Bobbie says: What’s the best way to eat a homegrown tomato? 1) Open your mouth. 2) Take a bite. 3) Swoon. I’m totally serious, but you’re probably looking for something just slightly more involved. Make a Simple Tomato Salad. The most basic version is merely to arrange sliced tomatoes on a plate or …
Dear Home-Ec 101, My plastic dishes are starting to taste (and smell) like soap. Help! Because I hand wash, I switched to “moisturizing” dish soap. Since the switch, the soapy taste has been overwhelming. I can still taste the soap, even after I switched back to plain blue Dawn, which several friends recommended as a …
Dear Heather,This summer, I noticed these tiny little gray bugs on my window sills in the kitchen and bathroom. They are so light and tiny. I have almost thought they were dust at times. Last week I diluted some bleach on a cloth and wiped down the window sills. That seems to have helped. I’d …
Vera says: The great majority of my crafting life has been a solitary experience. As a child, I spent many, mostly happy, hours alone with needles, hooks, books, and yarn pouring over patterns, learning and creating. I didn’t know anyone else who knitted or crocheted, but in a house with many siblings, it was nice …
Grilling fish can be a very delicate matter. More often than not, cooks fail to realize that certain species of fish tend to yield better results than others, depending on the cooking method used. However, if you take the following suggestions into consideration, you’ll put yourself on the fast track to fixing one fine piece …
Dear Home-Ec 101, I have black underarm stains on many of my shirts. That’s right —BLACK. It started happening after we moved to the western NC mountains, where we have well water, but it’s only my shirts—not my husband’s. I’ve tried changing deodorants (though I suspect they all have the same active ingredients) with no …
Bobbie says: Hearty Potato, Egg and Green Bean Salad is a great spring recipe. These three components get cooked in the same pot and a versatile dressing that can be made ahead of time means you can have a very easy but hearty main dish salad on the table in just over half an hour. …
Heather says: Buffalo chicken sandwiches are my weakness. I don’t know why, maybe it’s the combination of crunch, heat, and the cool of the blue cheese. Buffalo chicken sandwiches are a sometimes food, meaning I don’t pretend they are healthy and I won’t make them often, but when I do? Hoo boy, I enjoy them. …
Have you ever wanted to add pockets to a dress or skirt you already own? Learn how.
Dear Home-Ec 101, I have a question about towels. Is there any way to tell when you buy a bath towel (or any towel for that matter) if it will be absorbent? I’ve purchased many 100% cotton towels over the years. Some are absorbent and others repel water as badly as those hideous 100% polyester …