Top Drawer

Best organizing tips for garage sales

Warmer weather offers the perfect backdrop for yard and garage sales. The Lehigh Group offers these tips for getting the most out of springtime sales.

Time it right: Many neighborhoods schedule an annual date when all homes can participate and will promote the sale on your behalf. If your neighborhood doesn’t set a date, consult local newspapers for upcoming community events in order to plan around them. Some say a weekend around the 1st or 15th of the month is most profitable, but if you’re competing with the town fair or a festival, live entertainment likely will trump your toddler’s castoff toys.

Stage for a sale: Staging similar items together, like children’s toys on a small table or electronic items near an outlet for testing, will help bargain hunters zero in quickly on items they want.

Organize for safe shopping: Make sure outdoor and garage items are secured out of kids’ reach and cords are tied up to reduce tripping hazards.

Be inviting, but cautious: Greeting shoppers as they arrive offers a chance to quickly size up those you’re letting near your home and valuables. Be available for any questions they might have, and allow customers to test or examine items before purchasing. (Keeping batteries on hand or an outlet nearby will help customers try before they buy.) Always monitor shoppers and keep an eye on higher priced items, especially if they’re placed near the street.

Best one-pot meal

Pandora Schmid-Gill of Wake Forest shares a recipe for Ultra Easy Crock Pot Chicken.

You will need:

1 (31/2 to 5 pounds) roasting chicken

1 (14-ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce

1 (2-ounce) pouch dry onion soup mix

1 Rinse the chicken well. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place chicken in a slow cooker.

2 Mash up cranberry sauce in a bowl. Spread evenly over top of the chicken.

3 Evenly sprinkle the dry onion soup mix over the chicken. Don’t add any water or liquid. The chicken makes its own juice.

4 Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours or until the chicken is done.

Seeking your best salad dressing recipe

The warmer weather has us craving crisp salads with fantastic dressings. But we’d much prefer to make our own than to pay for artificial flavors, coloring and chemicals. If you have a simple, homemade dressing, we’d love to share it. Send the recipe to topdrawer@newsobserver.com. Be sure to include your name, street address and city. Put “best dressing” in the subject line. Precise measurements are a must.

Best way to clean the microwave

The secret to a clean microwave may be in fresh lemons. Fresh lemons and hot water, that is. It turns out that the steam of hot water and the acidity of lemons pack a one-two punch when it comes to removing grime and food particles from microwave ovens. The Mom 4 Real blog put the combo to the test in a recent blog post.

We’ve excerpted the bloggers tips here.

1 Place a sliced lemon in a microwave-safe bowl filled with water.

2 Place the bowl in the center of the microwave and cook on high for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, let it sit for 2 to 10 minutes so the steam has time to work on the stains in there. Removing hot water right after microwaving it can significantly increase the risk for burns.

3 Open the microwave and use oven mitts to remove the bowl, carefully. It’s going to be hot! Wipe out the microwave with a damp rag. The steam should have loosened the particles enough so that they can be wiped away easily.

Check out the original post at http://nando.com/13z.

Best of the tube

On DIY

Zen retreat: A drab yard becomes an outdoor oasis when an existing deck is enclosed with slat walls that define a new lounging area with an outdoor kitchen and dining area. Different colors and textures of plants are added, along with a red urn fountain. To complete the look, the existing grass is scaled down and topped with three red arbors, lanterns and a tea house sculpture for a feel that is relaxing and Zen. “Yard Crashers” airs at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Top Drawer."