HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR READERS: With the holidays approaching, here are some hints to help you gauge how much food you’ll need:

■ A pound of coffee should make about 45-50 cups.

■ A gallon of punch makes about 40 cups. (Always offer soft drinks for guests who don’t drink alcohol.)

■ A quart of dip will usually make 150 teaspoon-size servings.

■ A 12-ounce can of nuts should serve 20-25 people.

■ One pound of cooked lean meat will usually provide 30 to 32 half-ounce slices for small sandwiches.

DEAR HELOISE: Do you have a soup recipe that has creamed corn as an ingredient? Now that soup weather is here, I’d like to try some new recipes.

— Susan in Dayton, Ohio DEAR READER: I have one I know you’ll enjoy. It’s my Economical Corn Chowder. You’ll need:

1 medium potato, diced 1 medium onion, yellow or

white, diced

1 large can of cream-style

corn

1 cup of evaporated milk 2 slices of bacon, cooked and

chopped

Salt and pepper

Dice the potato and onion into bite-size pieces and cover with about an inch of water in a medium pot. Heat until boiling, then simmer on low until the potato and onion are cooked. Then pour in the corn and milk. Add the bacon, then season with salt and pepper. If it’s too thick, add more milk or water. Continue cooking over low heat for 30 minutes.

FYI: Did you know that evaporated milk can be diluted with an equal amount of water and be substituted for fresh milk in recipes?

DEAR HELOISE: Do you have any hints for those of us who wash our dishes by hand? I just moved into a tiny house (700 square feet) and don’t have a dishwasher.

— Malia, Hilo, Hawaii DEAR READER: Yes, I do, and here they are:

1. Add a little vinegar to the water to remove gunk on your dishes and get them nice and clean.

2. Wash sharp knives separately, one at a time. Do not drop them into soapy water because it’s too easy to cut your hand.

3. Spray baked-on food with oven cleaner and let sit for 30 minutes. Wash as usual.

4. Soak dishes or pans with baked-on egg or milk in cold water. Hot water makes cleaning them more difficult.