reuse it COMPLETELY FREE CLOSET ORGANIZERS
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If you're like many students, cleaning your room is less about actual cleaning than it is about cramming stuff into your closet. It does work, in the sense that it gives your room the appearance of tidiness. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Well, eventually one must open his or her closet and address the heaps of clothes, shoes, old textbooks and assorted knickknacks that accumulate over time.
When the time comes to actually sort and organize things, wine boxes are a sturdy and thrifty way to get the job done. You can use wine boxes for drawers in places that normally don't have drawers—just turn them on their sides and stack them for
shelving. They are also a handy way to store old notebooks and textbooks. If you have more stuff than closet space, many wine boxes come with artsy decorations, so you can choose ones that fit your aesthetic.
An employee of Jensen's Liquor, 620 W. Ninth St., who asked to go by the name Tango, says the store gets shipments every day and the best time to pick up boxes is in the afternoon. Produce containers can be picked up for free anytime from wholesalers like Sam's Club and Costco.
You can also make shelving for your closer out of supermarket produce containers. Many produce pallets are designed to be shelf-ready, meaning they are made for transport and to display fruits and vegetables once they reach the supermarket. In other words, they are designed to be both sturdy and user-friendly.
I guess you don't really have to clean your closet. You could just move, in which case you could use wine boxes transport your stuff to your new, yet-to-be disheveled abode.
- Josh Patterson
Wine boxes and produce containers can be used to tidy up a messy space.
DIY: aromatherapy
RELAXATION MADE EASY
Aromatherapy uses concentrated oils—called essential oils—that are extracted from the flowers, leaves or other parts of a plant. The oils, which carry the plant's scent, are said to have healing properties. Students have a hard time getting into aromatherapy because essential oils can be expensive and students just don't know what to do with them, says Lowen Millspaugh, assistant wellness manager at The Merc, 901 Iowa St. Millspaugh recommends using high-quality organic oils, ones that are grown without any herbicides
Lavender essential oil recipes soothe skin and relax muscles
or pesticides." You don't want to put that stuff on your body," Millspaugh says. With a little guidance, aromatherapy can be easy. And with these recipes, students can use essential oils to make their own relaxing spa treatments.
For a soothing facial steam, fill a bowl with hot water and add a few drops of essential oil. Pick an oil according to your skin type: lavender for normal skin, rose for dry skin and clary-sage for acne-prone skin. Drape a towel over your head, covering the bowl to lock in the steam. Then wait while the steam opens your pores and lets the oil penetrate your skin."It's a nice treat," Millspaugh says."A nice little home spa treatment."
Making your own bath salts is another way to use essential oils. In a quart-size Ziploc bag, combine 1/2 cup each of kosher salt and Epsom salt. Add a few drops of food coloring, close the bag and shake until the color is spread evenly. Then add five to 10 drops of your favorite essential oil and shake again. Lavender is especially relaxing, and the Epsom salt will relax your muscles and soften your skin. This recipe makes enough for two baths: simply pour half the bag into the bath and swirl with your hands until the salts dissolve.
- Dianne Smith
cook it CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE STIR-FRY
Blue Plate Dinners, 4931 W. Sixth St., is a meal preparation service that aims to simplify home cooking. The store gathers all the ingredients, and then customers can prepare the meals and freeze or refrigerate them for later. Lori Johns, co-owner of Blue Plate Dinners, says the meals are an inexpensive alternative to fast food or to go out to eat every night. The store is set up in stations, with each station arranged like a restaurant kitchen. Each station has the ingredients set out in tubs so customers can find them easily."You know how long it takes me to find
Serve this chicken and veggie stir-fry on a bed of fluffy rice.
cumin in my own kitchen?" Johns jokes."Here, it's right there." This recipe, adapted by Blue Plate co-owner Rachel Wydeven-Oliverius, was the featured recipe at Blue Plate in January.
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry Serves 4 to 6 people
Ingredients:
1 $ \frac{1}{2} $ lbs. chicken, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups broccoli florets, steamed in microwave or boiled, until bright green and slightly tender (about 4 minutes)
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced (can use jarred)
2 can be boiled
1/4 cup honey
½ cup onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
Optional:
½ cup water chestnuts (canned, sliced, drained)
1 cup baby corn (canned, drained)
1 cup green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
Cooking Instructions:
1. Whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, honey and canola oil in a glass or plastic bowl.
Add chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.Pour marinated chicken and marinade into skillet and cook, turning chicken halfway through, about 5 minutes, or until chicken turns evenly white.
3. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Pour vegetables into pan and cook about 2 minutes; return chicken to pan and cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken measures 165 degrees and vegetables are tender.
4. Serve over cooked rice.
Dianne Smith
contact the writers: jpatterson@kansan.
com, dsmith@kansan.com
interesting fact: Fozzie was named after puppet builder Faz Fazakas, who created the mechanism that allowed Fozzie to wiggle his ears. —muppet.wikia.com
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02.21.2008 09 VOL.5 ISS.21