Stir-fry Secret

To avoid a stir--fry getting soggy, pour the sauce down the sides of the pan when adding sauce. This makes the sauce warm by the time it reaches the center. Adding a room temperaure sauce cools the hot wok and the dish ends up soggy. The trick makes your stir-fry stay hot and crispy.

Salt Wonders

Did you know that salt does so much more than just season a dish? It has so many uses that in ancient times it was valued more than rice and bread. Let me share with you some great uses I found for our kitchen staple.

Try sprinkling salt onto your dry scalp when you're out of anti-dandruff shampoo. Using your fingers, work it into your hair, then shampoo as usual. The salt will gently slough off the dry skin cells while stimulating the production of oils to ease irritation.

A pinch of salt added to the water in your flower vase helps prolong the gorgeous look of your blooms. The salt's natural antimicrobial agent hinders the growth of bacteria and prevents wilting.

In a cup of water, add a teaspoon of salt and soak a cloth napkin or cheese cloth in the solution. Wring the excess fluid from the cloth then wrap your leftover cheese wedges in it, then store it inside a sealed container before keeping it in the fridge. The cheese will stay longer. The salt crystals will hinder the growth of bacteria to keep it from spoiling.

Take off the sticky residue from your iron by sprinkling a handful of salt onto a wax paper. Run the hot iron over it, without the steam. The heat will soften the residue while the abrasive granules help scrub the sticky mark off the metal plate.

For canker sores [singaw, in Filipino] and other mouth sores, a solution of warm water and salt can be used to rinse your mouth several times a day.

Sprinkling salt at doorways, window sills, kitchen cabinets or anywhere else that ants manage to pass, will prevent them from invading your home. Ants won't walk across salt, I really don't know why but I learned this from my mom.

Achy Feet

For some months now, I've noticed that when I wake up every morning, I have sharp pains in the middle parts [arch area] and heels of my feet. The pain become sharper upon standing up. It's kind of difficult to take the first few steps because of the pain. But after only a few minutes of walking or standing, the pain will be gone and my feet are a lot better. I wasn't giving much attention to it, I thought I was just over weight and also thought of my age, lol. Until I read about it in one article. What I have been experiencing is called Plantar Fasciitiis. The pressure on the band of tissue [plantar fascia] that supports the arch of the foot causes the tissue to become inflamed and develop small tears. The connective tissue contracts when a person is resting.

I didn't know what it was then so I tried massaging my feet before heading to be bed but the pain is still there every time I wake up. The article says that the simple solution to this is stretching. To do it, you have to sit with the right leg crossed over the left leg. On the foot of the crossed leg, pull the toes toward the shin and hold for 10 seconds. Then do it with the left leg crossed over the right leg. Repeat this 10 times, three times a day. You may also ice the area for 15 minutes each morning to reduce the swelling. Healing can take up to 3 months. I started five days ago and so far, so good. Now I know this isn't because of my age, lol.

Hey Sleepyhead!

Sometimes when you wake up in the morning or from a nap, and you have to hit the door in a few minutes, those pillow marks on your face could be embarassing. When your face is pressed into a pillow for hours, I've read that the fluid in our skin disperses to other parts of our body, leading to creases. You can erase these fine lines by splashing warm water [not cold] onto the area. The warm water quickly rehydrates the top layer of the skin [the epidermis] and enhances blood flow to the area. I often get these creases because I only have a few hours of sleep everyday so I try to snooze whenever I find time. After waking up, I just wash my face with water. Now that I know the simple trick of taking the creases off my sleepy face, I won't have to wait for a few more minutes before I can go out of the house.