The tips this month are on Food and Happiness. Not such a strange combination, really.

I have 10 of each. They will save you time and money or improve your health. Sometimes both.
Any thoughts on these?

10 Cooking Tips

1. If your salt is clumping up from humidity, put a few grains of rice in with it to adsorb excess moisture.

2. Freeze leftover wine or chicken broth in ice cube trays. You can use the cubes later when making soups or sauces.

3. Light a candle close to where you’re cutting onions to eliminate the tears.

4. When choosing pears, pick hard, unripe ones. Pears ripen from the inside out. By the time the outside is softening, the inside has gone by.

5. Remove tea or coffee stains from your fine china by mixing up a paste of baking soda and lemon juice. Rub the stain with the mixture.

6. Use toothpaste to shine your silver.

7. If two drinking glasses become stuck together after stacking, put a little alcohol around the stuck area. Alcohol has a lower surface tension than, water and will make the surfaces slippery. You can then ease them apart. Another way you can do this is to put ice water in the inside glass, and run hot water over the outside one. The inner glass will slightly contract, and the outer one will slightly expand, and the glasses will come apart.

8. Don’t put tomatoes in the refrigerator. The cold degrades their flavor.

9. Soak popcorn kernels in water for 10 minutes and drain before popping The added moisture helps the popcorn pop quicker and fluffier.

10. Using the dull edge of your knife when gathering chopped food on your cutting board will keep the blade sharp longer.

10 Happiness Tips

1. Read Happy News instead of the regular newspapers.

2. Breathe. Here’s a a “simple yet effective” exercise taken from Dr. Andrew Weil’s website:

“When learning how to breathe, begin by closing your eyes for a few minutes. Practice moving your breath. Keep your back straight. Begin with a deep, audible sigh, then quietly inhale and see how slow, deep, quiet and regular you can make your breathing and still have it feel perfectly comfortable. You should feel that you are getting enough air with no sense of not getting enough air. Do this for at least eight breaths, then open your eyes and breathe normally.”

3. Surround yourself with happy people.

4. Find a hobby or fun thing that you love, and do it regularly. Focusing on it to the exclusion of all else will give you a break from the immediate stress in your life.

5. Learn to compartmentalize your emotions , only accessing them at the appropriate time. By doing this, you can leave the pressures of work at work, and the pressures of home at home.

6. Accept the things you can not change. It will take a load off your shoulders.

7. Do something nice for somebody, but don’t let them know you did it.

8. Make a habit of practicing “half full” thinking rather than “half empty” thinking. Choosing to have a positive attitude is amazingly powerful.

9. Set realistic goals regularly and accomplish them. Then pat yourself on the back!

10. Exercise. This is on every list I make. It will clear your head, relax you, and provide an energy boost.

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