I’d say the cats lick it clean however I have booby trapped the countertops to avalanche enough times they won’t go up there anymore. As a result I am forced to use a sponge and water, or soap if it is sticky, and do it myself.
Counter scraper to pick up the big bits, followed by a wipe with a sponge, and finished off with a paper towel/cleaner if I want to get super fancy. Cats are NOT allowed on countertops and dining table. Generally use cutting boards so counters don’t get dirty that easily unless I’m making bread or pasta or pizza dough or canning something. All of which I did yesterday!
@tinamarie1974
I have a bunch of pears coming in, so did pears in water and spiced pears. Going to make some Chipotles today then start a batch of fermented hot sauce. Also have plans to use up some of the last jalapenos in pepper jelly to go with smoked cream cheese for Christmas presents. Retired life has been busy!
@chienfou@tinamarie1974
My grandma used to have a pear tree when I was a kid and those canned pears were the best. The store bought ones never taste as good. Do you ever make pear jelly? I came across it years ago from someone that did it with extras from canning pears (I think), it’s so good.
@Star2236@tinamarie1974
I have, as well as pear syrup, pear ‘sauce’ (like applesauce) and pear butter (like apple butter)
Did I mention I get LOTS of pears???
@chienfou@Star2236@tinamarie1974Re: pear sauce:
We didn’t have pear trees, but we made pear sauce when I was a kid. I remember picking “pear sauce sandwich” as my packed lunch relatively often. It is packed as dry bread separate from the tiny tupperware of pear sauce, since it’s runny enough to soak through and disintegrate the bread very quickly (plus it would leak out horribly). Peanut butter is also a fine addition, but I wasn’t in love with PB at that age (grade school), so I didn’t choose that option.
Edit: Reminded by the pictures above, I’m wondering what adding a bit of jalapeño (or other hot pepper) would do to bottled fruit. I don’t think anyone else in my family would support that, but I’d like to try it some time. However, I don’t want to destroy too many quarts of otherwise good fruit trying to get the balance right, so I’ll probably never do it.
@Star2236@tinamarie1974@xobzoo
re: Pears and jalapenos The spiced pears have vinegar and a ton of whole spices. I think you could safely throw in a pepper at the end of the batch (or in with the plain pears (maybe boil it separately if you are concerned about contaminating your pears?) before you canned it to see what/how much you like. I may have to try that myself. I often toss some peppers in my okra when I can it.
re: pasta I have a KitchenAid counter-mixer with a PTO on the front. Mine pasta machine is a knock-off brand (Antree, I just checked). Love that I can mix the dough, let it sit in the bowl to relax and then run it thru the pasta maker all with the same machine (and with minimal effort). I am currently using flour that we hand carried back from a pasta maker in Italy last March. We toured their plant (Martelli) and when we started to talk about making pasta the guy ducked out and filled a bag with the flour they use. It’s a game changer and at 135gm for 2 servings the 2+ kg should last a while longer! My maker does flat noodles (lasagna etc) and spaghetti as well as fettuccine/linguini.
@Cerridwyn My previous partner used to have an annual party in late February or early March, and would hire a team of professional housekeepers to come in and do a deep clean on the whole place. Just before that. This had the salutary effect of simulating spring cleaning.
FIRE!!!
/giphy fire
Excellent work giphy. Got it on the first try.
@yakkoTDI I think some version of this would also work:
@yakkoTDI
My role model.
Spit shine!
/giphy spit shine
Disinfectant wipes.
@LaserEyes Yep.
I’d say the cats lick it clean however I have booby trapped the countertops to avalanche enough times they won’t go up there anymore. As a result I am forced to use a sponge and water, or soap if it is sticky, and do it myself.
/giphy the cats quit
Well not what I intended but this is cute so I will leave it.
Vinegar + water + little bit of dish soap + EOs to smell nice
Hydrogen peroxide
Every time I have the urge to clean the house I lay down until the feeling passes.
@Pavlov Once a month, whether it needs it or not…
@Pavlov @transplant Sounds like the approach to socks that someone I know used to have.
I use vinegar. It’s cheap and effective. The only drawback is that it smells like you’re dying Easter eggs for a while after.
Counter scraper to pick up the big bits, followed by a wipe with a sponge, and finished off with a paper towel/cleaner if I want to get super fancy. Cats are NOT allowed on countertops and dining table. Generally use cutting boards so counters don’t get dirty that easily unless I’m making bread or pasta or pizza dough or canning something. All of which I did yesterday!
@chienfou oh. What types of canned things did you make? Do tell!
@tinamarie1974
I have a bunch of pears coming in, so did pears in water and spiced pears. Going to make some Chipotles today then start a batch of fermented hot sauce. Also have plans to use up some of the last jalapenos in pepper jelly to go with smoked cream cheese for Christmas presents. Retired life has been busy!
@tinamarie1974
@chienfou I see you have freshly harvested pasta hanging on the drying rack. I keep meaning to plant some, but the seeds are just really hard to find
@chienfou @tinamarie1974
My grandma used to have a pear tree when I was a kid and those canned pears were the best. The store bought ones never taste as good. Do you ever make pear jelly? I came across it years ago from someone that did it with extras from canning pears (I think), it’s so good.
@Star2236 @tinamarie1974
I have, as well as pear syrup, pear ‘sauce’ (like applesauce) and pear butter (like apple butter)
Did I mention I get LOTS of pears???
@chienfou @Star2236 @tinamarie1974 Re: pear sauce:
We didn’t have pear trees, but we made pear sauce when I was a kid. I remember picking “pear sauce sandwich” as my packed lunch relatively often. It is packed as dry bread separate from the tiny tupperware of pear sauce, since it’s runny enough to soak through and disintegrate the bread very quickly (plus it would leak out horribly). Peanut butter is also a fine addition, but I wasn’t in love with PB at that age (grade school), so I didn’t choose that option.
Edit: Reminded by the pictures above, I’m wondering what adding a bit of jalapeño (or other hot pepper) would do to bottled fruit. I don’t think anyone else in my family would support that, but I’d like to try it some time. However, I don’t want to destroy too many quarts of otherwise good fruit trying to get the balance right, so I’ll probably never do it.
@chienfou @Star2236 @xobzoo oh I love pears, and that all sounds amazing!
Love the homemade pasta. What type of machine do you use? I have the manual hand crank machine that attaches to the counter w a c clamp.
@Star2236 @tinamarie1974 @xobzoo
re: Pears and jalapenos The spiced pears have vinegar and a ton of whole spices. I think you could safely throw in a pepper at the end of the batch (or in with the plain pears (maybe boil it separately if you are concerned about contaminating your pears?) before you canned it to see what/how much you like. I may have to try that myself. I often toss some peppers in my okra when I can it.
re: pasta I have a KitchenAid counter-mixer with a PTO on the front. Mine pasta machine is a knock-off brand (Antree, I just checked). Love that I can mix the dough, let it sit in the bowl to relax and then run it thru the pasta maker all with the same machine (and with minimal effort). I am currently using flour that we hand carried back from a pasta maker in Italy last March. We toured their plant (Martelli) and when we started to talk about making pasta the guy ducked out and filled a bag with the flour they use. It’s a game changer and at 135gm for 2 servings the 2+ kg should last a while longer! My maker does flat noodles (lasagna etc) and spaghetti as well as fettuccine/linguini.
Whatever the mood strikes. and the housekeeper also does the deeper clean
@Cerridwyn My previous partner used to have an annual party in late February or early March, and would hire a team of professional housekeepers to come in and do a deep clean on the whole place. Just before that. This had the salutary effect of simulating spring cleaning.