"One pearl at a time...that is how the necklace will be made". That is what I was told by my wonderful (step) mother Betty at the age of 12. At the time I thought it was strange, but 42 years later, I respect the wisdom of the statement.

So here we are...thanks for joining me today. I would like to say right off that many of the tips and hints are not my original ideas. I am passing along information that was given to me, or that I learned from others that I personally loved. If in fact I give you something that was actually mine...I will own up to it.

I would love this "conversation" to be interactive as well, so please feel free to let me know if there is anything at all you would like to talk about or learn about.  My only request would be the same as all family gatherings...no politics. So with that said...let's talk!

I was scrubbing the glass casserole dish (13x9) that I made the Lasagna in the other day. (did you like that recipe?)  When we heated it up the 2nd night, the empty part kind of got black in the oven. So of course I soaked it over night. Even using the scrub sponge it was not coming out...then I remembered a cleaning trick my Nana taught me.  When needing to scrub off burned on food from glass, use lemon juice and salt.  Ah-ha! Was that woman smart...all the black burned areas came off with a lot less elbow grease than I thought was going to be necessary.  So here you go, squeeze some lemon juice onto the area you want to clean and then use kosher salt over the juice. The juice being a natural acid, breaks down the food and the salt acts as a natural abrasive. Rinse when done.  No harmful chemicals and it  totally works!!

Along those same lines...make your hands feel better after all those dishes by mixing about 2 tablespoons of sugar with a teaspoon of EVOO. Lightly rub the mixture on your hands (OK, feet too!) The sugar will help remove dead skin and the olive oil actually helps cuticles to remain soft. Plus your skin will be incredibly soft after you rinse.

On another day I will share with you a memory I had of learning to make apple pie with my Great-grandmother Dora. Also the gardening tips from my Great-grandma Nana Rebecca...could that woman grow things!!! My mom -Sue taught me handy money saving ideas for the kitchen which I will share as well. I have been fortunate (extremely blessed!) to have had some pretty fantastic role models...I have learned that listening and watching and not be afraid to ask questions is the best way to learn...so I will be showing as well as telling in the future. 

Until then...hugs!
Mama Turner