HELPFUL HINTS

— DEAR HELOISE: My favorite use for a potato masher is to make interesting decorations and patterns on cake icing. Just use a light touch.

  • Jim G., via e-mail

DEAR READER: Here are some uses we came up with at Heloise Central:

Crush fruit when making jams or jellies.

Make designs on peanut butter cookies.

Mix up items in a round pot or bowl.

Break up ground meat when cooking.

Mash eggs when making egg salad.

And here is a potato masher use from Peg L. of Mansfield, Ohio: “I use the potato masher for my cream soups. Cook potatoes, broccoli or cauliflower in water. When cooked well, use the potato masher to mash up the chunks, and finish the soup.”

DEAR HELOISE: I bought a shell curtain when I was at the Texas coast and hung it over the bathroom entrance (since my bathroom is decorated with fish). I loved it, but every time my husband would go through it, I was afraid he was going to break the shells.

We were having a party, and I worried that with the traffic in and out of the bathroom, the shells would get broken. So, I pulled all the strands together and looped them around a large candle sconce by the door. This way, everyone could go through the door without a problem. Worked great, and no broken shells.

  • Kay in Louisiana

DEAR HELOISE: A social-media friend asked all her social-media friends if they would kindly mail a birthday card to an older friend. Imagine her delight when her post office box was overflowing on her birthday with cards from as far away as Italy! As a sender, I can attest that her friend wasn’t the only one who felt the joy!

  • Chris Marchand, Manchester, N.H.

DEAR READER: Lovely hint! Who wouldn’t get a kick out of receiving lots of cards on her special day?

DEAR HELOISE: I wash my bras in a mesh bag in the washing machine. The hooks always catch on the mesh and twist up. Today I hooked up each bra and nothing got twisted. It was so easy.

  • Gail, via e-mail

DEAR READER: You discovered what many have known - hook the bra and no snags.

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

Heloise@Heloise.com

HomeStyle, Pages 44 on 11/24/2012

Upcoming Events