Everyone knows Santa loves his milk and cookies, but if we all leave out the same treat for him on Christmas Eve, he’s bound to get sick of it. Why not mix up the milk and cookies this year and leave Santa a different kind of goodie he’s sure to love just as much! Here are some of our favorite festive ideas that require no baking to free up the oven for cooking Christmas Eve dinner. Peppermint ...
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Blog Posts in 2016
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Mix Up the Milk and Cookies this Year
December 20, 2016 -
2016 Kitchen Gadget Gift Guide
December 16, 2016 Do you have a friend or family member who’s always hard to shop for at Christmas time? How about finding a quirky kitchen gadget to make cooking and baking a little easier? From highly useful to a little extravagant, here are the top kitchen gadgets that could serve as the perfect gifts for Christmas 2016. Melon Scoop Cantaloupes and watermelons are popular favorites, but preparing and eating them ...Continue Reading -
Clean Everything Else
December 7, 2016 This is the time of year to prepare your home – especially your kitchen – for the holidays. If you’re hosting dinner parties for family and friends, a clean, functional kitchen will help everything go smoothly. You’ve already learned how to clean your oven and refrigerator – now it’s time to tackle the rest of the kitchen as part of your yearly holiday preparations. Dust High Areas This is a great ...Continue Reading -
How to Clean Your Refrigerator
December 1, 2016 In your efforts to prepare the kitchen for the hectic holiday baking season, you may have already cleaned the oven. Now it’s time to think about cleaning the refrigerator so there’s room for holiday leftovers without any funky smells or sticky spots to slow you down. Use these tips to achieve a clean refrigerator and keep it looking good for months. How to Clean Your Refrigerator Ready to deep ...Continue Reading -
Holiday Prep: Clean the Oven
November 8, 2016 With the holidays quickly approaching, you’re probably anticipating all the cooking you’ll be doing. Is your kitchen up to the task? The oven is the first place that likely needs attention. Having a clean oven to work with makes holiday baking much more pleasant. Here’s how to clean your oven, no matter what type you have. Self-Cleaning Ovens Whether convection or conventional, self-cleaning ovens ...Continue Reading -
Get Your Silverware Drawer Organized ASAP
November 2, 2016 Cooking efficiently relies heavily on drawer organization. All the drawers in your kitchen require some attention, but let’s tackle the silverware drawer first and foremost. With these eight ideas, you’ll have the cutlery under control in no time. Expandable Drawer Organizers Cutlery collections can be large or small, and kitchen drawers don’t come in standard sizes. The solution to this dilemma ...Continue Reading -
From Our Kitchen to Yours: Cutest Halloween Party Finger Foods
October 28, 2016 With Halloween upon us, are you looking to try out a few new, spooky fun recipes? There are tons of ways to turn a basic snack into a festive party treat that both you and the kids will enjoy. All of these creative ideas were found on Pinterest. Crescent Mummy Dogs A tasty alternative to the typical sugary items commonly found during Halloween! What you will need: 10 hot dogs 1 can of refrigerated ...Continue Reading -
Art Displays: Alternatives to the Fridge
October 21, 2016 With the holidays approaching, your children might start bringing home lots of pumpkin-themed crafts and art from school! Their little creations will certainly be sentimental and you will probably want to hang them up; however, they will fill up your fridge fast. With all of these pretty art pieces, you might lose sight of your family calendar or invitations to holiday events. Here are a few ...Continue Reading -
Scary Lunchbox Snacks
October 14, 2016 Silly Apple Bites These eye-catching snacks are a great treat, especially with Halloween coming before we know it! What you’ll need for eight bites: 2 green apples Sunflower butter 32 sunflower seeds 2-3 strawberries 1-2 candy eyes per apple bite Optional: whipped cream. How to make: Slice the apples into quarters and cut the middles out of each quarter of the outside of the apple to create a ...Continue Reading -
Coolest Lunchboxes
September 13, 2016 Lunchboxes were and have always been a staple at school lunches. You may remember in middle school, how “cool” someone seemed based on his or her vintage metal lunchbox. Lunchboxes are sort of like a time capsule, throwing everyone back to their younger years. However, recently, the style of lunchboxes has changed; they are now more modular and have the ability to pack a variety of items into one ...Continue Reading -
This Is the Worst Time for Your Washer to Die
September 1, 2016 With sports starting back up and warmer, heavier outfits taking center stage, back-to-school time is when you rely on your washer and dryer the most. This would be the worst time for these appliances to break down! To ensure your washer and dryer keep running like normal, implement certain maintenance and troubleshooting tips. Then if needed, you can schedule washer and dryer repair with Mr. ...Continue Reading -
From Our Kitchen to Yours: Easy After School Snacks
August 23, 2016 With back to school here, it is often helpful to have some quick snacks ready for lunchboxes and after school activities. Preparing meals at the beginning of the week can help when things get hectic. Here are a few healthy after school snacks that your family is sure to love. We found these great ideas on Pinterest. Chocolate Banana Pops These are a great treat to prepare at the beginning of the ...Continue Reading -
Keep Everyone Healthy at School
August 16, 2016 It’s hard to believe summer is already over. Now that the kids are headed back school, they’ll come in contact with germs and contagious bugs from their fellow classmates. You can’t control what happens at school, but you can maintain a clean kitchen to help prevent your family from getting sick this school year. Follow these kitchen cleaning tips for a healthier home. Wash Up Every family member ...Continue Reading -
8 Reasons Why You Should Talk to Your Children about Entering the Trades
August 12, 2016 Do you have teenagers trying desperately to figure out what they want to do… for the rest of their life? Not surprising it’s not an easy decision. With so many options to choose from it can be overwhelming to begin even considering different fields. The trades are becoming a good choice to make for everyone, but especially for females who have previously shied away from such types of jobs. The ...Continue Reading -
What is the Lifespan of your Refrigerator?
July 21, 2016 Have you owned your refrigerator for a few years? Are you unsure how much longer you can expect it to last? Learn the typical refrigerator lifespan so you can plan ahead when the time for appliance replacement looms near. You can even adopt tips to help your refrigerator provide efficient service for as long as possible. How Long Does a Refrigerator Last? According to the 23rd annual portrait of ...Continue Reading -
Preventing Bad Odors in the Fridge
July 12, 2016 Have you ever opened your refrigerator door only to be assaulted by a stinky waft of refrigerated air? The cool temperature does little to temper the odor, and you’re forced to hold your nose as you dig around for the source of the stench. Maybe old leftover fish, ground beef or forgotten salad has been hiding in the back corner for a few weeks – or even longer. Even once you dispose of the moldy, ...Continue Reading -
From Our Kitchen to Yours: Refrigerator Meals
June 21, 2016 We all have busy lives, and sometimes cooking big, healthy meals isn’t high on our priority list. Thankfully, your refrigerator can be a great resource when it comes to preparing meals and snacks for the week. Breakfast Prep Ahead: Breakfast Bowls We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Most people don’t have time during busy mornings to cook a hearty breakfast. However, you ...Continue Reading -
4 Beautiful Outdoor Kitchens
June 7, 2016 Summer is upon us, and it’s time to start thinking about the barbecues and backyard parties you will be hosting this season. Here are four beautiful outdoor kitchens to give you inspiration for your own outdoor kitchen. 1. The Patio Kitchen This beautiful outdoor kitchen sits on the patio against the home’s back wall. The stone on the kitchen walls looks elegant next to the house. It is small yet ...Continue Reading -
Summer Grill Showdown: Gas Versus Charcoal
May 31, 2016 If you love grilling, you may be familiar with the great gas vs. charcoal debate. Perhaps your best friend prefers one while your father-in-law swears by the other. Every passionate griller has their preference, so if you’re still on the fence, approach the issue as objectively as possible to help you choose the right grill for you. Gas Grill Owners of gas grills love the primal pleasure of ...Continue Reading -
Clean Laundry Jokes
May 17, 2016 Like doing the dishes, laundry is one of those household chores with which you’re never truly done! In honor of National Humor Month , we decided to gather up some of the best laundry-related jokes to make the chore a bit less of a bore. Go ahead and procrastinate folding your clothes by reading some of our clean jokes. 1.Q: How much fun is washing your clothes? A: Loads. 2.Q: What happened to the ...Continue Reading -
Creative Drying Racks
May 9, 2016 Running your dryer less often is also a good way to save energy and money. Plus, some clothes are just too delicate for the dryer. To help your little black dress, wool sweater and favorite lingerie last longer, it’s better to air dry these items. But what if you don’t have a drying rack? You can easily make your own so you have a dedicated space to hang clothing you don’t want to run through the ...Continue Reading -
Cook Dinner in Your Dishwasher? Cool Hacks for Kitchen Appliances
May 1, 2016 You spend your day multitasking, so why shouldn’t your kitchen appliances juggle more than one job, too? Dishwashers can poach salmon. Freezers can wash your clothes. Microwaves can help you squeeze orange juice. Granted, there are risks to hacking home appliances—especially the fact that it could render your warranty moot, warns Doug Rogers , president of Mr. Appliance , a national appliance ...Continue Reading -
Recycle your Laundry Detergent Bottle
April 27, 2016 Recycling newspapers, aluminum cans and glass has become part of the everyday routine and lifestyles for many homes and businesses. Most detergent and fabric softener bottles even have a layer of recycled plastic in them. Yet, there is still a lot more that we can do. According to dosomething.org , the average person generates over 4 pounds of trash every day and about 1.5 tons of solid waste per ...Continue Reading -
Dryer Sheets Versus Fabric Softener
April 8, 2016 Which Is Better? Okay, so we all know that using dryer sheets or fabric softener will make your clothes smell fresh and help reduce wrinkles. But, when faced with the choice on the grocery store laundry aisle, which do you pick? We interviewed a mom we know, and did a little online research to get to the bottom of the fresh-laundry face-off. Fabric Softener: Benefits We interviewed a mom we know, ...Continue Reading -
Brightening your Kitchen for Spring
March 29, 2016 It’s always so refreshing when warmer weather arrives in the spring and you can start opening your windows again. From checkered prints to fresh flowers, you can make your kitchen bright and airy as the seasons change by mimicking some of the colors you see outside. Here are some easy, inexpensive kitchen styles for spring you should try out. Add a Fresh Layer of Paint Is there one particularly ...Continue Reading -
Proper Dryer Cleaning & Fire Prevention
March 21, 2016 by: Steve Bowles, Mr. Appliance Franchise Consultant This blog was contributed by one of our franchise consultants and dryer vent cleaning experts, Steve Bowles. Clothes dryer vent fires are a real risk to home safety and proper inspection and maintenance of your dryer is a necessity. According to recent news reports citing the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 15,000 fires are ...Continue Reading -
Green with (Kitchen) Envy
March 17, 2016 The kitchen is the center of the home. It is the room in which family and friends congregate, and the room where you teach your children to cook. As the kitchen is generally a high traffic area, we want it to be modern and warm. These beautiful kitchen styles are timeless in their elegance and inviting in their character. White on White on Grey Bright, uplifting kitchens are on trend right now. ...Continue Reading -
Warning Signs for Appliances
February 25, 2016 As you go about your day, you rely on home appliances more than you probably realize. Only when something goes wrong do you appreciate how dependent you are on your refrigerator, washer and dryer, hot water heater, dishwasher, and oven. Learn how to tell if you should schedule appliance repair and when to opt for a replacement instead. Signs Your Appliances Need Attention The appliance won’t turn ...Continue Reading -
Top 5 Tips for Winterizing Your Home
February 11, 2016 Winter is among us and so is the biting weather. Don’t let the cold catch you off guard; prepare for the frigid forecasts with these easy-to-follow household tips. Give your home some tender, loving care as we enter the Valentine’s Day weekend, and you won’t regret it when the thermometer dips! Turn Your Ceiling Fan Clockwise Use your ceiling fan around the clock by reversing it to run clockwise ...Continue Reading