In a pan, brown 4 whole chicken legs (or your choice of 4 cuts of chicken), seasoned with salt and pepper, for only 6 or 8 minutes. Don't worry if the chicken is cooked on the outside but not on the inside - it'll finish cooking in the pot! In a single pot, bring to boil: 1 can coconut milk, 1.5 cups chicken broth, 1 teaspoon red curry paste. Once it's boiling, add 1 cup of rice. Add chicken, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Let it cook (don't stir it) for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Add your choice of vegetables, stir, and cover again to let the vegetables cook. Consider using any of the following as "veggies" (or fruit): bell peppers, snap peas, string beans, baby corn, carrots, eggplant, squash, mango, or pineapple. Final step: Serve with lime wedges and sprigs of basil!

By Martha from New Jersey

Young kids seem to create a pile of broken or nubby crayons, like it's their job. It has a lot to do with the shape and size of their crayons and their hands - they can' help breaking them! Save those broken crayon pieces and create your own for a fun coloring solution!! Start by peeling the paper from the crayons and breaking them into smaller pieces. Fill your muffin pan with foil cupcake wrappers and put a bunch of the pieces in each one. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, then put your muffin pan in the oven -- and turn the oven OFF. Let it sit until the crayon bits have melted. Remove your pan from the oven and allow everything to cool. Pop the wax out of each wrapper, and you'll have a rainbow of round crayons that are perfect for little hands! Kids love'em - and adults do, too!

By Doreen from NewYork

Save one or more empty tubes from rolls of wrapping paper. And as you remove string lights from your tree or down from other seasonal decorations, wrap your lights around the cardboard tube. Stuff the plug-end into the end of the tube, and wind the lights around its length. This way, your lights won't be tangled next time you need them, and they can be easily stored with your other decorations!

By Mandy from Indiana

Ever have a dresser drawer, kitchen drawer, desk drawer, or other kind of drawer that's difficult to open? If the chest of drawers (whether stand-alone furniture or built-in cabinets) is made of wood and/or wood materials (like particle board, plywood, or MDF, medium density fiberboard), try waxing the wood to keep it from sticking. Pick up some furniture wax at the hardware store - it comes in a tin. Furniture wax is soft like beeswax, but firmer/harder than hair styling wax. Remove each drawer completely from the furniture or cabinets, and empty whats inside. Now dip/rub a lint-free cloth in the wax to get about one teaspoon or tablespoon on the cloth. Apply the wax to the top and bottom of each side of the drawer (just the thin edges, not the deep interior surface), and rub it liberally into the wood. Repeat as necessary. Then return the drawers to their rightful places. When it's done right, previously stubborn drawers will slide easily without even a squeak!

By Nan from California

Shop the clearance section starting the morning after Christmas and stock up on toys for next year's stocking stuffers! Skip the candy, because it may not last long enough... But toys never expire, so take advantage of the savings while they last!

By Lynnette from Texas

When you need to clean up, clean out, and generally purge some of those craft supplies you bought with perfectly good intentions (but haven't touched since), consider donating them. Community art centers and local groups often serve children, those with special needs, hospital patients, and adults in rehabilitation - with art therapy sessions and art/craft classes. It's well known that having a creative outlet fosters better physical and mental health. So rather than let those unfinished projects get to you (making you feel guilty while occupying valuable storage around your home), give those supplies to your community!

By Carol from NorthCarolina

If you discover you're out of your favorite laundry pre-treater just as you prepare the next load of laundry, do not panic. Mix together 1/2 Cup of milk with 1/4 Cup of distilled white vinegar and let clabber. Pour this solution right on those hard to get out stains, and rub the clothing gently (against itself). Then run the laundry as usual- easy! You may not want to do this all the time, but it's a great way to keep the laundry cycle going in a pinch!

By T from California

Organizing my sewing room is a constant challenge. The bulkiest items to sort are all the lengths of fabric that collect over time. To keep fabric clean, contained, and sorted, try using some old drawer sets - like empty children's dressers! Sometimes you can find old dressers on the street waiting for garbage pickup; sometimes a family member no longer needs one; and often you can find old dressers very inexpensively at thrift stores and resale shops. You'll need to clean out the drawers, maybe give the whole thing a new coat of paint or make a few repairs, and adding some lining to each drawer is a good idea. But it's hard to beat an old chest of drawers for storage and convenience - and it's a far more affordable solution than those expensive craft/hobby caddies! If each drawer seems too big for your needs, divide the space by adding smaller containers. Empty oats cylinders, open gift boxes, desk organizer trays, upright file sorters... Use whatever you can find as long as it works for you, and all you'll need to do is make sure everything is clean and dry. Easy!

By Kimie from Georgia

Do you hold onto make-up and beauty products that you aren't using? Many of these products have a limited shelf life, because they contain organic compounds that naturally break down over time. So you should consider checking the labels and cleaning your cabinets of any products that are expired. But maybe you don't know what to look for? Products in squeeze-tubes (like toothpaste, ointment, or creme) usually have an expiration date printed or imprinted along the flat seam of the tube. The date probably reads year/month (yyyy/mm). Cardboard boxes and pill bottles usually have a date on the top or bottom. Cosmetics, hair products, and lotions often use a different convention; rather than an expiration date, look for a number inside an icon. The icon looks sorta like a line-drawing of an open jar, with the lid raised up. The number inside the icon represents shelf life as an estimate in months from the date of purchase. It could say 12M, 18M, 6M, 24M, etc. You may not remember when you bought something, but you probably know approximately how long a product has been in your cabinet... If it's been there more than a year or two, chances are good it's old enough to toss it. But not all products "go bad". Pressed powder doesn't necessarily expire at all, and nail polish lasts just as long as most other household paints. When in doubt - such as when there is no expiration date on the product - contact the brand or consult a cosmetologist (or a doctor) before using any product that's been in your cabinet for more than a year. If it was safe to use in the first place, there may not be any harm in using an old lotion or lipstick; but when products lose their effectiveness, what good are they? And besides - better safe than sorry!

By Brenda from Pennsylvania

In our family we celebrate the Half Birthday - maybe you'd like to try it? On a child's Half Birthday, measure and mark their growth chart, give them one small gift, and let the half-birthday child choose the restaurant for a family dinner out. Nothing huge, just a day to let that child know how special they are! And if the day falls on a school-day, send them in with cupcakes half-decorated, or decorated with fractions on top - but only make one cupcake with the "1/2" fraction on it, for the half-birthday child! Have a very merry half-birthday, everyone!

By Rebecca from Massachusetts

Every parent's method of discipline is different, because every family needs to find their own way. But there are some rules of thumb regarding the meaning and purpose of discipline that every parent should keep in mind... The word "discipline" means a code of conduct, so the intent is to instill in our children self-control by modeling acceptable behavior. Punishment is just a way to discourage unacceptable behavior. Unless an acceptable code of conduct is understood, punishment is useless; when children fail to understand which behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable, punishment simply confuses the issue further. So if your family is having a problem enforcing discipline, you might need to take a moment and reconsider how you as a parent can demonstrate to your children how you would like them to behave (instead of focusing on the behaviors you don't like). Listening skills, helping hands, positive words, and cooperation all deserve to be rewarded or praised. Pay attention to all their good behaviors, and they'll begin to exercise self-discipline just to hear you sing their praises!

By Christa from Alabama

My black refrigerator has a water / ice dispenser, and the drip tray gets stained white with hard water. To remove the white residue from these and other surfaces, there are only a few things I would consider using... namely distilled vinegar and/or CLR. According to chemists, limescale can be removed by most any acidic solution. But to remove limescale without damaging the surfaces you're removing it from - that's the challenge! Several products effective at removing limescale can also cause damage to one or more materials: plastics, fiberglass, porcelain, metals, wood, etc. Vinegar is very gentle and safe for almost every use. The stronger alternative - and known to be effective for most applications - is CLR. So first try vinegar; soak or rinse something with vinegar to remove limescale. And if it's not enough, try using a dilute solution of CLR while wearing rubber gloves; rinse or dunk something in CLR mixed with water (for no longer than 2 minutes at a time), then rinse with cold water, and repeat as necessary. There are numerous additional products on the market, some specially formulated for select materials and applications. So if these suggestions don't work for you, look for more solutions by searching for the word "descale" - easy!

By Linda from NewJersey

In a blender, combine: milk, chocolate ice cream, pieces of your favorite chocalate bar, coconut shavings, and pecans. Blend until (mostly) smooth. This milkshake is like drinking German chocolate cake!

By Pamela from Alabama

When metal pipe fittings are stuck and can't be wrenched apart, drizzle a mixture of baking soda & water on the joint a few times. You'll have any stubborn pipe couplings apart in a matter of minutes!

By Kara from SouthDakota

We combined families in marriage, just like the Brady Bunch. His children have never had chores and my children have always had responsibilities around the house. So the challenge when we married was how to get all the kids to cooperate in sharing household chores. There isn't a single tried&true formula for success in this - but there are a few things to consider: timing, training, and motivation. First of all, you'll need to designate and set aside time for chores. That is, you need to put some time on the family schedule for this in order to make it a priority and avoid the inevitable list of "schedule conflict" excuses that could otherwise postpone everything indefinitely. But you should also focus on one type of chore at a time, like "mopping floors" or "cleaning windows". (Do NOT schedule a cleaning day with a long list of things to accomplish, because that spells disaster.) Second, you'll need to strategize how to train the inexperienced members of your "workforce" family to perform necessary tasks before you can expect them to do anything at all. It may help to treat your kitchen, bathroom, garage, or yard as a classroom and present demonstrations to the group - involving the experienced members of your "workforce" family as volunteers and demonstrators, too! If they can do so with a smile, it's great to have your kids teaching each other, especially as an opportunity to highlight each other's strengths! After each demo, break the group down into teams with independent assignments to practice what they've learned throughout your home or yard. Since you're focusing on one chore at a time, this should work out nicely. Finally, provide some appropriate incentives to motivate your "workforce" family, like awards and praise. Recognize your family's accomplishments on an individual level and as a group, with rewards that mean something to each member (something other than money). Remember, being part of the family is not a job, so taking care of the house shouldn't be treated like one either. It's impossible to demand cooperation; but if you set the right conditions, teamwork should build naturally, bit by bit, step by step!

By Kasey Lyn from Minnesota

If teenagers are like strangers sharing your home, "adult" children are like in-laws. You can't treat them like children, because they're adults. But they may still rely on you to provide for several of their needs (because you always have), and you can't refuse them everything without hurting your relationship. Like an in-law who presumes upon you just because you're part of the family - adult children cannot be expected to be aware of your needs, limitations, and feelings as an equal, let alone consider these before asking for your help. But if you've worked things out with your in-laws by now, you should be able to work this new relationship out, too. Take things one step at a time, and pick your battles carefully. Remember that your child is their own man or woman, now, and do your best to support them in their new life. But be sure to keep an appropriate distance - emotionally and financially - and you can think of them like your in-laws if it helps!

By Pam from Massachusetts

When your magazine piles begin to overflow, gather a hefty number together and drop them off at a nearby laundromat, doctor's office, coffee shop, office lobby or other waiting area (maybe your mechanic?). We've all experienced the boredom of not having something to read while you wait - so you'll be doing people a favor. And the owners of these establishments may actually thank you for it!

By Diane from Ohio

To make new candles, first gather together the leftover wax from all your spent candles. You will need an empty coffee can (or any ordinary saucepan), a glass mason jar (high temperature glass used for canning), some new candle wicks (find them at the craft store), and some candle forms. To start, fill your can with 2 inches of water and place it over low to medium heat on your stovetop. The water should not boil, but it should be very warm/hot. Fill your glass jar with bits of candle wax, and place it in the center of the water. While the wax melts, prepare your candle forms (decorative glass jars, decorative tins, paper cups, empty cardboard milk carton, etc) by sitting them upright on your counter or table with something underneath - newspaper or a plastic table cloth will protect your table or counter from messy wax drips and splatters. Fill one of your forms with melted wax, and insert a new wick until it touches the bottom. Hold the wick in place just long enough for the wax to cool and harden for a minute. Cut the wick off at about 1/4 inch above the wax. Fill your next form, and repeat as necessary. For paper cups or cardboard forms, you can peel the form away once the wax is fully cooled and hardened. Then you can start enjoying your new (recycled wax) candles!

By Michele from Pennsylvania

Before you put away any suitcases from that vacation or weekend trip, slip a few dryer sheets inside each one. This way, your luggage will have a great fresh smell next time you need them!

By Vivian from California

Well water often leaves porcelain sinks and fixtures with unsightly rust stains. Don't bother with those abrasive, gritty powders... I discovered by accident that WD-40 is very effective. Spray the area of your rust stain, then let it sit. Busy yourself with something else for a bit. When you come back, it wipes off very easily with a minimum amount of effort - rust stains and all! Follow by washing with gentle soap and water. My bathroom sink has never looked this good!

By Joyce from Ohio

Instead of cutting wax or parchment paper to fit a round cake pan, use a round coffee filter. An ordinary coffee filter fits most round cake pans without any trimming required!

By Traci from Texas

Before closing the cap on your super glue, spread a little petroleum jelly on the threads. No more risk of glue-ing the cap on!

By Laura from Ohio

If you've ever used concealer under your eyes, you know it doesn't help very much - it really just cakes up. There's generally a short list of things around your eyes that you'd like to hide: dark circles, wrinkles, and bags. Dark circles can be a symptom of allergies, as much as anything else. So a good place to start is by treating your allergies. Dark circles can also be reduced using caffiene topically (that is, applying caffiene directly to the skin around your eyes). There are several new products for this, but you can also try simple things like moist tea bags (apply like cucumber slices). Caffiene causes the capillary blood vessels to contract, thereby reducing the deep color most apparent under your eyes where the skin on your face is thinnest. When it comes to wrinkles, products to look for are night creams that use collagen, and these products can help reduce dark circles, too! Collagen soaks into the skin, to plump/firm it up - which helps because wrinkles are basically folds in loose skin. It also helps dark circles, by plumping out the otherwise thin skin under your eyes, reducing the visibility of color beneath the surface. Under-eye "bags" or puffy skin are generally a symptom of swelling. You may want to consult your doctor about the best way to reduce the cause. But an age-old treatment for reducing swelling around the eyes is cold cucumber slices. You may also see some improvement if you combine treating your allergies with a topical product using caffiene. But even if some of these treatment ideas help, you may want to consult a cosmetologist, too - there could be a better makeup or technique for you to try!

By Cindy from Oklahoma