Heather Solos Heather says: Pull your pants up, you perverts! Sometimes we all need a little motivation to get moving on pesky household maintenance. I don’t know about you, but my drawers are a wreck. So for May I am starting a project 1 Day 1 Drawer. Each day I’ll be posting a before and after pic …
Heather says: No person can be “on” all the time. Whether you’re a college student, a parent of young children, or a work-a-holic, a person must take some time to replenish themselves. Life, in all of its wonder and aggravation takes a toll that must be paid. Aside from adequate nutrition and rest, the mind …
Dear Home Ec 101: How long can an open jar of jam or jelly be kept in the fridge before it spoils? (And how do you know when it spoils?)I’m not a big jam eater, but enjoy it once in a while. However, I end up throwing out a lot of jam because I don’t …
Dear Home Ec 101: OK ladies. I have a question for you! Our house was built in 1968 and we have the original wood cabinets in our kitchen. We bought our house in 2000 and they had just been painted white. Today? They are not so white. They are covered in a lovely “kitchen/grease/film.” Help! …
Heather says: First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for the feedback they gave regarding the recent post on strawberry jam. I’ve had several requests for lower sugar, sugar substitute, and diabetic recipes. Pickyourown.org has some fantastic tips for reducing the amount of sugar involved in the canning process. Here are some of the …
Heather says: So in addition to fruit leather, strawberry shortcake, and ripe berry goodness what does $25 and an hour at the farm yield? Why, strawberry jam, of course! There is no reason to be afraid of home preserving. We’ve all heard horror stories of the family that never got up from the table because …
Heather says: This weekend I tried my hand at making fruit leather for the first time. I found a recipe in Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. Ingredients: 2 cups pureed fruit (cooked or raw) Yes, that’s all that goes into these magical strips of yum. The key to the technique is patience. Cooked fruit …
Dear Home Ec 101: I can boil water, I’m not THAT helpless, but I’m no Emeril. I need a quick dish that looks as though I put a lot of effort into the meal. My girlfriend is coming over, but I don’t have a whole lot of time to invest in the meal. Signed, Busy …
Heather says: In South Carolina strawberry season is peaking. I like to take advantage of this by taking a trip out to our local U-Pick farm. Not only do I support local farmers and do my part for the environment, as local produce has less of a carbon footprint, I also get to enjoy some …
Please help me, ladies! We’ve been in our new townhouse for about eight months. We have neutral-colored wall-to-wall style carpet in our living room. There are a couple of stains from who knows what – beer spillage, chocolate drool from a friend’s happy baby, etc. I spot-treated them (the stains, not the babies) and sometimes …