Home-Ec Guest Dear Home-Ec 101, Here’s one for ya. With the summer party season coming up, I was hoping you could explain to me (and the Monster in Law) the proper ways to handle dishes and leftovers that a guest brings to your gathering. Signed, Party at my house! Ivy says: Cool, I’ve been looking for a …
Oh, great Home-Ecers, We had a leak inside the wall behind our pantry during a bad storm last year. We repaired the leak, cleaned out the pantry, and got rid of the mold. But now we have another plague. Silverfish! I hate those slippery little [censored, because my grandma reads this site], and I know …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I have cave crickets in my house. These things are nasty. Luckily, the cats make sure they are quickly turned into cave cricket carcasses. I’m wondering, though, if this indicates a problem of some kind with the house (gaps that need closing, etc.). Signed, Lemony Crickets Ivy says: I had to go …
Dear Home-Ec 101, Why is cleaning out cat boxes such an ordeal? How can I make my cat’s litter box smell better if I’m a little bit remiss about getting them scooped every day? What about the LitterMaid? Does that actually work? Signed, Scoopless in Saratoga Ivy says: Man, do I ever feel your pain. …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I cannot figure out where my dryer vent leads. Seriously, the washer and dryer hookups are in the middle of the house, where there is no wall touching the outside. The only thing I can figure is that it may be going into the crawl space beneath the house. Do I really …
Ivy says: The best part of having SiteMeter is watching it to see what people are googling to get to your site. Every now and again, we get a question I’d like to answer. Today is one of those days. Will tapping my nails make them stronger? No, it just annoys the crap out of …
Dear Home-Ec 101, Is there any way to keep rice good in the fridge? I love that nice and sticky rice they give you from take-out Chinese places, and I’ve never been able to recreate it, so I usually keep it in the fridge for the next day or so. When I heat it back …
Ivy says: Kathy and her pal Rox came up with some stupid questions for me last night over cups of coffee. So if they’re stupider than usual, you can blame the coffee! 1. I’m addicted to coffee! Do you have a good “food” recipe for breakfast, lunch and dinner that includes coffee taste? (This one …
Dear Home-Ec 101, Okay, I live in Taipei, Taiwan, and, as you may or may not know, it never stops raining here during the winter. It’s gotten so bad that my toes are wet nearly every day for hours (until I can get home to change). It’s anoying the sin out of me, so I’ve …
Ivy says: I’ve been sick for the past couple of days, so I’m trying to make up for some lost time on the site. I know you’ve all been missing my sharp wit and amazing commentary. And I know you’ve been missing some Stupid Questions™, so here they are! Thanks again to Kathy T for …