DEAR HELOISE: My new microfiber dish-drying mat smells bad. Nothing I've tried, including hand-washing, spraying both sides with a vinegar/water solution and air-drying, has worked. Any hints are greatly appreciated.
-- A Reader, via email
DEAR READER: These microfiber drying mats are machine-washable, so try washing in cold water and then tumble-dry them on low. I'd throw them in with a load of bath and dish towels. This should help to get the smell out.
DEAR HELOISE: I like to surprise the kids with "pumpkin pancakes" at this time of year. With Halloween right around the corner, I put a few drops of yellow and red food coloring into pancake batter and mix until it is an orange color (adding more coloring if needed). When you cook the pancakes, they look like little pumpkins.
For Christmas pancakes, just do a batch of pancakes with red food coloring and another with the green food coloring. So much fun for the kids!
-- Lily G.,
Colorado Springs
DEAR HELOISE: Since it is just my husband and me now, we use fewer vegetables and lettuce. I have found that if I wrap the lettuce in a paper towel, then back in the original bag, it stays fresh for up to two weeks. I also found that by putting a paper towel around the inside of bagged salad, it will last longer.
I also put paper towels under mushrooms, strawberries and cut onion for fresher and longer-lasting produce. You even can wrap a paper towel around green onions. Paper towels have become my product to use for many produce items to keep them fresh.
-- Janet, via email
DEAR READER: A lot of people have great success storing these items in paper towels (then wrapping in a plastic bag or storing in a vegetable bin in the refrigerator). It has to do with keeping moisture away from the lettuce and vegetables. Be sure to check the dampness of the paper towels every couple of days, and replace as needed.
DEAR HELOISE: I clean my appliance parts, knives, pizza cutter and other items that come into contact with cheese using cold water. The cold water makes the cheese harden so it can be wiped off easily. I then do a final wash using hot water and soap.
-- Tina S., Tennessee
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
Heloise@Heloise.com
Food on 10/19/2016