1. You should show your excitement instead of playing it cool, because you never know what will happen when you do. After visiting my brother earlier this month, the boys and I went to spend the day with a dear friend of mine, and our route took us to the Valley View Ferry--the oldest continually operating ferry in the country.
2. Kohl's has really amazing customer service. I bought a pair of Reebok running shoes last month to replace a pair that were several years old and had worn through the lining in both heels. Unfortunately, the new Reeboks proved to be really uncomfortable; they had less cushioning than the pair they were replacing! But since I'd worn them outside once, I figured I wouldn't be able to return them. Still, I knew Kohl's had a really liberal return policy, so I decided to check with their customer service department just in case. I immediately got the response that yes, I could return the shoes, even though I'd worn them a few times, no problem. So I did, and got my money back. No questions asked. How generous is that?
3. Electric burners get hot really quickly. I turned one on a few weeks ago and then noticed it wasn't sitting right. I figured it couldn't be that hot yet, so I stupidly used my index finger to try to push it down into position, and promptly got maybe the worst burn I've ever had, a giant blister on the pad of my right index finger. OW.
4. My new favorite ice cream flavor is Turkey Hill's "Double Dunker." I bought it for Elijah's birthday because of its irresistible description that included three of my favorite additions to ice cream: coffee, cookie dough and Oreos. Mocha ice cream with cookie dough bits and crunchy chocolate cookie streaks? Yes please. (For the record, their straight up Columbian Coffee flavor is also excellent--and with chocolate chips thrown in, makes a satisfying, much cheaper substitute for Starbucks' Java Chip.)
5. You really don't need shortening for a successful pie crust. I didn't have enough to make my usual recipe, so I gave Smitten Kitchen's "All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Crust" a whirl. It was indeed "really flaky"--and now I know I don't have to go out of my way to find the expensive non-hydrogenated shortening I was buying just for pie crust.
6. If you are going to cook bacon in the oven, for heaven's sake, don't turn the temperature all the way up to 425. Or if you do, don't set the timer for 15 minutes and walk away. Is there any kitchen mishap more tragic than charred bacon? I learn these things so you don't have to. (I am, however, a HUGE fan of cooking bacon in the oven. I hate standing over a skillet of bacon, babysitting and flipping, yelping at painful grease spatters, repeatedly having to add more raw bacon and then wash my hands again.)
What did you learn this month? Check out Emily's post for a whole slew of other bloggers sharing lessons learned in August.