HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: You have a recipe for a shrimp dijon dish that I absolutely love. Since I’m trying to impress my new husband with some of my cooking skills, I was hoping you’d reprint that recipe. I lost my copy when my husband and I moved after the wedding.

— Mimi F., Lakeland, Fla. DEAR READERS: Mimi, I’m happy to oblige. Here it is:

Shrimp Dijon

¼ cup butter or margarine 1½ pounds peeled, de-veined shrimp

1 medium onion, thinly sliced ¼ cup flour

1½ cups milk

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 6-ounce package cream cheese, softened

Melt butter or margarine in a frying pan. Add shrimp and onions and saute 3 minutes; do not brown. Sprinkle flour into the mixture while thinning the mixture with the milk a little at a time to avoid lumping. Add mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and cook 3-5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until blended, then warm through but do not boil. Serve over rice.

DEAR READERS: Besides flavoring food, salt has a variety of uses. Here are some you might want to try:

Sprinkle salt on areas where grass or weeds grow unwanted, such as between steppingstones. Then pour hot water over the salt. It’s an eco-friendly and inexpensive solution.

Worried that there might be fleas in your carpet? Sprinkle salt on your carpets and leave it overnight. In the morning, vacuum up thoroughly. Wash dog bedding in salt water.

Stung by a bee? Wet the area and pour salt over it.

Ants becoming a problem? Sprinkle salt in doorways, on windowsills and any other place where they might be coming in. If you have an ant mound, ring the opening with salt.

DEAR HELOISE: This isn’t a recipe, but it’s still a good way to keep ginger root for a long time. Peel and cut ginger root into small cubes. Place in a jar and cover with dry sherry. Store in the fridge. It does not affect the taste of the ginger and lasts for weeks.

— Tina G., Purcellville, Va. DEAR READER: Tina, thanks! That’s a new idea I hadn’t heard before.