HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR HELOISE: Here is a quick and easy way to chop nuts for baking or other uses. Place nuts in a ziptop bag, press the air out and seal. Put the bag on a table or counter and use the handle of a butter knife to tap the nuts in the bag. You can easily see which nuts still have to be chopped or need to be chopped more.
If some aren’t quite done, pick up the bag, shake it around a bit and tap some more. — Dixie Duncan, Redondo Beach, Calif.
DEAR HELOISE: Has etiquette changed, or am I just getting old? The last few baby and wedding showers I’ve attended, I’ve not received a thank-you card, text or any acknowledgement of the gifts I gave. I even remember the host assigning someone to write down the gifts that were received, so thank-yous could be sent out.
I was raised to thank people for gifts, and I taught my kids the same. I will continue to give gifts, but find it rather rude that the recipients choose not to thank the giver. Even a thank-you over email would have been appreciated. — Old Lady, Mission Viejo, Calif.
DEAR HELOISE: I wrap cheese in a paper towel, put it in a plastic bag without sealing the bag and then put it in the refrigerator drawer. Cheese gives off water, so when the towel becomes saturated, I change it.
I read a hint about wrapping it in parchment paper, but I prefer a paper towel or paper napkin. — Patricia Roberts, Bellaire, Texas
DEAR READERS: Next time you’re in the mood for a relaxing bath, sprinkle some baking soda into the bathtub to make your bath more soothing. You can also make a mild facial scrub with it, too.
DEAR HELOISE: I haven’t seen you ever mention anything about those expensive, flimsy needle threaders you get in the sewing section of department stores.
I do needlepoint work as well as sewing, and I find that these threaders always break. So, I got some of those thin green dental floss threaders from my dentist (or the toothpaste aisle in the store). Just push the loop through the needle eye, spread it open and put your thread in. Then, pull it backward, and presto — your needle is threaded. They work like a charm and don’t break. — Nancy Kevorkian, Arcadia, Calif.