Heather Solos Heather says: When looking for the perfect watermelon: Check the stem. It should be present, but shrunken and discolored. Look for a symmetrical fruit. Check the underside, buttery yellow is a good indicator of ripe flesh. Finally don’t be shy, smack that sucker, it should have a deep tone. If it sounds dull, the melon …
Dear Home Ec 101: A few years ago, I used what we believed to be a dry erase marker. Indeed, I think if I’d immediately erased it, it worked fine. But I didn’t. I left the grocery list up for a while and when I finally bought something from that list, I discovered that it …
Heather says: For very creamy oatmeal simply allow the oats to soak in the cooking water. I measure the rolled oats and water when I make my morning coffee. I then cook as directed when the kids decide to grace me with their presence. If you’re in a hurry, you can add non-fat dry milk …
Dear Home Ec 101: Flash Freeze, does that involve liquid nitrogen? ~Slushy Dear Slushy: Well, for some industries, such as commercial fishing, it could. However, here at Home Ec 101, we are only equipped with the usual appliances and baking supplies. Flash freezing is simply a term used to mean freezing an item as quickly as …
Heather says: On relaxing less harried mornings, double a batch of pancakes or waffles for quick reheating on busy mornings. Flash freeze by placing them in a single layer on a baking sheet, freezing and then place the pancakes or waffles in freezer bags.* Alternately, if a baking sheet won’t fit in your freezer. Freeze …
Heather says: It may come as a shock to some of my readers, but I don’t have a whole lot of patience for general pickiness when it comes to meal time. I do not go out of my way to torture my family members, but let’s face it, you can’t please everyone all of the …
Typically, you should be vacuuming your refrigerator coils twice a year with your spring and fall cleaning. Vacuuming the refrigerator coils not only extends the life of your refrigerator, but it helps save electricity because a dusty fridge has to work harder. If you have pets, you should vacuum more often- the more pets, the …
Dear Home Ec 101: This is embarassing, but I can never remember which way to tighten a bolt. ~A nut with more than a few loose screws Heather says: Don’t be ashamed. If you have never been shown, how could you know? There is a simple rhyme to keep things straight: Lefty loosey, righty tighty. …
Dear Home Ec 101: My son will be moving into an apartment and setting up a kitchen for the first time. I’m pretty confident about what kind of hardware (pots, pans, plates, etc) to buy, but what would be a good basic list of staples (salt, pepper, sugar, cannola oil) to set him up with. …
Heather says: It is blueberry season here in South Carolina. Unfortunately, a frost on Easter wiped out most of the crop. Many U-pick farms were not open this year and I had to drive a respectable distance to find a source for this year’s produce. Taking advantage of local produce in season not only favorably …