DEAR READERS: If you plan on hiding eggs this Easter, here are some things to think about:
Do you want to use real eggs that you dye, or plastic ones?
If using plastic eggs, have each child pick a specific color to look for. Fill them with candy, a little note or a coupon for a special outing.
Keep real eggs refrigerated, because the safe time is only about two hours to hide and find all eggs at room temperature. (If they are not going to be eaten, longer is OK.)
Keep a count of the number of eggs you hide so you can count those collected and be sure you found them all. You don’t want to “find” eggs long after the hunt, especially the real ones!
DEAR HELOISE: My kids are some very picky eaters. I wanted to expand their diet without hiding the new foods in familiar ones. To introduce seeds, nuts and dried fruits, I put dollops of Greek yogurt on a cookie tray and placed a nut/seed/dried fruit combination into each. I put them in the freezer for a few hours, and when the kids came home from school, they had some yummy and nutritious treats to eat. They ended up liking them more than I ever expected, and now we spend a night every weekend putting the treats together for the coming week. It’s been a great way to introduce new foods, help the kids learn about better food choices and show them there’s a delicious way to eat every food.
- Theresa in Minnesota
DEAR HELOISE: When we bake potatoes, we always prepare two or three extra. If they are not needed during that meal, they are very easy to prepare the next day as twice-baked, fried or hash browns.
Also, we keep restaurant gift cards we’ve received, and discount coupons for our favorite dining-out spots, in an envelope in the glove compartment of our car. Whenever we’re out and decide to treat ourselves to dinner, we have the coupons with us.
- Jerry and Ellen L. in Ohio
DEAR HELOISE: Here is how I cut up fruit like pineapple, etc.: I place a cutting board in a cookie sheet (Heloise here: The cookie sheet/ baking sheet should have sides), which prevents the juices from running all over the counter.
- Albert L., via email
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email [email protected]
Food, Pages 38 on 04/16/2014