillyan Baker, Live Laugh and Learn with Lillyan, Mr. Appliance, Mr. Appliance Blog, MrAppliance, summer desserts, summer party appetizers, summer party desserts, summer sweetness, watermelon appetizer, watermelon with feta, watermelon with mint
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May 15th, 2013
By Lillyan Baker
Love Your Kitchen
Take time to love your appliances and they will love you back. Follow these steps from Mr. Appliance to cook up some romance, instead of frustration with inefficient appliances.
Give Your Oven Some Lovin’
- Don’t run the self-cleaning cycle within one week of a big dinner – ovens have a tendency to fail during or right after a self-cleaning cycle.
- Clean the reflector bowls under the burners to help cook more efficiently.
XOXO For Your Dishwasher
- If you’re unsure whether or not an item is dishwasher safe, just wash it by hand.
- Run an empty dishwasher with a cup of white vinegar to eliminate odors and buildup.
Keep Your Garbage Disposal Smelling Like Roses
- Place a handful of ice cubes in the disposal. Add lemon, orange or lime peels and run disposal with cold water for 15 to 30 seconds. Continue to rinse with cold water.
- To avoid clogging your garbage disposal, remember to not pour grease down the drain.
Rekindle Your Refrigerator
- Unplug your refrigerator and use a vacuum to remove any dust from the coils. This will help it run more efficiently and trim your utility bills.
- Make sure it’s loaded properly. Contents should be evenly distributed.
Tags: dishwasher tips, fridge tips, Garbage Disposal Tips, how to kitchen, Kitchen appliance tips, kitchen energy tips, Kitchen Household Tips, Kitchen Love, Kitchen maintenance tips, Kitchen repair tips, Lillyan Baker, Mr. Appliance, Mr. Appliance Blog, MrAppliance, Oven Tips, refrigerator tips
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May 10th, 2013
By Lillyan Baker
Simple Solutions
Simple solutions to get your household safe and clean with products you can find within your pantry.
After eating an orange, don’t throw away the peel. Citrus peels, including oranges, lemons and limes, can help deodorize your garbage disposal. Excess waste put down your disposal can cause an unforgiving odor. To avoid a stench that can linger, try this simple tip to deodorize your garbage disposal. Place ice cubes in the disposal. Add orange, lemon or lime peels and run the disposal with cold water for 15 to 30 seconds, then turn the disposal off. Continue to run the cold water for 15 seconds thereafter. This eliminates stubborn odors without harsh chemicals, leaving your sink smelling fresh and clean.
From cookies to countertops, vanilla extract can smell your kitchen fresh all week long. Cover up the fish from last night’s dinner by heating up a microwave-safe bowl of vanilla extract for three minutes. Then grab a rag or paper towel and use it to wipe surfaces for stubborn stains and residue in the microwave. To eliminate fridge odors, pour vanilla extract into a bowl with a paper towel and wipe down the refrigerator walls. Your kitchen will smell like fresh baked cookies without the baking!
Tags: appliance repair, clean with home products, how to clean your kitchen, kitchen tips, Lillyan Baker, LillyanBaker, Mr. Appliance, Mr. Appliance Blog, MrAppliance, organic kitchen, simple solutions
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May 3rd, 2013
By Lillyan Baker
Dishin' Out Tips
Cooking, baking and living in a green kitchen lifestyle is as simple as making a few changes to your dishwashing routines.
Eliminate a step from your cleaning process- no more pre-rinse! Save up to 20 gallons of water by hand-scraping your dishes, instead of running water for your pre-rinse. Not only will this save on water waste, but it can save your glassware, too! Dishwasher detergent is dependent on food particles to do its job. By having no food to attack, it usually moves to glassware, leaving your dishes cloudy with permanent etching damage.
To get cleaner dishes, purge your water in the sink before running the dishwasher to make sure it’s hot from the beginning of the wash cycle. The hot water will help break down stuck-on food particles and prevent clogs. Make sure your hot water heater is set between 120 and 125 degrees. Give your dishwasher a wash of its own by running an empty cycle with a cup of white vinegar. The cleaner will remove soap and calcium build-up that makes your dishwasher worker harder than it has to.
Use short dishwashing cycles and save the normal dishwashing cycles for your dirtiest dishes. Avoid using the “rinse hold” setting, since it uses three to seven gallons of hot water for each use. Give your dishes a breath of fresh air by turning your dishwasher setting to air-dry or open the dishwasher after the rinse cycle.
Tags: appliance repair, broken appliance, dishwasher energy tips, dishwasher ideas, dishwasher repair, dishwasher tips, home appliance repair, Household Tips, kitchen energy tips, Lillyan Baker, Mr. Appliance, MrAppliance
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May 1st, 2013
As the weather begins to warm up, I love having family and friends over for dinner. Sometimes the stress of grocery shopping, decorating the table and prepping the meal can be dinner-overload. As a moving gift, my mom sent me this lasagna recipe from Martha Stewart that Trey and my neighbors absolutely loved. Paired with pesto and gruyere bruschetta as an inviting appetizer, this one-dish meal is sure to please your guests and your schedule too.
For extra flavor, add extra parmesan on top.
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 c all-purpose flour
3 c whole milk
1 c finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
5 c coarsely chopped spinach
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lemon, very thinly sliced
6 no-boil lasagna noodles
- Melt butter in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in flour; cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in 3/4 cup cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in spinach.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook sausage in a skillet over high heat, breaking up pieces, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
- Cover lemon slices with cold water by 3 inches in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon.
- Spread 1/4 cup sauce in an 8-inch square nonreactive baking dish. Top with 2 noodles, half the sausage, and 1 cup sauce. Repeat. Top with a layer of lemons, 2 noodles, then remaining sauce and lemons. Bake, covered with parchment-lined foil, for 27 minutes.
Remove from oven. Heat broiler. Uncover lasagna; top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Broil until bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes.
Recipe from MarthaStewart.com.
Just a taste.
Spring Pesto & Gruyere Bruschetta
1 Baguette
1 block of gruyere cheese, thinly sliced
1 c cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 large garlic clove
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice baguette into 1 inch slices. Place cheese slices on top of sliced bread and melt cheese in oven for 5-7 minutes.
3. In a food processor, combine basil, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt.
4. Once the cheese is melted, remove baguette slices from oven and spoon pesto on top. Finish with tomato slices and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Tags: appliance repair, bruschetta, gruyere bruschetta, lasagna, lasagna recipe, Lillyan Baker, Live Laugh and Learn with Lillyan, Mr. Appliance, MrAppliance, one-dish recipe, pesto and gruyere bruschetta, pesto bruschetta, sausage spinach and lemon lasagna
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April 26th, 2013
By Lillyan Baker
Hidden House Escape
Tired of your man retreating to his man cave after dinner while you are stuck folding laundry? It’s time to create a space for a weekly refuge that is just for you by building your own mom cave. Transform the one room in your house your husband would never think to look, the laundry room! See how a coat of paint and the strike of a match can turn a cinderblock basement into a sanctuary of suds.
A Few Strokes to Paradise
- Even though your sheets are white, doesn’t mean your walls have to be too! For a gallon of paint and a weekend of work, you can revamp your laundry room to give it that straight-out-of-the-magazine look! Pick a color that shows off your personality and brings you energy during a heavy laundry load week.
- For an inexpensive improvement with expensive results, change the pull knobs on drawers and cabinets to turn any outdated cabinet into a work of art.
- Upgrade your cabinets without the replacement cost. Take the time to restain worn panels that have lost their color from years of drippy, wet clothes.
Make It Your Own
- Drop those empty, multi-colored detergent bottles in the recycle; it’s time for some real decorations in your laundry room. Fill your soon-to-be retreat with photos of your most recent girl’s night out and favorite candle aromas.
- If you have the space, add a comfortable chair in your favorite fabric to give yourself a place to kick back and relax. Soaking the stains off your kid’s soccer uniform has never been so easy.
- No need to replace a worn floor, add a large area rug to cover dropped dyes and pickled panels. The added rug will give a soft feel to your haven and your toes.
Escape to Entertainment
- Amplify your playlist and charge your smart phone at the same time. Add a stereo docking station to your kid and husband free zone for simple sounds in your sanctuary.
- King of the remote, move over because the queen is here to stay! You can hang a small flat screen television on an empty wall to catch up on your latest soaps while washing with soap. This is one reality show you will not want to end.
- Give yourself a recess. From sewing to scrapbooking to painting, now you can create a craft area for your favorite hobbies to entertain you while you wait for the dryer to ding.
A Place for Everything
- Make more room for storage by upgrading your appliances to a front loader washer and dryer. These appliances allow you to place storage on top of the machine, not just around it. Now you can save on storage space and energy with every load.
- With your extra room you can create a drop-down ironing board that doubles as a workspace for arts and crafts and for folding clothes.
- No need to air your dirty laundry. Turn your saved appliance space into a hanging clothes rack for air-dry only clothes and peewee football jerseys.
To keep your new appliances running for years to come, schedule a service professional to visit your home once a year for an appliance check-up.
Give yourself a reason to fluff and fold everyday by converting your laundry room into your favorite room in the house with your personalized mom cave. By the time you are finished, your family may even help you with a load of laundry just to check out your new space. With a laundry room that looks this good, washing clothes is a chore no more.
Tags: appliance repair, home appliance repair, how to fix up laundry room, how to washroom, laundry room, laundry room appliances, laundry room DIY, laundry room ideas, laundry room retreats, Lillyan Baker, mom cave, Mr. Appliance, MrAppliance
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April 22nd, 2013
By Lillyan Baker
Berry Bliss
Spring Saturdays are my favorite. I love sleeping in and waking up to the bright, seasonal light that shines through my curtains. There is something sweeter about making breakfast on a Saturday morning than my normal work week. Celebrate the season of new beginnings by incorporating fresh fruit with energy-packed carbs to get you through your weekend of errands, or just relaxing in the springtime sun.
Whole-Grain Berry Muffins
1 1/4 c whole-wheat flour
1 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 c flaxseed meal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 c plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest, plus 1/4 cup orange juice
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 c fresh blueberries
1 c fresh blackberries
- Heat oven to 375° F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a food processor, process the flour, oats, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt until finely ground.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, butter, orange zest and juice, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated (do not overmix). Fold in the berries.
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes.
Recipe from RealSimple.com.
Tags: berry muffins, blackberry muffins, blueberry muffins, breakfast recipes, Lillyan Baker, Live Laugh and Learn with Lillyan, Mr. Appliance, MrAppliance, muffin recipes, saturday breakfast, whole grain berry muffins, whole grain muffin recipes, Whole Grain muffins
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April 16th, 2013
Evolve Your Home This Earth Day
By Lillyan Baker
Celebrate Earth Day by making an effort to live a green lifestyle and grow some green in your pocket, too. This month, make an effort to break old habits and take a step away from energy-waste to energy-smart.
“By maintaining your appliances regularly, you can extend the life of your investment and save energy,” said Doug Rogers, president of Mr. Appliance. “The harder an appliance has to work to do its job, the more energy it consumes in the process, which puts a strain on the appliance, the environment and on your energy bills.”
Follow these simple tips from Mr. Appliance to make your appliances not only benefit planet earth, but also your pocketbook.
Open the Door to More Savings
- Give your refrigerator some breathing room by keeping the appliance at least two or three inches away from the wall. Place your refrigerator away from direct sunlight and appliances that produce heat to make your refrigerator run more efficiently.
- Do you crave a midnight snack, but can’t decide what to eat? Keep your fridge full, not only to satisfy all of your midnight munchies, but also to help the fridge save energy after recovery from the door being open.
- Check and care for the rubber seals surrounding the inside of your fridge by using mild soap twice a year to help prevent cracked and torn seals. Use your money to test the seals by placing a dollar bill halfway inside the refrigerator door. If the dollar pulls out easily, then your losing money in more than one way and it may be time to replace the rubber seals.
- Enjoy a night of leftovers and defrost your fridge regularly. The frost build-up wastes energy by making the compressor run longer.
Keep the Heat Inside of Your Oven and Out of Your Pocket
- If you notice your food cooking unevenly or it is taking longer than before, it may be time to replace cracked or torn door seals that can allow up to 20% of heat to escape
- When cooking up your favorite meal, turn off electric burners two to three minutes before you finish cooking and let the residual heat sauté the rest to perfection.
- Save yourself a step by planning out your cooking schedule to only bake in the oven instead of preheating. Sometimes there is no need to preheat if the food requires more than an hour in the oven.
- When tidying up your kitchen don’t forget about your electric and gas burners. Clean burners allow for a more efficient use of energy.
Clean Plate, Clean Mind
- Save up to 20 gallons of water by hand -scraping your dishes, instead of running water for your pre-rinse.
- Give your dishes a breath of fresh air by turning your dishwasher setting to air-dry or open the dishwasher after the rinse cycle.
- Hold off on washing your dishes until you have a full load. Your dishwasher uses the same amount of water per cycle, so fill it up with all of your hand-scraped plates.
- Give your dishwasher a wash of its own by running an empty cycle with a citric acid-based cleaner. The cleaner will remove soap and calcium build-up that makes your dishwasher work harder than it has to.
Follow these do-it-yourself energy efficient tips periodically by adding them to your family calendar. To help prolong the life of your appliances, combine these tips with regular visits from your local appliance repair professional.
Through the use of simple maintenance tasks you can extend the life of your appliances, your bank account and most importantly, our planet.
Tags: dishwasher tips, Earth Day, earth day 2013, Earth Day ideas, Earth Day tips, energy efficient home, fridge tips, Home Tips, Lillyan Baker, LillyanBaker, Mr. Appliance, MrAppliance, Oven Tips, Stove Tips, washer tips
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April 8th, 2013
Save Some Green
By Lillyan Baker
Wash out your family’s green grass stains and wash in even more green savings. The laundry room can be the busiest room in your house, and if your washer and dryer aren’t performing at their best, it could show up on your energy bill. It may be time to give your family’s laundry habits an energy-saving makeover.
“Busy schedules and full households can cause lots of wear and tear on laundry room appliances,” said Doug Rogers, president of Mr. Appliance. “Home owners should take special care when using their washer and dryer to make sure they keep working efficiently. The harder an appliance has to work to do its job, the more energy is wasted in the process.”
Follow these simple tips from Mr. Appliance to help your laundry room conserve energy and money.
Washer:
- When appropriate, wash clothes in cold water. This saves the energy needed to heat the water.
- Wash full loads. Washing machines use about the same amount of energy for all load sizes, so fill up the load to avoid wasting energy.
- Use the high-speed spin cycle, to take moisture out of your clothes resulting in less drying time and more energy saved.
- If you have an older top-loading washing machine, consider converting to a front-loading washer, which uses about 70 percent less water.
Dryer:
- Keep the lint filter clean to maximize air circulation, energy efficiency and to help prevent a potential fire.
- Dry full loads and use the moisture sensor setting. Not only does this save energy, it also protects your clothes from heat damage.
- Keep the dryer’s outside exhaust clean to prevent dryer fires and reduce drying time, which saves energy. Keep the dryer at least four inches away from the wall to prevent kinks or tears from forming in the exhaust vent.
These tips are easy for you to do yourself, and can even help prolong the life of your appliances when combined with regular visits from your local appliance repair expert.
Tags: Dryer Tips, Earth Day, earth day 2013, Energy Tips, Green Laundry Tips, laundry ideas, laundry tips, Lillyan Baker, LillyanBaker, Mr. Appliance, MrAppliance, washer tips
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