ANYBODY ELSE A GADGET GURU?

Hi Jan, we DO have Haas here, and the crazy thing is that they are CHEAPER than in CA where they're grown. Go figure.

My absolute favorite gadget of the moment is my Seal-a-Meal. What a wonderful thing for a single or two person household. All of my leftovers get sealed and labeled. Then, if I work late Gary just goes to the freezer and shops for dinner.

I picked up a "Foodsaver" kind of the cadillac of meal sealers at a thrift store for $4.00! It works great. I can't wait to get home from the store so that I can "personal size" our meats etc! We don't eat much bacon but enjoy it occassionally. Those cute little shrunker packages are so much fun. Note to self: "soupy" stuff doesn't shrink well. What a mess I had that day!! Sucked it right out onto my counter and floor!

As far as soups and stews go, try using a bigger bag than you think you'll need, or put less into the bag you have. Also, mine has a "moist" setting for such things. Or, you can freeze soup in a tupperware container, run it under ho****er to release it from the container, and then put the frozen soup into the vacuum bag and seal it that way. That's what I do with rolls and breads. Freeze them first so they don't get the ***t sucked out of them.

Good ideas especially for the breads! I usually put my cooled soup in 1 gallon freezer bags. I like how they lay flat in the freezer.

My  most favorite gadget is from Pampered Chef.  I don't remember the name of it, but you use it to cook hamburger. It pulverizes it nicely and makes cooking loose hamburger so much easier!  And I couldn't live without a wire whisk.  Otherwise, I'll leave the gadgets to you gurus.  My junk drawer has a multitude of old cell phones and chargers.  I really don't know why I keep them.  I need to donate them to the women's shelter. 

I also have a drawer full of  hotel shampoo and conditioner bottles.  Why? Beats me.  They're cute.

couldn't stand to throw out all of those little hotel bottles. My hubby could care less about what kind of shampoo he has so I emptied all of them in to one big bottle and recycled the plastic! I also put a few in the guest bathroom. I've always wished hotels would give you toothpaste instead of so many shampoos.

I also have the hotel shampoo, conditioners, hand lotions, mouthwash & soaps.   I put them out for my overnight guests - it gives them a good laugh!!!

I collect all the little bottles of hotel shampoo, conditioner and lotion (and soap if there's extra), put one of each in a small ziplock bag, and donate multitudes of them to the local women's shelter.  Some of those women get out with just the clothes on their back, and need all the basics.

Even with donating most of them, I always have a mess of partly used bottles in a basket in my house.  I use them when I travel, and  gather the full ones to donate.

Candy

Great example, Candy!   I think I'll do the same, 'cause they are piling up.