ANT-Proof Your Kitchen

Ants invaded our kitchen recently. They're in our bedroom. They're under our bed mattress. They're crawling under our bath towels. They're hiding beneath our drawers. Worst of all, they're hidden in our pants and underwears. Ants are EVERYWHERE! 

Using an insect spray didn't help much. Our room just got filled with the toxic smell of the insect killer. It gave me a headache. 

There are practical ways to avoid or get rid of ants. The good news is, you already have the ant control remedies right inside your home or just sitting inside your cupboard for so long. Amazingly, these kitchen or household items saves you time and money. 

You can try these remedies yourselves. If one doesn't work, then try another one. 


BOILING WATER 
If you see an anthill in your garden, place the flowerpot upside-down over it. Pour boiling water through the drain hole. It will drown and kill the ants.


CHALK

Draw a line around doorways or any entry points where ants normally cross. The chalk has a non-toxic substance that repel ants called, "calcium carbonate". You may also scatter powdered chalk around garden plants. 

 

FLOUR
Sprinkle flour on the ant's trail. The flour, for some reason, repels ants.  
 
 

LEMONS 
Send out a message to these army of ants that they are not welcome to your home. Give them the lemon treatment. Spray some lemon juice or scatter small slices of lemon peel on doorways and windowsills. Squeeze lemon juice into any holes, cracks or crevices where ants go.

Also, lemons are effective against cockroaches and fleas. In 2 liters of water, mix the juice of at least 4 lemons (along with the rinds). Mop or wash your floor with it. Fleas and cockroaches are believed to hate the smell.  

ORANGES
In one cup of water, make a smooth puree of the orange peel. Pour the solution over into anthills. 

PEPPER 
Give the ants some pepper treatment, too. Just sprinkle a small amount of pepper into the ants trail or into spots where they normally cross. 

PLASTIC CONTAINERS
To keep ants away from the picnic table, place each table leg in a plastic container. Fill the containers with water. 

SALT AND SPICES
End the ant parade by sprinkling salt directly across their paths. Ants seem easily discouraged by the salt barrier. 

Make use of your spices inside your cupboard. Put some bay leaf inside the sugar container or tape the leaf to the inside of the canister lid. Bay leaf, stick cinnamon or whole garlic cloves discourages ant invasion. They smell pleasant, too.


VINEGAR

Give ants a drink of vinegar, too. Place vinegar (white or apple cider) in a spray bottle and spray on areas where ants go. 

If you are growing fruits and vegetables in your garden, you may trap and kill ants with this technique:

1. Mix one cup of apple cider vinegar and one cup sugar inside a one liter bottle of softdrink.
2. Add one cup of cold water. 
3. Add banana peel (cut into small pieces).
4. Shake the mixture.  
5. Hang the bottle at the tree branch or place on the ground to trap and kill ants.  
6. Replace the mixture as necessary.  

We have pets inside our house. Their food bowls are often invaded by ants. To keep these insects away from pet food dishes, here are some helfpul tips:

ALUMINUM-FOIL BAKING PAN

• Fill the aluminum-foil baking pan with half an inch of water.
• Place the pet food dish at the center.
• It should keep the insects away. 

PETROLEUM JELLY

• Rub the petroleum jelly at the sides of the pet food bowl.
• The ants will not cross over that sticky petroleum jelly. 

SERVE FRESH   If you don't like these techniques, it is always safe to serve your pet food fresh and warm. As soon as they finish eating, clean and set aside the pet food bowl. Serve only enough food for pets to finish. Leftovers are not practical and these invites more guest insects.

      

Reference: 
Readers Digest, "Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things," ©2005

Assorted Humor Stories About Food

Finger Lickin' Good. 

A friend of mine in Saudi shared this humor story to my FB page. 

A Bangladesh cleaner went to see her at her Office
and told them some great news about a newly opened food store next door.

Story Courtesy of Belay

The Original KFC?

Filipinos are known to come up with odd, funny and crazy business names 
and sometimes associate them with well known or top businesses.
Examples are 
McDomeng for Mcdo,
Da Fork for The Fort,
Starback for Starbucks,
 and many more.
I took a picture of this banner hanging in one of the gates of our neighbor. 

To find out more, click Top 50 Funniest Pinoy Business Names

What's wrong with drinking hot water?

I went to a Chinese Restaurant in Brunei and ordered dimsum. 

While waiting for my food, I asked the waitress to give me a glass of warm water. 

She came back with two glasses of hot water. 

Puzzled, but I didn't bother to ask.

I drank from the bigger glass.  

When I looked to the other table, 

the same tall glass with hot water was on the table 

and with utensils in it. 

I realized that I drank from the glass where they put utensils for "sterilization" purposes. 

Gusto ko "Susu" (I like Susu)...

Our Clinic Manager bought canned drinks for the staff. 

Our doctor offered me a drink and said, 

"Would you like some Kopi Susu?" (Coffee Milk)

I laughed and replied back, 

"I don't like Susu. It means differently in Tagalog." 

When I told her the meaning ("female breast"), 

she laughed and said, 

"How would you like your Susu? 

Ice cold?"

Susu in Brunei means MILK. When I told the Susu story to my husband, he can't help but be impressed of the richness of susu in Brunei. So, when he came to Brunei to visit me, he had to taste Jagung (susu) himself. Jagung in Malay means corn. This is simply a sweet corn mixed with all sorts of topping flavors like susu (condensed milk) or choklet (chocolate). The sweet corn is like the one we buy from King Corn foodstalls, but sweeter with susu. 

Fungi, anyone? 

  

Some restaurants would name their food in a delectable manner.  

One poster from a food chain in Brunei

rather used the word, "FUNGI" for mushrooms. 

I still think of YEAST and MOLDS

associated with FUNGI. 

With that in mind, I never had the chance to taste 

the Fungi Fettuccine.

Epal for Apple.

 A friend of mine in Brunei, went to McDonald's to order an apple pie.  

On the packaging, a translation "Pai Epal" was written.

Epal in Tagalog means, associating oneself with anything though uncalled for
(exactly what most Politicians tend to do).

Photo Courtesy of Cecille

What's on the Menu?

I went to buy myself a burger at the nearest food store from the Clinic. 

To my surprise, there was nothing written on their Menu. 

Grab some Grabe.

My officemates were lining up to order food at KFC.

I overheard one of our messengers asking the man in the counter 

for some extra condiments.

 

Top Five Kitchen Bloopers

Beginner cooks like myself are prone to mistakes. Everyone make mistakes. I learned from it. I was embarrassed but I laughed if off.  Everytime the same story is told, I made everybody laughed like STUPID! Sometimes, mistakes can be so stupid to a point that they become HILARIOUS. 

Do you have your own kitchen blooper to share? 

#5.  Salt or Sugar

One of the most common mistakes in the kitchen: Serving hot coffee with salt or cooking fried rice with a pinch of sugar... lots of sugar. 

Lesson learned: Put labels on containers to avoid mistaking salt as sugar or vice versa. You may also put them in two different colors, shape or size of containers to distinguish one from the other. This is applicable only to those without memory gaps who could remember which container was used for sugar or salt.  Still, putting labels are more convenient and practical. Our maid, Sita, however prefers to put them in two different containers minus the labels. 

#4.  Fired Fish or Fried Fish

Anyare?

Frying Fish + Facebook = Disaster 

What's left for eating? Sunog ang Fish... in Barok English or broken english, The FISH is FIREd. 

In fairness, it tasted salty and crunchy but .... burnt.  

Lesson learned: If you are cooking, then stay in the kitchen and cook! Avoid other activities like online gaming or facebook.

#3. Turn on or off 

Again, this is one of those common mistakes in the kitchen.

You came home from the office exhausted and tired. You started cooking rice. A few minutes later you laid everything on the table and opened your rice cooker. To your surprise and shock, the rice is still a rice - drowned in water and still uncooked. You forgot to turn the rice cooker ON.

Lesson learned: Remind yourself to always turn on or off whatever you are cooking before it will burn your house down or burn your food. 

#2. Lid on or Lid off

You were craving for fresh mango shake. You cut and sliced the fresh mango and put them in a blender.  However, when you turned the blender ON, the mango shake flew out and landed flat on your face and other little pieces scattered on your place. You forgot to put the lid ON.

Lesson learned: Lids are left ON when using a blender, a pressure cooker, or what else.

#1.  To Peel or Not To Peel

I was in college when I tried the recipe of GINISANG AMPALAYA or Sauteed Bitter Melon. Since a friend only instructed me how to cook it by phone, I thought to myself it will be easy. I prepared the bitter melon and peeled the skin. I looked at it with dismay and asked myself "how come it looks different..... and wrong?" 

The 10th Cooking Commandment: Thou shall NOT PEEL the bitter melons.

Lesson Learned:  This is how to prepare an Ampalaya or Bitter Melon:
Step 1: Cut the ends of the bitter melon
Step 2: Cut in half lengthwise
Step 3: Remove the seeds 
Step 4: Strictly DO NOT peel
Step 5: Cut into desired shape and size