…to not blow your mind, but are eminently do-able.

Yeah, I fall for those internet baits too –  the “8 Ways to Blah, Blah,”  the “You’ll Never Guess What Happens Next…” ploy, or anything with the word “hack” in it.

But you’ll use at least one of my 4.5 tricks more often than the cutting-a-watermelon YouTube hack that has a bazillion views. You don’t need a surgeon’s skill or a chainsaw for any of my partly-original, won’t-ever-be-patented hacks.

1) Cook Rice in the Microwave

 

 

Put 2 cups uncooked rice and 4 cups of water in a LARGE, microwave-safe bowl. Do not subscribe to the view that a smaller bowl will help you cram more into the dishwasher – trust me on this one. I do not speak from prior experience and have never ever cleaned rice goo off a microwave turntable.

Microwave rice uncovered for 15 minutes. Cover the bowl and microwave for an additional 5 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes before uncovering. Fluff rice with a fork. Voila  (or the Indian equivalent),  one-bowl cooking at its simplest.

2) Go Cheap and Cheerful

By super-size-everything standards, we live in a smaller home. Which means our  limited storage space can’t keep up with mama’s altruistic desire to spur on economic growth. So when it comes to decor, I go double duty and use dishes, teapots and plates as decor.

Like this one that lives in our dining room: Christmas decorations plus two-tier cake tray make for year-round decor.

It’s not all that Martha-Stewarty around here, though. There are distinct possibilities of discovering resilient pirates fighting for their last breath under the crushing weight of dinner plates.

 

3) Get your Diva On

The absolute best way for no-tears onion chopping? Wear contact lenses. Perhaps I could recommend colored contacts from Pinky Paradise which promises not only to redefine the “beauty boundaries of eye makeup” but also “tells people who you are.”  I suggest Groovy Green or Hippie Chestnut colors – in case you want to tell people you’re groovy, hippie chick who thinks cutting onions is just plain awesome.

Lash extensions are purely optional.

Also salt your onions. They cook faster. And add a teeny bit of sugar when you want to caramelize them quickly.

4) Hook ’em

One thing I’ve discovered through my baking addiction is that you can’t have enough measuring cups and spoons. Why resort to washing a whole spoon when you can just fill your drawers with a jumble of plastic, right?

Here’s where hooks on cabinet doors are super convenient. Not Dollar Store hooks like I used the first time around: those held up for a grand total of  three minutes.

 

Also, please don’t be like me and hang them ‘inside-out’ for four months and wonder why you have a plastic avalanche every time you open the cabinet.

 

5) Borrow the Hubbers

He’s my Roomba, Dyson and Swifer all in one package. Comes with built-in sensors that can detect dust and dirt from across the room. Doesn’t need batteries or recharging.  And, I was kidding about the borrowing him part.

Unless of course you can shell out $100 or more per hour.

Still kidding!!

Maybe.