Hard sugar

When my brown sugar turned into hard lumps, I put it in the microwave and it softened, temporarily. I decided to put the hardened sugar in plastic resealable bowls with lids, and surprise! It softened right up and was ready to use.

— Anna in New York

One-pot chicken

DEAR HELOISE » I’m looking for an easy, all-in-one chicken recipe. Do you have one I can try?

— Gayle in Tennessee Gayle, I have one that is a favorite with my readers. Here it is. You’ll need:

1 teaspoon oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup diced potato (½-inch cubes) 1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons chopped celery

1 cup water

1 bay leaf

1/8 teaspoon thyme

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup canned peas

2 (3-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, then add onion and potato; cook, stirring until they begin to brown. Add the remaining ingredients as listed, except peas and chicken. Stir and bring to a boil. Place chicken in sauce, reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for about 12 minutes. Then add peas and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes or so. To serve, place one chicken breast on each plate and spoon the sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Rum raisin cookies

DEAR HELOISE » When a recipe I used called for a cup of raisins, I decided to add a little more flavor to the raisins by soaking them in rum for about 15 minutes. The alcohol was burned off during the baking, but the flavor remained. It added a little “zing” to an otherwise bland cookie.

— Frances in Alabama

Runny gravy

DEAR HELOISE » Nine times out of

10, my gravy is too thin and runny. I’m a novice at cooking, so how do I make a thicker gravy that doesn’t resemble dirty water?

— Roger in Colorado Roger, heat the thin gravy in a pot on the stove over medium heat. Dissolve a little cornstarch in hot water to make a paste, then add it to the gravy. Keep stirring until the gravy thickens and so it doesn’t stick to the pan.

Wooden spoon

DEAR HELOISE » My mother-in-law recently taught me a trick to keep my pasta from boiling over and onto my stove. She said to take a wooden spoon and lay it across the top of the boiling pot while my pasta is cooking. Sure enough, it works!

— Tricia in Vermont