Hello there and welcome to our monthly feature of all kinds of tips.
We at the business desk are pleased to bring you our monthly feature of a plethora of tips that cover a wide range of topics.
All of our tips are designed to help you save time, cut down on your research, and help you get ahead.
So go ahead and read on.
This week we bring you our monthly tips.
It’s what we do for a living! We help you to help yourself!
Enjoy!
From the business desk team at https://www.sterlingcreations.com.
Follow us on Twitter @accessibleworld
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Helpful tips for December 2022
In this issue:
General tips
Articles of the day
* Substitutions and in time for the holidays
From the pages of Donna’s travel diary
award winning sight loss coach and author
* Holiday travel
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General tips
Courtesy of the research team at http://www.sterlingcreations.ca
Scams of the month:
Before giving you our scam tips of the month, here are some very valueable tips.
You need to remember that scams come in the following formats:
As emails, as phone calls both recorded and via a live caller, and o yes! It can even show up at your door and in your mailbox.
And now they are targeting us through texts being sent to our cell phones.
Before giving you the latest scams making the rounds; we have some do nots to share with you.
Do not respond to emails that look strange to you.
Do not download attachments from unknown senders.
Do not share your username and password to your online banking and any other online payments facilities with anyone.
Do not give out any banking or personal details on the phone to unknown callers.
Do not pay any attention to threats from automated phone recordings or from live persons with regard to your credit card or that you owe money to any revenue agency.
Do not entertain any offers either via email or by phone from senders and callers offering incredible service packages as they may pertain to cable and tv services, prizes that you have won, or any sort of any type of service package.
Do not answer the door to unknown callers.
Take extra caution to make sure that the details of your credit cards and debit cards are fully protected when you make payments at restaurants or at stores, pharmacies, and elsewhere.
Do not enter your password for Facebook or Twitter in response to a text request on your cell phone.
The same if you are asked for your Apple ID.
Do not fall prey to a text message telling you that your banking details have been compromised online.
With huge thanks to Melanie Mama Peach
The best of hints for cars
1) Quick Window Cleaning
* Baking soda quickly cleans spatters and traffic grime from windshields, headlights, chrome and enamel. Wipe with soda, sprinkled onto a damp sponge or dissolve 2 tablespoons in a quart of water. Rinse.
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2) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For The Car
Preventing Doors And Trunk From Freezing Shut
* Wipe the rubber gaskets with a heavy coating of vegetable oil. The oil will seal out water, but won’t harm the gasket. Especially good before having your car washed in the winter.
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3) Recipes And Tips For Today:
Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Cars
Cigarette Ashes
* Ashes that continue to burn in the car ashtray are a nuisance. Prevent by placing an inch of baking soda (or gravel) in the bottom of the tray.
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4) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Cars
A Parking Trick
* If you have bumped the front fender of your car into the back wall of your garage, try this: suspend a small rubber ball on a string from the ceiling of the garage so that when the ball strikes your windshield, you will know the car is in far enough so you can close the garage door.
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5) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Cars
Battery Corrosion – Proofer
* Scrub battery terminals and holder with a strong solution of baking soda in water.
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Articles of the day
Chosen by the Business Desk team
Substitutions
Out of cake flour? Low on buttermilk? Here’s where you can find help on substituting ingredients for ones you don’t have on hand.
Alcohol/Liqueur
When making substitutions for alcohols, it is important to keep the volume of liquid in the recipe the same as originally called for. Depending on the recipe, apple juice or chicken broth often makes a good substitution for wine. When using flavored liqueurs, extracts can be substituted if you make up the balance of the liquid with water. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, you could use 1/2 teaspoon orange extract. Just be sure to get the same level of orange flavor. This may take some experimentation.
Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar can be substituted for 1 teaspoon baking powder.
Baking Soda
There is no recommended substitute for baking soda.
Bouquet Garni
1/2 teaspoon each dried parsley flakes, dried thyme leaves and 1 bay leaf (crushed), can be substituted for 1 teaspoon bouquet garni.
Butter
Unsalted butter can be substituted for regular butter in any recipe. It is NOT necessary to add salt. Margarine can also be substituted for butter. Do NOT use lowfat spreads or light butter for baking.
Buttermilk
1 tablespoon vinegar plus enough milk to equal 1 cup OR 2/3 cup plain yogurt plus 1/3 cup milk can be substituted for 1 cup buttermilk.
Chervil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes plus 1/8 teaspoon rubbed, dried sage can be substituted for 1 teaspoon chervil.
Chicken or Beef Broth
1 cup hot water and 1 teaspoon instant bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube) can be substituted for 1 cup broth.
Chocolate Chips, Semi-Sweet
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, can be substituted for 1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips. When substituting for chocolate chips, make sure to use the same type of chocolate (i.e. semi-sweet, milk).
Chocolate, Semi-Sweet
3 tablespoons chocolate chips OR 1 square (1-ounce) unsweetened chocolate plus 1 tablespoon sugar can be substituted for 1 square (1-ounce) semi-sweet chocolate.
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder plus 7 tablespoons sugar plus 1/4 cup fat can be substituted for 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate.
Chocolate, Sweet Baking (German)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1/3 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons fat can be substituted for 4 ounces German sweet baking chocolate.
Chocolate, Unsweetened
1 2/3 ounce semisweet chocolate (reduce sugar in recipe by 2 teaspoons) OR 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter, margarine or shortening can be used instead of 1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate or 1 ounce premelted unsweetened chocolate.
Coffee
1/2 cup hot water and 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules can be substituted for 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee.
Cooking Sprays
Can usually be successfully substituted for shortening to prepare baking sheets and baking pans.
Cornstarch
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch can be substituted for 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
Corn Syrup, Light
1 cup dark corn syrup can be substituted for 1 cup light corn syrup, and vice versa. (Note: Flavor will be affected somewhat.) OR substitute 1 1/4 cups sugar plus 1/3 cup liquid.
Cream (20% fat) (Coffee Cream)
3 tablespoons butter plus 7/8 cup milk can be substituted for 1 cup cream (in baking and cooking).
Cream (40% fat) (Whipping Cream)
1/3 cup butter plus 3/4 cup milk can be substituted for 1 cup cream (in baking and cooking).
Cream of Tartar
There is no recommended substitution for cream of tartar.
Egg Whites
Meringue powder can be substituted for egg whites in a meringue application.
Three egg whites equal approximately 3 tablespoons meringue powder plus 6 tablespoons water.
Flavor Oils
It is not recommended that you substitute flavor extracts for flavor oils. Oil based flavorings are necessary for hard candies because the liquid portion of the extracts add too much liquid, causing steam, to the hard candy syrup.
Flour (as thickener)
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, potato starch, rice starch, arrowroot starch, or 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca can be substituted for 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour.
Flour, Cake
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour can be substituted for 1 cup cake flour.
Flour, Self-Rising
1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt can be substituted for 1 cup self-rising flour.
Garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon instant minced garlic or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder can be substituted for 1 clove minced garlic.
Herbs
1 tablespoon fresh herbs equals 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Honey
1 1/4 cups sugar plus 1/3 cup liquid (use whatever liquid is called for in the recipe) can be substituted for 1 cup honey.
Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon EACH dried oregano leaves, dried marjoram leaves and dried basil leaves plus 1/8 teaspoon rubbed dried sage can be substituted for 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning.
Meringue Powder
You can’t substitute meringue powder for egg whites in most recipes because it contains other ingredients such as sugar.
Milk, Whole
1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water OR 1 cup water plus 1/3 cup nonfat evaporated dry milk powder OR 1 cup skim milk plus 2 teaspoons melted butter can be substituted for 1 cup whole milk. NOTE: Whole milk is higher in total fat than low-fat milk. If a baking recipe calls for whole milk, you may be able to substitute a low-fat milk variety like skim, 1% or 2% fat. Be cautious about substituting skim milk in pudding, custard and sauce recipes. These recipes rely on the dairy fat for added texture and flavor. Baked items such as cakes and cookies can usually tolerate the use of low-fat milk.
Molasses
1 cup honey can be substituted for 1 cup molasses. (and vice versa), Note: flavor will be affected.
Mustard, Dry
1 tablespoon prepared mustard can be substituted for 1 teaspoon dry mustard.
Mustard, Prepared
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard plus 2 teaspoons vinegar can be substituted for 1 tablespoon prepared mustard.
Oil
1 cup melted butter, margarine or shortening can be substituted for 1 cup oil. Note: Recipe results may vary. Texture and appearance may be affected.
Onion
1/4 cup instant minced onion, flaked onion OR 1 teaspoon onion powder can be substituted for 1 cup (1 medium) chopped onion.
Poultry Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme plus 3/4 teaspoon ground sage can be substituted for 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1/8 teaspoon EACH nutmeg and cloves can be substituted for 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
Shortening
1 cup butter or margarine can be substituted for 1 cup shortening. When using shortening in place of butter or margarine, 1 tablespoon milk or water for each 1/2 cup shortening used may need to be added. DO NOT substitute vegetable oil for shortening when recipe calls for melting the shortening.
Sour Cream
1 cup plain yogurt can be substituted for 1 cup sour cream.
Sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar can be substituted for 1 cup sugar. Note: Flavor will be affected somewhat.
Sugar, Light Brown
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar can be substituted for 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar. (Slight flavor differences will occur.)
Sweet Potatoes
1 (18-ounce) can vacuum-packed sweet potatoes can be substituted for 1 (23-ounce) can sweet potatoes, drained.
Tomato Sauce
3/4 cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water can be substituted for 1 cup tomato sauce.
Wine
1/2 cup fruit juice can be substituted for 1/2 cup wine in desserts. 1/2 cup chicken broth can be substituted for 1/2 cup wine in savory recipes.
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From the pages of Donna’s diary
Holiday travel
There is no doubt that this year’s holiday travel is going to be one filled with a lot of uncertainties, and we may be all advised to pack a back pack of patience, fortitude, courage, and a willingness to adapt and find things to help us cope.
What do I mean by the last requirement? Finding things to help us cope? It is because I feel that coping will help us to be more calm, less stressed, and able to be more flexible.
Taking our i devices along is always a good idea but how about other things such as board games, crossword puzzle books, i devices loaded with mystery stories, and even Christmas stories?
Of course there are other things as well to help us as we wait at airports and train stations and in addition to help us while traveling!
Keeping up with schedules that inform us of delays and cancellations is also very important and for travelers who are blind and vision impaired this becomes even more important whether or not we travel alone or not.
Just make sure that the travel apps that you use are accessible and navigable.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan enjoying my travels.
To learn more about me as an award winning sight loss coach and author visit
http://www.donnajodhan.com
On your next trip you could enrich your down time with some of my audio mysteries. Take them with you wherever you go!
In the car, on the plane, on the bus or train, at the beach, anywhere!
Affordable, portable, (computer or i device) and you could either purchase or Subscribe for unlimited access to my library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can now take advantage of our free downloads here.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan