Fire and Ice
This is the temperature in Fahrenheit at which water turns to ice.
32 degrees F
The typical freezer is set at zero to five degrees, and it takes three to four hours to make standard ice cubes.
These little powerhouses of nutrients look like miniature cabbages.
brussels sprouts
Around an ounce of these veggies provides five grams of protein and five grams of fiber. They can grow all winter in moderate climates.
This is Margaret Mitchell’s novel with characters Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler
Gone with the Wind
The novel opens near the end of the Civil War in Georgia and revolves around the events at Tara, the O’Hara family plantation.
Add this part of the egg to cornstarch to make a mask to tighten facial pores.
whites
Whisking one egg white with some cornstarch forms the paste people use for this cosmetic trick.
What is the meaning of ASAP?
As soon as possible
ASAP originated as army slang in 1955.
The air is drier during the winter, but you can use one of these to add moisture to the air.
humidifier
In addition to contributing to winter health, a humidifier helps the HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning) system regulate temperature.
In an ice crystal, the water molecules are arranged in layers that are this shape.
hexagonal
Glacier ice is made of ice crystals that are packed tightly together.
This determines the color of a flame.
temperature or materials being burned
Sodium burns yellow, calcium burns red, and potassium burns violet. Additionally, the flames with the hottest temperatures burn a white-blue color.
These red root vegetables are often found in smoothie mixes or cooked and added to salads
beets
Nineteenth-century women in England rinsed their hair in beet juice to give it a red sheen.
This is the Windy City.
Chicago
Other monikers include the City of Big Shoulders and the Second City.
You can substitute this guacamole ingredient for butter in recipes.
Avocado
The avocado should be ripe and creamy. To speed up the ripening process, place it near an apple.
What does Govt. stand for?
Government
Govt. is an abbreviation, or shortened version of a word. An acronym is an abbreviation that is formed by using the first letters of major words in a phrase, and it is pronounced as a word. For example, SCUBA is the acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.
Keep your curtains or blinds like this to naturally heat your home during the day.
open
When exposed to sunlight, glass heats up because windows let in more radiant energy than they let out. However, as soon as dusk hits, it’s best to close the curtains to help hold the heat in the home
This Asian, green, leafy vegetable is often used in Chinese stir-fries
bok choy
This crunchy vegetable has a mild, sweet, mustard-like flavor.
Dry ice is made of this element.
carbon dioxide, or CO2
When it melts, it turns to gas, not liquid.
This vegetable is full of iron, and its tender leaves are often found in salads.
spinach
During the Great Depression, spinach consumption rose 33 percent.
The strongest winds come from which type of storm.
Tornadoes
Tornado winds can top 300 miles per hour; the strongest hurricane winds can top 200 miles per hour.
DIY toothpaste contains this white, powdery substance used in baking and as a cleaning agent.
baking soda
You can flavor it with essential oils such as peppermint or clove and add liquid stevia for sweetness
what does P.S. stand for?
postscript
You usually find this abbreviation at the end of a letter or email as an afterthought.
Replace these to make your HVAC work more efficiently
filters
HVAC systems work harder to force air through dirty filters.
Some plants thrive when you add these remnants from a morning beverage to them.
Coffee Grounds
Gardeners apply used coffee grounds diluted with water on acid-loving plants to deter pests. They also use the diluted solution as a fertilizer because it is high in nitrogen.
This Nordic country is known as “the land of fire and ice.”
Iceland
The fire part of the moniker comes from the more than 100 active volcanoes in Iceland.
This is a white carrot look-alike
parsnip
They’re sweeter when harvested after the first frost.
President Bill Clinton plays this wind instrument
saxophone
He entertained guests at the White House with a performance.
This citrus fruit will make light work of cleaning a microwave by softening dried food and grease.
lemon
Add lemon slices to a bowl of water and microwave on high until the water boils. Leave the lemon water in the microwave until the steam is gone. Then clean as you normally would.
What does LOL stand for?
laughing out loud (or lots of love)
LOL originated in letter writing to mean lots of love but evolved into laughing out loud on the internet
Name one part of the body that gets cold first during the winter.
extremities (or fingers, toes, nose, or ears)
Most of the time, it’s not a circulatory problem; it’s the blood vessels in those parts of the body going into spasms because of their sensitivity to cold
When flying from east to west, you encounter these winds.
headwinds
Winds generally move west to east. You encounter headwinds when you move into the wind, which slows you down. When you encounter tailwinds, the wind is at your back and helps propel you in the direction you are going. That’s the reason a coast-to-coast trip is faster when traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast
Most uncontrollable fires are caused by one of these two common, burning items found in the home.
cigarettes or candles
When smoking was more common, fires were often started by people falling asleep in bed with a cigarette. Lit candles are particularly dangerous around pets’ swatting tails and playful paws.
Hardy varieties of scallions, also known by this common name, can survive freezing weather.
green onions
The entire plant is edible—the green sprouts as well as the bulbous root.
Elton John wrote two sets of words for “Candle in the Wind.” The second set in 1997 was written as a tribute and memorial to this royal
Princess Diana
The original 1973 tune was a tribute to Marilyn Monroe.
Freshen your breath after eating garlic by chewing on one of these two fresh herbs.
mint or parsley
Green tea and cinnamon tea also work to remove the garlic smell.
What does PIN stand for?
personal identification number
Debit and credit cards have four-numeral identification numbers used to withdraw money from an ATM—the acronym for automated teller machine.
Set your water to this temperature when showering in the winter.
warm
Hot showers rob your skin of moisture
What does STAT mean?
immediately (or similar)
It’s used in medical settings, usually in an emergency, and it comes from the Latin statim, meaning “instantly