OliveOilMom
Queen of cans and jars
Joined: Nov 12, 2011
Posts: 6783
Location: Living in Faulkner's nightmare
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 Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:55 pm Post subject: Life Skills; questions & answers |
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I'm going to make a thread about how to do everyday things that people sometimes have trouble with. I'm going to post about the things I know most about such as cooking, cleaning, budgeting, etc. I'd like others to post some how-to's as well. I'm also going to be monitoring this thread for questions posted about things I know about, and I'd like others to do the same. Maybe eventually this can become a sticky, and we can all add our knowledge into one big thread that is easily accessable when we need to know how to do something.
So, without further ado I'll start off with a simple recipe I cooked tonight.
Roast beef with vegetables.
Get a five pound or so beef roast. The size will vary depending on how many people you are serving. If you are unsure, you can ask the person in the meat department at the grocery store. It doesn't matter which cut of beef it is for this recipe, because it's cooked so long that it falls apart. I go with the cheapest cuts or whatever is on sale.
Turn the oven on to 325 degrees. Have the oven rack in the second slot from the bottom of the oven.
Spray a 9 x 12 baking dish with cooking spray like Pam. I use a metal one. You can also use a small roasting pan, or one of those disposable aluminum foil pans you can buy in the store. As long as it's about 9 x 12 or a little larger and at least three inches deep, it will work.
Remove the roast from the package andrinse it off well under cool water from the sink. Lay it in the center of the pan. There is no need to dry it.
Wash four or five fist size potatoes under running water. Cut them in half and lay the halves around the roast in the pan.
Get four or five whole carrots and wash them. Cut them into chuncks about 2 or 3 inches long. Lay those around the roast too.
Get two onions. Cut each end off and peel the skin off. Lay the whole onions in the pan as well.
By now you should have the roast in the middle, surrounded by potatoes, carrots and onions. Add water to the pan until it's two thirds full or thereabouts. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and fold it tightly around the edges so no steam escapes.
Set the pan on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven. Put it on the rack that is the second from the bottom. Let it cook for an hour and then check it for doneness. I like mine very well done, so it's never done then. Add more water if needed by pouring it into the pan from a glass or cup. You want to keep it two thirds full. You may need to use a new piece of aluminum foil to cover it, because sometimes it tears when you take it off. Be careful for steam burns. I check my roast by sticking a fork in it to see when it falls apart, and I cook mine at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Depending on how you like your meat, you may cook it longer or shorter. You can buy a meat thermometer to stick in it to tell you how done it is.
When it's done, take the foil off, turn off the oven, and pick the roast up with spatulas or forks and put on a plate. Put the onions, potatoes, and carrots in a bowl. I pour the liquid from the pan down the drain while I'm running hot water in the sink.
I serve mine with ranch dressing.
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Frances
I can be a little much sometimes. |
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MakaylaTheAspie
Zodai's girl
Joined: Jun 22, 2011
Age: 16
Posts: 12822
Location: Aus den USA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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Ooh, that sounds awesome. 
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My deviantART: http://www.watercolorgenius.deviantart.com/ |
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mds_02
Skank
Joined: Sep 10, 2011
Posts: 1948
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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Pizza recipe:
What you'll need;
One dough ball. I usually just get one from one of the pizza restaurants I used to work at, but most supermarkets carry them. It's just not worth all the mixing to make your own dough for one damn pizza.
One bulb of garlic.
Extra virgin olive oil.
Two roma tomatoes. Romas are the best for this because of their relatively low moisture. Other tomatoes will work, but might leave you with a soggy pizza.
Mozzarella. I prefer cutting thin slices of fresh mozzarella, but if you like your cheese to have a bit of chewiness to it then go with the low moisture part skim stuff.
Three or four leaves of basil.
What you do;
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Cut about 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic bulb, exposing all the cloves. You'll also want to peel off the excess skin from the bulb. Brush exposed cloves with olive oil. Put in oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
While garlic is roasting, use roling pin to roll dough ball into flat round shape. I make mine as thin as I possibly can without tearing the dough, usually ends up about 14 inches around, but that's just personal preference.
Use olive oil to grease a cookie sheet. Very little. A few drops, spread around with fingers, should be enough. Place dough on cookie sheet. You could buy a pizza stone if you really wanted, but it's extra money and the cookie sheet works fine.
Cut tomatoes into 1/8th inch slices, set aside for the moment. This will allow some of the excess moisture to drain out of them. Cut mozzarella into similar slices, if using fresh. Shred, if using low moisture.
By now, the garlic should be done. Take it out of the oven and give it a squeeze, the softened cloves should come right out. Put them in the blender with a pinch of salt. Add olive oil, a little at a time, and puree until you reach an easily spreadable consistency.
Spread garlic sauce on dough, all the way to edges. Arrange tomato slices on top of sauce, so that as much surface area as possible is covered without overlapping the slices. Arrange mozzarella slices same way, or sprinkle shredded.
Put in 450 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes. You're going to want to keep an eye on it, it's done when you see the cheese just starting to brown.
Just before serving take the basil leaves, roll them tightly together, and cut. When unrolled, you'll have little ribbons of basil. It is important that they not be cut until just before they are put on. Sprinkle them over the pizza, and serve.
Variations;
Add sliced prosciutto, on top of the tomatoes but under the cheese so little edges of it stick out and crisp up in the oven.
Add onions and bell peppers.
My favorite, add caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms.
Wow, typing that felt like it took forever, but it really is crazy quick and easy.
Last edited by mds_02 on Thu Mar 15, 2012 12:23 am; edited 2 times in total |
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OliveOilMom
Queen of cans and jars
Joined: Nov 12, 2011
Posts: 6783
Location: Living in Faulkner's nightmare
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| Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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How to wash dishes without a dishwasher.
You will need;
A double sink or a regular sink plus a large, deep, plastic dishpan.
A stopper for the sink it it's a double sink
A dish drainer, or a flat surface to cover with towels for the wet dishes
A sponge or dishrag
Liquid dish soap
Empty out the sink first and wipe off all dirt and gunk with paper towels or a rag that you rinse out afterwards. Put the stopper in one side of the sink and run very warm water into it, putting about a 2 second squirt of dish soap into it as it begins to fill. If it's a dish pan instead, then put that in the sink or on the counter beside it if you don't have room in the sink and fill it the same way you would the sink. Leave about the width of your hand's space between the top of the water and the top of the sink or pan.
Seperate your dirty dishes into catagories. Cups and glasses, silverware, plates and bowls, plastics, pots and pans, casserolle or oven dishes.
Put the silverware in the water and the glasses, or as many glasses as you can get. Start washing the glasses and then putting them in the other side of the sink, or just the sink if you have a dish pan. When they are done, turn the tap on warm water and rinse them off and either put them in the dish drainer, or put them upside down on the towels.
Next, wash all the silverware and rinse the same way you did the glasses. Put them in the drainer or on towels too.
Do the same for the rest of the dishes, in this order. Plates and bowls, plastics, pots and pans, oven dishes. You want to wash the dirtiest things last.
As the drainer fills up, or the towel area gets crowded you can either take a break and wait for them to air dry and put them away, or dry them with a towel and put them away, so you have room for more dishes.
Things with baked on or dried on food and stuff may need to soak. You can also use SOS soap pads on many things, but do not use them on anything with a nonstick surface. Soak that and only use a sponge or rag.
You may need to drain the dish water and run fresh water as it gets dirty. You will be able to see when it gets very dirty.
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Frances
I can be a little much sometimes. |
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OliveOilMom
Queen of cans and jars
Joined: Nov 12, 2011
Posts: 6783
Location: Living in Faulkner's nightmare
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 12:06 am Post subject: |
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How to make regular white sandwich loaf bread
You will need;
Two bread loaf pans, or two mini loaf pans, or one of each (I use one of each)
A large bowl
A big spoon
A clean countertop or wax paper to shape the dough on
Cooking spray like Pam
Six or seven cups of plain flour
One package of yeast (not Rapid-Rize) - this usually comes in strips of three packs
One tablespoon of sugar
One tablespoon of salt
2 1/2 cups of hot tap water
half a stick of softened room temperature butter, or four tablespoons
Put one package of yeast in the bottom of the large bowl. Add the salt and sugar. Slowly and gently pour in 1/2 cup of the hot tap water. Do not stir or move or disturb. Let that sit for ten minutes.
Stir the mixture in the bowl. Add flour one cup at a time, stirring between additions. When you cannot stir it with a spoon anymore because it's too thick, begin kneading it with your hand. I use one hand to mix and one hand to scoop the flour. Add the butter in and knead it well as soon as it begins to be too thick to stir with the spoon. Keep adding the flour until it becomes a nice elastic and smooth soft dough. It will be six or seven cups. It does not have to be exact. When it sticks together and you can pick up the whoe thing without it drooping down and breaking apart, it's the right consistancy.
The way I mix it with my hands and knead it is I think of the bowl as a clock. I slide my right hand under the dough at 12 oclock and fold it over to the center and mash it down. Then I turn the bowl a quarter turn clockwise and repeat that. I usuall knead it that way 25 times between additions of flour to get it all in. I also knead it 25 times that way after I add the butter to the dough. Once the dough is the right consistancy, knead it that way 50 times. You can do this in the bowl. There may still be flour stuck to the sides of the bowl, but that's ok.
Take the dough out and wash the bowl and dry it. Spray the bowl with cooking spray. Place the ball of dough in the bowl and turn it so that the spray gets all over the dough. Cover it with a towel or cloth napkin and let it sit on the table or somewhere that's not cold or drafty for an hour and a half.
Grease your loaf pans by spraying them with cooking spray.
Mash the dough down in the bowl and knead it about 20 times. Seperate the dough into two halves. Take one half and shape it into a flat rectangle on the counter, as long as the loaf pan is. Roll it up from the end near you like a jelly roll. Pinch the seam where it joins so that it stays closed. Pinch each end so that it stays closed too. Put it in the loaf pan, seam side down. Take a sharp knife and cut through the top about an inch down, longways down the loaf pan. Do the same for the other piece of dough. Cover and let it rise again for one hour.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees/ Put the oven rack in the middle position, or if you have no middle position, put it in the second from the bottom. Let the oven preheat. Put the bread in the oven and cook it for 30-35 minutes. Turn the pans over to take the bread out immediately after taking them out of the oven. Let it cool to slightly warmer than room temperature before slicing.
Yum.
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Frances
I can be a little much sometimes. |
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OliveOilMom
Queen of cans and jars
Joined: Nov 12, 2011
Posts: 6783
Location: Living in Faulkner's nightmare
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:29 am Post subject: |
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How I clean a bathroom
I have three ways that I clean the bathroom, depending on which products I have on hand. I'll outline them all. After I outline the three different ways, I will add the last things to do at the end.
Comet or powder scouring powder method.
You need scouring powder, three rags the size of washcloths or small face or kitchen towels, a large cup like a slushy cup, and a toilet brush.
1. Straighten up the bathroom. Take the towels off the rack and put up fresh towels. Take all dirty clothes out and straighten up things on the counters, toilet, shelves, sides of tub, etc.
2. Wet two cloths and choose one to use for scrubbing and one for rinsing and one for drying. With the scrubbing cloth, wipe the sink and sink counter area to get it wet. Sprinkle a small amount of scouring powder on it and scrub. Do the counter and sink. Using the other wet cloth, wipe the area off as well as you can. Then use the dry cloth to wipe over it to make it somewhat dry. It doesn't have to be all the way dry.
3. Sprinkle powder on the scrubbing cloth and wipe the shower or tub walls. Do one section at a time, then wipe off with the rinsing cloth. You may need to rinse the cloth out several times. Once the shower walls are done, wet the inside of the tub and sprinkle the powder around in there. Scrub it with the scrubbing cloth. Then either use the wet cloth to rinse it off, or use the cup to fill it water and rinse it.
4. Flush the toilet and sprinkle the powder around inside the bowl. Put some powder on the scrubbing cloth and wipe down the tank of the toilet. Wipe it off with the rinse cloth, then the dry cloth. Wipe the outside of the bowl and base of the toilet with the scrub cloth, then the rinse cloth and dry cloth. Wipe off the seat, then inside and outside of the lid, and the rim with the scrub cloth, then rinse and dry. Use the toilet brush on the inside of the toilet.
SOS soap pad method.
You will need one SOS type soap pad, a damp cloth and a dry cloth. Also scouring powder and a toilet brush.
1. Wet the counter and sink area with the wet cloth, scrub with the SOS pad, wipe with the rinse cloth and then the dry cloth.
2. Do the same for the tub, just as for the scouring powder method above. You will need to rewet the soap pad from time to time.
3. Sprink the powder inside the toilet, then clean the outside as above, but with the SOS pad, rinsing and drying as before. Clean the inside of the toilet.
Spray method.
You will need a type of spray cleaner (409, etc) a rag, and a toilet brush.
This is the easiest method. Spray the sink and counter area, and then wipe off. Do the same for the shower walls and tub. Then the toilet. Spray inside the bowl and use the brush to clean that.
Other things that need to be done.
Clean the mirrors and faucets with glass cleaner and paper towels.
Sweep
Mop the floow with something like Lysol, Pine Sol, or bleach water.
Empty the garbage.
Bathroom should be clean now. I do this for all my bathrooms every Thursday.
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Frances
I can be a little much sometimes. |
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Nim
Depersonalized Aspie
Joined: Sep 08, 2008
Age: 28
Posts: 3510
Location: Away
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 3:17 am Post subject: |
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I actually have a big brush and a industrial shop vac. I literally wet everything, scrub.. knock everything to the floor, shop vac it out... and go. Then again I rarely get around to it.
I'd be interested to hear and tips you have on long haired cats oliveoil. My cats hair is getting, everywhere...  Uncontrollable. |
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Vigilans
Orgasm Donor
Joined: Jun 20, 2008
Age: 24
Posts: 12093
Location: La belle province
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 3:29 am Post subject: |
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How to clean dishes like a manly man:
-Take dirty dishes, throw out window into dumpster
-Go out and buy new dishes
-Repeat as required
How to make a proper filthy bachelor/bachelorette meal:
-Take box of KD
-Open box, remove cheese powder
-Pour cheese powder into box
-Pour milk in
-Eat directly from box
How to clean the bathroom like a real man
-Go outside, find water tap
-Attach hose
-Walk to bathroom window
-Spray jet of water into the room, covering every surface and ensuring manapproved cleanliness
-Throw a towel on the floor, crack open a cold one and pat yourself on the back
-Wait for wife/girlfriend/owner to get home and congratulate you on your manly good work with sexy time
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Opportunities multiply as they are seized. -Sun Tzu
Nature creates few men brave, industry and training makes many -Machiavelli
You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do |
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mds_02
Skank
Joined: Sep 10, 2011
Posts: 1948
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 3:41 am Post subject: |
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| OliveOilMom wrote: | How I clean a bathroom
I have three ways that I clean the bathroom, depending on which products I have on hand. I'll outline them all. After I outline the three different ways, I will add the last things to do at the end.
Comet or powder scouring powder method.
You need scouring powder, three rags the size of washcloths or small face or kitchen towels, a large cup like a slushy cup, and a toilet brush.
1. Straighten up the bathroom. Take the towels off the rack and put up fresh towels. Take all dirty clothes out and straighten up things on the counters, toilet, shelves, sides of tub, etc.
2. Wet two cloths and choose one to use for scrubbing and one for rinsing and one for drying. With the scrubbing cloth, wipe the sink and sink counter area to get it wet. Sprinkle a small amount of scouring powder on it and scrub. Do the counter and sink. Using the other wet cloth, wipe the area off as well as you can. Then use the dry cloth to wipe over it to make it somewhat dry. It doesn't have to be all the way dry.
3. Sprinkle powder on the scrubbing cloth and wipe the shower or tub walls. Do one section at a time, then wipe off with the rinsing cloth. You may need to rinse the cloth out several times. Once the shower walls are done, wet the inside of the tub and sprinkle the powder around in there. Scrub it with the scrubbing cloth. Then either use the wet cloth to rinse it off, or use the cup to fill it water and rinse it.
4. Flush the toilet and sprinkle the powder around inside the bowl. Put some powder on the scrubbing cloth and wipe down the tank of the toilet. Wipe it off with the rinse cloth, then the dry cloth. Wipe the outside of the bowl and base of the toilet with the scrub cloth, then the rinse cloth and dry cloth. Wipe off the seat, then inside and outside of the lid, and the rim with the scrub cloth, then rinse and dry. Use the toilet brush on the inside of the toilet.
SOS soap pad method.
You will need one SOS type soap pad, a damp cloth and a dry cloth. Also scouring powder and a toilet brush.
1. Wet the counter and sink area with the wet cloth, scrub with the SOS pad, wipe with the rinse cloth and then the dry cloth.
2. Do the same for the tub, just as for the scouring powder method above. You will need to rewet the soap pad from time to time.
3. Sprink the powder inside the toilet, then clean the outside as above, but with the SOS pad, rinsing and drying as before. Clean the inside of the toilet.
Spray method.
You will need a type of spray cleaner (409, etc) a rag, and a toilet brush.
This is the easiest method. Spray the sink and counter area, and then wipe off. Do the same for the shower walls and tub. Then the toilet. Spray inside the bowl and use the brush to clean that.
Other things that need to be done.
Clean the mirrors and faucets with glass cleaner and paper towels.
Sweep
Mop the floow with something like Lysol, Pine Sol, or bleach water.
Empty the garbage.
Bathroom should be clean now. I do this for all my bathrooms every Thursday. |
Wouldn't it be easier to just get a new place? |
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OliveOilMom
Queen of cans and jars
Joined: Nov 12, 2011
Posts: 6783
Location: Living in Faulkner's nightmare
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 3:44 am Post subject: |
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| Nim wrote: | I actually have a big brush and a industrial shop vac. I literally wet everything, scrub.. knock everything to the floor, shop vac it out... and go. Then again I rarely get around to it.
I'd be interested to hear and tips you have on long haired cats oliveoil. My cats hair is getting, everywhere... Uncontrollable. |
Wolf hybrids shed a lot. A whole lot. I have a hair problem too. What I do is sweep every day, sometimes twice a day in shedding season. If you have carpet, then vacume every day. Also use the vacume on cushions and under the cushions. Under couches and furniture is important too because cat hair hides there.
You can get pet hair off furniture with one of those rolly sticky lint brushes with the tape, or by using duct tape. Just put it on the cushion and pull it off. They do make special things for pet hair removal, but I think tape is the easiest solution. I'd also Scotchguard the furniture if I were you. You can buy it in a spray can and do it yourself.
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Frances
I can be a little much sometimes. |
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Nim
Depersonalized Aspie
Joined: Sep 08, 2008
Age: 28
Posts: 3510
Location: Away
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 3:47 am Post subject: |
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| Too... much.... work. |
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OliveOilMom
Queen of cans and jars
Joined: Nov 12, 2011
Posts: 6783
Location: Living in Faulkner's nightmare
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 4:13 am Post subject: |
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| Nim wrote: | | Too... much.... work. |
Yes, keeping things clean is a lot of work. Even though I'm not obsessive about it, it takes me several hours to do all my household chores. The alternative to keeping up with them is living in a mess. Most of these things only take a few minutes. It takes me five minutes tops to clean each bathroom. I use one of the three methods I've described, depending on which cleaning products I have on hand. I do not use all three methods at once. It takes about ten minutes to pull cat hair off a couch or chair with tape. It takes about five minutes to vacume a room. It's no fun, and for some people it can even be downright unpleasant, but not everything in life is simple or easy or to our liking. We all have to do some things we don't want to do, simply to take care of ourselves and our environments.
I personally hate to shower. It feels like entirely too much work and I dislike the feeling of being wet. However, if I don't shower I will smell bad. Therefore, I shower almost every day even though I strongly dislike it.
You gotta do what you gotta do, pretty much.
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Frances
I can be a little much sometimes. |
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CrazyCatLord
Phoenix
Joined: Oct 25, 2011
Posts: 2177
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 7:46 am Post subject: |
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I like this idea 
How to make a simple, healthy salad for one person:
Pour a cup of plain yogurt into a bowl ("plain" means not a fruit yogurt). Add half a teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of vinegar, and one teaspoon of vegetable oil. You might also want to add some dried herbs. I recommend basil and oregano, both of which are high in antioxidants. If you don't have to watch your weight, add a few squirts of mayonnaise for the taste. Stir the dressing with a tablespoon.
Wash and slice 2 or 3 tomatoes and half a cucumber. Wrap the other half in saran wrap and put it in the fridge for another day. If you want, you can also peel and dice an onion, but I'm a lazy person and prefer to use freeze-dried onion and garlic dices. Anyway, garlic and onions are not mandatory.
Put the tomato and cucumber slices into the bowl, stir and taste. If it tastes too bland, add a little more salt, and perhaps a squirt of tabasco. That's it! You can easily turn your salad into a complete meal by adding bits of cheese, a crumbled slice of bread, and some leftover chicken. Sliced green peppers are another great addition.
Last edited by CrazyCatLord on Thu Mar 15, 2012 8:23 am; edited 1 time in total |
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CrazyCatLord
Phoenix
Joined: Oct 25, 2011
Posts: 2177
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 8:17 am Post subject: |
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If you only cook for one person and have never cooked before, I recommend buying a small countertop oven or toaster oven. They are pretty cheap and start at 30 Euro or $. You can use them to bake potatoes, steam vegetables, and of course to cook meat. That way, you don't need to dirty up a pan, and the meat is healthier because you don't have to add oil or butter.
To prepare meat, put some aluminum foil on the baking tray. Fold up the borders to prevent meat juice from dripping into the oven. Put the meat on the aluminum foil and add salt and dried herbs. You can set the toaster oven to the highest degree, since they are typically not very powerful.
For a fresh steak or filet, set the timer to 15 minutes. You can put some cheese on top if you like meat with grilled cheese. Use 45 minutes for chicken legs, and 30 minutes for oven potatoes or deep-frozen steaks / filets, including frozen fish filets. If you want to steam vegetables such as green peppers, wrap them in aluminum foil, put them into the oven together with the meat, and take them out after 15 minutes.
Use oven mitts to take out the tray when your dinner is ready. Use a fork to put the meat onto a soup plate. Make a dent into the border of the aluminum foil and carefully pour the meat juice / gravy on top of the meat. Alternatively, you can turn it into a thick gravy by pouring the meat juice into a cooking pot, adding some water and salt, boiling it, and stirring some soup thickener or roux into the mixture. |
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CrazyCatLord
Phoenix
Joined: Oct 25, 2011
Posts: 2177
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 8:21 am Post subject: |
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| If you have little time, here is a simple recipe for a quick meal: Put two slices of toast on aluminum foil and spread some margarine or mayonnaise on the toast. Add two slices of thinly cut leftover meat (or bacon, or sausage), two slices of canned pineapple, and two slices of cheese. Put your "Toast Hawaii" into the oven for 15 minutes. |
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