7 Useful Gadgets You'll Want In Your Kitchen This Summer

PLUS: 3 amazing uses for Bar Keepers Friend, simple steps to spruce up your yard, and more. PLUS: 3 amazing uses for Bar Keepers Friend, simple steps to spruce up your yard, and more. June 3, 2022 [View Online]( Good morning! While the roadside produce stands in town won’t be awash in tomatoes and corn for several weeks, visions of summer produce dance in my head all the same. In Today’s Good Thing, I’m channeling that enthusiasm by sharing 7 useful kitchen gadgets that will come in handy all summer. And in a new Remember When, I’m reflecting on a grade-school tradition that anyone over 30 likely took part in. Here’s a hint: it combined correspondence, origami, and stealth operations. Jillee TODAY'S GOOD THING 7 Useful Gadgets You'll Want In Your Kitchen This Summer [Photos of various summer kitchen gadgets.]( From fresh corn to chilled salads to cold brew, it’s easy to savor summer with these handy tools. Summer is here, and that means it’s time to get out your summer gear. While you’re swapping out your cold weather wardrobe and stocking up on sunscreen, don’t forget to dust off those kitchen gadgets that make summer meals easier to prepare and eat. If you don’t own any such gadgets (or if your collection is limited to a set of novelty corn-on-the-cob holders), you’re in luck, because I've rounded up some great ones to share with you today! There’s very little I dislike about summer eating and drinking, from the delicious seasonal produce to dining al fresco. And for the parts that aren’t as enjoyable—realizing there's a dead gnat in your drink, for instance—there are a variety of inexpensive solutions. Fans of fresh sweet corn will definitely want to see the tool that makes it easier (and less risky) to cut corn kernels off the cob. And whether you prefer cold brew coffee, infused water, or iced tea, everyone loves a cold drink when it’s hot out, and I found a great tool you can use to prepare those beverages. And those are just a couple of the great gadgets I’ve rounded up to share with you. Check out all 7 of these handy kitchen gadgets at the link below, and discover the tools that can help make your mealtimes easier all summer long. [7 Useful Gadgets You'll Want In Your Kitchen This Summer ➜]( Related • [These Are The 11 Best Things I Bought In 2021]( • [13 BBQ And Grilling Tips And Tricks You Need To Know]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • Even spray starch devotees like my husband Dave have said this DIY version works as well as a store-bought spray. [Read more ➜]( • Have an old charcoal grill you’re not using? Learn how to repurpose it as an attractive and practical drink cooler. [Read more ➜]( • Whip up a delicious homemade coffee creamer for pennies with milk powder, some sugar, and a bit of coconut oil. [Read more ➜]( WEEKEND CLEANING CHALLENGE Spruce Up Your Yard [Photos of Jillee's backyard bird feeders.]( This weekend, join me out in the yard as we prepare our outdoor spaces for summer fun. Whether it's a sprawling lawn or a small patch of astroturf, having a place to spend time outdoors in nice weather is a privilege, and we shouldn't take it for granted. Join me in sprucing up the yard this weekend to make spending time outside as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Here’s how to do it: 1. Mow The Grass. If your grass is looking a bit shaggy, fire up the mower and cut it. Take care not to set your mower blades too low, as grass is healthiest when kept around 2-3” long. For more tips that can help keep your lawn healthy and thriving, [check out this post](. 2. Pull (Or Spray) Weeds. When weeds come up in the grass, I’m more confident wielding my hand weeder than trying to spray them without killing the surrounding grass. But I have no reservations about spraying the weeds that come up through concrete, especially with my [cheap and easy weed killer](. 3. Add Amenities For Birds. A few summers ago, my son Erik and I started adding some resources to our yard for visiting birds, like feeders and a bird bath. As we’ve learned more about our local birds and added other amenities, our yard has become quite the bird sanctuary! See [7 of our best bird-friendly tips here](. 4. Add Amenities For Humans. While you’re making your yard welcoming to birds, don’t forget to make it comfortable for humans too! These [mosquito torches]( made excellent additions to my “outdoor living room,” as did this [smoke-free fire pit](. Amenities like these are sure to make your outdoor space more enjoyable. UNUSUAL USES 3 Amazing Uses For Bar Keepers Friend [Photos of using Bar Keepers Friend.]( Is Bar Keepers Friend really all it’s cracked up to be? The results of these 3 tips speak for themselves. 1. Restore Tarnished Silver. Use Bar Keepers Friend to clean tarnished silver, from trays to serving dishes. Use it sparingly and scrub gently, and afterward you’re sure to be shocked at how shiny and clean your silver can look once all that tarnish is gone. 2. Erase Burnt Messes. You know that burnt layer of grime left behind in the bottom of your pots and pans after cooking a meal? Bar Keepers Friend can remove it, no sweat! Apply it, give it a quick scrub with a wet brush or sponge, and let it sit for a minute or two, and the grime should come off with little to no effort. 3. Clean Oven Door Glass. The layer of hardened grease on the glass of your oven door can seem impenetrable using all but the harshest cleaners, but Bar Keepers Friend can take care of it easily. Just scrub the glass with BKF and a wet sponge or scrubber and watch the grease disappear. REMEMBER WHEN The Art Of Passing Notes [A photo of folded notes.]( Up until, say, the mid 2000s, generations of grade school students adopted and mastered the art of passing handwritten notes. Without any digital options available to us, chatting with a friend during classes was a fully analog operation. There was a lot that went into writing and passing a note, starting with the writing itself. I was always jealous of friends that had “cute handwriting.” (My own wasn’t terrible, but it was frequently smudged because of my left handedness, and smudges were not cute.) Once the note was written, there was the matter of folding it. Who could forget the classic “fold and tuck” technique with its customary “pull here” tab? Some note folding techniques seemed akin to origami, producing intricate hearts, pinwheels, and other shapes. The final step in passing a note—the delivery—was the riskiest of all. Whether it was a simple hand-off or a long-distance delivery, the note had to be passed discreetly. Otherwise, you risked having it intercepted and discarded by a teacher (or worse, they might read the note aloud, a fate worse than death depending on its contents!) Since most teenagers today have a cellphone in their pocket at all times, I assume that if passing notes isn’t already a lost art, it’s probably on its way to becoming one. But even if it does die out, those of us who passed notes in class will never forget the intricacies of that time-honored tradition. A FEW MORE THINGS... Donut Miss Out: Today is National Donut Day, held on the first Friday in June since The Salvation Army established in 1938 to honor their volunteer “Donut Lassies” who served donuts to soldiers on the front lines during World War I. It’s fairly common for nationwide chains and local shops alike to give out free donuts today, so check to see if your favorite donut joint is participating! On This Day: In 1965, [NASA launched Gemini 4](, their first multi-day space mission. Once in orbit, astronaut Ed White became the first American to perform a spacewalk (or EVA, “extra-vehicular activity”), spending roughly 20 minutes floating freely while tethered to the spacecraft as astronaut James McDivitt [shot photos](. 🤔 Wordle: [Solve today's 5-letter word](. What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! [facebook]( [instagram]( [pinterest]( [youtube]( If you have thoughts, comments, questions or a tip or trick you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you! My inbox is always open, so just hit "reply" and let me know what's on your mind. See you tomorrow! Sending you bright ideas and simple solutions to help you create a home and life you love. My mailing address is: One Good Thing by Jillee 841 S. Main St. Heber City, UT 84032 If you're not happy please reply to this email to tell me why. Update your email preferences or [unsubscribe]( [here](. 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