Citrus sandwich easy to make

Tue., March 14, 2006

Morris and James Carey Associated Press

Citrus: Great for eating – and cleaning

Lemon oil: Absolutely the very best glass cleaner we know of. If you have calcium build-up on your shower then you need lemon oil. Simply use a piece of extra-fine steel wool dipped in lemon oil to clean a shower door that you currently can't see through because of the lime deposits. Once the door is clean, then wipe the surface down with a fresh coat of lemon oil and future lime deposits won't have a chance.

Lemon juice: Highly acidic and a great cleaning agent. Pure lemon juice is great for removing stains on many of the new solid surface countertops.

Lemon rind (peel): Drop the rind down the disposer and in no time the fragrance of lemon will permeate the air around your sink. Before using the lemon rind we mix a cup of water and a cup of vinegar (any kind) into an ice tray and make cubes. Drop the cubes down the disposer and the ice will coagulate grease and oil and at the same time will act as an abrasive, instantly cleaning the grease and grime in your disposal.

Orange: Orange oil, orange juice and orange rinds can be used for the same purpose as lemons. However, be careful when shopping for citrus-based cleaners at the store. Often companies will advertise their cleaner as "Lemon Cleaner" or "Orange Cleaner" when in fact the active cleaning ingredient is not citric acid at all, but some other chemical instead. This is important because citric acid is nontoxic and often its pleasant fragrance is used in combination with very dangerous chemicals.

Grapefruit: Grapefruit also is a great cleaner. Cut one in half, dip the exposed fruit in a dish of salt and you have the best marble cleaner money can buy. Caution: Don't leave the citric acid on the surface any longer than it takes to remove a stain. Flood with fresh water and towel dry immediately. And don't use citric acid to clean marble when it isn't stained. If fresh, clear water will do the trick then that's all that should be used.

Source: www.onthehouse.com

Recently we wrote about how to use citrus fruit for various cleaning tasks around the home. It was a fun article that was a compilation of tips we had discovered or conceived ourselves over the last 20 years.

Soon after the article was published, we received a really nice letter from the California Citrus Growers Association complimenting us on the article and asking us if we knew that citrus fruit was also very healthy. The growers were worried that readers would think that it was our opinion that lemons, oranges and grapefruits were only good as cleaners. We absolutely agree that citrus fruit also is amazingly healthy and good tasting as both food and drink.

So, as a gesture of good faith and for citrus ranchers and farmers all over this great land, we will break from our regular home improvement routine and share a favorite citrus recipe with you that isn’t used for cleaning, but instead for eating.

Finger sandwiches for kids:

You will need:

•A few slices of bread.

•Some cream cheese (plain is OK).

•Some brown sugar.

•An orange or two.

•A round cookie cutter (about the same diameter as a slice of the oranges that you have).

First, use a knife to cut off the top and bottom of the orange. Then, cleanly slice the rind off of the orange. Then use the knife to cut several nice, round, thick slices. Set the round slices aside.

Next, use the circle cookie cutter to create bread rounds that are approximately the same diameter as the orange slices and set them aside.

With the cream cheese at room temperature and with the brown sugar at hand, begin by spreading some cream cheese on a bread round. Next, sprinkle a bit of the brown sugar on the cream cheese and cover it with an orange slice. Use another sprinkle of the brown sugar over the slice.

Finally, spread some more cream cheese on another bread round and then use it to cap off the top of your sandwich, cream cheese down, of course.

Healthy, fun, tasty and easy to make. Who said the Carey Brothers were limited to faucet fixing?

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.