HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: I used a small, new zippered laundry OPINION bag to make soup. For chicken soup, I put the bones, skin and fat in the bag, then put the whole thing in the soup pot. All the flavor is added to the soup without the mess. Just empty the bag and discard it. I also did this with ham bones and scraps for ham-and-bean-soup.

— Cindy Fox, via email DEAR HELOISE: Invariably, when you are moving, there’s always one box that gets lost. Maybe it was stolen or left behind, or something else happened to it. But if you mark each box No. 1, No. 2 and so on, then when you get your boxes out of the trunk, you can account for every one of them. If there’s a number missing, either someone took it, or you left it behind.

— Sharon W., Cherry Valley, Calif. DEAR HELOISE: If you have a hard time swallowing pills, try what my 99-year-old uncle taught me: Bend your chin forward, keep your head down, then swallow. (Don’t lift your chin up or tilt your head back.) This aligns your throat so that it’s easier to swallow. Thanks, Uncle Joe! — Barbara Oliver, via email

DEAR HELOISE: In my small apartment, I don’t have room for a lot of kitchen equipment, but I really enjoy cooking. This means that some things need to do double duty.

I have a cake pan for angel food cake and a bunt pan. Both have a stem that comes up in the middle. When I want to roast a chicken, I place it upright on the stem so that the chicken sits upright. The pan catches all the juices from the chicken, and I can baste the chicken with the juices while it cooks.

Both cake pans are easy to clean, and I don’t need to clear up space for a roaster on my kitchen counter.

— A.D., in Indiana DEAR READERS: With the arrival of warmer weather comes the time to get your pets their shots. If your vet’s fees are out of your budget, call a local animal shelter and ask if they know where you can get your pets vaccinated for a lower fee. Always remember that a pet is a family member.

DEAR HELOISE: When buying a kitchen stove, I suggest getting one that has the burner knobs on the front. If you have a pot or pan that ends up boiling over or something flashes up on the stove, you don’t need to reach over the stove to turn the burners off.