DEAR READERS: Here are some decluttering hints for your kitchen:
• Go to your cupboards, one at a time, and clear out everything. Wash and dry the shelves. Throw out chipped mugs and duplicate items.
• If your spices are more than 2 years old, throw them out. Check dates on packaged foods, and if it's old, it's out.
• Gadgets -- if it's used only once a year (or never), give it to a charity.
• Get clutter off your kitchen counter. It'll be easier to keep clean, won't look so messy and will free up counter space. All cleaning supplies go out of sight.
As a rule, "clean as you go." When cooking, clean up as you prepare a meal, put spices away and get dirty dishes out of the sink.
DEAR READERS: If you like guacamole, you have Florida to thank. The first avocado tree in the United States was planted in 1833, in Florida.
• Potatoes are grown in nearly every state, but Idaho is the largest producer, harvesting 12 billion pounds annually.
• All hazelnuts in the U.S. are grown in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
• The first cultivation of rice in America was in 1685 in Charleston, S.C., earning the state the nickname "The Rice State."
DEAR HELOISE: Years ago, you printed a baked chicken recipe that my family loved. Can you reprint it?
-- Susan B. in Florida
DEAR READER: This is a quick and easy recipe:
1 chicken, cut up, or the equivalent in parts
1 (8-ounce) bottle nonfat (or regular) Italian salad dressing
1 medium onion, peeled, sliced into pieces
4 medium potatoes, sliced (peeled or not) into bite-size pieces.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray. Place the chicken in the casserole and cover with Italian dressing. Top with onions and potatoes. Bake for one hour or until done.
DEAR READERS: Every year, more than 300,000 people are hospitalized from something they ate, and some die. Make certain all fresh food is cleaned properly. Some of the most common foods for food-borne illnesses are:
• leafy greens
• eggs
• tuna
• oysters
• potatoes
• cheese
• ice cream
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 06/07/2017