Old Christmas tree
It is not wise to throw away old holiday stufftree, when it can be used in so many ways. Bath broom. To prevent a pine bouquet from being an instrument of torture for you, steam it in boiling water for about ten minutes - the needles will become softer. And, of course, steam with such a broom without fanaticism - you should not lash it vigorously on the skin. But a light massage with a pine aroma is good for the skin and respiratory system. Pine bath. Those who have not reached the bathhouse can improve their health at home. Pour water over the needles, cones, and small branches at a rate of half a kilo per two liters and boil for about fifteen minutes. Let the finished decoction stand for three hours. Strain and pour into a bath with water, the temperature of which is no more than 37 degrees. Do not sit for longer than 15 minutes, and after water procedures, wrap yourself in a blanket and relax for another half an hour. Pack the needles into bags – this way you can pamper yourself with pine spa treatments until next New Year.
Photo: Getty Images A face mask. It has downright healing properties, which is especially valuable in the first days after the holidays. You will need 1 tablespoon of coniferous broth, 2 tablespoons of soft cottage cheese and 1 teaspoon of honey. All this must be mixed, applied to the face and removed with a cotton pad after 10 minutes. Several of these masks - and you - as new. Body Scrub. Here, too, everything is simple. We take pine needles, dry tangerine crusts and sea salt. Pine needles and peel should be ground in a coffee grinder or ground in a mortar, add salt to the mixture in a 1: 1 ratio. Before the shower, add some warm water or shower gel to the scrub. Supports for hot. Here it is no longer needles, but the trunk of the forest beauty. Armed with a saw, we saw the trunk into small round or oval planks. They can be used as coasters for cups or by connecting several pieces with glue, for hot pots or pans.
A photo: Getty Images A coniferous pillow is another useful application for an obsolete Christmas tree. You will sleep soundly and forget about the cold. And all thanks to the essential oils that the tree allocates, they kill germs and act as a sedative. You can sew a pillow yourself or remove the filler from the finished one. In order not to sleep, as on needles, coniferous twigs need to be properly kneaded. And do not fill the pillow too tight, just a small layer. Well, so that the coniferous effect lasts as long as possible, do not forget to periodically change the filler. Means for cleaning floors. And no chemistry! True, in this case will have to work a little. You will need half a glass of soap shavings, a quarter cup of soda, a glass of salt, two glasses of decoction of needles. You can also add 2 teaspoons of essential coniferous oil, but this is optional. Add shavings, soda and salt to warm broth and heat until the ingredients dissolve. Cool, add pine oil and pour into a container with a lid. On a bucket of hot water will take 3-4 tablespoons of this tool. After washing the floors, wipe them with clean water, not forgetting to add vinegar. Animal feed. You can take part in the winter environmental campaign "Christmas trees, sticks, five buffalo." For the fourth time, activists of the “Rubbish no more” movement will hold it in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. On January 20, from 12:00 to 14:00, Christmas trees will be received at reception points - their addresses after January 10 can be specified on the page vk.com/elki_palki_bizoni. All collected trees will be recycled. They will be crushed with the help of a special crusher, and the received chips will be sent for plant nutrition, fertilizer and bedding for animals.
Photo: Getty Images
Half eaten jelly
On New Year's Eve, every second housewifecooks so much, as if her household and guests suddenly turned into gluttonous aliens with seven stomachs each, like the main character of the TV series "Alf". Except that they do not have culinary passions for cats. And only on January 1st does the realization come that in vain did you plan salads in basins and cook so much jellied meat. The guests ate and left, and the refrigerator is not elastic. Let's make a reservation right away, after 12, maximum 18 hours, we send Olivier straight to the trash can, and a salad dressed with mayonnaise is still alive for 10 hours. But from the uneaten jellied meat you can still cook a very tasty rich soup. Remember the recipe: melt the jellied meat in a saucepan, add water for volume. Add chopped potatoes, grated carrots, a little later - noodles, chopped boiled egg and bay leaf. Salt, pepper and herbs - to taste. Your soup is ready! You can also make delicious buckwheat porridge on jellied meat. Heat up the remaining jellied meat, bring to a boil, pour in the buckwheat and place in the oven on low heat. The porridge is ready in 20 minutes.
Stormy sausage
Don't buy sliced deli meats -they are stored much less, and are more expensive. But if you still bought it and did not have time to use it, make a solyanka from sausage. For those who overdid it with alcohol at the stroke of midnight, this soup is a real balm for the stomach. Of course, ideally, in addition to sausage, meat, smoked ribs are added to the solyanka, there are even recipes with beef kidneys. But we will work with what we have. So, fry the onion, grated carrots. After a few minutes, add the sausage and grated garlic clove, a little later - two salted cucumbers, cut into cubes. Transfer the finished frying to a saucepan. Add potatoes, if desired - boiled beans. Fill with water. Salt, spices - to taste. Wait for the soup to boil, and then keep on the fire until the potatoes are cooked. A few minutes before it is ready, pour in half a glass of tomato juice (adjika or tomato paste will also work). You can add olives, black olives and a slice of lemon to the finished solyanka. You can bake pizza or cook roast in a pot from the sausage slices. Or make a dressing for spaghetti – you just need to fry the smoked meats in oil and add cream.
Tangerine rind
Another incredibly useful thing wemercilessly send to the trash can. Knowledgeable housewives know dozens of ways to use tangerine peel. Brew teas, make tinctures and decoctions for colds, prepare candied fruits and add ground as a seasoning to meat. Happy owners of fireplaces will appreciate how easy it is to light a fire with dried citrus peels. Beautiful, and most importantly, fragrant candlesticks are made from tangerine peel. Carefully separate the peel from the pulp with a spoon. Trim the edges of the resulting bowl with scissors, make small windows on the walls and put a small candle inside - let the holiday in the house never end.
