fresh boots & dried bananas

Once in a while, I get a good idea. Here are two you may want to try. The first I take credit for, the second was straight from my friend Carolyn. 

Idea number one involves boots. It's been a cold winter here in Dallas, and I got obsessed with getting some boots with fur inside to keep my feet warm when I borrowed my daughter's cozy ugh-like boots. I loved the feel of the fur against my bare feet. So I snagged some bargain Uggs at the Dillards clearance sale and have worn them almost non-stop since. Love that snuggly inside. QG started getting up in my grill about not wearing socks with them because he said my feet will sweat and get them all nasty and stinky. 

First of all, my feet don't sweat because I am cold natured, but his comments gave me an idea to keep them fresh anyhow. I took an old pair of panty hose (who wears those anymore?) and cut off the legs. Then, I filled each leg with baking soda and tied a knot above the filling, about half way down the leg. Now, I slip those babies into the boots every time I take them off to absorb odors and keep them fresh. Aaaah.

Idea number two is dehydrated banana chips. So easy and healthy. My friend Carolyn gave me some she had made. That inspired me to do the same. You want very ripe, though not mushy, bananas. I found several bags of them on clearance at the grocery store the other day. I just sliced them about 1/6 inch thick, laid them out in my Nesco dehydrator and ran it at 135 degrees for about twelve hours. It is that simple. They are so tasty and crunchy. I am generally very anti-kitchen gadget, but a dehydrator is a worthwhile investment.