The bit about throwing out nutrients, vitamins and flavor by discarding the soaking water — uh, no. The California Dry Bean Board (seriously - I couldn't make this up!! See: [www.calbeans.org] says:

Depending on your dog's age, having pre-surgical blood work can be the difference between a successful surgery and losing a pet on the table. My vet recommends pre-surgical blood panels be done for any animal over 5 years of age. Also, as pets age, they can develop problems just like humans do. I went through liver…

It was a real number in Charlotte, NC, too. I think it rang to one of the junior high schools.

I've used this trick for all citrus for years. Also, if you need only a small amount of juice, you can - after you roll the fruit - poke a hole in it with a toothpick, squeeze out what you need, then put the toothpick back in the hole. I've found that lemons will keep for several days in the fridge like this.

It *will* work if you leave your coffee maker switch on. The timer device then turns on at the designated time, supplying power, thus brewing your coffee.

No need to rush out and "invest" in a coffee maker with a timer feature. Just use a lamp timer (maybe $4 or $5 at HellMart or big box hardware stores) and set it to turn on/off when you want. This also works for slow cookers that don't have a timer feature.

Chop sticks are my favorite kitchen utensil. I use them for everything from stirring and whisking to moving food from Point A to Point B. Hadn't thought of using them to pit cherries, though. Thanks, LH.

I'd use only store-bought vanilla extract for freshening the fridge. I make my own vanilla (keep a few beans in the bottom of a bottle of vodka), which imparts a true vanilla flavor but doesn't have the fake vanilla scent found in the store-bought stuff. If I were looking to de-funk a particularly nasty fridge (or…

Glycerin is a by-product of biodiesel production, but the purest and safest source is from soap-making production. It's a natural by-product of saponification. When you mix alkali, oils/fats, and water (or milk or tea) in the appropriate amounts, one molecule of naturally occurring glycerin is produced for every two…

Will be spending the morning at the dedication ceremony for the local VFW's new monument honoring veterans. I've spent almost 4 years working w/the VFW on this project, so I'm excited to see it become a tangible thing. Afterwards, I plan to drink bacon Bloody Marys, possibly eat something cooked on the grill, and will…

I count myself reeeeeeeeeally lucky b/c I didn't have any overt allergic reactions. My doctor almost laid an egg when I told him what happened, and has ordered me to keep an epi-pen around just in case. I hurt like hell at the sting sites for about a week, but loading up on Benadryl immediately after being stung (both…

justagigilo85: Because we might have to kill you for pissing us off.

::fistbump::

Not only with they sting repeatedly, they will *chase* you down so they can sting you repeatedly. I once ran over a nest hole with a push mower. Not only did I get attacked at the site, those little bastards chased me 1/2 acre to my house. And into the house. And the ones that couldn't get into the house stung the…

If you write down information you'll need later, this simply won't work. The data is going to get smeared and/or erased. Plus, chalk dust near my computer? Um, no thanks. I've got a wood-burning fireplace and six pets, so the last thing I need is more dust/fur/whatever! Plus, I'm pretty sure that my cats would assume…

Although I like the look of that cork collection, I would much rather see it on the wall as art, or maybe under a thick sheet of glass as a table, than as a bath mat. I'd undoubtedly step out of the shower, hit the edge of the frame, and kill my foot. Mornings are enough of a bitch, thanks. Then there's the issue of…

Pictures, or it didn't happen.

I think the yogurt pictured here is misleading. People who buy 'boutique' yogurt like that one tend to load them up with toppings - sugar sprinkles, crushed cookies, chopped nuts, etc., and still delude themselves into thinking it's healthy.

I hate-hate-HATE the gaping "I'm having so much fun that I want you to see my molars" smile that seems to be considered 'in' right now. I often have to photograph people for newspaper articles, and it's a struggle to get them to smile without doing that - especially if they are teen girls. If I suggest taking more…

This is tacky. Nitesh is a douche.