1. Thinly slice 2 large beef steaks place slow cooker.
2. Add one tin of tomatoes, 1 jalapeno, garlic, tsp coriander, 1 tsp cumin, tsp chili powder, and salt. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
3. After 3 hours add 1 large onions and 2 sliced peppers.
4. Continue to cook; add salse to the table, along with salad, grated cheese, and tortilla wraps.
5. Serve.
Oven cleaning is one of the most hated and worse household cleaning tasks. Its one of those jobs that we tend to put off as much as we can. Once you close the Oven door you can no longer see the grease and grim.
I have to always have a clean oven and being quite a traditionalist after we have had our Sunday Roast I am straight in armed in my rubber gloves ready to go. Daily if we use the oven I wipe the Oven over with a warm soapy cloth to ensure its stays clean. If grease and grim build up your Oven Clean can become a much more time-consuming job.
Plus having an oven door covered in grease, grim and burnt food is not good for your energy consumption, opening to check food will soon add up.
I have tried many products over the years and here are a few of my favourites:
Oven Pride makes oven cleaning less of a nightmare, it’s a unique bag cleaning system that has been designed to give unbeatable results. It’s so easy to use but please make sure before you start to use oven pride you must read the instructions and wear the provided gloves.
Scrub daddy power paste is made from natural materials, is biodegradable, non-toxic and can be used throughout the home including the kitchen and bathroom. It is Lemon-scented for extra freshness and does a marvellous job in cleaning the oven. Power paste is effective with water alone. Just dampen the sponge and swirl on the paste to produce a cleaning foam. Use it in conjunction with a scrubber to remove surface debris or with a microfibre cloth. The Scrub Mommy two-sided sponge is perfect for delicate as well as heavy-duty jobs. Her FlexTexture side changes depending on water temperature. Soft in warm water and firm in cool water for tough scrubbing
Astonish oven and cookware cleaner is a cleaning paste, that cleans all types of enamel, porcelain, ovens and cookware. This one is also lemon scented to banish cooking odours.
But I am a big fan of steering away from harsh chemicals in the oven so use a more natural method of Bicarbonate of Soda and white vinegar
Bicarb is really effective and makes the daunting task of oven cleaning a little easier. All you have to do to get a shining oven is spray the whole oven down including the glass door with a water bottle so that it is damp, and pour on a thick layer or bicarbonate of soda, especially on the bottom, until there is about 1/4 inch layer of bicarbonate of soda paste on the bottom. If any of the bicarb is still dry, I wet it with the water bottle.
Once the bicarbonate of soda has been applied then you need to add some neat white wine vinegar to a spray bottle and then liberally spray this all over the oven so it reacts and works with the bicarbonate of soda. After close the door and leave for a few hours. The two products work amazingly with each other and will start to lift all the dirt and ground in grease.
I’ve found that it is important to make sure that the bicarbonate of soda residue has been completely removed before using the oven as any remaining bicarb may smoke if left in contact with the heating element and a spatula works well at removing this.
For the wire racks I use wirewool and washing up liquid and I find this brings them up like new.
Then there is a the grass trick which does actually work, you simply remove the racks and leave over night on your lawn, the dew and moisture loosen the burnt on food and grim.
And lastly there is the tumble dryer sheet trick, check out my little demo here.
I hope this helps with your oven cleaning and remember if you try to wipe over your oven every time you use it with a simple warm soapy cloth this job will be a whole lot easier.
For more ideas on how to use White Wine Vinegar than take a look here
When life gives you lemons clean with them.
I love having a bowl full of lemons in my house, not only do they help brighten up my kitchen but they can be really handy and help out with the cleaning with their sweet scent and antiseptic properties.
Making changes to your home cleaning and cleaning with lemons uses less toxins is so good for you and the environment plus you will spend money.
Lemons leave your house sparkling and spotless.
You can clean your wooden cutting board with half a lemon and a little coarse salt. All you have to do is cut a lemon in half and sprinkle the salt over the chopping board. Then with the lemon facing downwards simply scour the surface of the chopping board, squeezing slightly to release the lemon juice as you go. Let sit for about 15 minutes to give the lemon and salt some time to work. Then scrap away any lemon bits and rinse with warm water and a clean sponge or cloth.
Lemon is great at tackling limescale. For limescale that is on your taps, very simply cut your lemon in half and run the lemon all over the tap where the limescale is present. Leave the lemon on the tap for a while so that it can get to work and then rinse away. You may need to repeat this process.
For your kettle just pop a few used lemon halves into the kettle, fill with water and boil. Leave 30 minutes and boil again before emptying.
Give it a quick rinse to remove any bits.
Put a few lemon halves in a bowl of clean cold water in the microwave and then put the microwave on full power for 5 minutes.
The lemon will release the grease which will make it really easy to wipe off with a cloth.
To remove rust mix lemon with salt and make a paste, apply this paste to the rust and scrub. Leave for a few minutes and rinse with warm water.
Hard water marks can be a real pain but simply rubbing the mark with a half a lemon and some added bicarbonate of soda they can be easily removed.
Position onto the end of your taps to remove limescale.
Soak a clean sponge in lemon juice, put it on a saucer or in an open tub and leave in the fridge. By the morning your fridge will smell lovely and zesty fresh.
Pour lemon juice into the sealed tablet section and then run on a rinse cycle.
A few more ideas for cleaning with lemons:
Want to learn more cleaning tips then grab a copy of one of my books and I will show you how to clean your house and tidy up your life
Ironing may not be your favourite way to pass the time, but it’s the key to looking good. With these top ironing tricks and tips, you can speed up your ironing, make it effortless and easy.
Remember not every single item of clothing you wash needs to be ironed. Some clothing can be taken straight off the washing line or pulled out of the dryer, hung on a hanger and put straight away after a good shake.
What fabrics don’t need to be ironed?
Never iron sequins, velvet, or screen-printed clothing. Also, some fabrics are labeled “non iron” or “wrinkle resistant,” usually polyester and nylon.
Fabric condition can help decrease creases when washing your clothes but remember fabric conditioner is not required for all items.
Check care labels
Check the care labels in the garments and then split into temperature piles. start with the coolest temperature and work your way up.
Planning your ironing will save you time and prevent accidental melting or scorching.
Be prepared
Check the plate of your iron is clean, any stickiness can cause damage.
Use a sturdy steady ironing board with a good width that has a good rest area for your steam generator iron and a linen rack. When ironing position your board to be the height of your belly button. It is vital to keep a good posture when ironing.
Use a well padded ironing board cover and change once it starts to get burnt marks as these can cause damage to the plate of your iron. Most covers can be washed too, so add this task into your seasonal cleaning planner.
If you don’t have an ironing board, you can still iron by using a sturdy flat surface like a table or work top and prepare it correctly using an ironing blanket or thick cotton towel as a liner.
Invest in a good steam generator iron as this really will speed the process up and you will be surprised at the amount of time you save.
If you don’t have a steam generator iron before ironing, spritz your shirts with water. This ironing tip will help you get out stubborn wrinkles. Perhaps your iron even has a spritz option. If it does, use it! Once the item is dampened, iron as normal. The combination of water and heat will tackle wrinkles easily.
Grab some silver foil simply place a sheet of foil under the cover of your ironing board. The foil reflects heat, smoothening out the underside of your clothes as you run the iron press on the top side.
Top tips
Iron delicate fabrics inside out such as, silk, satin, linen and corduroy and also on items that sometimes are left with shine. This shine effect is most noticeable on dark colours.
You should iron fabric lengthwise to prevent stretching.
When ironing shirt collars, cuffs or pockets that are double the thickness of fabric, iron on the inside first and then on the outside to smooth any final wrinkles.
Always remember to keep the iron moving. Stopping at any point could burn your clothing.
If you can hang the items straight onto hangers after ironing, folding them when hot can create creases which will set in.
When you are done
Keep your iron away from small children, irons can get very hot and cause injury.
Let your iron cool off and empty any water from the tank before you put it away.
Ironing is easy, why complicate it? Now that you’re privy to these convenient ironing tips and tricks, go ahead and try them. Don’t forget, the key is using the right iron so it is definitely worth investing in a good one and make it fun, listen to music or set the ironing board up so you can watch television.
