Daily Archives: April 15, 2010

Freebie Friday (April 16-22, 2010)

April 15, 2010
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Next week I’ll have an post devoted entirely to Earth Day freebies. For now, though, enjoy these two items in this week’s Freebie Friday roundup.

  • The National Park Service is waiving entrance fees, so visitors can enjoy all 392 national parks for free April 17-25. The freebie is part of National Parks Week.
  • Become a fan of Einstein Brothers Bagels on Facebook, and you’ll be able to print a coupon for free bagels before May 11. The catch? They coupon works on Fridays before 11 a.m. only and only at locations with employees willing to cooperate with the offer. (There are a lot of unhappy “fans” on Facebook who have complained that not all Einstein Brothers locations are honoring the coupon. So bagel buyer beware.)
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5 Surprising Uses for a Vegetable Peeler

April 15, 2010
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We had grilled chicken over greens for dinner last night, and not surprisingly I used my vegetable peeler to prepare my cucumbers to go in the salad. I also wanted to include some grated cheddar cheese over the top, but couldn’t find my cheese shredder–it’s still in the laundry room from my making my own laundry detergent. So in a pinch I grabbed my vegetable peeler and, voila, shavings of cheese, not so much shreds, but it worked nonetheless.

Intrigued, I did some research and discovered these 5 surprising uses for a vegetable peeler, none of which involves peeling any vegetables.

  1. Shaving off pieces of hard cheeses, such as those you might serve with pasta. (I’m guessing these work a bit better than the cheddar, which stuck to the blade.)
  2. Creating lemon zest–or orange or lime zest.
  3. Getting chocolate shavings to use when baking.
  4. Uncovering the scent of an older soap that’s lost its scent–you shave off a piece to release the aroma.
  5. Sharpening a pencil–love this idea so much better than using a knife.
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