Many many weeks ago when I had my cousins carpet cleaner my husband was doing something in the living room (maybe setting up the Tivo... who knows... it doesn't matter). Anyway... I went out there to see if I could "help" him (because God knows if he's doing a project in the house he always needs help, the man can't seem to even cook spaghetti without needing me to help). When I got into the living room I saw that there was a HUGE red Koolaid stain on the carpet from a big tall glass that he took in there and put on the floor.
(OK, let me stop here with the fact that the man is in his 40's, has kids, lives with a 4 year old, as well as 4 cats and thinks that putting a glass of anything on the carpet is OK?)
So I asked him about it and he said that someone or something must have knocked it over and went back to the Tivo installation. So it was up to me to clean up. I sprayed 409 on the sucker (fresh mind you) and turned on the carpet cleaner and must have had the damned thing on for more than 20-30 minutes on this stain but it was still there. I finally gave up.
Well, about 10 minutes into my vacuuming frenzy my husband (who I was not happy with in the least) pipes up and says "Go get Club Soda and Salt and it should take the stain right out. I heard it on Curb Your Enthusiasm".
Being that I am a very stubborn person, especially when mad I didn't listen to him because, let's be honest, some of those home made remedies that you hear about just don't work or they need to much effort that it's nearly not worth it in the end. Now I think I am the most "Green" person in my extended family, that I know of. We recycle (or collect cans and never take them down to the recycling place), conserve water and power, I even used cloth diapers on Ladybug. So this should have been something I jumped on. But I wanted to be stubborn and mad at my husband so left the stupid stain there. It's been sitting there now for almost 2 months taunting me every time I go in there.
So, today Ladybug begged me to let her eat her Pizza Lunchable for dinner. I plan(ed) to make White Chili Soup and knowing that she wouldn't eat it I let her go ahead and eat the lunchable. The first "pizza" she makes she drops on the floor. Shredded cheese is everywhere and there is a small tomato sauce stain on my carpet in the dinning room.
I am thinking "Well, shit!!! That's not coming out!"
I tell Ladybug, "Sit down in your chair and do not get up until you are finished eating please." After she washes her hands she does this.
So I figure now is the time to "Prove my husband wrong" and try the Soda Water/Salt combo to see if it works. I happen to have Club Soda in my pantry because it's called for in some other "Green Cleaning recipes" that I was checking out. So I took it out and poured it on the stain, put a little salt on it, walked to my computer to see how long to leave it, came back (was gone maybe a minute or two), and blotted it up with a towel and the F^ing Stain was GONE! So I go to the other stains that I have (one in the entry way and the big one in the living room) and try my new trick and it WORKED, in minutes.
You might be thinking I was happy, elated, singing with giddiness that the stain is gone and I can stock up on Club Soda and have a new use for the salt that I am no longer using for food because of high blood pressure... You would be wrong! I am irritated that my freaking husband (being the idiot who caused the first mess) was right! Explain that please? I sure can't.
I am not looking forward to when he gets home and sees the stains out of the carpet (maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon I am sure he will mention it) and then I will have to admit that I got them out using his suggestion! I may never live this down. It will go down in my family history with the Pokémon incident (which may or may not be told in a later Blog).
Now this would all be ok with me if last nights Rice Cooker fiasco hadn't happened. Several months ago I bought a Black and Decker Rice Cooker for Hubby because he had been whining that we couldn't live without it blah blah blah, I saw it on sale for $9.98 at Wise Buys and figured to give it a shot. This was the first time using it.
Now I don't care for rice as a rule, I am a potato person. But my husband is on potato strike for a year (at least from what he says) and so I figured I would make rice to go with the Pork Chops I was making last night.
I had made the pork chops for Ladybug and I (since the only child who would come and eat at the table besides Ladybug is Cassie and she was out with her boyfriend yesterday) and also made mashed potatoes with cauliflower in them, as well as Ladybugs all time favorite food, Garlic Croissant Rolls. Hubby was going to be home later though so I figured to try to make him some Brown Rice in the Rice Maker.
So after I put the pork chops in the oven I read the instructions for the Rice Cooker. It had a section for "Rice Cooking" and a section for "Food Steaming". I read the instructions for both but basically figured I knew what I was doing (how hard can it be right?), filled the water reservoir with a cup and a half of water, stuck the 1 cup of rice in the cooker thing and turned it on for 50 minutes that it said it took to cook it. In that time I was able to finish the potato/cauliflower dish, the rolls and some corn, as well as the Pork Chops. I put it all on the table and we started eating. Then it "dings!"
I get up and check it and am completely pissed and disappointed because the freaking rice is still hard and not cooked at all. So I try read the instructions and it says this:
"Using the Rice Bowl
When cooking in the rice bowl, add rice, herbs, seasonings, and water directly into the rice bowl.
1. Place the steaming basket onto the drip tray and place the rice bowl with contents into the steaming basket (H). Cover steaming basket with the lid.
2 Plug cord into wall outlet and set the timer to desired cooking time, up to 75 minutes; see Cooking Chart on page 6 for recommended times.
3. When cooking is finished, unplug the unit and remove the rice bowl immediately to avoid over-cooking.
4. Use the lid inverted as a tray for the steam basket.
CAUTION: Use pot holders when removing the lid or lifting the steaming basket, drip tray or rice bowl. Life the lid away from your face and body to avoid escaping steam."
So I followed those directions. 50 minutes later, water, rice and no cooked rice. Ladybug is getting ready for bed, Hubby is on his way home, I am So tired that I just want to go to bed but I want and need to get this right. So I try to combined my two efforts and put the water in the reservoir and in the rice bowl with the rice and try that.
Three hours after I started dinner the rice was done to perfection. How many times does it take to make rice in the rice cooker? The answer is three, if you are patient. If you are not patient you would have thrown the damned thing out after the second try and figured stove rice was good enough from now on. If you are interested in purchasing this wonderful device please see the picture and link below.
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