Homemade Chocolates

I recently bought a tub of cooking grade cocoa butter online, which is perfect for making my own chocolates. Just melt some, add cocoa powder, sugar or stevia, and a little cream or cream substitute, then whatever flavours you like really. A silicon ice cube tray is perfect for setting the little delights in, and you can add centres like a glace cherry in each pod first, or a sprinkle of coconut on after the pour. Just be careful adding alcohol, it reacts with the hot cocoa butter.

Avocado Squoosh

If you have a lot of avocados and they seem to be getting over-ripe and very soft, maybe nearly runny [you can actually buy bags full in this state in Cyprus] do not throw them out. In my opinion, this is when avocados are at their best.

They are easy to prepare. Cut in half carefully, the stone often just falls out; and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Mix in a bowl with a variety of flavourings. I prefer salt and a little tahini, or tomato and onion for guacamole,

or cream cheese and olive oil is nice too. Mix well and place in an airtight tub. This can be used as a sandwich spread,

and it can be frozen if you are lucky enough to have a lot. Ignore any small areas of black, it's just oxidation, it still tastes just as good. If you are keeping a large tub in the fridge, flatten and smooth the top surface after use and seal with a thin layer of olive oil that you can mix in next use.

Cream blocks

Got more cream than you can use before it goes out of date? Freeze it in an ice cube tray, then you can just pop out one cube direct onto a pudding and leave it to defrost while you do other things. It's a good way to freeze excess milk too.

Also you can put the whole frozen tray in a powerful food processor/blender and add some flavourings- caramel syrup is good, to make instant ice cream.

Eco Bricks

You might already know about this or it might be news to you, but there is something you can do with all those soft plastics that are seemingly not recyclable. Collect your old plastic bottles, any size, but I find two litre drinks bottles the best. Then stuff all your soft plastics into the bottle. Ram it in there with a stick or stair rod or something. You will be amazed how much you can get in one bottle.

Once you have filled a bottle there are various places that will accept them from you. Most places like you to write the weight of the stuffed bottle and give you a reference number to write on the bottle. Here is a link to a good site. Eco Bricks
Or you can use them yourself in a variety of building projects. They can be made into a wall with support sticks/poles and chicken wire, then plastered with something like wattle and daub, which can be painted later. Personally I am saving mine up for my allotment to make a compost bin and flower beds.

Herbs

If you are lucky enough to grow herbs in your garden, or even if you buy fresh herbs from the shop; you will sometimes find yourself with a glut that are gradually wilting and getting thrown away. Freezing them like this in portions in an ice cube tray, means no waste, and you can get a portion out at a time and just drop the frozen cube directly into the cooking pot. Or leave to defrost for salad dressing. You can freeze them in wine too for casseroles.

Bicarbonate of Soda

I'm not great at cleaning stubborn things. I spent a lot of time with hippies and tended to ignore deep cleaning. If it's had a wipe down, it'll be okay, tended to be my philosophy. So I've come late to the world of getting things spick and span. Greasy tiles in the kitchen, off colour grouting in the bathroom, stubborn ovens that refuse to come up shiny. Turns out bicarbonate of soda is the answer, not all these bottles of chemicals on the supermarket shelves.

A couple of tablespoons of bicarb on a sponge mixed with just a few drops of water and tiles come up clean really easily. Also cooker hobs, ovens, and greasy floors. It really does get the job done with a minimum of effort.

Weighing luggage

Have you got one of these types of luggage weighing scales?

If so, you will probably be aware that they have certain limitations. For example the hook starts to bend at 23kg, which is a fairly normal weight for a lot of holiday cases. Also the hook doesn't really fit properly in a lot of case handles, causing it to get stretched open then fall off mid weigh.

We introduced the addition of a paracord bracelet, which snaps around the case handle, then can easily be lifted by the scales. I mean paracord is useful for all kinds of things, and jolly handy to have with you when you travel anyway.

Just remember to take it back off the handle before you hand your luggage in, so it doesn't get snagged on machinery at the airport- which is one of the top reasons for luggage going missing.
Having said all that I now notice they are selling complete weighing kits with exactly our kind of improv design all built in.