HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: I nearly tossed out my potato masher until my teenage daughter showed me a few new tricks with it. Now it gets used to:

■ Stir up eggs to scramble.

■ Mix meatloaf.

■ Quickly crumble ground beef.

■ Crush up crackers.

■ Chop eggs for egg salad.

■ Mix up guacamole.

— Jane T., Exeter, R.I. DEAR HELOISE: You have a warm-weather favorite in this household, and wouldn’t you know it … I lost the recipe. My husband said it was his favorite recipe for coleslaw. In fact, he even loves it on the day after I make it, if there

is any left. So, would you reprint that recipe for me? Since I read your column every day, I’ll cut it out and keep it!

— Maria G., San Antonio, Texas DEAR READER: It’s my favorite coleslaw recipe too, and a big favorite of my husband’s. Here it is:

Heloise's Coleslaw

1 head cabbage (about 2 pounds)

Ice water to cover

2 ounces vegetable oil 1 ounce vinegar or lime juice or lemon juice (but not all three)

½ ounce prepared mustard

(yellow, not powdered) ¼ teaspoon celery salt 1 ounce real mayonnaise Salt and pepper to taste Dash of paprika

Shred the cabbage and soak in the ice water for 10 minutes. If you use bagged slaw you can skip this step, but it does make it nicely crisp! Meanwhile, mix together the remaining ingredients. Drain the cabbage and mix into the dressing. Refrigerate until ready to use.

DEAR HELOISE: I’m about to tear my hair out. My husband loves gravy, and mine is the worst he’s ever tried. I can’t seem to get the lumps out. What am I doing wrong?

— Anne D., Omaha, Neb.

DEAR READER: Heat your gravy on the stove, making sure it’s hot. Slowly add flour a little at a time and use a whisk to stir. Keep stirring until the gravy is the consistency you want. If flour is a problem, you might try cornstarch.

DEAR HELOISE: I love cornbread, as does my whole family. In the summer I hate to heat up the kitchen, so I use a waffle iron. It’s really easy and quick, and the house stays a lot cooler.

— Janet C., Danville, Ky.