Kelly's Korner - Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

Hey, All

Thing One

Thing Two

Well, Saturday is Halloween and all the little ghosties and goblins will be out swarming the
 neighborhoods in search of loot.  We have quite a few little devils, minions, superheroes and princesses come to our door.  In the olden days (when I was a kid) we would get homemade treats a lot.  Unfortunately, in this day and age, that isn't possible to do with trick or treaters today.

Minions

But that doesn't mean you have to deprived yourself of those pumpkin goodies.  The stores have been going overboard with pumpkin flavored yummies.  While I am not a big pumpkin fan, there are a few things I do like.

My nephew got married this past weekend, and instead of a wedding cake, my mom and I made cupcakes and decorated them.  There was chocolate, lemon and pumpkin spice cupcakes and they were a hit.  Mom did the chocolate and lemon ones and I did the pumpkin spice.  They were very easy.  I used a package of Betty Crocker Spice cake mix and added a can of pumpkin to it - easy, right?  I baked them a little longer than called for as the pumkin adds more bulk and moisture.  Then topped it with cream cheese frosting (followed the Philadephia Cream Cheese recipe found on their website) and decorated with a icing rose and leaves.  They were a hit!

On last year's blog, I posted a recipe for pumpkin-raisin-oatmeal cookies and I'm going to make more this week.  Yum!

What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?  I'd love it if you'd share - or just send the goodies!

Trick or Treat!

Monday Motivation

                 Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons. —Jim Bishop

Friday Morning Videos: The Secret Life of Machines- The Washing Machine

The Secret Life Of Machines is a British series that looks at the development and workings of every day objects. This episode covers the washing machine, the history is obviously British-oriented. Still the program offers an interesting look, with examples, explaining many common appliance parts such as timers and solenoids.

             For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Throwback Thursday: News Recap October 22nd, 2015

If you have been reading the W.L. May Blog but haven't checked us out on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, you may not be getting the whole story. We use all of those social media outlets to share news stories that relate to our industry as well as appliance tips we have found from other sources. Here is a recap of some of the top stories we have seen lately. So without further ado:

We start with some consumer friendly articles we feel would be great for sharing:

• The Pioneer Presses Everyday Cheapskate column talked about the effects of not using HE detergent in and HE washing machines. LINK
• Everyone else does it wrong. On loading the dishwasher. LINK
• Arkcity.Net suggested that we all keep our refrigerators clean and cold. LINK
• For laundry rooms in need of a makeover. Here are some tips from Realty Today. LINK
• Pure Wow showed us five foods that you can cook in your dishwasher. LINK

Next, we look at the manufacturers and how they have been in the news recently:

• Whether you are enthused or dread the concept, either way-get ready. Smart appliances are coming from GE. LINK
• Law360 gave us an update on the DOJ/Electrolux case involving a merger with GE. LINK

We found some articles that might be of interest to those of you who love all thing appliances:

• Capital Gazette looked at trends in appliance industry. LINK
• Dusty Old Thing posted a collection of old-timey kitchen tools. LINK
• An article in the Eugene Daily News examined how we went from hand washing to automatic dishwashers. LINK
• The Daily Record took a look at refrigerators. LINK

Sometimes, the links we post are related to technology, business or happenings on the Internet:

• The news is full of stories about "disruptive technology". Maybe the most disruptive technologies have been in your home for years. LINK
• In loosely related news, Costco's laundry pods are now coming with even more pods in a package. LINK

We close with few just for fun stories:

• Arkansas Online looked at when couple cannot see eye to eye about expiration dates. LINK
• Losing things at the back of the refrigerator? It happens. But couldn't refrigerator designers do something about that? LINK
• The kinds of things that lead to appliance repair service calls. LINK

For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Kelly's Korner - To Refrigerate or Not to Refrigerate

Hey, All,

Man, Facebook can come up with some interesting things that kinda make you think.  And some things actually make sense!

For instance, did you know these things do not need to be refrigerated?  In fact, refrigerating some of these are actually detrimental to the flavor and texture of them.  Look at this list and let me know if you agree:

Coffee and fresh herbs:  These will absorb the other flavors and smells in your refrigerator.

Avocados, bananas and tomatoes:  These will ripen faster sitting on your counter.  In fact, the skins on bananas will turn brown faster in the refrigerator and, if you have picky kids like I do, they won't eat them.

Butter:  Put it on a covered butter dish and leave on the counter.  Not only will it spread easier, but it is not going to spoil.

Creative Commons license on image.

Onions, Garlic and Potatoes:  Keep in a cool, dark, DRY place.  If placed in the fridge, they will start to sprout, get mushy and stink up other things in your fridge.  In the olden days, they were stored in root cellars (cool, dry, underground storage areas).

Honey:  It will crystalize in the fridge and that's no fun (you can always let the bottle sit in hot water or nuke it for a few seconds to reliquify if it does get stuck in there).

Ketchup (or Catsup lol) and mustard:  Now I'm not too sure about this one - what do you think?  Fridge or no?  All the vinegar must preserve them.

And one site I saw said to leave eggs out, too - nuh uh!  Nope, them babies is stayin' in the ol' ice box!

Do you have some strange items in your fridge?  And I'm not talking about science experiments because it hasn't been cleaned in awhile lol.

Have a great week!

Monday Motivation

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. –Anne Frank

             For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Friday Morning Videos: The Secret Life of Machines-The Refrigerator

The Secret Life Of Machines is a British series that looks at the development and workings of every day objects. This episode covers the refrigerator, the history is obviously British-oriented. Still the program does a good job of explaining the refrigeration cycle. It also offers an interesting look, with examples, at many common appliance parts such as compressors, cold controls, and door gaskets.

             For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE