Brush Your Dog's Teeth, Please

Whoever is in charge of reading my eulogy, please include a nod to my impeccable oral hygiene. It's one of the few things I'm most proud of, thus far. If there's one, easy thing you can be taking care of in your life, it's your oral care. I'll never shut up about it. You know this already. 

But what about your pets? Who's gonna take care of their teeth? You, bud. Please get on that already if you haven't. At least once a week is all they require it done, too. I'm pretty sure that's why dogs do things that piss owners off sometimes. They're acting out 'cause you're not brushing their teeth. We all love that minty after-breath! Don't deny them that right! And if you're thinking, "My dog hates it when I brush his/her teeth." Well, that's your fault, owner. Try this tip to start to get them into it.

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Martha Stewart Living, April 2014 issue

“Just in case you ever foolishly forget; I’m never not thinking of you.”

— Virginia Woolf

The Smile Test

I'm kind of really into these videos. Such good tips!

Bookmark Idea

In my dreams, everything I own looks luxurious - even (and especially) the mundane items that surround my everyday life. So when I saw this idea for a bookmark in Martha Stewart Living, I gasped. I really did. Judge away.

Is this not a gorgeous idea? Quite frankly, I don't know where I'll find an envelope like that to use and cut up - but believe me when I say that my eyes are peeled for one.

"To make one, cut a bottom corner from an ungusseted paper bag (the kind card shops use) or a colorful envelope. Ours is about 2 inches long from corner to cut. Create several to track your best-loved recipes or when planning the menu for a special dinner." - Martha Stewart

Lord love her. I'm nowhere near "planning the menu for a special dinner" in my current state of living, but I love that she thinks I am.

Chinatown Fair Arcade

This is the only place in New York that I know of where you can cheaply play some air hockey. Does that warrant a post? Umm... derr? 

Yes, it's tiny as hell but it's open 365 days a year (which I consider notable in this city). It's pretty much a basic arcade where the games are relatively cheap and the prizes you can get with tickets are basically trash (but I'll assume you're not going to an arcade for prizes). The place is filled with mostly kids and teenagers (not the obnoxious type of teens - but the nice ones who take each other on cute dates and laugh loud), so it's a pretty fun place to go with someone for a game if you're in the area. 

The Best Slow Cooker Ribs

If you thought I was going to shut up about you getting a slow cooker (or USING the slow cooker you already have), I will not. Honestly, the best part about having one of these is the fact that it forces you to try and make things you've never attempted before. This was the first time I've cooked ribs. And as a result? I'm a little bit better than you now, if you've never made them yourself. That's just the reality of the situation. MAKE THESE RIBS. They taste unholy. 

Recipe

• 2 1/2 lbs of baby back ribs (I got 5 lbs since that's what they had at the grocery store, so I just doubled the rest of the ingredients)

• Basting brush

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/4 tsp dried oregano

• 1/4 tsp paprika

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, or more to taste (any kind of BBQ sauce, I used Sweet Baby Ray's Original - and way more than 1/2 cup)

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, cayenne, black pepper, oregano, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Then rub the seasoning all over the meaty side of the ribs. Place the ribs so they’re standing in slow cooker, meat side out. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

There will be a lot of fat drippings at the bottom of the cooker, so drain that out and then you can baste the ribs with BBQ sauce for the remained 30 minutes, that's what I did. Brush with more BBQ sauce to serve. 

I cannot describe to you how good these tasted. They were ridiculous. The ribs were about $15 for 5 pounds, which seemed a little expensive at the time, but you're getting a ton of crazy good ribs without having to pay way more and get them at a restaurant, so it's a pretty sweet deal. PLEASE try these. I will be making these for the rest of my life. 

The original recipe can be found here.

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“Tuck your scarf in your coat’s arm sleeve when you’re not wearing it. This keeps you from forgetting about it and leaving it somewhere. This tip is not just for kids. Adults can be dumb sometimes, too.”

— #lizadvice

Greek Yogurt Covered Blueberries

If you're trying to consume less ice cream and/or frozen terrible/tasty things - you definitely should try this. 

All you need is a cup of your favourite kind of yogurt (I use the no-fat Chobani peach one), a pack of fresh blueberries and two toothpicks (you definitely need the toothpicks or this becomes unbearably messy). Get a cookie sheet pan out and put down some tin foil, then stick a berry with a toothpick and dip/swirl in the yogurt cup and use a second toothpick to push it off onto a cookie sheet. Coat all of the blueberries and then place the cookie sheet in the freezer. After an hour you can pop them off the cookie sheet with a fork/spatula and put them into plastic baggies. 

Can't tell you how good these taste.