Feb 05 2010

Teriyaki Chicken Wings

Perfect for a casual party, this recipe is a tasty alternative to Buffalo wings:

Ingredients:

1 10-ounce bottle teriyaki sauce
1 10-ounce bottle soy sauce
3/4 cup cooking sherry
1 T. garlic salt
1 T. ginger
1 T. dried minced onion
1 5-pound package of frozen chicken wings

Direction:

Mix first six ingredients together in a 9″x11″ glass baking dish. Add frozen wings, coating them thoroughly with the mixture, and allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Bake uncovered in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F 45 minutes to an hour. Serve immediately.

View all of our recipes here.

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Feb 05 2010

Ten Storage Problems Solved with these Organizers


We knew these storage items were winners when we stocked them – but you don’t have to take our word for it! Check out the reviews section for these top sellers to find out what customers like you have to say:

Reader's NightStand

84826 Reader’s Nightstand: Just one square foot and this handsome 4-shelf stand is all it takes to organize your books and magazines. Tuck it next to your favorite reading chair or use it as a nightstand.

Spice Stack

84898 Spice Stack: Turn a jumbled stack of spice jars into an organized system that fits compactly on a counter or cabinet shelf. Spices stay neatly out of sight and away from damaging light, but are easy to find.

InstaHanger

84926 InstaHanger: This hanger’s decorative wood inlay cover could be mistaken for wall art! But it’s much more practical than that, because it opens to reveal a steel rod that gives you 12” of hanging space.

Drawer Dividers

81639 Drawer Dividers: Utensils and cooking gadgets are easy to find and socks stay sorted when drawers are organized with these wooden dividers. Just put in place to create spaces the perfect width.

Magazine Butler

61638 Magazine Butler: See-through acrylic case organizes up to a year’s worth of magazines – and blends with any décor! Organize cooking magazines in the kitchen, craft magazines in the sewing room or business journals in an office.

Shoe-eze

62667 Shoe-eze: No assembly – just stack the Shoe-Eze™ sections in your closet. Their patented locking feature provides stability, and their crystal-clear design makes it easy to find the shoes you want.

Roll Out Drawers

80911 Roll-Out Drawers: These easy-rolling, pull-out “drawers” organize cabinets in the kitchen, laundry room, bath, even the garage—just roll out, and you’ll always find what you’re looking for with just a glance!

Mirror Jewelry Cabinet

82325 Jewelry Mirror Cabinet: Hide and organize your jewelry collection behind a handsome, framed full-length mirror!

Overhead Storage Organizer

81096 Overhead Storage: Turn unused ceiling space into valuable storage! This unique storage system gets boxes, sleeping bags and other bulky items overhead and out of the way.

Mission Media Cabinet

84247 Mission Media Cabinet: With 12 drawers for CDs and 5 shelves behind a glass door for DVDs, this Mission-style media cabinet makes it easy to organize a large video and audio collection!

Expandable Drawer Organizer

Bonus 11th Problem Solver
86244 Expandable Drawer Organizers: No more lost pens, notepads or rubber bands – this adjustable organizer has a section for everything and expands to fit a desk or kitchen junk drawer!
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Feb 02 2010

Early Spring, or Six More Weeks of Winter? The Groundhog Knows!

Every February 2nd, Americans eagerly await the groundhog: will the sleepy rodent’s appearance herald the arrival of spring…or foretell another six weeks of winter?

Groundhog Day has its origins in a Christian festival called Candlemas , which is traditionally celebrated on or around February 2nd. A European tradition stated that a sunny Candlemas meant an additional six weeks of winter weather, while a cloudy Candlemas signaled an early spring. According to German folklore, the matter was clinched by the appearance of a hedgehog: if the sight of his own shadow frightened the shy creature back into hibernation, Candlemas was officially “sunny.”

Because hedgehogs are not indigenous to North America, early German settlers adopted the groundhog, or woodchuck, as their weather predictor. In 1887, a newspaper editor named Clymer H. Freas along with a newspaper publisher and American Congressman named W. Smith organized a Groundhog Day festival in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The festival’s mascot, a groundhog dubbed Punxsutawney Phil, “told” the Groundhog Club president his prediction regarding winter’s end. On that historic morning, Phil saw his shadow at 7:32.

Now an annual event, the festival continues to be popular, inspiring films, fiction and other events and festivals around the country. Even Canada is in on the fun – our neighbors to the North look to “Wiarton Willy” to predict the arrival of spring.

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Jan 29 2010

Up Your Game With Giant NFL Inflatables

Decorating for the big game is easy with these guys! Just plug Tiny or Bubba in, and the internal inflation fan will quickly blow him up to full size. Stake him in the yard or prop him in a corner of the family room. When the game’s over, just unplug him!

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Jan 27 2010

Put the Super in Your Bowl Party

Even if you can’t make it to the big game, you can enjoy a great game-day party at home! With the right preparations, you and your guests will have a good time, even if all are not big football fans.

Decorations

Have enough TVs.
Set up multiple TVs so all guests will have a clear, unobstructed view.

Tip: If you expect really rabid fans, maybe set up a TV in the bathroom for those inevitable interruptions.

Dress up.
Encourage guests to come dressed in one of the team’s colors.

Split the room.
Make a line with masking tape down the center of your TV room, decorating one side for each team with posters, pennants, blankets and other team paraphernalia.

Tip: To save expense, consider making the posters and pennants with poster board and markers. Get the kids involved.

Decorate furniture.
Cover chair backs with team jerseys.

Tip: If you don’t have team jerseys, try making them with inexpensive t-shirts and indelible markers.

Add a unique touch to your table.
Use fake turf on your buffet table instead of a tablecloth. Use a football or a helmet, if you have one, as a centerpiece.

Keep people comfortable.
Have plenty of cushions, footrests and blankets available.

Games

Set up a pool.
A simple search online will show you how to do it. Try typing “football pool” into your chosen search engine.

Tip: In addition to the final winners at the end of the game, why not have winners for each quarter?

Tip: Add some other fun wrinkles, too, like bets on who will win the coin toss, who will have the first turnover and the first score, the length of the game, who will be Most Valuable Player, etc.
For prizes to the winning betters, pick up small football-themed gifts or award them with gift certificates.

Rate the commercials.
Rate the commercials that debut during the game. Tally up the results and announce the winner at the end.

Tip: You can have a pool for this, too!

Invite guests to “get involved”.
If you prefer a more raucous sort of party, purchase or make foam bricks to throw at the TV when a call or score doesn’t go your team’s way. Rubber dart guns work well, too.

Challenge guests with football trivia.
Keep track of trivia scores and give a prize or gag gift to those who get the most correct.

Tell football jokes.
Ask everyone to come to the party with a football joke. Or you can print out a bunch from the Internet and put them in a bowl and let guests draw them during the game.

Give mementos.
Hand out small items as gifts or just thanks. Ideas include key chains, mousepads, stickers, magnets, anything with a team name or Super Bowl logo on it.

Food

Make snacks available.
Chips and dips are a staple of any Super Bowl party.

Tip: Veggies cut and prepared at the store can be a popular healthy replacement for chips.

Serve buffet style.
Prepare all food in advance, or consider a potluck.

Tip: Lean toward foods that don’t require silverware if possible.

Use warming plates or crockpots.
This will keep food warm while allowing guests to help themselves and helping you stay out of the kitchen.

Serve on paper or plastic tableware with team designs.
Have lots of paper towels, napkins and rug cleaner handy.

Tip: Sourdough bread bowls, cabbage and sweet bell peppers are also fun containers for dips.

For recipe ideas for appetizers, desserts and main dishes, see below.

Drinks

Beer
Have plenty of beer chilled. This means you’ll also want a lot of ice on hand.

Tip: Keep a full cooler within arm’s reach during the game. Restock at halftime.

Cocktails
If you want to serve cocktails, keep it simple by choosing one or two, ideally with a football focus.

Tip: Create and name your own special, one-of-a-kind game-day drink.

Non-alcoholic
Have plenty of coffee and sodas ready for kids and those who prefer non-alcoholic beverages.

Miscellaneous

Help arrange transportation.
Make sure that guests that drink do not drive home. Either offer to pickup and drop off guests or have taxi numbers ready and available.

Tip: Hire a van for the day and pay a non-drinking or non-Super Bowl friend to drive guests to and from the party.

Keep kids occupied.
Set up a back room for the kids with a TV and DVDs, snacks of their own, games, and other toys. Consider getting a sitter.

Safeguard fragile items.
Be safe and remove any breakable items before guests arrive.

Plan for cleanup.
Make sure you have enough trash bags for the post-game cleanup.

Helpful party ideas from Solutions:

Inflatable Serving Bar

Inflatable Serving Bar

Inflatable Serving Bar Turn an ordinary table into an ice-cold cooler for salads or beverages.
Buffet Serving Platters

Buffet Serving Platters

Buffet Serving Platters Unbreakable serveware looks great and travels with ease.
Essential Condiment Bowls

Essential Condiment Bowls

Essential Condiment Bowls Here’s an attractive, space-saving way to serve side sauces!
NFL Neon Helmet

NFL Neon Helmet

NFL Neon Helmet Display your team spirit with a light-up sign!

Recipes

Appetizers:
Garlic Bruschetta
Exceptional Bean Dip
Fast and Easy Avocado Dip
Cornbread Muffins

Main Dishes:
Irish Beef Stew
Stuffed Peppers
Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza

Desserts:
Turtle Bars
Soft Ginger Cookies

View all of our recipes here.

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Jan 25 2010

Why Microfiber? The Benefits of Microfiber Cleaning Products

Recycle those old rags and make the switch to microfiber! Cloths and other cleaning tools made of microfiber cloth (like the top-selling Miracle Cloth™ from Solutions) are super-soft and hold their shape well. They’re also ultra-absorbent, soaking up to seven times their own weight in liquid, which makes them ideal for mopping up spills. They’ll even absorb oils and grease!

Long a favorite of car detailers and enthusiasts, microfiber cleaning cloths are easy on paintwork, and even more effective than newspaper when it comes to cleaning glass without leaving streaks.

Tests show that cleaning surfaces with microfiber cloths or mops eliminates 99% of bacteria, while conventional cleaning tools reduce bacteria by only 33%. And with their superior ability to “grab” dust and debris, cleaning is faster and easier.

One of the best features of microfiber cleaning tools, however, is that they leave surfaces sparkling without the use of household cleaners. That means less exposure to chemicals for your family, and more savings for you. In fact, the slightly higher cost of microfiber cleaning tools is more than compensated for with what you’ll save on household cleaners – and your tools are sure to last a long time.

Miracle Cloth

No need for harsh chemicals. Miracle Cloth cleans with water.

Miracle Cloth Dish Towel

Miracle Cloth performance in a dish towel.

Microfiber Mop Cover

Turn your sponge mop into a super scrubber…and clean with just water.

Come see our entire selection of Miracle Cloth and microfiber cleaning tools.

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Jan 22 2010

Saturday is Yoga Day USA

January 23rd is Yoga Day USA! Many of us at Solutions love the way yoga makes us feel – in fact, we have an on-site class once a week after work. Great for all fitness levels, yoga eases physical and mental stress, offers relief from pain without medication, increases your flexibility and even helps you manage your weight!

Check out your local gym, community college or recreational center for a yoga class near you, or visit your local library to check out a book or video with postures you can practice at home. And don’t miss these great products from Solutions to help you get started with your new activity!

84109 Stainless Steel Water Bottle: Safer to drink from than aluminum or plastic.
83786 Yoga Stick-e™ Socks (pictured above): No slipping as you exercise.
80817 Car Seat Vest Cover: Keep seats clean after a workout.

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Jan 21 2010

Free Printable Grocery Checklist

Stumped at the store? Print out this list and leave it in a handy place in your kitchen or bathroom (we find keeping it on the fridge works very well). When something you need comes to mind, check it on the list or fill in one of the blank spots. Grab the list on your way to the store. When you’re through shopping, print a new blank list and put it up.

Download Solutions_Grocery_List.pdf

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