A leftover lament

DEAR HELOISE >> My husband and I have only been married a short time, and I’ve realized that he won’t touch LEFTOVERS. How do I get my husband to eat them? — Grace G., Shelton, Conn.

DEAR GRACE G. >> Grace, put leftovers in another container, and make sure the food isn’t too dry from reheating. You also might explain the cost saving involved in eating leftovers, which are just as nutritious as they were the previous night. Hopefully this will help.

SPEAKING OF LEFTOVERS ...

DEAR HELOISE >> Last Sunday, I made a huge amount of mashed potatoes, so needless to say, I had leftovers. What can I do with those leftover mashed potatoes? — Jillian N., Tuttle, Okla.

DEAR JILLIAN N. >> Jillian, I have a recipe for them from my book “In the Kitchen With Heloise.” Here it is: Leftover Mashed Potatoes Patties 1 cup mashed potatoes ½ cup flour 2 tablespoons baking powder 2 eggs, beaten ½ teaspoon salt Pepper Combine all of the ingredients, adding pepper to taste. Form into patties. Fry in olive oil on both sides until golden brown.

P.S. Add grated cheese or mined onions for extra flavor.

DEAR HELOISE >> We’re having a small outdoor wedding, and I want to keep the wedding cake from being covered with insects. I have a net to cover the cake, but what about ants? — Anna P., Ripley, Miss.

DEAR ANNA P. >> Anna, put the cake on a table (such as a card table) and place the legs of the table in a large pan or bucket of water. Make sure the sides of the pan do not touch the table legs. This is an old hint, but it works.

DEAR HELOISE >> Cleaning up a camp cookstove is such a bother that I dread going camping anymore. Is there any easy way to keep that stove clean? — Walt O., Abbeville, La.

DEAR WALT O. >> Walt, line every square inch of the camp stove with aluminum foil. Cleanup time will be a breeze.

DEAR HELOISE >> I break up leftover Halloween candy and put it in the bottom of a cup of hot chocolate or coffee. Then I stir thoroughly. — Mary H., Arlington, Va.

DEAR MARY H. >> Mary, this is one of my favorites!

DEAR HELOISE >> Are paper plates safe to microwave food on? My kids tell me they are not. — Don in Xenia, Ohio

DEAR DON >> Don, paper plates are safe as long as they are plain white ones with NO colors or dyes. In other words, no designs on the plates. The paper is safe, but the dyes may not be.