LITTLE ROCK — DEAR READERS: Strawberries are delicious and colorful, and they are a greatsnack! One cup of strawberries has about 46 calories and provides more than the daily requirement for vitamin C. They alsoare rich in antioxidants, and plentiful in the supermarket at this time of year.
Strawberries will not ripen after picking, so select berries that are bright-red - these are the sweetest berries. Don’t get strawberries with any green or white on them. A dark-red shade means the berry is overripe, will be mushy and will soon spoil. The ideal berry will be plump and shiny.
To wash just before serving, put them in a colander and run cold water thoroughly over the bowl. Pat dry with a paper towel.
To hull the strawberry, a favorite Heloise hint is to insert a drinking straw into the bottom of the berry. The core and the leaves of the fruit will slide right out.
Slicing the strawberry in an egg slicer makes for a pretty presentation.
DEAR HELOISE: My husband loves meatloaf, but I hate getting my hands messy mixing it by hand, and it’s too heavy to stir with a spoon. I realized one day that meatloaf mixture is about the same consistency as chocolate-chip cookie dough, so now I just throw all the ingredients into a big bowl and use my mixer to mix it up. Clean hands and a happy husband!
- Chris Woodyard, Dayton, Ohio
DEAR HELOISE: I add a teaspoon of vanilla to canned frosting to freshen up its flavor. This also works for brownie mix. Also try 1 /2 teaspoon cherry extract in chocolate frosting when making a German chocolate cake, or 1 /2 teaspoon mint extract in chocolate frosting on a vanilla or yellow cake mix.
- Sarah, via e-mail Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail
Family, Pages 36 on 06/30/2010