Tag: winter

Cold? DealDash Can Warm You Up!

 

As I’m writing this sitting in Boston, it was one degree today. ONE DEGREE! Luckily, DealDash has some great items to warm you up.

Let’s start with the most obvious things, space heaters! DealDash has a few different space heaters up for auction at various times, there are different ones that are purely utilitarian and others that provide warmth as well as being very decorative as well.

Starting with the utilitarian, there are a few different styles of Lasko brand heater that are oscillating ceramic tower heaters, and if you’re interested in the more decorative heaters, there are also heaters that even look like fireplaces! And if you’re interested in a patio heater for outside, DealDash has those as well.  If you’re interested in any of these kinds of heaters just click on this link here and it will take you directly to them on DealDash.

Lasko Oscillating Ceramic Electric Space HeaterLifesource 20-inch Tall Heater Fireplace

Fire Sense Patio Heater

 

There are some other great things that DealDash has that can help you warm up, such as a heating pad, or even an electric blanket. Both of these items can be a great comfort to you if you stick either one of them in your bed at night and turn them on about 10 minutes before you go to bed at night. They will heat up your bed and make it nice and toasty warm for you when you slid in under the covers. However, please make sure that you turn them off before you actually go to sleep, though. We wouldn’t want you to get overheated at night. However, if you forget it isn’t such a big deal – both of these items have an auto shut-off feature. If you would like to see these items on DealDash, please just click this link here.

SoftHeat Ultra Moist/Dry Heating Pad

However, when I’m at home and I’m feeling a bit chilly, the very first thing that I like to do personally is use my heated foot massager! It makes my feet feel not only toasty warm but also relaxed as well. DealDash has not only just heated foot massagers, but even whole body massagers. Now that sounds relaxing and warm. If you would like to check out the heated massagers that DealDash has to offer, please just click this link here.

Schultz ZycraPulse™ - Massage Lounge Chair (ships March 2016) Schultz ZycraPulse™ - Foot & Calf Massager

 

Hopefully the temperatures will warm up soon, but even if they don’t, rest assured that you are prepared for the winter temps and weather ahead. Check out the auctions and see what you would really like to bid on and WIN! See you on DealDash everyone! Good luck and happy bidding.

Cooking a Winter Stew with DealDash

 

I don’t know about you, but I know that my family eats differently in winter than in summer. Let’s take a peek at a wintery meal we can prepare with help from DealDash .

My family eats a lot of soups and stews during the cold and wintery months. It seems to be a common theme in cooking magazines, as well as with people I know. Not only are they filling, moderately healthy (depending on what you add), they are also something that you can make with just items that you have on hand in the freezer and pantry. That means if it’s cold and snowing outside you won’t have to leave your cozy little nest of a home to go to the supermarket.

One of my favorite kitchen items in the winter is my crock pot/slow cooker. I actually have 3 crock pots of different sizes – a huge one that can accommodate a roast, a medium one that’s great for a stew or for soup, and a smaller one that can be for a gravy or fondue. I get a lot of use out of these in the winter months, if you don’t already have a crock pot (or three!) check them out on DealDash, here.

Hamilton Beach 5-Quart Portable Slow Cooker

If you are just getting started with using a slow cooker, you might be interested in a simple stew recipe:

Simple Beef Stew

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 3 potatoes, diced
  • 4 carrots, sliced
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped

How do you do it? Simple!

  1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
  2. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

That’s it! And really, one of the great things about a stew like this is if you are missing an ingredient, such as the celery or the carrots you can always exclude that item, or even swap it for a different item such as peas. Personally, since I am allergic to fish and seafood I exclude the Worcestershire sauce and add in a splash of soy sauce instead. It’s delicious!

Hamilton Beach 70950 SaladXpress Counter-top Food Processor Electric w/ConesKitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, Apple GreenT-Fal Initiatives 18-Piece Nonstick Inside and Out Cookware Set

I hope this article has encouraged you to try to make a simple winter stew with your slow cooker.  If you’re interested in getting some items to help you with cooking at home head on over to DealDash. DealDash has food processors, stand mixers, cookware, and plenty of other items that you can use. Check out the Kitchen & Appliances category and I’m sure that you’ll find something that you can use to make your kitchen better. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

 

Here in Massachusetts we are gearing up for our very first snow of the season! It’s coming remarkably late in the year, it was a beautiful 60 degrees on Christmas Eve. Let’s think about snow…

 

When you think about snow, what is the first thing that you think of? Well, if you’re a grown up, you are probably thinking about snow removal. No fun! We will get to that later, but for now, let’s think like kids. And how do kids feel about snow? They love it! If it’s a lighter snow they get to go out and play, and if it’s a heavier snow they even get to skip going to school. What kid doesn’t love a snow day?

When you think about playing in the snow, they first thing that comes to my mind, as a parent, is warm snow gear. If your kids old snow gear doesn’t fit anymore, or if they didn’t receive any new snow gear this year for Christmas, you might want to head on over to DealDash and check out their gift card section, here. DealDash has quite a large selection of gift cards, and there are plenty of cards available to stores that carry all manner of snow gear such as snowsuits, boots, hats, gloves, etc. Some cards that you might want to check out are Sears, Target, Wal*Mart, or even Cabela’s Sports if you are looking to get some higher quality snow gear for an older kid or teen who likes to snowboard or ski.

Alright, let’s talk about the less fun side of snow – snow removal. Snow removal can be as difficult and backbreaking or as easy as you want it to be, you just have to have the right tools for the job. If it’s a very light dusting of snow, and you just want to shovel your walk so it’s easier and safer for your family and others to walk on, just use a shovel, no problem. If it’s a mid-level snow, and the classic shovel is a bit too backbreaking for your taste, how about getting a snow pusher? They are similar to a shovel, except they have a long flat blade that you can just push the snow out of the way like a human snow-dozer. Of course, for the heaviest snow you are going to need to pull out all of the stops and use your snow blower! The good news is, DealDash has all of these snow removal products and more. Check out the Home, Garden, & Tools section here and check out all of the great products that are up for auction to make your life easier for you.

 

 

Well, I’m off to organize my snow tools, then relax with a hot tea, and check out the auctions. See you on DealDash everyone! Good luck and happy bidding.

It’s Time for Fall Maintenance and Cleaning

We’re now firmly into fall here in New England, and it’s time for some annual fall cleaning and maintenance on homes everywhere.

 

Let’s start with the easy stuff first — cleaning! One of the most important cleaning things that you should do in the fall is to take all of your family’s winter comforters to the dry cleaners or dry clean them yourself with a home kit. That way they are fresh and clean when the temperature starts dropping later on in the month.

Another thing that is great to do now is to go through all of the summer clothing in the house and figure out what you would like to with them, either pack them away for next year or donate them to the thrift store. Once you have figured that out, it’s time to bring out the winter clothes! Make sure that you have shopped for laundry detergent and fabric softener on DealDash, because the next step is to wash and dry all of your winter clothing before you put them into your closets and dressers. Even if you washed them directly before you packed them away they are still going to be a little stale and wrinkly, it’s best to give them a good washing.

Tide Pods Ocean Mist Detergent, 72ctDowny Ultra April Fresh Liquid Fabric Softener

Now on to the maintenance. If you’re a homeowner or a tenant that’s in charge of the maintenance on your home then read on, because these are important things that you should do every fall to keep things running smoothly.

  • Clean the gutters. I know, it’s not everyone (or anyone’s!) favorite thing to do, but it’s important that after leaves have fallen, clean out your gutters and downspouts, flush them with water, inspect the joints, and tighten your brackets if they need it. Clogged gutters are one of the major causes of ice dams. If any of your gutters are getting old be sure to replace them before the snow falls.
  • Caulk your windows. This job is a little more fun than the previous one, be sure to caulk around windows and door frames to prevent heat from escaping. Caulk around the outside, and then get a helper to turn on a hairdryer to heat around the edges – if you feel a stream of hot air it means that you should re-caulk that area, you might have missed a spot.
  • Inspect your roof. Make sure the roof is in good shape with no missing or  loose shingles. Ice, rain, snow, and wind combined with rapidly changing temperatures and humidity wreak havoc on roofs.
  • Have your boiler and fireplace inspected. Heating systems in good shape will use fuel more efficiently, last longer, and have fewer problems if properly serviced.

Hopefully we will have a mild winter this year, but even if we don’t, rest assured that you are prepared for the weather ahead. Go rake your lawn, then get yourself a hot cider or tea, and check out the auctions and see what you would really like to bid on and WIN! See you on DealDash everyone! Good luck and happy bidding.